Rebel Rising: A Dystopian Romance (Cage of Lies Book 1)

by Susanne Valenti

  He was gazing down at me, looking straight into my eyes and rendering me speechless as he failed to do anything to hurt me and just stared. His eyes were sinfully dark, filled with all manner of secrets and promises. His black hair was cut short on the sides but longer on top and it fell down over his forehead towards me. He had stubble covering his jaw which was set in a firm line and as my gaze trailed over it, my attention hooked on his mouth for a long moment.

  My mind went blank, I couldn't remember where I was or what I was supposed to be doing. All I could think about was his face inches from mine, his muscular body crushing me into the dirt and the way my heart was thrumming keenly in my chest.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice rough as his gaze moved over my features, drinking me in.

  "Erm..." I'd forgotten how words worked. Great.

  "Did you hit your head?" He pulled back a few inches, running a hand along my scalp as he checked for injuries. My skin tingled where he touched it.

  “No," I managed.

  "I'm Coal.” He smiled briefly like he was glad I was okay, so maybe he hadn’t been attacking me after all.

  "Maya,” I offered.

  “We need to move, Maya,” he said, his rough voice caressing my name.

  He pushed himself up so that he was straddling me and offered me his hand.

  I took it and he pulled me to my feet. For a moment I didn't let go and he smirked in amusement as I blushed.

  More shots were fired in the other trench and I was wrenched back to reality. I spun around, hunting the narrow trench for my best friend and realising with a wave of panic that he wasn’t with us.

  “Taylor-" I looked back up to the ridge with my heart pounding as I prayed to see him leaping down to join us at any second. "Did you see-"

  "The guy you were with? He went down," Coal explained dismissively as he started to move away along the trench.

  “No!” I gasped, running at the trench wall and scrabbling to get back up the bank.

  Coal grabbed my arm and yanked me back around to face him.

  "We don't have time. I have to get out of here - you should come with me if you don't want to die." He pulled on my arm again but I jerked it back, trying to shake off his grasp which was annoyingly strong.

  "I'm not leaving him!" I snarled.

  A strange look passed over Coal's face and I was pretty sure he was about to leave me there but he sighed dramatically and turned his attention to the bank above me instead.

  “No promises." He cupped his hands together to give me a boost back up the bank and I stepped into his grasp without hesitating. "Stay low to the ground up there," he warned and hoisted me up.

  I clawed my way back up onto the muddy bank then leaned back over the edge to offer him a hand up after me. Coal took a running jump and scrambled up the bank, ignoring my offer of help as he heaved himself up to join me.

  I spun to look for Taylor and cried out as I spotted him laying in the dirt a few metres away. Coal snatched my wrist into his grasp, forcing me to stay down and giving me a stern look. I gave in and started crawling forward instead of running like my heart wanted.

  We crept across the ground towards Taylor's still body. My pulse pounding in my ears as I refused to accept the idea that he was anything but okay.

  It seemed to take an age to get to him, staying flat to the ground and using our elbows to propel us along.

  We reached Taylor where he was sprawled in the mud and I launched myself at him, tears swimming in my eyes as I grabbed his face between my hands and turned him to look at me. His eyes were closed and for a moment it seemed like the whole world caved in on me before a heavy breath spilled between his lips. He was breathing. He was alive.

  A sob tore from my throat and I fell over my best friend, clutching him tightly as relief filled me and his heart pounded against my ear.

  Coal moved closer to check Taylor over and discovered a deep scratch along his temple, pulling me back so that I could see it too.

  "He’s one lucky son of a bitch. A bullet grazed him. But I’d say he's fine, just knocked out," Coal reported.

  “Maya!” Laurie’s voice drew my attention and I looked up to find her racing towards us, a pistol held ready to fire in each hand. "Are you okay?" she panted as she came to a stop and crouched down next to us.

  “Taylor's unconscious, but we think he’ll be alright," I explained.

  The gunfire in the trench to our right paused and a shout went up. "We got 'em on the run boys! Let's take out the stragglers!"

  Whoops and cheers followed which multiplied quickly in the trench on our left too. We crouched where we were, surrounded by fighters as they swarmed around us.

  “Laurie? What do we do?" I asked in a pleading whisper, hoping she had some miraculous way to get us out of this mess.

  "I'll call for back up," she replied as she holstered one pistol and pulled a radio from her belt. "Warden two-five-five-three-seven calling for reinforcements."

  Coal was looking at Laurie like he was half tempted to attack her. "I need to go," he whispered to me, edging away like he might run at any second.

  For the first time, I noticed his outfit, my gaze skimming over him as I realised just how out of place he looked. He wasn’t dressed like a fighter or a Warden and there was something undeniably wild about him which didn’t speak of a life caged within the city. He had a lot of guns and knives, more than anyone else I’d seen during the battle. They were strapped to every available space on his body and it was a miracle I hadn't been impaled when he’d tackled me. He wasn't wearing any camouflage, just a plain black shirt and pants, unlike anything I'd seen in the Lawless Trials before.

  “Warden two-five-five-three-seven requesting immediate back up," Laurie repeated, looking anxious. She hit a display panel on the front of the radio and frowned at it. "It says my messages are being received. Why aren't they responding?"

  “We're being surrounded," Coal cut in, ignoring Laurie and fixing his gaze on me. "Are you coming?" He looked about ready to bolt and I almost reached out to stop him.

  "Can you help him?" I asked desperately, pointing at Taylor. There was no way I was leaving him here and no way I could carry him myself.

  Coal turned away to gaze off at the forest. He started to shake his head and then looked back at me. I bit my lip and looked back steadily, just hoping that he’d help us. He was my only hope.

  Coal’s jaw tightened and he gripped one of the knives at his belt before releasing it again. "Dammit," he muttered like he was already regretting his decision. "I can get you out of here, but you have to trust me." He looked at Laurie like he distinctly didn't trust her but didn't say anything more.

  Gunfire rang out all around us again and my heart leapt with fear. Laurie focused on Coal properly for the first time and took in his strange appearance. Her grip tightened on her gun.

  “Who the hell are-" she began but she was cut off by voices from the trench below us.

  “Hey Bert, didn't you say there were people up top?" a voice shouted. "Maybe we can kill ourselves a Warden or two."

  That was enough for Laurie. “What do you need me to do?" she asked fiercely.

  "I'll carry him," Coal said indicating Taylor, though he didn't seem too thrilled about it. "You two just shoot anyone who threatens us."

  I glanced doubtfully at Taylor, he was big and it wouldn't be easy to lift him. How quickly would Coal be able to move while holding him?

  Coal didn’t seem to share my concerns as he shifted four rifles across his back and swung Taylor up into a fireman's lift over the other shoulder as he prepared to run.

  I grabbed my shotgun and pumped a round into position then ran my hand over my pistol holster to check it hadn't been dislodged in the fall.

  “Ready?” Coal hissed and we both nodded.

  He leapt to his feet and started running without another word, Taylor bouncing on his back like a sack of potatoes.

  Shots instantly started up around us and I screamed as
I aimed my shotgun into the trench on our left and fired without bothering to look for a target. Laurie sent bullets flying down into the trench on our right too and the soldiers down there cried out in panic as they scattered, giving us a chance to escape.

  I ran after Coal with Laurie at my side as we fought to catch up with him and we left the soldiers behind.

  "Where are you taking us?" Laurie demanded in a low voice as we reached him but Coal just grunted.

  We moved quickly, picking our way around the last few trenches and powering over the broken ground towards the perimeter. I could feel our pursuers gaining on us, the hairs on the back of my neck rising in warning. I looked around just in time to see a man pulling himself up over the edge of the trench but Laurie aimed a perfect shot at him, knocking him back down just as quickly.

  We picked up the pace. Coal's forehead beaded with sweat as he worked to haul Taylor along but he didn’t slow despite how difficult it must have been

  We made it to the perimeter where the Wardens had been patrolling but they were all gone. Coal didn’t slow down but kept running as Laurie and I hesitated.

  “Is this normal?" I panted, craning my neck in both directions but the other Wardens were nowhere to be seen.

  “No, we aren't supposed to leave our posts until they call time on the fight..." She glanced around like she expected to see them somewhere but aside from the sound of the convicts who were still hounding after us through the trenches, we were definitely alone.

  “What now?" I begged, turning to look back as more gunfire sounded.

  The soldiers were clambering out of the trenches, cutting us off from the way back.

  Laurie fired at them to hold them off but we were running out of time and completely exposed out on the barren land.

  "Follow me! And before you ask, you won't get contaminated," Coal shouted as he ran for the green wall of trees at the edge of the cleared zone, showing no signs of stopping or turning aside.

  My heart stilled as I considered what he was suggesting but as more convicts began to scramble over the bank, I had to accept we had no choice.

  “Maya?" Laurie caught my arm as I made to follow him. "Contamination is worse than death." Her eyes were wide with panic and she dug her heels in stubbornly.

  “He said there's no contamination. Laurie, it's this or death."

  Coal had already crossed most of the barren land and was nearly at the green barrier.

  “But-" A bullet slammed into the dirt by our feet, spraying lumps of mud and rock up over our legs and I leapt back in fright.

  “Laurie, come on." I grabbed her wrist and started running.

  Within another moment, she was keeping pace beside me and we were sprinting to catch up with Coal.

  Taylor was bouncing on Coal's back as he ran ahead of us but still showed no sign of waking up. The shouting and gunshots behind us were getting louder, closer. A meter to my right, another patch of dirt exploded in a puff of dust and I shrieked in fear.

  I twisted to look back at our pursuers, swinging my shotgun up between us but they were already falling back. They weren't going to follow us once we hit that green wall. They wouldn’t risk death for the sake of us.

  Coal slipped straight between two huge trees and disappeared without a moment’s hesitation.

  But I couldn’t help but slow down as I reached the edge of the forest. I'd seen pictures of trees and leaves from the old world but the sight of them was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. They towered above me, casting a thick shadow which ran across the wasteland.

  A leaf as tall as me and twice as wide blocked the path ahead and I pushed it aside to let Laurie pass through. She didn't look happy and I gave her a shove before she changed her mind.

  I paused briefly to run the waxy leaf between my fingers taking in the strange, damp, earthy scent rising up around me.

  If I was wrong about this, I was going to die.

  But it didn’t feel wrong. It felt right.

  I took a deep breath to steel my nerves and stepped into the cover of the trees.

  The green swallowed us whole.

  I blinked furiously, unable to adjust to the new colour after a life spent in tones of grey, white and brown. The air was moist and everything dripped with dampness that created a constant changing melody and movement amongst the foliage.

  It was so alive. There were sounds of scampering and scurrying as all manner of things moved about unseen. Movement above us caught my attention as a chipmunk, no bigger than my hand, darted up the rough bark of a giant tree, chattering away as it went. I couldn't tear my eyes away from its progress as it went. It was like looking at a ghost, a legend, a damn myth. I'd never seen any animals in the flesh before and looking at them on a screen didn’t begin to compare to the reality of looking upon one as it raced along above my head, full of life and purpose. It was like waking up in a dream or a fantasy. My brain couldn’t compute it and my mouth fell open as I stared around at everything in wonder.

  My boots squelched on a layer of springy moss that carpeted the forest floor. Trailing vines brushed my hair and shoulders, hanging from outstretched branches and connecting all of the trees.

  The chipmunk was joined by another and I watched as they used the vines like a pathway, zipping along them as they chased each other in circles and ran out of sight.

  Coal was just visible ahead of us between the trees with Taylor still slung across his shoulders.

  Laurie pushed her way through the resisting vegetation towards me. She hadn't moved for several moments after entering the trees and she looked as though she’d still rather turn back.

  Coal stopped and laid Taylor down on the soft moss amongst the roots of a monstrous tree which reached up high above our heads. I had to crane my neck to see where it disappeared into the canopy.

  "I can't carry him the whole way and he doesn't seem keen on waking up any time soon," Coal said, moving away as he took a lethal looking dagger from a sheath at his hip. "We'll need to make a litter to transport him the rest of the way." He started climbing the tree with the knife between his teeth and was soon high above our heads.

  I eyed him anxiously, biting my lip as I watched him navigate the huge branches above our heads.

  “Where are we going?" Laurie asked me in a low voice.

  “I have no idea."

  Coal moved to straddle a large branch and leaned down to hack at the stem of a gigantic leaf with his knife. He grunted as he worked to break the resisting stem and I watched him curiously, wondering what he was doing. His muscles flexed through his shirt as he worked and a faint blush reach my cheeks as I tried not to stare.

  The stem finally gave way and the enormous leaf sailed down towards us, catching on an updraft and floating lazily before coming to rest at my feet. I stepped forward and ran my fingers along it, the leaf was firm and waxy to the touch. It was nearly as big as a bed and set in a dome shape which didn't flex under pressure.

  Coal moved to an outer branch of the tree and started cutting some of the long, trailing vines which snaked down to the ground beside the leaf. He moved around the tree with such ease that it almost looked like fun and I itched with the desire to join him up there.

  Taylor groaned and I crouched down next to him, pushing his hair away from his eyes. He mumbled something as my fingers moved over his skin but didn't wake up.

  Coal caught hold of an uncut vine and swung back down to the ground in a move that made me feel self conscious about my general clumsiness. He landed in a crouch like he hadn’t just action manned his way down to the ground and set to work putting holes along the outer edge of the leaf and threading the vines through them to create a litter.

  Laurie drifted closer to us, chewing on her bottom lip like she didn’t know what to do.

  When Coal finished his work, he picked Taylor up and dumped him unceremoniously inside it. I scrambled forward to rearrange him more comfortably and felt Coal watching me as I worked. Once I was sure that Taylor was okay, I t
urned to look up at him and he folded his arms.

  “Are you injured?" Coal asked me as I stood to face him.

  I could feel the sting of several bruises and cuts along my skin but nothing serious.

  “No," I replied.

  "You're covered in blood," he said, looking unconvinced.

  Coal stepped towards me and reached out to run his thumb over my cheek which was still smeared with Evan's blood. His touch left a burning line across my skin and I bit my bottom lip, unsure what to make of him.

  “It's not mine." I looked into his eyes for a moment before brushing his hand away.

  “Oh." Coal stepped back and dropped his gaze to Taylor where he lay in the leaf like he wasn’t sure what to do with him. "We need to get back to my camp." He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly twice.

  "Where is your camp?" Laurie asked suspiciously as she fingered the radio in her back pocket. "I need to report in."

  “Can't let you do that." Coal drew a gun and levelled it at Laurie's forehead in the space of a blink. "Hand it over with your weapons."

  "I thought you were helping us?" Laurie growled, but she handed over her weapons and radio all the same.

  "I am, but helping and trusting can't always keep the same company and you were a Warden after all."

  “I still am." She frowned at him like he was insane and Coal smirked tauntingly.

  “If you think you'll still be welcome with them after running off into the contamination zone with an escaped convict, then by all means head back. But I get the feeling you may end up seeing the Lawless Trials from the inside if you do,” he said

  "I didn't have a choice, those convicts were going to kill me," Laurie protested.

  “We were sent here because my helmet malfunctioned on a scouting mission outside The Wall and rather than let me suffocate, Taylor took it off of me," I added. "I don't think the Guardians care much for explanations no matter how good they are."

  There was a pause, during which Coal stowed his gun and all of Laurie's. He then dropped the radio to the ground and crushed it under his boot.