by Ruth Silver
The stranger pulled the knife from Joshua's foot. It dripped with blood as the man laughed darkly. He tossed it to the grass, his grip around Joshua's throat strangling him. The stranger leaned forward reaching Joshua's ear. "Do you know all the fun things I'm going to do with your girlfriend?"
"Let him go!" I shouted, grabbing the knife as I lifted it towards the man's throat.
"Or what?" He laughed, pushing off Joshua's body. I was relieved to see the rise and fall of his chest – he was still alive. With my attention on Joshua, he yanked the knife from my grip as I stumbled backwards. "Now, you've angered me," he seethed with dark eyes as he lunged at me with the blade. I fell backwards onto the grass. The man loomed above and bent down, trapping me against the cold hard ground. My arms flailed and feet kicked as I desperately fought back.
"Get the hell off me!" I screamed. "Joshua!" I shouted, pleading for help. I was trapped.
Gasping for air, Joshua stumbled slightly as he gripped a large rock, slamming it into the back of the outlaw’s head. It only took a second for the man to fall unconscious against me. "Help me up!" I didn't want to lie anywhere near the freak who had attacked us. Joshua rolled the man off my body, and I jumped and took a quick step backward. "We should get out of here before he wakes up."
"Not yet," Joshua shook his head. "Help me get his shirt off."
"What?" My eyes widened. "What are you doing?" I asked helping pull the shirt from the man's limp body. He was breathing, but he wasn't conscious.
"I need a bandage for my foot." He gestured towards the car. "Think you can drive?"
"Yes." I nodded, my hands visibly shaking. "Let me help," I insisted as I wrapped an arm around his waist and gently escorted him to the car. Once seated, Joshua took the shirt and ripped it into four strips. The first soaked through with blood as he wrapped it around his foot. He grabbed the second strip of cloth and continued bandaging his injury, tying the end off in a knot as he saved the last two pieces for later.
I grabbed the keys from him and waited until he had buckled in before I shut the door and rushed to the driver's side. "Let's go!" My attacker hadn't moved since Joshua had hit him over the head, but I didn’t want to hang around and find out if he would regain consciousness. I grabbed the pack from the backseat and handed it to Joshua. "You're in charge of directions," I instructed, backing the car away from the stream as we headed towards the mysterious town on the map.
CHAPTER 14
I knew we were close. Though the darkness had enveloped the city sky, the moonlight shone down on the buildings guiding me the last few miles to town. I glanced at Joshua, seeing his eyes closed, I didn't have the heart to wake him. I knew his foot hurt and the last thing I wanted was to remind him of that pain.
I stepped harder on the gas, thrilled we’d made it within sight of the village. I ached from being in the car so long. I craved a hot shower and a comfortable bed.
As we approached the town, Joshua stirred. "We there?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and seeing the town a hundred yards away. We were coming in fast, so I slowed down.
"Is there a guard entrance?" I couldn't find one. This town had no walls at all. I'd never seen a town like this, unafraid of the outside. Although I'd only seen two towns in all my life, Genesis and Haven, both had manned gates and walls protecting the people.
"Just head in there," he gestured towards one of the roads that looked well-traveled. I moved onto the grass and toward the road, slowing more as we drove into town.
"Where do you think we should go?" I asked, seeing a few buildings ahead. None looked as well kept as Haven, or as tall, but it was evident people lived here. Houses stretched along the road as we drove further into the community, but all were dark. I opened my mouth, about to ask Joshua which way to go when an older gentleman step out in front of the car. I slammed on the brakes, careful not to hit anyone, and both of us jerked forward in the vehicle as we came to an abrupt halt.
"Who are you?" The booming voice echoed, and my eyes widened seeing a giant shotgun staring back at us through the windshield.
"We seek asylum," I spoke up, hoping we hadn't made a grave mistake in our decision to come here. "We're from Haven. I'm Jacqueline, and this is Adam. The government destroyed our town."
"Why should we help you?" the man with the shotgun answered. He was older with salt and pepper hair and balding. Two burly men blocked our doors, guns drawn. I swallowed nervously and shut off the car, trying to prove we weren't a threat.
"We seek shelter and food," I told the older man who stood in front of our vehicle. The headlights shone bright and I shut them off as well. The man watched with hooded eyes, and I could hardly see more than his silhouette as the darkness encompassed us. He seemed to be the leader and I groaned in protest as the man beside me pulled open the car door, forcefully grabbed my arm and dragged me out. "We just came for help!" I pleaded as they pulled Joshua from the passenger side. "We'll leave if we're not welcome here."
"How did you find us?" The older man asked. "We don't get visitors." His tone was harsh, unforgiving. I glanced at Joshua. Had we made a mistake coming here?
Joshua spoke, unafraid to answer their questions. "Your town was on a map back at Haven." The large man, likely a guard, dragged me to the other side of the car beside Joshua as the leader stood in front of us. I noticed Joshua grimace as he stood on his foot.
"Adam needs medical attention!" I announced pointing at his foot. "He's injured. The least you could do is help him. Then we'll leave."
"That isn't an option," the older man retorted as he and one of the guards dragged Joshua into the nearest building.
"Adam!" I screamed watching as they dragged him away. I tried to break free, pulling myself from their grasp, running towards him only to feel my feet pulled out from under me. I hit the ground hard, groaning in agony, tasting dirt in my mouth.
The guard that had pulled me out of the car snickered. "Little good that did you." He helped me to my feet, his grip tight on my forearm. "You're coming with me," he insisted, dragging me towards another building on the opposite side of the road.
"No!" I screamed as loud as I could. "Adam!" I shouted, "Please! Let me be with him!" I begged.
The leader paused and turned around. "Fine, go ahead and bring her in," he gestured. "She'll wake the entire community, otherwise." The guard let go of me and I rushed to Joshua, following him up the final porch steps and inside the small cabin.
My eyes scanned our surroundings. I reached for Joshua, finding his hand and gripping it gently. "How are you holding up?" I whispered.
"Sore," he admitted.
"Sit," the older gentleman pointed to the bench at the end of the wall, and Joshua willingly obliged. The candlelight illuminating the small cabin gave me a better look at the older, more distinguished-looking man. I guessed he was in his sixties with distinctive wrinkles around his eyes and down to his cheekbones where his gray mustache and beard covered his face. He had a harsh look to him, thin and muscular as though he still exercised even at his age. "I'm Chancellor Collins," he informed us. "I'll have a nurse take a look at Adam's foot," he said before walking out of the cabin. I heard a clasp and knew he’d locked us in.
"So, what are you thinking?" I asked Joshua, scanning the cabin. I wandered toward the far wall, trying to find what I could. I saw nothing that could be used as a weapon, not even silverware in the empty drawers. The room itself held a wood burning stove on the side wall and a door to the left of Joshua that I assumed led to a bedroom. My fingers moved over every crevice, wondering if I could find a way to escape.
"Other than we're probably not welcome here?" he joked. "I don't know why they won't let us leave, but I'm sure they have their reasons."
"You're not worried?" I turned to look at him.
Joshua shook his head. "Not yet. After everything we've already been through," he stared at me, "I'm just glad we're together. "He always had a way of being optimistic even when everything seemed to be falling apart.
"Yeah," I sighed, sitting down with him on the bench. Across from us was a long wooden table, situated in the center of the room. I wondered if anyone lived here. It didn’t seem like it. Which made me even more curious, where had they gone? "Do you think I'm out of line if I suggest something?"
"Don't know until you tell me," Joshua remarked.
I sighed. "I'm worried they'll separate us. Like back in Haven," I admitted.
Joshua shook his head. "They won't do that."
I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
A hint of a smile played on his lips. "I won't let them," he promised.. "So, what was your suggestion?" He brushed me with his elbow.
I glanced at him, biting down on my bottom lip. "What if we let them know we're already together? Maybe they won't question it and won't find the need to separate us?"
"Now that you're Jacqueline," he reached out pushing a strand of red hair behind my ear, "I don't think anyone will care." I knew he had to be right. The only reason Haven’s council had obsessed with who I should marry was because they knew my true identity. I could never let the people here find out I was Olivia Parker.
He softly kissed my lips, and my fingers trailed to the nape of his neck, pulling him tighter. "Whatever happens," he breathed, "I love you."
I laughed softly against his lips. "I know." The grin spread across my face, matching his.
I pulled back hearing the latch on the front door unclasp. I quickly glanced at Joshua, wondering who it could be when a woman in her thirties opened the door. She stepped inside the cabin, looking Joshua over as she saw the messy bandage affixed to his foot. I could only assume she was the town’s nurse. "How did this happen?" She glared at him, then me as if I somehow had caused his injury.
Joshua sighed. "We were bathing out in the river before we found our way into town. I slipped on a rock."
"Right." She shook her head as she removed the first piece of cloth and saw the blood had seeped through the second. "This doesn't look like a little slip." her intense stare landed on me.
"It is if it was caused by a knife," I remarked eyeing Joshua. Why was he lying to her? Even if he'd killed the outlaw, he'd done it to protect me. It was our life or the stranger’s.
"You did this to him?" she accused.
My eyes widened. "What? No! Of course not." I shook my head, vigorously, "We were attacked by the river bed. We'd just finished swimming and some stranger demanded the car keys. He came at me with a knife."
She raised one eyebrow, curious by my behavior. "And you thought it was a good idea to fight him off?"
"I thought we'd die out there," I answered sharply, defending what we'd done. "The man threatened to take me with him. He would have killed us both if we hadn't stopped him."
"Stopped him." She nodded. "I see." She grabbed a candle, handing it to me. "Hold this for better light." I didn't object. I held it, careful not to burn anyone as she unwrapped the last bloody bandage and examined the wound. "It's pretty deep. I'll put on some ointment and wrap it for you. Don't put a lot of pressure on your foot, and it'll heal faster. I'll be back tomorrow to check on your bandage."
"Thank you," Joshua breathed. She was careful and precise as she tended to his injury.
"Don't thank me just yet," she replied. The nurse finished wrapping his foot and without another word from her, she stood and headed for the door.
I glanced at Joshua wondering what was going on. Could we leave? The keys had been in the car. If we were lucky, it was still outside.
A moment after the nurse left, Chancellor Collins returned. I was grateful the gun wasn't in sight. "Now that we have that taken care of," his temper seemed short, abrupt. "I want to know everything about where you've been and who you are," he stared intensely at us.
"I'm Jacqueline, this is Adam." I offered. "We're from a town east of here, Haven," I repeated eyeing him skeptically. I didn’t feel like confiding in him would help us, but I also knew we didn’t have much choice. At the moment, we were prisoners, whether we wanted to be or not. I sighed, finally answering him, "The government came in to Haven, drones bombed the city and soldiers arrived on foot. We managed to escape by stealing a vehicle." I wasn't entirely proud of what we'd been through but we did what we needed to survive.
The Chancellor narrowed his eyes. "And you found us? A city not on any map?"
Joshua spoke out, "Not true! I have the map in the car. We found it at the museum in Haven."
Chancellor Collins considered his words, quiet for a moment. "Why are you here?" his tone more than just slightly suspicious, and I wondered why he cared. What did they have to hide?
"We're searching for a home together," I reached for Joshua's hand. "Ours was destroyed. We're also seeking asylum. Can you grant us that, please?" I hated begging, I always felt it was beneath me, but if I had to get down on my hands and knees, and kiss Chancellor Collins’ dirty boots, I would. I did not want to go back to the Gravelands.
Chancellor Collins glanced at me and then Joshua. "You have a choice, though, it's not much of one. Pass the tests, and you can call this place home."
"Or?" Joshua asked, glancing at me anxiously.
"Die trying," he remarked mirthlessly. Was he kidding? I hoped he was joking! "Now that you know where our city is, we can't just let you walk out. Or drive out," he scolded us. "It's much too dangerous for us. Tonight you can stay here. You’ll find a bed on the other side of that door." His finger wagged in the direction of the bedroom. "Tomorrow you will begin training."
"Tests? Training?" I repeated feeling an overwhelming sense of nausea. "What exactly do the tests entail?" I didn't know what we were up against, but going in blind would likely get one or both of us killed.
"Our tests have four parts: Bravery, Integrity, Honesty and Self-Worth. Tomorrow morning your training will begin. Until then I suggest you get as much sleep as possible. It will be an exhausting day." With that, he let himself out the door.
The words hung in the air for a few minutes before I finally stood. I headed toward the window and saw a guard standing by the door and the car nowhere in sight. “Figures,” I muttered as I glanced back at Joshua. Obviously, we had no easy escape routes, considering they’d moved our car, not to mention Joshua’s injuries. Even if I could take out the guard, I doubted I’d manage to find the vehicle, bring it back and grab Joshua without being seen. With a resigned sigh, I turned to Josh. "Come on, let me help you into bed." I offered him my arm as he stood and hobbled towards the bedroom with me.
He grimaced. "Somehow I think I'm going to lose bravery if I can't walk on my own."
I shook my head. "You can't think like that. For all we know it's a test to see if we're afraid of spiders. Maybe we'll be covered in them."
"That sounds disgusting," he laughed. "Besides, if that were the case, it's unlikely the tests would require any training."
I knew he was right. I just didn't want to face the obvious truth that we’d once again stumbled into trouble. I led him toward the bed, noting only one mattress in the small bedroom. "I guess we're sharing this," I laughed anxiously as I helped him sit down.
"Oh come on. It won't be so bad," I could swear his face had turned red, but the light was barely visible through the windows, and darkness bathed the bedroom.
"Let me blow out the candles in the other room, and I'll join you in a minute." I headed back to the kitchen and took the last candle with me to the bedroom. I placed it on the counter, blowing it out before climbing into bed beside Joshua.
Shifting on the mattress, I slipped beneath the covers and bumped into his warm body. I laughed nervously, feeling him half-naked beside me. "I changed for bed."
"Into what?" I laughed closing my eyes as my fingers reached out, feeling his bare chest. Joshua still wore his boxers, but my skin flushed, nonetheless. I shifted onto my side, burying my face in the pillow.
"Come on, we're married now and you have too many clothes on," he tugged at the hem of my shirt.
"Nice try,"
I laughed nervously. I knew he had to be joking, right? "We can't. You know we can't." We had too much at risk. I shifted so I could see his face, even in the darkness. "How do you know about that stuff?" I asked with a curious smile. Just weeks ago I had kissed him, and he hadn't known what the simple gesture was. Now, he was suggesting something more entirely!
"Sex?" he asked. "While you explored Haven with Jacqueline, I picked up a few books at the library."
"You were doing research?" I asked, wondering what he planned to do with this newfound information. I was grateful the bedroom was dark, and he couldn't see the redness spread across my cheeks.
"Not exactly." He leaned in, kissing the tip of my nose. "Or maybe I was," he let the words trail off as he rolled onto his back. "It's weird that no one ever speaks about it, don't you think?"
Rolling onto my stomach, my eyes never left his. "People don't need to have sex if babies are born in labs." It was a valid point.
"It's not just about that." He reached out and his index finger danced against my arm. Immediately, I felt an unusual warmth spread through my veins. My body relaxed as I shifted closer. "We need human contact to survive, intimacy," Joshua whispered. "I can't believe people don't touch one another anymore. Not in the way I read about." His fingers moved over and down my arm in soft motions. "I have to believe some people still do, in secret."
I didn't know what to think. I'd read a romance novel or two and remembered the prince wooing his bride, but this was different. This wasn't a fairytale, it was real. If we got pregnant, everyone would know. There'd be no secrets, no tests, no lies. I didn't know what would happen, but it would change our lives in ways I wasn't ready for.
My fingers found his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We should get some sleep." As much as I wanted to explore more with him, I also knew tomorrow morning would come soon enough, and we would have a long day ahead of us.