Shards

chapter 25

“Ian!” I yelled, praying desperately that he would be able to free himself.

Behind me, I heard a commotion, but didn't turn around. I could stop once I reached the edge and check if he was following me. Tearing down a piece of hanging moss as I ran, I burst out onto the edge. Just two more steps! I felt the hand around my wrist, and before I even had time to process I was on my stomach. Lukas dug the toe of his boot into my back.

Where was Ian? Spitting out the unpleasant mouthful of dirt, I struggled to push myself up onto my elbows. The pressure of his foot did not lesson, yet he made no move to bind my hands. Twisting my head as far as possible, I prepared to make my case.

“Please Luke, just give us a chance! You know what it's like in the Compound. You had to go through it. I know it worked out well for you, but can't you let us make our own decisions?”

For a second the ghost of a smile played across the young man's face. Then, he slammed my face back into the dirt.

It was like the jolt set the world on fast forward, and I got to take a step back and watch as the scene moved forwards. Now in my right mind, I could truly see the foolishness of my twelve-year-old self. This naivety went far beyond the fact that I believed I could swim across the ocean. I'd felt safe around Lukas back then. Well, as safe as I could feel around one of the kings of the robots.

I watched as Ian and I were thrown in the back of the trucks and brought back to our prison of a home. Although this escape attempt had been a failure—like all the ones before it—it had left us with something we hadn't had before; information. We were on the coast. We were somewhere hot enough to allow a jungle, and near a body of water large enough to create waves. From that point forwards, we were going to have to take into account the ocean. Unless we wanted to work our way along the coast, we were going to have to go in the other direction.

That dream had been informative. Every bit of information on the Compounds' location was priceless. If we only knew where it was... The rest of this investigation would be unneeded. I became aware that someone was sitting on my bed. Surprisingly, no panic accompanied this revelation. I was content to just lie their with my eyes closed; having no desire to learn my visitor's identity. It was like my subconscious already knew.

“I know you're awake.” Ian's voice finally pulled my eyelids open.

“And good morning to you too.” I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

With nothing but a smile, he hopped off the bed and retrieved my crutches; handing them to me wordlessly.

“I didn't know we were in such a rush.” I accepted them with a raised eyebrow.

He shrugged. “I just remember how you always hated being the last one to wake up.”

“Am I?”

“Nah, Julian's still out cold.”

Taking a quick look around the hotel room, I noted that its other occupant were no longer present.

“Where'd Audrey and Emme go?” I asked him, getting to my feet.

“Just wandering the hotel. They were feeling cooped up. It was their leaving that woke me. They never did know how to sleep in.”

Ian moved away to give me some time to get ready, and I hurried through—what I could scrape together of—my morning routine. It felt good to shower, but I worried about how it effected my bandaged head. The cast was easy to deal with, but it wasn't like I could put a plastic bag over my head.