Redemption

Chapter 9

It doesn't take long to locate the rest of our team. They're sitting beneath a dead tree. The sun is going down, I shiver.

Mac leads the way through the ruins of the neighborhood. Wind rustles through the cracks and crevices of the structures. The eerie sense has my adrenaline rushing.

Suddenly, I hear glass break. I turn violently towards the sound of the glass, but all I see is Claire. Her eyes are closed and she is biting her lip. I can tell that she is pretending that she didn't make a noise. Mac waves his hand.

"Come on, we have got to keep moving." he says. We oblige without a word.

Adalene and Darius pick up the pace. They walk together behind Mac. It's odd, both Darius and Adalene are much older than Mac and yet they follow him like he has been the leader for years.

I stop and turn. "Claire, Meghan," I whisper, "Hurry, it's almost dark." 

Both of their faces are covered in dirt. The dirt is streaked with tears and sweat. They are both so strong and brave. It amazes me to think that two children can endure so much pain and loss. The confusion that must be racing through their minds shows through the worry planted on their faces.

I'm glad that they're alive.

I don't know what I'd do without them.

I glance at the sky. The darkness is covering the land like a blanket. 

"Is this it?" Meghan asks. I shift my eyes to what she is gesturing to. It is a house, it has been destroyed but it is in better shape than the other houses in the neighborhood.

"Yes," Mac says. "Welcome to my house." The silence is overwhelming. 

He leads the way to the front step. The door is gone, but there are fragments of wood nailed together to create a barricade. He slides the make-shift door to the side and watches as everyone bustles in. The inside is chaotic. Furniture is overturned and broken, glass litters the floor, the bed covers are strewn everywhere, and scorch marks trace the walls.

"We will stay here for the night." Mac says. "It is too dangerous to travel back to Avery's neighborhood. Night patrol is most likely on high tonight. They'll be searching for those who resemble rebels or enemies of the society." he says.

"What do you mean resemble rebels?" I say. "Couldn't we just pass through quietly and not over react?"

"It doesn't work that way Avery," he replies. "You wouldn't understand! You have lived practically your whole life so far without a faintest idea that our world is ending!" he catches his breath, "Evil surrounds us, they would catch us immediately. They don't care." 

I'm speechless. "That doesn't even make sense!" I shout back. "How do you know the world is ending? What does that even mean?" my lip trembles.

"I don't know Avery." he replies softly. "This society is built on secrets. That is all it is. Secrets, Avery. Everything that happens is a lie, a cover up. You saw those bodies, my family and friends in the termination site. What was the secret then? The people of the community sector were relocated, a horrible catastrophe took place when a small asteroid hit the Earth, or a bomb went off accidentally from the nuclear test zone." he pauses, "It never ends."

"We resemble rebels because we don't show fear the way everyone else does. We are different." he says. "They'd recognize us from the way we walk, from the way we hide, even from the way we run." he adds. "We'd be caught in a heartbeat."

"Couldn't we be caught here?" I ask, dreading the answer. It isn't Mac who answers. Darius steps up, "Actually, no we wouldn't. The government never returns to termination zones unless there is a need to. Like Mac said, it is another way for them to conceal their secrets." he finishes.

"What are we going to do?" Meghan asks.

"Let's change that to what you both are going to do." I say. "Claire and Meghan, you both need sleep. It has been a long day."

With that, I watch as my sisters dodge the glass shards and climb into the small bed. I pull the covers up around them.

"Aves?" Claire whispers. "We can't sleep without our bunny." They are so innocent. I look down at them and brush the golden and brown locks of hair from their faces. "You'll see your bunny tomorrow, I promise, but for now my bear ought to do the trick."

My hand shakes as I pull the bear out of my pack. I have never slept without it. What makes me so sure I can now? My sisters need comfort throughout the night that I cannot give them. I kiss the bear. "Now, this bear has my love to warm you two tonight. I love you both. Goodnight." I snuggle the bear between them. It isn't their comfort toy, but I see the tension leave their bodies as they relax.

I turn to see the other three companions staring at me. I shift my eyes downward and walk back over to them. I hush my voice, "So what are we going to do?" 

"We are going to focus on one task at a time." Mac says. "Tomorrow morning, when the guards take off time, we are going to cut straight across the urban territory until we reach Sector B, in other words your neighborhood." he says.

"In your neighborhood, we will have you reunite with your family. We will improvise from there." he finishes.

"Nice plan, genius." Adalene jokes. "I thought you had this figured out, we are all going to get killed out there." her humorous tone fades. It is replaced by a serious, nerve tingling tone.

"Just trust me." Mac says.

"Oh, I do," she replies, "I just don't trust your plan." she states. I have to agree, and yet I barely know Mac but it feels like I've known him for months.

"We will continue this in the morning." I say to break the silence, "Let's just find a place to rest."

I ask Mac where the small living area is. He points me down the hall and to the left. Like our house, the living room and the kitchen are morphed into one, but his is slightly different. His house is smaller than ours, and ours is quite small. In the living area, I find two small cushions. I lay them down on the singed floor. I search the cabinets for a blanket or a covering. I find a moth eaten sheet. I grab it and pull it around myself.

I listen as the wind blows through the broken window. I let the sound lure me to sleep, like the ocean in stories used to lure ships to the bottom of the churning waters.

Suddenly, I remember the seed that blew through the window at the academy. I desperately reach for my pocket. A sigh leaves my body as I touch the seed. It gives me hope for a new life. Perhaps tonight, it'll be my comfort object. I place it back in my pocket. For the first time in a while, I feel sleep luring me under the depths of the unknown as I fall into a dreamless sleep.