The heat in my face indicated the anger I felt. I turned to Garrett. “He got caught. Dr. Mayhew got caught,” I said. I waited for his reply with my teeth gritted together and my fists clenched, but he only stared at me blankly. After many moments, I decided I was done waiting. “What?” I whisper-yelled.
“What did you think was gonna happen?”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m confused. You just thought Smith was gonna be able to walk in there with Mayhew and then Mayhew could go home? Are you serious?” he asked.
“What else?” I asked. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
“Aella, even if they could have snuck in there undetected like that, there was still a chance Smith would have been seen letting him leave...we couldn’t have that. We can’t afford to cast any kind of doubt onto Smith right now. We need him. Mayhew knew that when he went with him. Smith had to turn him in.”
“Oh my god...” I couldn’t find any more words. How could this possibly work if none of us were even around for it? My hopes were quickly being shot down with each loss. We had already lost a few people when the entire war erupted, and now we were sacrificing our own?
“Let’s go.” Garrett started walking, crouched down, away from the field.
Following behind him, I shot a glance back toward the field to make sure we were unseen, and they were none the wiser.
Three days went by before Smith wandered back into our camp. He had a way about him, slinking through the woods, unworried. Unlike the rest of us, Smith didn’t have to worry about being on the run. Once he knew no one was following him, he was able to slip into his calm demeanor again, just like he was at home. When we first saw him, it was always eerie but comforting. I was glad he was on our side, but every time I saw him I still imagined him killing our leader.
“It’s done,” he said. Casual as could be, he had replicated an eradicated virus meant to kill hundreds of people. I wasn’t sure what Smith put up with back in camp. Maybe what he saw and heard made him indifferent to it, or maybe he had always been that way and I just hadn’t noticed. Either way, it gave me chills.
“Is there enough made to do what we need to do?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah, plenty,” he said.
“Sounds like it’s time to warn everyone, then,” I said. “We need to get the people out who don’t want to be there. At least give them the option.”
“Already done,” Smith said. “I finished with the serum yesterday. That night, I went to each individual door and slid a note under it that said, ‘Something bad is gonna happen here because of what Leslie’s done. You need to get out, now. Go to the woods if you want out.’ I put one under everyone’s door, at least everyone who wasn’t a crew member, then left. I didn’t see anyone leave, but I’m sure they’re heading out today. The people who I saw reading the notes just looked confused. I don’t know how much clearer I could’ve been.”
Spencer walked up behind us. “Now’s the time when we have to be very careful. Those who will side with Leslie will tell him something’s coming. And they’ll tell him who it’s coming from. This is the time when if Smith is gonna get found out, we’ll know it,” he said.
“We need to get people covertly posted and waiting,” I said. “We need a group of fast people that can scope out a situation well and then act quick. There will be people trying to escape, and others looking for us out in the woods today. It’s going to be difficult to tell the difference. We need to take everyone somewhere else first, so this location stays protected. Then, tonight, we strike. Are you guys ready for that?”
Smith nodded, while Garrett and Spencer looked at each other.
“Well?” I asked.
They both nodded. I turned, ready to rally the troops.
“Everyone, gather around,” I announced. People gathered into a big huddle. “I need people in the woods looking for refugees. This will be dangerous, but you’ll be saving lives. You may have to take some as well, though. I also need a safe place to take refugees away from our headquarters. Anyone have any ideas?”
One of the chem guys stepped forward and said, “There’s a cavern where we started to mine, and it ended up being a dud. It’s in the opposite direction of this camp. Would that work?”
Jane spoke up. “I know the place. It will work great.”
“Okay, then. Let’s do this.” I headed toward the woods, and the volunteers followed. My hands were shaking, but I was ready. It was beginning, now.
WHEN WE CAME WITHIN a half a mile of Leslie’s camp, the woods became eerie. The quiet consumed us with the occasional crack of a branch, or the skittering claws of the squirrel-like critters that lived in the trees. Each step I took was careful and calculated. My awareness heightened as I listened for footsteps that were not mine or my team’s.
Once we reached a stopping point, we joined together. The five of us decided it was best to take the high ground. We climbed into the purple trees and did our best to blend with the scenery as we waited for any newcomers below. Gaining the high ground was important because we could see people from quite a distance away. The leaves in the trees rustled with the breeze as we slowly sank into the surroundings, making us nearly invisible. It felt like we were hunting. Hunting people. The waiting was agonizingly nerve-wracking.
The leaves crunched, and I turned my eyes to the ground, careful not to move my body. I recognized a man from camp, wandering into the woods aimlessly. Looking all around him, his face held tight, he finally came to a stop. Standing there, helpless, he finally gave in. “Hello?” he whispered. “Hello?”
Glancing over two trees away from me, I looked at Sierra. Motioning a thumbs up while lifting my shoulders as if to say, ‘you think he’s okay?’ She responded with a nod and a thumbs up, then signaled the guys around her.
Inspecting the woods once more to be sure we didn’t have any unexpected visitors, I climbed down out of the tree. Using my arms and abs to lower my feet onto the soft ground, I casually walked up behind the man. Quietly and calmly to his back, I said, “Who are you looking for?”
He jumped and turned around briskly. His eyes were wide and scared. “I don’t. I don’t know who. I don’t know who I’m looking for,” he said, stumbling over his words.
“Then why are you here?” I asked. My stare burned into him, and his gaze returned with a telling light. He finally understood.
“I’m here because I was warned. I was warned that Leslie had something coming to him that he deserved, and I didn’t wanna be part of that. Are you the person I’m looking for?” he asked, his chin held high.
“Yes, I am. Well, kind of. Spencer, up there,” I said, pointing into the trees as Spencer waved his hat, “is going to take you to a secure area. You’re going to stay there until more come. Understand?”
“Yes. Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“Just stay out of the way.”
Spencer jumped down from his tree to escort the man to the holding area as I shimmied back up my tree to wait for the next arrival.
The next to walk into the woods was a young woman. She made no effort to stay quiet. “Hello? I was told to come here?” she called. She stomped around the woods, and never looked behind or around herself. Just desperately tried to see through the trees, but she didn’t appear scared.
I sent a sideways glance at Sierra as she shook her head. She gave the signal to the others to wait it out. After biding our time for a half hour, through the new arrival’s pleas and yells, she threw her hands in the air. She turned behind her and yelled, “I guess they’re not here!” as three large men stepped out from behind trees and shook their heads. They greeted her openly, guns in their hands. “I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” one of them said. “There’s nobody in these woods.”
We hadn’t seen the men walk into the woods when we saw her, but something had been off. We'd trusted our guts and it paid off. We had avoided a confrontation and possible capture. After that, we were even more c
autious. We found it was worthwhile to make them wait. If it was a sham, or they were looking to capture someone to gain favor with Leslie, they would eventually grow tired of waiting. We would not. That was how we would win: patience.
The next ones to arrive gave us a scare. A group of three men with guns. They didn’t hide, just walked in under the tree canopy into the clearing. We waited. They were cautious, but not overly so. Sierra and I looked at each other many times, neither of us clear on what to think about the situation. Finally, one of the men spoke up, addressing the woods. “I know you’re here! Somewhere... I don’t know how many of you there are, or what kind of shape you’re in, but we’re here. We aren’t who you warned. We were part of the crew from the group of three hundred soldiers. They’re building up forces against you back at camp, and we don’t wanna be part of it. You couldn’t pay us enough money in the world to do what they’re asking us to do, so we’re here. You can kill us if you want, but we’d much rather help,” he said.
Sending one last glance to Sierra, who gave me an indecisive shrug, I jumped out of the tree and landed with a thud. All of them turned around at once, guns drawn to their shoulders. We stood quiet for a moment without blinking until I broke the silence. “Is that true, what you said?” I asked.
“Yeah, it is,” one man said. It was the crewmember I had worked with before all of this had happened. I recognized him instantly and felt at ease. “Aella, long time no see,” he said. “I’m deeply sorry for everything that’s happened. Everything you’ve lost. I can’t even imagine. We just wanna help you take a little bit of that back. Being crew members for Leslie, we had a few perks, and we wanted to offer them to you.” He held his gun out to the side and laid it on the ground then slowly backed away, bowing as if sacrificing something. The others followed their leader with similar actions.
“What’s in it for you? I asked.
“Let’s just say, Leslie and I don’t see eye-to-eye,” he replied.
Chapter Nine
We escorted each refugee back to the holding area after ensuring they were safe. Out of all the people that were warned, very few came. My guess was fear, but it may have been loyalty, I didn’t know. All I was sure of, was that this was a dangerous game we were playing, and we had to move fast.
My nerves were shot. I looked down to see my hands trembling. The odds of someone we had brought back turning on us were high. It would be easy to make yourself seem to fit in, only to head back to Leslie’s camp to tell him our whereabouts and plans. We did our best to keep plans quiet, and to take them to a separate location from ours, but there were still dead giveaways. Like which way you walked to the base, people catching parts of conversations, and it was impossible to not notice who was leading the group. I was at the forefront of every conversation and every decision. I wasn’t unaware of the added attention being brought to my head, which made me even more nervous.
Together, we had about thirty newcomers. Out of the five hundred people that Smith had warned, only thirty came. He told us he warned everyone who wasn’t part of the crew, but it didn’t seem logical that such a small number of people would be the only ones who wanted to stand with us. What if Smith is double-crossing us? Why aren’t there more people here? Something has to be wrong. I knew we shouldn’t have let any new people in. These people could be here to sabotage us. What if Smith is still on Leslie’s side? What if he really is his right-hand man? My mind was going crazy with all of the ‘what-ifs’, until I caught a glimpse of Smith. He made his way out to the holding area before nightfall, and I caught him by the arm, grabbing onto his sleeve as he walked the other way.
He turned to see what was happening. “Where is everyone else?” I asked.
“This is it? This is really all that came?” His eyes were wide as he stared at the group. His face flushed white, and his chest rose and fell faster.
“Yeah, did you warn everyone?” I asked. Internally, I was panicking. What if Smith was double-crossing us? What if we had just welcomed part of his military into our camp? On one hand, I felt like I trusted Smith, but on the other hand I remembered his cruelty from before. I tried to clear my mind of the past, but it felt impossible.
Smith nodded and looked like he was about to cry. “I was just back in camp. Leslie didn’t say a word... Surely, if this is all that came, someone has told him. He’s gotta know,” he said. “He’s got to... Maybe he’s threatening people if they leave.”
I sensed his fear and looked down to see the hair on his arms standing straight up from the goosebumps scattered across his skin. We weren’t done with Smith, but I could tell the fear was starting to set in for him, and it worried me. I felt terrible for him, but it was the path he had chosen. I felt awful for thinking that he might have double-crossed me, but decided to keep my composure.
“We need to move quickly,” I said. “Can you infect them tonight?”
“It'll be difficult, but I believe I can,” he said. His lips tightened and his breathing slowed. “I can pull Dr. Mayhew out to help, we can get it all done in one sweep. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hang around camp after this, though.”
“If you can infect that entire camp with smallpox tonight, you’re forgiven, and can come with us from now on. You don’t have to stay in Leslie’s camp after tonight if you agree to do this for us. You need to be careful, though. If there’s any chance you’ve been contaminated with the serum, you can’t come back. I can’t risk you being contagious and wiping out our group, too,” I said.
Smith nodded. “I think at this point that even if I did stay there, I’d be killed. I’d rather be fighting for you guys. With you guys. Dr. Mayhew showed me how to prevent contamination. If I break my sterile technique, I’ll have the candor to stay where I’m at or go it alone. Either way, I’ll keep fighting for you all.”
“Agreed. I’m trusting you, Smith.”
We shook hands and his trembling came to a stop. I could almost feel the fire burning in his eyes when I looked into them, and I knew we had a chance.
The surge of war swelled in me as I walked away from Smith and looked out into the woods. It felt good. I turned to everyone standing around the newcomers and said, “I need you guys to stay here with them. We're ready.”
Most of them gave me a curt nod. I knew they would make sure our secrets were safe from the strangers. I took off with Smith and Garrett toward our headquarters. It was on.
WHEN WE ARRIVED AT the steep cliff that was our main entrance, I scaled it easier than ever before. I felt invincible. Nothing could stop me. When I reached the top, everyone there was talking casually, but I felt an urgency, so I spoke loudly. “Guys, it’s starting,” I said. “It's the beginning of the war today, and we are ready to unleash hell. Who’s with me?”
The blank stares quickly evolved into wrath and joy, and people screamed and lifted their arms in allegiance. I turned to Smith in front of everyone and raised his arm high in the air. “This is our guy tonight!” I looked at him as he returned a look of surprise. “He’s going to be the one kicking all of this off, and I’ve got to say, I’m pretty proud of him.” Everyone applauded Smith as he stood there, humbled.
“You got it,” he said with a wink.
The crowd went back to their regular activities, and Smith became antsy. He walked in circles around the cave, thinking. While he paced back and forth, Garrett and I talked.
“Are we going to try and watch this?” he asked me.
“Yeah, it wouldn’t feel right to just send him down there to ground zero with no eyes. We can’t be down there with him, but I can at least have his back if something terrible happens.”
“What if something terrible does happen? What would you do? You don’t have the fire power it would take to do anything substantial, and they have hundreds of guns and other weapons. Wouldn’t it be better to just stay home?” he asked. “Might save a lot of heartache or keep you from making a dumb decision in the heat of the moment.”
I shook my head. “I
know I have to be strategic. I won’t put Smith in front of the lives of all the others here, but if there’s a way I can help, I need to be there.”
He nodded, even though he had no choice. “I’ll go with you, then. Maybe I can help, too.”
“Maybe,” I said. “We will need a few eyes, anyway. I’m not exactly sure how they’ll spread the virus, but Dr. Mayhew and Smith may need to split up at some points, and I’d like to have eyes on both of them.”
“Let’s do it, then. I think someone here has binoculars. I’ll see if we can use them, that way we can keep our distance. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the cliff in a few minutes with Smith,” he said. “See you down there.” Garrett bumped my shoulder in a playful way, which brought a smile to my face. It was quickly erased by the thought of what was about to play out next.
I watched as Smith quietly climbed down the cliff. I made my way over but then had a last-minute thought. I quickly ran toward Ronald, the architect. “Hey,” I said, “when Sierra gets back, if she gets back before I do, can you tell her something?”
“Sure, what’s that?” he asked.
I smiled, then let it out. “Tell her that everyone needs to get their traps and weapons together, because we’re going to win this thing, and she’s going to get some justice for her husband,” I said. I started to run off and gave him a wink. He laughed and gave a thumbs up.
“I’ll tell her!” he yelled out after me.
Upon reaching the edge of the woods, we said our goodbyes to Smith and climbed the trees. Their purple hue gave off an ethereal feeling that was heightened by the elevation at which we sat. The wind was still, and the heat was piercing. Sweat ran from my body with no relief. Whether it was nerves or the actual heat and humidity, I wasn’t sure. Nor did I care. I was drenched, but I had much more important things to worry about.
Perched on the branches like sneaky birds, we raised the binoculars and watched as he entered camp. As he walked through the crew members, we noticed none of them even gave him a sideways glance. If they knew Smith was planning something, they gave no indication. Maybe the others kept quiet, I thought. He strode into the hut where he had been working, and soon I watched him emerge with a satchel of sorts, which I imagined was filled with vials full of the serum.
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