Sam bellowed a sigh from her throat.
‘The other day, when I was called into the crow’s office, he told me of a–a rebellion.’ She said.
‘Okay, a rebellion, of what?’
‘He told me, they’d blown up all sorts of important communication systems…including the satellites connecting the wastelands with Emitton.’ Sam continued. ‘The crow thinks that Mike is a part of the rebellion–and–that I came here to help him.’
‘And, was he right?’
‘No, of course not, he’s wrong! A simple rebellion is the last thing I came here for!’ Sam bit her lip, regretting the way she said that last part.
Melanie’s face went blank, even in the darkness. ‘You came here?’ Her shrill voice trembled. ‘What–what do you mean?’
‘She means she got herself caught on purpose, ginger! And all of this had been nothing but an act!’ Viper scowled, stepping in front of Sam. ‘We’ve been risking our lives, not because she had wanted to free us, but for her own personal gain!’
‘No!’ Sam cried, launching at Viper, but missed.
‘Oh, come on! You knew you couldn’t possibly survive out here on your own!’
Silence struck, and the past few weeks had flashed before their eyes. Since the day that Sam had entered their cell, to this very moment. After all that time, they never thought much of her anxiousness to escape. They knew absolutely nothing about her, yet suspected nothing as well. They were so blinded by their own desperation to escape, that they hadn’t even noticed how desperate Sam really was. It was their fault for being fooled, and their own gullibility that had caused their downfall.
The alley was dark, and all sounds were the slow dragging of tumbleweeds, and the faint panting of breaths.
Sam had lowered her head, fearing the worst. She feared her friends deserting her, and leaving her alone in an alley to roam the desert by herself. She’d have probably done the same.
‘Sam,’ Aaron muttered, breaking the silence. ‘Is this true?’
Sam couldn’t blink. Her eyes were struck wide open, and her chest pumped up tight. She gazed at Aaron, and gasped. She couldn’t help but nod in admittance. ‘I never meant to hurt anyone…’ She whispered.
‘I can’t believe you’d do such a thing!’ Luna said, collapsing against the wall. ‘Jamie died… She’s dead Sam! YOU KILLED HER!’
‘Luna, I’m so sorry!’
‘No, Sam! I don’t want to hear it…’ Luna’s hands had sunk into the crusty waves of her short black hair, tears spewing from her eyes. Donny lowered against her, holding her tight as they sobbed together–him in silence.
Sam didn’t dare move a muscle. She knew that what Luna had said was true, and she’d known it from the very start. She felt it in her gut. It was as if waiting for a ticking time bomb, seeing Viper pace up and down the alley, her hands on her hips. She was most satisfied in revealing Sam’s true agenda; especially at the worst possible moment, when all were starving, and feeling tired and dirty.
Melanie balled her fists.
She thought back at her own sacrifice: Killing her stepfather to avenge her mother’s unfair death. She as Melanie, had no other choice, and would truly give anything to go back to Emitton; to see the Los Ricos hotel just one more time, and all its working staff inside, her family.
‘WHY, SAM?’ Melanie asked, her eyes burning with tears. ‘Why give up your life?’
Sam parted her lips, wanting to speak, but Melanie cut her off.
‘You had a family!’ She cried. ‘Most of us didn’t! I didn’t! I had nothing left–’
‘–you’re wrong, Melanie! Cara was never my family, Mike is!’ Sam leaped forward, the tears on her cheeks glistening in the moonlight. ‘I too sacrificed everything I had to come and find him! I risked my own life for him, and he isn’t even here!’
‘I trusted you, Sam.’ Melanie lowered her voice. ‘And I really thought you were my friend.’
She wiped her eyes, and turned to Luna, crouching, and still sobbing. How had it all come to this?
Sam’s fingers had dug into the soft flesh of her palms (a rather frequent habit nowadays), but slightly relaxed as a comforting hand covered her shoulder. At first she’d thought it to be Shawn, as he came along at his own free will, and had no reason for being mad at her, but was fairly surprised to see the bleak, brown eyes of Aaron staring into hers.
‘Aaron…I…’ Sam stuttered, at a lack of words.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ He said. ‘It’s okay.’
Aaron’s soft voice was like music to Sam’s ears. She had wanted to hug him, but couldn’t, as he broke away. He turned his back on her, and strolled off into the quiet street. His mind was filled with crushing thoughts, and memories of Sam, wondering if all of it was nothing but a lie. Had the girl he fell in love with, been a complete fake? Was all that had happened, a twisted sham, a joke, and well portrayed act?
Aaron walked silently.
Behind him, he heard the towing footsteps of five others following him. His heart had bled to turn back, but his head corked the wound, and forced him onwards. He knew well, that although it was hard, it was the best thing to do.
Sam’s eyes swelled. She could barely see, and wiped her face on her sleeve. It hadn’t helped a lot, but at least she’d caught the brim silhouette of Viper through her tear filled corneas.
‘I knew there was something not right about you!’ Viper scoffed. Her screeching voice had blundered above the silence. ‘And I’m never wrong.’ She pierced her lips in satisfaction, turned away, and swayed her hips when trailing after the group.
‘Oh, go soak your head Viper!’ Shawn cried after her. He stepped in front of Sam, and saw Viper off. He scowled at her, and she flashed him with a smile, winked, and rushed around the corner.
Sam shifted uncomfortably.
Why hadn’t Shawn stood up for her before? She had wanted to ask, but couldn’t. Her legs trembled, and she fell into his open arms.
Shawn’s strong hands had gripped around her weeping body, smothering Sam with his familiar musky scent (at least one thing that hadn’t changed). Her nose itched. He smelled of old, wet fur, and smoke from the bar.
‘It’ll all be okay. Don’t worry, Sam.’ He whispered in her ear. His breath was warm against her freezing skin. ‘I would’ve done the exact same thing if I were you.’
Sam’s tears dried up. Her head felt thick, and confused. Shawn shouldn’t be telling her he’d have done the same! He should be trying to better her, and accepting her mistake as it is. Not embracing it!
‘Shawn–’ Sam uttered, but he shushed her.
‘–we don’t need any of them.’ He said.
Chapter 26
Everything Sam had ever done was to reunite and avenge her family. She never forced anyone to anything against their will, and never asked of them something they didn’t want to do. Wasn’t it inevitable that escaping from the Keep would leave you running for your life? Had the others really expected just to waltz out of there, and thought that no one would ever come looking for them?
If the harsh conditions of the wastelands weren’t the force to kill you, being a fugitive would. Sam treaded lightly from the start, for she knew that this time, rather than being exiled, they’d be sentenced to execution.
Sam rested her head against Shawn’s dense shoulder blade. Her blurred thoughts drifted back to his unsympathetic comment of before. How could he possibly tell her that he’d have done the same? Aaron certainly wouldn’t have.
Sam raised her head, wanting to ask Shawn, when she heard a shattering scream. ‘What was that?’ She asked.
A screech and a yelp, accompanied by the rumbling sound of footsteps, entered the alley and hurled towards them. It was Viper, running as fast as she could. Her eyes were wide, and her face was paler than ever.
Following right behind her, were six others.
‘RUN!’ Viper cried, passing them by with both the speed of light and air. ‘THEY’RE COMING!’
�
��Who’s coming?’ Sam’s eyes were blinded by the sharp beam of an airship’s headlights. Its roaring propellers had sucked all air from her lungs, and left her even more distraught than before. The ECD had at last found them, but HOW?
A dark figure raced past Sam. Aaron.
He gripped her arm, and dragged her along while still hooked to Shawn. For every two steps they took, the airship soared four. They were bought some time when it stopped, and dropped off its soldiers.
They were all dressed in solid black uniforms, the very same team that had followed Sam up the building all those weeks ago. To her, that could only mean one thing: Dallas Romero was here.
Aaron’s face seemed blank, as if finding it impossible not to have been caught yet. It seemed that he too had recognized the airship, and its owner.
Up the street, Luke jumped at the side of a building. He loosened a ladder that was hooked to the fire escape, and lowered it to the ground. ‘Come on!’ He cried.
One by one, they followed Luke up the ladder, and onto a rickety ledge. There, they leaped to a tarnished flight of metal stairs, bolted to the side of the building. Their feet slipped, as the stairs were covered in oil, and splashed around when running upwards.
The railing was loose.
Far above their heads, the hollering airship had cast its light on their moving figures, so not to lose sight of them. Sam gazed up. She couldn’t see clearly, and felt sick as her eyeballs burned.
Amidst the howling winds, and roaring propellers of the airship, Dallas Romero stood calmly, barking orders. His infamous black bowler hat had been glued to his head. Where was Jack Crowe? Sam wondered.
The entire structure budged, and she screamed. At the bottom of the stairs, where Luke lowered the ladder, she saw a swarm of soldiers upping after them.
‘This thing’s can’t hold all of us!’ Aaron called out above the noise. He watched nervously as mounds of gravel had emerged from the walls where the structure was bolted to the building. His eyes drifted upwards.
Luke had made it to the top of the building, and was helping the others up. Aaron’s chest enlightened, feeling it would all be over soon, and both his feet would safely be mounted upon solid ground.
The previously peaceful town of Jaf, was now transformed to the guttural scene of a high speed man hunt. Those who lived in town were nowhere to be seen. They were all locked away in their flats, and peered from the windows at the outside ruckus. They had hated the ECD, just as much as they’d feared them.
Sam screamed again. She heard a piercing popping sound passing by her ears, and saw it fly by to graze Viper’s arm.
‘They’re shooting at us!’ Viper bellowed, clutching at her arm while ducting behind a loose sheet of metal. She heard hundreds more of the exact same popping sound, and saw the frightening sight of thin, metal bullets ricocheting off against the walls.
‘Come on!’ Luke cried from above. ‘You’re so close!’
Sam thought differently. Her legs had grown tired from dodging being fired at, and the slippery, oil covered steps made it hard for her to climb. Never before had she found it this difficult to make her way up the side of a building.
Three stories above Sam’s head, Viper’s feet one by one collided with the rusty, metal steps of the stairs. She stared up to where half of her friends were safely waiting upon the roof. Their faces were written with panic, trying to figure out their next escaping move without being caught, or lethally shot to death. They dodged a net cast from the airship, and tossed it over the side of the building.
Viper flinched.
She cringed as the icy metal of the loose railing pulsed through her fingers, and peered over, seeing that she was almost forty flights above the ground. The net hit the concrete with a thump.
Behind her, she heard the panting breaths of Aaron, Sam, and Shawn, feeling the needing urge to climb faster; and not letting their chasers get any closer than a few flights below them.
The railing squealed.
A big, round bolt shot out, and nearly hit Viper on her head. It was followed by a screech, and a raucous break of metal. For a brief moment, Viper felt as if all time had frozen still.
The wall of the building, brick by brick, slowly slid past her eyes.
Just as she’d stood there, the entire staircase had hurled towards the ground at what felt like lightning speed. Those above her head were crying out in terror, reaching towards her, but failed. They had to watch in agony as Viper, Aaron, Sam and Shawn had slowly slid away from them.
The four falling prisoners scrambled for their lives, gripping at the passing ledges of the windows, and trying not to get crushed under a heavy pile of metal. The ground drew near, and the tar looked as hungry as ever.
Sam’s fingers had managed to find the crumbling edge of a balcony, and her rapidly descending body slung to a halt as her grip became firm. All possible air was pierced from her lungs, crushing her ribs against the stone cold concrete of the wall. She’d felt a rush of upper body strength (something she’d never obtained before), and hurled herself upwards and onto the balcony’s platform.
It creaked, and Sam’s heart skipped a beat.
Seconds passed, and she’d lain there, still, heaving and puffing. She felt like dying, a cruel and inhumane death. All when she hadn’t moved a single muscle to cause it.
Sam’s ears were deaf to the bellowing cries of agony on the top of the roof. It pierced to the sound of her heartbeat, racing with no intent to stop or slow down. Her head was sore, and the air around her was dusty.
Sam coughed.
She thought of everything that had happened while leading up to this moment: How she lost all the respect of her friends, and without doing anything, almost got them killed again.
She rubbed her head, feeling her fingers crackle. It dawned on her. Her friends! Shawn, Aaron and Viper…
Sam’s thoughts had flashed back to where she’d seen Viper’s foot sink into a rusty metal step on the stairs; only to hear the brutal sound of unhinging bolts, ripping from the walls and leaving them as four flightless ducks in the air.
Her eyes snapped open, and she rolled over on her stomach, leaning over the side of the balcony while peering downwards.
It creaked, but Sam only leaned in closer.
There were muffles of smoke rising from the ground, but within it, she saw a hasted crowd of soldiers scattered around, and removing heaped up piles of crashed rubble. It must be crushing some their fleets, she thought, seeing that no attention had been paid at them anymore, and the shots of gunfire had halted.
A few of the town’s inhabitants had slowly emerged to show their faces, and curiously encircled the scene. Their odd-struck expressions looked as if never dawned upon such a dire sight before.
The airship took ground in a narrow a four-way crossing, and Dallas Romero’s familiar dark curls could be seen from miles upwards. He rushed towards his trampled men, and ordered for backup.
Sam seized the moment.
‘Shawn! Aaron! Viper!’ She cried, loudly bellowing her voice above the roaring calls of distress, and metal being lifted. Her head lowered against the concrete, and she closed her eyes. They can’t be gone. Within the deep emptiness of her thoughts, she heard the silent cries of a guy drifting through the cold stone resting against her ear.
It’s Aaron.
Sam lifted her head, and scrambled onto her knees. ‘Aaron!’ She cried, this time with much more fervour. Her eyes brightened as she’d seen the just as happy face of Aaron only a few flights below her. He was balancing both feet on a foot-thin stone ledge, and leaned against the wall while clutching at a windowsill.
‘Where’s Shawn?’ Sam asked, and Aaron’s smile had faded.
‘I saw him make his into the building!’ He said. ‘He must be heading towards the roof!’
‘What about Viper?’
Aaron shrugged. He lowered his head, browsing the busy bottom of the building. It was dark, and he couldn’t see much. He hadn’t known if he should b
e thinking the worst.
The night time sky was clear, without many stars, and a faint sickle moon shone in the upper left corner. It was just past nine. Even though it hadn’t felt as cold, the frosty air around them had painfully scorched their fingers, and left the very tip of their noses numb. No one knew what had happened, other than jostling for their lives while falling to their doom.
‘I’m fine!’ A well recognised, sarcastic tone bellowed from above. ‘Thank you for caring enough to even look up!’
Sam winced. She had felt unexpectedly relieved, but hadn’t known why. Less than an hour ago she wanted to wring Viper’s neck. It was strange, and something she’d never understand.
‘What do you see?’ Sam asked into the darkness.
‘Not much, but I think I can climb my way to the top!’ Viper replied, standing on the very edge of a rickety part of the staircase, still hinged to the wall. ‘Do you need any help down there?’ She was scared to lower her head, and kept peering up to where the rest of the group rejoiced to see them alive.
‘I’m fine! I think it’ll be easy enough to climb from here.’ Aaron cried. ‘What about you Sam?’
‘Um, I’ll try!’ Sam’s hand dug deep into a bullet-blasted hole in the wall, gripped it tight, and placed her foot at the edge of the balcony. ‘See you at the top!’ She said while hoisting herself up and reaching for the next possible grip. She hadn’t dared glanced down, and relied only on the keen senses of her ears and body.
A bright light rose into the sky.
The airship retrieved, transporting its hurt soldiers to the nearest medical centre. It was most likely the Keep, Sam thought. Her tensed neck relaxed, and she smiled in relief. They were safe, for now.
Just as she craned another level, stepped up, and reached out, a spine chilling shot fired by her hand. Sam screamed. Her face turned pale, but she couldn’t look down.
‘It’s Dallas!’ Aaron cried. He saw an angry, cursing Dallas, aiming right at them from forty flights below.
The Keep (A Renegades story Book 1) Page 18
