Fracture by Craig Andrews

Author:Craig Andrews
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780991241804
Publisher: My Story Productions
Published: 2013-12-11T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Jarrell Hartline marched through the concrete corridors of the compound with Lukas’s other followers. Whispers and rumors spread through the disorderly group like dandelions in an overgrown field. Darian Hyland had attempted to capture Graeme McCollum and Kendyl’s brother, Allyn. The young fool was unsuccessful, and a handful of his Family was dead, but nobody knew if Lukas had ordered the attack.

“Graeme is building a coalition.”

“He says he won’t retaliate. He doesn’t want a war.”

“I heard he was already planning a strike.”

Each person said something different, something that contradicted what the last person had said. Jarrell wanted to laugh. They were clueless. Lukas was too. Unless he’s marshaling us together to address the rumors and tell us what’s really going on.

They entered the cafeteria—a large open room with a matching concrete floor and walls unadorned with decorations. The tables were pushed against the walls, chairs resting on top, keeping the center of the room open. Bare but functional, nothing flashy—that was Lukas. He was about structure, strength, and unity. Most of the Family had already arrived, leaving Jarrell at the back of the room, struggling to see over the rest. He pulled his glasses off and breathed onto the lenses, then rubbed them clean with the hem of his shirt. More than one person asked what was going on, but most waited patiently, at least as patiently as could be expected. Answers were coming. Why else would they have been summoned there?

Lukas entered a few minutes later, accompanied by his two bodyguards. Kaleb, the younger of the two, strutted beside his leader, a wicked grin on his face as if he reveled in knowing something the rest didn’t. Reyland, always expressionless, stalked on the other side of him, his back straight, eyes darting, and muscles tight, ready to strike. He wasn’t just a man prepared for a fight. He was a man looking for one.

Ever present, Kendyl brought up the rear. Silently pleading for help, her eyes flickered toward Jarrell as they always did when he was near. He’d offered it, but had so far been unable to make good on his promise. He had to be patient and wait for the right time. Jarrell looked away, in part because it made him feel helpless, but also because those pleading eyes might lead to unpleasant questions. She didn’t look at anyone else like that. She didn’t so much as make eye contact with anyone else. If someone was paying attention… the weight of her gaze subsided as she passed, its incrimination staved off for another time.

Lukas leaped onto a table at the far end of the room, and the crowd fell quiet. He stood silently, scanning the crowd. “Here we are. Look around. The men and women standing beside you are the men and women who are going to change the world. Men and women who already courageously stood with me and left behind a philosophy that saw our numbers decline year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation.

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