Mikal is getting closer now, thrashing his way through the corn. It’s too late to run. Too late to do much of anything. This one encounter with the dog has destroyed the careful plan I made with David.
So I just stand up, clutching my knife.
As Mikal gets closer to Sammy, he sees me.
For a split second, he recoils, startled. Then his lanky body relaxes.
“Alenna,” he calls out, almost conversationally. “Hey.”
I hold up the knife. It glints in the moonlight. “Keep away from me or I’ll cut your face off.”
Mikal glances at Sammy. Then back at me. He doesn’t seem afraid of the knife. “What are you doing out here?”
“You know what I’m doing.”
“Running away, as predicted.” He swaggers forward, leashing the dog. Sammy tries to get away but Mikal cuffs him hard on the top of his head. Sammy whimpers. Mikal attaches the other end of the leash to a metal tent stake, and uses his foot to push it into the earth. Sammy is trapped. “That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it? Running?”
There’s no point in lying. “Absolutely. You’d do the same.”
He cocks his head to one side. “Isn’t running part of the same antisocial behavior that got you classified as an unanchored soul?” He glances at my knife and grins. “Running from your responsibilities to the UNA. Running from your friends and enemies on Island Alpha. Even running away from your own mom to come back here.” He pauses. “You agitators never really change, do you? Were you planning on using that knife on Sammy?”
I shake my head. “I just want to go free. I’ll take my chances in the forest.” I grip the knife tighter.
“I can’t let you go. I mean, maybe if you had something to offer me in return, we could make a deal.” I feel his eyes moving up and down my body.
“You’re disgusting,” I tell him. “Keep your distance.”
“Or what?” He grins. “Fine, if you don’t want to make a deal, I guess we have to fight. I’ve never lost to a girl before. I don’t plan to start now.”
He walks forward. Now that he has inexplicably tied up his dog, I guess I could run. But he could probably outrun me. This is where he lives. Where he grew up. He must know the terrain, the fields, and the edges of the forest much better than I do.
He starts rolling back his sleeves. “Keep your knife. I’ll get it off you in under thirty seconds.” He laughs. “And if you’re wondering about Sammy, I could have sicced him on you, and he would have torn out your throat. Just like I trained him to do. But I don’t need to hide behind a dog. I got three older brothers who are all UNA soldiers. You think I don’t know how to fight?”
I hold up my knife, gesturing to his prominent scar. “Looks like you aren’t too good at it.”
He scowls. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
I shrug. “I grew up in an orphanage. Then I got sent to Island Alpha. You think that didn’t make me tough?”
“Sounds like a challenge,” he says, and leers. “I like a tough girl. It makes me happy when I break them. Girls are like horses that way.”
Repulsed, I start backing away. The last thing I want to do is halt everything to fight Mikal. I have more important things to do. But as I back up, he follows me. Sammy keeps barking relentlessly.
“So, I’m gonna tell my mom that I caught you trying to cut up little Sammy here. That he got in the way of your escape, so you tried to stab him.” He flexes his muscles. “Mom likes her dogs, so she won’t take pity on you. I can turn your pretty face into jelly, and I’ll have every justification in the world.” He cocks his head to one side thoughtfully. “Maybe catching you will even help my application to the UNA soldier academy.”
“I’m sure it will,” I tell him sarcastically. “They need more thugs like you.”
He steps forward. “Better a thug on the winning team than a rebel on the losing one.”
I’m debating whether I should attack him with the knife or run, when he suddenly leaps forward. His long arms give him reach, and before I can turn, he slams a fist into my face.
I slip and fall sideways, and he’s on top of me in an instant, clawing at me, as his dog goes crazy with barking. In those terrified, frenzied moments I’m not sure whether he’s trying to kill me or worse—trying to get my clothes off.
He uses his weight to pin me against the ground. His left hand holds my wrist down, so that I can’t stab him. I yell and struggle, but he keeps me pressed down on the ground.
“Stop, stop,” he says. “I don’t want to hurt you. Just listen!”
“I’m going to kill you!” I yell. I finally manage to twist away from him and escape from his grasp. I still have my knife. I get to my feet and back away from him. He stands up too, brushing dirt off his knees.
“Listen!” he says. “Hear me out! It’s not what you think!” He pauses for a moment. We’re both breathing hard. “You think I like it here?” he yells. “At this stupid farm?”
I stare back at him. “What? I don’t care!”
“Well, I hate it here! My mom is crazy! And I don’t want to go and get killed fighting for the UNA.”
I’m startled. “Then don’t become a soldier.”
“Maybe I won’t.” He lowers his voice. His dog has stopped barking. “I could come with you. Wherever you’re going. I know you must have a plan. You’re not like the other agitators who stayed at the farm. I can tell. Let me come with you.”
I’m so surprised that I stand there for a moment. Is he serious? His words are a desperate plea. “I can’t let you come with me,” I tell him cautiously. Whether he’s serious or not, there’s no way I can trust him, not after how he acted toward me. In fact, this might all be a misguided attempt on his part to spy for the UNA. “Just let me go. I promise you I won’t cause you any harm. You can just tell your mom you never saw me out here.”
His face hardens. I’ve angered him. “So you’re telling me no?” he asks. “You’re telling me I’m not good enough to join the rebels.”
“I’m not saying that.”
He shakes his head. “And I opened up to you and everything.”
“You should have said something sooner. You shouldn’t have acted so mean.”
“I don’t know why I did that. It’s just how I am. I’m moody. I don’t fit in here. I never did. I don’t know what to do.”
I watch him closely. “If you’re being sincere about wanting to help, then just stay here. Try to help the next girl who gets sent to the farm—if there ever is a next girl. And when the time comes, fight for freedom and against the UNA.”
“I don’t want to help the next girl. I want to help you. And if you won’t let me, I gotta take you back to my mom.” He steps forward, reaching out to grab me again. I can see the anger at being rejected in his eyes. But this time I’m prepared for his assault.
I lean back and kick him hard in the chest with my boot. He yelps in surprise. He rushes forward to attack. He manages to grab my right hand, trying to pry the knife out of it.
“I’m gonna cut off your ears,” he hisses furiously. “Forget everything I just said! I’m gonna mark you as an agitator for the rest of your life! You’re never getting off this farm. You don’t know what I’ve done to some of the other girls. Maybe I’ll make a baby inside you the next time my mom presses that switch and—”
I punch him with my left hand in his mouth as hard as I can. I feel the satisfying crunch of teeth breaking as he howls in pain. Then I punch him again, before he can stop me. I yank my other hand back, still clutching the knife.
My left hand flares with pain where his broken teeth sliced my knuckles. Mikal goes down to one knee, his hands pressed to his mouth.
This is my chance. I kick him again, my boot connecting directly with his upper lip. He makes a wet choking sound as more teeth are knocked from his gums.
Then I turn around and start running.
I race in the direction of the black oak tree as fast as I can. For a second, I thi
nk I’ve gotten away. But then I hear footsteps and realize that Mikal is giving chase after all, even though he’s wounded. I hear him rushing through the corn after me, cursing and shrieking.
“Alenna!” he yells, through a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. “I’m never gonna let you go!” His voice is a tortured wail. “I’m gonna make you pay for what you did to me! You’ll see me again!”
I just put my head down and keep running.
11 SANCTUARY
I RUN FASTER THAN I thought possible, my chest burning, and my legs plunging forward. Fortunately, I’ve got a head start on Mikal. He might not be able to make up the distance before I reach the forest. And at least if he’s chasing me, then he won’t be able to run back to the house and tell his mother to flip the switch on her UNA emblem.
I keep running, my sides aching. I know that Mikal is behind me in the corn. But I’m almost at the trees now. I fling my body forward.
Then, I’m at the edge of the forest, barging my way inside. The fields give way to underbrush and huge trees. Branches tear at my arms and whip at my face, but I don’t care. I spin sideways and locate the black oak tree. I race toward it.
I reach the tree within seconds. It’s even darker inside the forest, nearly pitch black. I clutch the bark, clawing at it. I move around the tree’s huge trunk, trying to locate whatever item I’m supposed to find.
But I don’t see anything.
Mikal is still nearby, stomping around in the forest and cursing. He’s lost me for the moment. If he finds me here, I’ll use my knife on him.
I move farther behind the tree. I’m surprised to see that there’s a natural hollow opening in the massive trunk. It leads into a narrow place where I can seek refuge. I struggle to fit inside it.
It’s narrow and dark inside the tree, and I can barely move. It smells like moss. I gaze around. David said there would be something crucial for me at this tree. But there’s nothing. Just the damp interior of an ancient oak tree.
Rain begins to spatter down on the ground outside, and I smell ozone. A storm has begun, rain coming down out of nowhere in a torrent of water. I tilt my head back, trying to get a look at the roof of my enclosure.
That’s when I see it:
A tiny green glass sphere, dangling inside the tree on a piece of fishing wire, just inches above my head.
I have no idea what it is, but I feel a flood of relief. I grab the sphere and yank it down. It’s only an inch in diameter. The traveling rebels must have hid this here for me.
There’s a small, hard black object inside. The only way to get it out is to smash the glass. So I drop the sphere to the bottom of my enclosure. Then I grind it under my boot until I feel a pop. Although it’s hard to move around inside the tree, I bend over and sneak a hand down, getting a face full of rain blown in by the wind.
I search the wood and dirt beneath me, sifting through broken pieces of glass, until I find the object that was trapped inside. I grab it and stand up.
It’s a tiny radio transmitter and receiver. I put it against one of my ears. I hear a distant hissing sound. I move the miniature dial on the side with my fingers.
“Hello?” I ask.
I’m expecting to hear David’s voice come out of it. But instead I hear another familiar voice yelling at me.
Gadya.
“Took you long enough!” the voice crackles from within the object.
“Gadya! Thank god! Where are you?” I slip the tiny transmitter into my right ear.
“I’m nearby. Hiding in a dried-out concrete cistern in some ruins. I escaped from my host family in the Hellgrounds six hours ago. David helped me do it.”
“Same here!”
“We need to find each other.”
“No kidding.” I’m overcome with relief. “I’m so glad you’re out here! Tell me what to do. How do I get to you?”
“First you gotta do something . . .”
“What?”
“You’re not gonna like it.”
“I haven’t liked anything that’s happened since we got back to the UNA!”
I hear Gadya laugh. Just being able to talk to her makes me feel better.
“Well, what happens next really sucks,” Gadya says. “It’s gross. You’re gonna have to cut those tubes out of your neck.”
“What?” My stomach flip-flops.
“You heard me.”
“But the tubes are connected to my spine! If I do that, I’ll screw myself up for life. How’s that going to help me?”
“Those tubes don’t connect to your spine. They just store and deliver drugs into your bloodstream. When the switch is flipped, it sends out radio signals that release doses of strong sedatives from the tubes into you. Then you pass out, pretty much. When the switch is thrown again, stimulants wake you up. It’s a new device the UNA is testing to create compliant citizens.”
“Why the hell is it in my neck?”
“Because it’s closest to your brain. But cutting the tubes won’t paralyze you or anything. It’ll just release her hold on you.” Gadya pauses. “You need to slice the tubes in two, horizontally with the knife. Then yank out the roots. The roots are just thin needles sticking into your veins. You won’t even bleed that much, promise. Use the alcohol to disinfect it, and the towel to mop up the blood.”
“I lost those things. I only have the knife.”
“That’s good enough. C’mon, hurry up. It won’t hurt more than a bee sting.”
“How do you know? Did they implant tubes in your neck too?” I’m assuming she’s already cut hers out.
There’s a pause. “I actually haven’t done mine yet—”
“Gadya!” I hiss at her. “Don’t tell me it’s gonna hurt like a bee sting! It’s going to be way worse! And you better get your tubes out fast. Aren’t you afraid they’ll use the switch and knock you out?”
“I stole the switch and smashed it,” she tells me. “I know I need to cut the tubes, but for some reason it really freaks me out! David said it would be okay. I still can’t believe he’s alive.”
I wonder if she knows what kind of physical state David is in right now. I doubt that she’s seen him in person. I figure there will be time to tell her about it later if she doesn’t already know.
“We both have to do this together,” I say. I grab the knife and touch its serrated edge with a fingertip. “A crazy kid from the farm is looking for me. I’m worried he’ll go back and tell his mom to use the switch.”
Gadya sighs. “Fine. I’ll do mine if you do yours.”
I reach the knife up to the back of my neck. My hand is trembling a little bit. “I can’t see too well. I’m inside a hollowed-out tree.”
“Yeah, I can’t see either. There are no mirrors in a cistern.”
I sigh. “Count of three?”
“Sure.”
I take a deep breath, and then grab both tubes with my left hand. If David is wrong, this could mean the end of my life and Gadya’s too. I press the tip of the knife against the tubes with my right hand.
We begin the countdown.
Both of us gasp “Three!” at the same moment. The sound of the storm outside covers the noise.
I slice the knife upward hard and fast, severing the two plastic tubes at the same instant.
I’m immediately hit with a wave of cold nausea. I struggle to keep my balance, staggering against the inside of the tree. I feel warm liquid dribbling out onto my hands, like I’ve punctured a water balloon. It’s a slimy mix of chemicals, saline solution, and blood.
“Alenna?” I hear Gadya’s voice saying. She sounds woozy. “Did you do it?”
“Yes,” I croak.
“And we’re still alive.”
“That’s good.” I feel sick.
“We should tear the roots out now, or they’ll poison us,” Gadya says.
I tug at the ends of the tubes. The whole world is spinning.
“They’re not coming out,” I say, my words thick and heavy.
“Try
harder. I got one of mine out already.”
I yank on the tubes again. The top end of one of them begins to give way. Then the other. Gritting my teeth, I pull as hard as I can. With a sickening, fleshy noise, the top sections of the severed tubes finally come loose in my hand. Soon, I get the bottom parts out as well. Then I slump against the tree, coughing.
“It’s done,” I say. I glance down at the bits of yellow medical tubing in my hand, disgusted.
“Same here,” Gadya says.
“We better move,” I say.
“Agreed. The faster the better.”
I stand there in the darkness, inside the tree. The rain is coming down even harder outside now. The sick feeling is receding. I fling the plastic tubing down to the ground.
I pause. “You have to tell me where I’m going.”
“Keep the radio in your ear, and I’ll guide you toward me. The cistern is desolate, and it’s a good hiding place for us to regroup.”
I nod. “Great.”
I step out from the tree and into the rain. I’m on the lookout for Mikal, but I don’t see him.
The droplets are coming down hard. Within seconds, I’m drenched. I wipe water out of my eyes, pushing back wet strands of hair. “C’mon, Gadya,” I say. “I’m ready. Which way?”
“You need to start running due north. There aren’t any trails in this part of the forest. Make your own, through the trees. Eventually you’ll come to a trail after about five miles.”
“Five miles!”
“Yeah, for the Hellgrounds, that’s close. This place is huge.”
“Fine.”
I take a deep breath, and then push off from the tree. I move as quickly as I can, using the few stars I can see through the clouds to head north, slipping and sliding between wet branches and massive tree trunks. Trying not to lose my balance on the slippery leaves underfoot.
Fifteen minutes pass.
Then another fifteen.
By now the rain has dried up, and I’ve left the fields near the farmhouse far behind me. I’m deep inside the forest.
It helps to have Gadya’s voice in my ear. She just keeps prodding me to keep running, no matter what.
The Defiant Page 14