Safe Zone (Book 2): The Descent

by Suzanne Sussex

  So, when friendship groups formed in his formative years, he was excluded. But he didn’t care. His brother was his best friend, and he loved the horses as though they were family.

  Luca felt a twinge of guilt. He had seen Danny around but, being so much younger, he had never paid him any attention.

  The first time he had ever spoken to him was at the training session a few days ago.

  Danny continued, explaining how Ben was accused of leaving the stable doors open and letting the horses escape. His eyes welled up as he described how he and his mother had been forced to stand and watch as Ben was lashed in public. Then the tears began to fall as he talked of holding his brother's hand as an infection from the wounds took his life. He wept openly as he talked about how the loss of her youngest son had broken his mother, who now only spoke to the horses and never to Danny.

  Luca stared down at his hands, focusing on plucking an invisible speck of dirt from under his fingernail. The guilt intensified; if only he had reached out, he could have helped Danny, offered some sort of comfort. Luca could have shared his own experience with his dad, made Danny realise that he was not alone. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see it was Robert, his own eyes watering, as though he understood the similarities of their stories. He put his hand on top of his father’s and squeezed his fingers. An unspoken message. “That was the past; we can move forward now.”

  Luca turned to Sammie to see that her expression had softened. She had pushed the mug to one side and slumped her shoulders in defeat, as though realising for the first time that the world was cruel and evil.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said softly, "He didn't deserve to die for a silly mistake."

  Danny's face hardened, his face flushing even more scarlet. He used his sleeve to roughly wipe the tears from his face.

  “He didn’t do it. Leave the stable door open, I mean. He wouldn’t. He knew better than that. Someone else did it, but he was blamed anyway. Mum tried to take the responsibility, but they didn’t listen to her. He was only twelve, and they... they killed him.” The tears started to flow once more.

  The others watched on in silence, not daring to interrupt the outpouring of grief; suspecting that this was the first time he had talked about his brother’s death. Luca knew there was more to the story, why it was relevant to the fact he was sitting here today telling them, but he sat patiently and waited until the younger boy was ready to continue.

  Eventually, Danny composed himself and carried on talking.

  He explained how he had not believed Luca when he had tried to convince him that Sammie was from the zone. The arrival of the two new horses meant he knew that the zone had visitors. When he had watched Annie’s execution earlier, he had realised who the missing girl was. “But,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “it was none of my business. I wasn’t going to get involved, and I certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone she might be with you.”

  “So how did you end up here?” Sammie asked gently.

  “Guards came to the house. They said they were searching every building. One of them pushed my mum aside, she fell on the floor, and he laughed at her. I dunno…” he shrugged again, “It made me so angry. I’ve been helpless for so long, but I thought maybe I could finally do something. I knew I couldn’t fight the guards. But I did know I could warn you.”

  Sammie stood and pushed the chair back. She moved gracefully over to the other side of the table where Danny sat. Leaning over she pulled the younger boy into her arms and held him tightly. At first, he was stiff, as though unused to affection, but then he relented and fell into her. His tears flowed freely drenching her shoulder, but she held him as he cried.

  Luca watched in silence, holding back his own tears that threatened at the emotional scene before him, taking comfort in the sensation of his Dad’s hand that still rested on his shoulder, and giving silent thanks that Robert had turned himself around and was sitting here with him; not staring absently out of the lounge window.

  Danny pulled away from the embrace and looked up at Sammie, his face a picture of resolve, “You understand why I want to help?” he asked

  “I do,” Sammie said, her hands on his shoulders, as she looked into his eyes, “and thank you for helping me.”

  “No, I mean, I want to help you, with whatever you plan to do next.”

  Sammie considered him in silence while conflicting emotions played out on her face. Sensing that she was struggling to articulate her thoughts, Luca spoke, “No. Sorry, Danny, you’re just too young. We can’t put you in danger.”

  Sammie nodded in agreement, “We appreciate your offer, but Luca is right.”

  Danny jumped to his feet with such force that he sent Sammie reeling backwards. “My brother was twelve. TWELVE. He wasn’t too young to be punished for a crime he didn’t commit. I am fifteen. I’m not too young to get revenge on the person responsible for his death.”

  His face was now so red that he looked like he might explode.

  “We won’t be getting revenge just yet, though,” Sammie explained, “So if you’re with us, you might have to be patient, it could be months or even years before we can take Brian down.”

  “I don’t care,” Danny declared, “The way I see it, Brian wants you because your friend tried to kill him and helping you will…”

  “Annie did not try to kill Brian,” Sammie said firmly. “He lied.”

  “Right…” Danny nodded and paused to think, “So... he is desperate enough to find you that he orders a door-to-door search. If it's not because you are trying to kill him, then it is another reason,” he hesitated for only a second, then nodded in understanding, “You have something he wants.”

  Sammie, Luca and Robert stared at Danny with wide eyes and open mouths, impressed at how quickly the young man’s mind worked. Danny ignored their expressions and carried on, “So, if Brian wants something you have, the best way to get revenge on him is to make sure he doesn’t get it.”

  Sammie smiled and looked to Luca, a question in her eyes. He sighed, and they both looked at Robert. His father gave an imperceptible nod.

  “Okay,” Sammie said, “you can help us, Red.”

  Danny punched the air, “Thank you, I won’t let you down,” then he frowned, “Red?”

  Sammie blushed, “Sorry … it’s just …”

  “I have a red face?”

  She shifted uncomfortably, “Yeah.”

  Danny grinned widely at her. The look transformed him from an angry and lost little boy, into what he should be, a teenager with friends, “I love it, I’ve never had a nickname before.”

  Sammie smiled, “Okay, Red it is.”

  Luca stood and joined Sammie next to Danny. He reached out a hand, “Welcome to the team, Red.”

  Danny laughed and shook Luca’s hand, “So… er… what are we planning to do?”

  Chapter Twenty

  The dark and dingy building seems to emit a vile scent that drifts towards me as soon as the doors open. As I follow Luca through the dark maze of corridors, the odour intensifies and I recognise the sharp stink of ammonia and the acrid stench of faeces. If Luca weren't here, I could have found them just by following my nose.

  We’ve made it into the prison without being spotted. We didn't see anyone as we crept through the streets of life, the zoners all safely asleep in their beds, blissful in the ignorance of the rotten core running through their home. But we were cautious and took a longer route, skirting around the residential areas and sticking to the shadows, lest we be spotted in the moonlight.

  Reaching a sturdy wooden door, Luca turns to me and whispers, “We’re here,” and fumbling in his battered brown leather satchel, he pulls something out and hands it to me.

  I look at the small cylindrical object, "What is it?” I ask, taking care to keep my voice low. Luca assured me the building would be empty and with the smell, I can believe it, because I can't imagine anyone would want to stay in here through choice.

  But I don't wa
nt to take any unnecessary risks.

  “Wind-up torch,” he whispers, “point it at the door.”

  I feel around for the button and turn it on, and the torch lets out a weak beam of light. He finds the bolt and slides it free, pushes the door open, then hesitates and turns around, “You go in first.”

  I step inside and fight back my urge to gag. The smell is even worse in here. I shine the torch around the small cell, and it comes to rest on two people cowering in the corner.

  “What do you want now?” an angry male voice calls out.

  “Shit, sorry,” I shine the torch to illuminate my face, “It’s me, Sammie.”

  “Sammie?” Sidney gasps, I hear him moan in pain as he pushes himself to his feet. “Thank God,” he falls into my arms.

  I hold off the revulsion as the smell of stale sweat assaults my nose. I can feel the frailty of his body as I embrace him. He is so skinny and feeble, not the strong man that left our zone a few months ago.

  He releases me and returns to Johanna to help her to her feet. I shine the torch at her, and I let out a little gasp of shock as I see the state of the woman who stands before me.

  The bruises that cover her face and arms are horrendous, but it is the haunted look in her eyes that burns my retinas.

  I run to her and hold her close, “I’m so sorry, Luca told me what he did to you.”

  “Luca?” Sidney asks, his eyes narrowing and his voice taking on a note of hardness, “Has he been helping you?”

  “I’m here,” Luca says from the doorway, his voice muffled as he stands with his back towards the room. I assume he is keeping guard, but I don’t recognise his voice, because it is so flat and emotionless, as though he is holding his feelings in check. But now isn’t the time to worry about that. I just want to get the two of them away to safety.

  “I don’t understand... how did you find us?” Johanna asks, “Why did it take so long to send help? And..." she hesitates, "It’s not that I’m not grateful, but why did they send you, Sammie? You’re just an apprentice.”

  “We didn’t come for you, we didn’t know you were here,” shame fills me at the rumours that had been spread about the two of them, “We thought you had run off together.” I leave the words hanging in the air.

  Sidney lets out a small chuckle, “See?” he said to Johanna, “I told you they would think we were having an affair.”

  Johanna huffs, she clearly does not share Sidney’s amusement. I don’t blame her, we were naive and cruel, making an assumption on the basis of speculation and rumour. If we had questioned their disappearance, we might have found them much sooner.

  “Who did you come here with?” she asks.

  “Annie,” I reply. Knowing what the next question will be, yet dreading it all the same.

  “Where is she?” Johanna asks, moving past me to the door. She ignores Luca and looks out into the dark corridor.

  I don’t know what to say. They trust Annie, they have worked with her for years. If I tell them now, it might break them, and right now I need them to be strong, “She’s waiting for us outside the zone,” I lie.

  Luca turns sharply and looks at me. The dim illumination from the torch is bright enough to show me his expression. I look back at him pleadingly, but he can’t see me. I will him not to say anything, but to understand my reasons for the lie. Eventually, he coughs, “We should get out of here.”

  He leads the way back down the rabbit warren of corridors. Months of being locked up have battered Johanna’s and Sidney’s bodies. Their once strong forms are withered, and their movements are slow and awkward. In the darkness, they remind me of the zebs I killed at the factory. Easy targets. I chase the thought away. They are alive, and I will cling to that.

  Nearing the building exit, I switch off the torch and put it in my bag, “We’re going to stick to the building lines, so we can get out without being seen,” I whisper to them. They don’t reply, but I take their silence as understanding.

  “Ready?” Luca asks and receives a chorus of hushed yeses in response. He pushes open the heavy outer door, and my heart plummets as I step out into the cool night air to be greeted by around thirty guards aiming arrows at us. In their centre stands Brian. Grinning broadly.

  We freeze, and for a second I consider retreating into the building, but to what end? We would be trapped in there.

  “Hello Joan, Stan, how nice to see you out and about,” he nods politely, as though they were friends having conversations in the street, “Greetings, Sammie and er…?” he looks expectantly at Luca.

  “Luca,” Luca growls.

  “Now, now, Luca, no need for that tone. It is you, I believe, who is the traitor. You should be more polite to me.”

  Luca glares at him, his mouth a thin line of contempt, but I can see his hands are trembling. I feel terrible, because I’ve put him in this position.

  Brian turns his attention back to me, “Now Sammie, I believe you have something that should be mine.”

  I look at him, mustering all the hatred I have for the man and projecting it at him with the expression I hold on my face. I maintain eye contact as I decide what to do.

  “You can’t have it,” I tell him.

  Brian laughs, “I don’t really see that you have a choice,” he gestures at the guards surrounding him. I know he is right, we are lost.

  I kneel and open my bag. In the dim light, I fumble around for the sock and pull it free. Carefully I remove the vial contained within. Returning to my full height, I hold it up. “Okay, I'll give it to you,” I say, noticing the greed on his face, “If you let us go.”

  Once more Brian laughs, the sound so evil that it sends a trickle of fear up my spine, “My dear girl, I don’t think you are in a position to be able to negotiate.”

  I hold my nerve and take my turn to laugh, “On the contrary,” I tell him, taking a moment to relish his annoyance. He turns to glare at the guards who are whispering among themselves in confusion, “You see, this vial is made of glass. If you don’t let us go, I will drop it, and it will smash.”

  I can see in his face that he knows I have him, but I can also see him weighing up the situation. He’s a quick thinker, and that makes him even more dangerous. He knows we have more vials, so it matters little to me if I drop this one. I don’t expect for a single second that he will let us go, I just need to buy us time.

  “Okay,” he nods, “It’s a deal, now hand it over.”

  I laugh again, “Do you think I’m stupid?” I ask him. I signal for Luca to start leading Johanna and Sidney away. He hesitates.

  “I can’t leave you,” he says.

  “Go,” I whisper. I want to kiss him, to say goodbye in case my gamble does not pay off, but I refuse to let Brian see that I have any affection for Luca, in case he uses Luca in the same way as I am beginning to suspect he used Annie.

  “Let them go,” I command. I can see Brian’s irritation as the three walk past him and the crowd of guards.

  I need to give them time to get away, “Here’s how it is going to work. You lot,” I nod at the guards, “will sit down. You will throw your weapons behind you out of reach. Then we will all wait here in patience while my friends leave this godforsaken shit hole. When I am ready, I will leave. I will place the vial on the corner over there.” I gesture at one of the streets leading out into the zone, “If any of you makes a move to hurt me or to follow me, I will destroy it. Got it?”

  The guards steal glances at Brian, muttering amongst themselves. He hasn’t told them what is in the vial. That much is clear from their frustration. I can see they just want to shoot me. The evil bitch from Zone E who tried to kill their beloved leader. But Brian says something to them, and they all discard their weapons and sit down on the street. For the moment, I have the upper hand.

  Ten minutes pass in silence. My arm is beginning to ache from holding the vial out in front of me, ready to drop it if I get attacked. But it’s not enough time to let the others get safely away, not with the speed
that Johanna and Sidney are moving.

  “She begged for her life, you know,” Brian eventually says.

  I ignore him, refusing to be pulled into his mind games, “Annie. She begged and pleaded, for me not to kill her. It was pathetic really.”

  I make a fist with my free hand. Digging my nails into my palm so hard that it hurts. I don’t believe him. I know Annie. She was strong, she would never have given him the satisfaction of begging. I want to defend her, to shout at him and call him a liar, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

  “Did Joan tell you how she threw herself at me, begged me for sex?” he continues. The guard closest to Brian looks up sharply and stares at him. Something flickers on his face. I watch him carefully. One eye is swollen shut with a vivid purple bruise running up the entire right-hand side of his face. Did Brian do that to him? Does he know Brian is lying about raping Johanna? The guard watches Brian for a few seconds and then bows his head again. I see him clench and unclench his fists and his back heaves as he takes in big mouthfuls of air. It seems that he is trying to calm himself down. It looks as if that guard hates Brian. I know that it is unlikely that all the zoners are loyal to him, but I’d assumed that all the guards would be. I think of how I can use this to my advantage, but unless the guy attacks Brian for me, I don’t see how I can.

  I make a mental note of his face, in case I can use him later.

  “Literally stripped off in front of me, begging me to take her. Of course, I obliged, I am only male after all. She loved it. Called my name out in the throes of passion.”

  He is getting harder to ignore now. I know he is lying, I am convinced of it. Inside my head, I am screaming “Liar” at him. I want to tell him to call her by her proper name, to show some respect, but I don’t. I don’t because I don’t want to take the relative anonymity away from Johanna. There is power in a name and so help me, he will not hear hers spoken from my lips. Instead, I stare past him. Trying to block out his words.