When Stars Go Out

by Grey, Ransom;

  “Good. Are you sure you don’t want to stick around?”

  Both boys nodded. “We probably should be going,” added Hunter, reaching for the door handle. “If we keep the door open much longer, the whole hall will find out.”

  The group inside agreed, and Hunter swung the door shut on the darkened room. Reed breathed in the hall’s clear air like a man coming up from the underworld. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” Hunter stepped back and shook his head. “They’re a little over the rainbow. I wonder where they got that stuff.”

  They turned back up the hall in the direction they’d come. Reed sighed. “Well, that was interesting, but we still don’t have anything to do.”

  A commotion erupted from one of the rooms at the opposite end of the hall. Both boys stopped, listened for a moment, and then broke into grins.

  “On second thought, that sounds fun,” Reed amended.

  “Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this all night,” Hunter agreed, dashing up the hall.

  Chapter 18

  Reed chose not to mention what they had discovered that night to anyone. He had heard rumors of a drug trade on the Hill and suspected many people knew about it already. Why turn them in anyway? Life was good for him right now, but he knew it could be boring sometimes. This was just their way of dealing with it. It was fortunate he and Hunter had been alone when they made the discovery; no one else had seen anything. Or so he thought.

  It was the next morning before work that Reed ran into Gabe on the crowded Square. The two of them often saw each other around, but they never spoke by mutual agreement. Gabe claimed it was for safety’s sake. Reed had a feeling there was more to it than that. It caught him off guard, then, when Gabe accosted him in the crowd.

  “Hey.” Gabe appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way. “I saw smoke coming out of a cracked window on your hall last night. Did something happen?”

  It was phrased as a question, but it struck Reed like a demand. He stiffened but stopped grudgingly.

  “Maybe,” he shrugged, avoiding Gabe’s eyes. “Do you think I would know?”

  “Yes, I do.” Gabe crossed his muscled arms. “I can tell by your face. What was it?”

  “Just some guys who lit up and had a good time.” Reed felt a spark of dull anger. He looked Gabe full in the face. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “What’s wrong with it? You know just as well as I do! The Council’s been trying to find that group for months. Did you report them?”

  “No,” Reed retorted. “Why should I? It’s their choice, and it ain’t hurting me.”

  An odd look Reed couldn’t interpret swept Gabe’s face, but it passed quickly.

  “It’s illegal, Reed. You know that. I thought you’d have better sense than to get on the wrong side of this. The Council will find out, and then what’ll happen to you?”

  “The same thing that’ll happen to everybody else on the Hill,” Reed shot back. “I didn’t take any, and it’s not like I’m the bad guy for not being a snitch. They can do whatever they want. Who are you to judge them? And who says it’ll be found out?”

  Gabe did not reply, but turned and disappeared into the crowd. Reed rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why he’s ticked off,” he muttered. “I certainly didn’t start this conversation.”

  “Hey, Reed!” The chipper voice came from behind him, welcome and familiar. Reed turned, trying to shake off his sullen thoughts. Nathan threaded his way through the crowd toward him with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

  “Yo!” said Reed. “What’s up?”

  The boys saw each other daily. Besides working together at the factory, Nathan always guided Reed when he chose to attend one of the meetings in the apartments. Maybe he could get the sour taste out of Reed’s mouth.

  Nathan dodged a final knot in the crowd and joined him. “Look, it’s not like I’m stalking you or anything,” he began, shoving his ID card into his pocket, “but I saw you talking to Gabe just now, and I think I have an idea of what it was about.”

  Reed made a wry face but said nothing.

  “Yeah, I know; he can be a little blunt sometimes. But you have to understand something about Gabe: it’s not always easy to understand him.”

  “Well, if you do,” Reed said, a sudden thought coming to him, “then tell me what he was doing outside last night looking up at third-story windows.”

  “I don’t know.” Nathan shrugged. “He does a lot of things I don’t see the point of. I don’t understand what he does all the time, but…” His eyes met Reed’s. “I trust him.”

  Reed looked away. Nathan was a nice guy, and Reed usually listened to what he said with respect, even if he didn’t agree. But it was different this time. Something in Gabe’s manner and that fleeting expression didn’t sit well with him. It soured his already second-rate mood and left him eager to end the conversation. Taking leave of Nathan, he pushed his way into the crowd, ready for an exciting day to clear his mind.

  * * *

  “BOR-ring,” yawned Reagan. It was another warm, lazy evening on the hall and, as usual, Reagan was seated in his desk chair. The night outside was rainy, and drops spattered against the window in a pulsating rhythm. Reed, lying on his bed, only grunted.

  “This is sad,” Reagan continued. “Really sad. Two nights like this in a row. We’ve gotta get things going around here.” He slid his bare feet off the desk.

  Reed grunted again. Reagan glanced up at him. “You’re not being very helpful.”

  Reed rolled over with a yawn. “What can I say? I tried to get something started last night, which means it’s your turn tonight. Besides, you’re a master at this kinda thing; you’d do way better than the rest of us could anyway.”

  Reagan grinned. “A very flattering way of saying you don’t want to get up. True, I may be the master, but I’ve shared a little of my craft with a chosen few. You did pretty well last time, and Riley’s not too bad. He’s always finding something to do.”

  “Maybe he attends classes on how to be as cool as your roommate,” Reed suggested.

  Reagan chuckled. “You think so? I’d say you were a total suck up if it wasn’t that everything you say about me is true.” He closed his computer and stood up to stretch. “Well, no use just lying around here. I’m off to find something to do. You can borrow the computer while I’m gone.” He swung his arms to get the blood moving. “You know, I feel like killing some zombies. Maybe I’ll go play Kevin’s X-box.” He sauntered toward the door, buttoning up his shirt. “I’ll be on the hall.”

  Reed didn’t move until after the door had shut behind Reagan. Then, with a yawn, he rolled off the bed, stumbled over to the desk, and settled himself in the chair, his back to the door. He slid Reagan’s computer over in front of him. This was one of the highlights of his night. With the click of a mouse, the entire world was at his fingertips and he never had to leave his chair. The problems of the day, the boredom, even the room itself all faded away. Time even ceased to count its minutes.

  Tap! Tap! The sharp noise roused Reed from his trance some time later. Annoyed, he wondered who it could be. Knocking was supposed to be obsolete on the hall, and he did not want to be bothered. He sighed. “Come in,” he said without looking up.

  Tap! Tap! The noise was repeated, quicker and more urgently.

  Good grief! Can’t they open the door themselves? He called out a little louder. “Come in!”

  Tap! Tap! It came again, louder and sharper than before. Reed slapped his palm on the desk and tore his attention away from the computer. “Why don’t you just…” But as he lifted his eyes from the screen, he froze in mid-sentence. His chair tipped over backward, and he fell to the floor with a crash. The thud, as jarring as it was, hardly shocked him compared to what he saw. Plastered against the dark, streaming window were two hands with a wet, urgent face between them.

  Reed pulled himself to his feet and approached the window at a slow limp, staring. Any face against his third-story window
in the middle of the night was wild enough, but this was one he recognized.

  One of the hands waved him to hurry, and the face puckered in its urgency. Perplexed, Reed undid the latches, swung open the double panes, and Alec tumbled inside, dripping and panting.

  “What the…” began Reed, but Alec cut him off, his brows drawn together under his dripping bangs.

  “I don’t have much time. There’s going to be a shakedown tonight sometime after curfew. All the RDs are in on it, and Director Connors has called in the police.”

  “Shakedown?”

  “Yeah, like a search of all the rooms. They’re doing it in every dorm. I came to warn you.” Alec gulped and bent over double to catch his breath.

  “Uh… well, thanks, but what are they looking for? How do you know about it?”

  “Gabe found out and let me know. I have no idea what they’re after, but it must be something big. Maybe us.” He met Reed’s eyes.

  Reed’s stomach tightened. “Are you going to run for it?”

  “No, we can’t. Besides, we don’t know if they’re really onto us or not.”

  “Do you want me to tell everybody else and spread it around?”

  “No, don’t.” Alec straightened up. “Lucy insisted I give you and only you some sort of warning.” He hesitated. “And I had to bring you this, too. For safe keeping.” He swung a red drawstring pack off his back and dropped it on the floor. “Just in case. Since this is yours and Reagan’s room, they won’t expect to find something like this in here. But hide it somewhere good anyway. It’s already ten; I gotta go.” He turned and swung one leg back over the windowsill.

  “Wait!” Reed stopped him. “How did you get up here?”

  Alec paused, straddling the sill. “It’s pretty easy, really. From here, I’ll pull up onto the flat part of the roof and go to the back end of the building. There’s a partial ladder for maintenance. I take that half-way down and then get over into the spruce tree by the door. I could jump straight into this tree, but it’s a little wet tonight.” He slid out of the window and stood on the raised brick edging that surrounded it.

  “But how did you know which room was mine?” Everything was happening so fast that Reed was still trying to grasp the situation.

  Alec paused again, the hurry in his face fading a little. “This used to be Elijah’s room,” he said. “I came and went a lot back when he was here.”

  The slamming of a door echoed through the pattering rain. They froze. Low voices drifted up from the Square, followed by the click of boots on brick.

  “They’re here!” exclaimed Alec. “That was fast! I’ll see ya later.” He vanished into the darkness without a sound.

  Reed shut the window quietly after him and turned back to the room. His head whirled. It was all so sudden, he hardly knew what to think. The red pack lay on the floor at his feet. He bent and picked it up, doubts and suspicions leaping through his mind. It was heavy. He pulled open the top and peered inside.

  Books. He drew one out and turned it over. Holy Bible, the dusty blue cover proclaimed in a silver script. Katy’s name was engraved on the bottom right corner. He pulled out another, burgundy, bearing Nathan’s name in gold lettering. Three more remained in the satchel, probably belonging to Alec, Lucy, and Gabe.

  He stuffed them back into the pack and cinched it shut. Now he understood. They had sent these to him “for safe keeping” in case they didn’t make it through the night. The severity of the situation was beginning to sink in. If Bibles were found with the full names of these five etched on the front, the game would be up. It all depended on this bag.

  Reed gazed at it dangling from his outstretched palm. He held in his hands the key to their safety or their downfall—in a way, their lives. They trusted him. He lifted his chin. He had to hide this well. But where?

  There was a noise at the window, which Reed had forgotten to latch, and Alec slipped in again.

  “They brought more men than I thought!” he panted. Water streamed down his drawn face and into his dripping t-shirt. “We’re completely surrounded. I can’t get out!”

  Reed pushed past him and stuck his head out the window. Sure enough, in the light of the lamp posts, he could make out figures scattered across the wet Square below. Already, a group of men was moving toward the front door of Number Four. He pulled in his head. “They’re on their way now. You can stay here, but we’ll have to act fast.”

  Alec nodded. “Got a towel?”

  “Yeah.” Reed’s mind worked quickly. “But that won’t do it. They’ll still see your clothes are wet. We’re close in size; you can borrow some of my stuff.” He delved into his wardrobe as Alec whipped off his wet clothes. Reed found the smallest sizes he had and tossed them onto the bed. He turned back, glancing around the room.

  “Uh-oh, you’re leaving spruce needles all over the floor! They’re all in your hair, too! Umm… here’s my towel. Go rinse off in the showers. Quick!”

  Alec swooped up the dry clothes and the towel and darted out of the room.

  Reed’s next move was to borrow Riley’s towel and soak up the puddles of water around the window and where Alec had been standing.

  The wet clothes! Reed snatched them up from the floor, rolled them into a tight bundle, and tied them with Alec’s belt. Now what? There was just enough slack at the end of the belt that maybe… He dashed to the window again. Cracking it open, he hung the buckle over the catch used to prop it open and dropped the clothes down below the sill outside. There. The window closed just enough to appear shut, or at least cracked to let in some fresh air.

  Reed turned back and swept the room with a final glance. That seemed to take care of everything.

  The sound of slamming doors and muffled voices came up through the floor. The officers had already worked their way up to the second floor.

  Alec returned, still drying his hair, but looking fairly decent in the black Henley and silver gym shorts.

  “It’s normal for us to have company up here,” Reed said, taking the towel from him. “Just find somewhere to look natural.” He slung the towel over the end of his bed.

  “What about the backpack?” Alec pointed to the desk where Reed had left the bag.

  Reed slapped his forehead. “Shoot, I forgot! Where can I put it? Think, think!” He pressed his fists against the sides of his head.

  The noises below were subsiding, but the stairwell echoed with enough racket to alert the whole dorm. Reed ran his mind over the room in desperation. Not under the bed… not in the drawers… not on the top of the shelves…

  A sudden idea seized him. He grabbed the pack and leapt up onto his top bunk. The suspended ceiling was constructed of individual foam tiles set in a metal grid. He pushed up one of the tiles and slid it to the side, shoving the satchel through the hole into the attic. The tile slid back easily and left no trace it had ever been moved.

  Reed collapsed onto the bed. He hadn’t been a moment too soon. The sound of heavy feet filled the hall and drew nearer. The door to the room was thrown open, and a man in uniform barged in. “Everybody out by order of the Council!” he barked. “Move!”

  A hot rush shot through Reed’s body. He tightened his jaw and glanced at Alec. The other boy met his fiery look with a calm, warning gaze. Reed hesitated a moment longer and then yielded. He slid off the bed, grabbed a hoodie for each of them, and followed Alec out of the room. It grated him horribly.

  The man’s words were being echoed up and down the hall. Boys spilled out into the hallway, wide awake, half-asleep, and everywhere in between. They were herded toward the stairs as fast as they appeared. No one seemed to have any idea what was happening and obeyed in confusion. They poured down to the first floor and into the night.

  Despite the freezing cold and the light rain, the Square was already crowded with the rest of the Dorm residents. They milled in a confused mass, calling out to each other like lost sheep. Reed and Alec pushed their way through the crowd toward a tree at the edge of the Square. The
bare branches would offer some shelter from the rain.

  As they shouldered through, Reed felt someone smack his right arm. He turned and glimpsed Hunter, his face set and tight. He hissed in Reed’s ear as he passed. “See what I mean? The Council!” He cursed.

  Reed had no time to respond before he was swept out of earshot.

  They reached the shelter of the tree and found a relatively dry spot beneath it. Pulling the navy hoodie over his head, Reed settled on the edge of the bricking next to Alec and surveyed the scene. Lights shone out of every window, and figures could be seen inside ransacking the rooms. Officers kept the crowd under control, corralling everyone on the Square with shouted commands and human chains. The RDs mixed with the teens, assuring them it was just a passing search and they would be allowed back inside shortly. Reed caught sight of Michael in a soaked t-shirt and shorts, trying to reason with a knot of unhappy young people while one girl cried on his shoulder.

  “I wonder what set this off,” Alec mused aloud. His bright eyes narrowed as he took in the confusion around them, and he pushed the hood of Reed’s white-and-blue hoodie up onto his head.

  Reed shrugged. “Dunno. I guess they must have…”

  A realization exploded in his mind. He knew what this was about. Just last night he had stumbled upon the drug ring that had been on the Council’s wanted list for months. Months. It couldn’t be a coincidence. But how did they find out?

  Alec glanced at him curiously. “They must have what?”

  “They must have picked up something from their ringer,” Reed finished, hastily gathering his wits.

  Alec nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I’d give just about anything to know who that is.”

  Reed would have as well. His mind ran backward over everything that had happened since the night before. Maybe one of the other boys had discovered the foggy room after Reed and Hunter’s visit. Or could somebody have smelled the smoke after they left the door open? Had someone seen it through the window?

  Wait. The window. A horrible truth dawned on Reed. Somebody had seen that window last night. And someone had met Reed on the Square that morning and forced the information from him. It was the only other person who would know. But that would mean… Gabe—the ringer? It seemed bizarre, impossible. But why else would he be so pushy to find out what had been happening? Why else would he make it his business to look in third-story windows at night? And why else would he be so suspicious of everybody else?