“There’s somebody up there,” I say.
Shane and Luka draw their guns.
Shane looks to Riley. “Make sure she doesn’t follow us up.”
Riley nods, and I rip from Sarah’s arm. But I’m too slow. Riley gets a hold of my arm at the last minute and wraps me in a bear hug from behind.
“Let me go!” I kick my legs in the air, but he holds on until his clenched knuckles turn white.
Luka and Shane slink upstairs as Riley tosses me back on the couch. I huff and throw a pillow on the floor like a child throwing their toy during a temper tantrum. Riley raises his eyebrows at me as he watches the pillow fly across the room.
Sarah reaches out for my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe someone was able to hide away,” she says. “And they’ll be able to tell us what happened.”
I look over to her briefly, and she offers me a dismal smile.
I can’t hear anything coming from upstairs, and with each minute that passes by, I want to run upstairs more and more. I figure I could take Riley in the condition he’s in. All I would have to do is give one swift jab to the soft spot in his rib cage. Sarah wouldn’t do anything to stop me. She would probably pretend to reach out for me for show in front of Riley, but her fingers would just miss me, letting me slip away a little too easily.
Just before I think I’ve psyched myself into hurting Riley, I hear footsteps making their way down the stairs. I stand in eager anticipation, then skirt around Riley, and this time he lets me go without incident. I rush to the bottom of the steps and blink my eyes several times in disbelief. Relief and anxiety wash over me once again as I stare into two small, frightened faces.
Chapter 36
Both faces staring back at me have reddened, swollen eyes and tear-streaked faces. They slowly make their way down the steps, the memories of what happened written in their expressions. The littlest one, Caleb, reaches out for me, and I pick him up and wrap both arms around him. I quickly shift the gun from the front of my waist to the back. He’s only five years old but grabs on to me to with incredible strength. Grace, his older sister, wraps her arms around my shoulders and leans her head on one of Caleb’s arms.
“Oh, thank you,” I whisper to myself. I look up when I say it, and I’m not sure why. Who is it that I’m thanking exactly? God? My mother? I don’t care really. I’m just grateful to not have to leave this house empty-handed. I’m overwhelmed by their affection and realize I’m now the closest thing they have to family.
Soon after, Luka and Shane make their way downstairs.
“We found them hiding in a crawlspace hidden in one of the bedrooms,” Shane says. “We turned the place upside down up there…there’s no one left.”
My heart sinks a little deeper into my stomach. They’re really gone; suddenly, I feel like I’m about to fall over.
I take Grace by the hand and lead her to the couch while Caleb keeps his legs locked around my waist. They’re both in their pajamas and look like they haven’t had anything to eat in a couple days. Sarah goes to the kitchen to see if there’s any food.
I sit next to Grace on the couch while the boys do a sweep of the outside of the house and look for any extra gas uncle Will might have stored in the pole barn.
Grace looks to me with sunken eyes. There’s only one time before that I remember seeing her so sad…the day she came to Uncle Will and Aunt Rhea’s after her parents died. That was four years ago when she was barely seven years old and her brother wasn’t even walking yet. I’ve seen plenty of orphans come and go from here. Sometimes, other family members would come and pick up their orphaned nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. But no one ever came for Gracie and Caleb, and this has been home to them ever since.
“Gracie,” I say. I try to mimic Aunt Rhea’s tone whenever Gracie would start talking about how much she missed her parents. “Can you tell me what happened here?”
Caleb pokes his head up from my chest and looks to his sister. They exchange brief looks, and then he buries his head into my shoulder once more.
“They came at night, but Dad didn’t want to let them in the house.”
“Who? Do you know who they were? Were they Pigeons or Rusers?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Pigeons. They came in so fast…we heard them yelling from downstairs and hid in the cubby hole like we were told to do when there’s trouble. There was lots of banging and screaming.” Her eyes start to swell, and tears trickle down her cheeks. “After a few minutes, everything went quiet. Everyone was gone.”
“How long ago was that?” I ask.
“Last night.”
Had we decided to come one night earlier, we could have been here to help protect everyone from the Pigeons. I couldn’t dwell on that, though. What is more important is that they’re hasn’t been much time that’s passed between then and now.
“It’s okay,” I say to Gracie.
Her becomes uncontrollable.
“They’re gone,” she says. “What’s going to happen to us now?”
In just a blink of an eye, she and her brother have become orphans once again.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “You’re safe now. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”
Caleb lifts his head again, and my arm has become numb from holding him so long.
“Where are Daddy and Mama?” he asks with his big, drooping brown eyes. “Are they gone forever, too?”
I feel a pain stab me in the pit of my chest, radiating throughout my body. “No,” I say. “I’m going to find them and bring them back.”
* * * *
Sarah managed to find a few cans of soup that she heated on the stovetop for Gracie and Caleb. They sit at the kitchen table, quietly sipping from their spoons. Sarah cleans the broken glass and scattered flowers as I slip away upstairs to pack the kids a bag to bring with them to Airport City. Uncle Will and Aunt Rhea’s room is untouched. The bed is made, and Uncle Will’s robe still hangs on the back of the bedroom door.
The cubby hole is here, and I can’t imagine having to hide in it for as long as they did. It’s so small and dark, and a shiver slides down my spine as I kick the cubby door closed. The dresser is littered with glass perfume bottles and tarnished jewelry that was probably beautiful once. My hand travels over the worn wood of a vanity. A picture is tucked into the corner of the mirror. It’s the young faces of Mom, Uncle Will, and Aunt Rhea. Mom and Aunt Rhea had just graduated from nursing school. I smile thinking of how Aunt Rhea tells the story of that day, how proud Uncle Will was to have two nurses in the family. They were just engaged then. Did their life turn out as they’d expected? I pluck the picture from the frame of the mirror to check if the date is written on the back. Instead I read the words:
3454 Delwan Ave Ward Two.
Bed. Blue.
I read the address over and over. Bed blue? I have no idea what that means. It was Aunt Rhea’s handwriting. Did she suspect that the Officials would eventually find her? I tuck the picture in my shirt and head to Netty’s room.
In the hallway, I stare at the room I’ve been dreading the most. The door to Netty’s room is wide open, and the disheveled bed stares back at me. I swallow the lump hardening in my throat and step through the threshold. The emptiness consumes me. Netty’s things are scattered everywhere, and in the corner of the room baby Catherine’s toys lay melancholy on the floor. My mind is so clouded. I catch myself holding my breath, waiting for the next terrible thing to happen.
Inhale, exhale.
Inhale, exhale.
The bedside lamp is still on and flickers occasionally, casting eerie shadows on the wall. I lie on the bed for a few seconds and close my eyes, trying to wrangle in my runaway heartbeat. But every time the curtain draws on my eyes, the image of Pigeons storming through the house jolt them wide open.
Chapter 37
The guys managed to find a half-full gas can in the pole barn. Just enough to get us back to Airport City. At first, Gracie refuses to leave the house. After
a few minutes of ensuring her that Airport City is nothing like the rest of Ward One, she finally agrees.
I still haven’t said anything about the note. It feels heavy in my pocket, weighing me down like a piece of lead. Shane walks Caleb and Gracie to the back of the truck to get them settled in for the ride.
Luka wraps both arms around me as we stand on the back porch.
“We’ll find them,” he whispers into my ear.
He’s so tall I have to crane my neck to kiss him. For that moment, my body stills.
“Ready?” he says.
I take one more look at the empty house jutting up into the night sky. Another piece of my old life will disappear.
“Yeah,” I say. “Let’s go.”
As we all file into the truck, my eyes scan across the farm, remembering the way it would look during the day. The beauty of the wildflowers, the broken fence that runs along the old crop fields, and the tire swing that now hangs by one chain from the oak tree near the pole barn. They’re all covered in the silky darkness, hiding the memories that come with them.
In the distance, I see a flicker of movement, and I squint to get a better look.
“Hey,” I say. “Does anybody else see that?”
Luka, Riley, and Shane squint as well.
“What the hell is that?” Shane asks.
“Not what,” Luka says. “Who?”
We all look at each other before we scramble into the truck. I head in the back with Riley, Sarah, and the kids, while Luka and Shane man the front.
Shane starts the truck, but the engine won’t turn over.
“Come on,” Shane says, smacking the steering wheel. He turns the ignition once again, but the engine still won’t turn.
I try not to panic in front of Caleb and Gracie.
“Can you see anything?” I ask Luka.
He shakes his head but draws his gun. With two still slightly swollen eyes, I hope his aim is intact.
The engine turns and relief sweeps over me.
“Aha!” Shane shouts as he peels through the dirt driveway.
I get up and use the back of Luka and Shane’s seats to brace myself.
The headlights cut through the night, and as we get closer to the end of the driveway, I notice the flicker of movement disappears among the tree line of the farm.
“Who is that?” I ask. “Shane, slow the truck down.”
“No! Keep moving,” Luka says.
“Slow down!” I yell again, and this time he listens.
The truck rolls by the spot where I noticed the silhouette disappear.
“Right there,” I say, pointing. “I saw somebody right there.”
Shane brings the truck to a stop and locks the doors. He rolls down the window, and leading with his gun, he calls out to the invisible visitor.
“Show yourself!” he yells in his most intimidating voice. “I know you’re there. Show yourself and I won’t use this gun to find you.”
It’s quiet and the light wind rustles the branches of the trees. Only, it isn’t the wind. Out of the woods retreats two familiar faces.
“Margaret? Ellen?” I rush out of the truck, climbing over Luka in the process. They both look ragged and tired, and just as shocked as the rest of us.
Margaret looks to me in complete confusion, knowing my voice doesn’t match my new face.
“Hazel?” Margaret calls. She reaches her arms out, and I meet them with a strong embrace.
I’m so happy to see them that my eyes start to burn with tearful relief.
“Look at you,” Margaret says.
Luka and Shane get out of the truck as Sarah and Riley peer through.
Gracie and Caleb peek their heads up to see what the commotion is all about but stay inside the truck.
“What are you two doing here?” Luka asks. “How did you make it all the way out here?”
“When we got back to One, we heard that Pigeons raided one of the tattoo shops. When we hadn’t heard from anyone, we suspected the worse. We knew we had to try to get to the baby as soon as we could.” Margaret lets it out all in one breath. She and Ellen look like they can barely stand.
“Did you walk the whole way?” Sarah says.
Ellen shakes her head. “We hitched a ride but had to walk the last leg of it.” Her rosy face is plastered with damp hair.
“They’re gone.” I say. “We’re too late.”
Margaret’s face drops, defeat reflecting in the glassy shine in her eyes.
The wind has picked up, signaling another approaching storm. The cool air feels good against my hot skin.
“Did you find anything out through the Official you met with?” Luka asks.
“No,” Ellen says. “He never even showed up.”
My heart sinks to my knees. More cracks in our plan. There are so many now, I can see failure sprouting roots.
“So, what now?” Riley says. He’s casually leaning against the truck. “As much fun as this reunion is, I’d like to get the hell out of here.”
“There’s too much to explain here,” I say. “Let’s talk on the way back to Airport City.”
* * * *
I rummage through my backpack for water and hand it over to Margaret.
“We’re running out of time,” Margaret says between sips. “And we’re no closer to finding anything out than we were two weeks ago. Damn Pigeons are everywhere.” She looks around the truck, taking in the bruised faces of Luka and Riley. “What the hell’s been happening around here?”
I scoff. “Where should I start?”
“Why weren’t we informed about LaRoux and her band of brown-baggers?” Luka adds. “It would have been helpful to know that before they kidnapped Hazel and Justin.”
Margaret exhales, closing the bottle of water and handing it back to me. “We didn’t think it was a good idea at the time. We hadn’t heard from her in a while, and frankly, we weren’t even sure she was still around. What happened to you two?” She nods toward Luka and Riley.
Riley looks over for the first time. “Pigeons picked us up in the tattoo parlor.”
Margaret switches her gaze to me with panic spreading through her face.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “They won’t be taking any news back to Eight. Shane made sure of that.”
Shane briefly looks in the rearview mirror, meanwhile hitting a huge pothole that sends us all soaring into the air for a few brief seconds.
We all hit the floor of the truck hard.
“Try not to hit every hole in the road,” Riley gripes.
Sarah looks back from the front seat, her eyebrows raised. “What is your problem?”
Riley taps his empty water bottle against his bended knee. “My problem? My problem is that no one in this truck knows what the hell they’re doing. You heard Margaret. We’re no closer to finding anything out than we were all summer. Let’s just face it…we’re not the ones who are going to figure this out.”
How could he be so ready to give up? Maybe he’s been at this too long, and I shouldn’t blame him for wanting to return to Ward Eight so he can go on pretending like he doesn’t know what’s really going on. I close my mouth, trying to think of something to say that’ll show everybody he’s wrong.
Nothing.
And then I remember.
“I found something,” I say.
Everyone takes their eyes off Riley and waits for me to dig the picture out.
I hand it to Margaret.
“Where did you find it?” she asks, looking up.
“It was in my aunt’s bedroom.”
Margaret hands the picture to Ellen, who passes it along when she’s done reading it.
“Any idea what it means?” Ellen asks.
“No, but I know it has to mean something. I know this address. It’s where Aunt Rhea’s family lives. At least, they did.”
Luka looks over the note before handing it back to me, bypassing Riley all together.
“This can’t be good,” Luka mutters under his breat
h.
It takes every bit of my effort to not shoot back with a sarcastic remark.
“I think we should go to see her family. They might know what this means.” I hold up the picture, shaking it lightly for emphasis.
Riley chuckles. “Yeah, there’s an idea. If they haven’t already been picked up by Pigeons, then they will be as soon as word gets around that you’re there.”
I glare at Riley, hoping for a second that I really can shoot daggers with my eyes. “It’s all we got,” I say. “Besides, no one said anything about you coming along. You’re free to go back to Eight anytime you wish.”
I turn to the rest of the group, lowering my tone when I realize Caleb and Gracie have fallen asleep, each of their heads resting heavy in my lap. “She wanted us to know something.”
“I’ll go with you,” Sarah says.
I give her a warm smile.
“What about the kids?” Riley asks. “You’re just going to dump them off and leave?”
“I’m not dumping them anywhere. They’ll be way safer in Airport City than anywhere else. Besides, there are plenty of kids there to keep them occupied.”
“We’ll come, too,” Margaret replies.
“You and Ellen have to stay in Airport City,” I say. “They’re going to need good nurses there very soon.”
It’s not long before Margaret and I are the only ones up, save for Shane driving.
“You have to find them before it’s too late,” Margaret whispers to me.
“Too late for what?” I already suspect the words that will come out of her mouth and brace my body.
“Before it’s too late to save them.”
Chapter 38
Here I am, yet again packing my bag for another fateful trip. I slip my mother’s watch on my wrist. I’d grabbed it when Luka and I snuck into the house. It doesn’t work, but it’s the closest thing to a hug I can get. A change of clothes, the gun, water, a few pieces of food—these are all I have left of my belongings. I have lost a lot. My parents. My sister. My home. Some things I have lost forever, other things I am still able to recover…or so I hope. Other things I will never be able to leave behind no matter how hard I try. Memories. Images. They are scars on my brain.
The Unforgiven (The Propagation Project Book 1) Page 18