“For a while.” He throws in another rock.
The sound of a baby crying breaks the silence, and I get up to check on the pair.
By the time I reach the cabin, Netty has already settled Catherine. She gazes down at the baby as she nurses.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at her,” Netty says.
I sit down beside her. “How could you? She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Netty smiles. “Thank you, Hazel.”
I’m struck by her calm demeanor. “Don’t thank me,” I say, “it was Margaret and Jasco who got us out.”
I take a few minutes to update Netty on the things Luka and I have learned.
“I would have never let them take Catherine from me,” Netty says.
“Neither would I.”
“So, are you going to tell me about Luka?” A girlish look sweeps over her face. The coquettish expression of the girl who once sobbed for a month over unrequited love.
“He was my match,” I say.
“So, you two have…?”
“No, we both refused.” I graze the marks on my skin. Another permanent reminder. “Got a lot of whammies for it, too.”
Netty looks away. “I wasn’t so brave.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” I say. “You did what you had to.”
“So, did you,” Netty says.
Catherine pulls away and then fusses. Netty’s ripped a few of the bed linens for makeshift diapers. She wraps a clean one around Catherine and then swaddles her. Soon, the baby is asleep.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “That you had to endure that.”
Netty shrugs. “It wasn’t so bad. I mean, I was terrified at first. Who wouldn’t be? I’d never been with any boy in that way.” She takes a few moments. “But we found comfort with each other. So, it seemed like the better alternative.”
“You mean instead of getting hit with whammies repeatedly?”
She chuckles. “Exactly.”
“Do you know anything about her father?”
“Peter,” she says. “His name is Peter.”
I wasn’t sure what would happen to Peter once the Officials were aware of Netty’s disappearance. My best guess was he’d go back into the breeding rotation.
“Do you trust him?” Netty says. “Luka.”
I nod. “With my life.”
* * * *
Luke divides the last of the bread from the truck, and we munch in silence for a while, hearing only the sound of the birds calling in the trees.
“We need a plan,” he says in between bites. “We can’t stay here forever.”
I could. Here forever, away from all the craziness waiting for us the minute we leave. This lake is like my own little bubble. But it doesn’t take much to pop a bubble.
Netty sits at a distance on the shore of the lake, bathing her and Catherine as best she can.
“We have to bring them somewhere safe where they can hide out a while,” Luka says.
Who can I trust?
“Uncle Will,” I say.
“What?” Luka says.
“My Uncle Will’s house,” I repeat. “We can go there. It’s far enough from the Antioch.”
I hope Uncle Will won’t mind. Dad had written Uncle Will off as a conspiracy nut.
We decide to stay at Razor Pointe one more day. We won’t exactly go unnoticed in the Official truck, but right now we have no choice but to use it. It’s too far to walk between Wards, and there’s no way we can take the bus. The farther from the Antioch we get, the more difficult it will be for them to find us. Loyalty to the Officials dissipates more and more with each Ward.
I take a minute to look around the lake. Netty is perched under a pine tree, swaying the baby to sleep. The sun bronzes my skin. The idea of going to my house has been an incessant thought since we’ve been here. If I leave at nightfall to make the walk there, I can be back before sunrise.
“I was thinking,” I say to Luka.
He looks over at me warily. “That usually means trouble.”
I ignore his snide remark and continue. “I should go back to my house while I’m here. I have some things there that I don’t want to leave behind.”
He exhales loudly, clearly demonstrating his frustration.
“If I leave tonight, I can make it there and back before the sun comes up.”
He looks at me, reading the look on my face, possibly determining if he can change my mind. “Fine,” he says, “but I’m coming, too.”
* * * *
Luka and I leave after nightfall. Netty reassures me she and Catherine will be fine. She’s no longer the little girl I need to shield from the world. Luka gives her the key to the Official truck just in case.
I grab the flashlight out of the backpack and lead Luka out of Razor Pointe.
Once we are out of the canopy of the trees, I turn the flashlight off. Luka and I silently walk next to one another down the darkened street, illuminated only by the light of the moon. He’s been distant toward me all day, and I reach for his hand in a desperate act to gain his attention. I don’t like having this tension between us, and I want him to know that. We walk, holding hands the whole way. The road is mostly desolate except for the occasional bus. It’s easy for us to hide among the vegetation.
After a couple hours of walking, my stomach lurches with nervousness. The streets are fairly empty. As I turn the last corner to my house, I feel my pace quicken, eager to get this over with. I’ve been dreading the thought of what I’ll find inside.
“That’s it over there.” I nod to the small one-story house on the left.
The outside still looks the same with one shutter hanging lazily off its hinge and the old rusty swing on the porch. I stand for a few minutes frozen with the fear of seeing my father still in there, alone with only his empty bottles around him. Luka grabs my hand and leads me the rest of the way.
The front door is closed but not locked. I slowly turn the knob and the door creaks open. The house is dark, and when I peer in, it seems empty. I open the door all the way and step inside, being as quiet as I can.
“Do you hear that?” Luka whispers from behind me.
I strain my ears to listen. I hear the faint sound of music and realize it’s coming from the radio in dad’s room. I break for his room, navigating around things strewn on the floor.
“Hazel!” Luka calls to me in a raspy whisper, but I ignore him.
I swing open the door to my old room and deflate at the scene. Empty bottles litter the floor. Dad is motionless on the bed, eyes closed. His yellowing skin now a grayish hue. I lean against the door. The smell churns my stomach. I see Luka standing in the dark threshold of the door. Luka embraces me and rubs the sides of my arms. Tears don’t well in my eyes. A sadness sets in, witnessing the conditions in which he finally perished. It wasn’t unexpected, more of a relief.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say. There is nothing we can do for him.
I go in my room and find the small safe I keep in my closet. I grab the key I taped under one of the drawers in my dresser and open it. I feel Luka behind me, keeping watch on what’s going on outside.
“We need to hurry,” he says, growing more nervous as the minutes pass.
I stuff my backpack with as many items from the safe as possible.
“I need your bag,” I say to Luka as mine becomes hard to close. He tosses it over, and I stuff it with the extra food, money, and batteries. I take the gun and ammo.
“Where the hell did you get that?” Luka says.
“Salem,” I respond. “Where else?”
He snickers in bewilderment as we head back to Razor Pointe in the cover of the night.
Chapter 17
When I wake, the sun is high in the sky. I can’t remember the last time I’d slept this long. Luka isn’t quite ready to get up, so I leave him in bed. He could use the extra sleep. I go outside and breathe in the fresh air, feeling it wake me up.
Netty sits with the baby
under the same tree as yesterday.
“How’s she feeling?” I ask as I sit down next to her.
The temperature under the shade is cool, and the wind gently sways the branches. The baby coos, waving her chubby little arms back and forth. She watches her mother’s eyes as Elisa swaddles her back into the table linen.
“Isn’t she amazing?” she says as she stares down at Catherine.
I nod. “Can I hold her?”
I’ve only held Netty as a baby once or twice. She seems so natural with Catherine. Netty gently hands Catherine over to me as I hold out my arms, cradling her soft neck into my elbow.
“Hi, Catherine,” I say, smiling at her.
She coos and squirms within the makeshift blanket. I swear I catch a smile on her face. I hold her little hand with my finger, and she grabs it with a strength that surprises me.
“She’s strong,” I say to Netty. “Just like Mom.”
I sit holding Catherine in my arms, amazed at this little life in my hands. I wonder what her future holds and if she’ll grow up living in the same world as this.
Not if I can help it.
Catherine starts to fuss, and I gently sway her back and forth. It works for a few minutes until she starts to cry again.
“She might be hungry. I don’t think I’m getting enough to eat.”
I’d given Netty the food I’d brought from home. Luka and I make do with a bit of foraging.
“Go and eat,” I say. “I’ll watch her.”
Netty hesitates but walks back to the cabin. Catherine senses her mother’s absence and cries with added enthusiasm. I remember a song Mom sang to calm me down. I attempt to soothe Catherine, mimicking my mother’s tone.
Little bird…don’t you cry
Little bird…now dry your eyes
Little bird…your mama’s near
Little bird…so don’t you fear
Catherine gently closes her eyes as I sing, and by the time I’m done the song, I’m sure she’s asleep.
“Mom’s song,” Netty says.
I’m surprised she recognizes it. After she’s done eating, I hand the sleeping bundle back to her.
Luka is awake, leaning over the porch railing. He’s watching me from afar, his stare relentless as I walk toward him.
“You like doing that, don’t you?” I say, referring to his staring problem.
He’s wearing nothing but Antioch-issued pants that hang low on his hips. Tattoos follow the curves of his chest and stomach. His hair is unkempt from sleep. His usually clean-shaven face is shadowed with stubble. He looks a mess, yet I can’t help but to feel that he’s never been more attractive.
“You looked good holding the baby,” he says. “Like it came natural.”
“Hardly,” I say.
“That’ll be good,” he responds looking out into the lake.
I lean on the porch rail next to him. “For what?”
He looks back at me. “For when we have our own.”
I scoff.
“What’s so funny?” he says.
“Our own babies?” I say. “And how exactly do you think that’s going to happen?”
“Well, I thought you already knew about that part. But it does explain a lot.”
“Shut up.” .
“At least we know we’re genetically matched.” He laughs and it’s the first time in days. “I can’t say that about just any girl.
“Lucky me.” Deep down, I enjoy hearing it.
“Seriously, Hazel,” he says before pausing momentarily. “When all this shit is over and behind us, we can have a life together.”
“When all this is over, I hope we’re still alive.”
Chapter 18
The sun set an hour ago, and Luka is packing the truck. I tried to get some rest earlier, knowing we were in for a long night, but sleep avoided me. Instead, I roped Luka into taking a hike with me. I took him to the spot with the view of First City. I tried not to think of Shane as Luka held my hand. But just as Shane had a knack for finding me then, he still manages to find me now.
We all pack in the truck, and I sit in front with Luka to help him navigate out of Razor Pointe. It’s a long drive to Uncle Will’s, and I’m hoping the darkness of night will obscure us in this massive delivery truck. Uncle Will has an old car he keeps in the garage at the back of the house. Once in a while, he would turn it on and rev the engine to get us kids excited, until Aunt Rhea would yell at him to cut it out. I’m hoping he’ll let me use it.
We make a quick stop at the gas station to fill the tank before we leave East Point for good. The station is empty at this time of night, and Luka quickly feeds the machine the cash I saved up. I sit in the front seat, anxiously tapping my foot as the numbers on the gas pump spin. The baby wakes for a brief moment and starts to cry so loud I’m sure they can hear it at the Antioch. Netty does her best to comfort Catherine, but it’s no use. The sound of a baby crying is not exactly something you hear every day around here and will definitely attract unwanted attention. Even though it seems that there is nobody around for miles, Luka doesn’t waste any time filling the tank and speeding off onto the highway.
I try not to close my eyes as we drive, but my eyelids feel like heavy curtains. I try to talk with Luka to stay awake.
“Are you excited?” I yawn so hard I get a cramp in my chin.
“About going home?” he says.
I nod.
“A little,” he says. “Just wish it was for a different reason.”
I lean my head against the side of the truck as another yawn takes over. The exertion from the hike has finally hit me, and I can’t fight the feeling of sleep anymore.
“Why don’t you get some rest,” Luka says to me. “It’s a long way to your uncle’s.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say as I close my eyes. “I’m not even that tired.” I dissolve into the darkness of my eyelids and slip into a slumber.
* * * *
Luka shakes me awake. I jolt up out of my seat, reeling from a nightmare. I look around and get my bearings. We’re still driving. Netty and Catherine are asleep.
“We’re getting close. You need to tell me where your uncle lives,” Luka says.
I readjust myself in the seat and wipe the dew out of my eyes. I can’t believe I slept the whole way.
Uncle Will’s house is hidden on an uninhabited road outside of the main neighborhoods in this Ward. He used to farm the land around his house until the Officials took everything over. I tell Luka to park the truck behind the old pole barn that Uncle Will now uses to store his odds and ends, including the car.
“I’m going to go in first and explain,” I say to Luka in a whisper. “Stay here with them.”
Luka is hesitant to let me go by myself, but I assure him that it’s more likely I’ll get attacked by a stray dog than by a Pigeon out here.
As I climb up the huge wraparound porch, the motion-sensor light goes off, and it’s blinding. I hear the porch door swing open, but I can’t see anything beyond the light. I pause for a moment, attempting to find the last step.
“Who’s there?” Uncle Will says.
The motion light clicks off as I’m about to speak up, the barrel of a twelve-gauge shotgun pointed in my direction.
“Uncle Will,” I say loud and clear. “It’s me, Hazel!” I wave my hands frantically in the air.
“Hazelnut?” he shouts in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here so late? And what’s that thing you drove up here in?” He lowers the gun and sets it on a high shelf by the door.
“I’m sorry but I didn’t know where else to go,” I reply. “I can explain everything.”
“Well, come inside!” he says, holding the door open for me.
The house always smells of fresh cut flowers. They grow wild in patches in the field next door.
I sit at the kitchen table and inhale their musky scent.
“Beautiful,” I say as I play with one of the flowers.
“Your aunt insists on keeping
them in the house,” he says as he sits on the other side of the table. “Even though I can’t stop sneezing.”
He offers me something to drink or eat, and I politely decline.
“Uncle Will, I’m in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”.
I go on to explain the story of my time at the Antioch, about Mom and Margaret, and how I now have Luka, Netty, and the baby sitting in the truck parked by his barn. Uncle Will sits quietly for a few minutes, most likely letting the information sink in. He finally takes one good look at me and says, “I’m proud of you, Hazelnut, and your mother would be proud, too.”
I smile wide, relieved he’s taken the news well.
“So, can they hide here? Just for a little while until I get things sorted out.”
If he says no, I’ll be devastated.
“Your aunt would love another baby in the house.”
I get up from my chair and hug him. He’s taken aback but appreciates the affection.
“Thank you, Uncle Will. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
He pats my back as he chuckles. “Just remember to tell me how those dirty Officials look when you show them what you’re made of.”
I give him one more hard squeeze and tell him I promise.
* * * *
I run back to the truck to share the good news. Aunt Rhea woke up from all the commotion and quickly made herself busy tending to Netty and Catherine.
“You're not driving around in that damn thing, are you?” Uncle Will gestures to the Official truck.
“Know anywhere we can make it disappear?” Luka says.
“Well, there’s an abandoned pig farm about a mile from here. You can stash it in the old barn. It’s so overgrown you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there.”
He offers the car without having to ask. Uncle Will and Luka head to the pig farm while I go inside to say goodbye. I hear the soft voice of Netty singing my mother’s lullaby to the baby, and I wait until she’s finished to enter the room.
“Hey,” I say, gingerly plopping on the bed. “Did it work?”
Netty cradles Catherine in her arms. She raises the baby’s face, and I see the sweet expression of peaceful sleep.
“You’ll both be safe here,” I whisper.
The Unforgiven (The Propagation Project Book 1) Page 8