Chapter Text
*BANG* Ash’s whole body felt like she was on fire, it hurt. She tried to stay awake, but she could not. The last thing she saw was Ben coming to her, then it went dark. Ben was shocked when the sky turned red, and they saw the phantoms going into the police bodies.
"What the fuck?!" Aiden said as he backed up, but gave Ben the side eye and looked back, "We need to go like right now!" Taylor said as she backed up with the rest, "The back door!!" Tyler yelled as he hurried to the back door, throwing it open. They all ran out. Ben tried not to jostle ash as they ran.
Everyone was confused and terrified. Since when did the sky turn red in the middle of the day? Logan shot at a phantom that had slipped near them and was straying behind. Someone grabbed him. It was Ben. No, Ben was up ahead. So who? Aiden had turned around just in time to see not-Ben slip Logan past an alleyway. He glanced up front, glanced back. That wasn’t Ben. He shouted frantically at the others. After getting their attention and everyone realising Logan was missing, they ran to the alleyway where Logan had disappeared.
A loud bang was heard.
A loud noise came from the alley. Everyone jumped. "Logan!" Taylor shouted. Her heart stopped beating for a second. Logan ran out of the alley. He went to the group. He grabbed Taylor's arm as soon as he reached them. He wanted to make sure she was really there.
"That wasn't Ben ", he said, trying to catch his breath. "I am telling you it looked like him. It was not Ben."
Aiden looked at Logan. Then at Ben. Ben was carrying Ash. Aiden said, "Yeah... that's really scary." Tyler looked back at the alley. "Can we talk about the clone while we walk?" he asked uneasily.
Then another Phantom made a sound. No one needed to be told what to do. Ben moved Ash in his arms. "Let's just go," Taylor said.
The group started speed-walking to stay next to Ben and Ash since they couldn't exactly run. They were confused and scared. They did not think about why the sky had turned red. Logan and the others were running. They thought about the clone, the Phantom and the red sky. Logan still thought about what he saw in the alley. The thing that looked like Ben. It was not Ben. Logan kept thinking about it.
The sky turned back to blue, but they kept speed-walking and did not turn back. They were shaking. They were cold, hungry, tired, they wanted to go home, and Ash was still out cold. While they walked, Aiden turned just to make sure no one was following them he bumped into someone he landed on his, but he looked at the person he ran into to see a woman.
She was pretty, brown long wavy hair that was in a ponytail, blue eyes, she looked a little tired and she had bags that were now on the ground "I’m so sorry!!" Aiden said as he hurries to pick up the stuff. The woman smiles softly "Oh no it’s ok dear it happens sometimes."
Aiden still picked up the bags and held them up for her to take. Sally took them, gaze scanning over the group. They all sported bruises, eye bags, and looked seconds from collapsing. A girl was unconscious and being carried, and she looked the same way as the others.
Sally’s expression shifted. “Why were you running? Are you in trouble?” She asked. The bruises reminded her of— Never mind. He was stone now. She looked each of them over, and waited for a response, any response, but the kids were glancing at each other silently, as if telepathically debating on what to say.
She waited for them to speak, then one of them said "Uhh we where going home when some bullies found us and ya." Taylor kicked the rock, the woman then said "Oook well you all do not look that well, why don’t you come with me?” She did see them all get tense at it, then she said "I’m Sally Jackson and you all?" The group looked at her then the girl said “I’m Taylor, this is my twin Tyler, and that Aiden and that’s Ben and that’s Logan and that’s Ash."
“You seem hungry. I was just taking groceries home.” Sally observed with a soft smile. “I have bandages too. My son gets into fights a lot.” She hummed. The group looked at each other. Ben shrugged. Taylor said, “Why not?” Tyler looked skeptical, staying by his sister’s side. Logan looked half-relieved, half-worried. Aiden agreed enthusiastically on the outside, but still kept his suspicions to himself.
They had walked all the way to the woman’s home, which wasn’t too far, thankfully. The entire walk was agonising, given their current state. Everyone had walked in awkward silence, not daring to speak at all. They were still too shaken up by the entire sky-is-red and phantoms-now-exist-in-the-human-dimension thing. Sally kept walking with the teens behind her. She was close to her apartment.
Once there, she unlocked the door, and Aiden was holding her bags. She opened the door and let them in. She took the bags from the boy and went into the kitchen. The group looked around and saw photos of her with a boy they found the living room. Ben walked over to the couch and layed ash onto it, Taylor sat by ash's head on the ground her knees to her chest staring at the ground. Ben sat by Ash’s feet letting his legs spread out. Aiden sat on the other couch with Logan and Tyler.
Sally walked in with a plate full of cookies and a jar of milk "Ok so all I have right now are these blue cookies. You all ok with that?" The group nodded. Taylor said, "Thanks so much for these"
Sally smiled at Taylor. “You don’t need to thank me for these.” Her eyes passed over each of them. Oh, right. The bandages. “Let me get the bandages for you. I think I have medicine for those cuts as well.” She tilted her head, studied them for a moment more, and walked into another room.
Taylor was the first one to take a cookie and eat it. “Tay— You don’t know if she’s trying to drug us or not!” Tyler hissed.
“Well, you could leave. But I think I’m going to accept the free food.” Aiden remarked to Tyler, grabbing a cookie and eating it in one mouthful. Tyler looked severely pissed off, but scoffed and didn’t touch the plate.
Aiden ate it, nothing happened, then everyone but Tyler and Ash grabbed one. Sally came back with a med kit while she help patch them up she face look happy but inside she was pissed—why did it look like they got jumped? I mean Taylor did say there was some bullys but how many- Sally snapped out of her deep thinking and started patching up Ash. She did see the group watch her like she was going to hurt her, she walked back after she was done then said "Ok there we go all better?" Sally saw that the plate was clean -they might be hungry still-
Sally looked at the plate. Smiled. "I thought you guys were hungry ", she said. She got up. Brushed her hands on her jeans. "Why don't I make something to fill you up?" The group looked at each other, really tired. Even Tyler's stomach made a noise. Aiden pointed at him. Said, "See, I told you he was hungry." Tyler rolled his eyes. Did not say anything. They were all too tired.
Ben just stayed where he was. Kept an eye on Ash as per usual ...Taylor sat quietly beside the couch. Checked if everyone felt comfortable and looked mostly okay.
When Sally moved around the kitchen. Everyone felt safer in the house instead of outside. No lab, no Phantoms, no screaming. All you could hear were the pots and the refrigerator. For a while, they were not. They were not fighting. They could just sit down. Aiden leaned back into the couch. Sighed. Logan looked at the floor. He kept thinking about the alley. That thing that looked like Ben. Something about it did not feel right. Logan rubbed his arms. Looked at the real Ben to make sure he was still there, and it wasn't the phantom Ben. He feared Ben was still in the alleyway.
Sally came back with sandwiches and water. As soon as she put the food down, everyone except Tyler had eaten a cookie. Tyler would look around and hesitate for a moment before grabbing a cookie. "I knew it ", Aiden said with a smile. Tyler looked at him, annoyed. He kept eating.
Then Ash made a noise on the couch. Everyone stopped moving. Taylor got up fast. Asked, "Ash?" kneeling beside her. Ashlyn's eyebrows came together as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the ceiling, then turned her head to the group. "Why does everything hurt?" she said quietly.
The room is filled with voices almost immediately. Taylor spoke softly, "We are so glad you are awake " Logan said, "You scared us much.". Ben let out a breath he was holding. Even Tyler looked happy. Ash tried to sit up, then lay down with a hurt look. "No, that was an idea", she said. The group laughed a little.
For one of the first times that day, nobody was thinking about the phantoms or the red sky or the thing that looked like Ben. They were just happy that Ash was awake and alive. They did not know what they would do next. They were happy, for now that Sally was making them food and that they were all together. The sandwiches that Sally made were really good. They were all eating them. Sally made them feel safe and happy. The group was happy that Ash was okay and that they could all eat together.
Sally was in the kitchen while she was cleaning the dishes, her phone vibrated, she dried her hands and picked it up, turning it on, it was an alert, it had those kids on it saying those kids are highly dangerous, she looked in the living room saw the kids happily munching on the food she made and the girl Ash was up and munching on food like they never had food. Then looked at her phone with a raised eyebrow, then looked at the kids, then her phone with a deadplan look turning it off and putting it down -no way this kids are dangerous-
Sally continued scrubbing at a plate, her grip tightening on the dish. She was in deep thought. Percy had been in news reports and had been labelled a criminal by the entire nation. It had led to a manhunt. She frowned. Could these children be demigods, too? It wouldn’t explain the facility… She looked into the living room. But… They didn’t seem dangerous. Or sick. They just seemed beaten and tired. She was sure that if they had the will to escape, then it must not have been a good situation.
The light had gradually changed from warm to cool, and the shadows stretched over the apartment in time. The teenagers had gotten more used to the new environment, had spoken to Sally, but had mostly spoken with eachother if not in silence.
Now, they were all piled on top of one another like a pile of puppies. Sally’s gaze softened as she flicked the light off and laid a blanket over the huddled bodies. She wanted to stay closer to them now than her own bedroom, but she was afraid she might make them more uncomfortable than they already seemed.
Ashlyn stirred, an invisible weight pressing into her chest. What time was it? She opened her eyes and scanned the room. Her gaze found a digital clock sitting on a table: 11:59. Before she could process it, the world froze, and she was plunged into red.