Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7)

by M. J. Kaestli

  Her cool exterior shattered. “What about Gwen and Laura? What have you done with them?”

  He gave a slight, casual shrug. “We haven’t done anything. Yet. But we will. I need to settle things with you first.”

  She was about to protest, but suddenly everything became instantly clear to her. Freya may have been a leader to the colonists and those inside of the dome, but the people of Idaho looked to Gwen primarily as their leader. His issue with Laura and Gwen had nothing to do with their relationship or their friendship with Freya. Samuel was simply trying to eliminate his competition to be in charge.

  Numbness washed through her. She was alone, unarmed, and outnumbered. All odds were stacked against her, but she had to do something. She had to make sure that the people she loved not only survived, but had the lives they deserved.

  “Samuel, you say I make emotional, rash decisions. But what about you? I just handed the mountain to your army on a silver platter, and instead of fighting with the true enemy, you came here to fight over table scraps. It doesn’t matter where any of us are from; as long as the State exists, we will never be free. We’ll only ever live a fraction of the lives we deserve.”

  With his brows stitched together, he looked over his shoulder to his men. “I knew she was dumb; I didn’t know she was crazy.”

  The men laughed and made faces and hand gestures that implied her intellect or mental health were marred.

  “I have waged war on the mountain,” she spoke in a clear, even tone. “Samuel, you are the leader of our Army, but not the leader of our people. We should be defeating the State right now! Why are you here? Why aren’t you out there fighting?”

  Samuel’s men fell silent, passing dumbfounded glances between each other.

  “What in God’s name are you talking about?”

  Her jaw fell open for a second before she gritted her teeth. “Don’t play dumb with me, Samuel. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why else would you have arrested me in the State House if you weren’t watching my broadcast? How would you have known I was there?”

  His eyes widened. “We came to the clinic and found the military underground access open, and you missing. Once we realized where you were, I sent some men up top so we could close in on you from both sides.”

  A flash of chills danced across her skin. Could he have missed it? The broadcast would’ve played on screens all across the underground walkway, but there were no screens in the military underground. And if they had been ordered to arrest her, they may have run past the monitors without listening to her message. Unlike her, they weren’t conditioned to drop everything to watch a broadcast from the Head of State.

  Desperation gripped at her core. But she couldn’t give up. It wasn’t too late. Maybe she couldn’t convince Samuel’s Army to run into battle, but he could.

  She took a step toward him. “Samuel, you need your army to move fast! We came up with a plan. We think with all the military efforts the State have sent to destroy us, that the civilians inside the mountain could all rise together and overpower them. With the guards preoccupied, you could waltz right into the mountain.”

  Samuel shot a quizzical look back at his men, then turned to face Freya. “You think a bunch of unarmed civilians are going to overpower their military. Why? Because you told them to. Who the hell are you to them? They’re not going to fight.”

  She closed her eyes but pressed onward. “Samuel, we’ve had a revolt right in front of the military before. Back when the colony—”

  “Freya,” he cut her off. “You cling to this delusion that there are innocent people inside the mountain that would want to help us. But just like the dome workers, those people are on the State’s side.”

  “You didn’t grow up here,” she spat. “You don’t understand what it was like. Many people may seem like they’re on the State’s side, but they’re not. Most people are just trying to survive.”

  He stepped back from her cell, eyes narrowed. His gaze fixed on the floor to the side, as though considering the possibility of releasing her so they could win this war.

  She held her breath. This could all be over. Everything. Samuel and his army could go home to their families. So could all the people from Idaho. The dome workers would live, and her and Colin, well, she didn’t know where they’d end up, but they’d be together and safe.

  Samuel’s eyes widened. “Oh, you almost had me there.” He started a slow, deliberate clap. With every echo ricocheting off the walls, a jolt ran up her spine. She was missing something but couldn’t comprehend what it could be.

  “Well played, Freya. For a second, I almost bought it. You feed me this bull story to get me and my men to run out of the dome, so we get killed, then you and your friends get to sit tight here with all the food. And with the entrances sealed off, you don’t need us anymore.”

  Freya closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. “Samuel, this isn’t about us. You’ve lost sight of who the real enemy is. I’m not trying to keep the food for myself or stay in charge. I would be happy to step down and start a formally elected government that—”

  “Like hell,” he snapped. “If you didn’t care about being in charge, then why are you? Why didn’t you step down the moment you got to the colony? Because you got used to bossing everyone around and can’t stand the idea of taking orders.”

  She clenched her jaw, trying to keep her tone even. “I did step down, actually. But the people need a leader, and they’re used to it being me. So, when we get to a place where we’re no longer fighting for our lives, I would love to focus on agriculture.”

  His eyes narrowed as the corners of his lips curled upward. “You’re good at playing this whole leadership is a burden game of yours. I can see why people have bought into it for so long. For too long. But not anymore. I’ll personally see to it.”

  “It’s not an act! I never wanted to be the Head of State. I never wanted to be anything more than a greenhouse worker. And the reason I’ve stayed in power is because I keep stepping up when people need me.”

  “Oh really,” he scoffed. “If you’re so helpful, then how is it you’ve let people starve? You let the State’s military inside the dome to kill some of my best men. You call that stepping up?”

  A fire ignited in her core. The heat nearly stifled her breath. Not only were all of his accusations unfounded, they were dangerous. It was possible that they might have more food if she had waited to call the High Council, but there was no way to know for certain.

  What if Devina had lied when she said she ignored the silent alarm? What if soldiers were already on their way and would have caught a hunting party unprepared? They could have lost even more of their army, if not the dome all together. And yes, it was a dome worker who let the State in, but maybe he wouldn’t have done so if it weren’t for Samuel’s bullying.

  Stepping down would be an easy choice if their people were in good hands. But Samuel was not that leader. He couldn’t be that leader. Hunger may be his fuel, but his cruel flame had burned long before their food rations ran thin. No matter what, she couldn’t let him take over.

  “What if you’re the reason we’re so low on food? If you had followed the rationing I put into place, we would still have more food left than one vegetable garden and a few freeze-dried packs.”

  He threw his enormous hands in the air. “Don’t give me that crap! It doesn’t matter if we still have one tiny meal a day; it’s not enough. We’re hungry all the time! That’s no way for us to live. We need bigger portions.”

  “Yes, you need bigger portions. And you’ve had them since you got here so you could build up your strength and bully everyone. While the rest of us complied with the rationing, you kept eating extra, so you’d be stronger than everybody else and could take the dome for yourself.”

  She had hardly finished her sentence, her thought, as Samuel sprung into motion. Before her mind could process his movement, she was staring down the barrel of his firearm.

  Her
eyes bulged. Instinctually, she took a step back. Her hands raised into the air. His nostrils flared as he breathed, but his hands held firm. “You know something, maybe you aren’t capable of learning manners.”

  Freya knew she should remain silent. If he felt like he won, he might lower his gun and simply lock her away until he had solidified his power. But she couldn’t give up. She knew she couldn’t get through to Samuel; he was past reason. But if she could get through to his men, then maybe they would go to the mountain and fight.

  This wasn’t about her, her leadership role, or even her life. This was about what they all had come here to do: end the State’s reign so they could be free.

  “Maybe if you held a morsel of intelligence, you would realize my manners aren’t the problem. We could defeat the State right now if it weren’t for you. Just do the right thing and go to the mountain, instead of staying here to make sure that you get to be in charge. We could end this.”

  She kept her eyes locked on his. His breathing intensified. The gun wobbled slightly, alerting her to his trembling hands. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger.

  Her core relaxed slightly. Suddenly, a glimmer flashed in his eyes; his expression brightened. Her heart sank, knowing that she had been so close to getting through to him.

  A wicked grin curled his lips. “Well, if you want a battle with the State so badly, don’t let me stop you.”

  The air in her chest froze.

  He wouldn’t.

  He lowered his firearm and tucked it loosely in the waistband of his pants instead of returning it to his holster. “Well boys, let’s let her go. She wants to go to the mountain to defeat the State, and I bet all her little friends want to help. Why don’t we round them up and give them a proper send off?”

  Her skin blanched. He may not have the guts to be the one to pull the trigger, yet she would die at his hands. “I would be happy to travel to the mountain to fight, as long as everyone going with me visits the armory first.”

  Samuel threw his head back in laughter. “You’re a real piece of work. You know that? I’m not dumb enough to arm you. You and your friends will just try to kill me so you can have the dome all to yourself.”

  If he at least armed their small ensemble, maybe they could overtake the State’s guards by surprise. She pressed her eyelids closed. “Samuel, send us through the first access door, throw the guns in, and seal us out. Then we can arm ourselves when you’re at a safe distance before we pass through the second door.”

  He smiled softly. “No. I don’t think so. Why would we want to waste our weapons on you? Since you love the dome workers so much, they can go with you. You can all arm yourselves when you get to the mountain, since the people inside of the mountain will have already taken care of the military, I don’t see the problem.”

  Nausea swirled in her core. “If you send us out there unarmed, the military will kill us the second we step outside.”

  “Really? You don’t think they’ll just join in on your fight when you ask them too?”

  “No.” Her voice cracked. Defeat washed over her, making her shoulders slump. “The military will kill us. They aren’t like the rest of the people. They will kill us the first opportunity they get.”

  “That’s probably true. But I can’t let you stay here, and unarmed is the only way you’re going to leave. You cause too many problems. You all do. You destroy people’s lives while pretending that you’re just trying to help.”

  Samuel glanced back at his men and gave a curt nod in Freya’s direction. They both stepped forward, coming at her from both sides. They easily overpowered her; one held her from behind while the other bound her hands in front of her. Samuel grabbed her collar and forced her forward.

  She didn’t know if she would live through this. But she was certain this was the last time she’d step foot inside this office.

  Chapter 39

  Freya

  Her mind raced for answers. A plan. Anything.

  He just wants to scare me. He’ll get to the door, force me to step down, and tell everyone that he’s our rightful leader.

  Despite her attempt at logic, she couldn’t slow her pounding heart. His firm hold on her collar never loosened as they walked. At times, it felt he was dragging her on a stick from behind. She knew she had to break free, but how? As they reached the atrium, her heart sank as she saw a group gathered comprising of men. Gwen and Laura were the only other women present.

  The army filled the space. They all wore weapons strapped to every body part imaginable. In the center stood Colin with his hands bound, his arms wrapped around Aakil’s shoulders for support. While Gwen looked terrified, Laura looked murderous.

  “Well, we got her,” Samuel yelled to the crowd. “And now I’ve figured out what to do with her. With all of them.”

  “Imprison them!” A man yelled from the crowd.

  “Starve them!” Another joined in.

  The crowd burst into shouts, applause, and pumped their fists and rifles. The eruption of sounds echoed off the dome, building into a near deafening roar.

  Samuel encouraged them. He gestured for more, and they gave it. After their cheers reached climax, he gestured for them to stop.

  “I have something even better in mind: exile.” He cast an intense gaze around the mob, waiting for comprehension to set in. “Freya claims that there are innocent people inside the mountain who want to fight against the State. And I say, if she loves those mountain people so much, why doesn’t she join them!”

  A collective cheer exploded amongst the army. Before their enthusiasm subsided, Samuel grabbed her collar and dragged her in a new direction.

  It was too congested, making it difficult to see anything. No Colin. No Gwen or any of the dome workers. There was no one in sight but ferocious, heavily armed men.

  They marched along at a steady pace. With Samuel’s long strides, she struggled to keep her feet beneath her. The dark hairs on his knuckles continuously tickled her neck as she jostled with every step.

  All too quickly, they arrived at a nearby access. Samuel slung open the first glass door, boldly marching her into the space between the two doors. They came to a standstill, yet he didn’t loosen his grip on her. He pressed her firmly against the outer door; her breath fogged the glass. She could see blue figures standing by, automatic weapons in hand, directed at the door.

  Is he really doing this?

  “It’s time for you to go see all your friends—your real friends. Say hello.”

  Samuel gripped the wheel that latched the door and gave it a firm tug. A metal grinding noise sounded, and he cranked the wheel again. He yanked her away from the door. The sudden momentum caused her to lose her balance, stumbling over his feet. She toppled to the ground, falling hard on her back end.

  “Now that we’re ridding our community of the State’s filth, we’ll truly be a free people! We have lived under the State’s oppression for too long to allow their spies to walk among us any longer. We’re joining together with the people of Idaho to start a new civilization. A strong people. A people who can march up to that mountain and make those bastards pay for what they’ve done to us!”

  The crowd applauded, yet this time, it didn’t build into a deafening roar. Freya’s brows furrowed; it wasn’t the response she expected for such an impassioned war cry.

  Samuel stepped to the side, giving the wheel another spin. She glanced up at him, holding his long rifle pointed upward in one hand, the other tugged at the door.

  Everything moved in slow motion. She glanced over to see Colin. His blanched skin looked gaunt, as though his skin could fall off his bones. Every breath looked as though it could be his last. Aakil’s skin glistened at the strain of keeping Colin on his feet. Gwen and Laura clung to each other, both terrified.

  Then her head panned to the glass. She saw the blue figures standing with their weapons aimed at the door she was soon to be shoved through, unarmed.

  Samuel continued to rile up the cro
wd. Most of his army stood behind the second door, long black weapons hoisted into the air as they cheered. Before she could come up with a plan, anything, the heavy glass door opened.

  A fresh breeze whirled inside. This was it. It wasn’t a threat. Samuel was about to throw her outside of the dome, straight into the hands of the State’s military. She’d be dead before Samuel sent out Colin or anyone else.

  Samuel reached down to grab her. Her mind was in a haze. He moved so fast, but somehow, she was faster. Without hesitation, she reached out with her bound hands, clasping the handgun casually tucked in his waistband.

  With the muscle memory constructed in the firing range, she released the safety and raised her arms. She shoved the gun into the soft tissue under his chin.