The Force (Fighting Freedom Book 1)

by Paige Clendenin

  “And they plan on using the kids to do it, don’t they?” Mar demands.

  “Maybe… I don’t know,” Samantha answers as she shakes her head.

  “We have to save them,” I blurt out.

  “We will,” says Jake.

  “How?” Mar asks, sounding irritated herself.

  “I don’t know yet, but it looks like we’ve got a war on our hands,” he replies. “Maybe we already have had a war for a while now.”

  “Maybe this guy knows something,” I say, looking at Morimoto who is sprawled in the cab of the truck.

  “I don’t think he would tell us even if he did,” Mar says.

  “Something tells me you’re right,” Jake laughs.

  “So what? We just sit here until someone finds us?” Samantha remarks.

  “No. We leave at sunup,” Jake says.

  Mar looks at me like I might protest, but I know that here we are sitting ducks.

  “We need to be on the move; sunup it is.” I respond.

  I know Mar is just as hurt as I am, but she won’t say anything about it. She knows we are as good as dead where we are.

  “Liz and I will take first watch,” Jake offers.

  “Ok,” Samantha says.

  “You need to try to sleep,” I tell Mar.

  “I don’t know if I can,” she says.

  “You have to.”

  Hesitantly, Mar joins Samantha in the bed of the truck to try to sleep. Jake and I take position back to back on the rusty, green hood, him with his M-16, and me with my AK-47, wondering how we got in this position to begin with.

  Jake and I sit in the quiet stillness of the night for the longest time. I can tell that Mar and Samantha are finally sleeping because their breathing is slow and even, and I feel good that at least someone will get some rest tonight.

  “How did we end up here?” I ask, sounding exhausted.

  “I don’t know, I was just wondering the same thing,” Jake whispers.

  “I don’t think I can handle this.”

  “Yes, you can,” he says.

  “I can’t… I know me, and I know I can’t do this.”

  “Then, I must know you better than you know yourself.” He turns and looks at me. “You are stronger, braver, and smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

  “I’m not all those things, I can’t be.”

  “You think you can’t, but what you don’t know is, you already are.”

  “How can you say that, Jake? After all that has happened?”

  “Because I see it.”

  I take his hands in mine. How can he see me differently than I see myself? Is the way I see me the real me? Or is how he sees me the real me?

  Is it possible that they both can be me, and I am the things he says I am?

  “Kiss me,” I whisper for lack of anything else to say.

  Jake leans in, putting his forehead to mine. It seems like it has been so long since we have been in this moment. How can we still want to be together like this in the middle of a war? Can things be the same between us?

  He leans in closer to me, softly touching the side of my face as he looks me in the eyes.

  “Oh wait,” Jake says, as he leans back and rummages through his pocket. “I almost forgot.”

  He pulls out my necklace. I was in shock. It was the pendant on a different chain, one that looked like it was handmade. The pendant was the same, but what was holding it was different.

  “My necklace,” I exclaimed, trying hard not to wake anyone up.

  “I found it the night on the roof after the fight. I knew it was yours, I could feel it,” Jake said. “The chain was broken, I braided three boot laces together to make you something nice, but it isn’t the same.”

  “It’s perfect,” I said, as I leaned in and kissed him.

  “Why is it we can never just be alone, and” be normal, and love each other without worrying about what is going to happen in a few hours?” Jake asks, with a grin as he playfully stopped me from kissing him.

  “Shhhhh, what’s that?” I ask, as I hear an approaching sound.

  Jake jumps to his feet, wielding his gun.

  Our intimate moment is destroyed by a loud crunching sound that seems to be getting closer and closer to us every second.

  “It sounds like something being dragged,” Jake whispers.

  “Maybe it’s another dog?” I say.

  “No, this is much bigger than a dog.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Creeping closer to where the noise comes from, Jake and I stand at the ready, guns in hand.

  The dragging sound becomes less aggressive as time goes on, although you can still tell it’s getting closer to us. It’s almost like what is doing the dragging is slowing down… perhaps due to pure exhaustion.

  Now with the sound of the dragging, is a shuffle, and the rustle of leaves. “Whatever it is… It’s getting closer,” Jake whispers.

  “Yeah,” I whisper back. “I hear it.”

  Through the trees, I can see a figure moving closer to where we are positioned behind a cluster of bushes.

  “Ready your gun,” Jake says under his breath. I pull my AK-47 even closer to my face, looking through the scope for good measure, my finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any second.

  “Readied,” I say.

  “Pssst, Pssst,” a sound comes from the direction of the figure in the woods.

  “What is that?” I quietly ask Jake.

  “Don’t know,” Jake answers, placing his eye to the scope of his M-16. “Jake…. Liz…” The voice rises out of the trees a little louder.

  Friend, or enemy, either one, they know our names.

  “Jake… Liz…” the voice calls out again.

  I think I recognize the voice, and hoping that my intuition is correct, I venture through the woods, closer to the calling voice.

  “Liz, what are you doing?” Jake yells out behind me, but it’s too late. I am already twenty feet ahead of him and am taking my chances. All of a sudden, the dragging sound ends with a thud, and the shuffling stops. All at once everything has come to a halt.

  “Jake… Liz…” I hear the voice again. The voice belongs to Eli, I know it. The instinct in my gut tells me that it has to be my brother.

  Allowing myself the vulnerability of being out in the open, I round the tree that has been my only concealment for the past few minutes. Jake has moved in closer to me, and by now, the truck is a good fifty yards away.

  When I peer around the large oak, my intuitions are confirmed.

  “Eli!” I scream as I run his way. Jake follows behind me at an excited pace, but both of our paths are cut short by the scene set before us.

  It is Eli, but he’s not alone.

  Eli and Magi are hunched over Shawn’s still and lifeless body, and Derik is hauling a badly bruised and burnt Leah over his shoulder. Eli sees me, and in an exasperated manner, runs to me with an embrace I never thought I would get again. I didn’t know if I would ever see my brother again, let alone feel his ever-loving embrace.

  “Mar… she didn’t make it out,” Eli says in a sad tone as he limps backwards.

  “No. She did. She’s with us. Samantha got her out.”

  “What?” my brother says, more than relieved. “Where is she?”

  “She and Samantha are asleep in the bed of the truck. It’s about fifty or sixty yards in that direction,” I say as I point through the thick trees. “How’s Shawn?”

  “Not good,” Magi answers. I don’t know what to say, so I look down at the ground.

  “Paul… he’s gone to the side of The Elected, I think,” Magi offers.

  “I know, Samantha had to shoot him. He was going to kill Jake.” It’s Magi’s turn to not know what to say, because she looks at the ground like I did.

  “We need to get you guys to the truck. Liz, you go get Mar and Samantha to help us,” Jake says to me.

  Derik has laid Leah gently in the grass and leaves. He looks just as exhausted
as Magi and Eli do. I can tell from where I am standing that his shirt is torn and his chest and upper arm have burn marks on them as well.

  In a matter of seconds, I am back at the truck.

  “Mar,” I say as I excitedly try to wake her up. “Mar… Samantha.” They both come to at the same time. “Come with me,” I say.

  Without question, they both pop up out of the back of the truck, both of them ready and willing to see where I am taking them, but you can tell there is some resilience and apprehension in their actions. After all, they don’t know if I am calling them to something good, or a war.

  As soon as we round the tree line to where our group is resting, Mar begins to cry. “I thought I lost you,” she says to Eli while molding her body into his.

  “I thought I lost you,” my brother says in reply. For the next few minutes, they kiss with more fire and passion than I have ever seen anyone kiss. I have never seen them kiss. Oddly, I am okay with it. My brother, and my best friend. In love. Forever.

  Jake and I help Eli and Magi get Shawn to the truck, and Mar and Samantha help carry Leah. Leah has not moved once since Derik put her down. He told us that she was close to the explosion, but not close enough for it to kill her. She has been breathing shallow ever since, but for now, she lives.

  “We leave at dawn,” Jake says as he looks at his watch. “Which is in just under two hours.”

  “We will take this shift,” Samantha says, motioning towards Mar.

  No one argues.

  We position Shawn and Leah in the bed of the truck where Magi puts together some makeshift intravenous devices out of some supplies she managed to bring with her.

  Mar and Samantha take post on the hood of the truck while the rest of us find comfort on the ground.

  Two hours go by quickly in fits of sleep, terror, and rage.

  First thing at dawn, we take inventory or our supplies, weapons, and ammo.

  Magi, with the help of Eli, was able to get a somewhat moderate supply of Methrodine. Magi takes the initiative to map out who needs it and how much and how often each person will receive their doses. For now, she is the keeper of the killer drug with the understanding that if something were to happen to her, Samantha is to take it over. Samantha agrees on learning how to give the drug and manage it at our earliest convenience.

  Food was gotten by Derik and Leah, and even though Leah is still non-responsive, her pack was filled with food and water pre-explosion. Those provisions are divided into ten different piles; one for each person’s backpacks and one for Morimoto Chi.

  The weapons and ammo are divided up, allowing each person to have a knife, a gun, and some ammunition. Jake, Samantha, and I are the only ones with automatic guns, and because of that, we divide into teams. Me, Eli, and Mar on one team, with me being the captain… not my choice.

  The other two teams are Jake, Magi, and Shawn which at the moment is still not alert, but we continue to have high hopes for him. The other team is made up of Samantha, Derik, and Leah, who regretfully is still in the same state as Shawn.

  Each team was carefully thought out in terms of who needs who in case of separation. I can’t imagine being separated from any of these people.

  Now with our plans formulated and our items divvied out, we are ready for our voyage. But to where?

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Jake, Morimoto, and I are in the cab of the truck as it quietly motors down a dirt path in the dawn of the day.

  The rest of our group is crowded together in the back of the truck, either tending to the sick, or keeping watch with guns at the ready.

  “I know someone who can help us find The Elected headquarters,” Jake says. “I don’t think this guy will be any help in that area,” he says, while pointing towards Morimoto.

  “Who?” I ask.

  “Gavin. He’s a guard for The Force Field. He came from The Elected to help us after they killed his cousin for being in The Force like they did my brother.”

  “How can you be sure he’s not just another spy?” I ask.

  “I can’t be sure of that, or the fact that he’s even still guarding The Force Field. A lot of guards and people have gone missing from there, and I think The Elected have something to do with that.”

  “A lot of guards and people have gone missing everywhere,” I say sarcastically.

  Jake rolls his eyes at me and laughs, which at this moment in time seems odd but highly refreshing.

  “I’ll tell the others where we’re going,” I say. Jake nods his head as he watches me climb out of the window, over the top of the truck, and into the bed.

  “What’s going on?” Mar asks.

  “We’re going to The Force Field,” I say. “Jake thinks someone there can help us find The Elected Headquarters.”

  “What do we need to do?” Eli asks.

  “We think people are being taken from there. So, keep an eye out, keep your guns loaded, and keep quiet.”

  “Ok,” Magi says, “I will stay with Shawn and Leah... and Morimoto.”

  “Thanks Magi,” I say as I fling myself back through the window of the truck.

  Several minutes later, Jake slows the truck down considerably, and even though the sun is just barley in the morning sky, he turns our headlights out, in order to not be seen. The Elected could be anywhere, and most likely are. After all, we have learned that some people who you thought you could count on can’t be trusted.

  A mile later, we come to a stop in the thick bushes, just outside the fence of The Force Field. The guard station is on the far side of the fenced-in village.

  We decide that it will benefit us to go over the fence and through the center of the makeshift town, rather than around the fence. It will make for better time and will allow us to blend in a little more.

  “Alright,” Jake says as he hops out of the truck with his M-16 in one hand and Morimoto in the other. “Watch him,” he says, as he slams Chi to the ground by the truck.

  “Samantha, Mar, and Eli, come with us,” I say. “Derik, you stay here and help guard with Magi.”

  Derik nods.

  “If we’re not back in an hour and a half, leave without us,” Jake says as he tosses the keys to Magi.

  Jake scales the fence in a spot that is shielded by large elm trees on all sides. The rest of us follow. Once on the other side, we make our way down a path of broken-down shakes made of cardboard and wood.

  Inside some of them, you can see children and young adults huddled into corners, while others sit empty. I don’t know how long The Elected have been taking them, but they know to be afraid of strangers.

  As I gaze into a small structure, I can see just one child sitting alone. He is maybe twelve or thirteen, and I can’t stop myself from thinking about Shea, Syl, and Zac. If they are even still alive, are they scared, hungry, or sick?

  I shake the thought of them from my mind, along with the image of the young boy all alone in his hut. I didn’t grow up with much, but I had more than these kids do. My head is buzzing from the thoughts, and I realize that I have allowed myself to daydream again. That is not something I need to be doing at a time like this… I feel dizzy too.

  “You alright?” Jake asks, as he shakes my arm.

  “Yeah, just a little light headed.”

  “We need to talk to Gavin and get you guys back to the truck. I think it’s time for your Methrodine.”

  “Yeah… I think you’re right,” I say.

  We venture down the path to the guard station. Even though we are ready for action, there is hardly any motion in the houses, let alone out here on the street. We have not even seen one person outside of the structures.

  Huddling behind a building, illuminated by red light, Jake offers to go alone.

  “Cover me,” he says as he creeps towards the guard station. My nerves are raveling in knots right now. I don’t want him to go alone, but I also know that we have a better chance of getting information if we don’t bombard the guards all at once.

  Jake
disappears as soon as he reaches the limits of the red illumination, and my stomach sinks.

  Moments seem like minutes, and minutes like hours, before Jake finally returns. When he does, he has someone with him.

  “Come with us,” Jake says when he’s within ear shot. We all follow without hesitation. Jake and the man I can only assume to be Gavin, lead us into the back door of the guard station. Once we get inside, a ground hatch is opened up, revealing a set of spiral steps. Gavin begins descending the stairs, and Jake does the same. The rest of us follow, with Samantha in the rear.

  “Shut the door,” says Gavin.

  Samantha pulls the hatch closed behind her. When we get to the bottom, there is a huge room, easily ten times larger than the guard station. The large room has little four by six cubicles blocked off to both sides of it.

  Each hole in the wall houses a single bed with sick children on them. All the children are in various stages of consciousness. Gavin leads us into a small room about halfway down the hall of sick kids. In this room, there is a table with ten chairs around it. On the walls of this room are maps and boards with writing all over them.

  “Sit,” Gavin says.

  The six of us take a seat, with Gavin at the head of the table.

  “So, Jake… what’s going on?” he asks.

  “We need to get to The Elected Headquarters.”

  “You don’t know what you’re getting yourselves into,” Gavin responds.

  “With all due respect, sir,” I say. “I think we know exactly what we are doing.”

  “And what exactly is that?” Gavin retorts dramatically.

  “We know there’s going to be a war,” Samantha says.

  “And we know that our brother and sisters are at The Elected Headquarters,” Mar adds.

  “You are right about the war,” Gavin says. “It’s been in the works for a while now… They are calling it The Division.”

  “Division from what?” Samantha asks.

  “Division between government and people,” he answers.

  “Is there not already a division between government and people?” Eli asks.

  “This is going to be a different kind of division, isn’t it?” I say.