Under Ground

by Alice Rachel

  “Thia, could you come with me for a minute?" he asks. "There’s something Taylor wants to talk to you about.”

  He's secretive, and when Chi starts following us, James interferes. “It’s okay, man, you can wait here. Taylor would like to talk to Thia alone.”

  Chi's eyes narrow, but he doesn’t protest. I look back at him. He shrugs though his forehead has turned into a deep frown. I follow James through the hall and turn around to see Chi closing the door to our apartment, his aggravation clear.

  James leads me to a condo I've never been to before. We get in and the scene inside shocks me into standing still. Taylor is upset, with anger visible on his face, almost seeping through the pores of his skin. He’s holding someone by the collar, pinning him against the wall. What's going on in here? Taylor suddenly pushes the person back, hard. He gives him a shove and the person comes into view—William.

  William is here!

  I take one step back and lock eyes with him. It looks like Taylor has roughed him up a bit. Good!

  Taylor turns to me again, hissing like a snake, “Thia, why the hell is he here?”

  I freeze, shocked into silence. Surely he doesn’t believe I led William here! I’m so shaken up that I can’t speak. But Taylor’s voice comes out, harsh. “Thia?”

  “I...” I begin. “I don’t know.”

  “I told you. Thia didn’t invite me here,” William interrupts.

  Taylor is out of control; he grabs William by the throat and glares at him with vitriol. “Don’t you open your mouth again, or I’ll remove your jaw!”

  I look at them both, my eyes darting between them. I’ve regained a bit of control over myself. I don’t know why or how William got here, but I want some answers too.

  “Please, let him talk, Taylor," I say. "Why are you here?” I ask William.

  “When Chi escaped, the authorities knew he got help from the inside and they found the leak really quickly,” William explains.

  “Yeah, we already knew that," Taylor snarls, raving with rage. "Thanks for the useless piece of information, asshole! We don’t have all day. How did you get here?”

  Panic crosses William’s face. He starts talking, fast, “They linked the leak to Bryan Harris. My family has ties with the authorities. I managed to get an audience with Harris. He was really hard to crack. I had to threaten him, but after a while, he gave in and told me where to find you.”

  “What?” Taylor shakes his head with disbelief and obvious distaste. “Damn it!”

  “He refused to reveal anything else though. I don't think the authorities know where you are.”

  “Well, he opened up to you. That’s bad enough. Is there anyone I can trust in this damn Underground?”

  I’ve had enough of his interruptions, so I kindly ask Taylor to please shut up. “Can I have a moment alone with William, please?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? After what he did to you! After he attacked you and tried to rape you! I don’t think so, Thia. I’m staying here. James, get out and guard the door. Don't tell the others anything and don't let Chi in here yet.”

  I look at William, and wrath wraps itself around my heart upon remembering what he did to my mother. The anger steams through my veins, fogging up my brain. I lose all control.

  “You betrayed me!” I yell at him.

  He looks like I just punched him in the jaw, and his shock brings me pleasure.

  “I could understand your betraying Chi and trying to get back at me," I snarl at him. "But you took it out on my mother! She was taken away! Do you understand what that means? Do you understand what could happen to her?”

  I’m fuming with rage now. Everything that William did to me is surfacing. The words I didn’t dare speak to him are making their way up my throat, pushing against my tongue to be let out. My whole body starts shaking. I can’t help myself.

  I take a step toward William and grab his shoulders. I shake him as hard as I can and he just stands there, startled by my behavior. The sweet, calm Thia he thought he knew is gone. Instead, a banshee has taken her place and he doesn’t seem to know how to react. He looks at me as though I’m hurting his feelings, and some sick, sadistic joy fills my heart. I want to damage him, so badly he can never get up.

  “I…” he starts.

  I think he’s about to cry, but that would be unlike him. William is a cold person; he doesn't have feelings for anyone but himself. His eyes wet slowly, but I couldn't care less how he feels. I want to hurt him so much that I don’t know how I manage to restrain myself from ripping his face off. I’ve never felt so much hatred for anyone before, and the violence of it scares me. I shake my head and push him away violently. He stumbles backward, and his back hits the wall.

  “Go away!” I shout. "Get out of here! I never want to see your face again."

  He takes a step toward me, which upsets me even more.

  “Go away, you coward!” I scream at him while shoving him again. I turn my back on him and start walking out, but he runs after me. Taylor reacts and stands between us.

  I'm holding the doorknob when William speaks again, “Thia, wait! I know how to get into the camps safely.”

  I stop in my tracks and freeze. I turn around in time to see Taylor gawk at William with confusion and horror on his face.

  “What did you just say?” I ask.

  “I know how to get into the camps,” he repeats.

  “How did you know about that?” I ask.

  “Oh shit, Bryan told you, didn’t he?” Taylor exclaims, shaking his head.

  “No, he didn’t. I asked about your plans, but he refused to answer. I know Chi’s parents weren’t put in a regular prison, and I figured that he might be trying to reach them. That’s what I'd do if I were him. If I managed to figure it out, you can be sure the authorities have also, and the camps will be harder to break into.”

  There's a tremor in his voice and something in his eyes; he's lying or not telling us the whole truth.

  “How do you know about Chi? And why should we believe you? Why are you messing with us?” I ask.

  “I’m not! I promise, I’m not. Please, let me make it up to you,” he says.

  “Why? Why would you even want to help me? You care about no one but yourself!” I snap at him with frustration.

  “I screwed up, okay! I screwed up, and I want to make it up to you. I never meant for them to take your mother away.”

  “Now, I have seen and heard it all,” Taylor says, rolling his eyes. “Okay man, when you’re done with your soap opera act, can you tell us something that’s actually useful? My patience is running dry, and you’d better talk before Chi gets suspicious and brings his ass over here. Because then, I wouldn’t bet on your safety.”

  Fear crosses William’s eyes upon hearing Chi’s name and the threat underneath Taylor’s tone.

  “Look,” he says, frantic to explain himself. “The camps are better protected than you think they are. I know you’ve got guys on the inside, but most of them are corrupted, and the authorities are on the lookout for you. They've already increased security. You're going to need me if you want to make it on the inside at all.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks! We have it under control,” Taylor replies.

  “No, you don’t! They caught one guard letting some prisoners out yesterday. He’s as mute as a clam about all this, but they’ll be waiting for you now. Some other guards opened up already and said you’d be attacking the camps in two weeks. They gave out the date, the plans, and everything. They know you're going to use the tunnels that lead to the supply rooms underneath the camp. But I can help you. They won't be suspicious if I'm there. They have cameras everywhere too, but I can deactivate some of them.”

  "I'm pretty sure we can deactivate the cameras ourselves, thank you very much," Taylor replies. "I don't know what you take us for, but we're not complete morons."

  Taylor's voice exudes confidence, but shock is plain on his face. No one had told him some of his guards got arrested.r />
  “You can’t trust anyone," William insists. "The guards might act like they're with you, but they’re not—at least not all of them. I can help."

  “And why should I trust you over the members of the Underground?” Taylor asks with disbelief.

  “Taylor’s right. You’ve done nothing but betray us until now. We can’t trust you, William. And how did you know about the camps in the first place?”

  “I’ve always known about the camps. My father told me about them years ago,” he replies.

  He averts his eyes and clears his throat a few times. Taylor beckons me away from William

  “I don’t know how I feel about this, Thia,” he whispers. “But I’ve only heard back from a few guards, and I haven’t heard from Liam. I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want them to freak out.”

  “What if this is all a trap?” I ask.

  “We’ve been working on this for a long time now, but if the authorities got to some of the guards already, we have no choice but to take them by surprise. This might be our only chance, and I can’t postpone the date. I don't know how he got that information, and I need to look into it before we do anything drastic.”

  "I don't trust him," I reply.

  Taylor holds the bridge of his nose and inhales deeply. "Neither do I, but we can't just stop now; there's too much at stake for all those people. We're not giving up now."

  "How about the other camps? Will the others get trapped?" I ask.

  "No matter what William says," Taylor replies, "the other leaders can attack just about any camp. All they have to do is shoot the men guarding the tunnels."

  I sigh. “We should discuss all that with the others and Chi first," I say loud enough for William to hear.

  William cringes again when Chi’s name comes up, and Taylor sneers. I’m glad William is scared of Chi. He should be.

  “We’ll talk it over with the whole group." Taylor says before pointing his finger in William's face. "And you still need to account for your actions. You can’t leave. You’ll be under surveillance the entire time. If you try anything or if this is a trap, you’re dead! You got me?” The menace in Taylor's voice is very real. William's pupils widen with renewed dread.

  Before we leave the room, I pin my gaze on his green eyes. “I need to know why. Why did you betray me? Why did you give my mother away?”

  I realize it’s a silly question the moment I ask. Of course I know why. William did it because he couldn’t accept my choosing Chi over him. He wanted to hurt me back. I don’t know what he hopes to get from this help he’s offering us, but I need him to explain himself. I want to know how he knew about my mother. I want to know how he got her arrested.

  “I did it because I couldn’t take it, all right? The thought of him touching you, it drives me nuts. You’re supposed to be with me! Not with him! And to think of you two like that—"

  “But, we didn’t…We haven’t been together like that,” I cut him off.

  He pauses as if to reflect upon this. I don’t know why I care, but it matters to me that he doesn’t view me as being easy.

  “But I thought, surely you. Surely he—”

  I interrupt him, “Chi is not like that, William!"

  He shakes his head in disbelief before realization hits him. “Is that why you chose him?” he asks.

  I’m sick of this. I don’t owe him any justification. If anything, he should be the one explaining himself. I change the subject abruptly and turn the conversation around on him. “How did you know about my mother?”

  “Emily,” he says. “Emily told me.”

  This feels like a slap, hard and raw. Of course, Emily has always begrudged me my position. My mother, though, deserved better. My jaw clenches and my eyes harden. I freeze though I’m suddenly burning on the inside.

  William tries to explain himself, panic flashing through his eyes and disappearing just as quickly. “She called me. The day after you left. Emily called me and told me you were gone. You weren’t in your room that morning. Emily told me she'd overheard your mother’s conversation with you in the kitchen. She said your mother acted frantic, as if she thought you’d run away, but Emily knew it was a lie. I was so mad! It was like I had no more control over myself. I told my father what had happened.

  "Because of Chi’s link with the Underground, the authorities thought your mother was involved in the rebellion. They came to pick her up. I didn’t think about the consequences. I was enraged and it blinded me. When I realized what I had done, it was too late. I am so sorry! I didn't mean for your mother to be taken away!”

  His words sound remorseful, but his cold, calculating eyes don't lie as well as his tongue does. He's not sorry—at least not nearly sorry enough for my taste.

  “Don’t you dare apologize!” My voice comes out raw, harsh, gritting against my teeth. My words spray out like acid to sting him in the face. I don’t like this person William always turns me into. I don’t like how he constantly brings the rage and hatred out of me. I can’t stop the sardonic words from coming out, "You sound pathetic! You are a miserable excuse for a human being, and you are not forgiven.”

  I turn on my heels just as Taylor pulls William's hands behind his back. He pushes him forward in front of him and I follow them. We go to the kitchen, and Taylor calls loudly for James to come back into the apartment. Then he tells him to go get Chi. Terror flashes through William’s eyes again. I don’t know how Chi is going to react either. He can be unpredictable when he's upset.

  When James is gone, Taylor attaches William’s hands with cuffs. He’s still working on those when Chi walks in. It’s obvious he doesn’t know William is here yet. The look of curiosity on his face turns feral the moment he lifts his face and notices William.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! What the hell is he doing here?” he snaps, restraining himself from hitting William in the face.

  Taylor grabs Chi by the arm and pulls him outside the room. Their voices pour in through the door and Chi’s tone rises. It quiets down suddenly and they both walk back in. Chi glares at William and shakes his head, not believing what’s going on. He comes and grabs my hand in his, possessively, his eyes daring William to do something about it.

  “Let's get out of here," he tells me. "I’m not leaving you anywhere near that sociopath!”

  But as we reach the door, Chi pauses as if thinking better of it. He drops my hand and strides toward William, so fast no one has time to stop him. He grabs William by the collar of his shirt and pulls him close to his face, snarling, “You try to screw us up, or you try to come near her, just once, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands! Do you understand?”

  William’s Adam apple slides up and down his throat as he swallows. He looks like he might soil his pants. Chi seems satisfied enough though the disgust hasn't left his face. He drops William, takes my hand again, and we walk out.

  When we are in the hall, he takes my face in his hands. “Are you okay?”

  I nod and he hugs me before we head back to our apartment, all the way to the balcony outside our bedroom. I no longer feel safe now that William is among us.

  Chapter 32

  Chi and I spend the rest of the day together. We don’t go to our training session and we don’t join the others for any activities. I don’t want to see William, and Chi seems to feel the same way. It’s eight a.m. the next day when James knocks on our door.

  “You guys need to come with me. We've got new information and Taylor wants to talk to you.”

  We follow James to the meeting room and find Taylor and Kayla sitting at the table. Kayla is holding her arms crossed. She's still mad at Taylor for not letting her join us on this mission. William is there as well. His hands are still in cuffs and he looks uncomfortable.

  “Hey, guys. Sit down,” Taylor orders.

  I look at Chi, but he’s clearly avoiding William, pretending he’s not even in the room with us. I guess that’s better than assaulting him.

  “Our friend William h
ere has revealed some new information," Taylor starts. "Like he said when he got here, it seems we can’t trust the guards. That complicates things a lot. We have to act without their help. We can’t put our lives in their hands anymore. We have to act sooner and take them by surprise.”

  “What’s changed?” Chi asks. “How do you know for sure he’s not lying?” He points to William with his head when he says “he,” his voice charged with repugnance.

  “Well, it turns out William has a family member who's in charge of all the camps.” Taylor looks slightly sickened as he says it. “His father apparently owns the company that trains and supplies the guards.”

  “What? That’s impossible!” Chi exclaims.

  His eyes shift toward William for the first time since we walked in, and the look he sends him is far from pleasant.

  “Well, we always knew the guards were trained by a specific corporation," Taylor says. "I thought we'd managed to talk some of them into joining our cause, but it seems they’ve been corrupted and threatened into shooting us when we reach the camps.”

  “That explains your high status," Chi shoots at William. "Your parents made all that money by oppressing the weak and putting them in work camps!" The revulsion on Chi’s face is so vivid he looks like he might throw up. “Tell me again why you’re supposed to be so much better for Thia than I am!”

  “Okay, let’s not start fighting like little boys." Taylor grabs Chi's shoulder before the argument turns physical. "You guys will get over your personal grievances until we’re out of this mess. I will not tolerate anyone getting injured because of your childish feud! Chi, don’t force me to leave you behind, man. If you look like you might jeopardize this mission, I will! Understood?”

  Chi’s jaw tightens and his hands turn to fists. But he knows better than to contradict Taylor.

  “Fine!” he says while throwing William a look filled with daggers. “What other nauseating piece of information did he give you?” His hand reaches out to claim mine in obvious defiance of William.