Escape from Harrizel

by C. G. Coppola

  Walking to the center and without speaking to anyone directly, Reid asks, “What do we know? We know people are being taken. You can see this with Raj. Hinson. What else do we know?” his eyes dart around. “They’re drugging us. Erasing parts of our memory. If they weren’t, you’d know who I meant when I mentioned Hinson a moment ago. You’ve known her until very recently, when you were instructed to take a pill to protect you from berry juice poison.”

  “Load of bullshit…” Clark mumbles to himself.

  Tucker’s eyes flicker to mine at the mention of her name. He looks back to Reid in confusion. “Erasing?”

  “These lists they’ve started… it’s a new way of Snatching.”

  “How do you know?”

  “What’re they doing in the labs?” Reid crosses his arms, “treating for the berry poison, right? There’s no such thing. Those people aren’t coming back.”

  “They’re Snatchings in the day time. For all of us to see. And they go willingly,” I tap my temple, “smart.”

  “So wait…” Tucker shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, “they’re increasing the Snatchings… but then erasing them?”

  “Pretty much,” Clark sighs, arms folded as he leans against the wooden wall across from me. “Welcome to Harrizel.”

  “Yeah but they haven’t asked us to take a pill in days,” Able tries.

  “They will.”

  “How do you know?” Jace asks.

  “People will start wondering where their friends went.”

  “Yeah, but they’ll never ask it aloud,” Able tries to reason, looking between the two other Rogues, “they’ll assume they were snatched at some point.”

  I shake my head. “They’ll catch on. Strange how every person from the list suddenly went missing. No, the Dofinikes are smarter than that. They need to keep us coming to them willingly.”

  “And the list sizes are growing,” Pratt chimes in.

  “Exactly,” I look around the hovel, “they need more of us and quicker. Regular Snatchings alone aren’t doing it anymore.”

  “But for what?” Able turns to Tucker, then Reid, “We still don’t even know why they’re taking people.”

  “The why,” Sampson interjects, “although very important, should be second to the how and when. Regular Snatchings and now the lists,” he turns to Reid, “By the Rogue’s calculations, have the Snatchings increased as well?”

  “They’re about to. Up until now, it’s been standard, but the King’s are recruiting. All the fights lately—it’s part of their process. Let a bunch of Arrivals beat the shit out of each other.” Reid turns to Tucker. “Have you heard anything more?”

  “The same.”

  “Any possible leads?”

  Tucker shakes his head.

  “How do you know when the Snatchings are going to occur?” I ask.

  “We don’t,” Tucker huffs, “we try to anticipate it, prevent it… but we never know for sure. Our Scouts and Clients only secure so much info. Without the Kisses’ assistance, it’s more difficult.”

  “Have you ever been able to stop one?”

  “A few times, yeah,” Tucker nods, “when our Clients have been able to pull the Kings’ Clients over. They give us their assignments and we give them protection, food. They’re afraid though, obviously, so it doesn’t happen too often.”

  “Make sure the Rogues and Scouts don’t take any more of the pills,” Reid tells Tucker.

  “They won’t. But they’ll have a hard time believing.”

  “Why?”

  “Never heard anything like it before.”

  “What about the food?” Pratt asks. “They know about that.”

  “What do you mean?” I turn to her. “What food?”

  “If you call it that…” Jace mumbles beneath his breath.

  “What the Dofinikes give us,” Pratt explains, “that nasty stuff. It’s like oatmeal porridge with pieces of bark in it.”

  “Notice how you can’t really remember your past anymore?” Able asks, “Anything before this—your family, the war, after the war—you can’t remember it, right?”

  That’s what I was telling Reid earlier. I used to think about it all the time, about the life before this. About the famine, the long winters and desperation. But recently, it’s been blurry. Nonexistent. The images seem unclear now, like a fading memory of something too distant to feel real.

  “I don’t…”

  “It’s because they’re planting those memories,” Able sighs, “you’ve stopped eating their crap so you have a hard time remembering anything about the war.”

  “Or anything in general…” Clark grumbles again.

  “Think about it,” Able says, “try and focus on one memory. One single memory. You won’t be able to.”

  I try, hoping to find a family member, a friend, someone I possibly loved. But nothing. I’m unable conjure a single face. And that sad fact, among all the rest, depresses me the most.

  “I can’t.”

  “That’s because you haven’t consumed the drug in a while. For you, for all of us,” Able glances at the others, “it’s non-existent.”

  “But there are people who still—”

  “Everyone who ingests it still believes in the war.”

  “We’re not saying it didn’t happen,” Tucker shrugs, “just that the memories of it are planted.”

  “But why plant memories?” I ask, the obvious answer hitting me. Of course! They’re covering up something with them. And if it’s not the war, then what is it? “So if the Rogues know about the food,” I look between Reid and Tucker, “why wouldn’t they believe the pills? If the Dofinikes are drugging us, why is this so unbelievable?”

  “It’s never been done before. They trust you, Rox,” Tucker says, turning to him now, “and they’ll follow you anywhere, but they might need something to really make them believe it.”

  “Anyone know Delan?” Reid asks.

  Everyone nods but Griffin’s the only one to speak up. “I do...” he reddens, “I used to see her for a while.”

  “She was one of the ones called on the lists. Once they ask us to take the pill again, she’ll disappear.”

  “And?” Clark asks.

  “Fallon has something of hers.”

  “What,” Clark casts a scowl my way, “did you steal it?”

  “No,” I glare. “It’s proof. When everyone else won’t remember, it’ll be the proof they need that she exists.”

  Reid, who’s gnawing at his thumb, turns to Tucker with a shrug. “What do you think?”

  The Rogue Leader exhales, “How do we do this?”

  “Fallon?” Reid looks to me. “You had something in mind when you asked for her hairclip?”

  “Okay…” I adjust to the sudden attention I wasn’t prepared for, “this is what we do—the next time they ask us to take the pill, take turns having each Rogue return her hairpiece through your Scouts. They won’t know who she is and they’ll trip over each other trying to find someone they won’t know anymore.”

  “So we don’t tell the Scouts?” Able turns to Tucker then Reid.

  “Not at first,” I explain, “first wave, all the Rogues need to be on board. Once they believe it, then go ahead and pass it along to the Scouts.”

  Reid nods at this, turning to Tucker, Able and Jace, “Sound good?”

  All three nod.

  “Maybe you should tell them,” Tucker turns to Reid, “they’ve been waiting to hear from you about all this anyway. Plus, they have other concerns.”

  “Like?”

  “Dodging Jeb and the others. They’ve been getting on their backs about where we’re getting the food.”

  “Thought they didn’t care?” Reid frowns.

  “Well now they do and they’re being persistent.”

  “Tell the boys to be… unavailable,” he risks a fleeting glance to me. “They’ll leave you alone if you’re busy with the Rebirth.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Jac
e grins.

  “You would,” Able stifles a laugh.

  “I can’t help that girls throw themselves at me,” his grin widens, “maybe an example is in order and since I’m Rogue Commander—”

  “Guys,” Tucker glances between them. “We done?”

  “Sorry Rogue Leader,” Jace and Able say quietly together.

  “Do what you need to, but plot and plan on your own time,” Tucker looks between them, “just make sure the Rogues do this.”

  “Yes Rogue Leader,” both reply.

  Tucker shifts back to Reid, the last of an eye roll disappearing. “Not a problem.”

  Reid shifts his weight, gnawing his thumbnail again, “You’re right. We need to address this. All of this,” he thinks for a moment, pacing in the small bit of space available, “Set up a meeting the next night they ask us to take the pills. We’ll have it here,” he glances to Sampson and then to Clark who sighs annoyingly. “Do as Fallon says—have each Rogue send their Scouts after Delan. Let her know we have something of hers.”

  “Is it safe to have them all come here?” Vix asks Sampson.

  “I don’t see why not,” he meets Reid’s eye, “if you think it’s fine.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” he turns to Tucker, “but I want no questions asked about this,” he gestures to the hollowed trunk.

  “They’ll be curious.”

  “Of course,” he smirks at the obvious statement, his tone going rigid with authority. “No questions.”

  Tucker nods, glancing at Able and Jace for confirmation of the order as well.

  “So…” he rubs his hands together, “let’s work on the pills and Delan’s existence. We’ll go from there. Good?”

  The three Rogues nod.

  Reid scans the rest of the room, the others agreeing to the plan. He looks to me last, his intense focus setting me ablaze. It only lasts a second and he’s moved on again, gesturing for the door. We all file out of the burrow in one orderly silent line and once reaching the Castle, Reid heads up to my room with me.

  “This another escort?” I lean against my door, crossing my arms.

  “Maybe,” he shrugs, his mouth set in one indelible grin. “Did I answer some of your questions?”

  “Some.”

  “Well…” a lump rolls down his throat, “maybe I can help you out with some more.”

  “Meaning?”

  He gestures to the door, “You going to invite me in?”

  I punch the six symbol blocks and we enter, Reid shutting the door behind him. Suddenly, we’re trapped in this tiny space again, and I’m both nervous and excited. I stroll forward, trying to keep indifferent about our proximity, especially since the last time we were here…

  “I was going to give you a chance to ask me whatever you want,” Reid cuts off my thought, “about anything.”

  “Really?” I arch a brow.

  “Really,” he grins, crossing his arms. “Anything you want. Anything,” he amends, “I can answer.”

  “Okay then…” I quickly search through all the questions I’ve had, especially since learning his identity. “History. Tell me about the Rogues. How did this start?”

  “That…” he slinks to the bed, “is a loaded question,” he glances up to me with a sigh and a wink. “I’ll try to give you the short version but even that’ll put you to sleep. Basically…” he props his elbows on his knees as his mind drifts back over some distant memory that plays across his features. “The Kings were established by the time I got here. I befriended a guy named Grisham… or maybe he befriended me,” he thinks to himself, considering the possibility now. “I didn’t know who he was at first, the power he held. But I liked him...” his eyes narrow, contemplating some great argument within. “He seemed like a good guy… an honest guy. Anyway, after a while, he finally told me what they did. Who they were. Said he’d like to bring me in. Said he thought I had potential. And for a while, I liked being a King. Until…” he shifts, his sights deeply focused on the floor. “I found out our other purposes.”

  “What were you doing as a King before? What do Clansmen do?”

  “It ranges…. protection, enforcement, whatever’s needed. Lots of stuff.”

  “So you found out about the Snatchings?”

  He nods. “I was doing a good job. They thought it was time for me to take the ‘next step.’ I…” he loses his words, playing out the scene as his face goes white. “…I was outnumbered. If I refused, I would’ve been killed. I had to,” the guilt in his voice is palpable, his dark eyes lowering to the ground, shamed.

  If what I’ve been feeling for Raj sits like a heavy burden in my stomach, I can’t image how Reid must be taking it. Not only unable to prevent it, but to be part of a Snatching? To be that much more responsible?

  “So what happened?” I sit down beside him.

  “So I left,” he exhales, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees again. He runs his fingers through his hair and pauses, focusing on the golden shadow of the babeebs. “If it wasn’t for half the Clansmen coming with me, I’d probably be dead. Grisham would’ve seen to it. But I understood the system well enough, and we started a new one. A new Clan. And we made it our goal to stop the Snatchings. Food practically dropped in our laps…” he hesitates, “… and we went from there. Just built up to what you see now.”

  “And you ran it?”

  He shrugs, dismissing his role easily. “Someone had to.”

  “They listen to you.”

  “Because I was the first one to leave. They were all terrified of losing their source of food.”

  “And you weren’t?”

  Reid lowers his head, his voice softening. “Her name was Sadie… she was the same age as Pratt.”

  Bile rises in my throat at the thought. What must that have been like for him? To carry around that kind of weight every day? I want to reach over and comfort him but freeze. Is there any comfort for something like that?

  “So… the Rogues…” I hope to pull him out of the deep, guilt-ridden waters he’s fallen into. “Can I ask about them?”

  He looks up with a nod. “Shoot.”

  “What’s the deal with Clark?”

  “He is not a Rogue,” Reid makes sure I understand this. “He met Sampson before I did… we’re kind of stuck with him,” he exhales, indicating he’s as unhappy with the situation as I am.

  Good to know.

  “Okay. So Tucker’s Rogue Leader and Able and Jace…” it’s not really a question, but I’m hoping he won’t notice. Maybe he’ll just start talking and forget I’m here, unloading everything I want answered in one long monologue.

  “…are RCs,” his eyes flicker to me, “Rogue Commanders. Five in total, each in charge of a different unit. They all came over with me. Even the Scouts, but it was definitely worse for them. They needed constant protection and we had half the number the Kings did—still do,” he thinks about it, “we recruited heavily in the beginning. So did the Kings. There were frequent ambushes on each other and for a while…” he rubs the back of his neck, “it got really bad. It was an all out war until Tetlak intervened.”

  “What happened?”

  “He said we would remain two separate Clans. He’d see to it.”

  “Why would he allow that?”

  “Said he liked to see us divided. With the humans at war, less possibility for an uprising.”

  “Charming.”

  “Tell me about it. Plus, he wanted to see how we would pay for all our information. To this day, he still doesn’t know.”

  “And that’s why you go out gathering every night?”

  “That?” he arches a brow, “We’d have to gather all night to feed the others. No, the stuff we bring back is for ourselves.”

  “Then who stocks the Rogues?”

  “Jothkore.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “One of our inside sources… it’s probably best to keep his anonymity. At this point, at least.”

  “More than one, h
uh?” I catch his eye, his look heating me to the core. My sights sink to the floor as I search the thousands of questions still burning within. “Rox…”

  “Yes?”

  I glance up. “Why do you get a fancy title?”

  “Sign of respect.”

  “As their leader?”

  “Sure.”

  “Even outside the Rogues?”

  “Whenever, I guess.”

  “How come I don’t have to call you Rox?”

  “You’re not a Rogue, are you?” he narrows his eyes, igniting the spark again. Slowly, he leans in, brushing his lips against mine, my entire body engulfed in this single flame caused by him. He withdraws, leaving me breathless, hungry. “I prefer you calling me Reid.”

  “Okay…”

  “Anymore questions?” he asks against my lips. But before I’m able to respond, he has me back on my bed, his hands moving down my body. He moves to kiss my neck and there’s a knock at the door.

  “Motherfucker,” he pulls back.

  I sit up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. My heart is still slowing—my body still registering that his isn’t on it anymore. With his sudden departure, I’m left cold, bare and somehow, strangely alert to all the useless space separating us. I gulp, willing the thundering throb in my chest to slow, my organs to firm up and for everything to carry on as usual, and not the roller coaster it’s still riding.

  Reid makes his way to the crimson arch. He opens it and Able peeks through.

  “Sorry, Boss. Rogue Leader needs you real quick. But,” he glances to me, his face paling, “if you’re busy, I can tell him…”

  “It’s fine,” Reid looks to me with a heart-racing smile, “duty calls. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He winks and the two disappear, leaving me alone with his palpable absence.

  Chapter Fourteen: Rogues

  Lecture.

  This is the part I detest most. Watching Beshib on that trunk, reminding us of our greed and cowardice. I bite my lip to keep from screaming, but that won’t do anything, except keep from getting me snatched. Forced to hear his words, I dedicatedly tune them out, scanning the Auditorium instead.