The Uprising (The Julianna Rae Chronicles)

by Aral Bereux

  ‘Yes Sir!’

  Taris checked the time again. ‘Everything.’

  ‘Sir, if we see them, what are our orders?’

  Taris smiled, to hell with the General. ‘Kill them.’

  ‘The girl?’

  Taris narrowed his eyes. The caves behind him were there.

  ‘Kill them all.’

  CHAPTER 6

  3rd May, 2018, 0700 hours.

  The Caves of Devils Canyon.

  ‘They’ve gone,’ Daniel slumped in front of the fire. ‘But they came close; we need to be careful moving out when we do.’

  Bas nodded. He stared at the flames dancing low in the cave and the smoke floating along a breeze to the lower chasms. The waterfall’s crash of water rose above their spell, their ability to conceal themselves waned as the early rise of the sun reached where they sat. Bas nodded again with his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed on the cigarette he held between his fingers.

  ‘So who asked for him to be Julianna’s watcher, or has he self-appointed again?’

  Bas shrugged. ‘Does it really matter? He is who he is and the rest is none of your business.’

  ‘Devo said there were issues with him at the camp, after I left.’

  ‘Caden never laid a finger on her.’

  ‘Not what I heard,’ Daniel moved his gaze to Julianna.

  ‘We’ve heard a lot about you too, Danny. Let’s leave it at that before it gets ugly, because right now I’m your only friend in this place.’

  Daniel disagreed. ‘Once this is done, Julianna comes with me.’

  ‘No, once this is done, she stays with Caden until she’s initiated. It’s what your father wants, and it’s her duty. She has higher callings now. She doesn’t belong to herself anymore. She belongs to us, to the High Order.’

  Daniel lowered his tone as Devo stirred beside them. ‘It’s her decision.’

  Bas leaned over Devo and whispered for her to keep sleeping. The young girl muttered and rolled over in restless slumber.

  ‘It’s not right, what you’re doing,’ Daniel said. ‘What we’re doing.’

  ‘Just like it’s not right about what you have in your jacket pocket, and that you took a hit while you were on watch for us all. Shall I tell Caden about how wrong his actions are, or are you keeping your mouth shut?’

  The couple sleeping in their corner were oblivious to the world, still deep in their dreams.

  Daniel closed his mouth and scratched at the fresh mark in the crook of his arm. A trickle of blood flowed freely before he could mop it away with a finger.

  Bas smoked his cigarette in silence, baring his glare on Daniel while he held his arm until the puncture wound disappeared.

  Caden tightened his grip around Julianna’s waist with the blankets half kicked away. Julianna in her sleep tried prying his fingers curling into her skin.

  ‘Yeah, just so you know I’m scrutinizing your every fucking move.’

  She yelped and sat upright, startling Caden into a daze as he looked around the cave. Julianna thumped him in the shoulder with a closed fist before lying down again.

  Daniel responded with his one finger sticking proudly high about his knuckles at Caden.

  ‘Bas, bring us another lot of penicillin. Her fever’s broken, let’s keep it that way,’ Caden said.

  ‘Nah.’ Julianna whispered from his jacket. ‘I feel much better, I’m good now.’

  ‘We need you light on your feet, J Rae. We have to move out today, can’t afford your fever returning and I said it’s broken, not gone.’

  ‘Caden’s right, Julianna. Let him do this,’ Daniel said with a sigh.

  She sat in the blankets beside him, ‘Christ, how long have we been here?’ her reality returned. She studied the cave they hid in, still dark, but for the line of light breaking through the waterfall.

  The surroundings opened, the darkness left and the muffled noise of water crashing over rock rose in volume as Caden lazily stumbled from their bed.

  She sprung to her feet and ran to the edge to survey the outside world. The grounds below were empty and hazed in an orange cast from the rise of the sun and the dipping of the moon.

  She looked over her shoulder, wide-eyed. ‘There’s fresh boot prints down there.’

  ‘They’re gone, saw them leave myself. Taris left with them.’ Daniel said.

  ‘Taz was with them?’ She spun around. ‘Why are we here then? We need to leave. Right now! He’s too close!

  ‘Something you’re not telling us, J Rae?’ Caden stretched and accepted the injection from his brother.

  ‘If he was searching this place, it means he’s still watching from a distance. There’ll be men out there waiting for us. They’ll be there with orders.’

  Julianna scanned over the tops of the trees to the lower grounds, and rocks. She searched for the hint of a shine glinting in the early sunrise, from a barrel of a rifle pointing in their direction, and didn’t stop until the sharp jab of the needle under her skin broke her attention.

  ‘Why so worried?’ Caden quickly rubbed the puncture wound, healing it with his touch. He peered out through the gaps between the rock face, following the water down to the ledges below, until it reached its final place in the lake.

  ‘Because he knows where we are,’ she said quietly.

  ‘If he knew, we’d be in a camp, or dead. We’ve been here all night, he’s been and gone, we’re safe,’ he said quietly.

  ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘He knows we’re here. Concealed or not, he knows and it’s a matter of time before he comes back. We can’t sit around here and wait for nightfall again.’

  ‘We can, and we will.’

  ‘I don’t want to, and I won’t.’

  ‘You’re not Commander, I am,’ Caden said. ‘And unless you want to tell me how you’re so certain he’ll return to this location, I suggest you keep your mouth shut for now.’

  ‘You’re not my Commander.’

  ‘Arguable, but one thing’s for sure. I’m your watcher. That gives me a certain authority, don’t you think?’

  ‘In your dreams, perhaps.’ She said and glanced at the prisoner still unconscious. ‘Seems I have the final say in some things after all.’

  Caden glanced at the prisoner behind them, and lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘I get that you’re the alpha chick here, I really do,’ he smirked and glanced behind to make sure their conversation was private. The others were organizing bags and weapons. ‘But as long as you sleep in this camp, and as long as I keep saving your sorry ass, and as long as I’m your watcher, you’ll follow my command. How many times do I have to explain to you that you have a lot to learn, and a lot of arrogance to let go?’

  She stared at him.

  ‘I like you better when you’re sick.’ he teased and looked past her shoulder, to the world outside. ‘Bas, hand us your rifle.’ Caden returned to Julianna. ‘We move out the moment it dusks. I need to know you can fight tonight, if we have too.’

  ‘Moving west is stupid. We barely made it past a small road block; Taz will be ready this time. He’ll be waiting.’

  ‘I won’t be cornered like a rat, and if you call him Taz one more time, I’ll send you flying into that lake below us. He ain’t no friend of yours.’ Caden grabbed the rifle Bas held out to him, and raised it.

  ‘Anything?’

  ‘Shut the fuck up, J Rae,’ he said quietly and squinted into the scope.

  ‘No one…or is there?’ he walked to the fire. ‘You need to earn your spot in my camp as a senior. Earn your keep and we’ll discuss it.’

  ‘You’re an asshole, you know that?’

  He lowered the rifle, handing it to her. ‘You keep point for the next few hours. If we’re clear, we’ll move on your call.’

  * * *

  Julianna sat on the edge, flicking the water over her warm skin. The rock was cool to lean against, but the rifle was heavy, and she’d taken a break from scoping the spaces below her, convinced they were alone. She leaned he
r head to watch Caden count the spare boxes of ammunition, before dividing them into four tidy piles for them all. She was the only one without a side arm and she was happy with that, though she admired the rifle she held, knowing it was Bastiaan’s personal one. He had fine taste in rifles, and she ran her hand along the black stock before lowering to her stomach, to take point again.

  Caden crouched beside her. His tone was low and his eyes the same, while they stared past the ledge. ‘Tell me why you call him Taz.’

  She scanned down the scope. ‘I’m a mystery to you, after last night?’

  ‘You’re trying hard to conceal something from me. I think I should know about it.’ He nodded out to the openness. ‘We clear to move yet?’

  Julianna looked around uneasily.

  ‘What’s wrong, J Rae? Can’t make the big decisions?’ He laughed quietly. ‘You managed to make them at the skirmish. Took a prisoner and all, went against my command,’ he left her to the thought, he was still angry.

  This isn’t a game, she thought. She glanced over her shoulder as best she could, at Caden meeting Bastiaan for a quiet discussion. Daniel helped Devo zip the only ammunitions bag they had left. Their camp was ready to move, what was left of it since the skirmish. Now they waited on her to give the order.

  Julianna looked through the scope for what she hoped was the last time from the ledge. Taris wasn’t far from her mind, picturing him planning and scheming, plotting his next move, studying any heightened emotion she released, though unintended, and she felt a shift in their bond; a powerful change, fearing it wasn’t for the better of the Rebellion.

  The new World Order just got their prize.

  It coursed through her body like a static.

  What the hell are you playing at, Taz? What are you doing now?

  A glint bounced into her cross hairs.

  Fuck!

  She looked down the scope again, wanting to call out for their opinion, but fearing retribution or worse, if they were watching her from the other end, in the trees. She had no choice, this decision was hers to make, and to make alone. A second wasted could cost a life. There was no time for consultation, and if she was wrong, she’d wear the consequences with Caden Madison yet again.

  She studied the shine uneasily. The glint moved into her scope, there was no mistaking the man crouched behind a tree, staring back at her through his own rifle scope. The sweat broke along her back as she breathed deeply and steadied her aim. Her heart pounded in her chest, and everything else went silent.

  Her finger moved gently over the trigger. She focused on becoming part of the rifle’s extension, as Taris had taught her, so long ago. She had one chance.

  She pulled the trigger and watched as the man fell in the bushes. The birds in the trees above him scattered in fright, and Caden cursed behind her, at the crack of gun fire ringing in his ears.

  She moved the rifle to the left, drew another breath and found the second target scrambling for the dead body, still clutching the sniper. She exhaled. She focused.

  The trigger engaged.

  The body dropped.

  Indeed, she thought, as she looked over at Caden boring down his glare, with his hand on his own weapon. Bastiaan was preparing a second rifle, but their camp was in shock.

  Her lips curled at the corners. ‘We’re clear to move, Commander.’

  CHAPTER 7

  3rd May, 2018, 0900 hours.

  The Gate House, Sector #4

  The worn steps took more weight as the single file of black uniforms marched below the street level. Crowds posted curiously and at a safe distance, across the street, exchanging hushed voices; discussing the heavy presence. The Militia rarely grouped in Sector Four. The drones hovered, keeping the crowds on the pavement across the road, hoarding them like livestock, threatening them with red lasers when the need arose, taking random scans.

  The patrol waited obediently, staggered around the entry with rifles pointed. The black paintwork peeled more with every touch on the iron banister, and after their Commander arrived, parts were stripped bare.

  Taris stepped from his vehicle and admired the sign above the pavement. He nodded to the crowds past his shoulder, acknowledging their whispers.

  The Commander is here.

  He examined the drones’ positions above his head, buzzing readily, searching for the next kill

  Why is he here? Quick children, move along. We need to go now.

  He smiled. Yes, move along now. Nothing to see.

  The crowds heard his whisper, some left, and some chose to stay. The Senate had held their promise, and the new strength running through his body surged like electricity. He felt young again, like he felt after his initiation.

  What a stunning day to behold.

  He raised his face to the sun and closed his eyes. The smell of Sector Four curled around him and he grimaced. Maybe not so beautiful. He ambled across the road with his hands swinging casually next to the weapons strapped against his sides. He made his way down the stairs, moving his shoulders to keep his own space from the soldiers, and casually turned the handle of the glass door in front. He usually left the outer Sectors to their own demise, coming here was a risk worth taking.

  It was locked. He smiled, and gave his command with a quiet nod.

  The door splintered on the first kick, and the second crashed it open, giving the swarm of Militia a wide hole to run through. They filed in, organized and with intent, circling the bar. Their rifles clicked simultaneously as they aimed them toward the man behind it.

  Hal looked up in his shock. ‘Darn look what you done to my door. Get out I say.’ He raised the hand that grasped a cleaning cloth, to steal the weapons from their possession.

  ‘Uh ah, old man. Lower that hand,’ Taris ordered. ‘Right now, or I get nasty.’

  Taris sauntered into the center of the room, dressed in full uniform, his gold chain hung around his neck, his boots polished to a high sheen. He held a rifle with one hand, using his shoulder to support its aim at Hal’s chest. His other hand raised, and with a smile, he commanded the old man’s hands down to his sides with a quiet chant. The cloth dropped to the floor.

  ‘Now there’s a sight,’ Hal said.

  ‘It has been a long time, agreed.’ Taris lowered the rifle ‘Be a good man, and get us a drink.’

  ‘It’s against the Articles to sell hard liquor,’ Hal bent over for his cloth.

  Taris raised his rifle. ‘Hands where I can see them.’

  Hal straightened and rested his hands on the counter between them. His fingers splayed. ‘Me thinks you be searching for somebod.’

  ‘Any idea where they are?’ Taris looked back at his officers forcing Hal’s company into chairs, lining them along the far wall beneath the peeling paint. Their guns were cocked, ready for the command to fire at a point blank range.

  Hal shook his head. ‘Nope.’

  ‘Wanting trouble, Hal?’ Taris ran his hand over the polished wood, stopping at the only chip in the counter. He admired it.

  ‘Nope, Commander.’

  ‘Commander now?’ Taris looked at his surrounding men. ‘He called me Commander,’ Taris returned his cold glare to Hal. ‘I remember the day you gave me a flogging for back answering you.’ Taris walked along the side of the counter, running his hand along it as he went. ‘You remember that, when I was a slip of a kid? You told me to toughen the-fuck-up.’ He leaned over, peering at the line of alcohol on the back shelf.

  ‘I remember,’ Hal said. His curtness was noted, watching Taris with his black eyes.

  Taris sauntered back, retracing his steps, with his fingers still sliding along the soft wood, and stopped at the notch in the counter, again. ‘I’d like to now thank you for that day.’ He raised his hands, the rifle pointed to the ceiling. ‘What do you think – am I tough enough now?’

  Hal thinned his lips. The troops behind the commander waited with their rifles poking into the Rebels, who had worked closely with Daniel. He knew what was coming and it wa
s no surprise. The sudden rise of power, the abilities gifted upon the young showing promise to the cause. He lowered his gaze to the hand resting before him, toying with the hole in the wood and sighed. This visit was anticipated.

  ‘She’s been here,’ Taris said. ‘When?’

  ‘Three days past, left with Daniel for the country looking for yer cousins.’

  ‘Dealing with the fugitives’ old man. Should’ve turned them in when you had the chance.’ Taris raised the rifle, dancing the laser beam along the line of Hal’s neck.

  ‘I’m at peace with my doin’s, Commander,’ Hal raised his hands. ‘Do what needs doin.’

  ‘Sure,’ Taris said casually. ‘Kill them.’

  Flashes of gun fire danced in the mirror behind the bar. A shit-eating grin plastered across Taris’s face, as the shots left a bloodied mess trailing the walls and windows.

  Hal shook his head mournfully. ‘Good men cut down in seconds, unarmed, no fair fight.’

  ‘Now, old man, any idea where this safe house might be?’

  ‘There is no safe house,’ Hal still looked at the bludgeoned bodies beside the wall.

  ‘I keep hearing there is,’ Taris said. ‘Tell me now and I’ll spare your precious granddaughter.’

  Hal shook his head. ‘She knows nothin’ of her bloodlines. Let the gal live her life as a norm if she wants to.’

  Taris reached over the counter. Hal’s loose fitting shirt on his fine frame was easily pulled over the polished wood. Hal landed heavily onto the floor near his feet. The rifle pointed down at his head, and Taris rested the barrel against his wispy grey hair.

  ‘The Council won’t stand her death, youngling.’

  ‘I am the Council, Hal,’ he crouched low, moving the weapon under his arm again. ‘Didn’t you hear? Douglas Cathan is dead. The balance of power swings with me. I am the Council, I will be the Senate, and you know I usually get what I want.’

  Hal’s eyes moved underneath his bulldog wrinkles. The thought of an imbalance on the Old Council chilled him to the core. Times were changing again, to the old ways, and not for the better. He clung to the hope of Caden. Taris had no idea. His grimace changed to a curl in his lips and Taris pulled back.