by Marina Epley
“You can’t fool me,” an angry whisper comes from behind. I turn to look and see Jack standing a few feet away. I hadn’t heard him approach.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask. “Return to your position.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” he says. “I’m not taking orders from you.”
“Really?” I say, getting onto my feet. He takes a step backward. “What’s your problem, Jack?”
“You’re my problem,” he answers.
“How’s that?” I ask calmly.
“You don’t deserve to be among us,” Jack says. “Maybe you can fool those kids into thinking you’re some kind of hero, but you can’t fool me. I know you’re just a coward who can’t be trusted. You shouldn’t be in charge. This is your first mission, right? I’ve been on three missions already. I should be the leader here.”
I envision myself punching him in the face, then take a deep breath and say, “Jack, insubordination is dealt with by a bullet. Return to your position. I won’t tell you again.”
“You won’t shoot me,” Jack says. “You’re a coward.”
I stare him down, holding my rifle with both hands. He takes another step back, hesitating. Then he lowers his eyes and leaves.
“Hey, Jack,” I call. He stops. “When we get back to camp, keep away from Kitty.”
“Go to hell,” he says. “You don’t deserve her either.”
“I’ve warned you, Jack,” I threaten.
He walks away, returning to his position. I come back to my spot to observe the road.
The sun is creeping down. Still no trucks in sight. Where are they? Why haven’t they come yet? I have to fight an urge to run down the hill and walk along the road, looking for them. I can’t stand waiting one more minute, but make myself lie still and keep staring at the road anyway.
It’s getting dark when I finally hear vehicles approaching. Two military trucks with oversized tires are cruising down the road. I aim the barrel of my rifle at them. They slow down and come to a complete stop in front of the tree placed across the road.
“Rex?” Jessie whispers nearby.
“Wait,” I say quietly.
The recruits give me puzzled looks. I can hear them breathing heavily.
Four guards climb out of the trucks to check out the fallen tree. They glance around cautiously, but don’t notice us. A chill crawls down my spine when they look my direction. I haven’t seen Elimination officers since our escape. They wear black uniforms identical to mine and carry assault rifles.
“Time to go,” Jessie says. “What are we waiting for?”
“I don’t know yet,” I say through my teeth. “Just wait.”
The guards command a dozen prisoners to clear the road. They approach the tree and begin dragging it away slowly as the officers continue to scan the surroundings expectantly.
“They’ll drive away,” Jack whispers. “You coward!”
“Shut up, Jack,” I snap. “Everybody keep still.”
I’m not sure why I linger. Something seems off. The prisoners wear bright orange prison jumpsuits with blocking collars around their necks, but no handcuffs. That’s weird. Also I recall that guards used to put hoods over our heads during transport. I doubt Elimination has changed protocol that much. Something is definitely wrong here.
“Screw you,” Jack growls, standing up. “Let’s go!” he commands, running down the hill. His action pushes the recruits over the edge. They all scramble onto their feet and follow behind, firing their weapons.
“Stop,” I command. “Come back!”
They don’t hear me, overtaken by momentum. I can’t stop them. Everything is happening too fast.
The guards take cover behind the two trucks. The recruits approach the road and suddenly freeze, dropping their rifles. The prisoners are standing motionless in front of them, their faces concentrated and tensed.
I understand very well what’s happening.
This is an ambush. While we were planning to capture Wheeler, he was setting a trap to kill us. These prisoners are planted fakes. Elimination has created a new team of breakers to use against my squad. They’ve put all our recruits under.
I don’t have time to do anything. I watch helplessly as the guards open fire and the recruits go down.
Chapter 3
“Cover me,” I command, scrambling up to my feet.
“Don’t!” Jessie exclaims, grabbing my arm and trying to hold me back.
I shove her away and sprint down the hill, keeping low and shooting on the run without taking time to aim. I hold onto the desperate hope that some of the recruits may have survived. It’s unlikely as the guards were targeting their heads.
Jessie, Victor and Frank open suppressive fire, bringing down a few of the fake prisoners and forcing others to move to cover behind two trucks. I’m semi-deaf from the constant rattling of rifles and handguns, moving as quickly as I can. The Elimination officers place several gunshots my direction, but I don’t slow down. At the moment, I don’t even fully realize they may kill me. I just want to rescue the recruits, if any are indeed still alive.
Approaching the road, I see them. They’re sprawled on top of one another, unmoving. Their faces appear eerily calm and relaxed, eyes still open. When you die under hypnosis, you don’t feel pain and can’t understand what’s happening. It must be very close to dying in your sleep.
Refusing to give up, I drop to my hands and knees and crawl amongst the bodies, checking their necks for any sign of a pulse.
“That’s him! Take him!” I hear a loud command.
Several officers come out from cover and Jessie brings one down. It must be Jessie, because the bullet hits him right between the eyes. I fire my rifle, still not aiming, just trying to keep them away.
I detect some movement in my peripheral vision. It’s Jack. He’s lying on his side, grabbing his leg and yelling something unintelligible. I can’t hear clearly as gunfire drowns out his voice. Of course he has survived, I think angrily. People like Jack are always the last to die.
I crawl toward Jack and grip him under his arms, pulling him up.
“Let’s go!” I yell. The guards are getting closer. Instinctively, I concentrate, projecting my thoughts into their minds to break their wills. No use. They’re too resistant.
Jack attempts to stand, but immediately falls back down. His leg bleeds profusely, staining the mud. I throw his arm around my shoulder, half-dragging him toward the edge of the road. Nobody fires at us as we retreat. I suddenly realize the officers intend to capture me alive. Maybe this trap was set specifically for this purpose. Wheeler still wants to imprison me although I can’t imagine why. Killing me would be far less trouble.
I notice movement off to my left and turn to take a quick look. The little blond girl with the doll-like face struggles to crawl. Her mouth gapes open and blood pours down her chin into the dirt. Her neck is a mess. The bullet must have slammed into her throat, but she has somehow managed to survive. I can’t carry her and Jack at the same time. I have to choose.
I almost drop Jack, when suddenly Frank appears. He grabs the girl and scoops her up from the ground in one motion. Then he takes off climbing up the hill. I follow behind with Jack, bullets slamming all around us. Jessie and Victor continue covering us, but they won’t be able to hold the guards back forever.
I drag Jack up the hill, stumbling frequently on the soft clay. He’s limping and can barely use his left leg. We’re moving painfully slowly, making little progress. I’m gasping for air. My head is spinning. I’m about to black out, when Victor approaches and grabs Jack, adding support from the other side. Then we’re pushing through dense greenery, tearing through the brush and tall grass. The guards are still right behind us. They begin shooting again, and the bullets cut down thin branches overhead, sending bark flying off the trees. We drop to the ground a few times, then get back on our feet. It’s getting dark quickly, which is a good thing. We change direction, hoping to lose the pursuit.
<
br /> I look hopefully at Victor, but he shakes his head negatively. He must have tried to hypnotize them, but failed. This is shocking. Victor can hypnotize whomever he wants, no matter what level of resistance he faces. Not this time.
Who the heck are they? I ask myself. Where has Elimination found such strong breakers?
We head deeper into the woods. Victor and I help Jack walk. Frank is still carrying the wounded girl. She’s silent and motionless now, her body sagging in his arms. Jessie follows behind, ready to shoot any guard coming in sight.
After a couple of miles, we have to take a short break. We’re too exhausted and need a rest. I stop, dropping Jack to the ground. He groans and I shush him to keep quiet, listening for the guards. We might have lost them, although I don’t really believe it. Victor passes me a bottle of warm water and I drink greedily, but it doesn’t bring any relief. The humid air is thick like a sticky syrup. My face is wet and clothing is covered in mud and Jack’s blood.
Frank is checking the wound of the little girl. I already know it’s fatal. She’s lost way too much blood. The girl wakes suddenly and moves her lips, trying to say something. A gulping, hissing sounds come out from her throat. It hurts to hear. She turns her head, looking around in panic, then her frantic eyes meet mine. Large tears begin rolling down her face.
I approach, take her hand and say softly, “It’s all right. You’ll be okay.”
“I’m sorry,” the girl manages to mutter.
Blood pulses out of her neck as she coughs.
“Easy, easy,” I whisper, pressing my palm against her wound in a desperate attempt to slow down her bleeding. It’s not working very well.
“I’m so sorry,” she repeats, wincing from pain. “We’ve failed you.”
“Everything is fine,” I say. “You’ll be fine.”
I’m not sure whether I want to convince her or myself. The girl keeps looking at me till the very last moment, when her eyes gloss over and she stops breathing.
Not again, I think, not again.
I picture little Lena dying in my arms. My throat clenches and I want to throw up. Instead, I close the girl’s eyelids and look over at Jessie.
“Jess,” I say. “We have to go back down.”
She understands instantly.
“Wheeler,” Jessie whispers through clinched teeth.
I nod. Somehow, we almost forgot why we’d come. We have to capture Wheeler, and I’m not leaving without him.
“You can’t go back,” Frank whispers. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m not going back,” Victor says. “No way.”
“It’s all right, guys,” I say. “You two take Jack to the aircraft. Jess and I will go back together.”
I have no doubts about Jessie’s willingness to return for Wheeler. She hates him as much as I do. Right after our escape, we made an unspoken agreement to find and kill him, no matter what it takes.
“All right then,” Jessie says. “Let’s do it.”
Frank, Victor and Jack watch us leave. They don’t say anything further.
***
Jessie and I hike back through the woods, moving toward the road. The two trucks must be still there. I know they haven’t left yet. Flashlights slice through the darkness like sharp knives. Elimination officers are searching for us, occasionally getting dangerously close. We stop and wait, unmoving. Night has fallen and it’s hard to see anything. After the officers walk past, we proceed slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible.
My thoughts keep wandering back to the images of the dead recruits sprawled across the ground. I envision them falling down again and again. The darkness, heat and endless staggering through the woods wear me out. I get the feeling I’m back in prison, walking through long passages and stepping over bodies on the floor. I can smell blood and death in the air.
We make it half way back to the road before it finally hits me. All this time I haven’t fully realized what’s happened. Now I do.
“Jess,” I whisper. “They’re all dead.”
Jessie looks at me for a moment, then groans quietly.
“Yeah,” she says. “It’s very heartbreaking. So do you need to sit down and cry over them? Because right now isn’t a really good time.”
She turns away, proceeding down the trail. I follow. Jessie’s right. There’s nothing we can do to help those kids. We must focus all our energy on capturing Wheeler now.
The woods become quiet. No flashlights break the darkness. I begin to hope that the officers have lost us. Then a small noise catches my attention, making me slow down. I stop and look back, staring into the dark. Jessie walks on ahead, not noticing my predicament. I continue standing still and listening. I don’t know what I expect to see.
“Rex,” I hear Kitty’s voice calling. “Help me.”
“Kitty?” I whisper in astonishment.
She can’t be here, can she? Something doesn’t feel right. My mind is numb and can’t process the information it’s receiving. I’m getting disoriented and confused.
“Help me!” Kitty screams.
I walk toward the sound of her voice, swaying as if intoxicated. A few times I even bump into trees, having not noticed them. My senses are completely focused on her pleading voice. Something’s not right, I continue thinking. Kitty is back in the Retaliation camp right now and can’t possibly be in these woods.
Yet there she is, standing in front of me, her pale face smeared in blood. She’s definitely hurt. I freeze, not quite believing my eyes. She reaches out a hand for me.
“Help me,” Kitty’s voice sounds inside my head. Her lips aren’t moving. She doesn’t even open her mouth to speak.
This obvious flaw snaps me back to reality. I understand this is just a phantom, an illusion implanted into my mind. Somebody has hypnotized me. I remember this numbing feeling of confusion, a desire to comply even against my own will.
Kitty disappears. I look closely into the place where she was standing a second before. It’s empty now. I shiver, still not completely sure if she was real or not. The same instant, a dry branch cracks behind me. I turn and see an Elimination officer approaching, taser gun in hand. I dodge quickly to the side as he fires. The barbed needles fly past, just missing. I charge into him, slamming the butt of my rifle into his face. I could have shot him, but the sound of gunshot would certainly attract unwanted attention. I need to keep everything as quiet as I can. The officer falls and I drop on top of him, continuing to pound the rifle into the back of his skull.
His body convulses once more, then he’s still. I check for a pulse. Nothing.
“Mom! Dad!” I hear Jessie calling loudly.
She’s running toward me, not really seeing. Her eyes are open wide, but her expression totally insane. I’ve never seen Jessie like this before.
I realize the officers will be here within seconds.
I manage to grab her and pull her to the ground. Jessie pushes me away, snarling and repeating, “I need to save my parents! I have to save them!”
“Your parents are gone,” I say, holding her tightly. “Elimination killed them. Remember?”
For a second she stops wrestling.
“Jess, shake it off,” I whisper. “I need you. I can’t capture Wheeler alone.”
Heavy footsteps are already coming toward us, flashlights flickering between the trees.
“Darn, it felt so real,” Jessie growls. Her eyes become sane. “We need to get out of here.”
I help her up and we flee deeper into the woods. The officers are right behind us. We can hear their voices.
“Get after them! Don’t let them get away!” somebody commands.
They don’t fire their weapons and I become even more certain Elimination wants to capture me alive. We keep moving as quickly as we can, pushing through overgrown brush and sometimes slipping in the mud. I’m out of breath. My head is swirling. The flashlights and voices continue tracking us.
After several minutes, we come to a creek and drop low
into the shallow water, hiding in tall reeds growing on the sides. The officers pass closely by, only several feet away. Nobody notices our presence. Cautiously, we walk in the opposite direction, putting some distance between us and our pursuers, then double back toward the road.
We soon arrive at the hill, crawl up and can see the Elimination trucks clearly now. Four guards patrol the area and dead bodies occupy one side of the road. Jessie takes a position on top of the hill, covering me as I descend. I approach the trucks slowly, concealing myself in a thicket in front of the road.
Jessie fires off a few rounds, bringing two officers down. As the other two return fire, I come around from behind. I shoot them down before they realize what’s happening. Then I run toward the trucks, searching for Wheeler. Somebody is hiding in the back of one truck. I climb inside, aiming the barrel into the darkness. A man cries out in surprise and fires a gun. The bullet makes a nice round hole in the canvas wall near me. I pull the trigger, shooting his hand. He cries out again, dropping his weapon.
“Carrel,” I growl in fury. For a moment I think I’m going to kill him. He crawls away, trembling and muttering something. I slam the butt of my rifle into his head. “Where’s Wheeler?”
“He’s not here,” Carrel answers. “He’s back at the Elimination headquarters.”
I somehow understand he’s telling the truth. My visions were totally fake. I can’t capture and kill Wheeler today. All those recruits have died for nothing. And there’s only me to blame.
For a few seconds I don’t know what to do. I just stand motionless, sinking in disappointment and anger. Then I grab the collar of Carrel’s shirt and drag him out of the truck, leading into the woods. He makes incoherent noises. I smack his head, “Shut up.”
As we approach Jessie, she stares at Carrel in surprise. I shortly explain everything.
“Damn it!” Jessie exclaims. “I can’t believe Wheeler got away again.”
