We Promised

Chapter 6

The light shines through the new grate, and I hear voices overhead. "We're here," I whisper. I place a finger on my lips to silence the group, pointing overhead to the feet stepping over us. Auryn takes her place as the leader she is, climbing up the prongs and peering through the holes to see. She ushers us upward, moving the grate with her hands. Funny, two strong men struggled to lift one of these grates but Auryn did it all on her own. She pushes it slowly, peaking her head over the edge before climbing out completely. I follow and so do the rest. We end up in the supply room immediately. Anyone can peer through the gate, and catch us. I push the thought away. Me and Jax position our guns through a space in the shelf, searching for suspicious Sentinels. He narrows his eyes, focused on the task at hand. I admire his ability to push everything aside and snap into action. The rest of them ransack the supply room, grabbing ammo boxes, food packets, wrap blankets, and anything they might need. They're quiet, the Bloods behind me, hasty as they shove necessities into their duffles. "Three minutes. Speed it up." A bead of sweat rolls down my spine, and I tighten my grip on the rifle. Jaxon adjusts his mask, and my breath is ragged through my own.

They gave a scrap to me so that it would be harder to recognize me. My hair should be identification enough if they see me on the cameras because so far, I'm the only person I know with bright green eyes and snow blonde hair. It's pulled into a braid, thanks to Olivia. My heart tightens at the thought of her behind me, and I look back, to see if she's alright. She's focused as well, grabbing as much as she can, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Hey. Hey!" A woman Sentinel points her gun at us, and I sneak under the bottom of the shelf, sliding under and hiding behind the cover of other shelves. She seems to only notice Jaxon and the rest of the Bloods. The wall next to the door works as a great hiding spot. I reach through the gate, grab her armor, and pull. Her head hits the gate door with a slam, and she drops unconscious. "I could have just shot her," Jaxon says. My fists clench, and I return to my previous position. "No killing," I spit. His eyes darken with annoyance, and I fume, wiping my forehead roughly. "Only a matter of time before they see her on the ground," I inform, glancing back at the rebels. They only nod, and I watch as the duffles slowly bulge with items. What have I become? I'm robbing my own military compound.

Shots ring out through the gate separating us from them and I crouch, bullets pinging off the metal crate by my head. "Move out now!" Auryn yells. She jumps through the opening of the sewer drain, not bothering to take the ladder. She rolls and soon follows her brother. We run like the rats that are in the drain, and I take the lead once I get underground. I push my legs past the burn, used to the strain on my muscles. "Falcon come in! Dincers at the vantage point now! We've been seen!" Auryn yells into the walkie-talkie, cursing when no one answers her. "If they're not there, this is going to get a whole lot harder," I yell back. She clips the walkie back onto her belt. "Thanks for stating the obvious, princess. Shit!" She rips the cloth from her face, her chest heaving with exertion. Jaxon presses his hand against the small of my back. "Faster, they're following us!" He booms. I close my eyes. We have to succeed. The familiar passageway appears on my right and I speed through it, my hands already gripping the prongs. A small purr rumbles above and I cry out in relief. "The transport's here!" I yell back. I jump into the transport, settling into my seat. One, two, three, four, five, six, I count as their bodies follow behind me. "Go!" We yell in unison, and the transport takes off with incredible speed.

James grins at our success, spitting at the bottom of the transport. "Take that, you pigs!" I frown, trying to calm my fast breaths. Once again, all I hear are our breaths. "James do not celebrate. We're not safe yet," Auryn states, peering through the back window to see if we're being followed. I do the same. "They're not going to follow. They didn't have enough time," I say. Auryn glances at me, a cold stare. "You don't know that," she murmurs. The tree line appears, and my hands tremble with anticipation. We took a detour, in case they did decide to follow us. By my blood, I'm glad they didn't. Not because they would capture us, but because I don't know what the Bloods would do if they did. Would they shoot to kill? My heart drops in horror. Gray smoke whisps above the trees, and fumes of fire lick at the sky. No, my mind whispers.