The Sector

Chapter Fourteen

"Where now?" Seth questioned. He needed to distract himself; this was all too much.

"Keep following the road," came Darbee's flat reply. Staring straight out the windshield with his face blank and his eyes somewhere far away, it appeared he was in a state of shock.

Another hour passed. There were no intersections and no more tumbles with the Officers working in the Testing Centre. The world was eerily quiet, leaving nothing for Seth to do but think.

"We can't stop," he told Darbee. "We have to keep moving, no matter what."

"We'll need to either refuel or steal another vehicle by the time we get back to the Development Centre," Darbee said. "And we'll need rest soon as well. We can't keep going like this forever."

"Refueling will take too long—we'll have to steal again. I need to find my friends and get them out of here too. If we fail, I'm not leaving them behind to become soldiers in some war. They're coming with us. They'll be able to sneak some food and water out of the Hall for us too and we can all take turns driving." 

Twenty minutes later, the Hall came into view. Seth's stomach churned. They would only have one chance at this. If something went wrong, it would all be over.

He pulled the truck over to the side of the road, turned the key in the ignition, and climbed out, pistol and journal in hand.

Darbee kept a tight, shaky grip on his submachine gun.

They kept to the tree line, staying out of sight as much as possible, advancing on the rear of the building.

Seth looked to the sun. It sat almost directly above them—noon. Everyone would be gathering in the Hall for lunch soon.

Perfect.

As they reached the back of the building, pressed up close against its side so as not to be seen, the horn sounded.

Slowly, the doors to the surrounding buildings swung open and Residents and Officers alike poured out from within, making their way in a huge mass to the Hall.

Seth and Darbee waited. Once everyone was inside the building, their chattering audible even through the thick cement walls, Seth made his move.

"Come on," whispered to Darbee, motioning.

"Where? Everyone is in there—we'll be seen," Darbee squeaked.

"We're not going to the Hall. We're going to the library."

"What? Why?"

"Because," Seth said, "that's where Addison and Bobby will be. We always hang out in the library for the first half of lunch. It's too crowded and noisy in the Hall. We get food later, after most people have finished and left. We need to be quick though, so come on."

He rushed off, hunched low just in case, with Darbee close on his heels.

The library was three buildings down, a large square block of cement, just like all the rest.

Seth wedged a window on the far side open, then pulled himself up over the ledge and inside before helping Darbee do the same. He landed with a soft thud, and almost in unison, they winced.

The two of them waited, holding their breath, for someone to come searching for the cause of the noise.

No one did.

Sighing in relief, Seth took Darbee by the arm and led him down an aisle. Books lined the shelves on either side of them.

He stopped when he heard voices.

Peeking through the gaps in the books, he saw the familiar crown of red hair atop Addison's head.

Motioning for Darbee to stay quiet, he pulled a book from the shelf, tore out a page and folded it. When he lifted the paper again, it was in the shape of a plane.

Without missing a beat, he sent it soaring in their direction. It glided through the air, coming to a halt by Bobby's feet. Halfway through her sentence, Addison was cut short.

"What's that?" she asked, squatting to pick it up.

"Here, let me see," Bobby said, taking it from her and unfolding it.

"Psst," Seth hissed through the shelving.

His friends looked up, eyes scanning the empty space.

"Who's there?" Bobby demanded.

"Psst," Seth hissed again, knocking a book gently off its shelf.

Addison's eyes fell on him first.

"Seth?!" she exclaimed, staring back at him through the rows of books. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Shh," he warned, his eyes darting around. "I'm coming to get you," he explained.

"What do you mean? Why? You're supposed to be going through your Tests," Bobby said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah... About that..."

"What? What happened?" Addison prompted before he could get another word in.

"It's a long story," Seth told her. "Right now, we have to get out of here. Do you trust me?"

"Well... Yeah, but—"

"I don't have time to explain right now. Please, guys. This is important."

"Alright," Addison said. "Alright, fine. Come on." She motioned to Bobby and they followed Seth and Darbee back to the window through which they'd snuck in.

Climbing out one by one, they rounded the building and followed Seth and Darbee's trail back to the armoured truck.

There, they explained everything that had happened. Seth showed them the journal, showed them the scratches and dents and damage from the three cars that had pursued them earlier.

It was all the proof they needed.

"What now?" Bobby asked when Seth and Darbee fell into silence.

"Now we need you to go to the Hall, get us as much food and water as you can, and we're getting the hell out of this place," Seth said.

Addison and Bobby exchanged a glance, then turned back to Seth and nodded.

"Okay," Addison said. "Let's do it."