Slowly, Rogue turned, placing her back to the wall. Her eyes darted from building to building, trying to take in each rustling leaf and dancing spot of light. The setting sun created deep shadows, giving any number of predators ample places to hide.
“Get going!” Sikes bellowed as he leaned over the wall. Rogue turned to face him, tilting her head back to see the very top.
From inside, the walls had seemed like an impenetrable fortress. From outside, they looked like a crumbling relic. Deep gouges and long scratches stretched on for as far as she could see in either direction, a testament to their necessity. Rogue reached out, running her hand along one of the deep scars in the stone.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled, rooting her in place. Every muscle in her body tensed, hoping that a long-necked Alamosaurus was responsible for the shakes. Though big, they were harmless. From up above, the Watch shouted as they reacted to whatever was behind her.
Slowly, Rogue turned.
It wasn’t a long neck.
The carnivore towered over the decaying strip mall. Its oak colored skin was slashed with stripes of dark chocolate brown, concealing the beast within the trees. In the waning light, against the backdrop of the forest, the creature had been invisible. The Albertosaurus lifted its head and scented the air.
***
Moran gasped. “An Albertosaurus. My God.”
“The Albertosaurus was the least of my problems, as it turned out,” Rogue said.
She went on to tell them about her subsequent escape from the carnivore, her run-in with the Zuniceratops, killing the Nyctosaurus, running from a pack of Utahraptors, almost drowning, defeating the Clidastes, and passing out in the rain.
“What happened then?” Moran asked in a breathless voice.
Rogue continued the saga, telling them about Seth rescuing her, finding other survivors, including her mother at the Zoo, the disastrous egg hunt, and being kidnapped by Bones. “And that’s how I ended up back here.”
“That idiot, Bones,” Bruce growled. “Did he really think either Douglas or Sikes would forgive you? Especially after you told them off in public? How stupid can the man be?”
“I know. He’s as crazy as a loon,” Rogue said, shaking her head. “I’m pretty sure once he’s told them all he knows, they’ll get rid of him too.”
“Of course, they will,” Bruce said. “He’ll join us in here soon enough, mark my words.”
Moran, who’d been suspiciously quiet thus far, turned to Rogue. “You found your mother?”
Rogue nodded. “I did.”
“And? What’s she like?” Moran asked with an undertone of fear in her voice.
Rogue reached through the bars to grip Moran’s hand. “She’s my mother, and I love her, but she’ll never be you.”
Moran’s breath hitched in her throat, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Rogue said, leaning against the bar. “But I’m here now, and I’m not leaving your side again.”
Chapter 19
Rogue was yanked from the depths of sleep by the sound of a door creaking open. She sat upright, stiff from lying on the cold floor of her cell. “Who’s there?”
She blinked when the sharp light of a flaming torch cut through the darkness. It was the guard. The same one who’d locked her up that morning. He placed one finger to his lips. “Shh, be quiet.”
Moran and the others likewise stirred, though they kept silent. Rogue watched with some confusion as the guard unlocked their cells one by one. Finally, he beckoned to them. “Come on. We don’t have all night.”
“What’s going on?” Moran asked, her voice thick with suspicion.
“You’re leaving, that’s what,” the guard said.
“Leaving? What on earth do you mean?” Moran replied.
“I mean, I’m helping you lot escape,” the guard said.
“Why?” Rogue asked, both shocked and surprised in equal measure.
“I’ve had enough. Torturing people is wrong. Killing them for believing in freedom is wrong,” the guard said, walking toward the exit. “Also, you have friends in high places.”
“Friends?” Rogue repeated, puzzled. “What friends?”
A shadowy figure entered the prison, and a feminine voice said, “Good evening, Rogue. Or should I say, Lillian? It’s been a long time.”
The woman stepped into the light, and Rogue sucked in a breath. “Kat!”
“It’s me,” Kat said, stepping closer.
“You bitch,” Rogue cried. “You left me at that orphanage to die.”
“I did,” Kat said. “And I’m so—”
Kat’s head slewed to the side as Rogue’s palm connected with her cheek. The crack of the blow echoed through the cells, and Bear chuckled. “That’s my girl.”
Kat pressed one hand to her face, but she remained surprisingly calm. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“Deserved it?” Rogue hissed through clenched teeth. “You deserve far worse than that, you poisonous witch. Especially after you betrayed Moran.”
“I’m not the one who betrayed them,” Kat said, dropping her hand. Her cheek glowed crimson from the force of Rogue’s blow, the flesh swollen and puffy. “You pack quite a punch for someone so little.”
“There’s more where that came from,” Rogue said, rubbing her stinging fingers against her leg.
“If you didn’t betray us, who did?” Moran demanded. She’d exited her cell and now leaned against Bruce. He had one arm looped around her shoulders, though it looked like a stiff breeze could blow them both over.
“Steven got sloppy. He aroused suspicion, and the general had him followed. Once it became clear he was the mole, it was a simple matter of questioning him,” Kat explained. She flashed Steven a dark look. “You should’ve been more careful. As it is, I barely escaped discovery as well.”
“And you expect us to believe that?” Rogue said with a sneer. “I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you.”
“Your anger at me is justified, Lillian. I wronged you as a child, and I’ve regretted it ever since. You and Corinne were the only family I had, and I threw it away because of misplaced anger and guilt.”
“Guilt?”
“I blamed you for my uncle’s death when it was really my fault all along,” Kat said. “I should’ve helped him. Instead, I stood there and watched him die.”
“Huh,” Rogue grunted, refusing to be mollified. “That doesn’t excuse what you did.”
“No, it doesn’t. I left Corinne to die alone, and I dumped you at that terrible place. I’ve paid for it, though,” Kat said. “Contrary to what you might think, life hasn’t been easy for me.”
“Boohoo,” Rogue said, rolling her eyes. “You think it was easy for me? I lived on the streets until Moran took me in.”
“And I’m sorry about that. I went back for you, you know? But you were gone, and I never found you again,” Kat said.
“It doesn’t change anything between us,” Rogue said, her back stiff.
“That’s my burden to bear,” Kat said. “But I’m here now, trying to make up for it in some small measure.”
“How?”
“By getting you out of here,” Kat said. “The sooner, the better.”
“What’s the rush?” Moran asked.
“Rogue’s execution is set for tomorrow morning. She’ll be hanged in the market square for all to see.”
“It’s true,” the guard interjected. “I heard the announcement myself.”
Rogue swallowed on the sudden knot in her throat. “So, how do we escape?”
“Through the sewage tunnels. Very few people know about them,” Kat said. “They’re the only way out of this place.”
Rogue flashed Moran a questioning look. “Can we trust her?”
“I don’t know, but we’re out of options,” Moran said. “Besides, none of us will last much longer here. Sooner or later, we’ll break, and the Rebel Faction will be a thing of
the past.”
Rogue sighed. “It seems we have no choice but to follow you, Kat.”
“Good, but we need to hurry. There isn’t much time,” Kat said with a hint of her old impatience.
Kat beckoned to the guard, and he produced a large bag filled with items: A dark cloak with a hood for each of them, their old weapons, and a backpack stuffed with food, water, and medicine.
“That’s the best I could do on such short notice,” Kat said. She waited until they’d armed themselves and donned the cloaks. Bear carried the backpack as he was the fittest one among them. “This way.”
On stealthy feet, they followed her and the guard into the night. Judging by the position of the moon, it had to be past midnight already. Thick banks of clouds had formed during the night, and the stiff breeze smelled like rain.
Rogue reckoned the poor weather was a good thing. As a rule, members of the Watch tended to be lazy. They’d be unlikely to wander about on such a miserable night.
With a single torch to light the way, the guard led them through a maze of back alleys and side streets. Finally, when she no longer knew which side was up and which side was down, they reached the wall. There, he made them hide behind an old cart.
“Over there is a grate set in the ground,” he said, pointing to a dark square. “It leads to the main drainage tunnel to the outside.”
“How big is it?” Rogue asked, eyeing the grate.
“Big enough for an adult man to stand upright,” the guard said before eyeing Bear. “Okay, maybe not him. He’ll have to bend over.”
“And it leads outside the walls?” Rogue said, remembering the pipe outlet she’d passed while climbing the embankment.
“That’s right. At this time of night, the flow won’t be more than a trickle, but I’d hurry if I was you. You don’t want to be down there when it starts to rain.”
Rogue eyed the threatening clouds. “Then we’d better hurry.”
“What about you?” Moran asked the guard. “Won’t you get into trouble for helping us escape?”
“Nope. I’m disappearing tonight. My grandma has a whole network of people who can hide me.”
“Tell your grandma that potion of hers is the best,” Steven said with a grin. “And thanks for patching us up.”
“No problem,” the guard said.
“What about you, Kat?” Moran asked.
Kat shrugged. “I’ll be fine. The general’s snoring his head off. He’ll never even know I was gone.”
Rogue hesitated. “Thanks for helping us, but this doesn’t make us friends.”
“I know, and that’s fine with me. I never liked you much anyway. You were always too whiny for my tastes,” Kat said with a grin.
Rogue snorted. “And you’re still a bitch.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re making me blush. Now get going before the next patrol comes along,” Kat said.
Rogue tipped her head, and then they were off and running. Bear hauled the grate aside, and they took turns climbing down the ladder to the tunnel below. The guard handed down the torch and replaced the grate, sealing them inside.
Rogue looked to the left and right. “Which way?”
“Follow the water. It will lead us outside,” Bruce said.
Rogue wanted to slap herself. “Of course. That was dumb of me.”
With Bear in the lead and Rogue taking up the rear, they jogged down the tunnel. The place stank of piss and feces, the stench enough to make their eyes water. Dirty water splashed beneath their feet, and the occasional rat scurried past. It was not a pleasant place.
But, Rogue didn’t care one whit as long as it got her out of Prime and back to the Zoo. She longed for Seth with an almost physical ache, and she knew he had to be frantic after her disappearance. Don’t worry, Seth. I’m coming home. I promise.
Chapter 20
They’d been jogging for about ten minutes when it started to rain. Judging by the level of noise, it was coming down in sheets. A crack of lighting caused Rogue to jump, and a peal of thunder vibrated through the concrete walls. Quickening her pace, she prayed they’d reach the end of the tunnel soon.
Her worry turned to panic when the trickle of filthy water beneath their feet turned into a river. “Uh, guys. I think we’d better hurry the hell up!”
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Moran cried, limping ahead of Rogue. Her face was pale, and she clutched her ribs with one hand. Bruce wasn’t doing much better, weakened by blood loss from his injury and subsequent interrogations. Bear and Steven were better off, but not by much.
“Ah, crap,” Rogue muttered, throwing a worried look over her shoulder. Rats scampered past, their high-pitched squeals competing with the crashing rain. They were running from something. Something bad.
The flow of water grew stronger with every step she took until it reached above her knees. At this point, they were reduced to wading rather than running. When a rush of cold air from behind almost pushed her off her feet, Rogue knew they were in serious trouble.
She looked back, and her eyes widened. A roiling wave of water headed their way, reaching to the roof of the tunnel. Her mouth opened, and she screamed. “Run!”
Rogue pushed herself to the limit, but seconds later, the wall of water hit her in the back. She barely had time to suck in a lungful of air before she was swept off her feet. Her body tumbled head over heels, tugged this way and back. She crashed into the walls several times until her ears sang, and she saw black spots dance across her vision.
Her lungs screamed for air until it felt as if they would burst. Rogue fought against the urge to breathe. A losing battle. Her mouth opened, and filthy water forced its way inside. Then she was flung into the open air and crashed to the ground. She rolled several feet before coming to a stop.
Immediately, Rogue retched. Her lungs spasmed as gouts of liquid poured from her lips. Coughing and sputtering, she crawled through the mud until she reached a tussock of grass. Rain poured from the heavens, and she tilted her head back until her face was washed clean of muck.
Struggling to her feet, she looked around. “Moran? Bear? Steven, Bruce! Where are you guys?”
“Over here,” came a muffled reply.
She waded through the mud until she reached a pale figure. “Moran?”
“It’s me. Help me up.”
Rogue stuck out her hand and got Moran onto her feet. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Moran replied. “Where are the others?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’re here,” someone said, and they recognized the hulking shape of Bear. He had Steven and Bruce tucked under each arm, and Rogue almost collapsed with relief. “Thank God, you all made it.”
Bruce managed a cocky grin. “Alive and kicking.”
Steven shook his head. “Alive maybe, but not kicking.”
A flash of lightning split the sky, and she realized they needed to get out of the storm. “Follow me,” she shouted.
Through the driving rain, she led the party into the ruined city. The apartment she and Bones had holed up in wasn’t far, and she thought she could find it again. Twenty minutes later, she spotted the building and coaxed them up the stairs.
Once inside, Rogue got Bear to barricade the door while she made a fire. Luckily, Kat had thought to include a box of matches, and there was plenty of stuff in the room to burn. Once the fire was going strong, she handed out bottles of water.
Rogue eyed the bruised and broken quartet with raised eyebrows. “You guys look like shit.”
“Thanks, I feel like it, too,” Moran quipped.
“At least, the rain washed away the actual shit,” Bear rumbled.
“That’s something, I guess,” Rogue said, tugging at her shorts. She stared at the article of clothing with a lump in her throat. Who’d have thought she was cleaning out chicken coops and making love to Seth only a few days ago. Ah, Seth. Where are you now?
With a sigh, she dug into the supplies Kat had provided. There was plen
ty of food: Apples, bread rolls, salted meat, and carrots. Her stomach rumbled, and she handed out a bread roll and a strip of meat for each. Once they’d eaten, she removed the first-aid kit and tended to everyone’s wounds.
Her main concern was infection. They’d all had a sewage bath of the nastiest kind, and while the rain had washed away the worst, it was still a looming threat. With that thought in mind, she was very liberal in her use of the disinfectant.
“Alright, guys. Let’s get some sleep,” she said once she’d finished. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
Rogue curled up on an old couch and stared into the fire for a long time. It pained her to see the shape her friends were in. General Sikes had done quite a number on them. But there was much to be thankful for. They’d managed to stay quiet despite the torture, so Patti and the other rebels were safe for now. Also, they’d escaped from the clutches of Prime City thanks to Kat.
Who’d have thought? After all these years, she shows up out of the blue like some knight in shining armor, Rogue thought with reluctant gratitude.
Even so, Rogue knew it was far from over. Thanks to Bones, Senator Douglas and General Sikes knew all about the Zoo, and they’d be coming for it soon. Our fight has just begun.
Chapter 21
The next morning they struck out before dawn. Rogue wanted to put as much distance between them and Prime City as possible. They had a long way to travel. While they’d never make it to the Zoo in a day, she thought they might reach Seth’s boat if they pushed hard enough. It was the only safe place for them to hole up during the night’s long hours and worth a shot, at least.
This time, she cut a wide swath around the Utahraptor’s territory. The last thing she needed was another run-in with the monstrous lizards.
With her hands clutching the straps of the backpack, Rogue walked through the ruins of Portland. She picked her way over the rubble and skirted the rusting hulks of cars. As always, the derelict air of a once-thriving metropolis struck her to the core. It was hard to believe people once lived there, and her thoughts were confirmed by Moran and the other’s comments.
The Extinction Series | Book 2 | Primordial Earth Page 12