Running With the Wave

Chapter 29

How did you guys like the ending of my last two chapters? Was it wierd or did it have a certain effect? Please post that in the comments! Anyways as I said before Running With the Wave is ending soon and I'm kind of sad :P but I need to finish it for the watty awards and I can't do much other things or you guys will begin to get bored. There won't be any sequels, but I'll continue Surrounded by Lies (which I'm changing to Held Up by Lies as soon as I get a new cover) and start some other books so maybe you guys will like those. This isn't the last chapter though, so I'll stop making this speech. Enjoy!

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Era:

When I wake up the sun is barely shining, and I panic at first when I realize I'm close to the prison before I remember what I'm doing here. Groggily, I sit up and unwrap the pack from around my waist and scamper down the trunk, keeping the gun in my hand. On the ground, I open the pack and sift around through it until I find some raisins and few canned peaches. I shove the raisins into my mouth and swallow them quickly then eat one of the canned peaches. Feeling satisfied, I take a gulp of water than put the food, water and pack into the bushes. I open my gun and check that I have enough bullets. The gun is full, and it better be enough because there's none left in the pack. I put on Hunter's hoodie, happy that I have at least something to remember him by. I tie my brown hair back into a knot and pull the hood up so that I could pass for just a normal boy. It won't do as the best disguise but it's the only thing I can do.

"Here goes nothing." I mutter to myself before running towards the prison.

The grey walls are all too familiar. A streak of blood, black in the darkness runs across one of the bricks and I trace my hand over the dried liquid. My blood, from when the bullet grazed my shoulder. I'd forgotten about that, in all the commotion. I guess it had healed by now. I stop for a second, beginning to re-think my decision. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. No, I have to do this. It's the only way anyone will ever truly be free. Opening my eyes again I continue to slither along the wall to the door. Reaching the corner between the walls, I stop and close my eyes, listening.

"Why are our shifts so early?" A rough voice groans.

"Get up, man! You're gonna get us all beaten!" Another voice snaps.

"Yeah, seriously." someone else mutters, "You call yourself a Keeper?"

"You watch what you say!" The first voice snarls.

"You watch what you do!" The third voice answers cooly.

I hear them throwing themselves at each other and about two dozen men get in between them. It isn't long before they're all off in the distance, taking their ridiculous fight elsewhere. Well, all the better for me but I do feel kind of bad for them. They're going to be in huge trouble with Hunter's father.

In this world, huge trouble usually means death.

Quietly, I slink around the corner and open the door, wincing at the soft creak. Anything could give me away right now and that's the very last thing I need. I step inside and gently close the door behind me. The ward opens up in front of me and I fight the urge to run as far away from this place as I can. The sick moan around me, many with bandages on them or nearly empt IVs running into their arms. There's definitely a lot of blood. No men around, though. As usual. They prefer not to come here, because they get uncomfortable around all the sick. I used to think that they just didn't like being around the blood and sickness but now I've begun to wonder if some of them are like Hunter: they understand that what men are doing is horrible and they feel bad, but they're too scared to do anything. Chewing at my lip I walk towards the vent, ready to climb up there and drop into cell fifteen as I'd done many years before mother had died.

"Era?" A weak voice whispers.

I turn to where the voice comes from and see a small, familiar figure shrunken in the bed. Her belly is bloated, pregnant but she doesn't look right. She's terribly pale and her skin is slightly yellow, as well as horrible cuts and bruises around her entire body that are gushing blood.

"Tamio." I murmer, close to tears at the sight of the once strong girl, "Oh, Tamio."

I hurry over to her, leaning down beside her but I don't take off my hood. Her small hand reaches up and she touches my cheek. Her skin is paper thin and her eyes sunken and hollow, yet she manages a small smile.

"I thought you were Disposed." Tamio whispers.

"No. I left, so that I wouldn't die. And now I'm back to save you all."

"I love you, Era."

"I love you too, Tamio. What happened?" I ask anxiously.

I need to hurry, the other women in the ward are already starting to get curious. It's only a matter of time before one of the men comes, and then I'm screwed. Her face clouds over, and she seems to sink more into the sheets, making me regret even asking.

"Amiya," Tamio tells me softly, "she said something bad about the men when they were watching, but none of us realized they had heard until they came for her. They thought she was starting a rebellion, like you had tried to Era, but much worse. They were going to Dispose of her, so I stood in their way. I couldn't let them take her. They brought her to the Range anyways, and she's one of the Disposed now. They weren't happy with me, though, and they whipped and beat me. I hid it for a long time because the last thing I want is to be here, in the ward. I fell asleep one night, and I never woke up in cell fifteen again. The next thing I knew I'm in here with a burst kidney."

My heart swells with sadness. Amiya's dead, Tamio's dying. My friends...

"You're going to be okay." I whisper, taking her hand in mine and squeezing it.

"Don't lie, Era." Tamio whispers, smiling sadly, "I know I'm not going to live through this. Just promise me you're going to save the women. Promise me that, Era."

"I promise." I whisper.

"Thank you." Tamio smiles.

I muster up a small smile, then get up and run away from her, wiping away cursed tears. Somehow the promise I made to beat the men to this dying girl means more than the exact same one that I made with Hunter.

Quickly I go up to the air vent and dig my nails in the side, trying to pry it open. When it doesn't come off, I narrow my eyes and try harder. It still doesn't work, and I peer more closely at it then suck in my breath.

They blocked the air vent.

I chew my lip, looking up at it and wondering how the hell I'm supposed to get into cell fifteen now. If I go down the hall I'm sure to get caught. Then again, what choice do I have now?

I try prying the vent open one more time then give up, sighing. I'm not getting in that way. I take the pistol out of my pocket and grip it tight, then creep away from the ward and down a hallway that is all too familiar. All the doors on either side of me cover rooms where doctors are preparing for the next day that they're giving the Scar: in three days. I break into a sprint, dashing down the hallway. My hair comes loose from the hood and I scramble to put it back on, but I can't stop running. All too soon I make it to the hallway of the cells, where more than a hundred Keepers stare at me as my hair flows down from my hands.

"Really?" I mutter to myself, "Smooth, Era."

One man runs towards me, while the others kind of stare in shock. I take a few steps back, but don't retreat any further. The single man turns towards the others, looking furious.

""What are you all waiting for?" he barks incredulously.

They all surge towards me, and I point up my gun and shoot aimlessly. Every once in a while I hit someone, but I know there's too many of them. Screaming wildly, I run forwards, shooting in front of me. The barrel of a gun slams down on my head and I fall to the ground, uncouncious. I hear one last thing before I hear nothing else.

"Take her to the cells. We'll Dispose her tonight."

Then everything goes black.