by Harper North
“I will. I’m sorry, I thought you were busy driving.”
He eases himself into a chair beside me. “Jase has taken over for now.” The computer beeps and a research page pops up. "Anything particular you’re looking for?”
I shake my head. “I just want to know more about what we’re getting ourselves into.”
Elias’ brow wrinkles. “The computer’s not going to tell you that."
“Yeah, I didn't think so. I just don’t want to be caught off guard again.”
Clasping his hands together, Elias leans in closer until he’s only inches from my face. “Why don’t you tell me what happened back there? At the settlement?”
My breath catches. I refocus on the screen, waiting for something to pop up. “You were there,” I whisper. “You know what happened.”
“I only saw the EHC take a lot of people. I was busy fighting them, so I didn’t see what happened to Sky.”
Guilt pushes my heart into my throat. “It... it was so fast.” I tap a key. “I didn’t know the Leeches would do that. I didn’t know it would happen like that.” I tap again. “I didn’t mean to let them take hi—”
“Stop.” Elias turns my chair to face him. “I’m not asking you why you let them take Sky. That’s not your fault. I’m only asking how it happened.”
I let my head fall back against the headrest. “Two ops. They swooped down, stunned him, and dragged him up into the hovercraft.”
“But, he was alive?”
“I think so. Do you think he has a chance?”
Elias narrows his eyes and presses his lips together. He examines me for a minute. “I’m sorry it happened, but we’ll get Sky back. Just remember none of what happened was your fault.”
I scoff and try not to roll my eyes. “Everyone keeps saying that, but part of it is my fault. Emma told us we were underestimating the EHC, and she was right. We have to be better prepared for… anything.”
“You’re right about being better prepared, but we all went in on this knowing the risks. Even Sky.”
“It should have been me,” I say, pushing away from the display.
The transporter shakes gently, shifting a few things in the room. A thin wire detaches from a side monitor and the image on the screen disappears, leaving only a faint glow inside the clear glass. Small devices fall from a few cubbies onto one of the tables. I clutch the armrest, steadying myself.
“We must be getting closer,” Elias says. “The outpost isn’t completely stable, but it will be safe from the EHC.”
I shake my head. “I heard you tell Emma it was built on a fault line. Why would Mason do that? The Leeches may not find you, but everyone at the post could be killed.”
“The outpost was built when the Flip began, long before Mason took it over. It wasn’t as bad back then, so he repurposed it. Things have gotten worse, though. Most of the outposts have been exposed, leaving it one of the last ones remaining since it’s the most remote and difficult to get to. But it’s why Mason chose it. The EHC would have a hard time finding it, but we won’t be able to stay long. Not with the seismic changes. Just long enough to get our fighters together.”
“How many fighters are there?”
“Forty or more, but they’re trained. They’ll know how to take on the EHC. We’ll be able to put together a plan and move forward by this time tomorrow.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That fast?”
“There’s no time to waste. The EHC is always one step ahead of us. We have to move faster.”
The reassurance in his voice calms me for a second, until the transporter begins to shake again. My chair rattles so fast I barely have time to steady myself before I slip out of it. My insides feel as if they’re vibrating out of place.
Elias works his way back around the table toward me. “Hold on to the wall.”
Something’s wrong. A grumbling from deep within the earth shakes the vehicle. Elias makes his way back to me and locks his hand on the back of my seat.
“You okay?”
My heart races, but I ease back against the wall. “What was that?”
“A quake.” Elias drags the chair around. “Maybe you should be strapped in. It’s not as safe now.”
I try to draw in a slow breath. “I know quakes. That was something more.”
The partition door slides open. Emma stands before us, holding both sides of the doorframe. “You better come up here,” she says to Elias. “Jase wants an update on our location.”
Elias nods and follows Emma back up the aisle.
I smooth back my hair and follow him. There’s no time to think about what just happened as I hurry past the others to the front. Two huge panel windows reveal the landscape around us, the sun beating down on dry, red rock. It’s the most desolate place I’ve ever seen. Nothing could survive out here without support. There’s not a drop of water or anything else organic.
Elias and Emma work through the directions to the outpost. I steady myself on Jase’s armrest as the vehicle shakes again.
“You better strap in,” Elias tells me.
“Fine.” My legs are stiff, and a tingle creeps up my spine as my gaze shifts to something outside the window. “What’s that?” I ask, pointing.
Emma, Jase, and Elias look ahead. Billowing black smoke plumes upward on the horizon.
For a few moments, they’re silent, and then Elias begins yelling.
CHAPTER 11
The all-terrain vehicle shudders as we careen over mounds of rock. I pull the seatbelt across my chest and snap it into the holder.
“We’ve picked up speed,” Lacy says.
I nod. “I’m pretty sure there’s trouble ahead.”
Drape’s eyes widen. “What kind of trouble?” He twists himself around to get a better look out the window. Suddenly, the transporter shifts, and Drape bangs his head against the side. His hands fly to his forehead as he drops back into his seat.
Lacy turns toward him. “You okay?”
“Fine,” Drape grits out through his teeth. “Just fine.”
I gulp back worry. “I don’t know what it is yet, but something’s happened.” The black smoke on the horizon had to be from a fire, but maybe the earthquake triggered it. It could be anything.
The transporter’s electrical humming slows as Jase turns back to face us. “Everyone, out!”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I unbuckle and follow him, Elias, and Emma out the side door. Lacy, Drape, and the others are right behind me.
I’m no more than two steps down the stairs, when heat hits my lungs, searing them as if I’ve inhaled a fireball. My eyes water and my skin burns. The sensation makes me stumble down the rest of the steps. As soon as I hit the ground, it shakes, and I feel like I’m walking on water. With each step, I lose my balance, until I finally adjust and pick up the pace. Jase and Elias are already far ahead of me, but Emma holds her guards back.
“What is that?” Lacy cries out, pointing toward the outpost.
I brush dust from my face. “Something worse than an earthquake.”
Smoke and fire spread from end to end of the outpost, pluming high into the air. A shift of the wind blows the dark, smoky fumes in our direction.
“Don’t breathe it in. It’s toxic,” Emma warns as she pulls her arm across her face.
I close my eyes and cover my mouth, but it’s little use. My throat is on fire. My lungs burn, and an acrid taste coats my mouth. Something soft brushes across my arm. I squint an eye open as Lacy shoves a bandana into my hands. I take it and wrap it around my nose and mouth while she digs around her bag for another, handing it to Drape.
“Stay here,” she says, holding onto my arm.
A moment later, the wind shifts again, blowing the black smoke away from us.
Emma coughs, her face tight with worry. “Let’s go.”
Knuckles and the other Dwellers race ahead, straight toward what must have been the outer edge of the outpost. Emma and her guards follow.
As we get
closer, the full picture of what’s happened begins to form. Elias’ outpost is nothing more than a heap of rubble. Both Jase and Elias stand still, taking it all in. Building material lays scattered in every direction, portable structures are toppled onto their sides, two hovercrafts lay in broken, scattered pieces, and fire still rages from smoldering piles of fallen debris. We pass a body, singed beyond recognition. I quickly look away and keep moving forward. The ground shakes and Elias holds his hand up to stop me.
“What?” I ask, my voice muffled from the cloth.
Elias turns to face me, brow tight with anger. “Everyone can’t be dead.”
“You said there were forty fighters here, right?” I say. “Maybe someone survived.”
Emma moves between us. The whites of her eyes are red from the smoke. “How did the EHC find your outpost?”
Elias shakes his head, chewing on his lower lip. “I don’t know. It’s impossible.”
“There’s no way,” Jase says. “No way they’d come to a place like this.”
“But they did!” Elias shouts, turning to face what’s left.
Emma’s eyes flash to her guards. I’m sure she’s going to pull them back to the transporter. There’s no sense in staying here, and the longer we do the more danger we’re in.
“We need to split up,” Jase orders. “Find the survivors and head out.”
“No survivors here,” one of Emma’s guards says flatly.
“You don’t know that,” Jase argues.
“My guard’s right,” Emma says. “The EHC don’t leave survivors.”
“We need to try,” I protest.
Elias turns back to Emma, his eyes red and swollen. “We’ll look around. Not long. Just give us a few minutes.”
Emma sighs. “Fine. You have fifteen.”
Elias splits us up into small groups and orders us each in a different direction. Lacy, Drape, and I head toward what’s left of a portable structure on the east side of the outpost. Part of me knows what Emma said is true. Forty resistance fighters against how many EHC operatives? Hundreds? More?
I steady myself as the ground rumbles again beneath my feet.
“Not much left of this place,” Lacy says. The outside of the portable is seared black and fire licks into the sky from the roof.
“Anyone here?” Drape calls out.
I make my way to the top step and lean into what was once the opening. I scan left to right, but it’s clear no one survived this attack. Electrical equipment sparks nearby, and I hurry back down the steps.
“We can’t go in there. It’s too dangerous.”
Lacy points her gun toward another building. “What about that one?”
The structure is tilted, but not totally collapsed. I shrug. “Maybe?”
As we near, a few more mangled bodies come into view. Drape calls out again for survivors. We wait for a beat, but only the sound of sparking electricity returns our call, and a heaviness presses down on me. One survivor could’ve told us what happened, but it probably doesn’t matter.
Dejected, we work our way back toward the meeting area, passing a few more damaged or destroyed structures, corpses lying every few feet. Some are missing their limbs, some are burning. My stomach lurches at the smell and I try to keep focused on the ground in front of me.
Without warning, the wind shifts, sending embers from the burning roof down onto us. Lacy leaps back. Heat pricks at my back, and I scream and drop to the ground. Drape rushes to my side and smacks the smoldering heat off my clothes, but my next breath fills my lungs with toxic air. My bandana slipped down. I gasp for a breath and claw at my throat, trying to find the cloth, but it’s gone.
“Fin!” Lacy screams, covering my mouth with her hand. With the other, she digs through her bag, pulling out a water bottle. After removing the cap with her teeth, she douses me with the water and forces the cool liquid down my throat.
I slide down the wall, holding my hand over my mouth and nose. I rest on my heels, letting the two of them take care of me.
“I found it. Try to relax,” Lacy soothes as she wets my bandana and holds it to my mouth.
Wheezing, I stare at the ground.
“We have to move,” she says, pulling me up. “Come on.”
“The whole outpost—it’s gone,” I croak.
“Yes, it is.”
We hobble back to the entrance and wait for a few minutes, gathering our strength, until Jase, Elias, and Emma finally return.
“We should get out of here,” Knuckles says. “We’re wasting time when some of our own are still out there and need help.” I know her mind is still set on finding Oliver.
“I don’t how this happened.” Elias crouches beside us, taking a sip from his water pouch. “This base was far beyond the reach of the EHC’s territory. It’s too unstable for habitation. It was fortified with weapons and highly trained Century class fighters. It was impenetrable.”
Emma’s shoulders drop. “You underestimated them, again,” she says. “No matter how many times I tell you, you don’t believe me. The EHC will always be one step ahead, one minute faster, one—”
“Stop.” Elias bolts upright, pointing at one of the Dwellers, whose hands are frantically clutching his head.
“Christopher.” I ease toward him. “Are you okay?”
The veins in Christopher’s neck pulse. His eyes roll back, and he drops to the ground.
Knuckles rushes to his side. “What’s happening?” she cries.
Lacy covers her face again, voice muffled as she says, “Maybe it’s the toxins in the air.”
Knuckles puts her ear to Christopher’s chest and feels for a pulse. She rocks back, her face white. “He’s dead,” she whispers.
“Dead?” Jase asks. “But, how? He was perfectly fine. We searched through the hovercraft together. He was fine. He was—”
“Cover your mouth!” Elias orders. “Everyone! We’re getting out of here. Back to the transporter, now!”
My heart pounds. I turn to run, but before I take another step, Nyle seizes up right next to me and collapses to the ground, mouth foaming as he convulses.
Lacy’s eyes go wide. “Wh… what’s happening?” she screams out, backing quickly away from him.
In full panic, everyone takes off toward the transport. Three feet ahead of me, one of Emma’s guards stumbles to the ground. Emma rushes to his side and I stop to help. Something gurgles in the back of his throat. Right there, in front of me, the man’s eyes stop searching and freeze into a fixed stare. My hand shakes as I reach down to feel for a pulse, but there’s nothing there.
Emma clasps a hand tightly over her mouth. I pull back, nausea gripping my stomach.
This is it. We’re all going to die.
Someone else screams. When I look up, another guard collapses to the ground. My head spins and the space around me begins to go hazy. I turn away from the dead bodies and try to refocus. In the far distance, a shadowy figure looms between the flames. I take a step closer and squint to get a better look.
“Hurry, Fin!” a voice calls out from behind me.
I spin around to Elias, who’s waving me toward the transporter’s steps.
“There’s someone back there!” I shout, but I’m too far away, and there’s a good chance Elias can’t hear me. Not between the screams.
I spin back around. A cloud of black smoke lingers for a moment, then dissipates, revealing not one, but three figures at the edge of the outpost, standing on a destroyed hovercraft. My breath catches. We’ve left survivors behind. I move closer, but Emma’s voice rings in my ear.
“What are you doing? We’ve got to get out of here!”
My body pulses with dread, and something inside me warns me to turn back and get as far away from the outpost as possible. Still, someone needs us. I can’t leave them out here, isolated, far away from any chance of rescue. I focus harder and can almost make out their forms. Two of them look like men. The third is a woman. Their hands are empty.
The bi
ggest figure, one of the men, leaps down from the hovercraft, and runs toward us.
The thud of pounding feet sounds from behind me, turning to Elias, Jase, and Lacy.
“Move out of the way!” Lacy calls out. She raises her gun and aims it at the figures.
I block her way. “No! They might be survivors!”
Elias skids to a stop beside me, holding a high-powered rifle. He takes aim. “The EHC doesn’t leave survivors,” he says, echoing Emma’s words.
“You had us look for victims,” I say to him. “One of your fighters could have taken cover. There might be—”
“No!” Elias yells, face twisting into a snarl. “I was wrong. The EHC are more than we anticipated. We knew they wouldn’t give in so easily. Look around you, Fin! Everything here is gone! All my fighters are dead!”
I inhale deeply and ease back as my heart drops into my stomach. As the three figures draw closer, it becomes clear they’re not resistance fighters. Their uniforms are similar to the Leeches, just a lighter color, with dark red lining the seams, stiff and intimidating as they strut forward.
“I’ll get the one on the right,” Lacy growls.
“I’m taking out the first one,” Jase says. “Stop right there!” he calls out, firing a warning shot. It does nothing to keep the three from advancing. Sweat drips down the side of Jase’s head.
Suddenly, the taller of the three ops raises his hand. Jase seizes up and drops to the ground. He screams in agony and clutches his head.
My eyes flick from Jase to the shadowy figures and back again. Elias lowers his guns and falls beside Jase. He tries to keep Jase calm, but it’s no use. Jase’s tortured screams tear through the air around us.
Lacy fires her gun at the figures. The ops take cover behind what’s left of a burned-out hovercraft.
“We need help,” I say, turning to look back to the transporter. I can make out Emma’s shape helping one of the guards into the vehicle.
I rush to Jase’s side and grab his gun. Without hesitation I depress the trigger and fire. The kickback nearly knocks me off my feet, but I readjust and fire again. This time the bullet hits the edge of the burned-out hovercraft. I fire again.
