Rebel Princess - Book 2 (The Hope Saga)

by Chrissy Peebles

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I just… You can’t be in here by yourself anymore.”

  “Why, Aunt Sarah? What’s going on? I always work by myself, and—”

  “No, you don’t understand. It’s Macy Jones. Sh-she was… He strangled her!”

  I gasped and held my hand over my mouth. “Macy? Are you sure?”

  She nodded and answered, with trembling lips, “C’mon. You’re leaving right now, plants or no plants.”

  “I only have a couple things to do here, and then I’ll come straight back to the apartment,” I insisted, hoping I’d have a chance to say goodbye to Brett.

  Aunt Sarah was going to have none of that though. “Not a chance,” she demanded. “Now let’s go!” She tugged me by the arm, giving me no choice in the matter. As she pulled the door open, she shot me a worried look. “Something needs to be done. They need to find this killer.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I said. “It’s just…crazy.”

  “Tell me about it. We’re stuck down here, and there’s a serial killer on the loose. There’s nowhere to run.”

  “Why doesn’t Dante let us out of here? I’d sure feel a lot safer on the surface.”

  “He made the rules, and the fool refuses to break them.”

  “A fool? I’ve never heard you call him that before.”

  She shrugged as we walked briskly down the corridor. “Maybe you’re getting to me.”

  “I knew you’d see the light sooner or later,” I said.

  A moment later, we spotted Mr. Tams, our governor, and called him over.

  He touched my back gently, as if to offer support. “I’m so sorry about all this,” he said.

  “It’s not safe down here,” I insisted.

  “We’re investigating it as we speak. I’ve got all my best men on it, and I’ve reported everything to the proper authorities.”

  “Investigating and reporting obviously isn’t doing any good, Ted. Three girls are dead!” my aunt snapped.

  “We’re searching everyone’s quarters. I will get to the bottom of this. I assure you of that.”

  “Who’d wanna do this anyway?” I asked. “I mean, what’s the motive? Humans are rare these days, yet somebody’s trying to wipe out the young ones. It doesn’t make any sense. We have to figure out who he is and lock his ass up.”

  My aunt’s gaze drifted over to a gathering of sobbing adults nearby.

  “I have to go,” Mr. Tams said. “If you ladies will excuse me…” And with that, he scurried off, without so much as another word of explanation or assurance.

  Rachel saw us and hurried over. “Did you really think that was going to do you any good? Talking to him?”

  I blew out a breath. “No, not really.”

  Sarah looked at my friend and asked, “Rachel, would you like to come over and visit for a while? I don’t want you out here by yourself.”

  “Sure. I’d love to,” she said, and the three of us walked toward our apartment.

  Chapter 11

  My aunt took us back to the apartment, where she felt we’d be safe.

  Rachel and I went to my room, because my cousins were playing, being louder than a bunch of freight trains. We sat on my bed, feeling somber and sad, grieving yet another loss.

  Rachel hugged me, and I cried in her arms.

  “We’ve gotta catch him,” I said, “before he hurts someone else.”

  “We don’t have much to go on. I’m not sure anyone will catch him, unless he slips up.”

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Let’s just pack up and leave. Staying down here is a death sentence. What if he comes for you next, or me? We fit the profile perfectly.”

  “You can’t be serious! What are we supposed to do? Hit some worker over the head and steal his boat? I’m starting to think you’re the one going stir crazy down here.”

  “Hmm. I like it. We can pack a lot of stuff in a boat, maybe make a few trips up the chute.”

  “Will you listen to yourself? I can’t leave my family, and you can’t leave yours. And what about Brett?”

  “He’ll come with me.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “We both know he won’t. His dad will never let him leave. You know how close they are.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “We’ll see about that.”

  “Look, Brett might want to choose you over his father, but if he does, he might resent you later, when he realizes he shattered his relationship with his family, burned all those bridges for you. Is that what you want? Do you want him to be with you, even with regrets that will eat away at him?”

  “So what are we supposed to do? Sit down here like sardines in a can, waiting to be picked off?” I asked.

  “Sky, no strangler would have a chance against you. You’ll kick his ass.”

  “Well, whoever he is, I’d sure give him one helluva fight.” I paused. “But it’s more than that. I just want—no, I need to get out of here. I’m fed up with this place.”

  “Well, that’s no secret, but try to think about this rationally.”

  I blew out a long breath and shook my head, feeling defeated.

  “You’ve gotta stay till you’re eighteen,” she said. “That’s the only smart thing to do. Just give the place a chance. They’re building Vita as we speak.”

  “Sometimes, I don’t even care about that. Of course I want mankind to flourish, to rebuild. I mean, it’s all we ever hear, and I’m up for the challenge. But with Dante running things, I…well, I’m just not so sure anymore.”

  “Look, if you still feel that way when we get up to the surface, I promise I’ll run away with you. We’ll pack up and explore the whole country if you want. I’ve always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore.”

  “Who knows if it’s even still there? Besides, I don’t think I can wait that long.”

  There was a gentle tap on the door, and then my aunt peeked her head in. “I’m taking the kids out for a while, to check on some of the others. You two stay here, and keep the door locked. Don’t leave for any reason, okay?”

  I nodded. “Lockdown has been initiated.”

  “I’m serious, Sky,” she said.

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Be good,” she said with a nervous smile, then turned to leave and then left.

  ***

  Just a few minutes after we heard my aunt close the front door, an idea struck me. “Let’s go see Brett,” I said.

  “Seriously? With a serial killer on the loose?”

  “I hate to say it like this, but I think he’s done for the day. If he follows his normal m.o., he won’t be on the prowl again for weeks.”

  “Wow. You’ve been watching too many of those crime shows. You sound like a profiler, psychoanalyzing him.

  “It’s just a guess,” I said, shrugging.

  “Or maybe you’re a fantastic detective with incredible instincts. I bet you would have made a great cop in the old world, maybe one of those CSI people I read about.”

  I laughed. “It’s not like I’ve caught the guy, Rach. It’s just an educated guess.”

  “Sherlock Holmes never caught Jack the Ripper, but he was the best detective in history. Criminals can be super smart. That’s why they’re so dangerous. They are devious and clever enough to cover their tracks well.” She sighed. “Anyway, why do you need to see Brett right now? Didn’t you just see him at the greenhouse?”

  I shrugged again.

  “Wait. I know what this is all about. You wanna tell him about your plan, to invite him on your great escape.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Rachel, nobody gets me like you do.”

  “You need me to get him, right? I mean, since you’re not allowed at his apartment.”

  “Please?” I asked. “I know it’s asking a lot.”

  “Are you sure that’s where he is?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know where else he would have gone.” I motioned toward the door.
“C’mon.”

  She followed me, and we headed toward Brett’s quarters. When we got there, I waited at the end of the hall. After a few minutes, I glanced down at his doorway and saw that Brett’s dad was inviting Rachel inside.

  When the two of them came out, they met me down the hall, and we hurried to a private lounge to talk, constantly looking around to make sure no one saw us together. Rachel stood guard while Brett and I talked.

  “You’re shaking,” he said.

  “Macy’s dead.”

  He pulled me close, hugging me tightly. “I heard. My dad told me. His entire security team is on top of it. I’m so sorry.”

  “She was strangled,” I said. “Just like the others.”

  “What kind of monster’s living down here with us? It’s insane.”

  “I think this whole setup stinks,” I said, something I’d said a hundred times before. “Dante and his minions get to go to the surface whenever they please, and we’re stuck down here with a homicidal maniac. How can anyone accept that? I hate being controlled like this. I don’t like it one bit.”

  “You really want to leave, don’t you? I can see it in your face, baby.”

  “They won’t let us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t just force our way out.”

  “How can you give up on our city, our people? We’re the last remaining survivors, and we need to stick together.”

  “No, not like this. This isn’t a democracy anymore. The so-called authorities are just jailers. Brett, surely you can see that. I want to break free, to get out of here…tonight.”

  He pondered my words for a minute, wrinkling up his brow. “Tonight?”

  “Yeah, you, me, and anyone else who wants to go. We can sail into the sunset and never look back.”

  “What about your dad, your brother, and your sister who are waiting for you on the surface? What about your aunt and your cousins?”

  “We’ll find my relatives on the surface and take them with us.”

  “If you break out of here, you can’t ever go near that city. Do you have any idea what they’ll do to you if you’re caught? You’ll never see the light of day again outside a prison cell.”

  “It’s called sneaking. We go in under the cover of night and find them. Maybe I can gather some intel from Walter on their location. I don’t know. I just want to get our loved ones and get out. I’m done with Dante’s bullsh—”

  “You can’t stir up an uprising like that and get away with it. They won’t tolerate it. You’ll be at the top of their most-wanted list, and they will find you.”

  “Then we give everyone the option and leave before it can ever get back to them.”

  “You’re asking me to give up everything I love and believe in, to turn my back on my family.”

  “I know, baby, but if you expect me to stay, you’re asking me to compromise my convictions. I won’t be ruled by a tyrant who keeps me locked down here like a rat in a cage, waiting for some psycho to wring my neck.”

  “You wanted out of here long before the killings ever started.”

  “Exactly. So let’s pack a bag and go.”

  “If we do, we can never come back,” he said. “If we take one step outside this city, we’ll be banned forever.”

  “I can live with that, as long as I have you.”

  “Do you think we can survive out there, without the others?”

  “Yes. I can plant a huge garden to feed us, and the animals are starting to multiply once again. Surely, but slowly. That’s what Walter told me.”

  “You’ll have to pack plenty of seeds.”

  “We can take care of ourselves, without all of Dante’s rules. We’ll be free, Brett—free to live and to be together. Why should we be loyal to a city, to a government that won’t even let us look at the beautiful, blue sky?”

  “I just feel bad leaving. I do a lot around here, and someone else will have to do my work.”

  I cupped his cheek. “Baby, they can survive without you just as much as we can survive without them.”

  “Who’s gonna plant the food? Everybody counts on you and that garden.”

  “I might be the best at it, but there are others who know how to run it.”

  He sighed heavily and stared at the floor. “I’ll go, if that’s what you really want,” he said. “I love you, Sky, and I’d follow you to the ends of the Earth.”

  I held his chin and pulled his gaze back up to mine. “That’s so romantic.” Emotion consumed me, and I placed a kiss on his lips, then just held it there. The feel of his lips against mine was glorious, nearly weakening me in the knees.

  “We just can’t go tonight,” he said, pulling away.

  “Why not?”

  “The workers’ trip’s been canceled. I heard the cooks talking about it. They’re not coming back till next week, so we have to wait.”

  “See? This is exactly why I hate it down here. The more we depend on them, the easier it is for them to dominate us.”

  “Yeah, I get it, Miss Independent,” he said, giving me a peck on the cheek. “Now let’s get outta here. I don’t want someone to walk in and find us together.”

  “So…what’s up?” Rachel said when we walked cautiously back out into the hall, looking in both directions.

  “Are your parents home?” I asked her in a whisper, darting my eyes around nervously.

  “No.”

  “Good. Then let’s go to your place. I want to show Brett all those posters and notebooks you have about the murder. Maybe we can get these murders solved before we leave.”

  “He wants to see my detective work, huh?”

  Brett nodded.

  “So you guys are leaving?”

  “Next week,” I answered.

  “You can’t make a rushed decision like that. This is something we all have to talk about.”

  “We’ll talk more at your place.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Back in Rachel’s apartment, we filled her in on the details of our plan, but she still didn’t seem too keen on the idea.

  Shaking her head, my friend said, “The simple fact is that if you leave, it’ll piss them off. What if everyone starts following your example?”

  “I doubt that would ever happen,” I said. “They’re all just mindless sheep, being led around by the big, bad wolf.”

  “But you’ll be making a huge statement if you go. It might put ideas in their heads.”

  “It won’t matter. I’ll be long gone by the time the powers-that-be put all the pieces together.”

  “Sky, it’s like… Why would you wanna bite the hands that feed you? I mean, I know you’re unhappy, but—”

  “Rachel,” I said, cutting her off, “don’t you see? They’re controlling us that way, by preventing us from feeding ourselves. I say we get our own food.”

  Rachel blew out a breath and looked at Brett. “You’d better get your girlfriend in line before she does something drastic and gets us all busted.”

  “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?” I chimed in. “I’m leaving, Rachel, and there won’t be anything they can do about it, because I’ll be long gone before they even realize it. I really want you to come with us, but I can’t make you do anything you don’t wanna do.”

  Rachel shook her head. “You don’t even have a solid plan. You’re flying by the seed of your plants.”

  “Uh…don’t you mean ‘seat of her pants’?” Brett asked, arching a brow.

  “No. It was a greenhouse pun, duh,” she said.

  “Oh. Right,” he said, not bothering to laugh.

  “Anyway,” she said, turning back to me, “where are you gonna go?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Let’s get out the maps and plan our little road trip,” I answered.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” Rachel said. “Brett turns eighteen in less than two years. That isn’t very long at all. Why don’t we just be good little girls and boy and wait it out? Think about it. If Brett goes with you, he’ll lose everything. He has paren
ts, a sister, and countless other family. If you love him, how can you ask him to give them all up just to leave a little earlier with you?”

  I wrung my hands. “I’d have to wait three months after him, and you’d have to wait three months more,” I argued.

  “Time will fly, and we’ll be outta here in no time,” she said.

  “So…two more years and six months with a serial killer? Are you okay with that?”

  She lifted a finger. “I’ve got a solution for that too.”

  “Do we just sit around with our doors locked?” I asked. “Do I go after him and shoot him in the eye the way I nailed that orange in Carla’s hand?”

  She playfully punched my arm. “No, silly. We just…we gotta catch the killer ourselves.”

  “Uh…okay. But even if we catch the killer, that doesn’t do anything about the government keeping us down here in this aquarium when we both know the air is fine and dandy.”

  Rachel’s gaze drifted to Brett’s. “We’ve got ourselves a real rebel here, huh?”

  “Yeah, but she’s a rebel with a cause,” he said, stroking my hair. “Besides, rebels are usually sweaty men armed with machineguns. Sky’s more like Cinderella with this long, gorgeous, blonde hair of hers.”

  “Right. Just call me Rebel Princess.”

  “I like that a whole lot better than Seed Nerd or Garden Geek,” Brett said.

  “Carla’s an idiot for starting that,” Rachel said.

  “Look, if we’re gonna do this thing, we need to talk about it,” I said. ”I guess we’ll start with finding the strangler.”

  “It’d help if we had some forensics stuff down here,” Brett said.

  I blew out a breath. “I don’t think they were planning on needing that kind of stuff. Serial killers usually aren’t taken into consideration when they’re building a survival tank for the last remaining humans.”

  “Well, let’s just look at what we know. He’s committed three murders,” Rachel said, jotting down notes and making lists, something she loved to do. “All young women, strangled.”

  Brett decided it would be better to write his notes on the chalkboard that was hanging on Rachel’s wall. “He left no physical evidence at the scene—at least none we know of.”