One of the men behind me grabbed my foot, stopping me climbing any higher. I chanced a glance around, seeing his beet-red face as he struggled to pull me back to the ground.
That was not going to happen.
“Let me go,” I spat out the words through gritted teeth.
Using my last burst of energy, I kicked with everything I had. It was my good foot he had a hold of, making it difficult for my gimp foot to keep its hold on the fence. The only thing keeping me still attached were my fingers.
If he tugged only a few more times I would fall away like a piece of paper.
Fly into the breeze before he captured me.
Stone would still have the large bounty on my head, the moment they realized how valuable I was they would hand me over in the blink of an eye.
And then I would be dead.
That was not going to happen.
I shook my leg again, using strength I didn’t know I had before. Out of my mouth escaped a scream, letting out all the frustration and anguish locked deep within my belly.
His hand slipped.
The opportunity was not wasted.
I scurried up the rest of the fence, climbing over and dropping to the ground on the other side. My body was already broken and bruised, the sharp stop on the concrete path only added to my already injured joints.
The men banged on the fence, hurling their words at me as I ran all the way down the street and slipped between two buildings. No amount of distance between them and me seemed like enough.
I wondered whether anywhere would ever be safe again.
I needed to find the Resistance.
I needed to find Reece.
He was the whole reason for me returning to Aria, him and a fight I had left unfinished with Stone. They could have been anywhere in the city, believing me and the others that had escaped to be dead. Nothing would surprise me anymore.
My feet continued to move, fueled by nothing more than fear now. When I couldn’t hear them yelling anymore I slowed my pace to a fast walk instead of a run. Both versions were limping.
I walked as far as my legs would take me. At the point of near-collapse I hid in an alleyway, squished between some trash cans that smelled like rotten fish. Hopefully the smell would keep people away if nothing else.
Before I did anything else I needed to work out where in Aria I was. My first thought was the warehouse district, being that the delivery truck was delivering goods that needed storing and the warehouse district was the most likely place.
But, looking around the buildings in the area, I wasn’t so sure. None of the factories looked familiar and I had spent quite a bit of time in the warehouse district. They were good for supplies when not guarded too well.
Mentally I flicked through the options. The large buildings didn’t exactly scream any residential neighborhoods and the buildings didn’t seem like they were manufacturing plants. There were no smoke stacks, no smog lingering just below the clouds.
Where the hell was I?
I needed to work it out so I knew how to get where I was more likely to find the Resistance. They could be anywhere too, but I suspected they would be sticking to the housing areas rather than flaunting their actions too close to the center.
Approaching footsteps stopped my internal thought processes. I shrank back further behind the trash cans, biting my lips so my breaths were quieter.
A member of the President’s Personal Guard stomped by the alleyway, marching in his black uniform with his gun held firmly in both his hands.
I had a hunch where I was.
In the business district.
The delivery had to be for the president or members of her government. Something the guard at the gate said now made sense, ‘it’s Stone’s problem, not mine’.
It was just my luck to land right in Stone’s lap again.
I needed to get away from the area, there was no way I would be able to outrun one of her personal guards. They were the elite, the best of the bunch. They were also a lot fitter than the two guys who chased me from the truck.
My foot wasn’t going to let me get too far. It was safer to wait for the cover of darkness to make my move. I was fairly confident nobody would find me in my hiding place, not unless they wanted to dump something in the trash, anyway.
Every hour that passed I reveled in, letting my body grow stronger while keeping my mind alert so I wouldn’t fall asleep. I needed all my wits in place, ready to spring into action if needed.
Darkness enveloped the city slowly as the sun headed to the other side of the world for the night. It would wake them up, peeking hello shortly after faring us goodbye.
I waited until the moon was sitting high in the sky, casting its rays in long shadows across the street, before I dared to stand. It was quiet on the streets, a car hadn’t passed by in at least an hour. The business district had all gone home to bed, satisfied of another day having passed.
The first few steps were the hardest. Not because my body was stiff and sore – because it was – but because I didn’t know what fate awaited me when I left the alleyway.
My body pressed against the wall while I edged out, ready to duck down again if I saw even one soul. My head peeked out, looking left and right.
The street was empty.
It gave me a small amount of confidence to leave the alleyway and venture out into the unknown. If my suspicions were right and I was in the business district, I would have to head east in order to return to the city center. That was something I could do.
A few blocks over, I saw the flags of Parliament flapping in the breeze. They towered over the other buildings, needing to prove how superior they were over all others.
Knowing where the flags were helped greatly in my orientation. I could place exactly where I was on the map and head in the right direction. It was only a matter of staying out of sight and to keep walking now.
So I did.
I walked.
And I was invisible.
Sticking to all the shadows, any people that passed me didn’t even look twice. I made no sound, keeping my limp to a minimum as my body moved forward. As long as I kept moving, I had to end up somewhere.
I hoped.
The thought of Reece was the only thing keeping me going. He was somewhere in the city and I was closer to him now than I had been over the last few days.
All I had to do was find him.
Which was much easier said than done.
The night dragged on, the moon making a high arc overhead. Its brightness reflected off the shiny windows of the tall buildings around me, gleaming brightly even in the dirtiest of windows.
I walked all night.
The harsh light of day overwhelmed me, taking away all my shadows so it was more difficult to hide. When I eventually made it into the city center, I found the abandoned shops I had taken refuge in before.
I could see all of Aria Square from the window on the second floor. The small spark of optimism still stubbornly remaining hopeful that I would see Reece walk past. Like he would simply stroll by so we could reunite.
Taking a stolen carrot from my pocket, I chewed on it slowly and savored every bite. It might be a long while before I found anything else to eat.
All the faces blurred together outside, everyone had the same harangued expression turning their lips downwards and their foreheads wrinkled. Nobody seemed happy.
Perhaps nobody was.
Stone hadn’t exactly made it easy for people.
As I was staring and imagining the lives of the people I saw, a familiar face hit my radar. It wasn’t Reece, but a face I had seen before on a few occasions.
It took a few moments to place him, and when I did, I started hurrying down the stairs. He had been at a Resistance meeting, a few of them. I’d seen him sitting in the rows of seats, he was one of them, one of us.
It was strange thinking of myself as a member of the Resistance. All my life I had been defined by nothing more than the stigmatic label of
Defective Clone.
Now I was a member of the Resistance.
I wore the name like a badge of pride.
Merging into the crowd, I stuck to the edge of the sidewalk before I caught up with the man. I touched him only lightly on the arm but it was enough to make him jump.
“Sorry,” I said. “I need to talk to you.”
He studied my face hard before he nodded just once. “Not here. Around the corner.”
I followed a few steps behind, making sure to keep him in my sights at all times. There was no way he could lose me now. He stepped around the next corner like he promised, he waited there for me a few seconds later.
“I know you’re a member,” I started, my breath coming quickly with excitement. I was close, so close to finding Reece, I could almost touch it. “I’m one too.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he replied. His eyes flicked about, settling nowhere for too long.
He was lying.
He couldn’t fool me.
“Yes, you do. I’m a Defective Clone, I need to find them. Where are they hiding?”
He looked over his shoulder nervously, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Look at me,” I demanded.
His gaze took the longest time to come back to me. He sighed, putting on a show of exasperation at my line of questioning.
“Look closely, who do you think my Maker is?” I waited for the recognition. A quick glance wouldn’t reveal my Maker but a good look did. As much as I hated to admit it, there was a strong resembled to Stone, despite our age difference.
“You’re Stone’s clone,” he said, as if surprised by the discovery.
“Yes and now you know I’m a member. Where are they hiding now? I need to find them, we got separated.”
“Show me your foot.”
I rolled my eyes, he was testing my last nerve. I lifted up the hem of my ratty jeans to show him my defect. Even stuffed in a shoe, my foot was twisted and ugly. I dropped the hem quickly once he’d taken a glance. “See? Now, the address, please.”
He checked over his shoulder again. “293 Usher Street. They’re hiding out there since the bunker was destroyed. May luck be with you.”
He didn’t even give me a second glance before merging back into the crowd. I guessed he wasn’t the chivalrous kind to walk me to the address.
I didn’t know where the hideout was exactly, but I did know Usher Street ran through the commercial district. Shops and offices were the main purpose of the area.
There was no point waiting for darkness in the city center, there were always people around. I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head and kept my gaze fixed to the ground. It would have to do, I didn’t have anything else to disguise my identity.
I was quickly lost in the hustle and bustle of the busy center. Nobody stopped me and the heart stopping moment a group of troopers marched past turned to relief when they didn’t slow down to look at me.
It took hours to find Usher Street, so many I lost count. It was late afternoon and my stomach was crying out for food. If I didn’t find the address soon, I was going to collapse.
Number 293 was at the opposite end of the street from where I turned into it. When I stood in front of the building, all the hope I’d had completely evaporated.
It was a lawyers’ office.
The Resistance wouldn’t be anywhere near a law firm. They preferred breaking the law, not defending it. I had come all that way for nothing. The man who gave it to me must have been mistaken.
Maybe he didn’t even really work for the Resistance.
I had nowhere else to go. Every part of me threatened to break down into a thousand pieces and scatter in the wind. For hours I had held onto the hope that they would be there. All I needed to see was a friendly face and know I was safe, then I could rest.
Would I ever be able to rest?
Truly?
Tears threatened, stinging my eyes until I rubbed them away. I didn’t want to cry, I wanted to be with Reece so I could lie down and sleep for a century. He would keep me safe, I trusted him with my life.
But the city was so incredibly big and I had no way of finding him. All that hope I’d had was useless now, dissolving into nothing as I stared at the law firm.
I felt incredibly small again.
If it wasn’t for the bounty on my head, my existence would be inconsequential. Nobody would care if I were there or not. I could fade into the shadows and it would be like I’d never existed.
Life would go on for everyone else.
But thinking such dire thoughts weren’t going to take me to the Resistance. I had to summon up some hope and courage from a well within that was dry.
They had to still be in the city. The tunnel that led us outside the city wall was destroyed behind us. We’d heard the explosions and sound of crumbling concrete. Joseph couldn’t have led everyone down that same pathway.
As far as I knew, that was the only tunnel in the city. Which meant the Resistance had to be in Aria somewhere. All I had to do was find them.
People were starting to look at me as I stood in the middle of the sidewalk, gaping at the law firm. I crossed the road and settled into the bushes, letting the leaves shield me from more prying eyes. There was nowhere else for me to go.
I couldn’t return to the Defective Clones’ village, it was gone. I couldn’t return to the bunker, it was gone. The only place I could think to check was Joseph’s house. Reece had told me to go there once when he had handed me over to the Resistance for protection.
I had a vague memory of where the leader’s house was. Perhaps if I searched for long enough I would be able to find it? It was the only possibility I had, the only semblance of a plan I could muster.
First I would need food.
It was too far to go to one of the houses I used to break into and steal from. My next meal would have to be scrounged from a trashcan. If I could find a restaurant, I should be able to find some scraps.
I was hungry enough to eat anything.
Even the leaves of my cover were looking good.
Thinking back to my journey to the address, I’d passed a few cafés in the district. They were just as good as a restaurant, I would check their trash first. If that was unsuccessful I would continue on until I found something edible.
While I was going through my plan, something across the road caught my eye. Someone had turned down the alleyway beside the law firm. No matter how long I waited, they didn’t come back.
Was it a shortcut?
If there was an alleyway behind the law firm, there might be one behind the cafés too. I needed to check because it was far less likely to bring me unwanted attention if I could go through trashcans out of the public eye.
I stood and hurried across the road again, tracing the footsteps of the person I had seen. The alleyway was a dead end. All I could see was a door in the wall.
The person hadn’t looked like a lawyer. They had been wearing loose sweatpants and a T-shirt with several large holes in the fabric. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman but they definitely didn’t have a law degree.
Maybe the man’s address had been correct.
I summoned up the tiny amount of courage I still had left and used it to knock on the door. While I waited, my heart raced in my chest, threatening to knock me out before I could see what was on the other side.
There was no answer, which made me think I was being stupid standing in the middle of the dead ended alleyway. It wasn’t helping with the food situation and it wasn’t finding a safe place to stay.
I turned to leave.
Just as the door opened.
The young kid that had opened it stared at me wide eyed, just as I was staring back at him. “Um, I’m looking for Joseph,” I said. Nobody could accuse me of treason if I was only looking for a guy named Joseph.
That was my hope, anyway.
The kid waited a long time before
he answered me. “He’s inside. Are you a member?”
“Yes.”
“You a Defective?”
Was it that obvious? “Yes.”
“Come in then, quickly.” He held the door open for me while I shuffled inside. It could have been a trap but I was exhausted enough not to care.
The corridor ran long, probably covering the length of the law firm on the other side of the wall. We eventually came to a door which needed a keypad number which the kid punched in. He unlocked it and swung it inwards for me.
I stepped inside.
And saw something I never thought I would again.
Rocky.
We locked eyes at the same time. He was sitting at a table, eating along with some other familiar faces. We ran for each other, crashing into one another in the middle as Rocky swept me up into his arms.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Rocky whispered into my hair. He held me so tightly I doubted whether he would ever let me go again.
“How is it you’re alive?” I asked.
He let me go enough so he could see my face and the tears of happiness and relief streaking down my cheeks. He held my head in his hands, his eyes so familiar and beautiful as I looked into them.
“My Maker is dead, they didn’t know what to do with me. Then your friend busted me out of Laboratory Foxtrot.” Rocky said the words with a laugh, unable to believe his story himself.
“What were you doing in Foxtrot? We were created in Laboratory Delta, I went looking for you there.”
“They moved me, Delta was too crowded and their cells weren’t supposed to hold somebody for a long time. They thought it would be a while before they worked out what to do with me. You could say I gave them a headache.”
“I’m glad you did.” We stared at each other for a few moments, doing nothing but smiling and taking the other one in, trying to find differences in one another’s features and the familiar things too. Then the questions all slammed into my head again. “But, your Maker is alive…”
“It’s a long story. I’m sure everyone will fill you in. Right now I just want to look at you to make sure you’re real and not just a dream.”
One Spark of Hope Page 7