"I know you're awake."
It was Stephan's voice. It reminded me of the first day that I woke up here. He said the same exact thing and I did the same exact thing.
Opening my eyes, I sat up. He was in another one of his fancy suits.
"Get dressed. We will be leaving in ten minutes." Stephan strode out of the room.
I put on a flowing white dress. My jeans and sweat pants days were over. I was back to wearing Evelyn's clothes.
Twisting my hair into a messy bun, I walked out of the bedroom door. Stephan had left it unlocked.
Seth stood there, waiting. His eyes took in the dress.
"You look nice," He commented.
I ignored him and walked down the hallway. The dress showed all of my scars and bruises. I did not look nice.
Seth grabbed me by the nape of my neck and led me through the kitchen. He was dictating my moves. It took all over my willpower for me to not swing around and punch him in the face. I must have had strong willpower.
When we stepped outside, I raised my hand to block the sunlight from my eyes.
I watched as the semi drove away, flanked by four black SUV cars. There would be no escape.
Seth led me to the back seat of one of the black SUV's. He switched the child lock on. Getting inside the car, I felt trapped. Claustrophobic.
He got into the driver side and a soldier got into the passenger side. I was surprised when Stephan got into the back seat with me.
"Let's go." Stephan said and Seth started the car.
We followed behind the other SUVs. The smoke that covered the sky yesterday was gone now. The fire had been put out.
"What is going to happen?" I asked, biting at my thumbnail.
Anxiety had taken over.
"Now we will hold an execution," Stephan said it like it was any ordinary day.
"There will be no trial?" I asked. I had had a trial. Didn't they have the right to defend themselves?
Stephan glanced at me. "No trial. We do not hold trials for lawbreakers."
I saw Seth give me a shut up look in the review mirror, but I kept talking.
"I had a trial. A chance to defend myself. You do not think they should have the chance to defend themselves?"
The soldier in the passenger seat turned back and gave me a curious look.
"You will no longer speak," Stephan said in a cool and collected tone.
I knew then that people didn't know of trials. The right to defend themselves. The soldier had no idea what I was talking about. He probably didn't even know the word freedom of speech. He probably didn't even know how to live his life without fear.
We continued to drive down a windy road. The tree branches were coming closer and moving in on us. It didn't take long for the little twigs to scrape against the side of the car.
We drove for a good five minutes before the trees broke and we emerged on a freeway. The gravel was broken down. Seth had to dodge chunks of metal, broken down cars, and bodies. I averted my eyes once I saw the bodies and the bones.
He pulled off of the freeway when he saw the sign Louisville. We were here. A place I heard so much about, but never saw. The sign looked new. It couldn't have been there around the time I was alive before.
There were shopping centers all around us. Some looked abandoned and some looked new. People casually strolled on the sidewalks. There were a lot of cars driving around. Since I woke up, I had not seen so much population, nor so many people.
Soldiers were everywhere. In their vehicles, walking on the road, and sitting at benches. This didn't look like a rebel town, it looked like The Unit's town.
We drove through the town and stopped in a random parking lot. The only other cars parked where the SUVs. They surrounded the semi when the semi parked.
"When will the rest arrive?" Seth asked, breaking the long drawn out silence.
Stephan opened his door. "They are already here."
The soldier in the front seat came around and opened the door for me. I got out on wobbly legs. My dress flowed around me from the wind. I felt like a princess in a scary movie.
The soldier gave me a curious look. His eyes were the color of mud. I could tell he wanted to ask me something, but he clamped his mouth shut when Seth walked around the side of the car. Seth gave him a look.
"What happens now?" I asked.
The unknown was scarier than the known.
"Now we begin." Stephan grabbed my lower arm and led me through the mass of cars.
I didn't notice it before, but there was a huge brick wall at the end of the parking lot. In front of the brick wall, there was a huge wooden platform. I looked towards the top of the brick wall. There was a piece of wood sticking out. On the piece of wood, there was rope. The bottom held a loop.
My feet froze when I realized the way the execution would be held. They were going to be hung. My mouth dried. It was barbaric. If they were lucky, they would die instantly.
Stephan nudged me forward. In front of the platform were hundreds of chairs. We were meant to watch. They were putting on a show. I was horrified.
People were filing into the chairs. Even little kids were taking seats. Little kids were going to watch human beings be murdered. This was wrong. Terribly wrong.
"Why does it have to be like this?" I could barely get the words to leave my lips.
It didn't have to be like this. There could be peace.
"I need to set fear into the people. I never expected the rebellion to get so big." Stephan responded.
I didn't expect him to give me an honest answer like that.
"Why lead with fear?" Why do any of this?" It didn't make sense.
Stephan led me to a chair at the front. He was giving me a clear view. I wouldn't be able to watch. I clenched my eyes shut when I sat down.
"People obey when they are afraid." He stated it like it was simple. Like it made perfect sense in his mind.
I was shaking. I couldn't control it. I couldn't do anything to stop this. Nothing. I had no control. No power. I could do nothing but watch as the people I cared about died.
After fifteen minutes, every chair was taken. People were even standing up just to watch. I listened to the excitement in the crowd. They wanted this to happen. They were all for it.
When I heard a commotion, I looked towards the sound. A long line of people were walking towards the platform. Soldiers stood around them, guns aimed.
They were being led by chains. I recognized a few of them. Some of them were the enforcers from Paradise. Some of them were the hungry people there. My eyes searched out Adam and my father. I didn't see them in the line.
I felt relieved, then terrible. Why should one life matter over another?
Seth took a seat to the right of me. I clenched my hands on my thighs. I wanted to hurt him. I hated him. This was his fault. All of this. If it was not for him, none of this would be happening. Everyone trusted him. Relied on him. He took advantage of that. He was just going to sit here and watch as all these life's got stolen.
"Relax," he whispered.
I tensed. He was telling me to relax. Who was he to tell me to relax?
"I hate you." I whispered back. I felt a little better after saying it.
"Be quiet." Stephan demanded. "The show is about to start."
He said the show like it was simple, like all of this was simple. Nothing about this was simple. Stephan leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. His dark eyes looked excited. He was enjoying this. A soldier tugged on the chain and the line of people started walking up the steps. They weren't fighting. I could see it in their faces. They had given up. They looked defeated.
Why wasn't anyone doing anything? Why wasn't anyone trying to stop this? It was human massacre. I looked at Seth. He was watching my face intently. My eyes said to do something, but my mouth stayed shut. He wouldn't do anything. He was a liar and a traitor. Seth's lips were turned down in a frown. His posture was as rigid as a board.
A soldier unclipped o
ne person from the chain. I recognized her. She was the girl in Paradise. The one who was feeding her mom rats. They had been brought food, water, and shelter. All of it was for nothing. When they fought for survival, it was for nothing. They were going to die anyways. There was no hope.
I slumped in my seat when the soldier led her up the steps. She stayed calm as he put the loop of the rope around her neck. I had to crane my neck all the way back in order to see her. When he tightened the rope, she looked down. Our eyes met.
Before I could breathe, she got shoved off the platform. A loud roar filled the crowd. I could barely hear over the blood rushing in my ears. My heart had stopped. People were standing up and clapping. Others were shouting. I watched her body swing back and forth from the rope. The life had left her eyes. She no longer existed. She was gone. Forever.
The soldier easily pulled the rope back up. After disposing of her body, they began to lead another person up the platform. Another defeated person. Someone else without hope. Hundreds of people surrounded me, yet nobody did anything.
Nobody cared. That's when it clicked in my brain. I was somebody. I cared. Why should I wait on somebody to do something when I was somebody? I was here and I could do this. I could do something. Maybe I would fail, or maybe I would succeed. Who knew? It was a risk I was willing to take.
I could not sit here and watch so many murders. Watching and doing nothing was just as bad as being willing and participating. It was not these people's fault that they were the way they were. They did not know any difference. Since they were born, there had always been no justice. No freedom. They saw death on a daily basis. They were used to it. Numb to it. This was their daily lives.
It needed to change. Somebody had to do something and I was going to be that person to do it. I took a deep breath to steady myself. We were in a rebellion town. There had to be rebels somewhere in this mass of people. Blending in and looking like a supporter of Stephan.
"Just breathe." I whispered to myself, fighting back my panic.
Before I had time to think about what I was doing, I reached towards Seth and pulled the handgun out from his holster. Seth's eyes lit with surprise. As fast as I could, I turned and pressed the barrel of the gun into Stephan's temple. Unlike Seth, he did not seem surprised. He barely even tensed.
Through the commotion, nobody realized what I was doing.
"Stand." I ordered him.
Stephan rose to his feet with the grace of a panther.
I didn't turn around to look at Seth when I spoke to him. I kept my eyes on Stephan. "Seth unarm him. If you make any funny moves, I'll kill him."
"You do not know what you are doing. This is above you." Seth told me with anger as he unarmed Stephan.
By now people were turning and looked at us. Some of their mouths were gaping open while others seemed excited by the possibility of more bloodshed.
"What now?" Stephan asked me.
He thought I didn't have a plan. I could tell by his dry tone of voice.
"Walk." I demanded him. I moved the gun to the back of his head and held onto his shoulder with my left hand.
I was leading him to the stage in front of all of his followers. Soldiers started yelling when they saw us. All of them turned away from the chained people and aimed their guns at me. They were yelling at me to let him go before they shoot. I knew they wouldn't dare shoot me. They were not willing to take the risk of their leader dying.
What then? If Stephan were to go down, what would happen? Would it be chaotic? Would the rebels take over? Would another corrupt person end up leading the country?
"Stand down." Stephan barked when a soldier moved to close.
The soldier instantly stepped back, but he did not lower his weapon. I sensed that Stephan was curious. He wanted to see what I would do next. The people out in the crowd were yelling and shouting. They were going to storm the platform. Soldiers had to keep them back by shooting at the ground by their feet. Some were throwing things onto the platform. Others were yelling profanities. It was barbaric. Everything about this situation was barbaric.
When Stephan and I reached the platform, I shoved him to the middle of it. All eyes were on us. People were quieting down. In a few moments, it got so quiet I could finally hear myself breathing. I was breathing a little fast.
I kept the gun pressed firmly against the back of Stephan's skull as I looked out into the crowd. This was it. This was my moment to make a difference. To reach out. To show that things did not need to be this way anymore. Maybe I would fail, but something inside me relaxed. I was trying. I wasn't being a sheep following the crowd. I was attempting to make a difference inside this corrupted world.
There would be no more following where the rebellion takes me, there would be no more sitting quietly at Stephan's side and keeping my mouth shut. I was done letting my fear overrule my humanity.
This place was full of death, disaster, shame, pain, and lies. This was my chance to make a difference and I wanted to start it off with the truth.
"My name is Brianna." I shouted out into the crowd.
Chapter Twenty One
Snickers broke out into the crowd. They did not know me as Brianna. Every single one of them thought they were looking at Evelyn. Now they seemed amused like this was some kind of joke.
"I am not Evelyn," I shouted into the crowd. My voice carried far over this massive parking lot. I swallowed a few times. "I am not from here. I do not know exactly where I am from. I do know I am not from this time frame. I come from a place with freedom."
Stephan went completely rigid. "How hard did you hit your head?" He whispered, furiously to me.
I ignored him. "Do you want to know what freedom is? Freedom is being able to say what you want without fear of being executed or punished. Freedom is being able to carry a loaded weapon with you in order to protect yourself from dangers. Freedom is being able to make your own money without any sort of government, Anarchy, or Monarchy taking your money from you. Freedom is safe. Freedom protects you. Freedom is a human right!" I shouted.
By now I could tell the difference between Stephan's followers and the rebellion in the crowd. His followers looked amused or lost and the rebellion looked intrigued. Interested. Supportive.
"Do you want to know what is not freedom? Being told you cannot get an education. Being told you cannot go outside by sundown. Being told you cannot be with someone because they are higher up in class than you. Freedom is not going hungry because your leader steals your land, takes your crops, and kicks you out of your home. Freedom is not getting your paycheck from work and having it taxed to the point that there is nothing left. Freedom is not having military officials bust down your doors and searching your homes. Freedom is not having military officials drop bombs on your homes, on your towns, and on your land."
I had everyone's undivided attention now. There was no movement out in the crowd. All eyes were on me. Even the soldiers around us had lowered their weapons a little bit and were listening. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live your life without fear? To not have to worry about some obtuse law you broke? To not have to worry about being executed or someone you love getting executed? Peace. Don't you guys want to feel peace? Stephan is a tyrant. A terrible leader. As long as he is making all the rules, there will always be hunger, wars, bloodshed, and executions."
I took a deep breath. "Have you ever wondered why history documentations are illegal? Punishable by death? The answer is simple. Hope. It would give you guys hope and something to fight for. Something to live for. We are in America. Do you want to know what America's reputation used to be? Land of the free. We stood together as one big family instead of attempting to tear each other apart-" My sentence got cut off by a huge explosion. Screams came from the crowd. A fire broke out across the far parking lot where all the SUVs were.
Stephan used my distraction and knocked the gun out of my hands. Before my brain had time to process what was happening, Stephan's hands were wrapped around my
throat. "You stupid, blind fool. I have to kill you now."
I clawed at his ruthless fingers. This was it. This was the moment my life would end. I closed my eyes and prayed that my speech had gotten to the people. That I had made some kind of difference to someone out there in the crowd. Hopefully, my words weren't just heard but felt.
I felt dizziness overcome me. Gun shots were coming from all around me. Screaming. Yelling. Fighting. It sounded like war. Someone slammed into Stephan and I. The second his hands left my throat and I fell to the ground. I took in a deep gasp of air. When I opened my eyes, black dots danced around my vision.
"You are making a mistake," Stephan said.
Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) Page 20
