He doesn’t sit but jams his hands into his pockets and stares at the floor. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to keep you safe out here.” His hair is covering his eyes, but his voice carries a slight tremor.
My throat seems to close over. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” I hear myself say.
He looks up and blinks rapidly, his face set in hard lines. “Kit can stay with you ‘til you get better. I should stay out of your hair.”
My stomach clenches inside my fevered body and tears start to pool in my eyes though I’m not sure I get his meaning. “I don’t want anyone else in my hair,” I whisper.
He frowns then. Whatever he’s thinking of saying, he’s interrupted by Jackson who’s just stepped back in the hut. “Change of plan Romeo and Juliet, we need to move.”
Cristan shakes his head and jerks a thumb at me. “She needs to rest.”
It’s Trey that answers by way of a hurried appearance in the doorway. His spiky hair is silhouetted in the doorway as he catches his breath. “We’ve got a drone inbound.”
Jackson curses and glares at Cristan. “Don’t do things by halves, do you?”
Trey scowls as he flips a gun in his palm so it spins outwards to Cristan. “We’ll get on top of the roof. All you have to do is lie and wait ‘til they’re directly overhead. You think you can do that?”
Cristan looks at me for a split second before he grabs the gun and slides the safety switch. He nods at Trey. “Don’t you worry about me.”
Kit draws my attention away as Cristan and Trey hurry out of the hut. I hear them talking quietly before I can just make out the sounds of them climbing on the roof. She looks over at Jackson and pulls a face at him. “I need to take her line out. Wouldn’t want you to faint.”
Jackson shudders and gives me a dazzling smile. “Doctory things give me the willies. I’ll lock everything up tight soon as you’re clear.” He pats Kit on the shoulder as he passes her by. He only stops to call over his shoulder. “You picked a hellova boy to fall for.”
There’s something hidden in the words but as Kit takes hold of my wrist, ready to remove the line in my vein, I’m momentarily distracted. The pain is brief and her movements are swift and efficient like she’s had years of training in the new city. I stare at her as she removes the cooling strips and takes my temperature again. She can’t be much older than me, but if she’s out here, she can’t have been trained in the city with other Relevants.
I push that question and all the ones bubbling up regarding Cristan away when Kit helps me up. She wraps her arm underneath mine and starts to drag me to the door. My head is still light but I feel a little better despite my burning skin so I ask her a question. “Do drones normally come out here?”
We stumble slightly as she helps me cross the messy floor. I flinch as pain screams through the soles of my feet.
She shrugs though it’s lost as she’s hefting my weight. “They never used to.”
I frown and feel the gel creasing into my skin. “But if they shoot it down—"
She interrupts me. “You've got ten billion questions and normally I’d encourage that. And soon as we get to the Zoo you’ll get answers, but right now we need to move.”
I’m still confused when we are back out in the sun and Jackson is placing a large lock on the door.
What could she possibly mean by the Zoo?
* * *
Cristan.
I flatten myself on the roof and run my palm down my trousers. My back is slick with sweat and my head is a little light. Whether it’s residual effects from the drugs or hunger and growing dehydration, I can’t be sure. I just know that I’m running on nervous energy alone and as soon as this drone hits the dust and we’re clear, I’m going to need to sleep for a few days. Mallory must be feeling a million times worse though. It’s that thought that gives me a burst of energy.
I’m wondering how they knew the drone was coming or that a drone is heading this way when Trey pulls out a pair of antiquated binoculars. They’re so ancient, they don’t have the laser scope that even the oldest models are equipped with.
We’re both lying on our stomachs and I know this isn’t the best position, so I run the scenarios through my brain. I’ve decided on the best option when Trey drops the binoculars and sends me a look. “Here’s your chance, big shot. You need to shoot it down before we leave. We’ve got enough heat on us as it is.”
I glare at him and focus on the streak of white blazing towards us. I take as deep a breath as I can and adjust my position to follow the movement.
The hum of the drone gets closer and Trey starts to grumble. “Take the shot.”
I ignore him. I need to time this perfectly. Just like at the border wall where I shot down Mallory’s drone. I count down the seconds, my fingers are starting to ache so I relax my grip and focus on breathing slow and steady.
“Take the shot,” Trey mutters.
I growl a response as the drone zips closer. I take a final breath and flip onto my back just as the drone’s shadow is over the hut. I aim and pull the trigger. The gun kicks back a little harder but the drone is doing a nose dive.
I release a breath and swipe the sweat off my upper lip. Trey pulls himself up and grins. “Not bad. Now hand over the gun.” I stare at him, working my jaw as I consider. I’ve only just gotten it back. The last thing I should be doing is relinquishing it again. Trey’s eyes narrow like he can see what I’m thinking. “Don’t do anything stupid. If you even think about shooting me Jackson won’t hesitate to leave you here.”
It doesn’t take much to convince me that pissing off Jackson would be a bad idea, so I flip the safety and hand it to him. He snatches it from my hand and gives me a grin that makes me feel like punching his teeth in. He doesn’t say another word, just scrambles across the roof. He peers down then tosses my gun to the ground below. With a final antagonistic grin, he flattens himself so he can spin and drop to the ground.
I follow his lead and descend, but I’m slower because my arms are trembling from the relief and the day’s exertion. When my feet hit the ground, the four-wheel drive starts and Jackson’s head pokes out the space where the door should be. “Get in. We don’t have a lot of time.”
I check the backseat and find Mallory inside with a glowering Kit. I try my best to ignore the evil look she’s giving me and check on Mallory. She’s covered in the cooling gel again, but despite looking wilted and hot she seems a little better. Her eyes meet mine and a faint smile appears on her ruddy face.
I don’t have time to ask any questions when Jackson guns the engine and the wheels spin in the dusty ground. Unlike Trey, Jackson doesn’t drive like a maniac. He handles the vehicle with care and seems to know the terrain well enough to miss any potholes or dips.
I can see his eyes sliding to the reflective strip every once and a while. I think he’s checking to see if anyone is coming after us, but after a quick check myself, it’s impossible to see over the dust plumes. I catch his attention and raise my voice to yell over the engine and the wind. “Where are we going?” Jackson doesn’t answer me, but I see his fingers tighten on the steering wheel. I keep a hold of the grip above me. My voice is tight when I shout at Trey. “Where’s my gun?”
He doesn’t answer me and my heart starts to thump against my ribcage. I bloody hope one of them has it. My stomach clenches as we’re jostled about. I grit my teeth and try not to run through all the terrible things we might be headed towards. Nausea starts to rise as every heinous possibility flashes through my mind. I’m so caught up in horrific thoughts that I nearly miss the sudden drop.
Huge buildings start to appear, stealing my attention from my morbid thoughts. The structures seem remarkably intact. Nothing like the destroyed parts of the old city I’ve seen. Jackson turns the wheel and my eyes don’t seem to be able to fully deal with what I’m looking at.
A fully intact roadway is just visible on the horizon. We fly down the hill and my spine is pressed into the seat as Jackson accelerates.
Everything blurs into oranges and golds as we head for the strip of black in the desert. I keep my eyes fixed on that spot almost unblinking. If I weren’t staring at it, and seeing the buildings we’re driving by, I’d never have believed there’s more out here in no man’s land than we’ve been led to believe.
Jackson doesn’t slow down, so it’s hard to make anything out clearly, but when I see remnants of streets and signs it’s obvious we’re in another part of the old city. Somehow this part has been maintained. Streets are cleared, but the buildings are boarded up.
I don’t see anyone, it looks just like the parts of the old city I’ve seen. With the exception that we don’t fix any of the buildings up. There’s never enough time to do much for them. So, everything out of an hour’s work radius has gone unchecked. We could never stay outside without risking exposure. It was never worth the risk to explore any further.
With a singular moment of clarity amongst my confusion, I realise I never thought to ask what I should have the second I laid eyes on them. I was so caught up in needing to take the radiation meds, I overlooked the most obvious thing.
I glance at Kit and she returns my look with a steely-eyed glare. I swallow thickly and take Mallory’s hand in mine. Her fingers curl into my palm and my pulse speeds even quicker. I need to get my gun back. Any hope I had just flew out the window as I contemplate how brainless I’ve been.
After everything I did to get Mallory clear, after doing everything they said, I never once asked Trey and Kit how they found us without any apparent transport. Which can mean only one thing.
They knew we were coming.
* * *
Mallory.
Cristan is squeezing my hand so tightly, my fingers are starting to ache. I look over at him and find him staring at Jackson. He’s holding onto the hand grip so hard his knuckles are white. His jaw is working furiously as the vehicle starts to slow down. I want to ask him what’s wrong but when he sees me looking at him, he gives me a quick shake of his head as though silencing me.
His anxiety is making my own spike upwards and my empty stomach flips about. I distract myself by looking out at the buildings surrounding us. It looks like we’re in an old part of the city that was cut off somehow.
We roll slowly past double storied buildings and pass by street lights, all of which seem to be in better condition than anything else I saw in the city where Cristan’s Unit was located. We carry on driving down a narrow road and the buildings start to get smaller and more like the ones inside the new city. What starts out as a solid fence or barrier along the sides of the road begins to grow higher as we descend.
One moment we’re out in the sunlight, the next heading into a tunnel. Cristan isn’t looking at me so I direct my question to Kit. “Where are we?”
Kit’s head tilts so she’s looking directly at me. We’re driving on paved roads again so she doesn’t need to raise her voice nearly as much, though the vehicle is still noisy. “We’re directly under the west quadrant of the old city.”
Cristan’s head snaps to Kit as he looks over at her. “The old underpass?”
She nods, a touch of a scowl on her face as she speaks across me to Cristan. “You know your geography.”
He nods, but his posture is still tense. “I know my history too.” His answer is so vague it makes me want to ask him even more questions but the last of the sunlight is dissipating making the dark press in on us.
Lights illuminate the front of the vehicle and if I peer between the seats I can just make out the road in front of us. My breathing is growing more ragged as my anxiety increases. I’m firmly wedged in-between Cristan and Kit but I feel like I could be flung out of the vehicle at any moment.
We drive for what seems like hours and we could very well have been. There is no way to mark the passing of time as we carry on driving. When I think the tunnel will never end, faint lights appear signalling the end of the dark. The vehicle exits and my breath catches in my chest as we slow to a stop.
Kit jumps out immediately and offers me her hand. With my other hand caught in Cristan’s, I’m not sure which way to go. The decision is made when Cristan tugs me out the exit on his side. I’m just getting my bearings as we stand outside a giant structure with curving walls when he pulls me closer to him as though he’s trying to protect me.
Kit scowls as she rounds the vehicle and she stops to stand beside Trey. He grins at me, then at Kit, and runs his fingers over the hilt of his knife as we wait for Jackson to climb out. The seconds tick by as we stand awkwardly in a loose half circle. Cristan keeps me locked in his grip as I take in our surroundings.
The area is almost barren of plant life. It almost looks like the modern structures I’ve seen all my life in the new city. I’m looking upwards to the massive wall of white directly in front of us when Jackson appears. He pats the vehicle as though he’s pleased. His eyes meet mine, then slide to Cristan. If possible, Cristan’s grip on me gets even tighter. I turn and frown at him, but his eyes are locked on Jackson and a dark look is covering his tanned face.
Jackson gestures to the wall. “Here we are.”
I’m not sure if he’s talking to me, to Cristan, or to us both, but the silence is growing even more unbearable as Cristan and Jackson stare hard at each other.
My voice is more like a squeak than I’d hoped. “How do we get inside?”
Jackson’s eyes crinkle as he smiles at me. “We say the magic word.”
Kit snickers and a smile is creeping over Trey’s face, but Cristan is rigid as the others start moving towards the giant wall. I try to move but I’m locked in place. I ready another frown to aim at him, but when I do I notice the sweat on his upper lip. His eyes look wild. Like he swallowed fear and it’s peering out at me. I flinch as he turns his gaze on me.
I don’t have time to think of why he looks so terrified when a loud crack comes from in front of us. Jackson yells and starts to grab his weapon. Then the bangs increase, dust flares up around me. The noise is deafening as Trey and Kit both start shooting their guns in the direction of the wall.
I cover my ears and freeze in place. I’m rooted to the ground when Cristan starts dragging me so we’re behind the vehicle. “Get down and stay down,” he yells.
I huddle closer to him and squeeze my eyes shut. My hands are still over my ears but the dirt is exploding all around me. Cristan’s arm wraps around me and I cling to him, my cheek against his chest. I start to rock. I start to hum. I start to conjure a dragon to come and take me away.
Colours bleed through the panic. The noise fades into the background until all I hear is the steady thump of Cristan’s heart against my cheek.
Chapter 3
Cristan.
I don’t want to die. Not like this. Not cowering behind Drew’s four-wheel drive with the others shooting on my behalf. I don’t even know why we’re being shot at. It makes no sense. It can’t be the G men, they don’t use such primitive weaponry anymore. They’d be more likely to drop chemicals from drones to either knock us out or kill us all instantly. I’m not sure if that thought is comforting or not.
I’m still stewing over how Trey and Kit knew how to locate us. It wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t blind luck. They must have had transport. The question I’m still trying to work out is where it was located, but it’s not important right now. Getting shot at kind of takes precedence over figuring out whether you can trust two random Irrelevants who showed up at just the right time. I can’t add this to the problems I’m sorting through. If this day could get any worse, I really don’t see how.
I growl as a bullet splays up dirt way too close for comfort. Blood is pumping through my veins. My heart is crashing against my rib cage. My fists are curling and uncurling. I can’t just sit here on my arse and wait for someone to pick us off. I’m not a coward. And even though I don’t want to leave Mallory when she’s having a meltdown again, I can’t sit and wait for a bullet with my name on it to arrive.
I extricate my arms from arou
nd her and wince as she rocks even harder. Her arms wrap around her bony shins and she tucks her chin in tight like she’s trying to curl into a ball. I press a quick kiss to her hair and turn so I’m at a half crouch. A bullet whizzes past my head and adrenaline floods my body. I’m shaking like a leaf, but I can’t see diddly squat so I keep my head close to the tyre I’m behind.
I scan the area directly in front of me. Sweat has started travelling down my forehead and is dripping into my eyes. I blink away the blurriness and nearly fall back when I catch sight of Jackson. He’s standing out in the open where anyone could shoot him, his gun isn’t even pointed at anything. I open my mouth to shout a warning when my brain registers he’s staring directly at me.
He smirks and holds a fist up in the air. The guns cease immediately. It takes a half second for me to click before all the air leaves my lungs in a roar. My bare feet skid under me as I pull myself to a crouch and rush him.
He’s so surprised that I manage to tackle him around the waist and bring him to the ground before he smashes his closed fists on the back of my neck. He knees me in the stomach as we grapple on the ground. It hurts like a bitch but I’m not about to give up the small amount of ground I just gained. I manage a decent punch before Trey is behind me, grabbing my arms to haul me off.
Jackson swipes his mouth and I see his hand come away bloody. He gets to his feet and spits on the ground, but my attention is back on Trey. I struggle just long enough to make him think he’s got me figured out, then I grab both his hands and twist as hard as I can. It’s a lame move, but I’m bigger than he is so I use my weight to push back while he’s off guard. He doesn’t have enough time to recover so I get the opportunity to do what I’ve been wanting to do since I first saw him.
My uppercut lands with enough force to make his head snap back. He lets out a yell that’s more squeal than masculine. He doesn’t even bother to defend himself so I aim another couple for good measure. Before he goes down like a sack of potatoes, I’m already moving away, ready to grab Mallory and make a run for it.
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