by Ellie Aiden
Ash said she didn’t give a damn if they believed her or not. She was rolling over on the Enforcer, and if they didn’t banish him, she was gonna kill him. I’m not really sure if she was joking or not.
All signs point to not, as she sits on the foot of my bed trying to twist the head off my Malibu Barbie.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! That’s an antique. What did she ever do to you?” Snatching the Barbie away and saving her life, I get up to hide her in my panty drawer. If she goes in there, she’s got problems.
Looking contrite, she apologizes. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, it’s time to leave anyway.”
The two of us are headed to a special worship service tonight. We could have gotten away with not attending, but according to my Mother who overheard the Stone sisters talking at breakfast this morning, there’s going to be some big announcement. Since there has been no word on what will happen to the Enforcer, if anything, the two of us decided to go.
Ash and I take our normal seats in the middle of the upper section, and wait for the service to start. The Elders are all seated in their chairs, forming a horseshoe behind the dais. One chair is decidedly empty.
As soon as Vater Henry takes his place, a whoosh of air hits me and someone plops down in the seat next to Ash. Chase. It’s not against the rules per se, but yikes. He barely brushes a thumb across the side of Ash’s thigh, and then its hands to himself, eyes front.
“My Children.” Is it creepy that he pauses for applause? “Before our service tonight I have some news. I must tell you, that Elder Jim, is no longer with us.”
Wait, no longer with us as in, left the Compound, or no longer with us as in, dead. Murmurs and shocked whispers sweep through the room. Elder Jim is not well liked, but he has been with the Church since the beginning.
Vater Henry waits for everyone to quiet, before continuing. “He has gone home to be with our Lord and Savior. It was a heart attack, just last night. I know like me, you are all upset by this news, but as you well know, he is in a far better place than us. Let us Pray.”
Well that was unexpected.
Before the service ended, the Vater reassured everyone that the Security Department would get along just fine, and he hoped soon, God would speak to him, pointing him in the right direction for finding a new Elder.
After the service, Chase, Ash, and I, made our way down to the main hall, and without a word the three of us headed to Ash’s apartment. Chase really shouldn’t be with us. His room is on another hall, giving him no reason to be in this area of the Compound, but with the look on his face, I’m not telling him that. Kid looks a little crazy.
Waiting for the hall to empty so no one would see Chase, we slipped through the door. Cody wasn’t back yet, it’s just us, so it didn’t take long for me to feel like a third wheel. I gotta get a boyfriend.
Snapping my fingers, I tried to get their attention. “Um, guys? Is this a team meeting or an orgy?”
“Anna, you wouldn’t know an orgy if it slapped you in the face,” Ash giggled.
“Gross. I’m not trying to get slapped in the face with any orgy’s today, thanks.”
“I worry about you two sometimes.” Chase scoops Ash up, making her squeal, and depositing her on the couch next to me.
“You’re just jelly you aren’t as awesome as we are.” Did he just roll his eyes at me, oh hell no, he rolled his eyes at me. Ash throws her arm across my chest as I attempt to fly toward Chase. “Hold me back. Hold me back.” I mock yell.
Once I’m satisfied he’s convinced, the only reason I’m not beating his ass right now, is because his tiny girlfriend just held me back, I plop back down in my place, making eye contact with Ash, before collapsing in a fit of giggles.
“Oh God Anna. I needed that.”
Me too. Just a few weeks ago, despite having mixed emotions about the Church, I was a witty chick, Ash too, but now? Now, I can’t remember the last time I felt happy, the last time I truly laughed.
“If you two are done, I think we need to discuss Anna’s note.”
Ugh, killjoy.
Hold on, that’s what we’re here to talk about? “Whoa, are we just gonna completely gloss over the fact that the Enforcer is dead?”
“Yes, that fucker deserved it.” Chase clenches his fists, each turning a sickly shade of white, and I don’t want to push my luck, but come on.
“Agreed, but they killed him. You realize that, right?” Looking between the two of them to see if we are all on the same page, and seeing their nods, its confirmed.
I don’t know how they did it, but Vater Henry definitely killed the Enforcer, or I guess, had someone kill him. He doesn’t really strike me as the type who would risk his eternity in Heaven, even on killing a child molester.
“Alright fine, moving on. What about my letter?”
Chase and Ash exchange a look, and it’s clear they’ve already discussed this, so Ash speaks for them both. “Anna, Chase and I think, well, it’s clear Luke has information that we need. So maybe, we should discuss you going to find him.”
I’m sorry say what? Okay sure, I’ll just walk right out the front gate, walk all those miles to Bonham, meet with a gang member, turn around, walk back, and waltz right back in. That was sarcasm, in case you missed it.
Clearly, said sarcasm, is written all over my face, because she holds out her hands, palms out, as if she’s approaching a wounded animal and tries to reason with me. “Just hear me out. There is no Enforcer right now. Granted, we didn’t know that when Chase and I discussed this, but still. That means several things. One, no one leading the Security Department. He led with an iron fist, is there anyone who knows as much about the department as he did? I don’t think so. Two, we kind of have a pass right now after what happened. We have four more days where we’re excused from lessons and shifts. No one will miss you, or me right now.”
Chase stands from his seat, cheeks red to interrupt. “NO! You aren’t going with her. That’s not what we discussed baby.”
Baby? You make me sick.
“Chase, if this plan is good enough for Anna, then its good enough for me. You don’t get to put my best friend in danger, while keeping me in a bubble. I thought I made it pretty clear to you, where she’s goes, I go.”
He at least has the decency to look remise, but I know he’s still not okay with this. In fact, I’m not okay this. Double in fact, I’m not sure what this, is exactly,
“Explain.” In detail.
“Right, so, Chase and I were thinking, with us being excused, that certainly makes things easier, and we have an in.” Pause for dramatic effect. “Cody. Cody is a Hunter Anna, and the best part is, a hunting party leaves out tomorrow. But wait for it, there’s more.”
The two are so in sync already Chase picks up right where she left off. Did they practice this?
“The Hunters are coming back with less and less game every week that passes. Which means, they are having to go further and further each time. Normally, they hunt north of here and they never stay out for more than one night, never hunting more than fifteen to twenty miles away from the Compound. Cody says there were several little towns north of here pre-pandemic, but in the aftermath they were all destroyed, most of them burned to the ground. Even two decades later the land hasn’t fully recovered, and the hunters are competing with gangs, the area is just hunted out.” Moving to the edge of his seat, he looks to Ash, but I think I see where they’re going with this.
“Because of that, they’re about to do something they’ve never done before. There’s a large expanse of land west of here, they’ll leave tomorrow headed for an unpopulated area about forty miles past Bonham” When she stops and Chase continues, I know they practiced this.
“They’ll make a quick stop in Bonham first. According to Cody, the orders say Elder Berry will stop to pick up a package for Vater Henry, as well as watering the horses, before heading on. He’ll also be stopping in on the way back, because it’s a good spot on the return trip to feed
and water the horses. They’ll be gone for three days. Which means…”
He doesn’t need to finish; I think I’ve got it. “Which means, I can stow away in one of the wagons, jump out during their first stop in Bonham, and hop back in on their way back.” It’s actually not a horrible plan. “The key word there, being I. There isn’t going to be room for two of us Ash. Two of us significantly increases the chances of getting caught.” She starts to argue, but I cut her off. “This isn’t up for discussion. If you get caught, no way they don’t put two and two together that your brother helped. If it’s just me, there’s a better chance they won’t automatically think he was in on it.”
There’s a moment where I think she still wants to argue, but she knows I’m right. So with a sigh she sits back, resigned. Chase on the other hand looks pleased, albeit worried for me.
“Alright now what? How do we make this happen?” I guess I need to pack. That shouldn’t be too difficult.
Before either one of them can respond, Cody rushes in the front door clapping his hands together. “Okay. We doin’ this or what?”
***
After the team lined out a few more details, Ash and I headed back to my room and left the boys to their assignments. Cody, went to steal me a hunting knife from Elder Berry’s weapons cache. No way I was going back to Bonham alone, and unarmed. It’s not like I know how to use it, but mess with me, and see if you don’t get stabbed. Chase had his own task. The Hunting Department has two wagons. Only one has a false bottom in it for hiding supplies. With the number of men assigned to go on tomorrows hunting party, Cody is adamant they’ll only take one. We need to make sure it’s the right one. Chase’s mission, figure out a way to make sure they take the right wagon.
Ash going with me to pack wasn’t really necessary, but I think she needed to be there for moral support. This really was a big deal, and it could end very badly for me. What if I got caught before we even left? Or when trying to get out at Bonham. Or worse, what if they didn’t come back for me and I was stuck there? Not to mention, what if I couldn’t find Luke? I know he said he would be there waiting, but something could happen out of his control. Like Michelle Hoya finding him and killing him. No, I can’t think like that.
“This is gonna work, right?”
I feel like Ash should be the one comforting me, but here we are. “Yes. It’s going to work Ash. I trust Cody, and oddly, I already trust Chase, and we need more information. Without it, I’m not sure we can stop the Mutter and the Elders, and if we can’t stop them, I’m hoping maybe this trip will tell me if we might be better off out there.”
I chunk three dresses, a few changes of panties, and some toiletries in a bag Cody loaned me, while Ash nods in agreement.
“That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. It seems like a really big feat, overthrowing the bad guys and all. We’re just a bunch of teenagers. We might be biting off more than we can chew. If things get dicey, and you think we can make it out there, I trust you.” Standing, she makes her way over to where I stand next to my dresser. “Where you go, I go.”
“I love you, Chick.” Wrapping my arms around her we take a moment to breathe.
“Please don’t die Anna. You’re like my sister.” Let the water works begin.
When we’re done, I grab my bag and my best friends hand, and head to her apartment. My father wasn’t home, but I already told my Mother after everything that’s happened, and with my Placement a week away, I need some space. I think she knows deep down I won’t be staying at Anna’s the next few days, that’s somethings up, but she doesn’t question me, and hugged me tighter than normal before letting me go.
An hour later, Chase comes bursting through the door, his shirt singed, and panting for air.
Ash runs to him, helping him to the couch, but I’m the first one to questions this new development. “What the hell did you do?” What? Too harsh?
“I, shit…I made sure it was the right wagon.” Falling back and stretching out his diaphragm, he gasps for air.
“How, by setting it on fire?” I mean, it’s a logical question.
The way he cuts his eyes to me, says I may have hit the nail on the head. “Holy shit, you set it on fire?”
No words, just a nod,
Okay, damage control. “Take your shirt off.”
My bestie knows I would never steal her man, but the daggers she’s throwing my way says otherwise. Patting Ash on the head like a puppy, I reassure her. “Stop. His shirt is singed. That’s gonna be a dead giveaway if anyone sees it, or finds it. One of us could take it to the incinerator shoot, but if we get caught on the way, we’re done. So. Take. It. Off.”
Chase is removing his shirt before I can finish my last word, and I chunk it in my bag. “I’ll dump it in Bonham. No way to link it back to him there. Now, go take a shower before someone sees you.”
Ash and Chase disappear into the bathroom, not sure why that takes two people, but whatever, and I’m pacing. I don’t think I have ever been this nervous in my life, but I’m confident this is gonna work.
When Cody returns a while later, he hands me a long hunting knife in a black sheath, and I place it in the bottom of my bag. I’m ready to go, but unfortunately, Chase’s Fire Starter episode put a little damper on this part of the plan.
Originally, as soon as Cody got back, I was supposed to make my way to the barn where the two wagons are stored, but now, it’s crawling with people. First, trying to put the fire out, and then, trying to figure out what happened.
The hunting party leaves at five a.m., but they’re to report to the barn thirty means prior. I need to be in the bottom of the wagon long before then, and its already after two-thirty. What if there are people in there all night, and there’s no way for me to get in unseen, what then? Our whole plan will be shot to shit, that’s what.
An hour before I need to be in the wagon or we have to abandon the plan, Cody decides with him being on the hunting party, it won’t be suspicious for him to show up down there early. If they question him, he can just say with the wagon catching on fire, he just wanted to make sure they were still leaving at the original time.
While he’s gone I try to squeeze in a quick nap, but it’s just no use. I can sleep when I get to Bonham. Chase is actively snoring on the floor at our feet, and Ash is next to me failing at trying to stay awake with me. When her whole head falls forward for the third time, I twist her around letting her stretch out. No sense in both of us being uncomfortable. I take a seat in the floor, leaning against the wall near the front door and wait.
When the clocks strikes four a.m., I realize this isn’t happening. Everyone is probably still down at the barn cleaning up the mess. It will take ten minutes to get from here to the barn, and that’s if I don’t run into any one on the way. On top of that, it takes time to remove the false bottom, get situated, and then Cody will have to replace it. Even if I left right now, we would be cutting it too close.
Resigning myself to the fact this actually decent plan isn’t going to happen, I stand, grab my bag, and make my way to the door. When I open it, Cody is standing on the other side reaching for the knob.
“What the hell, you scared the shit out of me Cody.” I can hear Ash and Chase rousing behind me, as Cody places a hand on my shoulder
“We have about twenty minutes to pull this off. We gotta go.” Cody motions for me to follow him, but before I can get out of the room, Ash snatches me back by a pigtail.
“Don’t you dare, ever leave without saying goodbye to me.”
Pulling her in for a quick hug, I chuckle. I love this girl.
Leaving my friend behind, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I’ll see her again, right? Right!
It’s a mad dash through the halls of the main building, out the back door, and across to Elder Berry’s barn. By some miracle, or gift from God, we don’t run into a single soul on the way. Fifteen minutes later, I’m tucked safely in the bottom of the wagon, covered with a few blankets, wi
th the false bottom back in place above me, praying this works.
Dear God, let this work.
CHAPTER 15 — THANK GOD FOR BACON
The journey to Bonham, hidden in the false bottom of a wagon surrounded by men led by Elder Jack, is not surprisingly terrifying. It’s also bumpy, smelly, uncomfortable, and despite that its January, hot as hell. It’s like being in a coffin. This shit is for the birds.
Shockingly, my escape goes better than I had hoped. When the wagon stopped, all the men followed Elder Jack into town. No one stay behind to keep an eye on things. Which honestly, seems like a really bad idea, but I’m not complaining. Except that meant I had to remove the false bottom myself. We had hoped the Elder would order one of them to stay behind so Cody could volunteer. No such luck.
Feeling around, I know there’s a lever around here somewhere. Ah, there it is. With a click, the bottom pops lose and I strain to push it away. This is just one of the many times its glaringly obvious I need to work out more.
Finally, the bottom slides up and to the left, and I climb out grabbing my bag. With a quick look around to make sure no one is near, I hop down from the wagon and rush to the first building. Its broad daylight now, so there’s no night to cover me, but I only need to stay hidden until the hunting party leaves, and from what I understand they won’t be here long. After that, no one here but Luke will know me. Hopefully, I can keep myself out of trouble until I find him.