by ID Johnson
Other transport vehicles weren’t necessary in Gretchintown. The food and other supplies they needed was transported via an underground cart system through tunnels so narrow only the carts could fit through. It was a conveyor belt system, and the roofs of the tunnels were so low to the ground, Rain could remember being a small child thinking she couldn’t even stand upright in there. On the tour, someone had asked what they did if the system broke down, and the guide had said they had ways of fixing it that didn’t require walking down the shaft. Rain hadn’t thought about it then, but she figured constructing the tunnels so that they’d be nearly impossible to use as an escape passage was probably a consideration back when Michaelanburg was originally conceived.
Rain continued walking, thinking about the stories the Mothers told about all of the vehicles that used to pollute the air with their noxious gases. They spoke of large trucks that moved supplies, above ground railway trains, and below ground subways. They’d said that everyone had their own personal car, some people more than one. They mentioned airplanes that flew all over the world as well. Those airplanes had been useful weapons during the wars, transformed into bombers. Now, none of that was necessary. As the Mothers said, “Everything we need is within walking distance.” Of course, that wasn’t exactly true since most of the food and clothing, as well as other day to day goods, came in on the underground carts. But Rain had never even considered leaving Michaelanburg before now. What would be the point? Where would she go? There was nothing in the world she’d want to see that wasn’t readily available on her tablet, was there?
Except there probably was. After seeing the book Mist had found, Rain realized there was likely a lot out there to see. Not only might they find more books that would give them an indication of what the world had really been like before the war and the Claiming, there was a chance they could run into other people, people whose history had not been manipulated to paint the Motherhood in a perfect light. What if she found out everything she’d believed for her entire life was wrong?
She turned and headed up the walkway to Weather House, possibly for the last time. Her insides were tangled into a large knot, and part of her wanted to go straight to Mist and tell her to forget it, that she wouldn't be part of this, that she couldn't be. But Rain knew too much now. Not only did she finally realize that men were people too, it had sunk in that the Motherhood had been lying about more than she would’ve ever guessed. The world she’d been living in was a lie, the past was most certainly a lie, and staying there, pretending not to know about the rebellion, to not have been a part of it would not only be contributing to the lie, there was a good chance she’d discover the truth about the biggest falsehood of all.
Her footsteps echoed off of the tile as she headed down the hallway, her mind focused on the Bridge. Her entire life, she’d been told that the Bridge was a pathway to another existence, that when people weren’t quite perfect enough to live here, they were simply led over the Bridge so that they could improve and try again. Mothers had conjured up images of a beautiful land, full of flowers, music, puffy white clouds, and lots of people, mostly men, but women, too, doing their best to become better so that they would have a chance to take their place amongst the Mothers.
Once, when she was quite young, one of the other girls had asked Mother Rose, a caretaker Rain remembered fondly, if going over the Bridge meant one would die. Mother Rose had laughed gently and said, “No, no, dear. In order to die, one must first be born to perfection. Only perfect women and girls like you and I are privileged enough to have the opportunity to die, to go on to what is to come next and not have to start over. The Bridge isn’t for us.”
Later, she’d heard that the reason some women who turned out not to be so perfect and continuously broke rules were also escorted across the Bridge was because it turned out they weren’t perfect after all. Another Mother, Mother Blue, had explained, “Sometimes we can look close to perfect on the outside, but it turns out there’s a faint spot on the inside that didn’t form quite right. The women and girls who are led across the Bridge will be back soon, having fixed those few spots.”
Rain had never worried about going across the Bridge. Since she was a tiny girl, she’d been told she was perfect, that she was beautiful, smart, loyal, kind, and that she was a fine fit for the Motherhood. Someday, she could have her pick of employment and be any sort of Mother she wanted to be.
Now, walking down the hall to her dorm room, certain she’d find Mist inside, looking as if this was just an ordinary day, Rain realized every bit of all of that had been a lie. The Bridge led to death for everyone--the men deemed imperfect, the tiny babies who hadn’t grown the way the Motherhood preferred, women who had gone against the grain. They’d all been killed. By what means, Rain didn’t know, but she didn’t want to find out either.
She pushed the door open, not surprised to see Mist’s tablet open, her eyes not moving as her friend came in. Rain hung up her backpack, maybe for the final time, and then lie down on her bed, realizing the biggest lie of all was a personal one. She wasn’t perfect. Tomorrow, she’d prove she wasn’t loyal either, at least not to the Motherhood.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mist hardly said a word the entire night. Feeling lost, Rain tried her best to read and not think about what was supposed to happen the next day. She’d assumed Mist would fill her in on some of the details, but any question Rain asked was met with only a clipped response. All she knew for certain was that they needed to be outside and ready to go by late morning the next day. Whether Mist didn’t know herself or just didn’t care to explain, Rain wasn’t sure, but when she closed her eyes that night, she had more questions than she did answers.
Sleep was fleeting, coming in spurts of about five minutes at a time at best. By the time the sun came up, she was exhausted but also ready to jump out of bed and get on with it. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, fear and anxiety mingling together to leave her jittery and unable to sit still.
Going about her usual Saturday morning was difficult. Everywhere she looked, Rain saw potential threats--people looking at her suspiciously, Mothers with raised eyebrows. Mist continued to tell her to calm down as quietly as she could without bringing any attention to the girls.
Unsuccessful at calming her nerves, Rain went back to her room, trying to rest. It was odd to think this might be the last time she ever lie on this bed, looked at these walls, stared at this ceiling.
Mist came in after breakfast. The sound of her footsteps as she moved around the room brought Rain out of a restless sleep. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready.” She had the book in her hand. It was wrapped, but Rain knew what it was. She shoved it in her school backpack, deep in the bottom, and put some other items on top. Clothes, extra shoes, hydration pills, nutritional supplements, personal hygiene items, a change of clothing.
“Do I need to do that?” Rain sat up and put her feet on the floor. She’d kept her boots on, just in case.
Mist nodded, and Rain took a deep breath, thinking about what she wanted to take. Everything--nothing. She got up and pulled some clothes out of her drawer and then gathered up the other items Mist had with her.
“Don’t take your tablet.” Mist was done packing and was sitting on her bed, holding the beloved device in her hands.
Rain stopped placing items in her backpack and asked, “Why not?”
“Tracking.” She turned it off and set it on her pillow.
That made sense to Rain. Her tablet was still in her bag, though. She dug it out and put it in a drawer. It seemed odd to leave it behind, they were so used to having them with them everywhere they went, but Mist was right to be cautious. She wondered if there was anything else that could be tracked. Nothing she could think of…. Nothing except for their IUDs, but those would only kick on a trackable signal if they were removed, so that would be fine.
“Are you ready?” Mist had her backpack on, and the expression on her face showed determination w
ithout a note of fear.
Nodding, Rain slipped her arms through the straps. “I’m ready.” She wasn’t sure that was the case. Her leg was shaking, and her eye wouldn’t stop twitching.
“All right. We’ll go out the side door like we always do. If anyone asks what we’re doing with our backpacks, we’re going specimen collecting in the woods. You’re going to help me find some rare plants. Got it?”
“Okay. What if they want to check our bags?”
“As long as you’re calm and nonchalant, they won’t.”
She was right. No one had ever asked that before. Assuming the rebellion hadn’t been discovered, there’d be no reason for the Mothers to be suspicious.
“Let’s go.” Mist was all business, and Rain wished she was half as confident as her friend. She took one more look around the space she’d called her own for years and then followed Mist into the unknown. When the sun set that night, she’d either be far out of town or dead. Either way, she wouldn’t be coming back to this place ever again.
Outside, the air was warm, the sun shining, and birds chirping overhead. A few other women were out and about, but no one looked suspicious at all. Rain noticed a few others with backpacks here and there, but that wasn't uncommon. Lots of girls used their backpacks all the time to carry their tablets and anything else they might need while they were out.
Rain wanted to ask how far they were going, but she got her answer pretty quickly. Mist stopped at the edge of the woods and sat down beneath a tree.
Glancing around nervously, Rain saw no one but decided she should do the same. In the distance, the sound of hammers and other tools echoed from the building site. “Will the Constructors’ ankle monitors still work when the breach is made?” she whispered.
Mist shook her head. “Some of them.”
Her eyebrows knit together as Rain tried to understand what that meant. She didn’t want to ask, but she assumed that meant the Constructors were part of the rebellion.
Surprisingly, Mist elaborated. “Some have been off for weeks. They’ve been helping with supplies.”
Rain didn’t know what to make of that. The women could’ve been at risk all this time of being attacked by the Constructors who said they were on their side. “What about when we came out here?”
Mist nodded. The man she’d been looking at that day--he must’ve been in on it.
“But… did you know about the cellar before then?”
“No,” Mist said. “I was looking for it, though. We were hopeful there was a place we could use nearby to store our supplies. We just got lucky. I did know about the rebellion back then, though.”
Rain sank into the ground. How long had Mist been keeping secrets? What else was she refusing to share?
Any chance of asking questions faded away when the sound Rain had been both waiting for and dreading blared in the distance. Both girls jumped to their feet. It was the breach siren. The rebellion was underway.
With her stomach in her throat, Rain looked at Mist. “What do we do?”
“Nothing yet. Get ready to run.”
“How will I know when to run?”
Gunfire rang out in the distance, accompanied by screams and the shout of male voices.
“You’ll know.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The shouts were getting closer, and so was the gunfire. Rain looked at Mist, trying to judge when she should start running. Wouldn’t it be better if they were at the cellar before the men got there, so they could have the doors open?
Mist was staring off in the distance, her eyes never wavering. Rain’s flickered back and forth between Mist’s face and the road that led to IW. In the distance, she saw some girls running for their homes, some even toward Weather House, a place Rain knew she’d never see again.
Down the road, she saw some forms come into view moving quickly across the concrete. In the split second that she got a glance at them before she realized Mist was tugging on her arm, she could see that some of them were men dressed in black shorts and shirts. There were young women running alongside of them, and many of those women were carrying guns.
“Now, Rain! Come on!” Mist said, yanking her back toward the woods.
Rain had trouble pulling her eyes away from those lead men because she was trying to see if Adam was with them, but she didn’t get a good enough look. Once her feet were moving, she had no trouble kicking herself into a run, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the Military Mothers as possible.
She flew through the woods, dodging branches and tree roots, leaping over small shrubs. She was faster than Mist; she didn’t slow to wait for her friend either, not until she reached the clearing. Then, Rain stopped in her tracks, terror causing her heart to pause, too.
“It’s okay,” Mist said, coming up behind her.
Rain wasn’t moving. Over by the house, there were several men dressed like construction workers. They were moving the branches and leaves off of the opening.
“Come on!” Mist said again, pulling on her arm. “They’re with us.”
The only time Rain had been around a man who was loose was when Adam had been freed from the chair. The idea of approaching these men now was terrifying, especially when she saw some of them go down the stairs and come back up--with guns.
Mist shoved her hard in the shoulder. Rain started moving again. Mist was muttering about moving too fast, hoping they hadn’t lost anyone. Rain hadn’t thought about that. Was she supposed to lead them to the cellar?
The men with the guns spread out around the cellar doors, and Mist ran down the stairs without batting an eye. “Get a uniform. Put it on,” she shouted at Rain, running toward a stack of Military uniforms and grabbing one, dropping her bag by the wall. She kicked off her shoes and slid it on over her clothes. Rain did the same, not even stopping to think.
Once Mist was dressed, she passed over a pair of boots for Rain and slid her feet into the thick military issued footwear. Finally, she grabbed a gun. By the time she handed one to Rain, she was dressed and ready for whatever the hell they were doing.
Hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Women came down first. Mist started handing out uniforms, and then, the first men followed. They were breathing heavily, most of them sweaty, terror in their eyes. Rain wondered if any of them had been completely surprised by this, or had they had a warning? Mist was directing them toward the darkest corner of the cellar, back behind the stairs.
A few of the other women took over, and Mist fought her way up the stairs, along with a couple of other girls Rain didn’t recognize who were already in uniform. “Rain!” she shouted, and the next thing she knew, Rain was also climbing the stairs, a military rifle in hand, bumping into others who were headed down.
“They’re coming!” she heard a woman shout. “That’s all we can do! Anyone else will have to find a different way!”
“Got it!” Mist said. “As soon as these women are in, close it,” she said to the Construction workers.
“Yes, miss,” one of them said.
Rain hadn’t seen Adam. That didn’t mean he wasn’t down there, but she hadn’t seen him.
“What are we doing?” Rain asked Mist, the gun heavy and awkward in her hands.
“As soon as they close up, we’ll cover it. The six of us are going to search the area and try to steer the actual military women out of here.”
Rain’s eyes bulged. Impersonating Military Mothers was not what she thought she would be doing. “When do we escape?”
“As soon as they’re gone, we’ll head back into the cellar.”
“But won’t more just keep coming?”
Mist didn’t have time to answer. With all the women in sight down inside of the cellar, the men closed the doors. Some of the men darted back inside, others ran for the trees, guns in hand. Rain hurriedly ran over and did her best to cover the door.
“Don’t put anything on it that will keep them from opening it from the inside in case they have
to get out that way,” Mist directed her.
Her eyes bulging, Rain stared at her, assuming she meant in case the women on the outside weren’t there to clear the stuff off of the doors for those below. Again, there was no time to question anything.
The sound of heavy boots carried through the trees. Rain turned to see a group of Military Mothers, several, maybe eight or ten, running through the woods. She glanced at their faces and was relieved to see that Mother White was not one of them. She would certainly recognize Rain and know she was not a member of the military.
“Check the house!” Mist shouted, leaving Rain to wonder if she was in command of this detail. Rain moved in that direction automatically, assuming she must be.
The other women split up, some coming with them, others headed across the clearing. Rain couldn’t see the women who had been with her and Mist a few moments ago anymore, but she had to assume these were not them. Where had they gone? How was she supposed to distinguish the enemy from her friends when they were all dressed the same?
Mist busted through the door, loudly, and then they all poured in. The house was falling apart, but there were plenty of places to hide. The others spread out, looking under fallen furniture and inside decaying cabinets.