by Jess Petosa
Marnie looked at her feet, feeling stupid.
“Sorry,” she squeaked out.
“It isn’t your fault. You didn’t know,” Luke said. “I didn’t even think of how it might look.”
Marnie stepped toward the river. “I’m going to concentrate now.” That was partly true, but she also didn’t want any more stupid comments to come out of her mouth.
She sat on the ground running her fingers through the dirt and pebbles on the bank of the river. Despite it’s width, it still flowed quickly and would come up to her knees in the middle if she tried to cross. She could tell that in either direction it grew wider, and they were situated at the thinnest part.
She heard Luke send his Guards to different posts. She heard Luke tell Max that he had several other groups headed to different points on the boundary line, just in case the group showed up there. If spotted, each group had a runner that would meet Luke here. She heard Evan step away from the group and set himself up on a low branch in a tree.
Marnie closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her. She could hear the river trickling by, the insects coming alive with the night, and a strange bird in the distance. She focused her ability out in front of her, sounding out the thoughts of the group with her. Nothing.
She opened her eyes and watched.
An hour passed.
Two.
Her mind felt exhausted. They had eaten some snacks, and chatted lightly, but mainly they were all on edge.
Then she heard it. It was subtle at first but it was there.
A voice. Then two. Then several more.
Not voices, thoughts.
She jumped up. She heard Luke stir behind her, and he was kicking at Max, who had been dozing off.
“I hear them,” she whispered.
“And?” he asked.
She covered her hand with her mouth. “Oh God…” and she took off at a run.
CHAPTER THIRTY
[ ally ]
Ally decided that this time they would park the transport and hide it in the brush, rather than drive it into New Eden. They would be safer inside of it, but they didn’t want it to distract the people from their mission. If anyone needed freedom, it was the people of New Eden.
This time Neil and Stosh would travel with them. They locked up the transport and hid it the best that they could. They loaded all of the weapons into their pack, stuffed them to their capacity, and started off.
“It shouldn’t be too far,” she told the others. “Let’s just hope we don’t run into any of the men before then.”
“Yeah, that didn’t go too well last time,” Stosh added.
Slowly, he was starting to speak again. Last night they had taken turns sharing some of their travel stories with Joey and Neil. Most of them included Sabine and though Stosh choked through the first one or two, he got stronger with each one. Ally chose to focus on the goodness in Sabine’s memory, rather than the sorrow of her death. She couldn’t let the emotions bury her. Not now.
Ally used the map to navigate and soon the dirt road became packed with footprints and the sound of clanking metal filled the air. The sound told Ally that at least the people had survived and there hadn’t been a massacre after they had escaped.
“Keep your guns by your side,” Ally said. “We don’t want to alarm them.”
The first person Ally saw was a woman hanging laundry on a line. The first thing she noticed was that the woman was humming. The women in New Eden had never hummed. The second thing she noticed was that the woman’s hair was uncovered, and was recently washed and brushed, blowing gently in the wind.
Change.
The woman turned to grab another dress from her basket and paused, noticing the unfamiliar group. She jumped back, her eyes darting around, her mouth poised to scream.
“We’re here to see Big Sal,” Ally said, her words hopeful.
The woman relaxed slightly, but she stiffened once again when she noticed their guns.
“We’re here on friendly terms,” Ally said. She made a show of passing her gun back to Stosh and then held both hands up.
The woman nodded slightly. “‘Dis way,” she said.
Women rarely spoke around men when Ally had been in New Eden, even ones that were not familiar to them, so the fact that she had spoken with Stosh, Joey, and Neil around was a good sign.
Ally could see signs of change, good change, everywhere. There wasn’t so much silence hanging in the air, but instead the sounds of children laughing and conversation. Three women walked with baskets of vegetables, giggling. A man hung a clothes line higher up on a tree while a woman pointed out where she wanted it. Children weaved in and out of their group.
Ally looked back at Stosh and smiled. She could tell that he was taking in all the changes as well. It was a completely different town than the one in which they had once been taken prisoners.
The woman led them to the main square, the same place they had been taken on their first day here.
“Wait ‘ere,” she told them before disappearing into the large building on the right.
No one seemed impressed by their arrival, but no one seemed concerned either. Ally wondered if any of them recognized her. It hadn’t even been a month since she had been here.
The door to the building burst open and Big Sal appeared. He rushed toward them and pulled Ally into a tight hug.
“I thought I’d never see ya again,” he said.
He put her down carefully.
“I’m glad to see you’re alive,” Ally responded. “And clean.”
He was almost unrecognizable, with his trimmed hair and beard and clean skin.
“I’ve been gone for less than a month but New Eden looks like I’ve been gone for years,” she said.
Big Sal nodded. “A lot dun happened an’ real fast. Come wit me,” he said.
They followed him into the building he had just come out of. He led them down a dark, damp hall and into a large room that was set up as a makeshift office. It wasn’t as grand as Aden’s or filled with stuff like Heath’s, but it seemed to serve its purpose.
There were enough chairs scattered around the room that they could all take a seat.
“Tell us what happened after we left,” Ally said.
Big Sal shifted in his chair. “It was chaos, like we known it would be. Big Eli an’ mosta his men were killed in da blast.”
Ally thought back to the day of the blast. She had been sure that Big Eli was going to execute everyone she loved. Stosh. Luke. Max. And then she and Sabine would be next.
“It seems as though you were able to take control,” she pointed out.
Big Sal nodded. “It helped dat mosta Big Eli’s men were gone. The few remainin’ men who liked da way we lived ‘ad no choice but ta agree. I put quick work ta bringin’ the men and women together and puttin’ da new laws in place.”
The laws that he and Ally had worked on during her week in his home.
“I’m so glad to see New Eden like this,” Ally said sincerely.
“Why’d ya come back?” Big Sal asked. “I thought for sure dat was da last we saw of yer.”
“I had to know how you were doing!” Ally said. That part was mostly true. She had been curious about New Eden since she had left, but she probably wouldn’t have come back if it hadn’t been for her mission. “I also need your help.”
“Anything,” Big Sal said.
“All that time we spent working on changes for New Eden?” Ally said, realizing that many of her ideas had formed during her time here. “We are trying to do the same things everywhere.”
“Everywhere?” he asked.
Ally nodded. “Every town. Every city. Everywhere. We want to join together and start rebuilding the country. No more separated people, no more Exceptionals vs Ordinarys, and no more chaos. We’ll create roads between the towns and bring electricity and clean water and food to everyone. It will be work, and everyone will hav
e a job or a place, but in the end, it will all be worth it.”
“We owe ya everything, Ally,” Big Sal said. “We’ll help ya in any way we can.”
“Can we start with some beds to sleep in?” Stosh said. “And maybe a heated bath?”
Ally laughed and Big Sal smiled.
“We been bathin’ more round here so I think we can manage dat.”
Big Sal gave them his home to sleep in for the night. No matter how much Ally protested, Big Sal insisted on sleeping in his office. He left with a pile of blankets tucked under his arm sometime after dark.
“Well, we are three for four,” Joey said. He was seated on the hearth of the stone fireplace, poking the burning logs with a metal rod.
Stosh was bathing in the back and Neil had already washed up and was in bed. Ally had volunteered to go last.
“It can’t go this well forever,” she said.
Joey shrugged. “You never know. Everyone may be tired of living like this, of dying and wondering where their next meal might come from. Things aren’t getting better, and despite rare communication with other towns, I think that theme is similar.”
Ally watched the flickering flames. “I hope you’re right.”
Joey dusted the ash off his hands and stood, coming to sit on the chair across from her. “What was New Eden like last time you were here?”
Ally looked up and gave him a half smile. “Women weren’t regarded very highly… nor was bathing for that matter.”
He laughed. “I saw a few people that looked like they needed a good washing.”
Ally laughed. “It could take awhile to change their ways.”
“So where are we headed next?” he asked.
Ally thought of the map, the one she had left folded in her pack. She just wanted one night where she didn’t have to study it intensely.
“There are two more towns on the General’s list. After that there are some markings for possible towns, but he said that most of the populated towns were closer to the cities. Once we’ve visited those, I think we need to head north.”
“To your friends?” he asked.
She nodded. “The towns there will need an idea of our plan as well. Plus, I think we need to regroup and replenish our supplies. I doubt we have enough fuel to make it much further.”
She didn’t mention how she was dying to know what had happened to the others after the fight with the Rebels. She knew in her heart that they were okay. She would feel it if Luke or Max had died, right? She could feel it in her gut that Sabine was gone. Every day. She had to believe the same would be true for them. She wanted to know how they were doing and if they had intersected the other group yet. It was hard not to be with them, helping, but she knew that she had to be doing this.
The following day they pulled the transport up to the outskirts of the next town on their map. This town was smaller than the others, and again, full of Ordinarys. It seemed as though all of the Exceptionals had congregated in the cities. This town was more relaxed and laid back than the others. No town name. No real leader, and no real plan. Because of this it was hard to share their mission and come up with a plan for how they could continue on. In the end, Joey suggested that the townspeople pack up and travel to Hope Town, where they could assist in the changes there.
They agreed easily, which set Ally on edge, but she had to move on. Hopefully they would make it to Hope Town okay, or at least go. The people there were just starting to pack up when they headed toward the second town.
“Outsiders!” a girl squealed when they pulled their transport up to a large home the following day.
Ally climbed down from the transport. The girl was just a little younger than her, and seemed to be clean and well clothed,
“I’m Ally.”
“Sadie,” the girl said.
The front door of the house opened and a man rushed down the porch steps and out to the road.
“You back away from her, ya hear?” He was carrying a gun.
Joey appeared at Ally’s side, his own gun raised.
Ally raised her hands. “We mean no harm.”
“We don’t have any food to spare, or water,” the man growled.
Ally didn’t break eye contact. “We have plenty of both.”
Perhaps telling the man this fact wasn’t the smartest move, but at least it took suspicion away from her.
“Then you best be movin’ along,” he said.
Ally kept her hands up. “We will in just a moment. If you could tell me where the rest of the town is located, and if you have a leader, I’d appreciate it.”
The man’s eyes slanted. “We’re all that’s left.”
Ally furrowed her brows. “I was sure the map said population of one hundred plus.” She said it more to herself but the man heard.
“Used ta be three hundred of us,” he said, gun still raised. “Then the sickness came.”
“Sickness?” Ally asked.
Joey and Neil visibly took a step back. Ally’s heartbeat quickened.
Rogues?
No, they were Ordinarys.
“Yeah,” the man spat. “Brain sickness. It started off slow. Just a few of our men and women, and then it spread quickly. Made ‘em do crazy things. Made ‘em kill themselves off. The survivors packed up and left. I stayed to take care of my daughter.”
Ally hadn’t even been paying attention to the girl. She had been bouncing up and down next to the man but now she shifted towards Joey. All of the sudden she threw her arms around him and gave him a giant hug.
“I love him, papa,” she said.
Joey’s eyes widened and he mouthed help to Ally. Ally looked at the man and motioned to his daughter with her head. He nodded.
“She was real bad for a few years but eventually she started to come back to me. She isn’t quite the same, but at least I still got her.”
Ally looked at the boys and shook her head.
“Sorry for bothering you,” she said.
Joey had to work to peel the girl’s arms from around him, and the dad had to step in and help. They climbed back into the transport, Joey at the wheel this time, and pulled away.
“We’re just going to leave him there?” Joey asked. “We could have at least offered him a place in Hope Town.”
Ally watched the trees and brush scrape along the front of the transport as they drove. Joey had improved a ton since they had left, and drove about as well as her now. As well as someone could on these broken roads.
“He wouldn’t have left. He has worked hard to find stability for his daughter, choosing to stay in their home even when everyone else left. Until we can offer the stability he needs we need to leave him alone.”
Joey looked over at her. “You know, you’re pretty wise for your age.”
Ally let out a small laugh. “I feel a lot older than I am. A lot has happened to me in the past year. I’m still not convinced I’m still in my teens.”
Joey shrugged. “I think you have the perfect mix of youth and wisdom. Young enough to believe that you can conquer the world. Old enough to know how to go about it.”
Ally smiled. “I like that.”
“So where to next?” he asked.
“North, to Champaign.”
And then home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
[ ally ]
It was day two of their drive and if Ally was correct, they would be in Champaign by dark. She had trouble sitting still in the driver’s seat and found herself tapping wildly on the steering wheel.
“I’m worried you are going to explode over there,” Joey said with a laugh.
They had gotten into a comfortable routine with their group. Stosh and Neil always rode in the back, making sure the packs were well supplied from the stock and making notes on the maps. Stosh couldn’t write but Neil had learned and together they were making progress. Every night they set up camp and Stosh would hunt for dinner. In the morning he would hunt again
and they would eat breakfast and save the rest for a quick lunch break. If someone had to use the bathroom, they banged on the back wall and Ally would pull the transport over.
It was a calm routine, so far. It was a routine Ally could get used to when she continued on her mission after stopping in the northern City. She knew she couldn’t move on until she heard from Luke and Max, but after that, she had to keep going. She couldn’t allow herself to get caught up and comfortable at home.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said. “I feel like I’m going back a different person than when I left, and I’m afraid that home won’t feel like home anymore because of that.”
“I don’t think home will be the same for anyone if you can accomplish what you are trying to do,” Joey pointed out. “Everyone will need to change and make sacrifices, so at least we’ll all be going through it together.”
“Hopefully willingly,” she responded.
She hadn’t spent too much time talking to the General about what would happen if certain towns rejected their offer, which had happened. She was hoping that with time they would see the progress around them and change their minds, but in the case of dissenters, they would have to have a program in place.
“When I lived in the City with Luke we sometimes watched movies on his TV,” she started and then cracked up when she saw the look on Joey’s face.
“Movies? TV? What are those things?” he asked.
She smiled. “Oh man, I don’t know if I can even explain it. The TV is this skinny, black box that sits on a desk or hangs on the wall. Movies are these moving pictures that tell stories on the TV.”
“No,” Joey said. “Impossible.”
Ally nodded. “Yes! It is the craziest thing. Apparently there used to be thousands of movies and even small movies, called TV shows. There were people that spent their lives making these movies and all.”
“Crazy,” Joey responded.
“Anyway, there were these people in the movies called police. They were kind of like the Guards, or soldiers. They made sure that people followed the rules in a certain city or town, and would take them to these prisons if they didn’t listen. Sometimes they shot people if they couldn’t control them.”
