“By a program. One simple computer program designed by one of Razi’s minions. And its only installed on one computer in the entire facility,” Tommy said.
The realization hit me and I staggered back. “We could take down the entire Awakened force? But how?”
“If you shut down the program, completely, basically destroying it, you kill everyone Awakened out there. This doesn’t make them dormant. This kills them. Period. You won’t be able to use those chips again. They basically burn up. Shutting down the program would basically take down most of Razi’s force.”
I shook my head trying to clear it of the overwhelming possibility of stopping the Awakened. These stupid things had only existed for a little over a year now, but it had felt like an eternity. It was hard to remember that there was a time when they didn’t exist, when they weren’t the threat around every corner.
“So you want us to get into Sekhmet and not only save Ash, but also, somehow, take this program down?” I asked carefully as if speaking to a child.
Tommy nodded but before he could continue, Liam spoke up. “Taking out the Awakened isn’t exactly taking out Sekhmet.”
“True,” Tommy conceded. “But you were just trying to get Ash out. This is simple, small, something that she won’t be expecting. She’ll be prepared for a full attack, but not this. It may not take down the entire operation but she’s going to be crippled, big time, if the Awakened aren’t functional anymore. They’re terrifying and they’re everywhere. She has the control because she has them. She’ll be scrambling and maybe then, it’ll leave an opening for someone to come in and take it down, for real.”
I let this sink in. It was unknown how many Awakened were out there. I had taken a fair few of them out myself but it was nothing compared to the large number that existed. Shutting them down may not completely shut down Sekhmet but it would give whoever was left a better chance at survival. Hoover wouldn’t have to be on the move all the time. They could settle, and create their own community without having to constantly change locations.
“You don’t even know if this is possible, Tommy. It’s a wonderful idea. But there’s nothing that guarantees we can actually accomplish that” I scoffed, my arms folded tightly across my face. “It’s a lot of what if’s.”
“It’s no different than you storming in to rescue Ash, except now you have four more people going with you. Not only that, you have someone who worked there for years. I know that place like the back of my hand. You have an insider.” He sighed. “Besides, I know how to take down the program.”
There was a long moment of shocked silence.
“And how exactly do you know how to do that?” Astrid finally spoke up.
Tommy smirked, looking more like the cocky and self-assured guy I knew from Sekhmet. “Because my dad is the one that created it.”
There were so many questions that were spiraling through my head. This new revelation was just another piled on top of all the other new information he’d provided. I cradled my face in my palms, rubbing my temples with my fingertips. My head was beginning to pound and I was feeling only slightly overwhelmed.
“Zoey?” Liam sounded worried. I looked up, pushing my hair back and managing a small smile.
“Do you really think this is possible? You guys really think that we can sneak into Sekhmet, save Ash and shut down the entire Awakened operation?” I asked, my voice small, glancing around the tent. Kris and Greg were watching us with interest, and while their opinions somehow mattered to me, it was Liam and Astrid that I was most concerned with.
“I wouldn’t have spent the past three days discussing this with Tommy and considering how it could help you if I didn’t think that it had a legitimate shot at working,” Greg offered up, his hands wide.
Kris nodded. “This is true.” She sighed, her arms folded tightly across her chest. “I’m not one for fools’ errands. No offense. But I’ve heard what Tommy has in mind and I think its solid. If we’re careful, I think we can do this.”
I looked over at Liam and Astrid. Astrid looked unsure, but steady. Whatever happened, she was going to be ready for it. But it was Liam that calmed me. He was looking back at me without a whisper of doubt on his features. He was always confident when it came to me. He always believed in me. I sometimes wished I would see myself the way he did: strong, unwavering, a survivor. He didn’t need to say anything. I knew he believed in me and I knew he believed in us.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s do it.”
***
WE SPENT ALL day in that tent, planning. Tommy wasn’t lying when he said he had extensive knowledge about Sekhmet. He had spent years working for Razi. He was a lot older than I had originally thought. In Sekhmet, I’d pegged him for maybe twenty years old but he’d spent the last eight years working for Razi, starting when he was eighteen.
He had a solid plan. It was broken down in steps; sneaking in, breaking into the room where Ash was sure to be kept, shutting down the program. We went over it again and again and again. He quizzed us until I was ready to sock him in the face. It was excruciating to go over the details repeatedly but Tommy was relentless. The better that we knew the plans, including every twist and turn we needed to know inside the facility, the less mistakes that could be made.
We couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
The plan was good but it required us to be nothing less than perfect. If anything went wrong, there was little to no chance that we could accomplish what we set out to do.
So despite the fact that it was a tedious task, I tried my best not to lose my temper with Tommy. We repeated the steps again and again, only taking breaks to have meals.
It was decided, agreed upon by all of us, that we would leave the next day. We could have continually gone over the plan but we wouldn’t be any more or less prepared than we already were. I was anxious to get in there and there was no use in postponing it.
We all went to bed that night, full of nerves and anticipation.
I tossed and turned in my sleeping bag for hours, unable to sleep. I felt a little like I was going into battle. I had no idea what was going to happen the next day and I had to be prepared for the worst. At the very absolute worst, I would die and even though I was prepared to do that in order to get Ash back, I wasn’t keen on the actual idea of it. Astrid’s uneven breathing next to me told me that she too was awake. I was tempted to talk to her, but I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would throw up.
Eventually I must have fallen asleep because my thoughts morphed into images. Nothing about my dreams was concrete. The images blurred together, faces and places, both from before the Awakened and after. I saw my best friend, Madison, who turned into Astrid, her stomach large, tears streaming down her face. Liam and Ash fought Awakened, which became my parents and Ash’s parents. I dreamt of Awakened ten feet tall. I dreamt of blood.
When I woke in the morning, I tasted copper on my tongue and realized I had bit my lip in my sleep. I wiped the blood from my lower lip, wiping it on my pants, and closed my eyes briefly. My heart was pounding relentlessly in my chest. When I had left Sanctuary in the middle of the night on a mission to rescue Ash, I’d been running on adrenaline and anger. Now, with the day upon us, I was terrified. I had fought hard to get out of that place, and now I was willingly going back in.
It’s for Ash, I reminded myself. You’re doing this for Ash. Ash was worth it.
I sighed, pushing the sleeping bag down my legs. I was covered in sweat, despite the cool early morning temperatures. Astrid was sound asleep beside me, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. I dressed quickly, throwing my dirty hair back in a ponytail. I crept out of tent, quietly, heading toward the middle of the camp.
The bonfire was still smoking slightly, and there were a few people gathered around it, despite that fact that it had to be about four in the morning. They all murmured quiet greetings to me, and turned their attention back to the pile of wood in front of them. They all looked distracted, and I
knew that they, like me, probably had way too much trouble sleeping nowadays.
I stayed there for about an hour, shivering in my borrowed jacket, sitting on the hard ground. I didn’t stir until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and saw Liam standing behind me. He was already dressed; the rifle he’d taken from Sanctuary strapped across his back. There were dark bags underneath his eyes and I knew he’d probably gotten as little sleep as I had. He looked ready though.
“Kris, Nathan, Erik and Tommy are waiting just outside the perimeter for us. Are you ready to go?” He offered his hand.
I nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull me up. “Wait.” I stopped and looked up at him. “Where’s Astrid?”
He hesitated before answering. “Zoey…”
“We’re sneaking off without her, aren’t we?” I said, filling in the blanks. Liam nodded. There was guilt in his eyes but his mouth was firm and stubborn. “Last time we tried to do that, she just caught up with us. Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Of course not,” he said, immediately. “Greg has someone that’s going to stick to her like glue. He’s already sitting in front of her tent now.” He sighed. “She’s going to be angry. She might never forgive me. But I couldn’t forgive myself.”
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling torn between the two. “Liam, I understand but…”
“But what?” He shot out and I took a step back. He looked sheepish. “Sorry. I just…I love her. And I want her to be safe. I don’t like the idea of her and the baby being anywhere near…”
I cut him off quickly. “Look, I get it. It’s probably the smart move. I don’t like the idea of Astrid being anywhere near Sekhmet either. I don’t like the idea of any of us being near there. But I’m starting to think that Razi let us all go because she knew that we would be coming back to her.” I sighed. “At least if she gets us, Astrid and the baby are safe.”
Liam’s shoulders slumped, relieved. “I’m so glad that you understand. I really didn’t want to have to fight you.”
I smiled. “We should leave before she wakes up then, so she can’t chase after us like last time,” I pointed out. He nodded and we both turned. “I will say this though, Liam, when we come back and she wants to beat the crap out of you, I will fully support her. Got that?”
Liam let out a short, barking laugh. “As you should. Let’s go.”
THE REST OF our group was waiting for us, patiently, outside of the camp. They each had their own weapons. Kris had the gun I’d stolen from Sanctuary in her hands and handed it over, along with the holster. I strapped it around my waist, feeling both comfort and dread at the heaviness weighing against my hip.
It was going to take us nearly all day to get to Sekhmet, especially since we had to go through the forest surrounding the facility. It would be all about the sneak attack. It was to our advantage to arrive at Sekhmet at night; the dark would provide much needed cover. However, it meant that we’d be walking all day, so we would stop more often. We didn’t want to be completely exhausted when we arrived.
We passed the Hoover sentries right away. They didn’t know the details of our plan or even where we were going. Greg had informed them that we were on our own mission and that details were on a need to know basis. They didn’t need to know, so they didn’t. They only needed to let us through. The two men on duty nodded to us, before turning their attention back to the forest around us. Everything was quiet and calm so when a voice rang out, it startled me.
“No! Dog, come back!”
The six of us turned around at the voice and I spotted a tail darting toward us in the tall grass. I took a step back as Dog launched himself at me, leaving drool all over my legs as he licked me. One of the sentries came running after him, looking exasperated.
“Sorry. Doesn’t really seem to understand most commands,” he said, reaching for the dog.
I shook my head, waving him off. “It’s fine.” I patted Dog on the head a couple times, feeling another pang in my chest at the memory of Bandit. “You want to go with us, boy?” Dog smiled up at me, his tail beating a heavy rhythm on the ground beneath him. “Sorry buddy, you gotta stay behind. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
The sentry grabbed dog by the mangy scruff at his neck and held on tight while we walked away. I glanced back once before we disappeared into the thickness of the trees and then sighed. Soon, hopefully, I wouldn’t have to keep leaving anything behind.
It took us more than a day to reach the forest that surrounded the Sekhmet compound. There was a buzz of nervousness surrounding us but it seemed like none of us wanted to talk about it. Instead, we talked about everything else. We told each other stories of life before the Awakened. Kris and Erik told us stories about their first year of college. Even Nathan spoke up a couple of times, talking about his job in a coffee shop back in Denver. It felt good to talk about those times, about simple things like school and jobs. At one point, the topic of conversation turned back to food and my mouth began to water. There was so much I missed. I was grateful to have a full belly at the end of each day but I missed things like pizza and tacos and hamburgers and cupcakes.
It felt like the first normal conversation I’d had in ages. Everything nowadays was about survival and the Awakened. At Sanctuary, conversations rarely ever happened and people looked uncomfortable when you brought up old times. It felt good to talk about it. Everyone had lost something. Everyone had lost someone.
These people understood what that felt like. And it only made me want to stay in Hoover more.
I could feel an ache building in my legs the more we moved. It had been so long since I’d done this much physical work. I’d lost a lot of the strength and resilience I’d had back in New York, taking various self-defense classes every single day. The sun was blazing and my poor skin was taking a beating. I knew I’d be sunburnt by the end of this trek. The sun setting was bliss and I welcomed the cool night breeze on my burning skin.
I noticed the difference right away. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it but I could feel it. The hairs on my arms stood on end and I was more careful as I walked, my eyes shifting around the endless forest. I knew the others noticed it too. Without saying anything, we all slowed, taking each step more deliberately than we did before. My eyes met Liam’s more than once as we scanned our surroundings.
That’s when I heard it. I held my hand up and everyone came to a halt. It was hard to hear, barely there, but I would recognize that sound anywhere. The low raspy breaths that warned of an Awakened attack haunted me in my nightmares every night.
“Where are they?” Kris whispered, her eyes darting about. It was hard to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. The moment I thought I figured out what direction they were in, I heard heavy breathing in another direction. The six of us created a circle, each facing a different direction. Liam slid his rifle off his shoulder, and the others reached for their weapons, ready.
There was a long moment where the only thing you could hear was the sound of our breathing and the slight movements of the Awakened hidden somewhere in the trees around us.
A burst of movement came from my left side, heading right toward Tommy “Tommy, duck!” I screamed, as no less than a dozen Awakened came sprinting out of the trees.
Tommy rolled out of the way, just as an Awakened went soaring toward him. He scrambled on his hands and knees for a moment before regaining his footing. An arm reached toward me and I whirled, grabbing the knife tucked into my boot, slicing through thick blue skin. The Awakened howled, staggering backward, and I took the opportunity to reach forward, my knife carving a clean line through his throat. His weight pitched forward and I kicked out, my foot landing squarely in the middle of his chest. He went down in a heap and I turned to face the next foe.
Two came at me at once, and I faltered for a moment. They were children. They couldn’t have been more than about thirteen years old when they had been alive. They even looked alike; they could have been brother and sister
. My hesitation cost me. They attacked from both sides and I dragged myself out of my shock too late. My left arm rose just in time to block the boy but the girl’s arms latched around me and we went crashing to the ground.
We wrestled back and forth. She was smaller than me, slim, but Awakened were strong and heavy. I remembered what the trainer back at Sanctuary had said about using my legs, how I always underestimated my strength. I always relied on my hands and arms to fight back and it always ended with me on my back and scars riddled across my skin.
I flexed my hips and pitched my body upwards. The girl’s black eyes widened in surprise and I just managed to see the flash of anger across her face before she fell backward. My gun was in my hands and I shot both of them. I hit the girl square in her forehead but I missed the boy, barely scraping the skin on his shoulder.
He smirked at me, his first and last mistake. I took that opportunity to shoot again and this time I hit my mark, blood spraying everywhere. I wiped it out of my eyes and turned to face my next opponent.
My heart was pounding by the time it was over. There was thick dark blood everywhere and I grimaced. There were bodies strewn across the ground but I was relieved when I saw that none of them were my companions. We all stared at each other, grim looks on our faces.
“That happened a lot sooner that I had expected,” Tommy said, his eyes roving over the mess around us. He had a cut on his arm that didn’t look too bad, but seemed unharmed otherwise. I was impressed. He had obviously learned to fight since leaving Sekhmet.
“What do you want to do about this mess?” Nathan said, wiping his blade on his jeans. He frowned.
“Just leave it,” Liam sighed. “If anyone’s around to find this, then they probably already heard us fighting. Let’s not waste any more time.”
“Zoey, you have a cut on your face,” Kris said, wiping her hand absently on her left cheek.
The Sanctuary Page 20