The Grounders take off running behind him.
“Come on, we need to help them.” Hayden grabs hold of my hand and takes off running, pulling me with him in one swift movement.
“Ayah... Ayah...!” Dax's voice echoes in the valley as he screams for his loved one.
As we get closer, the sounds of painful groans ring out, making me stop in my tracks. Hayden doesn't stop, but painfully pulls on my arm.
“Ahh!” I yell out.
He quickly lets go of my hand and glances back at me. “Sorry, why'd you stop?”
“I don't want to get sick. I need to get back to my mother,” I selfishly admit.
“You cannot get sick. Like Dax said, it's from the food. So you're good.” Hayden shrugs his shoulders, a soft smile on his face.
“Why didn't you?”
He just stares at me blankly, as if he hasn't questioned why he hadn't gotten sick before. “Guess it's because I'm so strong.” He shrugs. “You'll be fine. I wouldn't have let you come here if I didn't think it was safe for you.”
“All right, come on then, let's go help,” I add as I take off running.
Each step I take reminds me of playing in fields as a child, running free. Yet this is the first time I've run on grass.
The natural, earthy fragrance wanders up my nose and I get lost in the moment as I take in a deep breath, allowing it to fill my lungs. Oh no, the fresh air has been replaced with a nasty odor... like something is rotting. I cover my mouth. This is the smell of death.
“Help... cough... help... cough,” a tiny voice rings out.
The stream in front of me is poisoned with red blood as a woman's lifeless body lies face down. She is still holding the knife she must've been using to defend herself.
Other bodies lie on the ground, not moving, not groaning for help. Where are the cries coming from?
I stand for a moment with my eyes closed, as I clear my mind.
There it is....
It's coming from one of the structures, a type of hut made from the branches—their homes. All scattered around the valley in little groups.
I start running toward it and the groans instantly get louder. Hayden follows me.
Taking hold of the rope on the wooden door, I pull it open to reveal people lying on beds, groaning in pain. Survivors of the attack, it appears.
“The medicine, we need the medicine,” I scream out. Hayden takes off running back to the bikes where the bags are.
Chapter Sixteen
“Over here, Dax! We need you!” Hayden yells out frantically as he runs back with the bags.
Dax and Hayden both arrive at the hut at the same time. Some of the other Grounders follow Dax, clearly looking confused and hoping for one of the guys to tell them what to do next.
“Did you find Ayah?” Hayden asks as he passes Dax the bags.
Dax begins to speak, then just shakes his head.
“Dax, they left some of the sick people.” I open the hut door for him to see inside. He glances into the hut, and then begins to rummage through the pack, pulling out the medicine.
“We need water.”
“We cannot use the stream. It's got bodies in it,” I tell him.
“Go to the waterfall. Only collect fresh water.” Dax waves his arms to a group of Grounders. They do as he orders, grabbing buckets as they run off.
“We need to give everyone one tablet with water,” Dax informs us. We all nod in agreement.
“Dax... Dax...” a voice mumbles out. We all look at each other, and the remaining Grounders just shrug their shoulders in confusion.
“The bag.” I take it off him, and pull out the radio.
“Come out, wherever you are...”
It's Xander. I instantly drop the radio on the ground, and Dax scrambles to pick it up.
“I know you are there. Is your precious friend Skylier with you?”
My heart sinks as he says my name; he knows who I am.
“Are you entranced by her beautiful face, or your special bond? Come on, you can share your feelings with me. What is family for, after all?”
Dax's fingers grip around the radio so tightly it looks like it will break in his hands. My stomach twists in knots.
“Does Ayah know that she’s already been replaced?” Xander asks. I can sense he's smiling as he says it.
“You leave Ayah alone!” Dax snaps.
“There you are. You were never very good at hide and seek—always too quick to react.” Xander laughs smugly. “Are your Grounder friends with you? If they are, listen closely, you will be interested in this.”
The Grounders instantly move closer to the radio, making me feel uncomfortable. Instead of moving closer, I take a step backwards, and Hayden does the same.
“I will trade your precious leader, Reznor, and his sister Ayah, for my brother Dax and his pretty little friend Skylier. I want them alive.”
The radio in Dax's hand begins to move as his hand starts to tremble.
“This is an order from the Chancellor's son. Disobey and you will all die...”
RUN... Run to the bikes! Dax's voice rings through my mind.
Dax's eyes are wide and full of fear. The Grounders stand behind Reznor, not Dax. They will trade us.
I notice a large knife on a square rock that they’ve probably been using as a table. Without thinking, I drop the medicine container to the ground, and the pills slip out. “Please, can you help me?” I ask in my girlish voice.
As the Grounders lower their heads and shoulders to pick up the pills, I grab the knife just in case and take off running as fast as my legs can take me. Hayden and Dax run after me.
Our bodies react quicker than theirs, but they are faster and stronger than we are. I can hear their feet pounding on the ground.
“Get to the bikes!” Dax yells as he sprints past me.
Please don't leave me.
Never.
I’ve got a knife.
You shouldn’t have taken it. How are you going to hold me on the bike?!
It’s too late now. I can’t leave the knife.
The Grounders are all around me; they will get me within a second. In front of me are barrels of guns.
Duck... rings through my mind.
Instantly I do as Dax orders, squatting my body to the ground. I look up as a bullet flies out of his gun. Bang... bang...
“Arh!” one of the Grounders yells out in pain. No time to look back; I just keep on moving and hide behind Hayden as he stands in front of his bike.
The Grounders stop running, and their angry, overgrown faces are glaring at us.
Skylier, get on Hayden's bike! Dax's mind orders.
Gently I nudge Hayden in his back. He glances over at me, trying not to make any sudden movements. With my eyes, I indicate I need to get onto the bike.
“Xander is lying, he will kill us all!” Dax yells out loudly, taking us all by surprise. I know it's a decoy, and so does Hayden—we are both on the bike before the Grounders can reply.
“He's your brother? You are the Chancellor's son?” Tanis’ eyes peer at Dax.
Oh damn, they didn't know he was the Chancellor’s son. More Grounders start walking toward us after coming back from the waterfall.
The others are on the way back, we don't have long, I message Dax.
“Yes, and...?” Dax says confidently, as he steps onto his bike and swipes his finger over the monitor.
The Grounders take a step closer with the sound of the humming engine. Dax instantly holds the gun up toward them.
“I have saved each one of your lives,” Dax says as he points the gun toward each of them.
“They have Reznor!” Tanis replies, letting his rotten yellow teeth show.
“And Ayah!” Dax snaps. “I will get them back!”
Go now!
I squeeze Hayden with my free hand. “Go,” I whisper in his ear. The bike engine roars to life before I've finished whispering. The wind slams against my face as if I've been slapped.
/> “Get them!” growls Tanis.
Hayden swipes the panel on his bike to go as fast as Dax did on the way here, but now we are fighting the muddy ground and it's pulling us down each time we try to go fast.
“Dax, we've got to shoot at them!” Hayden yells at Dax with sadness in his voice. Yesterday they were family. Today, we are being hunted by them.
He's right... they are gaining on us quickly.
“Hold on to the handlebars,” Hayden orders. He turns with one hand on the bike, the other holding a gun.
I hold the knife with my teeth, release my free arm from Hayden's waist and grab the handlebars with both of my hands for the first time. With my body pressed against his, I can feel each of his muscles through his top.
A pounding of the gun rips through my ears, and my flesh. A burning pain rips through my shoulder. They shot me! What part of 'alive' did they not understand?!
Like a lightning bolt, the pain rushes down to my fingers, and the bike weaves to the side as I lose control.
Hayden's body sways sideways, almost taking me and the bike with him.
“Hold it in place,” Hayden orders, as he gets back into position.
“I've been shot, you jerk!” I shout, taking the knife out of my mouth while pressing myself onto his body with my free arm. There’s a small bruise on my hand from the knife – obviously, I didn’t have a chance to stay unharmed with a knife in my hand while almost flying on a bike – but that bruise is nothing compared with the bullet shot, which hurts horribly.
He quickly turns and sees the blood seeping from my shoulder.
“We'll get you out of here.”
Hayden continues to shoot, and Dax joins in, round after round firing down at their friends.
Then silence surrounds us.
Chapter Seventeen
Once we are out of the canyon and the valley, Dax and Hayden slow down their bikes.
“Skylier, they hit you. Are you okay?” Dax rolls up next to us.
I don't know how to answer; my body has started to feel numb, and my grey dress is stained with blood.
I just nod my head, but I can feel it's more like a wobble. I am getting weak.
“Well, we sucked,” Hayden points out.
“Totally,” Dax agrees, looking at my wounded shoulder.
“What's the plan, Dax?” Hayden asks.
“We ride to the Cueva. We need supplies, and I have friends who will help us,” I mumble, not sure if I'm making sense.
Dax squeezes his lips together. “I don't think it will be safe.”
“We will all die out here without any water, and I'm bleeding to death. Anyone got any other plans?” I ask.
“She's right,” Hayden says.
“Can you really trust them?” Dax asks.
“Yes.”
“We don't have long; they will all be up soon.” And I don't think I will last much longer... hush, I stop talking, listening carefully. Familiar groaning is coming from behind the rocks.
“What’s that Skylier?” Hayden asks, seeing me frowning and looking around.
“The Mutes. Again.” I answer in a whisper. Immediately, Hayden and Dax stand beside me, looking around, ready to protect us. Then they hear it, too.
“Again?” Hayden asks Dax, with a worried look on his face.
“It’s them,” Dax confirms, keeping his gun at the ready.
Great, now is the perfect time to meet them, with my wounded shoulder. I keep the knife at the ready.
A group of Mutes emerge from behind the rocks.
“They look stubborn and hungry,” Dax notes, as he starts shooting his gun. Hayden does the same. A couple of the Mutes falls down, hit by the bullets, but the remaining Mutes start to surround us. I will also have to act, otherwise we can’t win them. Luckily, I have the knife with me. As I turn around, I see a Mute moving towards me with a menacing look in his eyes.
“Get this!” I shout, stabbing the Mute in the chest, using most of the little energy that I have still got. The Mute stops moving, then sways and falls down backwards. Dax and Hayden have taken care of the remaining Mutes with their guns.
“Good job, Skylier,” Hayden calls to me, as he reaches me and holds my arm. “You’re really brave.”
“I had no other choice,” I shrug, as Dax also joins us.
“Come on, let’s go,” Dax frowns. Isn’t he touching you too much?
Oh, come on, he just wants to support me.
Are you really that naïve or trying to sound like one?
I roll my eyes. As if hearing the conversation in our minds, Hayden draws his hand back.
“Over here," I point to the mound surrounding the Cueva, and we run toward it. We've already hidden the bikes to walk the rest of the way; otherwise the Cueva guards would see us. Every part of my body aches in pain. I wish I could just curl up in my bunk and pretend none of this ever happened.
“Up soon?” Hayden asks.
“We’re not allowed to go outside,in Cueva. See, we could catch the virus that’s in the air… rubbish! All this time I could've been enjoying the sunlight instead of hiding away. It makes me so frigging angry! We have been lied to our whole lives, hiding away when we didn't need to, and the food was really the thing that was killing us, not the virus in the air.” A little spit flies out of my mouth in my anger, as the last bit of energy is drained from me. The boys look at me, surprised.
“Skylier, I like this side of you. Not sure you are pure and innocent anymore.” Hayden laughs with a smug grin on his face.
“You guys have corrupted me.” I smile playfully and deliriously.
“Quit it, you two!” Dax snaps. “What's the plan?”
“Here, pull on this.” I point to the door.
Years ago, when we were outside, I stumbled and fell into a concealed door. It must have been here from when the caves were first created, considering it is made from wood—not like the metal doors we have inside. All these years it was hidden by rocks and dirt.
Once I got the door open, I found a small corridor with a door to the other side. I figured out the location of the door; it comes out by the bathing holes. It's locked from the inside, and has rocks concealing it.
The door opens... ahh, darkness. I never thought I would miss you.
“We've got to go down there?” Hayden asks.
“Yes. I will get my sister, Calista, to wake Lowell. He will need to open the door for us, it's too heavy for Calista,” I explain.
“Can we just kick it open?” Hayden asks, “Who's Lowell?” he adds.
I smile, “It opens from the inside, and Lowell’s a friend.” A good friend, I've changed everything for us now; but now isn't time for self-pity.
Calista... Are you awake? It's Skylier... I message her.
No thoughts come back. She's either still asleep or I need to get closer.
“Close the door,” I tell Hayden.
“Jeez, I cannot see anything... it’s pitch black,” Hayden says.
“It's not too far,” I say. “Use the walls to guide you.” My eyes instantly adjust to the darkness and I'm grateful for that ability.
I walk off ahead, messaging Calista as I go. I can hear the boys stumbling behind me, but now is not the time for me to be their guide.
Calista, I need you, I plead.
Skylier, is that you? Calista's soft voice dances in my mind.
Yes! Oh, I have missed you... Please go get Lowell and run to the bathing holes... try not to let anyone see you. My mind runs away from me, as I try to tell her everything.
Skylier, where are you? Where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you. There are guards everywhere.
Do you think you can get safely to Lowell? I have medicine for mother.
Yes! Calista's little mind snaps at me. I love her spirit.
Okay. Pretend that you are going out with the others for the treatment. Then slip away in the grounds and head over to Lowell. If it's not safe, don't do it.
I got it, we are leavin
g now.
Hand scan.
Out of the room.
Oh, good.
The guards are not outside Mother's quarters. Maybe they are sleeping.
Why were they there? What's happening? Calista... Calista...
“What did she say?” Dax asks.
“What? Who?” Hayden asks, confused. “Oh, mind games.” I can hear the smile on his face.
“She blocked me!” I say. Did she block me or did something happen to her?
Calista, answer me now! This is not the time for games.
Skylier, calm down. It's hard to think when you are screaming questions at me. I need to think. I've got Lowell... we are at the bathing hole. Where are you?
Raising my hand to the wooden door, I softly knock. I want only them to hear, not the whole Cueva.
Dax and Hayden are silent, and even with the sound of the rushing waterfalls into the bathing holes, I can hear their footsteps.
“They are coming,” I inform the boys.
Where are you? Calista asks one more time.
Follow the sound, you are close. There is a door behind some fallen rocks, I tell her.
Listen. I bang on the door once again.
“Lowell, over here,” Calista's tiny voice rings out.
I can hear Lowell rushing toward the door, and then the door begins to vibrate.
Stand back, he's going to kick it in, Calista's mind says.
“Quick, move back,” I warn the others.
My body brushes up against Hayden’s as I step back.
The door flies off its hinges, landing with a thud inside our tunnel, and Hayden’s arm wraps around my waist.
The open door reveals Lowell standing proudly with my sister, Calista.
Lowell’s eyes falls toward my waist, and Hayden’s hand.
Calista runs toward me as I climb over the door. She wraps her arms around me, almost knocking me off my feet.
Lowell no longer looks proud... his eyebrows push together in concern. “Skylier, you're injured. Did they do this to you?!” Lowell places his arm around my waist, pulling me toward him. I breathe in, soaking in the smell of home in Lowell’s arms.
“No... No, they didn't do it.”
Wasteland: Age of Sanctions (A Invasion Survivor Series) Page 9
