The Force (Fighting Freedom Book 1)

by Paige Clendenin

  Jake finds that odd, and so do I.

  Yesterday, we snuck into an intelligence lab to search on a computer… one of only ten computers in the whole complex.

  I had never seen one in person, but Jake felt comfortable maneuvering through its files and documents. We didn’t find out anything about the kids, though.

  We did, however, find an unauthorized coded set of files that came from somewhere outside the complex. The main file was marked T.E. Jake found that suspicious also, but we heard someone coming, so we left the la, and the computer behind before we could dig any deeper.

  He has now added to the list, the ambition of finding out what the coded T.E. file is, along with where the children have been taken.

  Shawn is still in the medical compound. He had a relapse five days ago and had to be put on a higher dose of Methrodine.

  It keeps him asleep for the most part, and out of pain.

  Mar, Eli, Jake, and I visit him every day. It’s hard to watch him like that; unconscious and not himself.

  Tomorrow, we find out if we passed boot camp, and get to go to basic training. Even though I feel much better physically, my nerves have gotten the best of me. I have doubts that I will even pass.

  We also find out what phases we have been moved up to. Since the Methrodine epidemic, there have been no phase changes stated on our arm bands.

  The last one I noticed that had changed was Mar’s, the night I went back to the dorm from Jake’s apartment.

  Captain Samuels decided that might keep down on arguing and unnecessary physical contact. The phases have been documented and will be read out loud tomorrow, for those who pass boot camp.

  Samantha has taken over torturing Malachi, Levi, and Sampson, being ten times harder on them, of course. They don’t seem to bother us anymore; however, I feel like it is just a waiting game until our phases become public concern once again. Then… I fear that it may become a free for all… Rules or no rules.

  I walk into the dining hall, and Jake isn’t anywhere to be seen, so I sit at the table with Mar and Eli. They are arguing about something when I walk over, but their conversation has stopped.

  “I saw Jake leave with Sam and Cole just a few minutes ago,” Eli offers, the information he knows I want.

  I nod, then go back to eatingmy stew. Faintly, I can hear Mar telling Eli that she is worried, and Eli arguing with her that she‘s just being stupid, and that she‘s worrying about nothing.

  “What are you guys over there fighting about?” I ask, sounding bored.

  “Nothing, it’s just Mar being silly again,” says Eli.

  “Silly.” Mar squeaks.

  “Yeah,” Eli responds, looking at her. “Silly.”

  “I’m not being stupid, or silly, or worrying about nothing. I have a real reason to be concerned,” she retorts charismatically while trying not to talk so loudly the whole room full of people can hear her.

  “What are you worried about?” I ask her, trying to sound concerned but having trouble coming across that way.

  “I don’t know,” she begins, sounding like quiet Mar again. “I just…”

  “She doesn’t think she will pass boot camp,” Eli interrupts.

  “Neither do I,” I say, looking back down at my plate, shaking my head.

  “What?” Mar says, in disbelief. “You’re a thousand times better than I ever have been. Even when we were drugged, your strength and will to go on… it surpassed mine, by far. I think they see that,” She pauses, and tears trail down her face as she buries her head into her folded arms on the table top.

  “Sweetheart, will you please calm down?” Eli says with an arm draped over Mar’s back, running the palm of his hand in small circles on her shoulder opposite him.

  “Yeah Mar…” I say. “Out of everyone, I would say that you’re the most improved. Jake even told me so,” I lie. He really hasn’t told me that, but it was the only thing that I know will make her feel better, and it is true, she is most improved.

  “He did?” she questions, looking up through red eyes.

  “Yeah,” I say, trying to keep my gaze on her. “But don’t tell him I told you.”

  “Why?” Eli asks, causing creases in his forehead, and sounding suspicious. I have to lie again. I have to think about it carefully so that no other questions are asked, so the truth bending can stop.

  “He’s not supposed to even talk to me about phase members… Confidentiality or something… But he does sometimes to get some things off his chest… If he knew I told you… he might be upset, or in trouble for talking to me,” I say, still trying to keep eye contact.

  I read somewhere that eye contact is the most important thing when trying to convince someone that you’re not lying.

  It seems to have stifled Mar’s sobs, and even though my brother is still staring at me, he doesn’t look at me with accusation anymore. The part about Jake talking to me about things that go on in the complex is not a lie, but Mar’s standings has never been one of the things we discussed. I wish it had been, because it worries me also.

  I look away and try to act more concerned with finishing my dinner, but my insides feel like they are ripping out.

  I have not once lied to Mar, and I never thought I would ever lie to my brother. I can’t help the guilty feeling flooding me, but I have to act like what I said was truth, so I look over to them and smile to seal the deal.

  Eli returns the smile, and then turns his attention back to Mar.

  I still haven’t seen Jake, so after dinner, I shower and go to the dorm.

  There are still only eighteen of us in our phase group. Out of the three members who were living unconscious, Shawn and a boy named Tobi Rogers are still in the medical compound.

  Rendell More, a tall, slim, boy with dark skin and black hair died a week ago in the dorm.

  He left the medical compound after waking up and being taken off the Methrodine drip. Rendell seemed better for the most part, but had what we all thought were some of the same setbacks that most of us did. He kept suffering from shortness of breath, weakness, and the overwhelming feeling of dread that came with all our recoveries, but he only lasted two days after that.

  Paul and Magi came to the dorms that night and spoke to us about his death. They said that he died of infection in his lungs from inhaling too much fluid from the feeding tubes while he was unconscious.

  Eli was the one who found him.

  It was the first dead body that he, Mar, or I had ever seen.

  I keep thinking about how Chris Powers, Lina Ray, Rendell More, and all the others who have died recently, will never get to see the peace. I just add them to the list along with General Timothy and the two captains before Captain Samuels that will also not get to see the peace.

  Sleeping in the dorm seems harder now. At first it was the void of Shawn’s empty cot that haunted us, and Chris Powers’ death. Also, Lina Ray’s absence, even though we had never really known her, but we still felt the gap she left.

  Now, the sleepless nights come from knowing that Rendell More died only five cots away from mine, only four away from Mar’s.

  She tosses and turns too.

  We started out with seven empty beds at the beginning, now there are twelve.

  Through the haze of terror, I find sleep, or it finds me.

  Magi shakes me awake sometime in the night. She looks like she wants to talk about something, but she just stands there for the longest time, hovering over my cot.

  She is breathing hard, and it looks like she is covered in sweat from head to toe.

  “Magi… what is it?” I finally say, as I push myself up on my elbows.

  The moon is still high in the sky, and her face looks eerie in the dark.

  “Liz,” she finally says, through tears and labored speech. “Shawn died… in his sleep… and… and we can’t find Jake….He’s been missing for hours.”

  I jump to my feet and try to shove Magi out of the way, and even though she is trying to hold me back, I
break free. I take off running through the compound barefoot and in Jake’s shorts and oversized hooded shirt.

  I keep screaming for Jake, because I can’t handle Shawn‘s death without him.

  He doesn’t answer, no matter how loud I scream.

  I run to his apartment, but he’s not there either. I can’t decide if I should go to find him or join Mar and Eli in the medical compound.

  When I took off running, I noticed they weren’t in their cots. I assumed they had left to go view Shawn… Maybe Magi had woke them first.

  I don’t know why they would have left without me, but I decide to go on to the medical compound, and pray Jake shows up.

  When I open the door, a curtain hangs in front of it. Not a curtain like the one that hangs in front of the back door leading into the hall of rooms, but this one is black and veil like. I pass through the veil but stop in mid step.

  All of the cots are empty, except two, and Eli and Mar are nowhere in sight. There’s no one in the room except Shawn and the person laying on the cot next to his.

  The smell is a thousand times worse than the first time we visited Shawn, and my stomach churns with every breath.

  I can’t help what comes next, but I lean over and heave every ounce of beef stew I had for dinner into a nearby trash can.

  The first dead body is Shawn, I can tell, which is overwhelming, but I can‘t tell who is laying lifeless on the cot next to him. A sheet is pulled up over that persons head and it takes all I have to walk over to the set of cots.

  There is still no Mar, no Eli, no Magi, and still no Jake.

  I carefully reach down and tug on the sheet that slowly trails down what I can now tell is a man’s head. When it falls below the eyes, I freeze… It’s Jake, and he’s not breathing.

  I panic, and when I turn around to run, Malachi stands just a foot away, with an evil smirk on his face.

  “Lay down and die,” Malachi says in a deep voice, pointing to an empty cot beside Jake‘s body.

  “NO.” I yell, as I try to pass him. “Leave me alone.”

  “Lay down and die,” Malachi repeats even louder, while blocking me from leaving.

  Levi and Sampson slither out from behind the black veil, and they too look menacing and evil. While distracted by their entrance, Malachi grabs my wrists and forces me onto the ground.

  “Now it’s time for you to die, the way I killed your boyfriend,” he says, through hisses like a snake.

  “NO.” I yell again.

  Levi and Sampson join Malachi, crouched over my body. They each are helping hold me down, and it’s becoming harder to move. I’m trying to punch, and kick, and I am screaming at the top of my lungs at this point.

  I wake up on my cot in the dorms, mumbling no, over and over and over again. I am trembling so hard, but manage to sit up, and try to look around. Mar and Eli are sleeping on their cots next to me, and all seems well.

  It was just a dream. More like a nightmare.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I look at my watch, and it is only 2a.m.

  I am out of breath, and my heart is racing faster than it ever has. Its rhythm beats in my ears and in my head.

  Surprisingly, I didn’t wake anyone with my screams, but even though I try, I can’t go back to sleep.

  Sitting up on my cot, I let my feet dangle to the ground. The cold of the tile is shocking on my bare feet, but it helps me focus. I sit with my head in my hands for the longest time before deciding to stand up.

  I need to go somewhere, take a walk. I know that no other member could probably leave the dorm of their own free will during the night, but the guards have grown accustom to mine and Jake’s excursions, and I know they won’t say a word.

  I slip past Bob, the night guard, and he acts like he barely notices me leaving.

  I walk down the hall and stop in front of Jake’s apartment door. It’s the first time I have been here in the night since my extended stay nearly two and a half weeks ago.

  I don’t knock, I just push the door open, and Jake is sprawled across the bed, asleep. I don’t want to wake him, so I carefully and quietly close the door behind me and walk in. I feel relieved that he is here after not seeing him all evening, and after my dream.

  Deciding to sit on the couch, I fall into it, but I still feel overwhelmed, even after coming to the place that I have felt so safe at. It occurs to me that maybe it’s not so much the place as much as it is the person who makes me feel that way.

  I really do wish he was awake.

  Watching him sleep, I realize how at peace he looks. His breathing is even, his muscles are relaxed, and I crave to feel that peace and relaxation myself.

  I lay back, trying to time my breath with his, but my heart is still racing so fast, it isn’t working.

  I start to cry instead.

  Still trying not to wake Jake purposefully, I turn my head and try to sob into the back of the couch. I wrap my arms around my face in order to make the sounds more muffled. I have never been a crier, but after the events in my dreams, the tears feel good.

  A hand softly touches my shoulder, and Jake sinks into the couch beside me. I didn’t even hear him get out of bed. He pulls me to him, and I continue to sob into his chest. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whisper, through cries. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright,” he says, combing his fingers through my hair. “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything,” I say, looking up at him. “Passing boot camp, what will happen to me if I don’t and…” I pause.

  “And?” he questions, putting his hand on my cheek.

  “And… nightmares, after seeing Rendell’s body.” I shake my head. “And knowing Shawn is in such bad shape, and… well… and tonight… you died in my dream tonight… Jake, there are only a hand full of people I love, and it seems they are all going to die if things don’t get any better.”

  “Oh, Liz… that’s not going to happen. I promise.” He raises my face so softly between his strong hands. “I’m going to take care of you, I will. I won‘t let anything bad happen to you. Ever. And I‘m not going anywhere.”

  Then, he lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me so gentil.

  I want this moment to be my forever, but I know that it can’t. For now, though, I will let it be my salvation, and I will give into my need to be consoled. He wraps his arms around me, and I wrap mine around him, and we kiss through sighs and short breaths.

  When we separate, Jake has a smile on his face, which causes me to smile back at him. “Wait a second. When you were telling me about your dream, did I hear you include me in the people that you love?”

  “I think so” I say, feeling rather red.

  “Do you?” he asks. “Could you for real… love me?”

  I didn’t even think about it when I said it. When did I realize this new development? I probably have known it for a while.

  “Yes,” I whisper, putting my forehead to his.

  “Good,” he smiles.

  We just sit there quietly for the longest time.

  “I love you, Liz,” he whispers.

  “I love you too,” I respond.

  He smiles again.

  “Jacob Lee Anthony,” he says, softly.

  “Huh?”

  “That’s my real name… Jacob Lee Anthony.”

  “Elizabeth Denise Towers,” I offer, with a grin.

  “Beautiful,” he says, and we kiss again.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “You can sleep in my bed tonight, I’ll take the couch,” he says. “You need some rest.”

  “Ok,” I say.

  I climb under his warm covers and pray that if sleep finds me, the dreams won’t.

  Eventually, I must fall asleep, because I wake up to the sun shining, a wonderful aroma, and the low beep of Jake’s watch. He is already up and doing something in the makeshift kitchen, which is where I hope the source of that smell is coming from.

  No more dreams came in the night, and I sigh in relief.
>
  He must have heard me, because he looks over his shoulder and smiles. When he turns around, I am propped up on my elbows in bed. He has a small tray in his hands. “Good morning,” he says.

  “Good morning,” I reply.

  “No protein bar and milk for you this morning,” he says through the same smile. “Unless that’s what you want?”

  I shake my head.

  He walks over and hesitates before sitting with me on the bed. I pat the blankets beside me, letting him know that it’s ok, and he slides next to me. On the tray are two pieces of toast, two fried eggs, and a few slices of bacon. “I haven’t seen bacon in years,” I say, with a grin.”

  “I forget how hard you all had it outside the complex.”

  “Yeah,” is all I say, because I’ve already put a piece of bacon in my mouth.

  “A lot of the girls that have been raised here are vegetarians,” he says with an eye roll.

  “Not me,” I say through a mouth full of half masticated meat, then I swallow before I continue. “I know it’s not nice to talk with your mouth full, but this is probably the best meal I’ve had for as long as I can remember.”

  Jake laughs. “Glad I got to be the one to see you enjoy it.”

  I can feel my face heat up due to embarrassment, and I turn, and take a bite of toast to try to divert the fact that I let him do that to me.

  I do love him.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  A distant bell rings, and an announcement blares over the loud speaker.

  “This is Capitan Samuels. Will all phase members please report to your common area to find out what phase you now rank at, and to find out if you have passed our boot camp? You have twenty minutes to report. That is all.”

  Fear rises up in me, for me, for Mar, for Shawn. I don’t know what this will mean for him. Jake must sense my worry because he turns his full attention to me.

  “It’s going to be alright, don’t worry… I can’t tell you who passed, because that wouldn’t be fair, but just don’t worry.”