The trooper caught up with his shadow, stepping into the alleyway carrying a sack. Did he intend to place it over my head so he could take me to Stone? So nobody would know the prize he had within his clutches?
I backed away until the wall prevented me from going any further. I really was trapped. The only thing I could do was fight him and he was professionally trained.
He stopped in front of me. His words were whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you. I brought you some food, thought you might be hungry.”
The sack opened as he held it up for me to see inside. There were apples and a small loaf of bread inside. My stomach danced at seeing the items.
I looked between him and his haul, wondering if this was part of the trap. Perhaps I was only to get so close to him before he grabbed me and forced me away. I had seen much worse done by troopers in the past.
“Come on, you must be hungry.” He pulled out the loaf of bread and held it out to me. My mouth watered. I could taste the sweetness already.
Still, I would not take anything from him.
Not until I knew what he wanted in return.
He replaced the loaf in the sack. “Can you speak?”
“Yes.” My voice came out raspy.
“My name is Reece. What is your name?”
Even this simple question was a trap. Makers did not honor our names. They didn’t even acknowledge we had them. If ever they referred to us, it was by our Maker’s name. I would be Portia Stone’s clone. Not Wren.
I wasn’t human enough to have a name. None of us were.
The trooper shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just thought it would be nice if we knew each other’s names.”
Reece.
I rolled his name around in my head, felt it on the tip of my tongue. It was nice, strong like him. It was a name that didn’t come from nature. It was the name of a human.
His dark eyes watched my every move. They were anything but cold and harsh like the other troopers. They were a warm green, burning with curiosity and sympathy.
“Wren.” My name left me unbidden. I had not intended on saying anything to this man. But he seemed to draw things from me, already having my obedience by waiting for him and now my name, too.
“Wren,” he repeated. The word sounded different when spoken by him. Light and airy, like a real wren. Not heavy and weighted like when those at the village spoke it. “That’s pretty. Do you sing? Is that why they called you that?”
“No.”
“Okay. Would you like the food?” I shook my head and he placed the sack at my feet. “Maybe you’ll feel like it later. It’s all yours, I promise.”
He took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. Seeing his white uniform caused instant panic inside. I swallowed it down, trying to stay alert to what he might do to me.
“Everyone should be gone soon. Today’s mission is almost complete,” Reece said. I supposed it was intended to be comforting.
Somehow, it wasn’t.
“What do you want?” I asked. I would show him no weakness, prove that I was a Defective that might put up a fight if he started to hurt me.
“To be honest, I don’t know.” He laughed quietly. “When I saw you, I guess I just thought… I don’t know. Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
Maybe the food was poisoned?
“You’re the president’s trooper. How can I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t trust anyone.” Perhaps that was the first honest thing he had said to me. “Everybody is out to get you. Don’t for a second trust one person in this city.”
“So you’re going to take me to her, then?”
Reece bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes never leaving mine. “Not a chance. I want you to run.”
My head started shaking. “There’s nowhere for me to go.”
“You have to find somewhere,” he said, the steel in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. “Staying in Aria is going to ensure your death. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not.” How could he even think that was an option for me? The city’s border wall was patrolled by guards all day, every day. Leaving wasn’t an option.
That didn’t mean I wanted to die.
“Then go, Wren. Leave and never come back.”
“I can’t get past the wall,” I put it bluntly. He was a trooper, after all. Surely he knew what his own comrades did on the walled borders? Their guns were twice as big as the others and they had the president’s permission to use brutal force.
Reece tore his gaze away from mine, staring at the dirty ground as he kicked a stone against the wall. He was agitated, it caused my own nerves to stand on end.
There was yelling in the distance, reminding us both that troopers were near. We could be caught at any time. I couldn’t imagine the consequences of that would be good for Reece. Even speaking kindly to a Defective was enough to receive ire from humans.
“You should go,” I whispered.
He looked back at me, his expression unreadable. Was this the moment when he decided my bounty was worth more than mercy? He was taller than me, easily able to overpower what meager struggle I could give.
I held my breath and waited.
There was no escape.
My heart beat hard in my chest.
Reece opened his mouth and I just about jumped with dread. “I think I can help you.”
“What?” I asked, wondering if I had heard correctly. Humans didn’t use those kinds of words with Defectives. Rarely even with Valid Clones.
“I’m working with some people, they might be able to help you leave the city and relocate.”
I didn’t believe him.
It wasn’t even possible.
Nobody left Aria unless they were in a body bag.
I shook my head. “No. Nope. You can’t. It’s impossible.”
A shriek cut through the air, slicing right through me until I was practically cleaved in two. My imagination ran wild with what could have caused that person to cry out like they did.
Reece glanced at the alley entrance before speaking to me again. “I can do it, I can help you. But I need some time. How can I contact you?”
“You can’t.” It was a trap. It had to be. Why capture just one Defective when they could be used to lead him to many?
“Wren, let me help you.”
“You can’t,” I repeated. Maybe eventually it would sink in. Had he already forgotten his own warning not to trust anyone that he issued only minutes earlier?
Another scream.
Another shiver down my spine.
“I have to go,” Reece said. “Just…” His words were lost as he abandoned his trail of thought. “Keep out of the warehouse district, okay? It’s too dangerous to hide out here.”
I remained silent as he took one last look at me and hurried out of the alleyway. I doubted I would ever see him again. He would quickly forget about me and his offer to help.
That’s what all humans did.
I sunk down onto the floor and huddled into the smallest ball I could manage. Pretending I was invisible, I waited there until no more sounds rang out in the streets.
By then, it was nightfall.
Reece may have been trying to trap or trick me, but I was certain he was correct when he told me to leave the warehouse district. The troopers could return the next day and every one of them afterwards, too.
Creeping to the end of the alley, the streets were silent and solemn. It was like the troopers had not only stolen the people but the air too. Everything was deathly still, the wind not even daring to breathe.
I stuck to the shadows and waited for the lonesome wolf in the white trooper’s uniform to jump out at me. He could be around every corner, behind every fence, and under each rock.
My feet moved swiftly as I scampered like a rodent along the streets. If I could have travelled through the sewers like a rat I might have seriously considered it.
It seemed to take
too long to leave the district. I had no plans for my next location. Going deeper into the city was a possibility. Aria would either swallow me up or it would spit me out. But the risk was too high.
I considered returning to the Defectives’ village but that would put them all at risk. I was wanted nowhere, welcome in even fewer places.
My mind was lost in the darkness as I quickly lost track of where I was going. Lights were few and far between, giving me a false sense of security.
My body collided with another.
I went to open my mouth to scream but a hand clamped down on it too quickly.
He had caught me.
Chapter 7: Wren
I struggled and wriggled in the man’s strong grip but it was pointless. He was much taller than me and I was already weary from the long day.
This was it.
The moment I was caught and taken to President Stone.
“Wren, shhh,” the man whispered, his warm breath brushing my ear. “It’s me. I’ll let you go but don’t scream. Someone might hear and catch us.”
My body went still as recognition rattled through my bones.
Rocky.
I remained as still as a shadow until he withdrew his arm from around me. I spun to see the outline of his familiar silhouette. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing? Looking for you,” he replied. I couldn’t see his face through the darkness but I would have bet a month’s worth of dinners that he was smiling. “Where have you been?”
“Hiding.”
“All day?”
“Troopers were on a mission in the area. I couldn’t go anywhere.” Still, I kept Reece’s presence a secret. Why? What did I have to gain from keeping that to myself?
I didn’t have an answer.
Rocky rubbed my arms. “You poor thing. Come back to the village and have something to eat. I bet you’re starving.”
“I can’t return there.”
“But—”
“Not tonight, Rock. I need to stay away for some time,” I insisted.
“Then where do you want to go?” There was a resigned sigh in Rocky’s voice. He knew when to argue with me and when to let it go. I loved him for that.
There was only one place I could think to go for the night. It might have been stupid, but I couldn’t get Reece’s words out of my head. “I want to go to the wall and watch the patrols.”
“That’s crazy, Wren.”
I was expecting that.
“I’m going to have to consider leaving the city,” I explained, determined that it was my decision and nothing to do with the trooper’s order. “I’m going to need a way to cross the wall. Maybe watching the patrols will show their weaknesses.”
Rocky didn’t hesitate in replying. “If you’re leaving Aria then I am too. It’s what I’ve wanted all along. Let’s go.”
He looped his arm with mine, keeping us together in the darkness of the night. We had a long way to walk until we reached the city limits. My limp slowed us down until we were no faster than a painful walk.
We chose an abandoned building for our lookout. Climbing up three flights of decrepit stairs until we reached a window with the glass long shattered, we hid in the shadows and sat on the floor.
The wall was a hundred meters in front of us. A high concrete fence that stretched right up into the sky separated Aria from the rest of the country. Electronic gates were secured with locks operated from the guard posts either side.
Every part of it hummed with the current of electricity coursing through the steel wire loop at the top. One small touch was enough to shock someone into an early grave.
“Five guards for one gate,” Rocky pointed out. “It’s impossible to get through them.”
That’s what I always thought too.
Impossible.
Border controls were designed to be impenetrable. President Stone made sure nobody left without her expressed permission. Every possibility was carefully considered and counter measures implemented.
Truly impossible without help.
“We could stow away in a car,” I replied. “Or drug the guards, somehow.”
“All cars are searched and we’d never get anywhere near a guard to drug them. Our plan may as well be to walk right through the gates while we’re dreaming.”
“Or shoot them with their own guns.”
Rocky snorted. “I’m sure their weapons are easy enough to operate. It doesn’t take much brainpower to be a guard.”
My mind instantly conjured up images of Reece. He wasn’t stupid, his eyes were a well of intelligence hiding behind his green irises. I pushed the thought away, maybe he wasn’t too smart considering he was speaking with a Defective only earlier.
“Do you really think we can get out?” Rocky asked, quiet now as reality of the task ahead of us stirred to life.
“I think it might be my only option.” I sighed. “But you don’t have to come with me. You should stay in the village. At least you’ll have food and shelter. Out there… there are no guarantees.”
“Yeah, wait here until my Maker calls me in. I’ve got a death sentence too, Wren. Even if I could live without you, I wouldn’t live for long if I stayed in the village. I’ve wanted to leave for ages, it was always you being the sensible one and telling me it was just a dream.”
My hand found Rocky’s in the darkness and we threaded our fingers together. He was right, every clone had a time limit until we were called in for our Maker. It was only a matter of time and Defectives had even less than Valid Clones.
We watched the patrols for most of the night.
There were never less than five guards patrolling the wall, sometimes even more when they changed shifts. If the metal barriers were electrified, going over them wasn’t an option.
That only left the gates. We would need to find a way to go through the heavily guarded gates and earn our freedom on the other side.
They would never let us leave.
The answer was not going to be found tonight. I fell asleep against Rocky’s shoulder sometime in the early morning hours. We awoke to find daylight shining into our eyes as it breached the horizon.
I stretched, forcing my limbs to embrace the blood flow of movement. Rocky’s eyes blinked open. “Good morning.”
“We fell asleep.” I nodded as Rocky pushed himself up. “I’m starving. When was the last time you ate?”
“I can’t remember,” I said honestly. Hunger was just the usual state of my stomach. I wished I hadn’t left the sack of food Reece had given me in the alley. Perhaps they weren’t poisoned like I’d suspected.
“Let’s go back to the village.”
“I can’t. They—” I cut myself off, feeling the familiar stirrings of shame as they swirled to the surface.
Rocky took a step closer, not letting me off the hook. “They what? Tell me, Wren.”
“They asked me to leave,” I blurted out, unable to come up with a lie quick enough. I should have thought more carefully before I spoke. It was reckless of me to be so free with my words.
His eyebrows shot skyward with disbelief. “They what? They can’t do that to you. You have as much right to be in the village as everyone else. This is wrong.”
I touched his arm, stopping his tirade. “No, it’s right. I’m a threat to them and the new delivery meant more troopers would have been around. I had to stay away. It was for the best of everyone.”
“Not the best for me. You should have told me you were going.”
“You’re safer without me.”
“Don’t, Wren. We’ve been over this before.”
We had.
Many times.
Rocky refused to leave me which I was immensely happy about. But also saddened by. He deserved a better life than being my best friend. He could be left alone until his time came.
But he would never see sense and do what was best for him. I had to accept that as his decision, even if I thought it was the wrong one.
&
nbsp; “Look,” Rocky started. “Come back and get some food. Then we’ll get our stuff and leave for good. We’ll find a place to stay until we have a plan for crossing the wall. Okay?”
“Okay,” I conceded. If nothing else, returning to the village would be good for picking up supplies. I’d risked my neck raiding the mansion for food, I may as well enjoy the spoils I’d stolen.
I kept my head down while we walked, trying my best not to noticeably limp so it wasn’t as obvious that we were Defectives. Humans normally gave us a wide berth but they knew to look out for the girl with the gimp leg who resembled President Stone.
We managed to make it to the village without incident, blending into the city like we were a part of it rather than actually only living in it.
I spotted Sunny only a moment after she spotted me. Twig wasn’t in her arms, hopefully that meant he was in someone else’s care rather than succumbing to his defects.
“Glad to see you,” Sunny said, her smile matching her name. “We’ve just received a food delivery, stay and eat.”
I waited until Rocky moved to take up the offer before I replied. “Is it okay that I’m here? I won’t stay long.”
“I know you won’t put us in jeopardy for only an hour.” Sunny nodded toward Rocky, now heartily eating a moldy bread roll. “I see he found you. You should have known you couldn’t hide from him for long.”
“I’m going to get him killed.”
“And leaving him behind will hurt him more. Death is final but pain lasts a very long time.” Sunny gave me a small hug, squeezing me tight with her good arm. “Now eat. You’re as thin as a rake.”
My stomach growled at just seeing the food. Someone had lit a small fire, calling all the Defectives in the village to the meeting place. We normally tried not to gather in one place very often but a food delivery was the exception.
Troopers left us alone to eat. They knew we needed to stay alive so we could die on their terms. Once a month they brought us all the food that wasn’t fit for consumption by the humans. Stale bread, moldy cheese, sometimes even expired milk. The food was the off-casts, just like us.
Two Beating Hearts Page 6