by A. M. White
Timothy nodded at me. “Chris and the guard did his dirty work. That pretty much sums it up.”
Jason frowned and brought us to the present. “Apparently, the moles didn’t like that Elijah hadn’t reported you, so they destroyed the village and tortured them.”
“Yes.” I confirmed.
“Good lord.” Jason shook his head. “I have never met such disgusting individuals.”
“Then consider yourself lucky.” Cara shoved his packs into his chest.
Chapter Twenty
We needed to regroup. I told the Jason and Cara about the dream. They both listened with renewed interest. I’m not sure if either of them had truly believed that I would have the final piece to add.
“I am fairly certain that is the last dream or black-out I will have.” I felt that to be true in my bones.
“The arrogance, to keep that information from us is beyond me.” Timothy was still astonished. “To put all of us in danger, in case he got caught.”
“He sounds like a stand-up guy. You all know how to pick friends. Present company excluded, of course.” Jason said sarcastically.
Cara gave me an apprehensive look. “Are you sure? I mean, they are just dreams.”
“You tell me. You worked with the healers. Are the description of the rooms correct?” I picked the grime from under my fingernails.
“It is uncanny how you describe the operating room and the lab.” She rolled her shoulders to loosen them.
“The dreams have been so real. They are more like hallucinations.” I dislodged a glob of dirt from my nail and flicked it to the ground.
“Listen, I am all about setting this thing in motion, but I don’t want to be shooting in the dark.” Jason spoke to Cara. “If you were a healer, shouldn’t you know if there was some type of serum or something the doctor could have given her to remember all of this?”
Cara leaned against a tree and thoughtfully stared at the sky above. She racked her brain for a related memory.
Timothy ran his fingers through his hair. “Our people are very advanced in the areas of science and medicine. You have witnessed this with Sarah’s leg. There isn’t much to do underground for intellectuals, but experiment and chase ideas. It is possible that the doctor learned about a memory serum and used it on Alex.”
“Is it possible?” Jason asked Cara.
She seemed jolted from intense concentration. “It is.” She was preoccupied with an idea. Cara walked over to look me in the eye. “I need you to think back to the conversation we had with Jameson in his hut.” She put a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded. I went back that time.
“The doctor showed us his drawing of the machine. Then you went outside and threw up in the bushes.”
I blushed. “Yes, I did. Not one of my most endearing moments.”
“Did you feel a prick on your skin while he talked or did he touch you at all?” She asked.
Jason and Timothy watched the interaction quietly. Jason’s mouth hung open in wonder.
“I think I do recall a sensation on the back of my arm, before I got nauseated.” I frowned. I instinctively rubbed the back of my arm, near the shoulder. “Do you think that is when he administered some sort of drug?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I believe so. You were already exhibiting residual memories from the capsule. He may have been waiting to give you it.” She released my shoulder. “It all fits.” She turned to Jason. “We have no other leads. This is pretty solid.”
“Gee.” I cocked my head, “Great to have your vote of confidence. I was irritated with her doubt a long time ago, but couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.
She spun around and marched back to me. I immediately regretted opening my mouth. “You know I love you like a sister. That has never been in question. What you dreamt puts every person I care about in danger. You better believe I am going to be cautious.” She raised an eyebrow and dared me to combat her. Timothy took a step forward in case he needed to intervene.
I held up my hands in submission. “I get it. I would never ask for any of you to put your lives on the line if I didn’t believe that I am right.”
“So we have an understanding?” A smile slowly spread across her face.
“Yes ma’am.” I agreed.
Jason chuckled. “Have I ever told you, you scare the crap out of me sometimes?”
“Good.” Cara went back to her tree.
“So!” Timothy took control. “Now we need to figure out how we are going to do this.”
“I won’t be able to think until I have some food.” I admitted.
“Me either.” Cara agreed.
Jason huffed. “Let’s go find something, Cara.”
Cara and Jason went in search of food. It was easy to forget about food with all the stress and issues we ran across. At the mention, hunger became prevalent again.
I hoped they would find something substantial. All the weight I gained at the village had melted away. My collar and hip bones were visible. We all needed the calories to have enough energy for the rest of our journey.
Timothy pulled the pack from my shoulder. His hands lifted the hair from the nape of my neck. He gently kissed my throat. A small gasp escaped me.
He withdrew, with his hands still in my hair. “I’m sorry I lost my temper last night. I was angry that I hadn’t been more useful with Elijah.” He looked like a scolded child.
I smiled at his expression. “It’s a good thing your sister took control. Who knows what Elijah had up his sleeve? Don’t worry about it. I know first-hand how strong that guard was.” My hand instinctively went to my throat. The guard’s hand left a residual memory there.
Timothy kissed my hand. “I am pretty sure he wasn’t going to just die peacefully. He probably would have drawn it out, if given the chance.”
I understood what he meant.
He tilted my chin up to face him. Those oily black eyes sunk into my soul. I would never tire of it. “What are we going to do now?”
I leaned onto my toes and kissed him. He immediately stiffened. It wasn’t what he asked for, but I needed it. I craved to feel somewhat normal with him.
My hands slid between Timothy’s jacket and shirt, then up around his shoulder blades. He finally relaxed into the kiss. The muscles in his back released. His thumbs caressed my jawline as our lips moved in sync.
I slipped from his mouth, back to flat feet. My eyes opened to his. “I think we need to disguise ourselves.”
“What?” He was bewildered.
“To get in; I think we need to disguise ourselves.” I repeated.
He smirked. “Please tell me that you weren’t thinking about that when we were kissing.”
My face grew hot. I shrugged. “It just popped into my head.”
“Maybe we ought to kiss more.” His eyebrows knit together. “It seems to give you pretty good ideas.” He teased.
“Aw geez.” Jason announced their return. “Do they always do that when you leave them alone?” He asked Cara.
“Usually.” Cara wrinkled her nose as she hopped over a low vine.
“Can you blame me?” Timothy held his arms out to Jason.
He looked me up and down. “Nah, I guess I can’t.”
My face went from hot to burning. I gave Timothy a playful shove.
“Let me know when you are up to giving it a go.” Jason nudged Cara.
She kicked him in the shin. “Not if you are the last boy in the world.”
He grabbed his leg and hopped to stay balanced. “Just an offer.” Jason joked.
Cara pulled two small mourning doves from behind her back. “I hope this means our luck is turning around.”
My mouth watered. “Me too.”
Timothy and Jason collected some twigs for a small fire, while Cara and I plucked the birds.
“Thank you for what you did yesterday.” I glanced at Cara.
She met my eyes and held them. “I am going to admit something that really bothers me.” She paused.
>
“Go on. You know I won’t judge you.” I pulled a handful of feathers loose.
“I enjoyed it, a little.” Her face turned pale. “Elijah was such a disgusting human that I wanted him to die. I’m glad I didn’t have to shoot him, but I am happy that he is gone.”
I bit my lip. “Then I guess I have the same to confess. He would’ve done something terrible to us, if he had more time. I am glad he is gone, too. He can’t hurt anyone else.”
Cara blinked back a tear. “That is true.” She went back to the bird.
After Timothy started the fire, Cara showed Jason how to gut the birds. He was a good student and learned fast. He was very capable.
As the birds rotated on the fire, Timothy told Cara and Jason that I thought we needed disguises to get below ground. They both welcomed the idea.
Cara thought aloud. “It would be perfect if we could lift a few uniforms from the soldiers.”
Timothy snapped his fingers. “That is exactly what we should do.”
“We know they will be patrolling the area. I don’t believe we would have to try very hard to find them. Do you think we could pull it off tonight?” I turned one of the birds. They smelled delicious, like roasted chicken.
Timothy clasped his hands. “I know we can. We just have to be quiet about it.”
“We have knives and we have him.” Jason pointed to Timothy.
“Let’s find a good vantage point after we eat. If we catch them by surprise, it should be fairly easy.” Timothy retrieved one of the birds from the fire. He pulled back the skin and declared it ready to eat. Timothy kicked dirt over the fire.
The doves were succulent. Jason moaned with every bite. I admit, I licked my fingers clean.
Cara gnawed on the bones and sucked out the marrow. She held up the broken pieces. “Do this. You can get a little more from them.” We all slurped and crunched our way to full bellies.
“I’m sleepy now.” Jason said as he lay back on his elbows.
“I am too, but we better get things worked out.” Timothy heaved himself upright. He grabbed his pack and slung it on his back. We all shot him annoyed looks. “Come on, it will only get harder if we rest.”
Among protests, we forced ourselves to prepare. Cara buried the bones, so they wouldn’t leave signs of our whereabouts. I shuffled the leaves for the same reason.
As soon as we made our first steps, I realized the best spot to stage our ambush. “I got it! We should use the narrow between the rocks where Chris intercepted us!”
Everyone stared at me. Timothy smacked himself in the forehead. “Why hadn’t I thought of that?” He grabbed my face and kissed me hard. “You amaze me.”
“Really?” Cara threw her hands in the air.
“Oh hush.” Jason scolded her.
Cara shot him a death glare.
He shrugged. “What? It is a really good idea.”
Timothy led the way. It was nice to not have to wander around the woods aimlessly to search for the right place.
Since we had the passage in mind, we could afford to keep an eye out for food. The warmer days lent to more choices than we had on our trek to the village.
“What do you think your people will do after we destroy the machines?” I ventured.
“I guess they will be forced to decide whether to stay down there, or emerge.” Cara responded.
“There are some that are going to be resistant to assimilation. It has never been part of the thought process.” Timothy said as he pushed down a thorny vine with his boot, which allowed us to pass unscathed.
“Let’s say we actually pull this off, what are our chances of escape?” Jason wanted to know.
“Slim to none.” Timothy addressed him face to face.
Jason paused to look at Timothy directly. “That’s about what I figured.”
My palms began to sweat. “That hadn’t occurred to me. I have been so worried about getting in. What will they do to us?” I passed them. I was afraid to stop. My legs might lock up.
“Most options are best to not mention. It won’t help us in any way to dwell on them. After we shut down the machines, we will figure it out.” She put her arm through mine. “We will get out. It will just be a matter of time.”
Timothy kept his head down. He tried not to look at me. Maybe it was easier that way.
We continued with a new weight on our shoulders. Capture was clearly unavoidable. We mustn’t fool ourselves to believe that we would simply waltz out of there. Our enemy was far more formidable than that.
Cara scored a rabbit on our walk. We also stumbled upon a patch of Morel mushrooms. Cara told us they were edible. They made me nervous, but I trusted Cara’s expertise. I would never eat wild mushrooms on my own. We saved them for a dinner feast. Rabbit and mushrooms would certainly hold us for quite a while.
Shortly after our mushroom harvest, we found the boulders. We devised a plan. The soldiers expected us to avoid them, not to be lured by us. That was to our advantage.
Timothy climbed one of the rocks. “I can lie up here. Alex, if you cover me with leaves, they won’t see me.”
Cara walked up the incline and through the rocks. “I hide to the right. I will be able to bring my knife down easily.”
“What about us?” Jason asked.
“This is the sticky part.” Cara rubbed her chin. “We have to make sure the soldiers come into the passage, at least most of them. I counted five, in the squad last night.” She looked to Timothy for confirmation.
“That is the usual number.” He agreed.
She went back down and surveyed the sides of the path. “We should put more brush here to funnel them in.” She pointed to the edges of the trail. “I know my opinion is going to be met with some resistance.” She cocked her head at me. “But, I think Alex should be the bait.”
I tried to swallow that.
“Hold on! No way.” Timothy dropped from the rock.
“Timothy, if they see her they will surely go in there.” She pointed to the boulders. “Who else do you suggest, Jason?”
Jason responded quickly. “I could do it. I don’t know how to fight. It might be better-“
“No, I have to.” I interrupted him.
“Alex.” Timothy tried.
“Cara is right. If the soldiers think they found me, they will pour through there without question.” I gestured behind me.
“I am not okay with this.” Timothy shook his head.
“I know you aren’t.” I took his hand in mine. “It will work. You will save me, once again.”
He sighed. “So, what about Jason?”
“He will take up the rear. Jason, you will have the second knife. Your job will be to apprehend the last in line.” Cara instructed.
He shifted his weight. I could tell that made him anxious, but he accepted it anyway.
“Now, let’s talk about after they are disposed.” Cara took Jason by the arm and led him to a fallen tree.
We sat lined along the trunk of the tree. Cara pulled the maps from her shirt for us to examine. Things would happen quickly. We had to be dressed and ready to respond to calls. The lack of an extra comrade had to be addressed. Our group had to return to the entrance at dawn. Once inside, we would need to regroup to decide how to get to the doctor. There was so much to be discussed.
Once every detail had been smoothed out and everyone had assignments, we took a break. Jason repeated his instructions under his breath. He went to barricade the sides of the rocks. Cara scaled a boulder to keep watch.
It felt like we prepared our last meal. Every move was deliberate. Timothy and I skinned the rabbit in silence.
He was upset with me and I couldn’t take it anymore. “I have to do this. I know you want me to be safe, but if I am the bait, it will work.” I stopped him as he sliced the knife through the rabbit.
He looked at me with sad eyes. I hadn’t seen his sadness in a long time. “I know you can handle it. I am just afraid. It would kill me if they hurt you.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” Our eyes met. I believed him. His eyes said everything.
“I love you.” I said and let go of his hand.
“I love you more than anything. I would leave this behind in a heartbeat, if I could think of another way to stop the Roars. I hate my people for making me do this.” He concentrated on the rabbit.
“I know you would. I would too.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “We have to do this. We will stop them from using the last people. We will stop the killing.”
“We will.” He said.
Chapter Twenty-One
We ate the feast of rabbit and mushrooms. The day was coming to an end. The time for action grew near. A shroud of fear loomed over the four of us.
Each of us knew our part. It was only a matter of time before things went into motion. Cara practiced her strikes with her knife. Jason dissected the pile of leaves where he sat. Timothy pulled me to sit between his legs. He held me tightly to his chest. My head rested on his collar bone.
“Can I tell you what I hope happens?” His breath tickled my ear.
“Please do. I don’t think I can take my own thoughts right now.” I nuzzled his neck and closed my eyes. If things went badly, I wished to remember this moment.
“When we are caught, I hope I can gain the support of some of the soldiers. There is a chance a few of them have heard of me; from before.” Timothy shifted nervously. To have hope was a dangerous thing. I was familiar with that sentiment. “Maybe, I can get the word out that a peaceful surfacing is an option.”
“Uh-huh.” I mumbled into his sleeve.
The sunset cast long, eerie shadows. My imagination ran wild. The branches looked like hands that reached for our feet. The trees were players in this game. If given the opportunity, they would surely drag us to the tunnels below.
The sun plunged below the horizon. An orange glow blanketed the forest in a heavenly illusion. Timothy was my dark angel in this temporary dreamland. I basked in the glorious warmth, because somehow I knew it would be quite a while till I experienced it again.
