Moonlight

Chapter 5

I'm not sure if it's the nerves that make this bus ride feel longer than I remember, or if it has always been this long and I was too distracted the first time. Maybe both. Tessa has been staring at the floor the whole time, avoiding eye contact. And I really take a look at her. She's scared. Her knuckles are gripping the pole with an immense amount of force and are turning white. Was I wrong about her? I put my hand on top of hers and she jerks her head up at me.

"Are you okay?"

Her face pales and she takes a deep breath.

"Do you really trust them? Keely and Rowan?"

"Yeah, why would I not?"

"Listen, I trust Rosker. We've made it this far under his leadership. The Society has been able to cure hundreds of thousands of people who were on the brink of death. Whatever Tanner learned can't possibly outweigh all the work we've done. I'm not saying Keely and Rowan aren't trustworthy, but I don't think any of us know all the details."

I stare at her as the bus begins to slow down. We are now in the tribal region. I can't take anything back once we step off this bus. They're probably already waiting for us. She waits for me to say something, but I tap my earpiece instead and turn away from her.

"Jacob, status."

There's a small crackling sound in my ear before his voice floods my brain.

"Aw man, you just started calling me Jake."

I snort and move my hand away from the pole as the bus comes to a stop.

"We're already here, just hiding. Hey check this out, I've hacked into the archives for files on Tanner. He doesn't have the best history with Rosker, so I'm hesitant to call them friends. Tanner was trying to have a power plant installed in some rural parts of the states, even parts that never had power before World Falling. But Rosker had rejected the plans and stopped the proposal from ever reaching the board."

Tessa narrows her eyes as we leave the bus.

"Why would he do that? Isn't the whole goal of The Society is to build a better world?," she whispers.

I shrug my shoulders as we walk down the street, avoiding eye contact with anyone for more than two seconds.

"I don't know, but that's what it says. Makes me question Rosker's motives," Jacob says.

"Well, that file is old. Maybe it's different now," she adds.

My skin pricks, and I get the feeling that we're being followed. I grab Tessa's hand and pull her along, gradually picking up the pace. The farther we walk, the more eyes I feel on me. Yet no one is staring directly at us.

"Where are you guys?," I hiss.

"Patch of trees beside a tall structure. You can't miss it, it's the only large building in this region."

Right as he finishes his sentence, I spot it. Its black exterior catches the sun and reflects off any nearby metal surface. The building twists in a never ending spiral towards the clouds. I marvel at its beauty before making my way to the trees. Jacob is hunched over his tablet while Keely and Rowan are bickering. I clear my throat as we near them.

"What is this place?," Tessa mutters under her breath.

"This is where The Society used to be stationed, our very first building. But then Moonlight got worse, and we opted for smaller buildings so we wouldn't draw a target to ourselves," Jacob says as he shuts off the tablet.

"Now it's just used by the gangs for storage and whatever else," Rowan says.

I scan the perimeter. There's no sign of any gang activity, but that doesn't mean that they're not here. We all huddle closer to the tree and wait in silence. We glace between each other, confusion and anticipation gripping us. Sweat seeps out of every pore in my body and trickles down. A hot gust of wind pulls sand up into the air and drops it on us. It's unbearably tense.