The scheme of a lifetime

Chapter four (Sorry about taking so long to finish!)

hey guys heres a sneak peek of chapter four!

 

I drifted to sleep without trouble that night. Besides the cold wind and the events that happened today, I felt peaceful. My friends surrounded me, and most of them were alive, all spending this terrible event with me. They kept me company when I felt lonely. I missed my family and my other friends who have no clue where I am right now. I wonder if they are searching for us. Maybe not. Maybe Rodger already settled that by saying we were going on a school trip with the band kids...

"Kaitlyn! Wake up!" I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, rousing me back and forth.

"Mmm... I wanna sleep, Mom!" I yelled from habit.

Someone shook me and I rolled over. I stuck my tounge out in discust. "Leave me alone... yeah, okay, good night..."

"No! Wake up, Kaitlyn! It's Marina! Get up! Jeez!" I felt someone touch my face. It burned from the cold. 

"Ow!" I fluttered open my eyes. "That was cold!"

"Yup." She smiled, and lent me a hand. I stood up and started to wobble - my left side was numb from the ground.

"Oh god. This is real... This is real..." I started pacing, I didn't realize I had said it was outloud until everyone stared at me blankly.

Warren came up to me awkwardly and tried to rub my back. I jumped up in suprise, and he took a step back. I was really jumpy today... I wonder why.

Kayla frowned and gave me a hug. It felt good. I smiled, and she pulled away.

"I knew that would make you feel better."

"Thanks. I'm sorry for freaking out... Guys, I'm just thankful your all here with me right now. I mean, I feel so bad for all of those that Rodger killed, but I'm lucky myself to be alive! And all of you guys! We're all troopers and we'll do what we can to get out of this."

I was thankful that I could speak my opinion outloud - Marina and Kayla found another spot nearby for the 'officials' to sleep. Cassidy was one of them. I sighed.

They all probably guessed what I was thinking, and moaned along with me. Cassidy was our friend, she had friends at that school. They were going to be blown to dust in just days. I couldn't bear to think about it. Everyone that we all loved and cared about so much. They would all be dead soon. 

Everyone sort of sat down in a weird oval, and we all huddled to stay warm. Once out of our sleeping bags, the chilling wind ripped down our backs like ice. 

"Hang on a sec guys..." Bridget said, standing up. She grabbed an extra blanket and tarp from a box and hung it over the entrance to the small, dark cave. She shivered, tapping picks into the rocks to hold up the blanket.

"Good idea, let me help." I said, now wide awake. She reached over to grab a hammer and handed it to me. I helped her tap in the picks while she held it steady for me. Our new door looked pretty good. It kept out the wind, but we could still have light.

Everyone admired our little handy-work from a distance, too frozen to get up.

"Knock, knock!"

I knew that voice. It was Cassidy.

"Uh, come in, Cass." Bridget called. 

She made her way under the tarp with ease, carrying a large Rubbermaid bin. I heard sloshing of water inside, and I licked my lips, realizing how parched I was. She dropped the bin right behind our little circle.

"Hey guys. The trucks came in last night after everyone was asleep so I helped the men unload the stuff into our cave. I have a space-heater that runs on a lot of batteries, I'll bring it in next. Then everyone's extra ammo, etc." She had started a list on her fingers, pushing one back everytime she mentioned something else.

I just stared at her. She was being so nice... So different from yesterday...

"...Cassidy?" I asked slowly. "Can, uh, we talk together for a minute?"

Everyone was shocked that I mentioned it, but Cassidy only held her poker face.

"Sure, Kaitlyn. In private, maybe?"

"Uh, yeah, okay," I was suprised she agreed.

She led me out towards the cliff. We walked around it until she pointed out a spot we could hike down to. I stumbled down the rocky face until we hit a flat, grassy meadow. As I looked closer, it reminded me of something I saw in a movie once. It had little blooming flowers, scattered across the fluffy, soft grass. A little spring traced around the right edge of the meadow, trickling water the only sound besides our breaths. 

"So, uh, Cassidy..." I started, finally snapping out of my daydream.

She fluttered her eyelids, then took a deep breath. "I know what you want to hear. You want this to all be a trick, me going against Rodger in the end, setting everything right. But this isn't a fairytale. There won't be a happy ending."

I saw a small tear glide down her saddened face. She stiffened, and resumed, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what I'm doing. I'm sorry about all of your friends. But this is reality. And the truth is, you will never see the light of day after this war. You will die with the rest of your friends tomorrow."

I gulped. This was simply the end? I would die tomorrow? I thought the war was still days away!

All I could manage was to ask why the war was tomorrow, instead of Friday. That was three days away, right?

Cassidy shook her head. "Oh, Kaitlyn. Tomorrow is Friday!"

Where have the days gone? It was still Tuesday, right?

I yanked my mind away from that thought, this new one not really any better.

"Cassidy... please, please, PLEASE tell me what this crap is all about! I'm dying here! I know you would never really do this... would you??"

 She was simply stunned by my pleading. I was on my knees, begginging her for the absolute truth. 

"Kaitlyn," she said, patting my shoulder as she crouched down next to me, "I know you want this to turn out good, but... well, I really am going through with this. Rodger has simply enlightened me to what I have been missing. It's simply amazing. To open my eyes for the first time. To rebel. To just be myself!"

I froze, staring into her crazed eyes. Or was that just my imagination?

"So. Your. Really. Willing. To. Throw. Away. Your. Whole. Life. For...HIM?!"

"Yup. We are in love."

I seriously wanted to punch her in the face. Rodger was the most discusting, vile creature that ever walked the earth! She was this perfect asian figure of what everyone wanted to be! Perfect grades, tons of friends, an awesome sister, and a rocking body! (Okay take that last one out, if she actually reads this story, she'll kill me for saying that! >.<)

But anyway, I couldn't even push out one word of what I wanted to say. So I simply slapped her, (I had to jump), and then ran away crying. She was part of Rodger now. A crazed killer.

When I got back to the fort, my friends saw my anguish. They welcomed me in with open arms as I explained exactly what she was planning to do. She had told the truth about everything. I couldn't even begin to understand what she was really doing. 

And so, I simply cried with all of my friends, our last day together.