The Blemished (Blemished Series)

by Dalton, Sarah

  I eased him down to the ground and his head lolled forward. I propped his back against the soil and felt for a pulse. It was there but weak.

  “What happened?” Sebastian said, dropping from the ladder.

  “Daniel was shot by the Enforcers.” I tore Daniel’s shirt to expose the wound. My hands were shaking. Blood seeped from a grisly hole in his shoulder. I gagged.

  Sebastian knelt beside me. “Check for an exit wound.”

  I eased Daniel forward, away from the wall, and checked his back. More blood gushed from the wound. “The bullet came out.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Sebastian said. “Less chance of infection. We need to strap the wound up so he doesn’t lose any more blood.”

  I wiped away tears. “How do you know this?”

  “My mum trained as a nurse,” he replied. His face shadowed.

  Angela poked her head down the tunnel. “What’s happening? Is Daniel hurt?”

  “Stay hidden, Angela,” I called up, trying to keep my voice steady. I ripped pieces from my tunic at the same time. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Is he hurt?” she insisted.

  “Yes,” I said. “But he’ll be fine.” I took the long strips of material and began winding them around Daniel’s shoulder and under his armpit in a long loop. “Please be okay,” I whispered in his ear.

  Next to me Sebastian sighed. “You really do love him.”

  “Now isn’t the time for more of your jealousy,” I said between gritted teeth.

  Daniel moaned and his head fell onto my chest. I pulled the tunic bandages tighter, wishing we still had the supplies from Billie’s house.

  “I’m sorry,” Sebastian said. “I went about everything the wrong way. I see that now.”

  I tied the make-shift bandage. “Look, the way your dad treats your mum… that isn’t acceptable.”

  “I know,” he said quietly. “I know it isn’t”

  “Just help me save Daniel,” I said. “We need to get him up the ladder.”

  Sebastian stood and stared up at the ladder doubtfully. “We’re going to need him conscious for that.”

  I took Daniel’s face in my hands. “Daniel, wake up. We need to get you out of here.”

  He moaned but his eyes didn’t open.

  “Please wake up. Please!”

  “Mina?” he mumbled.

  I shook him. “Yes! That’s right. Open your eyes.”

  His eyelashes fluttered. I saw a peek of blue. They fluttered again and opened. “Where am I?”

  “Not important. What is important is getting you up this ladder. But I need your help. Can you stand?”

  I took his weight under his good arm and he pushed up with his legs. He leaned heavily on me.

  “I’ll climb a few rungs,” Sebastian said. “You push him up from the ground. I’ll guide him up and pull him through the exit.”

  I nodded. “Okay, let’s try it.”

  I steered Daniel to the ladder and helped him grip with his good hand. With my shoulders I pushed him up and Daniel found some purchase with his feet. Sebastian balanced him by clutching Daniel’s shirt and guided his hand from rail to rail. It was slow going but eventually Sebastian had a grip under Daniel’s good arm and helped to get him out of the tunnel. I put all my weight into pushing Daniel out. He fell onto the floor, crying out in pain. I climbed out behind him, moving quickly.

  “Sebastian, help me get him to his feet. We need to get moving.”

  I crouched down and slipped his good arm over my shoulder. Sebastian stood behind Daniel and helped me get him on his feet. He took some of the weight on the other side, being careful not to move him too quickly. Angela ran out from behind a large oak.

  “Oh my God! What’s happened?” Her face paled as she looked at the blood sodden bandage and Daniel’s pained face. She glared at me. “You said he was going to be okay.”

  “He is going to be okay,” I said through gritted teeth.

  She burst into tears and stroked his face. “He doesn’t even look awake.”

  “I’m awake,” Daniel muttered. “Stop being so morbid.”

  Angela stroked his face harder, her fingers pulling at his hair. “Thank God.”

  “Quit that, will you?” Daniel mumbled.

  Angela laughed.

  “We need to get moving,” I said firmly. “Daniel, can you walk if we prop you up?”

  He groaned and stepped forward.

  “We walk until dark,” I said. “Angela, you collect food and water as we go. Look for edible berries. Daniel, this is going to be hard. You need to stay conscious because we need you to guide us. Can you do that?”

  “Yes,” he said, with more purpose in his voice.

  We had a day and a half to go before Matthew’s people collected us. We had Enforcers chasing us. We had no food or water. Daniel was hurt. I clenched my jaw tightly. There was a good chance we wouldn’t make it.

  *

  We made slow progress. Daniel pointed us in the direction we needed to be from looking at the sun. Each time he moved his face filled with pain and it left a sour taste in my mouth. I found it difficult to tear my eyes away from him. Angela found a patch of blackberries and we ate them as we walked. Rain drizzled and clouds drifted along with the breeze. As the afternoon drifted into night I looked for a nice secluded part of the woods for us to sleep for a few hours. We’d heard nothing from the Enforcers, but it didn’t mean they weren’t out there.

  “How about this clearing?” Sebastian asked. “If they are following us the hill above will block their view and I can hear a stream nearby.”

  “This looks as good as any,” I said. “Angela, could you collect as many dry leaves and reeds as you can? I want to put Daniel down where he’ll be comfortable.”

  Angela nodded and left.

  “Let’s put him on this log for now,” I said to Sebastian.

  “There’s no need to fuss,” Daniel mumbled.

  “You love it really,” I said to him with a low chuckle.

  Daniel bent his knees as we lowered him to the log. He removed his arm from my shoulders and I stretched out my muscles. It felt good.

  “I’ll get water,” Sebastian said. “Do we have any containers?”

  “Use bark,” Daniel grunted.

  “Okay,” he said, disappearing through the trees.

  I sat next to Daniel on the log. “I don’t think he’s used to this life.”

  Daniel laughed. “He’s a GEM – what do you expect?”

  “He’s an orphan now,” I said. “Just like us.” We were silent for a few minutes and then I said what had been on my mind since I saw Daniel’s wound. “You saw this in your vision didn’t you? That’s why you wouldn’t tell us?”

  He sighed. “Yes.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “And you came anyway?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I told you I was with you, even if it killed me.”

  I sobbed and choked. I tried to sniff back the tears. “You should have told me.”

  “You wouldn’t have let me come. I have to keep you safe. If getting shot means helping to keep you safe then so be it.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you care about me?” I said. “We’ve known each other a month and in that time I’ve met with a GEM boy in secret. And yet you risked your life... You’re still here, with me. ”

  He laughed. “I am still here. Just about.”

  “Don’t. Don’t even joke about it. If anything happened to you…”

  Daniel sighed. “You’re a good person. The stuff with Sebastian… you were just curious. You’re finding yourself – you’re allowed to do that. You got to know him and you decided he’s not for you. That’s fine. And I…”

  “What?” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

  “Nothing, I just…” he said. “I really like you and I just wish I knew if you felt the same way.”

  I turned to face him. His eyes searched my face, hungry. This
was the time, the moment to tell him everything, everything I felt deep down. I wanted to. My insides ached to release it all, to tell him how I loved him and have never felt this way before. I wanted to tell him how much it scared me, more than being captured by the Enforcers, more than dying even. I opened my mouth to speak.

  “I found leaves,” Angela said triumphantly. She stomped right over to us. “Am I interrupting something?”

  50

  I jumped up from the log. “No… nothing. I’m going to help Sebastian with the water.”

  Angela looked at me innocently but for a second an expression passed over her face. One that was knowing, almost triumphant. I didn’t want to get into a competition with her. Yet every time I was alone with Daniel the feelings took me over and I almost gave in to them. I shook my head, trying to get the thoughts out of my mind. Following the sound of the river I travelled through the woods, still barefoot, the soles of my feet scratched and bleeding from our long walk. The thought of cool water on my feet seemed like heaven.

  “I found a tin can,” Sebastian called as I approached. “It looks like an old paint can or something, rusty but clean enough.”

  “That’s great,” I said.

  I passed Sebastian on the bank of the stream and plunged my feet into the cool water. It was shallow, the water coming up to my ankles, and freezing cold, which helped to cool down the rest of my body.

  Sebastian frowned. “I didn’t notice you had no shoes.”

  I shrugged. “I’m okay.”

  Sebastian put down the tin can and summoned me to the bank. I sighed and followed. “Let me see them,” he instructed.

  I sat on the muddy bank and lifted my feet. Sebastian took them surprisingly gently and examined me with his torch. The sun had set and night time fell.

  “They don’t look too bad but you don’t want to risk infection. Can you tear some more of your tunic?”

  “Sure.” I ripped the tunic up to my knees. It was more practical for walking anyway. After the events of the last few days revealing flesh didn’t seem so bad.

  Sebastian took the strips of material and wrapped them around my feet, tying them tightly but not so tight they were uncomfortable. I stood up and smiled. It felt much better.

  “Ta-da,” he said, opening his arms out wide.

  “Thank you,” I replied. “It really is much better.”

  “Glad to be of service,” he said with an over-dramatic bow.

  He sat back down on the bank of the stream. I couldn’t help but notice how sad he looked. I sat beside him.

  “Are you worried about your parents?”

  “Yes,” he said, “and no. After what they did…”

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “They did some… crazy things.”

  Sebastian laughed.

  “But I believe that they loved you. I think, in your dad’s own way, he did all that stuff for you. He wanted to provide a new life for you at the farm and he wanted you to be safe. He thought the only way to do that was by handing me over to the authorities.”

  “I just thought that once we moved out of Area 14 he would stop with all this stuff. I really believed that after what happened with Eve he had stopped working with them. But I was wrong.” He sighed. “And now they could be dead for all I know.”

  I squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, that’s no way to think.” I paused. “And it’s no way to live either. If they are… gone… they made the ultimate sacrifice for you to start over. You would be honouring them by living your life.” I patted his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go back to the camp.”

  I turned to leave but he stayed put. “Why are you being nice to me?” he said.

  I sighed. “We’ve only got each other now – the four of us. All our parents have failed us in some way. We have to stick together.”

  “I really liked you.” He stared at his hands, avoiding my eyes. “I know my dad tricked me. He convinced me to follow you around and suggested we meet. But I didn’t just do it for him. I really liked you and I did want those things for us.”

  “I know,” I said.

  “Your friends hate me,” he said.

  “They don’t hate you. They are worried about you after your parents locked us up.” I laughed. “But you can prove them wrong. You’ve already helped to save Daniel’s life, that’s gone a long way.” I stood and held my hand out. “Come on. Get the water. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Let’s go.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You’re a tough woman, do you know that?”

  “Woman? I’m fifteen!” I laughed, already beginning to feel better.

  “Oh, you’re a woman all right.” He grinned back.

  *

  I took turns as lookout with Sebastian while Daniel and Angela slept. Angela curled up close to Daniel. She snored softly like a child. Sebastian woke me at first light. I hadn’t spoken to Angela or Daniel. I didn’t want to.

  “We should cover our tracks,” I said. “Move the leaves.” I pointed to Daniel’s makeshift bed. “We should take the tin can with us for water.”

  Sebastian nodded. Angela helped Daniel to his feet. I noted his pallor and the shadows under his eyes. His face barely shifted as he moved but I could tell he was in agony. Watching him suffer churned my stomach.

  “Are you going to be able to walk?” I asked.

  He looked at me evenly and nodded. He was different this morning, his face hardened. I regretted not telling him how I felt. But we had the small matter of surviving now.

  “Today is the day we meet Matthew’s people,” I said to the group. “According to Matthew they will be waiting on the third hill in the East out of Area 14. There are ruins of an old English castle up there. When we find them they’ll drive us to The Clans. If any of us get split up we should head for the meeting point. Whatever happens, we don’t go back. Even if just a few of us make it––”

  “We’re all going to make it,” Sebastian interrupted. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  I threw him a glare for cutting me off. “Daniel? Which way?”

  Daniel watched the sun for a moment and then pointed. “You know, you’re going to have to learn how to do that eventually.”

  “Maybe you can show me tomorrow,” I said.

  Angela directed Daniel away from me, not meeting my eye. I sighed. Sebastian quickened his pace to walk by my side.

  “I’m kinda glad I’m not part of this love triangle anymore,” he said with a laugh.

  “That would be a square and just wrong,” I added. “Why did you cut me off?”

  “Because your little inspirational speech was about as uplifting as a kitten funeral.”

  I laughed. “I’m not so great at public speaking.”

  For the first time in a long time I relaxed. Today we had hope. We had come through everything, against terrible odds and we were just hours away from rescue. Daniel had survived the night and was walking almost unaided. We stopped for a lunch of blackberries and raw mushrooms, it wasn’t much but along with more water from the stream, it was enough to keep us going. I gave half of my share to Daniel, slipping it into his portion without him knowing – otherwise he wouldn’t have eaten it – he needed strength more than I did.

  We were up and moving again after a little rest but the day was fading fast. I set a faster pace, offering to take Daniel from Angela but she refused. As clouds gathered above us, my hopeful mood began to fade. We could only estimate the time after days in the woods. I wanted to get to the meeting point as early as possible so we didn’t lose them and we were moving too slowly.

  “Mina,” Angela said, “we need a break.” She stopped and Daniel removed his arm from her shoulder. “We’re at the brink of collapse.”

  “We can’t,” I said firmly. “We’re moving too slowly as it is.”

  “I told you to leave me behind,” Daniel said bitterly. “I’m a burden. I’m good for nothing except getting us all killed.”

  I glared at him. “Don’t you dare say that after everything––”


  A twig snapped.

  I lowered my voice. “Did you hear that?”

  Daniel nodded. He was standing up straight now. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Sebastian, help Daniel,” I instructed.

  We moved through the forest, Sebastian almost dragging Daniel. I led the way, following the stream. We had no idea who was out there, if they were dangerous or how many but I wasn’t taking any chances. I listened out, straining to hear signs of us being followed. There was nothing. Either they were excellent trackers or we’d disturbed a deer.

  “I think they’ve gone,” Angela said, catching up to me. “We can stop now.”

  “Not yet, we need a decent place to hide.”

  “Stop bossing everyone around. Who made you leader?” Angela tripped on a tree root, bumping into me. I fell to the ground, twisting my ankle in the process.

  “Look what you’ve done now,” I snapped. “Can’t you make it through one day without falling over?”

  “You bitch!” she snapped back. There were tears in her eyes. She stood up and fell back with Daniel and Sebastian.

  “Angela, I’m sorry––”

  Another twig snapped. Closer this time.

  “Faster!” I whispered.

  I helped Sebastian with Daniel, moving him so fast we were almost jogging. Luckily the stream led us to a larger river. Over the river stood a tall rope bridge which provided a large but hidden space where the bridge met the river bank. Somewhere to hide. I silently motioned to Sebastian and we hurried to the bridge, tucking in the small space tightly. Then we waited, ankle deep in mud. After only a few minutes the Enforcer came out of the woods. He slowed down near the river and stopped. The ice-cool chill of fear spread from my toes to my fingers.

  51

  We didn’t breathe. Through the dim moonlight I saw the strain on Daniel’s face and the terror on Angela’s. Sebastian watched the Enforcer. We were so stupid. The Enforcer had been trailing us for hours yet we did nothing to stop him. I wished that we’d thought to create a diversion or a false track. Now we were unarmed and at his mercy. I wrapped my arms around my shivering knees. The Enforcer moved closer. He still hadn’t seen us but it wouldn’t be long. He wasn’t a fool. He knew our tracks had suddenly stopped.