Deadly Exodus

by Kim McMahill

  “Okay, let’s go over the plan again and make sure we’re ready.”

  They would take Nyla’s car as far as they could since it wouldn’t be missed by anyone. The vehicle had a tracking chip, like all automobiles, but Ethan had checked and figured out how he could remove it quickly with few tools.

  “The street-monitor drones return to their charging stations at ten o’clock and our families should be in bed by then, so pick us up at the road at ten-thirty. Leave your chips under your pillow so no alarms will sound when we cross into Texas or when we’re out of range.”

  “We won’t be late. Claire and I have the details and timing all worked out,” Nyla promised.

  “Jared and I will probably be the first to be missed since our chores won’t get done if we’re gone. But, we should have about an eight-hour head start, maybe more depending on how quickly the authorities are notified, which should allow us to drive as far as we can, ditch the car and find a place to hide and wait for the following night to attempt the border crossing.”

  The friends stood shoulder to shoulder around the candle flame, thinking about the adventure to come. For a few moments no one spoke, each deep in their own thoughts.

  “We gathered up tools, flashlights and a couple makeshift packs,” Jared finally said, breaking the silence.

  “Nyla and I have been stockpiling water bottles and food and we have blankets in the trunk of her car in case things don’t go according to plan,” Claire added.

  “I’ve put together a map using the information Carlos has been sending through Crystal. He also sent instructions on where and when to attempt the crossing.” Nyla could see relief in Ethan’s eyes as she and the others reported on what they had done to prepare. No matter how much responsibility she felt for the success of the mission, she knew Ethan placed even more burden on himself.

  “Is there anything else Carlos wrote that might be of use?” Ethan asked.

  Nyla hoped Crystal’s mother’s translation of the notes from Spanish to English was accurate since there was so little room for error in the plan. Crystal’s family had played a critical role by having a means of receiving messages from relatives in Mexico. Nyla had no idea how they managed to smuggle written notes across the border and she never asked, assuming the method was most certainly illegal.

  “Well, the map will be our primary guide and there are a few other details. The borders are monitored with helicopters, unmanned dirigibles and random patrols. There’s an alarm system that’s triggered if a microchip crosses the electronic barrier, which won’t be a problem since we’re leaving our chips behind. Several decades ago, a two thousand-mile-long fence was constructed along the border, but it’s fallen into disrepair and isn’t much of an obstacle. Carlos discovered gaps in the system that constantly migrate along the border. He’s calculated where the gaps will be and how long they’ll be open. Timing and location are crucial to the plan’s success.”

  “If we’re all clear on what to do we’d better get out of here,” Ethan stated.

  As Nyla watched Ethan snuff out the candle and flick on his flashlight a wave of panic hit her, making her feel nauseous. If they made a mistake they might not just be captured, they could be killed. In fact, there was very little doubt in her mind that Ethan and Jared would be executed if caught. The authorities had zero tolerance for males who broke the law.

  Claire snatched the flashlight out of Ethan’s hand and started toward the cave’s mouth. Nyla knew her friend was anxious to leave since Claire had always been a bit claustrophobic and no huge fan of the dark. Like Claire, Nyla wanted to get out of the cave and start putting the past behind them, but doubts plagued her. She grabbed Ethan and Jared by the arm. Both stopped and turned to look at her.

  “If we get caught, Claire and I will be sent to the Facility, but you two probably won’t fare so well,” Nyla whispered.

  “We know. They won’t be bringing us back here alive,” Ethan stated as Jared nodded in agreement.

  Nyla fought the urge to vomit. The realization of just how much was at stake hit her like a sucker punch to the gut. She was unable to move and had to fight to breathe. She could feel darkness closing in around her. Just as Nyla felt her knees give way, Ethan’s arm slid around her waist, bracing her up. In the growing darkness, she couldn’t imagine how he knew she was about to collapse, but somehow he did.

  “Now’s no time for cold feet. We’ll make it. It’s going to take more than an army of computer geeks to bring us down.”

  “Don’t worry Nyla,” Jared added. “Ethan has recently informed me he possesses superior genes, so that should deliver us all to freedom.”

  Ethan punched Jared as they jogged to catch up to Claire. By the time they emerged into the sunlight, Nyla’s confidence had returned and she pushed all the doubts out of her head. She knew this was the last time they would be together at the cave, but felt no sadness. The cavern had served its purpose. If the plan failed, they would never see each other again. Either way, this was goodbye to the only life they had ever known.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Nyla didn’t bother to set an alarm, knowing she wouldn’t sleep. For her to make it to the rendezvous point by ten-thirty, she needed to leave the house at five after ten and pick Claire up at ten-fifteen. She couldn’t be late, but it was just as dangerous to be early. A car driving around or sitting parked so late would draw suspicion.

  At ten o’clock, Nyla got out of bed and dressed in the dark so no lights would draw the attention of anyone outside. She retrieved her cache of supplies and stowed a few personal items, including the photograph her grandmother had given her. They had to travel light. Her car was small and once they abandoned it they would be on foot for the rest of their journey.

  Nyla peeled the bandage from her palm and placed the microchip under her pillow. The scar had healed and evidence of the chip’s extraction had nearly vanished. The pain had only lasted a couple of days and when it subsided, Nyla had felt liberated.

  As she reached her bedroom door, she stopped and glanced around her room. She went to her desk, found a piece of paper, scribbled a quick note to her grandmother and placed it under her pillow next to the chip. It was simple, but said all that needed to be saidI love you. Don’t worry. Thanks for being you.

  Nyla tiptoed out of her room and paused outside her grandmother’s bedroom, placing her hand tenderly on the door. She hated leaving without saying goodbye, but knew it was for the best. She looked around, but there were no sentimental tokens in the barren environment, nothing to symbolize the uniqueness of her wonderful grandmother or her adventurous mother or the love the three of them shared.

  Without a sound, Nyla crawled through the kitchen window and dropped to the ground. The kitchen window wasn’t in the path of the camera focused on the house, which was why she had chosen it. She quickly made her way around the backside of the camera and swiveled the lens to look out over the desert and away from her car.

  “Door unlock. Ignition on,” Nyla whispered.

  She slipped into the driver’s seat, thankful her solar-powered vehicle made virtually no noise as she backed out of the driveway. Nyla turned the car’s lights off, something possible only after Ethan had bypassed the usual mode of mandatory driving lights. She didn’t look backafraid doubts about leaving her grandmother might creep into her head and make leaving difficult instead of exciting and essential.

  Ruby stood at the window and watched Nyla drive away. She knew this day would comeit was inevitable. Her granddaughter was just like her daughter, there was no denying it, and there had been no point in trying to change her mind. Ruby had made a small effort, but she knew it was too little too late.

  She went to the living room and retrieved her most prized possessions from their hiding place. Her treasured well-worn Bible and comfort quilt had survived undetected when SLIC had come into their home after Rachel’s arrest. Religious articles had been outlawed, but Ruby refused to give up the ties to her past, which had gi
ven her the strength to live in a world she didn’t understand.

  Ruby lit a candle so as not to cast too much light and wrapped herself in her quilt of many colors. The colors of the quilt had been vibrant at one time, but had faded from age and neglect, yet still elicited the same emotions. The quilt made her feel warm and hopeful and the memories came flooding back. She touched each square lovingly. There were squares cut of fabric from her christening gown and her grandmother’s, her mother’s, and her own wedding dresses. The edges remained ragged and unfinished, so it could expand with each generation, but the tradition had died. With Rachel and Nyla unable to marry and baby christenings illegal, there was no longer any fodder to nourish the quilt’s growth or the body’s soul.

  Ruby was frightened for Nyla and her friends and worried about how they would cross the Rio Bravo. The famed river was rumored to be a treacherous obstacle separating America and Mexico. The media touted it as an insurmountable obstacle, but she knew from Crystal’s mother that its power had been exaggerated and the river was shallow much of the year.

  Months had passed since the desert had seen significant rain, a fact that played in Nyla’s group’s favor, but Ruby had heard a large storm was on its way. She hoped the rains would hold off or the storm wouldn’t venture far enough south to cause Nyla additional danger. The only thing she could do for them now was pray. Ruby opened her Bible to Exodus, chapter fourteen, verse twenty-one and began to read.

  And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

  As Ruby continued to read about Moses’ flight and how the Lord parted the Red Sea to allow the children of Israel escape the Pharaoh’s army and deliver them from a life of slavery, she began to believe Nyla and her friends might succeed. She closed her eyes and prayed that the Rio Bravo would be as generous to Nyla and her friends on their flight for freedom, and that He would shelter them underneath His wing.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Claire glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was time to leave. As she threw back the blanket a sliver of light flashed under her door. She froze and listened as footsteps grew nearer. She dove back under the covers just as her door eased open. With eyes clenched shut, she could feel her mother staring at her. Katherine was never up this late and she hadn’t checked on her since she was a teenager, so the woman’s presence unnerved Claire. She fought her body’s urge to flinch as Katherine’s fingers gently brushed aside a stray hair on Claire’s forehead.

  After several minutes, her mother backed away and the door closed with a faint click. Claire exhaled and opened her eyes. The light still glowed from the hallway, making her afraid to move, but she had to go now or be late. Claire eased out of bed, tiptoed to her door and twisted the lock so her mother couldn’t enter if she happened to come back. She bound her hair, removed her microchip and placed it on top of her pillow.

  Claire grabbed a jacket and jimmied the window open. She slipped out into the night as quietly as if she was a professional burglar of old. She had planned to creep down alleys and around shrubs to avoid as many of the hundreds of surveillance cameras around town as possible, but necessity made her run along the most direct route possible. Claire didn’t look for cameras to avoid or worry about the noise made by her rapidly churning feet, she just ran, leaping over a small hedge and rounding the corner just as Nyla’s car rolled to a stop.

  The door opened and Claire lunged into the car, gasping for breath. She eased the door shut, snapped her seatbelt in place and glanced over at her friend. Nyla returned the look with wide eyes, but to Claire’s relief, Nyla didn’t ask any questions as they pulled away from the curb and drove away from the lights of town.

  Sneaking out was easy for Ethan and Jared since their rooms were far from Leah’s and in a different building than Vera or anyone else. They placed their microchips under their pillows and exited through their bedroom windows as they had done many times before and met behind the control room at the exact same time.

  The farm had been silent for hours, except for the occasional howl of the reintroduced Mexican red wolf. They knew no one would come outside even if they heard something, yet they moved through the darkness with stealth to retrieve the packs they had stowed the previous night.

  Ethan looked around at the farm one last time. Under different circumstance, he would have loved this place. He enjoyed working the landhe just didn’t enjoy working for Vera. He would miss the fields and the cactus-covered hills embracing them, but he wouldn’t miss the control the farm collective represented or his mother. Putting his hand in his pocket, he fingered the small fabric bundle containing the rattles of more than a dozen snakes he had killed over the years. Aside from his knife, the snake’s rattles were the only things he had taken from his room.

  “Psst. Come on. We’re running late,” Jared whispered.

  Ethan had the overwhelming desire to inflict some form of vandalism to the control room as a final protest, but his sense of responsibility to his friends won out. He couldn’t risk doing anything that would advertise their absence any sooner than necessary, so he turned his back on the only life he had ever known and followed Jared away from the farm.

  As they approached the meeting place, there was no sign of Jared or Ethan. Nyla pulled over and parked, wishing they had discussed what to do if they were early or if the guys were late. Her anxiety grew as she watched Claire chew frantically on her fingernails, so she got out of the car and paced.

  Nyla couldn’t see very far in the darkness, despite a descent moon, no matter how hard she strained her eyes. She looked overhead and saw few stars, so feared the predicted storm was closing in on them and knew a lot of rain could ruin everything they planned and make crossing the Rio Bravo very dangerous if not impossible. But, they would deal with that obstacle when and if it arose. For now her only concern was that Ethan and Jared had been caught or were unable to get away.

  “They’ll be here,” Claire said, grabbing Nyla’s hand and pulling her to a stop.

  Nyla hadn’t even realized Claire had gotten out of the car. The short sentence was the first words Claire had spoken since Nyla had picked her up and the sound seemed unnaturally loud. Usually Claire’s reassurances comforted her, but this time it did nothing to soothe the uneasy feeling bubbling in her stomach, but just as full-blown panic set in Nyla spotted Jared and Ethan jogging out of the darkness.

  Within seconds, Ethan had dropped his pack and was lying on his back with his head under the car. Jared held the flashlight and passed the tools to Ethan needed to retrieve the tracking device. Once removed, Ethan pitched the tracker far out into the desert as Claire and Jared climbed into the tiny back seat of the car.

  “You drive. I’m so nervous I’ll probably run off the road and kill us and all of this will have been for nothing,” Nyla said as she moved around to the passenger side.

  “It’ll be all right. We’ll make it, I promise,” he replied with a hug and a reassuring smile.

  “There’ll be plenty of time for that later,” Claire stated. “Let’s get a move on it. We only have so many hours of darkness.”

  Once they were all in the car and driving south, Nyla’s anxiety began to fade and her stomach quit churning. They were all together and that’s all that mattered now. She couldn’t have lived the life she would have been forced to lead, and Ethan’s and Jared’s days were numbered if they didn’t flee, so even if their plan failed, it no longer seemed so frightening. They had nothing to lose.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The small towns between their old home and their destination had been abandoned over the years. Relocating the residents from the remote towns to the larger cities made the area easier to control since the scattered population required too many resources to
effectively monitor. But, of the most concern to the authorities was that the citizens in this part of the country were too independent and rebellious to remain unwatched.

  As the car crawled through the pothole-filled street of the first empty town, chills trickled down Nyla’s spine. The buildings had been reclaimed by the harsh environment and looked haunted. Windows were broken and roofs sagged to the point of collapse. She tried to picture people walking along the crumbling sidewalks or a child’s face peeking out a window, but the town was too far gone. There was nothing human about the collection of dilapidated buildings. There was no life or character to the splintered wood, shattered glass, twisted metal and strewn bricksonly sadness.

  Nyla glanced at Ethan and watched as his eyes followed the forlorn row of derelict buildings as hers had just done. She knew he sensed her watching him when he turned his head toward her and curved his lips into a weak smile. There were no words to describe the emptiness the abandoned town left in her heart, so she looked ahead into the darkness and said nothing.

  The car’s tires began to bounce as if rolling over a continuous line of rumble strips in the road. It felt as if they were driving down a washboard-rippled dirt road, but they hadn’t left the pavement. The light thumping didn’t wake Claire and Jared in the back seat, but made Nyla look over at Ethan with confusion and concern.

  He eased off the gas until the car barely moved down the bumpy road. Nyla squinted, trying to focus on the shapes in the darkness. She could detect the outline of hundreds of long slender shadows lying across the road at random angles, some seemed to be moving like ripples in a lake disturbed by a gentle breeze.

  Ethan flipped on the headlights, cutting through the darkness and illuminating the source of the bumps. Nyla gasped. She couldn’t believe her eyes and was now starting to accept as truth the horror stories the authorities had leaked to the public in order to keep them in the cities, afraid to venture out. Some of the shapes, as thick as her upper arm, stretched from one faded white shoulder line to the line on the opposite side of the road, and as her eyes adjusted to the new light the shapes came to life. There was no mistaking their identity—snakes, hundreds of angry snakes.