After The Fires | Book 2 | The Trials Ahead

by Greene, Kellee L.

  “I got lost,” I said. “Will you help me find my way back to my cabin?”

  His hand twisted into the fabric at the back of my smock. “Always such a smart ass. You would have ended up on the farm one way or another, but you chose the quickest route, didn’t you?”

  He knew what I’d done to end up on the farm. Little did he know, I’d do anything to protect the people I care about. That hadn’t changed. The farm wouldn’t ever be able to change that about me, no matter how many times I’d been brought to the torture room.

  Commander Godfrey dragged me toward his house. “I should have known you were somehow involved in whatever this underground operation is. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it.”

  “I don’t know what you're talking about,” I said.

  “Sure thing, sweetheart,” Commander Godfrey said. “Did you find your friends? Is that why you’re here?”

  “We’re allowed to have friends?”

  He opened the front door and tossed me inside like he was loading a carriage with a bag of supplies. My left shoulder cracked as it slammed into the side of his couch.

  “Tell me what you know,” Commander Godfrey shouted. He snarled as he leaned closer. “I couldn’t be more lucky that it’s you with the information. It won’t even be a challenge to extrude what you know.”

  “Extrude?”

  He slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. The hot blood that leaked out of my busted lip oozed down my chin. I didn’t even bother to try to wipe it away.

  What was the point? There would be more. Commander Godfrey wasn’t going to let me leave his home alive.

  Somehow, I needed to find a way to free Hawk and Watcher Jones before he killed me. I was the only one that knew where they were.

  “How did the election go?” I asked with a huff. “Let me guess. You won.”

  “Of course, I won,” Commander Godfrey said. “I didn’t even have to pull any strings. Everyone loves me. They know I’m good for this place.”

  “I think you’re going to burn this all to the ground with all of us inside,” I said, pressing my lips together. “And I don’t think the Great Mother is going to be very happy when you do.”

  Commander Godfrey grabbed the front of my smock and slapped me again. “Next time, it’s a fist.”

  He threw me, and I slid toward the window. The bits of glass that had fallen to the ground cut into the back of my thighs.

  “Why did you lock them up?” I asked.

  “You do know about them! What a surprise,” Commander Godfrey said. “What makes you think you get to ask me questions? It has never worked that way, and it’s surely not going to start now.”

  “Aw, and I was so interested,” I said.

  Commander Godfrey laughed. At least he found me amusing.

  “Tell me about your little club, or whatever it is,” Commander Godfrey said.

  “Well,” I said. “We get together every Wednesday to talk about what a great job you’re doing, and then we hold hands and pray.”

  When his fist hit my jaw, the room spun. I wasn’t entirely sure my head was still attached to my body.

  “You’re not so funny now,” Commander Godfrey said, as he stood and paced in front of me. I fought to keep my eyes open. “Don’t pass out. At least not until you tell me what you know.”

  My jaw tingled. I could feel it swelling, making it difficult to form a word.

  “I… don’t… know… anything,” I lied.

  I was relieved when he kicked me. My body heavily flopped to the side. Bits of glass poked into the side of my cheek, reminding me that I was still alive.

  I didn’t want to talk. Telling him what I knew wouldn’t save my life.

  There was only one thing that would get me out of his home alive, and I spotted it less than six inches from my face. A long shard of glass that hadn’t broken into pieces was shimmering in the sunlight.

  I had to get it without Commander Godfrey noticing… and then I’d have to use it.

  32

  Commander Godfrey continued to pace. He turned away from me, taking three steps before turning back. He kept his eyes on me for the next three steps.

  The second he turned, I reached forward and grabbed the shard of glass. Its sharp edges dug into the flesh of my palm. I could feel the blood as it leaked out of my hand.

  “I can’t deal with this,” Commander Godfrey said. “The others will be back soon, and they’re already going to have so many questions.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, trying to get him to come toward me. My mouth felt strange as I tried to form words. “How are you going to explain this?”

  He kept pacing. For that moment, he was busy working out what he was going to say. He was probably trying to think of a reason there would be a dead farmer in his house.

  I grunted as I pushed myself back into a seated position. He shook his head as I looked up at him.

  “Pathetic,” he muttered. “It’s not going to be all that hard when they see who broke into my home. There are so many things I can say, and best of all, I can claim self-defense. And since it’s you, everyone will believe it.”

  “Probably,” I said, ignoring the numbness in my jaw. “Lots of dumb people here. They’ll believe anything.”

  “You’re not wrong,” he said with a laugh.

  I felt it was my chance, and I took it. Either I was going to use the glass, or I was going to see if what everyone believed about the Great Mother was true.

  “You’re pretty dumb too. That one day you saw me walking after the storm,” I said, snickering. “Get this, I was leaving one of the Watcher’s homes. It’s so much nicer than our cabins… fresh figs, getting a shower, hell, I even got to sleep in a real bed.”

  Commander Godfrey stopped pacing. The veins in his neck popped out.

  I laughed. “And you’re so dumb you believed I was just hiding out in the open.”

  “You stupid bitch!” Commander Godfrey charged toward me.

  I didn’t have to do much more than raise the shard of glass and hold on as tight as I could. He was coming so fast, he practically impaled himself.

  Commander Godfrey’s eyes widened. He didn’t understand what had happened.

  “I can’t die here,” I whispered as I pulled the glass out of his side.

  He dropped to his knees and looked down at the blood flowing from the open wound. “What did you do?”

  I sucked in a breath as I leaned forward and plunged the glass into his stomach. “This.” My mouth dried as I pulled it out and stabbed him again. “And this.”

  He watched in disbelief. “Sinner. I should have seen this coming.”

  “Maybe,” I said as I let go of the glass.

  He fell forward, placing his palms on the ground. Commander Godfrey was on all fours, gasping for air.

  I scooted to the side and quickly got to my feet. The keys to the storage unit were still clutched in my hand as I ran out the door to the storage unit.

  The other commanders would be soon if they weren’t already on their way. Maybe some were already tucked away inside their homes.

  I fumbled with the keys, not knowing which would open the door. My fingers pinched the first, shaking as I tried to wiggle it inside the lock.

  “I’m back,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if it had been loud enough for them to hear.

  I was trying to keep my voice down in case the other Commanders were close. Hawk and Watcher Jones probably heard me outside the door, desperately trying to get the key to slip inside the keyhole. It didn’t fit.

  “Dammit,” I mumbled as I got a better grip on the second key.

  It didn’t help that my vision wasn’t completely clear. Commander Godfrey had hit me harder than I had realized.

  The second key slipped inside the hole. I gasped and turned the key until the lock popped open. My hands shook as I slid the lock out of the metal loop and let it fall to the ground.

  I yanked open the door and stepped inside t
he storage unit just as a gunshot zipped through the air behind me. My eyes landed on Hawk’s bruised face.

  “Oh, my,” I said, touching his cheek.

  “I’m fine,” Hawk said.

  Watcher Jones stuck his head out of the doorway. “He’s coming.”

  “What should we do?” I asked.

  “He’s dragging his feet,” Watcher Jones said. “He doesn’t look too good. What did you do to him?”

  I swallowed hard and shifted my eyes away from them. My stomach swirled, worried about telling them what I’d done.

  “I stabbed him with a shard of glass,” I said, wishing I would have sounded more upset about my actions.

  “He has a gun,” Watcher Jones said.

  I’d already figured as much when I’d heard the gunshot. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the sound on the farm.

  “When he gets closer, I’ll charge him,” Watcher Jones said.

  I shook my head. “No! He’ll shoot you.”

  “If we don’t do something, he’ll shoot all of us,” Watcher Jones said. “I’ll take him by surprise.”

  “We should all charge him. He won’t know where to aim,” I said, wishing I’d taken the piece of glass with me.

  “Okay,” Watcher Jones said. “On the count of three.”

  Hawk took my hand and squeezed. I turned and smiled at him. The pain in my jaw didn’t allow my mouth to move much.

  “Okay,” Watcher Jones said. “Ready?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  Hawk nodded.

  Watcher Jones drew in a breath. “One….”

  He took off running. Watcher Jones never intended for us to charge Commander Godfrey with him.

  I stepped outside. Commander Godfrey’s hand was shaking as he raised the gun toward Watcher Jones’s head. The piece of glass I’d thrust into the Commander’s stomach was gone, but his shirt was soaked in blood.

  Watcher Jones growled as he launched at Commander Godfrey. The sound of the gunshot was suppressed by their bodies.

  I ran toward them as they dropped to the ground. Hawk’s feet scratched the ground not far behind me.

  Watcher Jones and Commander Godfrey dropped to the ground. The gun fell from Commander Godfrey’s hand as they rolled, each vigorously attempting to get on top of the other.

  Commander Godfrey’s eyes landed on me as I reached down and picked up the gun. My hand shook as I aimed it at him.

  I had no idea what to do. Commander Godfrey must have realized, because his lip curled into a smile.

  “What are you going to do with that?” he asked, blood bubbling out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Shoot him!” Hawk shouted.

  My teeth pressed together, and my jaw tensed. I was about to pull the trigger when Watcher Jones rolled on top of Commander Godfrey.

  “She doesn’t need to do anything,” Watcher Jones said as he threw his fist into Commander Godfrey’s stomach.

  Blood spewed from Commander Godfrey’s mouth, splattering every inch of Watcher Jones. Watcher Jones looked down into Commander Godfrey’s eyes.

  “Are the Mother’s arms reaching out for you? Do you feel love and comfort?” Watcher Jones asked.

  Commander Godfrey's mouth hung to the side. He didn’t have the energy to form a word.

  “Give me the gun,” Watcher Jones said.

  I handed it to him, and he pressed the barrel to the bottom of Commander Godfrey’s chin. I covered my ears only a second before he pulled the trigger.

  33

  Watcher Jones rolled off Commander Godfrey, flopping onto the ground beside him, where blood was pooling and soaking into the ground. He winced as he sucked in a labored breath.

  “No time for resting. We have to get out of here,” I said, taking several steps to Watcher Jones and reaching out my hand to him.

  “I can’t go with you,” Watcher Jones said.

  “Of course you can!” I said, shaking my hand in front of him.

  He slowly moved his head from side to side as he pointed to a spot just below his chest on his blood-soaked shirt. “He got me. I don’t have much longer.”

  Commander Godfrey’s dead eyes stared up at the sky. The bastard had shot Watcher Jones when he lurched toward him from the storage unit.

  It was impossible to accept that we wouldn’t be leaving with Watcher Jones. We needed him. Not just me and Hawk, but everyone on the farms needed him.

  “They can help you in the Capital,” I said. “You just need to hold on a little longer.”

  Hawk wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me away from them. He whispered my name.

  Watcher Jones chuckled. “No one is going to help me after killing a Commander. I’d rather die here than be put to death while everyone watches.”

  “It’s not supposed to be like this,” I said, my body trembling.

  “Someone will help you two. Give it time. They will come to you when it’s safe. You’ll both get out of this place,” Watcher Jones said. “Don’t give up hope, no matter how hard it gets. It’s all much bigger than you realize, and one day this will all be different. Promise me that you will both help it be different.”

  “I promise,” Hawk replied instantly.

  I bit my lip and nodded.

  “Good,” Watcher Jones said with a faint smile as his eyes closed for a long moment. “In case you were wondering, there are no loving arms wrapping around me. I feel nothing except coldness.”

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. My knees felt as though they were going to give out, but Hawk managed to keep me steady.

  “Don’t cry. It feels wonderful,” Watcher Jones said, forcing a weak smile. “I don’t even feel the pain anymore. This proves we are right.” His eyes closed again, and they didn’t reopen. “Go on. Get out of here before they see you.”

  Watcher Jones’s chest didn’t rise. His hands opened toward the sky as his head tilted to the side. He was gone.

  “Let’s go,” Hawk said.

  We ran as fast as we could without knowing where we could go. We were covered in blood, and our injuries would be noticed.

  Surely someone had heard the gunshot, and it wouldn’t take long before they found where it had come from. The area would be flooded with Commanders and Watchers. They’d probably even call for the Admiral.

  If they caught Hawk and me in the area, there would be no chance for us to even try to keep our promise to Watcher Jones.

  “I have an idea,” Hawk said.

  “What?” I said, gasping for air. It was hard to run with my injuries pulsating in my skull each time my foot slapped the ground.

  “We hide out in Watcher Jones’s house,” Hawk said. “Follow me. I think I remember which one it is.”

  The paths were still mostly empty. People must have still been at work or gathered in the park.

  We slipped into Watcher Jones’s house without being noticed. I was only a few houses away from Watcher Brody’s home.

  After Hawk closed the curtains, he wrapped his arms around me. I felt too weak to hug him back.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he whispered. He cupped my face, and I winced. “Sorry.”

  “If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy,” I said.

  Hawk laughed and hugged me more gently. “He deserved it.”

  “We can’t stay here, you know,” I said, exhaling as I lightly touched my jaw. “They’ll come to investigate and assign a new Watcher to this place.”

  “I know,” Hawk said. “But we can clean up and get changed.”

  “How did you know where Watcher Jones lived?” I asked.

  Hawk ran his hands through his hair. “He told me one time, but I could only come here in case of emergency. I’m pretty sure this counts.”

  “I don’t think he’s going to have anything for me to change into,” I said, looking down at my smock.

  Blood had soaked into the collar where it had dripped down my neck. There were other drops and splotches randomly speck
ling the fabric so much that it wouldn’t go unnoticed. Even if I would have had a clean smock, my face was badly bruised and swollen.

  “Let’s see if we can get cleaned up,” Hawk said, taking my hand.

  He led me into the bathroom where he found a washcloth. Hawk let it run under the water for a few seconds before dabbing the cloth to my lip.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. The rag was soft, but it felt like sandpaper against my skin.

  “How bad does it hurt?” Hawk asked.

  “It’s pretty bad,” I said. “I guess I’ll just say I fell and hit my head on something.”

  “Will your Keeper believe that?” Hawk asked as he started to undress.

  I swallowed and looked away. “Probably not, but I don’t think she’ll do anything about it. She got in some trouble recently and probably will try to avoid drawing attention to herself for a while. What about you?”

  “I’ll just blame it on a Watcher,” Hawk said as he climbed into the shower. He turned on the water and peeked his head around the shower curtain. “My Keeper will believe it.”

  I picked his clothes up off the floor and studied them. The smell of soap filled the room, as did the steam.

  “Your uniform isn’t in bad shape,” I said.

  “Good,” he said through the noisy shower.

  “I’ll give you some privacy,” I said, quickly slipping out of the bathroom.

  The steam had been making it hard to breathe, and Hawk’s naked body had made my heart pound.

  I walked into the living room and peeked out between the curtains. It would be night soon.

  If only we knew how much time we’d have been for they’d come to Watcher Jones’s house. It was strange that there wasn’t much commotion. Maybe they hadn’t found the bodies yet… or maybe they were keeping them a secret.

  I sat down on the couch and scrubbed at the spots of blood on my smock with the washcloth. They faded slightly. There was a chance that no one would notice in the darkness. As soon as I got back to the cabin, I could change. I had no idea what I’d do with the blood-stained smock, but I’d worry about that later.

  We still needed to worry about getting back to our cabins without getting caught. The shower turned off, and Hawk walked out of the bathroom with a towel hanging low on his hips.