Naomi Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book One

by V. B. Marlowe

  “I wanted to see what was going on.”

  “Well, you can't do that. Stay where you're supposed to be.”

  “You're not where you're supposed to be,” I pointed out.

  “Because I'm in charge and I have to make sure you guys are where you belong. Stay put. Keep your eye out for Foragers.”

  I went back to where I had been standing between the lockers and stayed put.

  Slowly the hallway filled with kids. I stayed invisible, guarding my post as unsuspecting students walked right past me, a few of them glowing. I watched friends walk by, laughing and chatting like they did every day, with absolutely no clue of what was about to unfold. I pitied them. Their carefree teenage existence was about to be cut short. Even the ones who survived would be burdened with this tragedy for the rest of their lives.

  The bell rang for first period, and the hallways became deserted. Only the security guard who I had attempted to talk to the day before ambled up and down the hallway from time to time. I wondered what time it was supposed to happen. None of the boys had said. I figured it would happen when kids were in the hallway, since I'd seen that boy placing something in the lockers.

  I thought about that boy waiting in the bathroom like a coward. I wondered what could have possibly made him or the others stoop to something like this. I had a mind to go ask him, then I remembered the rules—just do my job.

  I glanced at my watch. First period would be over in twenty minutes. It could be happening then. I leaned my head against the wall and breathed deeply.

  I had been lying to myself. This was not okay. I couldn't let Hunter, Roxy, or any of the others die. I couldn't just watch these boys commit these murders. I was torn, but I had to make a decision quickly. This could happen at any moment.

  I emerged from between the lockers and headed toward the office, still confused. Should I tell Principal Sharpe to evacuate the school, or should I let Death have its way?

  Chapter 23

  “Where are you going, Grim?”

  I turned to see the girl who had talked to me in the bathroom the other day—the Forager who had threatened me. “None of your business. What are you still doing here?” Why hadn't Doyle taken care of them, like he'd said he would?

  “You know why I'm here. You wouldn't happen to be going to the office, would you?”

  I walked away from her. I had to get to the 100 wing where Bram was stationed and tell him that Foragers were still here.

  Before I had taken five steps, she grabbed me by my hair, yanking me to the ground. The girl crouched over me, holding a knife at my throat. “You're trying to stop this. I'm sorry, Grim, but we need this. I'm not going to let my people die because of you.”

  The knife’s edge pressed into my tender skin. I smirked, ignoring my pain. “Stupid girl. You of all people should know you can't kill a Grim—not a Grim with 432 years left.”

  The girl appeared unmoved by that comment. “Is that what—”

  Abruptly, she stopped speaking and turned her head to the side in a sharp motion. The Forager landed on top of me, her knife clattering onto the tile. Doyle stood over us.

  He pushed girl off me. “By the way, you only have 417 years left now.”

  “Why was she—”

  Doyle cut me off by raising his finger. “Don't worry about her. I need you to focus on your job. It's almost time.”

  I got to my feet and looked down at the dead Forager. Doyle lifted my chin forcing me to meet his gaze. “Young Grim, you're almost done. Make us proud.”

  Before I could respond, he had vanished along with the Forager's lifeless body. I touched where the girl had pressed the knife into my neck. It stung.

  I looked at my watch. There were twelve minutes left until the bell. The girl's words and Doyle's encouragement had caused me to falter a little, but I continued to the office.

  I entered the main hallway through the metal doors and made myself visible again. Bram stood at one end with his back to me. He stared out of the windows on the metal doors at the end of the hallway, not paying attention like he should have been.

  The walk from where I stood to the office was only a few doors, but it seemed to take forever. With each step, I thought about my family and what this would cost them. My body seemed to be working on its own, as if it knew what I should do, although my heart didn't.

  My father was in good with Dunningham. Maybe he wouldn't hold my offense against the whole family. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Ten minutes remained before the hallway would be full of students again.

  The office was quiet. A few women typed away on computers. Mrs. Clark busily put papers into a file cabinet. The school nurse got herself a drink from the water cooler. For some reason, my eyes rested on the white cone-shaped cup in her hand.

  ”Can I help you, honey?” Mrs. Clark asked, snapping me out of my daze.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt clogged. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I have to speak to Principal Sharpe right now. It's an emergency.”

  Mrs. Clark stared at me for a few seconds. I think she remembered me wanting to see the principal the day before.

  “Well, she's on a conference call—”

  I stormed toward the back where I knew Principal Sharpe's office was. Mrs. Clark shouted behind me, but I wasn't listening to her words.

  I pushed open Principal Sharpe's door. She listened to a man talk on speaker phone while fiddling with some papers on her desk.

  I exhaled. This moment would be life changing for everyone, so I had to make the right decision. I would probably die for stopping this massacre, but I was only one. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, right? If I let this happen, there wouldn't be a moment I didn't think of dead kids—particularly, Hunter and Roxy.

  “Hang up,” I said firmly.

  Principal Sharpe looked up at me. “Excuse me? What are you—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, I strode over to the wall and yanked the phone's cord out of the outlet. Principal Sharpe shot up from her seat, her dark curly hair bouncing around her face. “Young lady!”

  I stood face to face with her. She looked afraid, as if I were going to hit her. “Listen to me,” I told her. “You have to evacuate the school right now! There are bombs everywhere. Some kids are going to start shooting. A lot of people are going to die if you don't get them off this campus!”

  She looked at Mrs. Clark, who stood in the doorway, looking shocked and then she narrowed her eyes at me. “How do you know—”

  “I just do! I've heard and seen things. This is not a joke. Principal Sharpe, please!”

  She stared at me some more. I wanted to shake her. We didn't have time for her to decide whether or not she believed me. One hundred and forty-eight people didn't have time.

  Finally, she moved toward her desk. “Okay, but if this is a joke, I hope you know that would be a federal offense.”

  “Get them out!” I screamed.

  She nodded and pressed a button on her desk. “Students and staff. Please stop what you're doing. This is a code black evacuation. That means you are to leave all your belongings and evacuate the building immediately. Find your nearest exit. Please do not panic. No pushing or running. Just file out in an orderly fashion.” A bell sounded, and I could hear the commotion, even from where I stood deep in the office.

  “Come on,” Principal Sharpe said, pushing me toward the door.

  The other people in the office were already heading out. I followed them and pressed myself against the large glass pane in front of the office.

  The hallways were jam-packed with students. Some wore nervous expressions, but most talked and laughed with their friends as if their lives weren't in danger.

  “Relax, people. It’s just a drill,” said a tall girl as she walked past me.

  No, it wasn't just a drill.

  I had to give the students credit. The evacuation was orderly, considering the number of kids who were trying to get ou
t of the building all at once. The vision of Bram pushing his way toward me through the Human traffic going in the opposite direction brought me back to real life—my real life. I had just broken the biggest rule of being a Grim. My instincts told me to run, but I wouldn't get anywhere in this crowd.

  When Bram reached me, he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?”

  I leaned back as his saliva wet my face. I'd never seen my brother so frantic. He squeezed my shoulders so hard they hurt. He'd been angry plenty of times before, but never this angry at me.

  I only shook my head. Nothing I said would make this okay.

  “Get to the vehicle!”

  I tried to keep up with Bram as we made our way through the lessening crowd of students. Bram pushed people out of his way left and right. Some kids cursed and shot him dirty looks. He shouldn't have been taking out his anger on them.

  Keira, Dorian, and Josh were already in the car. Keira was in the driver's seat. I climbed in the back with the boys, and Bram got in the front passenger’s seat.

  He turned, staring at me accusingly. “Well?”

  I looked around us. A flood of students headed down the block, away from the school. Small groups of students and teachers still trickled from the building. Everyone would be safe now. “Bram, I'm sorry. I couldn't let it happen.”

  “You couldn't let it happen? Who do you think you are? It's not your choice to decide whether or not it should happen. Just collect the lives!”

  The others said nothing.

  “Let's just get to the chamber,” Bram said more calmly.

  The chamber was in the forest clearing and would transport us back to Nowhere. I didn't want to think about what was going to happen to me when we got back.

  Keira pulled out of the parking lot, and we headed for the clearing.

  Everything we passed on the way was a giant blur to me. “Bram I—”

  “Don't, Naomi. Just don't.”

  “It's just money, Bram!”

  “It's not just money. Nay, don't you understand what they're going to do to you, to our family? And for what, those stupid Humans? So they can live for what? To smoke pot? Fornicate? Listen to garbage music?”

  “They're people, Bram,” I said softly.

  “Yeah, well I hope those people were worth dying for.”

  We rode the rest of the way in silence. From time to time, Keira would shake her head, but thankfully she said nothing. I couldn't even face Dorian and Josh. They were silent, but they had to be disappointed.

  “All this time for nothing,” Bram muttered.

  I felt good about saving all those lives, but I had screwed the other Grims over in the process. Who knew what Dunningham was going to do to me?

  Keira parked the vehicle in the clearing. The others climbed out before me. Slowly, I opened my door, slid out, and made my way to the tree. I took as long as I possibly could, and Bram shouted at me.

  Why would I want to move any faster? I was a dead Grim walking.

  Chapter 24

  The door of the chamber closed, sealing us inside as if it were a tomb. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Bram leaned against the wall, scowling. The others stared at the ground. My heart sank as I imagined the look on Father's face.

  The chamber door opened up to our pantry. The others stepped out first. I followed reluctantly. Keira and Josh left out the back door without a word. I wondered if my best friend would ever speak to me again.

  I heard Mother's voice upstairs. Part of me was excited that she was home, but then part of me remembered I had just disgraced my family. Bram and Dorian took seats at the kitchen table as feet pounded down the stairs.

  Mother appeared in the doorway. “You're back.”

  I ran to her. I couldn't help it. She was my mother. Maybe she could make this all better.

  Father appeared behind her. His broad smile faded when he saw my brothers. Dorian had laid his head down on the table, covering his face with his hood, and Bram stared intently at a wall, his brow furrowed.

  “What's wrong?” Father asked.

  “Ask your precious daughter,” Bram said bitterly.

  Mother touched the left side of my face. Her touch was cold and familiar. I had missed it. “Naomi, what happened?”

  “I made a mistake.”

  Father breathed heavily. “What did you do, Naomi?”

  I think he already knew. “I warned them,” I whispered.

  I don't know why I whispered. Maybe I was afraid Dunningham would hear me, although he was probably aware of what I'd done by then. I imagined him sitting in a chair with his dogs Black and Blue on either side of him as he mentally planned my execution.

  Father ran his hand over his face, and Mother left me to lean over the sink. She looked as if she might vomit.

  “So it didn't happen?” Father asked.

  “No, it didn't,” Bram answered. “She ruined everything. She's put us all in danger.”

  Mother looked at Father, and he nodded. She disappeared upstairs. I didn't want her to leave me.

  Father lifted my chin, forcing me to look him in the face, which I hadn't wanted to do. “Naomi, how could you do such a thing?”

  I appreciated his gentleness. He hadn't screamed at me from the top of his lungs like Bram had.

  Bram stood and came between me and Father. “Oh, it wasn't just that. She made friends with them. She fell in love with some stupid Human. She brought him to the residence after Doyle had told her not to—”

  “Yes, yes,” Father interjected. “He told me about that, but I would have never imagined—”

  “I would have,” Bram said, glaring at me. “I keep saying it. She's never had the heart of a Grim.”

  He'd said that many times, but that time cut me deep. He meant it with his whole being, and he was probably right. Something was wrong with me. I wasn't like everyone else.

  “What's going to happen to us?” Dorian asked, finally lifting his head from the table. “What's Dunningham going to do? Is he going to subtract our years and then execute us?”

  Mother reappeared with a large black duffel bag.

  “What's that for?” I asked as she threw it over my shoulder. The weight of it caused me to lean on one side.

  Mother looked at Father.

  He swallowed hard. “Naomi, you've put not only yourself, but this entire family at risk. That was very selfish of you. Dunningham will be here any minute. You have to go.”

  Mother brushed tears away with the back of her palms. Bram, who had sat back down, looked as if there might be just an ounce of sympathy in him. Dorian had buried his face in his hands.

  “What do you mean, I have to go?”

  Father placed his hands on my shoulders and led me gently to the door. “You can't stay here. They'll kill you. Maybe if you're not here, the rest of us will stand a chance. I have to do everything I can to garner some mercy from Dunningham.” Father opened the back door. It was already dark in Nowhere.

  I looked back at Mother, who stood with her arms folded across her chest, looking at anything but me. “Mother, please. Please don’t let him do this!” But she wouldn't help me.

  Father pushed me out the door, and I stood on the top step of the porch, leaning against him with all my weight. “Naomi, please. Please, don't make this harder than it has to be.” He was weeping.

  “Father, what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?”

  “Just run. Run as fast and as far as you can. Past Farrington, past Litropolis. Don't stop until you're in the Outskirts.”

  The Outskirts were where the Foragers lived. I was being banished by my own family to go dwell among beings they considered to be rodents. Not to mention the fact they'd also threatened me.

  “Mother!” I screamed out of desperation. Maybe something in her—her maternal instinct—would make Father stop this.

  Father stopped pushing for a second, then he whispered something over the top of my head. “
You haven't left us a choice. I'm sorry, Darkness. I'm so sorry. Go now.”

  My father shoved me. I landed on my hands and knees in the gravel, the duffel bag between my legs. The door slammed behind me.

  The tears that had already streamed down my face became rivers. I was on my own.

  Chapter 25

  I wanted to go back and bang on the door, but I knew it would be useless. Father was right. Dunningham would be there any second, looking for me.

  Maybe he would spare my family. I hoped so. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they were executed because of me.

  I had to get out of Farrington. I slid my hood over my head and ran. I ran past the rows and rows of Farrington houses that reminded me of my own. I ran through the bushes along the city limits of Farrington.

  I was stomping through the stream when sirens blared through the air, and I was positive they were for me. Dunningham had made it to my house and discovered I wasn't there. Now every Watcher in Nowhere would be after me. I had to get out of bounds and hide before they caught up with me.

  I was thankful my family had given me a head start. I hoped with all my might that they wouldn’t be held responsible for my crimes, but Dunningham had executed entire families because of the actions of one.

  I ran along the wall that separated us from Litropolis, looking desperately for the hole. I was sure I had passed it. It didn't usually take long to find it, but things probably seemed to take longer when you were running for your life.

  Finally, I saw it. The loose stones in the wall were difficult for me to push alone. I wished someone was there to help me, then I reminded myself that I was on my own. I had to learn to be independent.

  I pushed enough stones away for me to squeeze through. My arms shook from exhaustion. I slid my duffel bag through the hole first, and then myself.

  Once I crawled through, I stood and put the bag over my shoulder. The strap hurt and felt as if it was cutting through my skin. I wondered what Mother had put inside the bag, but I didn't have time to stop and check. I was winded, but I had to keep running.