“They fear me. I would have control of the palace back in a day,” Charles said as he lowered the gun slightly and turned it away from Sarah.
Alex didn’t hesitate for a moment. He fired a quick shot into Charles’s face from an angle. The bullet went through one cheek and out the other, taking part of his jawbone with it. The Magnum went off, and a bullet flew just wide of Sarah, burying into the wall behind her. Then Charles dropped the gun as he reached up and felt of what was left of his face.
“You messed up, Charles. I could have tolerated you hurting me. I could’ve even made peace with you after you tried to manipulate me with my daughter, but you went after my family. You nearly killed us all, and then you lowered us to slaves. We were nothing, and you sat here like some false god ruling over everyone. Well, let’s see how much of a god you really are when you meet the real one,” Alex said and raised his pistol.
“Wai . . . w . . .” Charles tried to say through the drops of blood draining back into his throat.
For a brief moment, Alex felt pity for this man. Then he pulled the trigger, and a wave of relief swept over him. For Alex, the nightmare was finally over. He had dreamt of saving his family and getting back to the lives they used to have. He had even fantasized about killing Charles, and here they were at the finish line. Alex let out a sigh of relief and dropped his gun. Then he reached down and picked up the Magnum. There was no use in wasting a good gun.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked.
“I’m more than okay. We’re finally getting out of here. Are you ready to go home?”
“More than I’ve ever been. Let’s go.”
They ran for the back door where a realization dawned on them. The garden had been destroyed, and with it, so had the tunnels. Where were Lee, Travis, and Alisa, though? If they hadn’t been able to get through, then why weren’t they here? Suddenly, clarity on that issue came when two people walked around the edge of the house. Roger and Veronica were there.
“Thank God! How is this possible?” Sarah asked as she ran to her daughter and wrapped her arms around Veronica.
“We were always coming for you, Mom. I’m so sorry it took this long,” Veronica said as tears of joy started to form in the corners of her eyes.
“I’m glad everyone’s safe, but the city is still a mess, and we haven’t won this fight yet. We should get out of here as soon as possible,” Roger reminded them as two Raines soldiers stepped around the corner.
Everyone agreed, and they were taken to the side of the house where they discovered a hole in the ground with a ladder that led down into it. They had used a controlled explosion in the tunnels to build a second entryway after they destroyed the garden. Roger and Veronica had also carefully planned where to set the bombs so there would be a path out of the city with no danger of collapse. They had truly thought everything through, and as Alex and Sarah were escorted down into the tunnels, they saw Lee and the others waiting on them. It was a joyous moment as they all exchanged hugs and walked toward what should be freedom.
Everyone else was excited to go home. They weren’t thinking realistically, though, and Alex knew it. Raines was already being invaded, and they didn’t even have much of an army to defend themselves. They would be going home to a war. Alex knew he needed to tell Roger so they could gather their forces and go home, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment yet. For now, they just soaked it all in. Finally, they were free!
Chapter 19
Retreat
Once they were out of the tunnels, Alex and Sarah saw that the outside of the city was in shambles with their invading forces still fighting to keep people at bay. They couldn’t let them take the tunnels before they could get everyone out. They were doing a good job, but they were losing a lot of people, too. Then there was the city itself. The outsiders of New Vegas weren’t responsible for Charles Boyd’s actions. None of them wanted them hurt.
“This is horrible!” Alisa said in horror. These were her people, and even if she wanted to be rescued, she never wanted it to happen this way.
“Roger, can you do anything?” Lee immediately asked.
“That depends. Is Charles Boyd dead?” Roger asked as he turned toward Alex and Sarah.
“Absolutely,” Alex answered.
“Then we have no reason to be here any longer. I’ll spread word to get everyone out of the tunnels, and we’ll retreat as soon as possible. For now, we need to get all of you out of here.”
“What about you?” Sarah asked him.
“I’m staying. Someone has to direct things, and for some reason, they listen to me and Veronica.”
“Which is why I’m staying t . . .” Veronica managed to say before Sarah cut her off.
“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence. We’ve all spent as long as we’re going to in this wretched city. You’ll come with us, and Roger will follow as soon as he’s given everyone their orders,” she said.
Veronica didn’t like having to go, but she knew her mother was right. For the last few months, so many people with the last name Morgan had been kidnapped and confined in that city. No matter what, they had to leave, if nothing else so there wouldn’t be a chance of one of them being captured all over again because then all of this would have been in vain.
“Go with Manuel,” Roger said and pointed to a tall dark man who looked to be in his early thirties. His clothes were dirty and torn, and it was clear he was no soldier by the clumsy way he held his gun without enough regard to where it was pointing, but this was one of their people who had risked everything to save them. In that moment, Alex and Sarah felt a lot of pride in what they had built back in Raines.
They followed him to a van where they all piled inside, and he drove them three miles away from the city before stopping and turning toward Alex in the passenger seat. He could see that Alex was bleeding. The gunshot wouldn’t be lethal, but an infection could be. Manuel opened the glove box and pulled out a first aid kit. Then he opened it up and found some alcohol and bandages.
“It isn’t much, but I’ll do what I can,” Manuel said.
“Thank you. Actually, I feel like I should say more than just that. All of you came just to save us. I can’t believe it,” Alex said.
“You should. I hear the new city is almost finished. After that, there won’t be any insiders or outsiders. We’ll just be one people, and that’ll be thanks to your family. You’re saving a lot of us. This was the least we could do,” he said and poured alcohol on the wound.
Alex winced in pain for a moment, but this was nothing compared to what he had gone through over the last few weeks. Then Manuel wrapped the wound and sat back in his seat. Alex knew that now was the time to mention what they were up against. His family had been given time to soak in their newfound freedom, but now they had to come back down to reality. They were walking away from one fight and into another that might just matter even more.
“I think I should stay here,” Alisa said before Alex could bring up their next fight.
“What are you talking about?” Lee asked louder than he meant to.
He was shocked, and everyone knew why. Lee had this picture in his mind of who Alisa would be to him one day. He might have even loved her, but how would any of that work out if she didn’t come with him?
“These are my people, specifically the outsiders. It looks like they’re going to need a lot of help rebuilding and putting their lives back together. How could I walk away right now?” she asked, seeming hurt.
No one could blame her. What must she have been going through? Her brother had been killed as citizens of New Vegas cheered, and then she had been imprisoned by their leader. That still didn’t erase that her neighbors, many of which had only been kind to her growing up, were dying now. It was enough to make any person second guess what they were doing.
“Let’s talk outside,” Lee suggested, now a bit calmer. She agreed to, and they stepped out of the vehicle. Then he said what he had needed to for a long time. “I love you.”
“What?” Alisa asked in shock. No one who wasn’t related to her by blood had ever said that. Love wasn’t a luxury that many outsiders could afford where she came from, and it was often a disguise for something more sinister. Still, she could trust Lee, couldn’t she?
“I love you. I know I was probably stupid to trust you so much when we first met, but I’m glad I did. I got to meet you, and we went through so many things together. It was all terrible, and without you there with me, I think I would have lost it. I don’t want you to stay because we’ve been through so many bad times together, and I think it’s time I finally showed you what a good life looks like. I can give you that, and I care about you more than I ever have about anyone. Tell me you don’t feel the same, and I’ll let you go, but I think that you do.”
“I do love you. I didn’t at first. I mean, I was glad you were there for me, but you were really naïve, and love wasn’t even on my mind with so much else going on. Over time, you became like a best friend to me, and I wondered if you could be more. The timing is all wrong for you to say this, though.”
“Why? It’s never a bad time to tell someone you love them.”
“My people are dying right now, and it’s your people who are killing them. I know they’re withdrawing, and I get why they’re here. New Vegas is in the wrong, thanks to Charles Boyd’s actions. That doesn’t change that they’re the people who helped me become who I am. What does it say about me if I leave them now?”
“That you’re human. That you want a better life on the inside with a friend who wants to be so much more with you. It’s selfish, I know, but after everything you’ve been through, don’t you deserve to be a little selfish for once?”
That was a good question, and Alisa didn’t know if she had the answer to it. She bit her lip and pictured the life she could have in Raines as an insider who was with someone who was practically royalty there. It seemed like a fairytale, and that was the problem. It was just a fantasy. In reality, she knew how it would go. Alisa would always wonder what happened to the people she cared about back in New Vegas. It would come between her and Lee, no matter how sweet he was or how much she cared about him. This was her path. It was hard to admit, but until she knew that everyone was safe, Alisa couldn’t walk away.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t give you what you want,” she said and looked away.
“It’s all right. You wouldn’t be the person I love if you just walked away from this. I understand. Do what you have to, but just do me one favor.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t forget me. I know I’ll never forget you.”
“I could never forget you, Lee,” Alisa said and leaned in. He met her halfway, and they kissed for the first time. It was only a kiss, but for them it felt like so much more. It was a sign that they did care about each other, but it was also a clear goodbye.
“I should go,” Alisa said as she pulled back.
“Will it be safe for you?” Lee asked in concern.
“I’ll be careful, and besides, your people should be out of the city soon anyway. Oh, and Lee, you should be careful, too. We both heard that New Vegas’s army was marching on Raines. You’re going home to a war of your own, even if no one wants to admit it.”
“I’ll be fine. We’ll win this fight and hopefully send New Vegas’s soldiers home without too many casualties. Then we’ll both rebuild our cities. After all that, I’ll come find you again.”
“It could take years. Are you sure you’ll still be thinking about me then?” Alisa asked with a grin.
“I’ll be thinking about you until the day I die. Count on me seeing you again.”
“I will,” she said and gave him one last peck on the lips before turning and walking back toward the city.
While they were talking about their future, Alex was just breaking the news that they already knew. They were going home to death and destruction. They could only hope that the outsiders in Raines surrendered peacefully, which seemed like a pipe dream if Alex knew them, and that the insiders sealed the gates and could hold them until they got back home.
“Hold on a second. How do you know for sure that they left?” Manuel asked with wide eyes. His whole family was back there. Learning that they could be getting slaughtered at that moment was absolutely devastating.
“Charles Boyd told me what they were planning, and it was the talk of the palace leading up to the soldiers leaving,” Alex answered.
“Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“Because it wouldn’t have done any good. Until Roger can get everyone to retreat, we can’t do anything. I know this is hard, but don’t worry. We’ll get there, and we’ll chase everyone out of our city.”
Manuel nodded, although he still looked troubled. Alex understood completely. He was just as worried. Would Raines survive? What if everything Sarah and he had worked for was thrown away because their soldiers left the city to try to save them? Could they live with that?
“What are we going to do when we get there?” Travis asked, snapping Alex out of his thoughts.
“What do you mean? We’ll fight,” Alex answered.
“I know, but we need to have a plan. They’ll have a lot of citizens held hostage, and they might even have made it into the indoor portion of the city by then. It won’t be as easy as fighting.”
“Travis is right. We need to prepare for the worst,” Sarah said.
“Then what do you two suggest?” Alex asked as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. A mixture of losing a little too much blood and the worry that was spinning around in his mind were making him feel dizzy.
“We’ll negotiate. If they know that their home is in ruins and their leader is dead, then they’ll probably rush back home quickly. We’ll swear never to come back to New Vegas again, and in return, they can do the same. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be peace,” Sarah said.
“I like it. I just hope we’ll actually get that chance,” Alex said, wondering how they would even get a meeting with whoever ran the New Vegas army.
About that time, Lee got back into the van. He looked troubled, and as Alex looked into the side mirror, he saw Alisa walking away. He understood now. His son had lost his first love. It was painful, and after everything they had gone through over the last two months, he wished it could have ended differently. If anyone deserved a happy ending it was Lee, but it appeared that everyone’s happy ending would have to wait.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked, also noticing that Lee looked heartbroken.
“No, but I’ll be fine. We just need to concentrate on getting home right now and preventing any more death.”
Sarah nodded, and they waited patiently until vehicles finally came into view behind them. Raines’s army was retreating. Now, they could finally start their journey home. They waited a little longer for Roger to get back, however, and then he got into the vehicle with them. It was crowded, but they were finally all together. That was well worth not having a lot of leg room.
On the way, Alex noticed that Roger and Veronica seemed closer now. In fact, more than once they were holding hands. At first, a part of him didn’t know how to feel about this. His daughter was with someone he still saw as that same boy from the slums. He loved Roger like family. He often wondered what Roger should be like to him. Was he an adopted son or a brother?
Maybe none of that applied. After all, it looked like he might be his son-in-law one day. Ultimately, Alex decided to be happy for them. If nothing else, he trusted Roger, and his little girl deserved someone who would go to the ends of the earth for her. Roger had already proven he would do that for Veronica, so there was really no need to worry.
Eight hours into the drive home, they stopped. Alex and Sarah were a little confused. They had thought they would be headed home in a straight shot. Why would they waste time when people needed them?
“What are we doing? We don’t have time to rest,” Sarah objected.
“We don’t have a c
hoice other than to do exactly that. Believe me when I say nothing would make me happier than driving straight through, but we’re traveling in a large group. Not everyone can drive all night. We brought tents, generators, and heaters, though. It won’t be a perfect night, but we’ll stay warm enough to make it and get a few hours of sleep,” Manuel explained.
Sarah nodded, even though she didn’t really approve. When they got out, she found that none of the other citizens looked like they wanted to stop either. Sure, some looked tired, but by now word of an attack on Raines had already spread. They knew it was too easy taking New Vegas, and during some fuel stops, Manuel had spread the word. From there, it was like wildfire, and everyone’s imagination ran wild with worst-case scenarios. None of them wanted to admit it, but there was a chance they would be coming home to nothing but ruins. Sarah knew they needed hope. She wasn’t their leader anymore, but they would always be her people. She found a truck and stood in the bed of it. Then Sarah got everyone’s attention.
“Listen up! I’m Sarah Morgan. You saved me and my family. I’ll forever be in your debt for that. I can’t thank all of you enough, and I know some of you are probably regretting coming. You’ve all heard by now that while you were traveling here, another army was going to Raines. I can’t guarantee that nothing bad has happened, and that’s the hardest part. I want to believe it’ll all be okay. I want to tell you that, too. The truth is I just don’t know.
“There is one thing I can tell you without a doubt, though. Anyone who hurts one of ours will suffer for it. If things have gone badly at home, we’ll take back the city, chase away anyone who dares oppose us, and then we’ll work doubly hard to finish the last indoor city that will finally house all of us behind safe walls. I’m sorry we didn’t finish it earlier. Maybe everyone would be safe if we had, but this is my promise as a citizen of Raines and a person who cares for all of you. Your future will be infinitely better than it is right now. If I have to run Raines again, I’ll make sure of it,” Sarah said.
The Divide_Legacy Page 18
