Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2)

by Rachel McClellan

Link has been staring out the window the whole time, his mouth open. Jenna stands next to him pointing out different things in the landscape. It is a pretty spectacular sight for the first time. The immense forest that seems to go on forever, then out of nowhere a city full of tall, shiny metal buildings rises from the depths. Colt and Tank have been talking quietly for the last half hour. Occasionally they glance over at me, but I pretend I'm reading a book in my hand. I don't even know the name of it.

  "Is that Boston?" Link asks and points ahead. Sunlight glimmers off a structure several miles away.

  "It is," Tank says. "Go tell the others to prepare for landing. We'll descend on the North end where a vehicle will be waiting for us."

  Link gives me an encouraging smile before he leaves the room.

  "Are you sure we haven't been detected?" Colt asks Tank.

  Tank opens a small covering on the dash and proceeds to pull out a few knives, which he tucks into sheaths onto his belt, a gun, and a few syringes full of a clear liquid. "I don't think so. We flew low enough that we should've stayed off their radar altogether. Plus, none of my detection alarms have gone off. We're good."

  "How long until I'm in the city?" I ask. It's the first real sentence I've used since getting on the hovercraft.

  "Maybe thirty minutes," Tank answers.

  I lower my gaze to the floor, wondering if I should take the pill now or wait.

  Colt crosses the room to me. He stands close enough that I can feel heat radiating from his body. "I've been where you're at. The Kiss is horrible, and even though you're not getting the full punch, you also don't have a Prime's natural quick healing." He reaches out as if to touch me. "Say the word, and I'll call this whole thing off."

  I glance past him out the window. Tank is lowering the craft into a small clearing as gently as a fallen autumn leaf. "Let's just get this over with before I vomit." I smile up at him, but he doesn't return it.

  It doesn't take long for everyone to evacuate the hovercraft. There are about twenty-five of us, and from what I see, they are Colt's best men and women fighters. Each one of them wears a serious expression as they examine their weapons and gear. When they are ready, they go to the forest's edge and wait for instructions.

  Link stays close to me as I walk slowly down the ramp. Colt, Jenna and Tank are on the other side of the clearing staring into the forest.

  "Over here, Sage," Jenna calls and motions me over.

  I inhale deeply and shuffle forward, forcing another stupid smile. "How much farther to a vehicle?" I ask, keeping my voice light. I don't think I can walk much more.

  Tank points into the darkened woods. "It's right there."

  I peer into the shadows. A dark green transporter vehicle is parked within a clump of bushes.

  "We will drive you into the city and get you as close as we can to the Institute," Colt says. "Everyone else will be hiking in to avoid detection, putting them about an hour behind us."

  "I'm driving," Jenna says and steps into the forest.

  Tank bounds after. "Not while I'm around."

  I stare after them, keeping a tight smile plastered to my face. Colt's watching me closely, probably looking for any excuse to pull the plug on this mission .

  "We'd better get going," I say and follow after Tank and Jenna without looking back.

  After a few seconds, I hear his footsteps turn around and then his voice as he speaks to the others. I slide into the back of the vehicle across worn seats. The inside is void of any personal comforts. It's all just canvassed material and metal.

  Jenna and Tank are arguing about the best route into the city when Colt opens the door and scoots across the bench seat next to me. Tank presses on the gas, propelling the car forward.

  It's a bumpy ride across the rough terrain through the forest. The bumps don't stop when we reach the roads though. They haven't been used in decades and are full of holes; some parts of the road are missing altogether. With every lurch and jerk of the vehicle, I grow sicker and sicker until I slouch into the door, my forehead resting against the cool window. My throat restricts, then relaxes over and over again. I keep my breathing even and swallow frequently to keep from throwing up.

  Colt is in a tense debate about where I should be dropped off, when I can't keep it in any longer.

  "Stop the car!" I shout, startling everyone.

  Tank slams on the breaks, and I barely manage to exit the vehicle before I vomit all over the graveled road. I continue throwing up, my back arched tightly, until my stomach has emptied and even then I dry heave several more times. When I'm finished, every muscle in my back is sore.

  Despite my achy body, I straighten even though all I want to do is curl into a ball and go to sleep.

  "Drink this," Colt says, his voice soft. "It will help."

  At some point, he had left the vehicle. Tank and Jenna are still inside completely silent.

  I take the small bottle and force myself to drink its contents, hoping it won't come back up.

  "I'm okay now. Thanks," I say and reach for the door. Colt helps me in and slides next to me. This time when Tank drives away, Colt reaches over and grips my palm tightly. With his other hand, he gently traces the purple claw marks on my arm. The motion makes the pain in my body not seem so bad.

  We reach the city sooner than I expect. Tank pulls over in a busy parking lot and parks between a metal building and a tall van. He swivels around in his seat and says to Colt, "You and Jenna go scope the area."

  As soon as the others leave the vehicle, Tank asks, "Have you taken the pill yet?"

  I reach for it in my pocket and pull it out. It is so tiny sitting in the center of my sweaty palm. "Not yet."

  "You better take it now." He glances out the window, his head on a swivel.

  "What if I can't keep it down?" I ask.

  "I'm worried about that too, but you have to. Find a way. Stay strong and know that we are going to get you out as soon as we can. Remember, all you have to do is get some kind of DNA sample from Ebony, even if that means taking her blood whatever way you can. Once you have that, get out of there as quickly as possible."

  He hands me a water bottle. I unscrew the lid, pop the pill in my mouth, and drink it down. Immediately my stomach starts to revolt. I take a few deep breaths to calm my quaking gut.

  Colts returns to the vehicle and opens the door. "It's all clear."

  Jenna is standing behind him picking at her nails. I'm always amazed at how carefree she appears.

  Shakily, I exit the car. "Which way should I go?"

  Tank points to a building behind me. "It's three blocks that way, but you don't have to walk the whole distance. Just look for an Institute guard, they’re all over. You'll recognize them when you see them."

  I shake out my hands. "Here goes nothing."

  Before I can take a step, Colt surprises me and pulls me in for a hug, crushing me to his chest. "You stay alive, do you understand?"

  I bury my head into his shoulder and breathe him in deeply. It's the best smell in the world, fresh and clean like a blanket that's been drying in the sun all day.

  Tank pats me on the back. "If anything happens, we'll be there. We'll have eyes on you soon so know that you won't be alone."

  Colt lets me go, but his fingers linger near my hips.

  "Don't take anyone's crap," Jenna says. "You give them hell, just like you did the first time you escaped."

  I give her a small smile and step away from Colt, mostly because my stomach is beginning to swim again, and I don't want to barf on him. "I should be going."

  I meet Colt's gaze one last time. His lips are pressed tight and brows drawn together. I nod a little and turn around. If I had more strength, I might've glanced back, but all of my energy is focused on moving forward. I feel Colt's weighted stare on me until I turn a corner. I'm officially on my own.

  23

  Keeping my head down, I attempt to walk a straight path along the sidewalk next to one shiny metal building after another. There are
several people walking the streets with me, but they are all beautiful and exotic and easily blend into the perfect surroundings. One of them meets my gaze. I quickly look down. They are not who I'm looking for. I know this because they are moving with purpose. They have somewhere to be.

  I force myself to continue forward, one foot in front of the other, despite a growing feeling of severe weakness. I turn the corner. Just up ahead I spot two of the Institute’s guards, a man and a woman. I recognize them not by what they are wearing, which looks like normal street clothes, but by the way they are standing, all rigid and tall. This is no casual stance. They are searching for something threatening, or something the Institute may want – like me.

  I am almost to them when I stumble, a motion I really can't help.

  "Help me," I say.

  One of them, the woman with long straight blond hair, turns her head but says nothing. I push against a metal building and right myself to continue toward them.

  "I need help," I say again.

  When they see that I'm not stopping, they assume a defensive position.

  "Stop where you are," the tall man says. He has silky blue hair combed to the side and partially hanging into his right, caramel-colored eye. I would've thought he was a normal Prime with that eye, but then I notice his other one—it's a dark cherry red. He's a Jumper, a Prime with the ability to leap great distances. I glance down at his legs. They are as thick as tree stumps.

  I step three more strides and collapse directly into him. He catches me with both arms, and I deliberately drop my head back and stare him straight into the eyes. His mouth drops open as he realizes that my eyes are nothing like his. Mine are boring and dull.

  "Please help me," I say again.

  The two Primes look at each other. The woman speaks first, her voice much higher than I expect.

  "We need to get her off the streets. Grab her arm."

  They each take hold of my arms and escort me down the street. It is much easier to walk with them holding me up like this. I'm half-tempted to just let them carry me the rest of the way, but I don't want to show them how weak I am quite yet.

  The entrance to the Institute isn't far. The building, although the same height as all the others around it, feels more threatening somehow. Maybe it's all the straight lines gridding the windows that make me feel like I'm being watched. A cold chill rocks me to the core.

  I don't mean to, but I catch myself digging my heels into the smooth pavement. I don't want to go back to this place again. I remember what they did to me before, and I'm afraid it's going to be so much worse this time.

  The Jumper jerks me forward. "You said you wanted help. This is us giving you help."

  "It would be better for you if you didn't fight us," the woman adds.

  I know they are right, but I still struggle, an instinct that can't be stopped. All the motion makes my stomach swirl. My head jerks forward as I vomit the water Tank had given me not that long ago. The two Primes drop me onto all fours directly over my throw up. I stare down at it, sweat dripping from my forehead. The small, blue pill is there swimming with everything else. I panic and frantically grab at it before the Primes can see.

  "This isn't part of my job description," the woman growls.

  "Mine either, but we've got to get her inside."

  While the two continue to argue, I grimace and quickly shove the pill back into my mouth and swallow. I don't want to feel any more pain. Tears sting my eyes.

  "Just take her by the arms," the man snaps.

  They drag me through the doors and into the lobby that is neither warm nor inviting. Everything is too white and too sterile.

  "What do we have here?" a big and bulky guard behind a tall black counter asks. His eyes are a vivid blue, the color of electricity. His hair is shaved on the side and black spikes rise up five inches tall starting at his forehead and running all the way down to his neck. He is a Rhine. I don't like him already.

  "We found this sick Original looking for help on the streets," says the woman. "Can you imagine? When is the last time that happened?"

  The Rhine man crosses the room and towers over me, his cold gaze chilling me. "What's wrong with her? She looks sick."

  The Jumper lets go of my arm as if I might be contagious. "She is. We need to get her upstairs for testing."

  I lift my head. I can't let that happen just yet. Who knows how long they might keep me before Ebony even knows I'm here?

  "I need to see Ebony," I say.

  Each of them squirms and shifts their weight as if there's a sudden pressure in their air.

  "How do you know her name?" the Rhine man asks.

  "She's been looking for me." I inhale a much-needed, deep breath. "She'll want to know I'm here."

  They look at each other as if trying to decide if I'm telling the truth. More pressure and pain knot my stomach, and I double over, my eyes closed tight. Keep it down, keep it down.

  "I think she might throw up again," the woman says, her nose scrunched tight.

  The Rhine motions us away. "Get her up to medical. I'll inform Ebony that she's here." His cold gaze turns to me. "Do you have a name?"

  I fill my lungs with enough oxygen to say, "Tell her Sage Radkey is here to see her."

  24

  I feel somewhat better now that I'm lying down, less weak anyway. I'm curled into a ball, my body unable to straighten on account of severe, yet painless, stomach cramps. The pill Tank gave me must finally be working. It's nice to have the pain gone, but I only wish the pill could make me feel stronger, too.

  Despite feeling okay, I keep up the pretense of being sick. I moan and groan often.

  The narrow bed beneath me resembles more of an operating room table then anything meant to be slept on. There is very little padding and only a thin sheet drapes over me. Someone's also changed my clothing into a gown that's way too big for me. I'm hot, probably feverish, and my dampened hair sticks to a flat pillow.

  Several people have come in and out of the small room to either ask me questions about my health or poke me with needles, but none of them are Ebony. This worries me. I thought my arrival would have her rushing to see me. Maybe I'm not as important to her as I thought.

  The door opens bringing with it a gust of air that cools my skin. A tall Techhead with long straight hair down to her breasts walks in and closes the door behind her. Her pale blue gaze slides over me from head to foot.

  "My name is Karen, and you will address me as such," she says. Her sharp voice feels like pin pricks to my ears. "Tell me what you are sick with."

  I moan as I shift positions to better see her. "I don't know, Karen."

  "Why are you here?"

  "Because I'm sick, and I don't know who else to turn to. I think I'm dying." This statement is mostly true. I really do feel like I'm dying. I scrunch my face at the thought.

  Karen taps her fingernails against a silver pad the size of her palm. Out of the corner my eye I see the wall shimmer, but just as quickly the motion is gone. The hairs on my arm rise, and I have a strong feeling that I'm being watched. Is it possible the wall is some sort of a one-way viewing screen? I remember when I was first taken to the Institute, and how the wall had shimmered into clear glass. My brother had been in the next room.

  I better be careful how I answer this woman's questions.

  "Please, Karen," I say, gripping my stomach in pretend pain. "I promise. I really just want help and maybe some food and a safe place to sleep. I'm tired of running."

  Her fingers freeze mid-air as if she had been given a silent command. "Where have you been this whole time?"

  I take a deep breath and speak carefully. "Several months ago I was supposed to be taken to Eden, but our group was attacked by the Institute's guards and we were all scattered. I hid in the forest, thinking they would come back for me but no one ever did. I wandered around for a long time, more like I was lost, but I knew how to survive having grown up in the forests of Maine. For months I lived in an old cabin, but
then I got sick so I found my way back here. I didn't know what else to do."

  "Why didn't you go back to the Primes who helped you? Colt, wasn't it?"

  "I don't trust him." My voice grows quiet, and my stomach turns as a wave of nausea washes over me. "I don't know who to trust anymore."

  "Why didn't you seek out your fa—"

  She suddenly glances to her left toward the wall that's shimmering again. She looks back at me. "I will give you something to ease your pain and nausea."

  Just as she says it I'm leaning over the bed, reaching for the nearest garbage can, but it's too far, and I fall from the bed, crashing into the ground. I retch over and over until I think my spine might snap.

  When I finish, I collapse to the white floor, stomach bile inches from my face, but I'm too tired to move away. My eyes well with tears, but I quickly close them. Colt and the others may have already tapped into the Institute's camera feed. They need to see that I'm strong.

  The door opens again. The small silhouette of a woman stands in the doorway. She hands something to Karen and leaves the room.

  Karen walks toward me, her high-heeled shoes clicking against the floor. "What I'm about to give you will help ease your nausea. It will also relax the muscles in your stomach, but we are unable to help with any of your other symptoms. You will feel pain. Much more than you could ever imagine." The corners of her mouth lift a little, a strange attempt at a smile.

  I try to lift my head, but am unable to. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "As soon as you start to feel better, we are going to ask you some questions. I suggest you answer them honestly or it will be a lot worse for you."

  "What kind of questions?"

  She bends down and lifts the sleeve of my gown, her eyes pausing on the claw marks. I try to jerk my arm away, but she holds it fast and plunges a needle deep into my skin. I don't feel the pain from it, which means Tank's pill is still working, despite me throwing up moments ago. Hopefully they question me quickly.

  She straightens and exits the room leaving me alone in this cold and sterile space. I wasn't cold before, but now I'm freezing and a deep chill rocks my whole body. I slide my knees to my chest and reach up to the bed to grab the sheet. I pull it around me, mindful of my vomit not far away.