Escape to Eden

by Rachel McClellan

  I turn to Anthony. “They did this, didn’t they? To catch us?”

  “But how would they know what direction we went?” asks Jenna.

  “The Canine,” Colt says and turns a corner too fast. I rest my arm against the back of the seat to keep Max and me from sliding into Anthony.

  “And Providence is the closest city to Boston,” Anthony says. “They probably guessed we would be driving.”

  I reposition myself into the seat, holding tightly to Max. “How much charge is left?”

  Everyone’s quiet, waiting for Colt to answer. “Maybe another thirty minutes.”

  Jenna shakes her head. “What are we going to do? If we stay, the Canine will find us in a matter of days.”

  “We keep traveling to New York,” Anthony says.

  Jenna’s mouth drops open. “Are you crazy? New York City is 180 miles away, and what with the little charge left, we’ll only make it another twenty or thirty miles before we have to hike through the woods and no one does that!”

  “Why not?” I ask her. The thought of returning to the forest is the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

  She scowls. “Because that’s where wild animals live.”

  “They are no more wild than the Primes I’ve met.”

  “It’s our only option,” Anthony says. “What supplies do we have?”

  Colt glances back at the trunk as if trying to remember what we had packed. “A few blankets, food for a couple of days, but not much water.”

  Anthony taps his fingers against the seat in front of him. “We need to stop somewhere and get a few more things. If we can walk three miles an hour for ten hours a day, then we could be there in five days or so.”

  Jenna folds her arms and says, “I said I would go with you to New York, but I didn’t say I’d run around in the forest, sleep on the ground, and live off the land!”

  Colt presses a button, making Jenna’s door open even though we’re still moving.

  “Then get out. Right now.”

  “Are you crazy?” she asks. Wind tears through the car, stirring up Jenna’s hair and a few papers that are near her feet.

  “Close the door, Colt,” Anthony says, his voice tired-sounding.

  Colt does as he says. “I don’t know what moron lowered the adult age to twelve. It’s obvious you’re still a child.”

  Jenna faces forward and sinks into the seat, mumbling, “You’re the child.”

  All the commotion has made Max scramble on top of me and bury his head into my shoulder. I hold him tight and say to Jenna, “The woods aren’t that bad. I promise. Besides, I’m sure Anthony will let you get one of those air mattresses to sleep on.”

  Her head lifts. “Like on the commercials?”

  Colt lets out an exaggerated moan, but before Jenna can react, I say quickly, “Yes. They’re lightweight and small enough that it won’t take up much room. We can spare the room, right, Anthony?”

  “Fine,” he says, “but Jenna you’re going to have to buy our supplies. The Institute has probably flagged all security cameras to detect our faces, but it will take awhile for them to connect you to me.”

  Jenna sits up straight and smiles. “I can do that.”

  Colt glances at her sideways. “You can only get what we need.”

  “Sure. Right. No problem,” she says but is smirking.

  “Is there a sports store nearby?” Anthony asks.

  “Almost there,” Colt says and turns right at a stoplight.

  A few minutes later he parks in front of a huge shopping mall at least six stories high. It’s the most architecturally interesting building I’ve ever seen. On the roof are several tall twisted, cone-shaped spikes that spiral many feet into the air, and the entire structure is covered in the same shiny metal as the other buildings.

  “Don’t take forever,” Colt tells Jenna as she reaches for the door.

  “Wait,” I say, stopping her. “Isn’t there some kind of portable battery charger we can buy?”

  Anthony shakes his head. “They stopped making them years ago when flying became the main means of transportation between cities, but you can still find them occasionally on the black market. Had I known this was going to happen, I would’ve been more prepared.”

  “None of us thought any of this would happen,” Colt says.

  “Any last requests?” Jenna asks, placing her hand on the door handle.

  Anthony hands her a list of several items he’s written down on a sheet of paper. “Get these.”

  “Can I add one thing?” I ask.

  Jenna hands it to me. I borrow Anthony’s pen and scribble the words “Universal Snaring Pack” and hand it back to her. She reads it and wrinkles her nose. “I don’t even think this is a real thing.”

  “Just ask someone.”

  After she leaves, I turn my attention to Max, who keeps pushing his head into my shoulder. I think he wants out of the car. So do I. Fresh air sounds so good right now, but we can’t risk it.

  To calm him down, I talk about our time in Maine, specifically when we would go fishing with our mother and father. This works and his whole body relaxes. Anthony has fallen back asleep. Colt, who has slid into the seat, his head against the headrest, has fallen asleep too, but every once in a while his eyes open and then close.

  Almost an hour later, Jenna returns, pushing a full shopping cart.

  “She’s back,” I say.

  Colt sits up and looks over. “I’m going to kill her.”

  This wakes Anthony. He groans a little when he sees how much stuff Jenna has purchased. “Don’t say anything to her, Colt. Let’s just get on the road.” He rolls down his window. “Wow, Jenna. You sure got a lot. Was that everything on my list?”

  Jenna smiles big. “I picked up a few extra things I thought we would need.”

  “Put what you can in the trunk,” Anthony says and nudges Colt.

  Colt presses a button to pop the trunk. “This is stupid.”

  It takes some time for Jenna to squeeze most everything in, but what’s left over has to come up front with us, which is already cramped.

  Colt doesn’t say a word, even though his mouth is constantly working like he wants to.

  When he pulls back onto the road, Jenna turns around and says to Max, “I got something for you.” She opens her hand. Inside is a small figurine of a bear.

  “How thoughtful,” I say, surprised. My eyes flicker to Colt. Even he seems surprised.

  “I thought it would remind you of home,” she says and moves it closer to him.

  Max doesn’t look at her but very hesitantly he reaches up and then snatches it.

  “Thank you, Jenna,” I say.

  Max turns it over in his hands. The others probably don’t see it, but I recognize the look in his eyes. He’s smiling.

  Jenna turns back around in her seat and pops open a drink. “So how many miles do you really think the battery will last for?”

  “Maybe forty if the roads aren’t too bad and if I drive fast,” Colt says.

  Jenna puts her foot on the dash. “Then for once, don’t be a pansy and speed.”

  Colt presses the accelerator, and the car jumps forward. Jenna squeals as pink liquid spills down the front of her.

  No one says anything as we speed away from Providence. Jenna has her back to Colt while she plays with her wristpad, and Anthony’s staring out the window. Every once in awhile he shifts like he’s still in pain.

  Max plays with the bear across my raised knee, raised because it’s resting on all the junk Jenna bought. The car’s too crowded and growing hotter by the second. I wipe sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand, telling myself that any minute now I’ll be able to get out of the car. Trees and bushes are practically on top of us, even more than they were outside of Boston. Roots have broken up sections of the road, which probably haven’t been driven on for decades. I crack the window and suck in cool air.

  “You okay?” Colt asks. He’s looking at me in the rearview mir
ror.

  “I will be.” I force myself to think of the pain radiating in my leg. It’s sharp and burns. My heartbeat pulses around the wound.

  “You said you lived by the coast?”

  I nod and take a deep breath. “Max and I would often spend the night on the beach during the summer.”

  “Did you go fishing in the river or the ocean?”

  So he was listening earlier. I take another breath. “River.”

  “How about hiking? You do much of it where you lived?”

  I realize he’s trying to distract me. I attempt to ignore the tightening band around my chest and answer his questions. The words come slow at first, but soon I’m telling him all about the trails and what Max and I would do for fun. Eventually the suffocating feeling goes away, and my heart rate steadies. It’s not long after when Colt slows the car.

  Jenna looks up from her wristpad. “What are you doing?”

  “I only have two minutes of charge left. Anthony?”

  I glance over. He’s fallen asleep again so I nudge him gently.

  He opens his eyes and takes a second to orient himself. “How far did we get?”

  “Only twenty-seven miles.”

  “It will have to do. Let’s hide the car.”

  I wrap my arms around Max as Colt pulls off the road. The car bounces us up and down. I’m careful not to bump against Anthony, who’s already groaning in pain. Once we are a hundred yards into the forest, Colt stops and turns the engine off. Behind us, the road is nowhere within view.

  Anthony opens his door. “We need to move quickly. We didn’t cover as many miles as I would’ve liked, and we lost a lot of time at that sports store.”

  “It’s not my fault they were having a sale,” Jenna says and follows him out.

  As soon as I step onto the forest floor, mindful of my leg, I inhale deeply. The smell of rich soil and autumn leaves makes me feel at home. Max seems more relaxed too. He’s standing several feet from me, staring up at the tree limbs above us.

  I limp over and kneel next to him. “It’s like home, isn’t it?”

  He places his hand on my shoulder.

  Behind me, the car’s trunk opens, and I turn around. Colt starts pulling out items and I go to help.

  “There’s no way we can take all this,” he says. “Why did you get so much, Jenna?”

  “I didn’t want to forget anything.” She grabs a pink sweater and pulls it over her head. “Besides, that might’ve been the last time I ever get to shop.”

  “Nonsense,” Anthony says. He turns to me. “Can you help me with this?”

  I take hold of the full backpack in his hands and help him pull it over his shoulders. “Are you sure you can carry it?”

  He nods and grimaces at the same time. “I think so.”

  “Here’s your snare-thingies,” Jenna says. “The guy at the store had to get it out of storage.”

  I take the package from her and inspect it. There are four snares in different sizes, exactly what I need.

  “Do you know how to use those?” Colt asks me.

  “Since I was nine.” I unzip my back and stuff them inside for later.

  Ten minutes later we’re ready to go. Both Colt and Anthony are carrying two bags, mostly food. Jenna packs a small rolled-up tent and a few sleeping bags on her back. I’m packing our clothes and some cooking gear. I also know I’ll have to carry Max much of the way.

  Before we begin, I bend down and lift my pant leg. There’s a splotch of red seeping through the white bandage on the back of my calf. I’ll have to keep an eye on it as it will probably take at least twenty-four hours for the medicine to take effect.

  “Are you okay to walk with that?” Colt asks. He’s snuck up behind me, too quiet to hear.

  I hurry and reposition my pant leg. “I’ll be fine.”

  “So listen,” Anthony says a ways in front of us. “Our pace is going to be quick. I know that’s going to be hard with Max, but we will just do the best we can. Are you listening, Jenna?”

  She looks up from her wristpad. “Quick pace. Got it. So what are we waiting for?”

  Anthony shakes his head. “Let’s go then.”

  I take hold of Max’s hand and follow Anthony and Jenna. Colt walks beside us, lost in his thoughts. The forest is overgrown; gnarly branches twist every which way and tall bushes block our path, making us go around them. I worry that we’re going too slow, but I can’t go faster. As it is, I’m having a difficult time concealing my limp from the others. I don’t want to be the one holding us up.

  Only an hour passes before Max tugs on my hand to be carried. I pick him up.

  “I can carry him, if you think he’d let me,” Colt says to me.

  “Maybe we can try later,” I say, hoping Max will let him. Not only will it help me, but I know it’s important for Max to get used to other people. In case something happens and I’m unable to care for him.

  In front of me, Jenna trips and stumbles forward.

  “You can walk better if you weren’t staring at your wristpad,” Anthony says from the front of the line.

  “I could walk better if there were actual paved paths or even a trail. This is ridiculous!”

  “What has got your attention on that thing anyway?” he asks.

  Jenna glances behind her and looks at Colt. “Remember a while ago? When I helped you with that problem?”

  “You didn’t help me with anything,” Colt says.

  “Of course I did, numb nuts. Remember? I hacked into the Institute’s system to try and help you track the Canine.”

  Anthony stops moving like someone’s jerked the back of his shirt. He turns around, glances at me and then at Colt, looking extremely uncomfortable. “We can talk about this later, Jenna.”

  “No need to be secretive,” Jenna says. “Patch knows all about Colt’s betrayal.”

  And there it is. I hate being reminded of it again.

  Anthony’s eyebrows rise. “Oh.” He looks at me like he wants me to say something, but I remain silent, staring just beyond him.

  “So you helped me. What about it?” Colt asks. His tone is sharp sounding and bitter.

  “My access was never closed,” Jenna says, her voice low.

  “To the Institute’s communication system?” Anthony asks.

  The corners of Jenna’s mouth turn up slow and deliberate. “I kept it open, figuring we’d need it one day. And what do you know? I’m a bloody genius. I’m able to see their announcements, their movements—”

  “You mean you can tell where they’re going?”

  She nods, still grinning.

  Anthony walks over to her. “Where are they now?”

  “Ebony just sent a notice to all Fronters to focus their efforts to the south.”

  I cringe at the name. Fronters. The name the Institute gives to Primes who act as their secret soldiers. They could be your neighbors for all anyone knows. I think they are the worst kind of people, deceptive right to your face.

  Anthony says, “Good. That means we’ll have some extra time.”

  “It’s dangerous to keep that connection open,” Colt says. “They could discover it and feed us false information.”

  Jenna starts walking again. “Only if they know to look for it and the only way they will do that is if they discover my connection to Anthony. That could take them weeks of interviewing all of the MyTalk employees.”

  “It’s a big risk,” Colt says walking after her. “I don’t think you should be doing it.”

  She shrugs. “Too bad. I think the advantages outweigh the risks. This way we’ll know when they come.”

  “Jenna’s right,” Anthony says. “We need a heads up.”

  I hurry after them, taking up the rear. Max squirms in my arms to get a better position.

  Colt moves next to Anthony. “But if they find out the connection sooner than you think, they could feed Jenna false information, giving them time to track the signal back to us.”

  “You’re such a
pessimist,” Jenna calls up to him. “The world isn’t always falling apart. Besides, I’m lucky, everyone knows that.”

  “Lucky as a dog with fleas.”

  “How about we don’t talk for a while?” Anthony asks.

  “Fine by me.” Colt slows and waits for me to pass before he continues on.

  “Best thing to happen all day,” Jenna adds, quickening her pace.

  After traveling for only an hour, I give up trying to walk normal. It takes too much effort to ignore the pain while carrying Max. He lets me set him down to walk occasionally, but after ten minutes he needs to be held again. Our pace is too fast and the terrain too difficult for him to navigate. If my father hadn’t trained me for hours on end, I probably couldn’t do it either. As it is, I’m barely able to keep up, especially with my limp.

  I feel bad for the others having to wait on us. They aren’t even winded, including Anthony who, despite his visible injuries, moves freely without wincing. If only I was stronger, we could probably run through the forest, but my physical limitations hold us back. They may even get Max and me captured again and the others killed.

  But, assuming I’m not captured, I get to live longer.

  I sigh and wipe the sweat from my brow. What good is living until I’m an old lady if everyone I become friends with dies decades before me? There’s Eden. Maybe there are others my age I can connect with. I look up at Jenna and Anthony and then glance behind me at Colt. I would miss them, though, despite only knowing them a short time.

  “I wish he’d let me carry him,” Colt says to me just as I’m picking up Max for the fourth time. Colt has made many attempts to connect with him but not had any success.

  “He’ll come around,” I say. “It just takes time.”

  “We really need to take care of your leg.”

  “It’s fine. I bandaged it in the car. It can wait until we stop for the night.” I shift Max to my right hip and focus on the color of the changing leaves, the dark reds and brown. Anything to draw my attention away from the pain.

  It’s well into the afternoon when I realize I can’t hear Colt’s footsteps behind me anymore. I turn around. Sunlight spills through the cracks in the trees; a long ribbon of light shines on half of Colt’s face. He’s standing a ways back, his eyes wide and expression frozen. I’ve seen that look before.