by L. S. O'Dea
“Yes, but with the Randy incident I just thought...”
She kissed her mom on the cheek. “Let’s talk at the table.”
“You must be starving.” Mom pulled a loaf of bread out of the basket and sliced it.
Her stomach rumbled. She didn’t have a lot of time, but she could eat and talk. She took a small bite. It was soft and chewy. Delicious. She stuffed another chunk in her mouth. Gaar’s bread was filling but not tasty. Of course, Mom’s bread would never knock a Guard to his knees. She finished the first piece and took another. Soon, the entire loaf was gone. She glanced up. Mom was slicing another loaf.
She blushed. Food had never been plentiful at their house. She touched her mom’s hand, stopping her. “No. I’m done. I need to tell you what I discovered and then we need to leave.”
“What are you talking about? We can’t leave. The Almightys are coming. Your father overheard Troy speaking with the hairless Guard. Troy is going to sound the alarm at dawn.”
So, Troy was going to signal to the Almightys that there was an important issue at camp. He must have grown tired of waiting for Jackson to catch her. It figured that Troy was the one who’d hired the Guard. The Lead Producer had secrets on everyone but she’d never thought that he’d betray them. Her heart twisted. Remy was closer to her than her own father. “Remy is okay with Troy doing this?”
“I don’t think Remy knows.” Mom patted her hand.
But he might. She sighed. It hurt, but it didn’t matter. She’d warn him and Troy anyway. She’d warn everyone. Nothing any of the Producers could do or had done to her was worth their lives. She took her mom’s hands. This was not how she imagined this moment. She’d wanted to come back a hero and have the other kids salivating to hear her story. Instead the words piled up in her throat, choking her. “I know what they do to us, the ones who are on the Harvest List and the ones who are retired. They...” She paused, unable to continue.
“Go on.” Mom’s body was tense as if waiting for a blow. She’d suspected for a long time that nothing good happened to those who were taken.
“There’s another camp. It’s called a Finishing Camp. I found Travis there.”
“That’s wonderful. Is he well?” Mom squeezed her hand.
Her hand trembled. “He was caged and they were forcing food down his throat.”
Mom gasped. “Why would they do that?”
She had to say it. She’d do it fast like Gaar had. “They kill us. They kill us and...” She stopped. She couldn’t do it.
Mom’s face was a deathly white. “I knew it wasn’t good, but I didn’t think. Not really.”
The bread sat like a rock in her stomach. There was nothing she could do or say to help her mom process this information. All she could do was let Mom have some time. She started for the door. “I’ll go tell the others while you pack. Only bring what you can carry in a backpack.”
“I can’t go with you,” said Mom, her face still pale.
She shook her head. Mom couldn’t be serious. “You have to. They will kill...”
“They will find me. Us, if I leave with you. I’m tagged.”
“What are you talking about?” She moved back to the table.
Mom took a deep, shuddering breath. “When you are chosen to stay in camp or when you belong to an Almighty, like your father, you are implanted with a tracking device. If I were to leave the encampment, the device would lead the Almightys right to us.”
“Then we need to remove it.”
“I don’t know where it is.”
Her chest constricted. She couldn’t breathe. Panic was starting to take over. “How do you not know? They had to cut you to implant it.”
“The device travels through our system and then attaches itself somewhere.”
“That’s impossible. It has to be another lie. Do you remember where your incision was after the surgery?” She touched her knife, breaking out in a cold sweat. Could she dig the device out of her mother?
Mom squeezed her hand. “It isn’t a lie. You’re father has checked. There is another device that can find it in your body, but only the Almightys have that tool. Dad’s been talking to Sarah about removing his. He doesn’t want to live with her daughter when Sarah passes.” Mom stood. “You need to go.”
She shook her head. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t leave her mom here to be slaughtered but Mom couldn’t come with her either.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Mom tucked a strand of hair behind Trinity’s ear. “Your father went to delay Benedictine, to give you more time to return but he’ll be back. He’ll convince Sarah to have my device removed too.”
Mom was lying. Sarah wouldn’t help. According to the Almightys, Producers belonged in camps and on their plates.
Mom kissed her forehead and then looked her directly in the eyes. “You do whatever it takes to survive.”
She shook her head again. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t.
Mom wiped the tears off Trinity’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Listen to me. As long as you survive, everything will be okay.”
Her stomach was in knots. She hated lies and secrets, but this one seemed to comfort her mother. She leaned back, her breathing shaky. “You and Dad will find me when your devices are removed, right?”
“Of course.” Mom’s smiled, her lips trembling slightly.
She gave her mom one last hug. The last one forever. “I love you. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
She left the hut through the front door, tears blurring her vision. She had to get out of here. She couldn’t help her mom or Remy. She couldn’t help anyone. With the devices inside of them, they were all as good as dead. She stopped. There were others like her. She needed to speak with Stuart. It was too late for him, but not his little brothers and sisters.
“Trinity? Is that you?” Troy stepped around from the side of her house.
A tingle ran up her spine. He should be on duty in his section of the camp, not over here. She shook off the uneasy feeling. She’d been in the forest too long. This was Troy. She’d known him all her life.
He grabbed her, hugging her tight. She hesitated and then hugged him back. It was good to be home again. To be with people who didn’t consider her a staple in their diet. Yes, Troy had sent Jackson to find her, but that had been a misguided attempt to help. It wasn’t clear why he was going to inform the Almightys that she was missing, but he probably had a good reason. She tried to pull away but he kept his arm around her shoulder. They were friends, but they’d never been that close. She stepped a bit to the side and he let his arm fall.
“I was so worried about you. And Remy”—he frowned, shaking his head—“you shouldn’t have done that to him.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She was going to miss Remy. He was the one who she’d confided in about the way the other kids had treated her and all the other things that would have upset her mother.
“I almost killed Randy. If Bell hadn’t come along, I might have.”
She couldn’t hold back a smile. Obviously, she’d become a little blood thirsty in the forest. “Thanks, but nothing happened. Not really.”
“Thank Araldo for that. I’m glad you’re back but”—he glanced around and lowered his voice—“you need to leave. I can’t explain, but I thought you were...well, I’ve done things that I can’t undo. You can’t be here, at least not tonight. You need to go before anyone sees you.”
That wasn’t going to happen. Troy could use blackmail to get himself out of trouble like he usually did. That was it! Troy knew a lot of secrets; he might know how to remove the devices. “I know what happens to us when we’re taken.”
“Go on.” His eyes lit up.
She took a deep breath. It was easier to just blurt it out. “The Almightys kill us and...” She wanted to slap herself upside the head. Her mouth just wouldn’t form the words. They were there on the tip of her tongue but they refused to come out. They were too horrible, too unbelievable.
A look of disbelief crossed his features. “You’re making that up.”
“No. I’m not. I need to gather those of us that aren’t tagged and we have to leave right away. The others, like you and Remy, need to remove the tracking devices and then escape. Do you know how to find the devices and remove them?”
He put his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down. You’ve been out in the forest alone for too long. You’re tired, hungry...”
“No, I’m not. It’s the truth.” She tried to pull away but he held firm. She yanked free and shoved past him. “I don’t have much time.”
“Hey, what’s going on out there?” Hector and another male Producer stepped out of the guard shack and headed their way.
This was just great. She didn’t have time for a lecture about being out at night.
Troy walked up behind her until his chest brushed against her back. “Follow my lead,” he whispered as he covered her mouth with his hand and then wrapped his other arm around her body, keeping her arms pinned to her sides.
What he up to? A lecture wasn’t that bad. Although, he was out of his section and that could get him into trouble.
“Troy, what are you doing? Let her go,” said Hector as he and his son, Hap, stopped in front of them.
“Can’t. She’s gone crazy. She was on her way to kill Randy. She has a knife.” He picked her up and shifted so that her weapon was visible to the others.
There was no way she was going along with this story. She began to struggle but Troy was strong and she couldn’t get any traction with her legs dangling in the air.
Hector stepped back. “I heard what happened between the two, but I never thought it would come to this.”
“Get some rope,” said Troy.
She couldn’t let them turn her in for carrying the knife. The Amightys would recognize the House Servant in her. She tried to bite his hand but couldn’t get a grip on the skin. He was holding her too tight. She jerked and bucked but it was useless.
Hap jogged back to the guard shack.
As soon as Hap was inside, Troy said, “Help me hold her. She’s slipping.”
His grip was as tight as ever. Troy was up to something, but this might be her chance to escape.
As Hector moved closer, Troy released her. She threw her body to the side, but Hector was quick and he caught her. His grip tightened painfully for a second and then he fell to the ground, pulling her with him. Was he having a heart attack? Something was definitely wrong, but she couldn’t stick around to help. That was Troy’s job. She rolled to the side and up on her knees. There was blood on her shirt and Hector’s.
Troy grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. “I didn’t want to do this.” His other arm struck out, slashing Hector’s throat.
She touched her sheath. It was empty.
“Dad.” Hap raced across the yard.
Troy let go of her hair, grabbing her around the throat so she couldn’t speak. “She got away from me.” He lifted her to her feet by her neck, pulling her close.
She gasped for breath. She would die if he didn’t loosen his hold, but that might be his plan.
“No. No.” Hap fell to his knees, dropping the rope as he covered the cut on Hector’s throat with his hands.
“Hap, it’s too late. Get the rope.” Troy’s voice was calm.
Hap ignored him.
“Hap. Listen to me. We don’t want her to escape. Once you tie her up, you can have your revenge. I’ll step away for a few minutes.”
Hap struggled to his feet, picking up the rope. He glared at her, his face a mask of hatred. He would kill her if he was given the chance. She struggled harder, kicking at him as he wrapped the rope around her ankles, but it was no use. In a few moments he had her legs secured.
“We need something to shove in her mouth.” Troy shifted so that she was on his left side. “My right front pocket.”
Hap pulled out a cloth from Troy’s pocket, frowning as it unraveled. What was Troy doing with her nightgown? No one ever took any of her clothes. Some of the boys stole Clarabelle’s undergarments, but never hers. Plus, Troy was attracted to other males. He was a murderer, but not a weirdo. It must be the lack of oxygen because that didn’t make sense, even to her.
“Don’t ask,” said Troy.
Hap shrugged and stuffed as much of the cloth into her mouth as possible. Troy let go of her throat but with the nightgown in her mouth she still couldn’t breathe. It was too much, she was going to choke to death or suffocate. She stopped struggling. She had to calm down and concentrate on breathing through her nose. Troy pulled her arms behind her back and bound her hands together. When he was done, he stepped back. Hap glared at her and raised his fist. This was going to hurt. She winced in anticipation of the pain. Hap’s eyes widened and his hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing. He grasped the side of his neck, dropping to his knees. Blood bubbles formed on Hap’s lips and he fell over.
Troy wiped the blade on her shirt and then put the knife back in the sheath. “I wanted this to end differently for you. I really did.” He pulled her to his side, lifting her slightly so that her feet just barely touched the ground and began walking. “Why did you have to come back?” He laughed sarcastically. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Not really. Nothing has ever been easy for me. I had this all planned and then you show up.” When they entered his section of the fence, he laid her on the ground. “Now, I’m going to have to drag you across camp. Your scent will be stronger but using the nightgown was less risky. Hopefully, no one else will stick their noses out. I’d hate to have to kill another Lead Producer. Remy needs their votes.”
He wasn’t making any sense. Didn’t he realize that his scent would be tracked across camp with hers?
He jogged over to the fence and stepped behind the bush where her hole was. She wasn’t sure why he was taking her across the camp, but she wasn’t complaining. It would give her a little more time. She exposed her claws and began working on the rope. It was thick and wrapped around her wrists three times. This was not going to be easy.
“In some ways, this will work better. Bell is really going to get in trouble for letting you escape. Especially, since you killed Hector and Hap.”
What did Bell have to do with this? More importantly, why did she keep trying to figure this out? Troy was crazy. End of story. She worked harder on the knots.
Troy stepped out from behind the bushes. “How did you get back inside the camp?”
Why was he looking at her like he expected an answer? She grunted around the cloth in her mouth.
He walked over to her, smiling. “I guess that’ll be your secret.” He picked her up. “I hope you didn’t make another hole. I don’t want someone else getting blamed for your escape, but as long as your scent trail leads from Hector’s section to Bell’s, we’ll be fine.”
We’ll be fine? She doubted that.
Titus stumbled out of his guard shack. “Who’s out there,” he slurred.
Of all the Producers to come out, why did it have to be Titus? He was always drunk and tonight was no different. The idiot was going to get himself killed.
“Holy Gruntshit. Isn’t anyone staying inside tonight?” Troy darted over to the crates of produce and stuffed her behind some of the boxes. “You stay quiet, or I’ll kill him too,” he whispered. “You don’t want me to do that do you?”
She shook her head. Troy trotted toward Titus. She resumed sawing through her ties. She didn’t have much time. Titus would want another drink soon. A hushed giggle came from the other side of the crates. Someone else was out here. She tipped her head to better catch the sound and bumped into a produce box.
“Did you hear that?” asked the female.
“Hmm,” grunted the male.
“Stop it, Randy. There’s someone else out here.”
This was just perfect. That peevish voice definitely belonged to Clarabelle. The two were probably mating. She stopped trying to cut through her ropes. If she were really quiet, maybe, they’d
go away. They needed to leave before Troy returned.
“Fine. I’ll check,” said Randy. “But then you’ll have to do that thing that I like.”
Footsteps stomped in her direction. Now, that he was coming he needed to hurry. She didn’t care about the trick that they’d played on her. Nothing mattered except getting untied and out of there. All of them.
“Holy Araldo!” Randy stared down at her, shirtless and with the button of his pants undone.
“What is it?” called out Clarabelle.
Randy bent and pulled the gag out of her mouth. “Trinity. Someone’s tied her up.”
Her mouth was completely dry and her voice was hoarse. “T...Troy.”
Clarabelle peeked around the boxes, her shirt rumpled and her large brown eyes round with fear.
“Go get help!” Randy started to work on the ropes around her ankles. “What happened?”
“Troy.” It came out as a croak.
Randy finished untying her feet and grasped her under the arms, standing her up. Her legs buckled and he caught her as Troy strode around the crates, Clarabelle following closely behind him.
“See, someone attacked Trinity,” said Clarabelle.
“He did it.” Her voice was a harsh whisper now.
“I’m glad you’ve found her,” said Troy. “We wouldn’t want someone like her getting away.”
“What do you mean by that?” Randy pushed her behind him.
She continued clawing at the ropes. “Don’t trust him, Randy. He killed Hector and Hap.”
“Then why do you have a knife?” Troy’s voice was soft, soothing the tension in the air.
Randy stiffened, glancing over his shoulder. She shifted so he couldn’t see the weapon.
“Bring her here,” said Troy.
She caught Randy’s gaze and shook her head. He nodded slightly.
Troy sighed. “Don’t make me turn you in for mating before you’re paired?”
Clarabelle gasped. “We weren’t...”
“Oh, shut up,” said Troy. “Just look at her hands.”
