“I may have a chance, but I still have a choice too. And I won’t let it end this way...” I snapped. He winced, looking up at me again.
“If you don’t go through with this, your blood will be on my hands. That’s the irony of all this. It would hurt to lose you again, sure, but it’d kill me if you gave up your chance to survive this...” he said.
“This is my choice, not yours. My chance means nothing if I can’t choose my own fate,” I shook my head stubbornly.
“Letting go is the hardest part of this. You understood that from the very beginning… so why can’t you accept that now?” He winced in a quick breath.
“Because I won’t give up on you again,” I sobbed. He drifted closer, but I shoved him away from me. Tears streamed down his face as he glared back at me in shock.
“Don’t... don’t act like you have to save me, Aubrey. It’s over…” Evan sighed, putting his arms around me before I shook him off. I gazed up at the sky, the auroras dancing above me as I denied myself the sorrow.
“No. This isn’t over yet. You taught me that things happen for a reason. But there’s no reason for any of this if it was only going to fall apart in the end. I won’t let it. I won’t leave,” I said, latching onto my words in a mess of angry tears. Suddenly, the earth beneath me was spinning.
“You have to do this. For me, and for your family,” he said.
“You don’t always get to be the hero,” I snapped in an unsettled voice.
His tearful eyes stared at me now. The gentleness of his hands swept across my arms as I lost my focus in the emptiness of fear.
“Listen, there’s something I have to tell you…” He hesitated before speaking again.
“What else could you possibly have to say?” I whispered in a dreadful voice.
“The colony qualification… I never entered the selection process,” Evan burst out. His eyes flickered, hovering in the pressure of my confused stare.
“What are you talking about?” I heaved. He sighed.
“The minute I found out what my mother knew about you, I opted out. I—I withdrew myself from the qualification,” he said. My heart stopped.
“Why? Why would you do that?” I yelled at him.
“So she’d never be able to replace your life for mine,” he snapped. In an instant, the wind picked up. And then, my outrage got the better of me. “I never told anyone. Just please… don’t be mad,” he begged.
“You idiot…” I heaved in petrified tears. But I didn’t mean it wholeheartedly.
When he reached out to hug me, I resisted, pulling myself away to escape. By the time I regained control of myself, I choked on the smoky air as he wandered after me. I dropped to my knees in disbelief.
“I gave up my chance for you years ago. That’s why you can’t give this up,” he said cautiously.
I closed my eyes to tears, gasping on my breaths as he kneeled down next to me, peeling the hair away from my face. When I looked up, he was calmer now, despite the overwhelming pain. And the minute he closed his eyes, he rested his forehead against mine, still battling for air. That was when everything raging inside me stopped—my resistance, my hope, my purpose.
Evan spent years trying to prove I held more value in this world than I believed I did. Regardless of the rumors, or the lies and cover-ups, he remained true to his word throughout it all. Now, we had finally fit the missing pieces of our lives into place, fusing together just to shatter all over again. But here, a piece of me would forever remain—with him, on the brink of tragedy, but always too soon lost within its grasp.
28 CONTINGENCY
We woke to shouting guards, but were too incoherent to make out what they were saying. Footsteps trudged the crunchy ground as they lifted us from beside the flaming coals, the smoky air whipping across our faces as rescue helicopters passed above. As they placed the oxygen masks over our faces, I remembered the burning trees, the roaring fire consuming the mountainside. I remembered being trapped by the fire, careless of the danger lurking our way. I remembered thinking this was the end again.
Along the street below Cedar Ridge, a row of Humvees waited to transport us. Fully alert now, I examined Evan’s face as the guards instructed us into the truck. He seemed too weary, too shocked to look at me, so I glanced at the bags lying beside us. On the outside was a serial number written on a neon tag—a combination of numbers followed by a sole letter that would divide us into the camps. It was so bright, I could just make out my number—A1579. A for Adams, 1579 being the last four digits of my citizen identification number, I presumed. As the Humvee pushed us forward, I squeezed my eyes shut.
The guard honked ruthlessly as civilians swarmed the residential streets, soldiers using their usual method of communication—megaphones—to direct them toward the warehouse. The entire town was on the path of a fire that had been raging out of control since the night of the bombings. Now, retreating was our only option.
Smoke billowed from every angle of the horizon, heat accompanying the sinister smell of burning oak and pine that hovered in the atmosphere. Countless trucks lined up along the streets. Soldiers bolted through yards, evacuating the remaining houses, the sky igniting into an orange glow while helicopters flocked like birds above us, causing blasts of wind. In a matter of hours, everything would be engulfed in flames.
Evan took a deep breath, taking my hand while we progressed down the road, his gesture reminding me of the day I was released from the hospital, when I watched this small town fall the first time. But before I could concentrate on the minimal comfort his grip emitted, a woman stumbled to her knees onto the sidewalk beside us, screaming at the guards. My eyes stayed fixed on her as we drove by. She tugged at the rifle the guard displayed, working to get a grasp on it. They surrounded her—applying physical force to stop her.
On the other side of the street, an elder couple stood in the entrance of their home before being dragged out by guards. Meanwhile, the guards sprayed the siding with red paint, marking the familiar X against the aged home, more than likely lived in by the same family for generations. The old man toppled to the ground, folding under pressure. Tears strolled down my lips as we passed by. Soon, there’d be nothing left but a memory not long ago, when life still seemed real despite our future. That time was over.
I closed my eyes to evade the neighboring images as we pushed farther down the road, realizing just how quickly things had descended into chaos. And at that point, I wouldn’t go any farther.
“Stop!” I said. I grasped the handle to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Stay in your seat, miss!” the guard ordered.
“Aubrey, what are you doing?” Evan nudged me with a shocked look.
“Let me out!”
“Hey! It’s our responsibility to get all civilians to the warehouse! Now remain seated or else I’ll have to restrain you!” the guard snapped, his speech echoing inside the truck.
I scouted for solace in Evan’s eyes, but it wasn’t there.
Another helicopter passed above, cutting down to the ground, the thundering of its engine submerging the air in noise. I whipped my head back after it passed, glancing at the bags beside us again. Evan looked furious.
“This is your only chance,” he whispered, blinking in panic.
“No... We can leave... Please,” I begged, leaning to his ear.
“We wouldn’t make it out there...” he sighed impatiently, cautious of being overheard.
“You don’t know that,” I said, knowing the uncertainty of escape was my final resort to freedom.
“We don’t have a choice now, Aubrey,” he said.
A sharp pain rose in my chest as I avoided his red eyes. Turning to the smoke-filled sky, I knew after this, nothing remained but a series of unlikely odds. And in that moment it had become too much to bear.
In a flash of despair, I shoved myself against the door. With the pressure from my brute force, it flung open. I jumped from the Humvee before the guards could stop me. A
ll I could hear were Evan’s screams and the squealing of tires. Soldiers aimed their rifles at Evan as he bolted from the truck in a sudden panic. But a spike of chaos from the other end of the street served as a helpful distraction in his quest to follow me. I had only looked back once before rushing into a nearby house. Frantic to find something, anything to escape the pain, I shot through the halls. And to my disbelief, the only bathroom’s medicine cabinet was still stocked with leftover bottles. In the heat of the moment, it occurred to me that choosing my own way out was better than a lifetime of suffering.
My heart pounded as I twisted the caps off several bottles. And in between the seconds, I released myself from the guilt of letting Evan down. But before I got them open, he pulled me back, screaming at me in a breathless rage.
“Aubrey, stop!”
Desperate to intercept me, I didn’t have the strength to avoid him.
As our bodies collided against the wall, the pills scattered at our feet. He stumbled backward, plummeting us both against the hard tile floor. Using every ounce of energy to restrain me, I fell beside him, the air in my lungs puncturing through me as I struggled to find oxygen. My ears rang, my vision of him doubling as he turned my head to face him. His eyes widened, appearing redder than I’d ever seen them before, examining me. Evan burst into a hopeless, frustrated cry. Afterward, his chest pummeled in panicked breaths, his scream still mimicking itself through the walls. My eyelids hovered, halfway closed when I saw the shaking of his shoulders and his horrified glare.
♦ ♦ ♦
I woke up coughing, my head resting against the wall of the crowded warehouse. Evan sat beside me, leaning forward with his arms tight around his knees, his demeanor numb and seemingly traumatized. Screaming children, shrieking parents, and other terrified civilians gasped in horror. Armed police and military escorts surrounded each exit of the building. Aware of my fragile state, I lifted my woozy head up, blinking away the blur before realizing I’d be okay. Pulling himself backward, he inspected my face as he stabilized me.
“Thank god…” He let out a sigh.
“Are we—Evan where are we?” I asked with a hint of dread in my voice.
“We’re waiting to be called in… You blacked out before the guards brought us here,” he said. Just then, his expression turned to resentment. “What were you thinking? I just... I can’t believe you’d—after I—” He struggled with his words as tears came. I drew back as the guilt poured out.
“I told you I couldn’t do this,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean you can just end your life, Aubrey...” he said, aware of the surrounding citizens. I glanced up instantly.
A woman kneeled to the floor, praying with her forehead rested against her hands. She shut her eyes as her lips moved in silence. Tears came as another woman and her child were escorted from the building in a painful, helpless cry of mercy. Evan’s glare followed them. He looked down, clutching my hand as the door to the warehouse slammed, the gasps and shrieks repeating. Hopelessness invaded people’s faces like it were contagious.
Evan shook his head, putting a hand over his face while he took in a deep breath.
“Where is everybody? Where’s Janelle?”
“They’re gone,” he said in a sigh.
“What? What do you mean they’re gone?”
“They’ve already been evacuated,” he said. “They had to get people out of here.”
“Where were they sent?”
“Kylie and Nick went to a camp upstate. Same with Janelle. Aaron volunteered to serve at that location, so… at least they’re together,” he said with a satisfied glance. I looked at him.
“Yeah...” I raised a brow in an enraged huff.
“Aubrey…”
“You know how this is going to go, Evan. They’re grouping us by qualification status. If you weren’t in the selection, there’s no way we’ll end up in the same camp.”
“But at least you’ll be protected,” Evan sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with me.
“Protected? No. Not after they find out who I am,” I said cautiously.
“Look, as far as we’re aware, the only evidence was on the documents we burned. Someone would need to have a good reason to investigate your identity, especially now,” he said.
“Like your mother?”
“She knows what’ll happen if she talks. Besides, she’s got heart problems.” His jaw tightened.
“You don’t know where you’ll end up, Evan. You opted out. For all you know, they could be sending disqualified citizens to the prison camps. And Kylie and Janelle… they may not have qualified either,” I said. Evan’s shoulders fell.
“They didn’t,” he mumbled, staring into the space ahead. My heart sunk from the weight of his words. And then, without warning, I was forced back to the present moment again.
“A1579!” a voice shouted. It blared from the megaphone.
In a terrifying reminder, my blood ran cold as the number echoed in my mind nonstop. A1579. A1579. A1579. My pulse pounded in my chest. I didn’t understand how it was still pumping, still demanding life. I had nothing left.
“That’s you,” Evan said, drawing attention to us, pulling me up to my feet.
“No! Evan, I can’t, I—I can’t go in there!” I stammered in panic. When the guard approached, he pulled me away from him.
“You have to.” He hesitated to release my hand.
“Miss, follow me,” a guard behind me ordered as he grabbed my bag.
“No! I can’t do this! Stop!” Evan looked hurt at my unwillingness to cooperate. “Please!” I screamed. The remaining eyes in the warehouse stared in my direction.
“It’s okay. We’re just going to give you something for the anxiety...” a guard said, raising a needle to my arm.
“Aubrey, just go,” Evan choked, trying to keep a steadiness to his voice as the frustration cascaded his gaze.
“No!” I screamed again as the officer injected me with a temporary relaxant. I tried to fight the guards off, but I was weakening by the second.
As I was escorted away, I drifted off into an exhaustive state. Glancing back, I hoped to see Evan one last time, but to my disappointment, he was already out of sight.
♦ ♦ ♦
I was led into a dark room, a fluorescent light flickering in the center of the ceiling above us, much like the tiny containment room at the hospital. A panel of five government officials sat behind a long table, the light too dim to recognize their faces. The guards released me, taking a mere step back as the stale air chilled me. I was fully alert now, my heart racing and my breathing uncontrollable.
“Aubrey Rae... Adams, is that right?” a man asked, stepping forward into the light. His voice was loud and authoritative, his skin pale. The sharpness of his bone structure resembled a skeleton—angular, alien-like in shape. The color of his suit seemed strangely familiar. I stared, suddenly petrified by the overabundance of guards in my peripheral vision.
“Y-yes, that’s correct,” I lied, swallowing my tears.
“Forgive me, but I must inform you that your previous qualification into Colony 6 has been… revoked.” His voice taunted me, his vision a lie detector, a suspicion lingering on the edge of his glance.
“What are you talking about?” I heaved.
“You see Ms. Adams, we believe you are not who you say you are,” he said. My heart stopped. “According to our database, your last name, Adams, is not the name given to you at birth. Your identity was changed just weeks before the disappearance of Andrew Ellis. Now what would explain that?” he asked in sarcasm.
I forced my eyes closed, sure I’d wake up from this nightmare. Only this time, when I opened them, he and the panel remained in front of me. Certain my cover had been blown, I stood still, unsure of what my next move would be. Just then, the man took another step forward. His uniform was an indigo blue, and upon closer viewing was an embroidered patch that read “NASA - Colony 6” stitched into it. The name “Edwin S. Malcolm” su
rrounded a red sun symbol in the middle. Edwin. The man who made the discovery. The man who withheld the truth.
His eyes stayed dead set on me as I contemplated my escape.
“Prove it,” I hissed. The man chuckled.
“I was the director of the Solar Dynamics Observatory before the collapse. I’ve been hunting your family for over fifteen years. We know who you are, Aubrey Ellis. And your father will pay for what he’s done,” he said. I grimaced, swallowing back my fear. But this time, something inside me snapped.
“My father tried to save us before you let the world die,” I burst out, my breathing heavier. I looked around at the eyes surrounding me, accusing and unforgiving.
“What your father did was destroy this world, Ms. Ellis. This war may have been prevented had he not committed treason against our government. Had Andrew not intervened, you and your family could have lived out your lives in peace, people could have died… calmly, unknowingly and unaware, as they were supposed to,” he stated. I shook my head, my voice cracking, my eyes in tears.
“Peace? You think keeping us from the truth would have kept us at peace? Your secret enslaved us in ignorance. Those years we lost to secrecy could have been spent preparing. They gave up on the people long before this—before we woke up to their lies!”
“Your father caused the early death of millions of innocent Americans by revealing top secret knowledge. Keeping our knowledge secret prevented our world from falling into collapse,” he said.
“No! Your secrets are what led our world into collapse, not my father. My father wanted as many of us to survive this as possible. Not just a select few,” I scowled. He smirked, shaking his head.
The Luminosity Series (Book 1): Luminosity Page 25