The Power of the Finder

They say to never underestimate the power of determination.  Well, I was pretty determined and I definitely found a way.  I was getting more and more exhausted by the moment, but I wasn’t going to quit until we freed Chaz.  Hopefully without detection, but the longer it took for us to weave through everything the harder it was for me to focus.

I honestly had no idea where I was going.  The thing was that, as long as I stayed completely focused on finding Chaz, I just knew where to go and when to wait.  There were a few times that thieves and guards passed not far from us, but I had stopped at the right hiding spot.  Now, it had taken me several moments to stop freaking out and go back to thinking about Chaz but I was able to do it.  It just got harder each time.

“We need to stop,” Mills said quietly.

“Guards?”

“You look like you’re going to pass out,” he answered.

I tried to glare, but gave up.  I kind of felt like it, but we couldn’t afford to take breaks.  To get where we were at, in front of the lopsided mansion that served as a hideout, we had taken about an hour.  The clock was ticking.

“I’m afraid that if I stop I won’t be able to stand back up,” I finally admitted.  “Of course, you don’t look one hundred percent either.”

“We’re both insane,” Mills smirked.  “But yes, I honestly haven’t been sleeping well at all.”

“Poor Chaz,” I sighed.  “He’s being rescued by two people who aren’t even completely lucid.”

“Maybe that’s why we’re getting so lucky.”

“We should get moving,” I said as my eyes latched onto the second floor window that was right next to a tree.

“I really hope that room is empty,” Mills said as he followed me.

“You leave finding Chaz to me.  I’ll leave the escaping part to you and Argyle.”

“We’re doomed,” Mills chuckled.  “At least we’ll be doomed together.”

I nodded and then started climbing the tree.  How I managed to climb that thing and reach the window, I’ll never know.  It’s one of those instances where you don’t realize you’re doing something crazy until you’re halfway through it.  From there a person has only two options really; freeze up, or just keep going.  If I weren’t on a rescue mission then I probably would have frozen up because of how high the tree branch actually was.

The window was open just a crack, and so we were able to pry it open and sneak in.  The more I focused on finding Chaz without getting caught, the less I noticed the near misses.  It was like tunnel vision.  I wasn’t aware of anything: walls, doors, thieves, furniture.  All I was aware of was what I needed to do to get to Chaz.

When I reached the end of my mission, I wasn’t sure who was more surprised.  Chaz was happy, I could tell that, though he was intrigued.  Mills looked like he was trying to hold back laughter.  The guard that I had pushed down into a chair and threatened to scalp if he ticked me off looked positively flabbergasted.  By the time my brain had caught up with my actions, I realized that I had managed to take the guard’s weapon.

The only thing that saved me then and there was the fact that Mills had gotten Chaz free.  I think the two boys were more determined to protect me than actually silence the guard, but they did do both.  The guard was gagged and tied and Chaz took the weapon from my hand.

“Amy?” Chaz sounded worried as I used him for support.

“I’m all right,” I told him.

That was definitely an obvious lie.  I felt like I was getting sensory overload in addition to lethargy.  I could literally feel the energy draining from my body.

“Mills!” Chaz cried out and the two caught me as my legs gave out.

“Sorry,” I mumbled as they sat me down and I rested.  “My adrenaline has finally given out.”

“You found me,” Chaz said quietly.  “When a Finder does something that should be impossible, it takes its toll.”