We traveled for two days in the blistering hot, dry desert, nothing but sand dunes surrounding us. Everyone was dehydrated and exhausted. We were all beginning to go mad.
My feet chafed against the sand that had filled my boots. My lips were dry, and my mouth was raw with sand. I ripped the sleeves off my shirt and wrapped my feet, hoping to ease the pain, but they still throbbed with every step I took.
The rest were no better off than me. We stopped frequently to make sure we didn’t overexert ourselves, but in this heat and with no water, it was only days, maybe hours before we faltered.
Arguments broke out as everyone fought for the last drops of water or shade under the small tarps. They were going mad, and I didn’t blame them.
“Does anyone even know where we’re going? It feels like we’re going in circles,” someone yelled.
Cheers of agreement rang out.
“We have to head east, to Kuros. I know it’s hot, and we’re all tired and hungry, but just a little farther, I promise,” Kyle said in an attempt to quell the crowd.
There were moans and spits of anger, but everyone kept going.
~
My legs gave out on the fourth day. I tried to take a step forward, but I dropped to my knees. Kenzie was behind me pulling me up, but my legs wouldn’t stay strong, and I dropped again. Kenzie took my arm and rested his shoulder under my arm as he supported me while I walked. He was already carrying Chevy on his back and now me. Guilt ate inside of me, and I hated how weak I felt.
We stopped that night at the bottom of a large sand dune, and I wondered to myself if I’d even wake the next morning. My lips bled, cracked with dryness, and my eyes were too heavy to stay open.
The next morning as we cleared the sand dune, we noticed the ground changing to a harder substance. The sand was more packed here and eventually harden into almost a solid stone. Green weeds and grass sprouted from the cracks in the hard sand floor. In the distance. I swore my eyes deceived me as a beautiful forest lay before us. I wasn’t sure if it was a mirage or if it was real, but as we came closer, cheers of relief proclaimed our salvation in the vegetation and fruits of the forest we could feed off of.
I dropped to my knees on the cool green grass. Tears welled up in my eyes. I never thought this moment would come. I never thought we’d make it out of that desert alive.
Doc examined the fruits hanging temptingly from the trees and confirmed they were safe to eat. I took a huge bite out of a large apple and moaned with satisfaction. We spent the rest of the night gathering fruit and basking in our newly renewed hope for survival.
~
Byron and Tenason led a small team to scout out the area the next morning and discovered the forest carried on for a long way with mountains in the distance. We were going the right way.
As we are gathered to keep moving, I noticed something different. I looked around our camp, and it seemed smaller.
“How many survivors were there?” I asked Kyle as he filled his pack with fruit.
“Sixty-three, including you and Chevy,” he said, looking up to see my confused face. “Why?” he asked.
I waved him off and did a quick head count. Forty-five.
“That can’t be right,” Kyle said. He stood and counted for himself. Forty-five.
“Maybe they ventured off on their own?” Byron suggested, standing beside me.
“No,” I said. “Something isn’t right. Why would they leave?”
Nobody noticed anyone leave. The camp filled with chatter as everyone became aware of those who were missing. We were all on edge, but we had to keep moving. Kyle assured everyone we’d find the rest on the way and have a good laugh about it later. I wasn’t so convinced of that.
That night when we made camp, I set four more guys on watch duty. Byron led the team as we huddled the camp together. He set up watch high in the trees with the other three, and they watched throughout the night. The sound of eerie howls echoed in the distance, but we stayed tight and kept our eyes open.
The next morning, we did another count. Thirty-nine.
“What the hell?” Byron said as he paced, pushing his glasses up his nose. “That isn’t possible. We were wide awake and alert the whole time. There was nothing. There is no way anyone got passed us.”
Everyone was rattled. People were going missing, and we were certain they didn’t leave of their own accord, nor were they seen leaving.
Something was out there, something was happening. This forest wasn’t what it seemed, and we were being hunted.
We decided on a buddy system. Each person was paired with another. No two could rest at the same time, not that anyone was sleeping anymore. We stationed six guards around the perimeter of the camp and four more up in the trees watching at all times.
We were deep in the forest, and I wasn’t sure if that made us hidden or easier prey. I wasn’t even sure what we were prey for.
Kenzie and I stayed awake through the night, sitting side by side with Chevy between us. He was also on high alert.
The forest canopy made it hard to see anything more than two feet in front of us, and the moon might as well have been black for all the good it did us. The constant howls and chirps filling the night masked any predator that may be near. We were at the mercy of the forest.
Chevy’s ears twitched, and he let out a low growl. We scanned around us but couldn’t see a thing. I called up to Byron, but he also gave the all clear. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn’t settle, and I had that feeling of being watched again.
I swore something to my right moved, but when I looked closer, there was nothing there but trees.
Again, this time to my left.
I stood up, calling Byron for another set of eyes, but he still couldn’t see anything. I was sure something was there.
I was about to sit back down when two yellow eyes blinked to life two feet away from me. I jumped back, tripped over a tree root, and fell onto my back.
There was screaming behind me as one by one, yellow eyes encircled us. The eyes moved closer as they prowled around us. We were surrounded and outnumbered, easy prey.
Kenzie’s arms were around my waist, pulling me up to my feet. Chevy growled behind me as the yellow eyes closed in. I reached for the knife in my boot, the only weapon I had, feeble as it was.
I raised my arm slowly, ready to defend myself the moment these things lunged.
A shot of light erupted to my left, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust, but when they did, I saw them.
Not the horrendous predator I’d expected to see, but over a hundred soldiers, in what look like green army fatigues, surrounded us. Their guns were raised, and night goggles blinked back at us. That must’ve been the yellow eyes.
“Stand down!” a voice bellowed from beyond, a voice I knew all too well.
“Smith?”
Chapter 39
“Sawyer! Happy to see you in good health. Although I’d prefer to go by my real name, Commander Murray.” He stepped out from behind the soldiers and was dressed in royal-blue fatigues. “I’m sorry to startle you all, but we had to make sure you guys were still, well, you.”
Kyle shoved his way past me and walked up to Smith, or Murray, whoever he was. Smith’s smile faded.
“Kyle—” he said.
“You left us. You betrayed us! You were one of them all along!” Kyle screamed. He looked ready to punch Murray, but he held back. His fist shook with restraint.
“I needed them to believe that I’d left you, Kyle. If they thought there was a chance I would come for you, they would have used you against me. They would’ve tortured you and killed you once they had what they wanted.”
“They did torture me! Every day they destroyed me. They believed I knew things about you that I didn’t!” Kyle shouted.
“I’m sorry, Kyle.” Murray reached for him, but Kyle pulled away.
“You’re a traitor.”
Murray dropped his hand. “Yes, I used to work for Coleman. I knew him before the war even
began. But I haven’t been with them for a long time. I’m sorry I never told you, but it was for your own protection.”
“How are you here?” I asked, stepping between the two. “Why are you here?”
Murray looked to me. “For some time now I’ve known about Coleman’s plans, and I’ve been building up an army that could one day be the resistance. Although I never thought it’d be this soon.” He looked back to Kyle, who had turned his back on him. “I sent operatives from Cytos to help build our own army, along with a few from Kuros willing to join our cause.”
“How did you lead them from the base without being detected?” I asked.
“I didn’t. I had help from my son,” he said.
His son? I thought his whole family died.
“My youngest son, Max, was with me the day the rest of my family was killed. I sent him here, to the forest, to keep him safe. I knew Coleman would find me eventually and force me to help him. I directed Max to a camp I knew was hidden here in the mountains, and I was able to send him operatives from inside Sub 9, who have helped build our own army, ready to fight against Coleman when the timing was right.”
“And why was the timing not right until now?” Kyle asked, still not turning around.
“We knew we couldn’t stop the fall of Cytos. We were too late. But Coleman has taken Kuros, and I know he seeks more,” Murray explained.
“What do you mean he’s taken Kuros?” I asked.
“He’s rounded up everyone. His Carbons came in and took every human into the center of the city. They killed anyone who resisted. They have them quarantined in cages like animals, guarded by Carbons,” Murray said. “One of my operatives believes they are checking them all. It’s only a matter of time before the Cleansing begins again.”
“The Cleansing?” I shuddered.
“Not all humans carry the C-Node code necessary to create the Carbons that Coleman needs, and those who don’t will be cleansed—disposed of.”
“Killed you mean,” I replied. There was a gasp behind me. I hadn’t even noticed the rest of camp had joined us. “How many people?”
“We figure only one out of every five humans carries the correct code, and Kuros has over twelve thousand citizens. Theoretically, just over two thousand will survive.”
I covered my mouth, shocked.
“We’ve no time to waste. Our camp is five miles north of here. Let’s go,” Murray ordered, and we followed.
I walked in silence, wondering what I could do to help twelve thousand people from being massacred. What could any of us do against an unbeatable army?
All I needed to keep reminding myself was that I was a Watcher. I was trained to fight to save what remains of humanity, and I’d do so until my dying breath.
~
The camp was built into the side of a mountain. After the bombings during World War III, these lands were decimated, and what was left turned into mountains and deep craters. Bombs leveled the lands that were once called the Americas and left us with Cytos and Kuros, and who knows what else.
To the naked eye, this spot was no different from any other mountain. Solid rock on the outside, covered in moss and trees all around. The rock wall led up to a canopy top in one straight cliff and then disappeared in the foliage.
There were ten guards surrounding the entrance although if Murray hadn’t pointed them out, I wouldn’t have seen any of them. For someone who had spent more than half of her life being a shadow, it was unsettling to feel so exposed.
The camp was full of mercenaries. Each soldier had their own specialty, and they had been recruited for just that reason. Murray’s army exceeded two hundred soldiers, and all of us from Cytos.
The entrance was hidden so well I almost walked right past it. There was a sliver of a crack in the cliff wall that was covered by a large old tree. Once through the entrance, we weaved down a small hallway carved into the stone wall that opened to a huge room, circular in shape and enormous in size. The stonewall circled the room, and it was open to the sky above. The canopy greens covered the edges to keep the area secure but allowed sunlight in to fill the space. It was a beautiful contrast to the cold damp cement walls I’d become accustomed to.
“Smith, I mean, Murray,” I said, not knowing which name to use. “Coleman knows where you are. He used me for information, and I told him about Canvas Mountain.”
He chuckled. “I knew they would, but don’t worry, Sawyer. Canvas Mountain is more than seven hundred miles from here. We won’t be found. I planted that information into your subconscious just in case.” He smiled down at me. “And call me Murray, please. I’ve been Smith for far too long.”
My mouth hung open wide as he revealed that he’d been playing the long game the whole time, and I didn’t know whether to be upset at being used or glad that I had helped, even unwittingly.
“The north-end is the armory and supply cave. You need clearance to get in there, which you all will get once processed. The whole west side is sleeping pods, and as you can see, each is equipped with a safety harness, which I recommend you use if you want to avoid rolling out in your sleep.” The wall was covered in little narrow slits, enough for maybe one person to lie comfortably; only a few inches from their nose was the roof. There were built-in ladders between columns of pods leading all the way to the top. It was obvious why someone would want a security harness to avoid a fall from that high up.
“The boys here will number out your beds.” He nodded to the two guys standing beside him as they directed everyone to follow them. We stayed behind with Murray.
It was only now that I noticed the members of our group that went missing the last few days; they had already made themselves comfortable.
“The east side is our control room—only place we’ve rigged up power. And the kitchen is right here in the middle. We cook by campfire, like in the olden days. Pretty cool, yeah?” Murray was proud of what he’d created. “Come on, I’ll get you guys up to speed.”
The control room was impressive. The entire wall was filled with screens, each one showed a different scene. I didn’t recognize any of them but could guess one was Kuros. Two rows of computer desks sat in front of these screens, all with their own computers and headsets, operatives attached to each.
Sam came bustling in behind us making me jump. I wasn’t even sure from where he came.
“Oh man! You have the latest Link system?” Sam said. “Does it have—yes, I can see it is equipped with the ZRD transmitter and the Q2 operating system.” He was smiling like a kid in a candy store as he ran from desk to desk, peering over every shoulder. “Oh! Is that the newest Commander of Lords game? I didn’t think it came out before the war broke out. The graphics are revolutionary. It puts you right into the game and—”
“Sam!” Murray stopped him. The operative at the desk blushed and changed his screen away from the game.
“Haven’t you been here the whole time, Sam?” I asked him. He just noticed me, and his eyes lit up.
“Oh, yes, I’ve been here awhile but was a little incapacitated.” He pointed to a healing wound on his forehead. “Adam just cleared me finally!” He bounced with excitement.
I was happy to hear Adam made it out as well.
“I’ll get you set up here right away, but first…” He looked between Kenzie and I, raised his eyebrows, and I was sure he knew there was something between us.
I was blushing, and I wasn’t even sure why. I mean, I didn’t even know if there was anything between us. We left things–weird. And then he kissed me. Twice. And I kind of let him, the second time anyway. I didn’t know.
Murray stepped closer so only Kenzie and I heard him. “Have you told her everything?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Kenzie replied.
“And you’re—”
“Not 100%, but close,” Kenzie answered.
I was confused, and they felt my confusion.
“I’ve known about Kenzie since he arrived. Figured Coleman would send someone in eventu
ally, and he fit the bill. But it sounds like he’s close to being out of his control. I can help with the rest.” Murray clapped Kenzie on the back with a wink.
So Murray didn’t know about us, or whatever. The red in my cheeks remained, but it was for a different reason. Kenzie eyed me before I quickly turned my attention away.
“As Sam pointed out, we have the latest Link system. And with this, we’re able to see what is happening in Kuros as well as send in our own operatives without being seen.”
I noticed a few of the operatives with headsets and eye pieces on, and my attention was drawn to the screens in front of them where ghost-like versions of themselves walked through the city streets.
“Using the same parameters as the Commander of Lords game, we’re able to send out operatives into the city with little risk. They are projected into the city as astral projections of themselves, sort of like ghosts. They can be seen by humans and Carbons, but the Bots cannot detect them so we’ve been able to get good intel. Their projections allow them to move and act like humans. However, they’re a bit more limited this way.”
“And what happens if they are spotted?” I asked.
“We terminate the Link, and the projections disappear.”
“Cool!” Sam’s eyes were gleaming.
“We use the Commander of Lords game as a training tool,” Murray told Sam.
“I got next!” He raised his hand like a little kid in an arcade. I shook my head, and Murray chuckled.
“So what have they found?” Kyle spoke up from the control room door. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Clearly, he hadn’t forgiven Murray.
“Coleman has gathered all the humans in the center of the city and caged them like animals,” a young male operative said. I hadn’t noticed him before. His tall lean body stood rigid at the front of the room. His sandy blond hair had been shaved down to barely anything, and his bright green eyes were alive as he spoke, despite the sour look on his face. I noticed his name badge across his shirt said Max Murray. It was Murray’s son.
Watcher (The Watcher Series Book 1) Page 17