String Lights

Part II: Slaughtered (Chapter 7)

I didn't realize that I'd fallen asleep until I was jolted awake by a sudden crash.

A crash, accompanied by more bangs and a sharp, high-pitched scream.

What was going on?

Realizing that I was still crouched on the floor of a bathroom, I got to my feet and cautiously turned the knob, pushing the door open just a crack.

At that exact moment, someone from the other side of the door pulled it open forcefully, pushing their way in and sealing the opening behind them. I let out an inadvertent gasp, then relaxed when I saw who it was.

"Lia," I whispered weakly, "Lia, what . . .?"

"Soldiers," she whispered urgently. "They're here. Someone must have given us away."

My heart plummeted.

I couldn't breathe. No. This couldn't be happening.

Not today. Not when my identity as a Specter had forced me to dread this moment all my life.

"There are five of them," Lia continued. Her words echoed distantly in my ears. "I think they're Vipers."

I cursed under my breath. The term "Viper" was a word used to refer to the turncoats who had betrayed our country and gone over to Erebus's side; the cowards who preferred to live the life of a traitor in a glorious and magnificent city, protected by evil and power, rather than a poor but proud citizen of a weak homeland. They were as common as street rats during times like these.

"It's all right to be afraid, but I have a plan," said Lia, speaking at a rapid pace. "Right now, it's our first priority to keep you from sight, so let's get you out first." She inhaled deeply. "Once you escape, I'll try to take care of the situation with the soldiers and join you."

She turned her back on me and began working on unlatching a window I hadn't noticed before.

"You're not coming with me?" I asked. My hands trembled.

Lia glanced back at me.

"No," she said. "It's too risky. I'll slow you down."

"No," I said.

She pretended like she hadn't heard me, like she'd been expecting my protest. Pushing the loosened window through, revealing a blank space in the wall, Lia turned to face me.

"I'll be okay, Cricket."

"No!" I could hear the panic in my voice. "You—You can't leave me. I'll help you walk. Let's go together." My voice wavered. "Please."

"I'm sorry," said Lia softly. She took my hands in hers, staring into my eyes. "I'll find a way to get out. Carson will help me."

"But your leg . . . If they see you, they'll take you away."

"Cut through the path and go to the woods," she said, ignoring my statement. "Get as far away as you can, and I'll come find you when everything is clear."

"Lia," I begged.

"The woods," she repeated. "Go, now, and don't you look back."

I stared at the large gap in the wall, hesitating.

As another distant clang sounded, Lia said sharply, "Go!"

Blinking back tears, I thrust myself through the opening headfirst and clambered out, meeting an expanse of dark sky. In front of me was a narrow path which seemed to weave through the grove of trees lying ahead, zigzag through the tall tufts of grass, and go on and on until it finally disappeared into the inevitable darkness.

I took a deep breath and began to run.

･･･⛧･･･

As I ran, I continuously swiped the back of my hand against my cheeks to brush away the tears blurring my vision. Even in the midst of these sacred Chronicle trees—regrown after the Blackout wiped the forests clean—where I should have been provided with more oxygen than I could possibly need, I could hardly breathe. My guilt about leaving my sister behind formed into a lump in my throat and choked me. What if the soldiers glimpsed Lia's prosthetic leg and took her away? It would all be my fault.

The tears were gathering faster and faster now, forming a foggy window pane over my eyes. Startled at my sudden blindness, I pulled my outstretched foot back to withdraw a step I'd just begun to take. I could tell immediately what a grave mistake this was.

The uneven change in balance launched me forward. I winced for the imminent jolt of pain, the dreaded crash of the fall.

Both came at once.

"Ow!"

Thud.

"She's over there!"

This last sentence, shouted by the voice of a man in heavily accented Vodrian, awoke every exhausted cell in my entire body.

And then the real chase began.

･･･⛧･･･

Fortunately for me, I, unlike my pursuers, had eyes that were well adjusted to the dark. Erebans and Vipers spent all their time living in a city filled with light, and so they couldn't detect movement in the darkness as well as I could. Even now, as they wove through the trees to chase me down, they were made to hold out small lanterns to illuminate their path—also to my advantage, as I would use these glowing flashes to determine their location.

I slowed down; the footsteps had subsided. But only a minute of the silence had passed when I heard another noise: the low, grinding sound of an engine in motion. My heart sunk in my chest; a suppressed scream began to build in my throat.

Wondering what happens when a girl not yet fifteen is chased through the dark woods by a truckload of armed soldiers who are after her?

A murder?

A scuffle?

Perhaps, even, a surrender?

The roaring vehicle filled with shouting Erebans was building speed. I was desperate, my feet flying beneath me as I ran for my life. The enormous light from the truck was blindingly bright in my closing eyes.

Without thinking, I slowed down. Stopped. Stepped toward the source of light.

I can't outrun them anymore.

Closer and closer.

For the last time . . .

Any moment now.

. . . I just want to enjoy this lustrous luxury.

Then, out of nowhere, fingers grasped my wrist. A hand pulled me through the darkness and to safety. I felt myself being pinned against the trunk of a tree as the Ereban vehicle roared past, missing me by mere inches.

No, there was not a murder that day. Nor was there a scuffle. There was certainly not a surrender.

Instead, a savior.

I looked up and saw a young man, noticeably older than Lia, with eyes that were both hard and kind.

"Down with the dictator," he murmured quietly, staring into my eyes.

Then, "You belong with us."