Chapter 5:

Signs

Amon, Sakaki, and Robin crashed through the woods. They ran with desperation, weaving through the trees and foliage in search of any hint at a trail. Amon had already drawn his blade and his pistol, ready to fight for the safety of those he had let slip through his fingers.

He froze. The other two skidded to a stop just as he began to speak. "I hear a motor, a car motor." Amon glanced to the left. "This way!"

They ran until they came to a ledge. The forest ended, the ledge slipping down into desert. Dust kicked up as a bus heading in their direction. Amon motioned for the other two to follow his lead.

Crouching down, they waiting for it's approach. "Robin, you blow the wheels with your craft. Sakaki and I will jump down there and disarm any of the enemy, give us support. We'll signal when it's clear."

Robin nodded. "Got it."

Amon turned to Sakaki, "got it?"

"Yeah."

Amon eyed the oncoming bus. "Now!" He and Sakai leaped off the edge, landing onto of the bus as it skidded to a sudden stop. Sakkai crashed through one of the windows. Amon followed suit.

The bus was filled with students from the Academy. They looked up at him with dead eyes, their faces painted in blood. It looked like someone had cut symbols into the faces.

A soldier came up on him, with a quick turn and well placed kick, he went flying back to the front of the bus. A quick count showed that their were only two of them on the bus. Sakaki and Amon handled them within seconds.

Amon tossed the bodies out the door and motioned for Robin. She carefully picked her way down the slope and ended up sliding all the way down.

"Amon!" He turned at the sound of his name, seeing Sakaki brining the headmaster off the bus. He was one of the few without a symbol cut into his face.

As they helped the others off, he knew he recognized the symbols.

"The seven symbols of the craft," Robin sounded surprised. That was it! Amon glanced around, the X symbol, the N, the goofy looking one, the almost C, the straight line…Robin was right.

What were they doing with the students that involved these symbols?

Amon shook himself. That didn't matter just then. He had to get them out of there. "Does anybody know how close we are to a shoreline? A dock?"

One student spoke up. "When they boarded us, I saw the map they were using. There should be a dock six miles south of here."

Six miles. That was do-able. "Alright, get ready for a long day." He motioned for the Headmaster, Sakai and Robin to lead the pack with him. He had a few questions to ask. "Do you know what they were doing, where they were taking them?" Amon asked in a low whisper.

"I haven't the slightest clue." The headmaster admitted.

"That's cruel, what they did." Sakaki said, glancing back at the students covered in their own blood.

"Trust me," Amon muttered, "it could've been much worse."