“So soon,” I’m surprised and hopeful to finally get out of here, to get Lina to safety. “I can’t believe we are going to get out of here.”
“Andie,” Adam’s voice turns dire. “I can’t get too far away.”
“What? Why?” My stomach sinks at his words, I thought he was going to leave with us, escape and never look back, I thought we were going to do this together.
“The transmitter.” He holds his forearm out at me. There is a small red mark where the transmitter was injected in his upper arm.
I almost forgot. “I can take it out,” I tell him. I have the medical supplies I collected after he left.
He stares disbelieving at me. “How would you take it out?”
“I have supplies, from the hospital.” I go to the closet and get the things I stole from the hospital. Adam follows me to the table as I lay them out. “I just don’t have any anesthetic. They had that under lock and key.” I stare at the supplies, confident; the only thing making me nervous is the suturing. I have never stitched a wound before, but I have watched many times and even practiced with a tomato once.
“So you would cut this thing out of me. And I’d feel it all?” His eyes shift from the gleaming scalpel to my eyes.
“Unfortunately.” Adam stares for a few moments then he takes off his thin khaki jacket throwing it on the floor, and starts rolling his sleeve up to his shoulder.
“Do it.”
“It’s going to hurt,” I warn him.
“I’m sure it’s nothing that I haven’t felt before.” He looks at me expectantly. He doesn’t have to elaborate, I’ve seen his scars, and I know that he was the receiver of something very painful.
I scrub his arm with soap for three minutes and then I wash my hands and arms for the same amount of time. Thankfully the scalpel came packaged with a sterile drape, which I use to cover his arm. I hesitate, just before pressing the sharp scalpel to his skin. I look at his face afraid for the pain he is about to feel. His face is calm, hopeful; he looks to his arm, waiting for me to cut the transmitter out.
I press down and the sharp scalpel cuts into his arm smoothly, like it’s made of soft butter. A thick rivet of blood starts flowing around the scalpel and down his arm. The transmitter was injected within the top layers of subcutaneous tissue and I don’t have to press down far before I feel it. There isn’t much scar tissue collected around the transmitter and once I get the skin open I easily pull the small metallic object out of his arm with a pair of tweezers, dropping it into a nearby bowl. I irrigate the area and then do my best at stitching the small wound. The small wound takes five stitches. I coat the wound with antibiotic ointment and cover it with fresh gauze. Only when I am done do I realize that Adam never made a sound the entire time I was cutting into his arm and stitching it up.
When I am done we both stare at the almost flat, oblong transmitter in the bowl. “What do we do with it?” I ask Adam.
“I have to keep it near me, so Crane thinks it’s still in. It’s just so small I’m afraid I’ll lose it.” We stare at it a little longer. I notice that there is a tiny red light blinking.
“I have an idea,” I tell Adam. I get up and go to the bedroom closet, digging in the back for the extravagantly carved wooden box Crane gave me for Christmas. I bring it back to the table where Adam sits, waiting.
“What’s that?”
“A gift I never wanted.” I open up the wooden box, and there it remains, just as the day I opened it, the jewel encrusted locket Crane gave me. I pinch open the clasp and the locket opens to a hollow center. Using the tweezers I place the transmitter in the middle of the locket and then carefully pinch the clasp closed.
“Now what?” Adam watches me closely.
“Give me your arm.” I wrap the long chain around his upper arm and adjust the locket so it falls against the sensitive skin of his inner arm. I pull his sleeve down covering the locket and his wound. “If you notice any drainage from the transmitter we can only assume it is the potassium and Crane is done with you, you are dead to him.” I watch Adam’s light blue eyes, waiting for his next move.
“This is an expensive piece of jewelry Andie.” Adam eyes the small bulge where the locket rests under his sleeve.
“Enjoy it. I hope you don’t mind that I re-gifted.” I stand up and start cleaning, throwing away the bloody drape and washing the scalpel and tweezers in the sink. I find a small towel to wrap the medical supplies in, so I can take it with us when we leave.
Adam watches me from the chair. When I go to the bedroom closet to place the medical supplies in my travel pile he follows me. “Andie, what about Ian?” He asks me.
“What about him?”
“If we’re going to leave, do you want me to get him out too?”
I can’t believe he is asking me this, now, after all we’ve been through he waits until we are about to leave to ask about my husband. “Crane did something to him while you were gone. He confronted me for not pairing up the Sovereign and when I brought up Ian he informed me that Ian won’t remember us. I’m not sure how he did it, but he made it clear, that Ian is not the same. He doesn’t know us and he won’t remember us.”
“Andie, I don’t want you to regret this.”
“I regret that I can’t save Ian.” I close the closet door and face Adam. “But he’s gone now. Crane took him and the only way I can keep him safe is to move on.” I stare at the floor, ashamed.
And then Adam is walking towards me, pulling me into his arms, pressing his warm lips to mine. Too easily I reach up, wrapping my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his dark hair. A deep groan escapes his throat when my fingertips brush the sensitive skin on the back of his neck.
“Andie,” he whispers in my ear. “The whole time I was gone, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Then his lips are back on mine. His long fingers entwined in my hair, tipping my head back. But that’s all, he doesn’t press on, and neither do I. Both of us are too consumed, boiling with the anticipation of escape.
Before Adam leaves in the early morning he wakes me up, brushing his thumb across my cheekbone. “Be ready, Andie. We leave tomorrow night. I’ll come for you and Lina.”
--
Today is escape day.
While Lina is in class I get an escort to take me to the grocery store. I find that Alexander and Morris were right when they said that we were low on supplies. There is only two or three of each item on the shelves; however the cereal and grains are completely out. I stock up on small items that are easy for travel, raisins, nuts, peanut butter, a few bottles of water and pretzels. I wander the store, searching for anything else I could bring with us. At the end of the sparsely stocked bread isle I find a section with school supplies. The pencils and papers are fully stocked, which is understandable since the District has taken over the schools, supplying each child with the necessary items needed for school, parents are no longer responsible for buying them. Hanging on a hook are three large backpacks. Exactly what I need. The colors could be a little better though. I look up and down the long grocery isle. My Volker guard stands at the end of the isle, talking with another Volker. I take two of the backpacks; one is light pink the other brown. I roll them up and hide them in the bottom of my grocery bag.
I return to the chemistry building just as Ms. Black is finishing class. I bring Lina upstairs with me and cook a quick dinner. I tell Lina we are going on a trip to see Uncle Sam, her uncle, my brother. She seems genuinely excited since she hasn’t seen him in almost a year. I’m not sure how else to explain what we are doing, since we will be sneaking out of the District in the middle of the night. Trekking through the woods, since travel by car is no longer viable and the main highways have been mostly destroyed to prevent easy access to the District.
We clean up and shower like we would any other night. But this time we dress in dark clothes. Dressing Lina for the night is hard since most of her clothing is brightly colored in pinks and purples. I dig in her pile of clothes and fi
nd a pair of jeans and leather boots. As I dig further I find a dark brown turtleneck and an oversized coat that is colored light brown. When she is all dressed I step back and take a look. She would be barely recognizable in the dark clothes if it weren’t for her thick mane of blonde curls cascading down her back. I do my best at French braiding her hair, the curls kink her hair, causing large uneven bulges in the braid.
Next I dress myself. Finding dark colors is easy since my closet is filled with mostly black and brown colored clothing. I decide on a pair of heavy jeans, a black shirt and black jacket. In the pile of gifts from Crane are two scarves, one is a mixture of purple hues, the other browns. I pull them both out to bring with us. Lina claps with excitement when I show her the pink backpack I picked up at the store. When I tell her to pick out two toys to bring with us, she has chooses her trusty stuffed owl and, of all things, the fancy gold tiara Crane sent her for her birthday last year.
The closer to nightfall it gets the faster my heart starts racing. My fingers tremble as I pack the food, the water, a bag of kibble for Stevie, and extra clothes into my backpack. I find my work bag with the reflective blanket still stuffed in the bottom from my trek home with Adam over a year ago. I hide the backpacks in my room and wait for Adam to show up.
As we wait Lina sleeps on the couch with Stevie curled up next to her. I know I should get some rest but instead I pace the loft. The sun has been down for hours and it’s already close to midnight. I still haven’t heard anything from Adam. I’m starting to think that maybe I should just leave on my own. I’ve lived in this county my whole life and I know most of the back roads and trails. The hard part would be getting past the electrified fence on the other side of Oswego Falls. I don’t have the codes, but I’m sure I could find some way through.
Finally, there’s a knock on the door. Stevie runs past me to answer it. I can see Adam behind the heavy glass, dressed in black cargo pants, a fitted black jacket and black knit cap. The dark clothing is a stark contrast against his blue eyes, which seem to be glowing. I open the door to let him in. He’s relaxed and smiles at me. I am far too tense to smile at him.
“Are you ready?” I nod yes to him. “Get your things.”
I grab the backpacks from the bedroom and wake Lina up. I take the purple scarf and wrap it around the top of her head and loosely around her neck, to keep her warm and help camouflage her. I do the same for myself with the brown scarf. The pink backpack came with a waist clip and I have it adjusted to fit on Stevie’s back. Within a few minutes we are ready to go.
“Ready,” I whisper to Adam. I pick Lina up from the couch; she wraps her arms and legs around me, laying her head on my shoulder. “Lina, we have to be very quiet now, you can sleep on my shoulder if you want.” She nods sleepily at me as we follow Adam into the hallway.
He brings us to an empty stairwell down the hall from the elevator. One of the few places where there are no cameras. I follow Adam down the five flights of stairs to the basement level. We head for the underground tunnel which I have used to escape before. Instead of leaving through the door that exits directly to the outside, Adam brings us through the Biology building, leading us through the basement and up a flight of stairs. The building is dark and empty. Our footsteps leave soft echoes on the linoleum floor. Stevie follows closely without needing to be told. Once we reach the main floor Adam walks us across the length of it until we reach a side door on the opposite side of the building. Adam stops for a moment, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking the metal security door. Once we are all through he pushes the door closed and re-locks it. Across the parking lot is a black SUV, one of the Volker vehicles. I reach out and grab Adams arm, to warn him.
“It’s our car,” he whispers to me. “Come on.”
He leads me by my free hand as we walk towards the waiting SUV. Adam opens the back door. I snap and point at Stevie, she jumps up onto the passenger bench. Adam supports my elbow as I slide in with Lina on my lap, then he gets behind the wheel. He sits and waits for a moment, looking around the parking lot and buildings. I look at the glowing digital clock on the dashboard; it’s just after one in the morning. My heart is beating fast with anticipation. Lina sleeps soundly on my shoulder. Adam starts the vehicle and drives slowly out of the parking lot, heading out onto the main streets. He accelerates, driving fast. The town feels eerily empty as we pass all the dark houses, which are filled with residents who are fast asleep, resting up for the next day’s hustle of keeping the District running.
“Where are we headed?” I ask.
“We have to go north to the train station. Crane is expecting it to leave by morning.”
“You usually run in the middle of the night?”
“Always at night, never during the day. The road stops in about twenty miles and then it’s another four on foot to the train station. The station and the Gateway are guarded but they’re expecting me and I will be able to sneak you onto the last car without anyone noticing.”
After Adam’s explanation there is nothing left to talk about. I sit back, holding Lina close to me as she sleeps. I watch the dark forest and empty buildings as the SUV speeds down the highway. After less than thirty minutes Adam pulls off the road, parking at an empty rest stop. He gets out and opens the door for us. Stevie jumps out and paces the dirt parking lot. Adam supports my arm as I scoot out of the vehicle carrying Lina. The early spring air is cool and damp. I am grateful that it’s not raining.
“This way.” Adam walks towards the woods, stopping to hold back a heavy branch of brush. I hesitate, staring at the woods. The last time Lina and I were out we were attacked by a hungry pack of wolves. Adam must sense my hesitation. “It’s ok. I take this trail all the time at night. Worst case scenario I have a gun if we need it.”
I trust him. “Ok,” I whisper.
“And stop whispering, no one is out here to hear us.”
As I walk under the brush I can see that Adam is right. He hands me a flashlight and walks ahead of us, illuminating a dark but cleared trail. Stevie runs ahead of us, sniffing each tree. I shine the light towards the pink pack on her back every few minutes, to make sure she hasn’t gotten too far ahead of us. Thankfully the ground is even and free of debris, but Lina is fast asleep, and carrying her forty pounds of dead weight starts to slow me down. I fall further and further behind Adam and Stevie, carrying her and the fast paced walking have me almost out of breath. Finally Adam stops and walks back to me.
“Do you want me to take her?” He asks as I reach him, out of breath.
“Yeah, I’m sorry she’s too heavy.” Adam lifts Lina out of my arms.
“Adam’s going to carry you, Lina,” I tell her as he shifts her weight.
“Hi Adam,” Lina mumbles as she wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder.
“Hi Lina.” Adam rubs her back and starts walking ahead of me. I watch him walk quickly on the trail, his back tall and straight, even under the weight of Lina. I realize, if I had left without him I probably would have never made it, I would never have been able to transport Lina to safety by myself. Stevie circles back in the woods and reappears walking next to me. I reach down and pat her head.
We walk for what seems like hours on the dark trail. Adam doesn’t seem to tire at all carrying Lina and keeps up the same pace.
“What happens after we get past the gates?” I ask him.
“Then I have to get you two to safety. Don’t you have a brother who lives near the city?”
“Sam, yeah.”
“Hopefully we can stash you there until I’m done.”
“What do you mean until you’re done?”
“I have to finish the job, Andie.” Suddenly I think Adam isn’t talking about his job as the Runner.
“What do you mean, Adam? I thought we were getting out of here together. I don’t want to go on without you, what if Crane finds us.”
Adam stops and turns to look at me. I can barely see his face in the dark woods. But a few sli
vers of moonlight drift down between the leaves, illuminating his bright eyes in the darkness.
“I have to go back, Andie.”
“What are you talking about?”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s no coincidence I walked back to Phoenix with you, that you found me lying in the road, I parachuted out of a helicopter. I was sent to find you and escort you back to Phoenix.”
I step back, the shock obvious on my face. All this time, everyone warning me who I should trust, I thought Adam was the only person whom I could trust. But this whole time, he was the one who brought me here, who brought me into this hell.
“I trusted you.” I reach for Lina. “Give me back my daughter.”
“Andie, wait.” He pushes my hands away. “This is about more than you and me and Crane. I was sent in here on a mission, I can’t leave until it’s complete.”
“Shut up!” I snap back at him. “I don’t know why I ever trusted you in the first place.” I reach for Lina again but he grabs my arm, holding it tight, pulling me to him so I can see in his eyes.
“I didn’t even know if I would find you, I didn’t know this is what they had planned. I didn’t plan on, on-”
I interrupt him. “What Adam? You didn’t plan on what?”
“On falling for you.” He lets go of my arm, and moves his hand behind my neck, the movement is so quick I barely realize what he’s done, he’s pulling my face towards his, pressing his lips to mine. On any other day, any other day before this one, I would fall into him and return the kiss. But right now, I want nothing more than to slap him across the face, for all he’s put me through, for not telling me the truth. I yank my head away from him.
“Don’t you ever touch me again! Now, get us out of here, Adam.”
The rest of the walk is in silence. I no longer follow Adam with the hope that we are going to escape together, now, I follow him with the sole expectation of getting my daughter out of this godforsaken place.
The Phoenix Project Page 23