by P. S. Lurie
I’m expecting more criticism so the praise is surprising. “Thanks.”
Now that Cal is out of sight, the rest of us are heading into unknown territory and I get a chill as we walk along the icy passageway. After some time we catch up to the boy as the tunnel opens up into a shaft that stretches towards the top of the mountain. The elevators are beaten up and out of action: one is a collapsed mess, the compartment shattered on impact with the ground from some height and the other, although intact, has a cable winding over the door that has been cut free. “No one here,” says Cal. “Fortress is up there.”
“It’s quiet,” Maddie says. “Either everyone has moved out or they’re up there defending the fortress.”
“Maybe they know about the helicopter,” says Claire.
“You think they’re waiting for the others to arrive?” Tess asks.
Cal refutes this. “Francine will be fine.” He points at the elevators. “Theia was right.”
“Stairs it is,” Travis says. He reaches for the elevator cable that drapes in the way to pull it aside but doesn’t pay attention to the fact that it’s moving.
“Stop,” I command, as his fingers brush the scaly skin of the snake and it slinks out of the way, hissing as it turns to face us. I tremble at its forked tongue and two beady eyes before it disappears.
“What the hell was that?” Tess asks.
“A snake,” Cal says. “We’ve been protecting animals. Theia did say she released them.”
“How dangerous are we talking?” Maddie asks.
Cal pauses. “Just, I don’t know, watch out.”
“Watch out. Helpful.”
“We thought they were extinct,” I say.
“One good thing the Upperlanders did,” Cal explains.
“Doesn’t equal repentance,” Travis says.
I consider what animals I might come into contact with for the first time, not as concerned by the larger beasts because we’ll see them coming so, for now, I’m careful where I place my hands as we ascend the stairwell.
Jack
They’re catching up fast. Another floor before we hit the top but they’re gaining on us; the soldiers seem to be much quicker and Ronan has slowed for the rest of us to keep up. Selene struggles the most so I grab her arm and start to pull her up two steps at a time. It’s a sprint but we make it and come face to face with the body of the pilot that Maddie killed. He’s just a young boy. If Ronan hadn’t talked about commandeering a helicopter I would never have believed someone his age could fly such a machine.
Selene steps over him and pushes on the door to the rooftop, which swings open and the cool air slams into us. This final stairwell protrudes into the open from the corner of the building. The helicopter sits in the middle of the space, in the centre of a large white circle that’s been painted onto the cement. The wind is heavy here as we’re taller than most of the buildings around us and with the Utopia destroyed there is a clear view to the Fence that stretches as far as the eye can see, winding round the city and cutting into the mountain. I look up at the fortress, the only thing higher than the Fence.
Theia and Ruskin are the last to pass through the door and Ronan slams it shut. “The lock’s broken.”
The guards will catch up with us before we’ve cleared the ground. I know what I need to do.
“No,” Ruskin says, as I lean against the door.
“Start it up. I’ll catch up to you.”
Ronan is already at the helicopter, climbing into the pilot’s seat.
“Go,” I shout at Ruskin.
He’s not happy with what I’m doing but runs towards our getaway vehicle. Theia and Selene have climbed into the back by the time he reaches them but he hangs outside, refusing to board without me.
Without warning, the door jerks outwards but I hold it with my weight. My feet skid along the ground but I have enough of a grip to keep the guards in place.
Ronan starts the engine and Ruskin has to crouch to protect himself from the rotating blades. “Come on,” he screams at me. He points his gun in this direction to take out anyone that will follow me.
A bullet dents the door but doesn’t break through. I look around but there’s nothing I can use to wedge underneath the frame.
I can no longer hear Ruskin over the noise but I study his terrified expression as the helicopter starts to lift off the ground, and I know I need to move right now if I’m going to have any chance but I know that I’ll be lucky to make it halfway before the guards take me out.
Ruskin
“Jack!” He can’t hear me over the din of the helicopter. I’m standing on the horizontal bar and clutching the door as Ronan lifts the machine into the air.
“We have to go,” Ronan says to me from the passenger seat. “Get in and strap up.”
“Wait,” I plead.
I watch as Jack finally moves away from the door, sprinting as fast as he can to give himself a head start and everything slows down as I take in the scene and brace to fire at anyone behind him. I aim the gun as he runs towards me with determination splashed across his face but I train my attention behind him.
The door to the stairwell flies open and I tense my finger, shooting carelessly past Jack as three soldiers appear. They’re in full gear including helmets and my bullets do nothing to deter them. My heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest.
“We’re going now,” Ronan shouts at me. I continue to lean out and shoot until I’m out of bullets.
“Ruskin,” Jack shouts, still too far to jump towards me.
One of the soldiers kneels, takes careful aim and pulls a trigger. There’s nothing I can do to stop it and, immediately, Jack falls to the ground.
I scream as time stands still, the noise from the bullet seems to overpower even the helicopter, and I’m consumed with nothing but horror. Ronan leans over and pulls me into the helicopter, breaking my paralysis and before I can argue with him he tilts the control and we lift into the air, leaving behind the boy I love, lifeless on the floor, surrounded by three soldiers as they shoot at us.
Jack
“We made it Ruskin.”
I’m on a rowboat in the middle of a lake. The sun shines down on me and I splash my hand through the cool water below. I look up to the boy operating the oars and take in his beauty: the determination on his face, the bead of sweat that hangs off a strand of hair falling over his forehead, the way the light catches his eyes, the way his eyes catch mine and the smile that tells me everything is alright.
“You came back for me,” I say. “We’re here.”
“I never left you. I promised you.”
Ruskin leans into me and kisses me hard on the lips and in that moment I know everything is ok. I want to throw my hands around him and squeeze him tight and never let go but...
I can’t seem to move them.
“I love you,” I say, into his ear, a whisper that carries over the water and drowns out all the other sounds of the world.
“I love you so much, Jack.”
I’m frozen to the spot. Something isn’t right.
Day turns to night and the water rocks the boat, gently at first and then quickly rattles us. I can’t do anything except stare on as Ruskin disappears and then a wave crashes into the side and flips the boat. I fall into the murky black water, powerless to the current that drags me under, taking away my last breath.
Melissa
Gunshots blast out above us and we have to take cover on the stairwell. I hold my hands over my head but it’s not a solution.
“There aren’t many of them,” Cal says. “But we’ll never get past them with those uniforms on.”
“We’re dead if we stay here,” Claire shouts back.
We haven’t climbed far and we’re never going to get any farther now that we’ve been detected. “We have to go back.” I despair at the decision as it means leaving Theia and the others to fend for themselves but we have no chance of getting anywhere.
“I might have somet
hing,” Claire says. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a flare which she lights. It shoots up the gap between the elevators and lands somewhere near the soldiers. One of the children must panic or become disoriented as she screams and plummets past us, smacking into the ground.
“Got any more?” Travis asks.
“Just that one. Been saving it for a special occasion.”
The gunshots continue. “There’s no chance,” Cal says. He beckons us to retreat by waving his arm towards the exit. We hurry back down the stairs and miraculously avoid any bullets.
I was too optimistic because, straight after I think that, Claire lets out a yelp as a bullet hits her arm but she just passes the gun to her other hand.
We make it into the tunnel and I run behind Claire, making sure she doesn’t slip or pass out. I take a headcount. Me, Tess, Travis and Claire. “Where’s Maddie?” I look behind me but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Come on,” Travis shouts, not caring about the girl we’ve left behind. “She’s dead.”
Claire stumbles. “Take her,” I order Tess, and I turn back.
“Maddie,” I yell over the bullets that keep coming.
“I’m here,” she shouts, but I can’t see her. I jump at the soldier coming at me – incredibly, it must be the girl who survived the fall – and I throw my fist but the girl is quicker and swerves out of the way. “It’s me Melissa,” says the voice from behind the helmet. Maddie removes the headwear. “Snug but it fits.”
“What are you doing? We have to go.”
“I’m staying. Took her uniform. I’m going to pretend I’m one of them and carry on into the fortress.”
“It’s a death wish.”
“We’ll see.”
I hesitate before I realise I have no chance but to let her go. “Good luck.” I run back to the others, who are nearly at the end of the tunnel, much farther on than from where I left them. “Thanks for waiting for us.”
We break out into the open and I take in the fallout: the only consequence of trying to enter the fortress was Claire getting shot and Maddie going on alone.
“Is she ok?” Tess asks me about Claire.
“It’s minor,” Claire interrupts. I’m not certain but it’s currently not top of my priorities.
“Maddie?” Travis asks.
“She’ll be fine too. Took a uniform and will try to sneak in.”
“Trojan horse,” Cal says. “Clever girl.”
“Look,” Tess says. “They made it.”
I crane my head as the helicopter zooms past towards the fortress. I wish my friends better luck but now I turn back to my situation and work out what to do next.
Selene
I stare at Theia who’s with me in the back of the helicopter and we’re incapable of doing anything for Ruskin or Jack. She meets my gaze, as empty as me. There was a time where I’d give her a snide insult, something about the great Theia Silverdale drawing blank but we’re so far past that now that it’s a matter of life and death. Jack was a great person, strong in his calmness, and Ruskin will be lost without him. I’ve seen the anger that’s grown in Ruskin these past months and how Jack has always managed to keep it on lockdown but now there’s nothing to stop Ruskin from breaking loose and, in truth, considering where we’re headed that’s probably a good thing.
I grip hold of the handle above me as the helicopter climbs up into the sky above the Upperlands. Below us is the rooftop with the three soldiers shooting upwards but we’re too far for their bullets to reach us. Jack isn’t moving on the ground beneath them.
I look out into the Upperlands. I try to work out our bearings and find where Melissa and Maddie should be but they’re either obscured by the buildings or are already inside the entrance to the fortress.
It doesn’t take long before Ronan manoeuvres us even higher until we are well above the Fence. I can see our old homes and, although it’s too far to make out the sea, I spot an army making their way south. The sun is now at head height so there’s few hours before nightfall and I hope the Middlelanders have reached the shore and have started to row far enough out so as not to be detected.
Back in the Upperlands I see the devastation of the Utopia with its debris spilling out into the streets around it and the central point that is one oversized heap of destruction. Rotting somewhere under the rubble is Nathaniel, my mother somewhere else and my father in the building we have left behind. My monstrosity of a family torn apart by the Upperlanders leaves me as the sole survivor to deal with the consequences.
It’s only from this vantage point that I take in the Upperlands and see that the city is larger than I realised. The train tracks are a complete mess and in the distance is the red brick oddity that is the prison. In both directions, the Fence winds around the rest of the city and carries on past open field until it meets the mountainside.
The engine roars as we scale the sky, the helicopter vibrating heavily towards the upper reaches of the mountain where a flat artificial landing pad opens up to the fortress. I’m the only one of the four that hasn’t been up here and I’m not sure what I expected but there is no sign of movement. Maybe Melissa and the others are causing enough of a diversion and no one knows that we are approaching this way although the guards back on the rooftop have probably radioed by now.
Ronan navigates the helicopter to the ground and turns off the engine. Silence prevails as the blades stop rotating and Ruskin is the first to jump out.
“We left him behind,” he screams at us.
“There was no time,” I say. “He saved our lives.”
Ronan joins us. “You have to be quiet.”
“I’m going to kill them all.”
“Where are they?” Theia asks. “No one came to investigate our arrival?”
At that moment, the doors to the fortress open and a group of soldiers run out, far more of them than we can possibly handle.
“That went well,” I say, dropping my gun.
I watch as the soldiers form a semi-circle around us, only leaving a gap in the middle near the doors from which President Callister appears, holding Leda. Theia takes a step forward but the guards point their weapons at her so she stops.
Then another two uniformed officers appear, dragging a boy behind them, held up only by his arms with his legs trailing on the ground. He’s alive, barely.
“Zeke.”
“Welcome back, Theia,” President Callister says. “Ronan.”
“I’ll kill you,” Theia says, still holding the gun.
“Drop it,” Ronan orders. He points his gun at his sister and I realise that he has betrayed us all along.
Theia
“I knew it,” Ruskin says. “You’re one of them still.”
I need to hear Ruskin say the words to prove that my brother is still under President Callister’s spell.
“How?” Selene asks. “You never communicated with them but they always knew where we were.”
“Tracking device,” Ronan replies. “You think that I could’ve made it all the way to the Middlelands with only those two idiots on my side.”
“Francine and Cal?” Selene asks. I’m still too dumbfounded to speak.
“We allowed them to think they weren’t being monitored. Patrick was an issue but I sorted him out before he told you the truth.”
Finally I speak up. “What about me? You let me escape?”
“No Theia,” President Callister answers. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. Your friend here got in the way.” Zeke looks pretty badly hurt but he’s still alive.
“Almost worked,” he groans.
“Let him go.”
Ronan walks over to President Callister and she hands Leda to him as she swaps my sister for the gun. Leda seems comfortable in his arms.
“He’s proven disloyalty and a lack of gratitude,” President Callister says, and with those words my stomach sinks because I know what that means for him.
“You’re still spouting that bullshit,” Selene says.
“I’d be careful if I were you.” President Callister doesn’t hesitate and shoots Zeke in the chest. I scream and reach out but the boy is dead.
“He didn’t deserve that.”
“He was a nuisance.”
“What about us?” I ask. “Aren’t we just in the way?”
“You let him die,” Ruskin says.
“I take it you’re talking about Jack, rather than this boy. I’m sorry he wasn’t here. I did instruct my children to bring the four of you to me alive.”
I don’t understand but I think about Selene’s encounter with the doctor who wanted to inject her. “Why?”
“Theia Silverdale, Selene Gould and Ruskin Peters. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I had my doubts about you, Ruskin, more than anyone but now I realise that I should never have discounted you. I am sorry about Jack. He was supposed to be here as well.”
“Maybe a little sincerity would help,” Ruskin says in retaliation to President Callister’s false sorrow. It reminds me of the announcement we watched during the Surge that instigated the great cull. It was the first time we’d seen her on our screens and she pretended to be just as upset back then.
“You sent my father to me,” Selene says.
I throw a confused look at Selene. There’s so much going on that I don’t understand.
“He obliged but he was nothing but a pawn. It was just a ruse to get you all in the helicopter.”
“You didn’t know we’d all board it.”
“It was easy,” Ronan adds. “Ruskin, it was your idea to ride the helicopter. I did nothing except wait for inspiration to strike.”
“I should’ve killed you when we first got to the Upperlands.”
Ronan shrugs, cold-hearted.
“Francine and Cal were your friends. You betrayed them and Jack too.”
“Leda,” I call to my sister. “Do you remember me?”
The girl looks at me with curiosity then Ronan tilts her head up to him. “Ignore her.”