by Y A Marks
The man’s death from a few minutes ago flashed in my mind. The first time I realized someone was dead because of me, I felt sick. To feel a person’s soul escaping their body was numbing. Honestly, I didn’t want that for Shannon. I didn’t want her to lose her concern for human life.
My body grew colder with each thought. As much as I tried, I couldn’t rub enough warmth into my body, even though I was wearing a coat. I had to find a way to fight this. I didn’t save Mari and Miko to lose myself in the process.
“Jonas!” A voice from outside startled me. My body tensed, and I glared at the doorway.
A dark-brown hand slid under the tarp and pulled it back. “Jonas, Jonas.” The voice was hurried. It cracked as it grew louder. The tarp slid to the side. Raj’s head slid forward. His eyes were wide.
When Raj’s gaze found Jonas, Raj’s shoulders and legs relaxed. “You’re okay.”
Raj took a step into the room. Jonas was as calm as he could be. His four followers weren’t though. Every single one of them displayed heightened emotions.
Both Pyra and Devin had their bows raised toward Raj even as he began walking inside. Shannon had her bow in hand, arrow knotted to the string, but her aim was at the ground.
“Calm,” Jonas said as he glanced at first Devin and then Pyra.
Devin loosened his bow and dropped it immediately. Pyra bit her lip and slowly allowed the bow to angle down toward the floor.
Raj closed the gap between him and Jonas. Without taking a second glance, he grabbed Jonas’s shoulders. “Are you good?”
“Yeah, far as I can tell.”
“And your people?”
“Light scratches,” Jonas said.
Raj took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thank all the gods.” He let go and drew himself back. “I heard the commotion. When I realized that you were attacked, I had to make sure you were okay. How many were there?”
“I don’t know,” Jonas said. “I was talking with Cantrell and his wife when it happened.”
“There were six of them,” Devin said. “One for each of us.”
“That’s like, super convenient,” Pyra added.
Jonas didn’t say anything. He just turned his attention back to Raj.
“I can’t believe this is happening. Why is this happening so early?” Raj asked.
“Cause they want us dead.” Pyra’s head appeared as if it would wiggle off her neck.
“They want Jonas dead. No one gives a flipper about the rest of us,” Devin said.
“They care about her. She’s half our problem.” Pyra twisted her head in my direction.
Raj didn’t say anything. He took a long look at me, before facing Jonas. “You said it was a possibility.”
“It looks like it’s a reality,” Jonas replied.
Raj turned around. His eyes twitched back and forth. After rubbing his chin, he took a step back toward Jonas. “What do you think about going on the offensive?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why sit here like ducks, waiting to be picked off? Why not at least infiltrate who did this and take them out?”
“But we’ve never done that.” Jonas’s eyes seemed unsteady. The intensity had slipped away.
“Maybe, it’s time. Do we know who did this—who attacked you?”
“I smell Rattler,” Devin said.
“Blue jumpsuits.” Travis put his hands behind his head and relaxed against the wall.
“Why not attack Vogel? If we could attack the Rattlers and get rid of their weapons, you guys could fade into the shadows, at least until morning. That one maneuver may alleviate much of the strain.” Raj slammed a hand onto the counter.
Jonas thinned his eyes. “It could work. I doubt they’d be expecting it.”
“Exactly.”
Jonas gazed into the room. He found everyone’s eyes. “So… what do you say, guys? You up for a little hunting for once?”
The others nodded quickly. Shannon’s shoulders slumped. A second later, she nodded her head in agreement.
“So, we take the new girl?” Devin asked.
“I think she’ll be safer with you,” Raj said.
“What?”
Raj glanced at Devin and then turned back to Jonas. “If Vogel is looking for her here, then I bet he’ll be sending half his attack force. If she’s with you, she’ll have a better chance.”
Devin’s eyes rotated toward me before his face cracked into a horrid expression. Frustration boiled inside of me under the weight of it.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I said. “I can take care of myself.”
“No offense, Miss Paeton, but surviving in here is much more than a few, lucky punches and shots,” Raj said.
My cheeks heated. “I just killed a guy. Do you think that was a lucky punch?”
His eyebrows twisted as though he couldn’t believe it. “We’ve all seen your abilities. I’m not saying that you can’t handle yourself. I’m just saying that it’s different dealing with trained killers. Going with Jonas right now can save your life. If you want to stay here, that’s fine. I just thought you’d be more comfortable with people you already know. Besides, my goals are to keep Jonas and the township safe. I have no interest in watching you.”
Something in my stomach turned. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but this whole attack first thing bothered me. What would six people be able to do against a whole township? Why couldn’t he give us one of his twelve-of-twelve, T.O.T., or whatever they were called, to help?
Raj continued to stare. He was lucky I was out of bullets. I might have put a few into his chest. I worked my way to my full height. “Rrrrrright,” I said. “Jonas is the concern. We have to keep him safe.”
“Exactly,” Raj said.
He turned away from me. The others stared at me as though I was a lunatic. I turned my gaze away from them and started picking at my fingernails. There was no peace for me. Too much tension and frustration radiated in the room, and my attitude wasn’t helping anything.
I sulked while Raj went over the plan. He was certain that since the Rattlers had a gun already, they must have more. Their township was located north of Circle One in the northeast area of the prison grounds. He believed that if we left now, the other circles wouldn’t bother us. We would get into the Rattler camp, find out where they were storing their weapons, set fire to the building, and leave. He said that he had some kind of bomb made from coal and gas that we could use. The weapons storage place would have to be close to the bomb for it to work. We couldn’t just put it anywhere and hope for the best.
I didn’t hear all the tidbits after that. I just kept thinking about all I had accomplished, but those things weren’t enough. I wasn’t enough. There was always something that I was missing. If I had enough courage, then I wasn’t compassionate. If I tried to be smart, everyone just thought I was an idiot.
“Paeton,” Shannon said, nudging my arm.
I focused on her eyebrows high on her forehead and her tight lips.
“You ready?” she asked.
I nodded and followed her outside. We made some room, and the others came out one by one into the darkness.
“Take the East-West Stream. That should get you across without going past Circle One,” Raj said. “Once on the other side, remember to stay quiet and head to the farthest part of the township. I believe that’s where they are storing their weapons.” He took a deep breath and exhaled before grabbing Jonas’s wrist with clenched hands. “Stay safe, my friend.”
Raj gave a deep nod toward Jonas and started running back toward his home.
Devin shook his head. “He needs to work on his people. If the battle was still going, his T.O.T. guys would have just let him die. He’s out in the open.” Devin put a hand on Jonas. “But you don’t have to worry big J. We’re here for you. Not sure if I’d take a bullet for you, though.”
He smiled, and Jonas smiled back.
“Maybe, an arrow,” Devin teased.
“I’d take a stab, but just one,” Travis said.
“Can I just take a punch in the arm?” Pyra asked.
“I’d take two punches, a stab, and an arrow.” Shannon grinned.
Jonas’s face brightened for a moment which seemed to echo on his followers. His eyebrows deepened, and he glanced out into the darkness. “This is how this is going to work. We are going to go in fast and silent. Once we reach the river, no more talking and no more noise. We don’t shoot anyone but our targets unless we are threatened. Got it?”
They nodded and gave a quick confirmation. “Yes.” “Yes-sir.” “No probs.” “You’re the boss.”
He glanced at me. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We follow your plan.”
“Do you still have the gun?” he asked.
I lifted it up and let it dangle on my index finger by the trigger loop.
“Good. Maybe, we can find you some bullets. If not, it’ll work as a mini hammer.”
I spun the gun in my hand so that the grip was sticking outward where the muzzle generally is. I mimicked hitting something.
“See, you do have some brains,” he said. “Okay, let’s go.”
CHAPTER 14
We left the township and headed north. The moon was still bright, but a few clouds began rolling in. Their silvery edges were barely visible on the horizon.
“You know, I’ve been thinking that we should have a name for our group,” Shannon said.
“We have a name, the Nobodys.” Devin glared at Shannon, who was prancing beside me.
“No, I mean, for our little group. The six of us. Like we could be the Secret Six or something.”
“Secret Six, that’s kinda neat,” I said.
Travis stretched and released a yawn. “As long as we don’t have to wear costumes, I’m okay with it.”
“What do you think Jonas?” Shannon asked.
Jonas tightened his lip as he thought about it. After a moment he shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Military platoons sometimes have nicknames.”
“Real?” Devin asked, shortening the word. “Then, let’s come up with an awesome one.”
“I just did—the Secret Six,” Shannon said.
“Shouldn’t it have more bite to it, like the Killer Bees or the Ghostly Assassins?” Devin said.
Shannon’s forehead furrowed. “You like my name right, Paeton?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” I said.
Shannon was like a kid. Every time I looked at her, it was like we were years apart. I couldn’t believe she was sixteen. Outwardly, she definitely looked that way, but youthfulness bubbled inside of her. Somewhere I had lost mine. I don’t know if it was from living as a Lower-C scraping by, or if my innocence ebbed out of me with every person I killed.
“But Paeton, you have to admit Ghostly Assassins is cooler, right?” Devin asked.
I glanced over at him and gave him a smile. “Well, I don’t know. You guys decide.”
“It doesn’t matter. Why does it matter? Just pick something already.” Pyra said.
“We can vote on it. Me and Paeton are for the Secret Six.” Shannon bumped me on the arm. I hurriedly lifted my hand.
The two guys nodded to one another before Devin said, “Well, me and Travis are for the Ghostly Assassins.”
“It’s up to Pyra and Jonas,” Shannon said.
“Ugh, fine, Secret Six,” Pyra said.
Shannon grinned. “Thank you PHY-ra. Jonas?”
He turned his head. A wicked smile was on his lips. “I was thinking of something more along the lines of the Toe-Fungus Fighters.”
Vocal cries spread through the night. Giggles formed in my throat, but I coughed them back into my stomach.
Before anyone could give him a hard time about it, the stream that Raj called the East-West River came into view. Jonas raised his hand as if we were on a military mission. The group fell silent.
After a few glances to make sure the area was clear, we headed east using the line of trees that bordered the river for cover. The trip wasn’t difficult, but we had to be cautious of twigs and crunching leaves. Ninety minutes later, the Rattler Township came into view.
The scope of the prison was starting to take shape in my mind. Townships were stationed miles apart. Going back and forth to Circle One must take hours. Moving food and supplies with no wagons, carts, or wheel barrows would eat up days of prisoners’ time. Whoever was the originator of this prison concept must have wanted inmates to gain feelings of accomplishment as they labored. I wasn’t sure if it was working, but according to Jonas, there were few fights, except over cheating spouses, relationships outside of circles, and the Death Days.
We paused about a hundred yards outside the Rattler Township. It was exactly like the Nobody Township except there were a lot more homes. Jonas hadn’t explained how the homes were built, but I suspected that materials were dropped down with instructions at Circle One. There were two houses in the Nobody Township that weren’t finished with wood stacked on the side. Having inmates build their own homes would be another way to keep the inmates busy.
In the Rattler Township, over 200 homes nestled together in what appeared to be square blocks. The Rattlers built in perfect blocks making it easy to see down the alleys and streets. There were two types of homes: singles that looked like most of what I saw back at the Nobody Township, and what appeared to be doubles, or just two of the single homes placed side by side with no break in the middle. At first glance, the second home must be used to hold the children’s rooms.
The Rattler Township was quiet. A few people scurried back and forth carrying lanterns, torches, or flashlights. There were a few guards patrolling the edges, but not enough to keep anyone from sneaking inside. Jonas glanced down at his watch.
“We need to be in and out in five minutes,” he whispered. “We’ll need to split up to cover more ground, entering through the far side.”
I glanced at the hundred-yard, grassy plain between us and the Rattler Township. For the first time, I started to have doubts about this plan. We were too open out here. While the clouds did provide a bit of cover from the bright moon, it took far too long to get to this point. There was also the guard around the township, and we had to search for the right building.
I didn’t know all of what Jonas and his team could do. I didn’t want to underestimate them, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Jonas…” The word drifted out despite my desire to hold it in.
He turned and lifted an eyebrow. “What?”
“Doesn’t this feel weird—the low patrols, the distance?”
“What are you saying, Paeton?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I just—”
“You don’t know how good we are at this. You just need to shut up and watch,” Devin said.
A whistle lingered on the breeze. It was faint but increased quickly. A thunking sound stole my attention. Devin collapsed backward in anguish. He fell away from my view and immediately the familiar anxiety of adrenaline surged into my blood. As my senses heightened and my muscles tightened, a few more hollow sounds drifted into the air, moving fast.
We left our crouching positions and spread out. I dashed behind a tree as a flurry of arrows, knives, and other various metal objects flew past. The objects whizzed through the air and thumped into the tree trunks.
Part of me was terrified. I hadn’t been attacked like this since Sun Hi had saved me from the scrappers in the trailer park. This time, things were different. My stomach turned. My temple was sweaty, but my gaze glossed over the weapons. It was just like in the township. Something inside of me was changing. I wanted a weapon, not to defend myself, but to use.
I wanted to throw it back and eradicate anything and anyone who was a threat. I didn’t like this feeling which cut into my moral sensibilities and made me more weapon than human.
My torso leaned forward. My hands itched to grasp the metal. Saliva filled my mouth, and I licked my l
ips.
A few feet away was a metal shard with black tape wrapped around the handle. It would fit perfectly in my hand. I could feel my fingers wrapping around it.
I would strike and strike and strike again. Maybe, I’d throw it after I killed the first person. There were always more to kill. I had to kill them all. Only in their death would I have peace. I needed peace. Peace where they had died and that I was safe.
Travis yelled.
My gaze locked onto him. He drew back against a tree. A dark arrow protruded from his stomach. He dropped his bow and grabbed the arrow with both hands, trying to pull it out of him. Before he could get it half way out, another two arrows struck him in the chest. He jerked a second, then his body relaxed and slid down the tree. He was dead.
Pyra returned a few arrows into the darkness. Jonas disappeared from sight. I searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
My body shook as I restrained my actions. I pressed my hands against my head as panic flooded my body. I wanted to kill them, kill them all.
“Paeton!” Shannon screamed. I glanced across to my right. She hid behind a tree like me. She lifted her bow and aimed into the darkness. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “All around.”
“It’s too dark. I can’t see them,” she said.
“Just shoot into the direction of incoming weapons.”
“Right, right.”
I glanced at her face. Her skin was pale, and she fumbled with the arrow. I didn’t understand what was so different from what had happened an hour ago. Even with my fear throbbing and arguing with my new blood lust, I still wanted to help Shannon. I didn’t want her hurt. The more I thought about it, the more the erratic my thoughts became.
An arrow shot by her leg and scraped her thigh. The arrow thudded into the ground.
She cried out in pain. Blood burst from the wound and onto her dark pants. She dropped the bow and cradled her thigh with her hands before she slid down to the tree’s base.
I locked onto her. I didn’t see Shannon. I saw something else—something much worse—a pawn. I could use Shannon to lure out who was doing this to kill them. Excitement churned inside me.