Students stuck behind the horde fled to the windows, thrashing them open. They flung themselves to be pelted by the stormy sky through aid of their abilities. Some initiated their rubberized skin to mitigate the fall or unfolded angelic wings spanning the length of the hallway to soar away from the bullets of hail. Any avenue was utilized to shorten the time to arrive at safety. However, for those stuck in the building an immense stench of body heat as well as the grime from each puberty-stained teenager perforated onto another contributing to a putridness that floated throughout the building. The ones too exhausted and weak fell then subsequently decimated by the boots of their peers.
A smattering of blood upon broken glasses caught Kage's eye. Not a second passed before he left the comfort of his friends, who desperately clung together, to dive toward a boy stocky in form that lay unconscious on the floor. Blood dribbled out from a wound on his forehead while bruises manifested an ugly green on his legs and arms. Kage knew there would be no way to retrieve him from this tightly packed crowd. There was only one way to maintain the boy's safety.
He kneeled over the kid wrapping him up leaving himself to withstand the continued blows from those too afraid to realize the trouble they were causing. Kage took his bag using it as a secondary shield for the boy's head. If it were simply normal feet colliding into him, Kage would not have had any issue against their blows; however, these kids were Evolved, and many had unwittingly activated their abilities to gain an advantage over their retreat.
Stone hardened toes smashed into his face scratching away the skin, slicing his brow. The talons to an eagle producing a muffled shriek as a burning hot puncture opened in his back. Finally, insectoids, which were what was left of a girl's body when she transformed, crawled inside his shirt rubbing off the skin forcing rashes to form producing an intense itch that blistered the mind. Half a dozen or so minutes passed of this brutality before Kage felt the crowd subsist enough for a hand to poke out between a couple people's legs, he gladly took it.
Kage was lifted out along with the still unconscious boy and dropped into a heap onto Jacob's lap. "Damn it, Gan! Did you have to only use one arm? Or better yet not drop them on me?" Jacob complained while leaking out a roaming groan.
Gan paid no attention to Jacob's slight but placed focus on Kage and the many scrapes he had from braving the punishment. Kage's hair was a mess and blood from the kid as well as himself splattered lightly on his cheeks. His clothes were also torn up and what was always a clean attire had been tarnished.
Kage pointed at the kid speaking, "He hit his head on something, Isaiah you should take him to the infirmary. The nurse may still be preparing some stuff to bring to the gym." He stood up after relenting the boy into Isaiah's grasp. Isaiah cradled the injured kid, resting a hand underneath his head while constructing a hastened bandage for his forehead out of a slice of his sleeve. Wiping the dirt from his shoulders and straightening his clothes, Kage was ready once more without even a thought spared toward his injuries. He took out his cellphone checking the signal only to find it cut. "Signal's out...Does anyone know where Daniel is? Possibly Sam?"
The group took stock of Kage's haggard state. His bones ached while a dizzying spell controlled the fray of his thoughts. A certain unmissable glow shone behind the blue contacts that hid the truth within. Yet, those contacts no longer maintained the mask. Claire reached out a hand touching the boy's shoulder. Such a touch that swiped a bit of a footprint from his clothes drew his attention. A subtle stare was shared as he peered into her distressed frown that spoke more than words ever could.
'What am I doing? Worrying her?'
A soft whisper echoed to his ears, "Kage you need some help as we-"
"I'm fine." He interrupted her before the others could produce similar worries. "We need to focus on Daniel. He could be in trouble."
Isaiah spoke up, "Daniel left school early, said he was gonna get to work on the next assignment for engineering as soon as possible."
"When was that?" Kage demanded.
He checked the clock at the top of a classroom door, "Couldn't have been longer than an hour ago. I don't think he left right away either because he had to get all the supplies and pack them up before going." Straining his memory, Isaiah remembered another fact given to him by Daniel. "He told me he usually waits for Sam after her supplemental classes so they can go home together. Could only have been twenty minutes then." Startled by this news Kage began to trace the steps and timing of where Daniel would be in relation to the subway he took to the lower district. The pieces fell into place which left him a sickly pale on the verge of near breakdown.
"He would be right at the park. If lucky he would be near the Lincoln Founders Bunker." Kage looked at the four people, the four friends that stood side by side before him.
He choked on his words and couldn't think what to say afterward, but saw a fist extend out at level with his chest. It was Gan's, "Don't worry, we'll get there and help the both of them. Would be pretty shitty of us not to, plus I kinda like the kid."
Before Kage could register the placid smile on Gan's face, Claire piped up as well, "If he's important to you then I guess we all got to pitch in. No one gets left behind."
Jacob knocked into Gan, thrusting his own fist out with a sideways glance that served to situate his body away from Kage, "Hate the fucker and the girl as well… but I'm not going to let them die. Already have their faces etched into my mind to let that happen."
Isaiah put his fist in without a word but showed a stern look that bore a resolve unlike what Kage had seen in him before. It would be dangerous and quite honestly defying all logic to go head on into such extreme conditions. The storm alone gave way for fear to develop. The screaming and cries wrought havoc to their resolve, but all Kage could see was that blaring flame overtaking the corpses of hundreds.
Although they had permission to help, it didn't aid in the challenge presented. Due to that leeway given, the group knew that if caught they wouldn't have any charges put against them, so long as they didn't put any citizens in danger.
Kage put his fist into the pile preceded by them all pushing their knuckles together. "Ok, Isaiah, go bring that kid to the nurse. We'll wait in the gym for a few minutes to find some Hero who is about to go out, then we'll split up and find Daniel and Sam."
Isaiah gave a thumbs up followed by a nod of his head. "When we can, we need to get to the Lincoln Bunker, check the area around the park, and the subway station leading to the lower district." Directing his gaze solely on the group, Kage gravelly warned them, "Stick close to the Heroes. Don't do something you can't."
Throwing his words at them all he relaxed his face, "When someone finds them, message the rest of us, hopefully the signal will be better in the city. If you need help, we'll come as fast as we can." Kage turned around facing all of them. Despite the dire circumstances, an air of resoluteness stayed among them. They were willing to give their all to save this friend of a friend. They would follow Kage's orders and plead to help because he was their cornerstone.
With him there to hold them together they all felt invincible.
'Keep looking forward and never back.' They all synchronously repeated in their minds.