The Wanderers

Ch. 22 The Biggest Problem

Sorry about the formatting, but it won't let me indent! I know it's been forever, but here it is! I promise the next chapter will be quicker than this one!!!!!!!!!!!

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The motel room door swung open with a loud creak, slamming firmly against the wall, shaking dust from the ceiling, and leaving a dent in the opposite wall. Coby sent me a sheepish look, having put a little too much force behind opening the stubborn door. I took a tentative step inside, and shivered as the pattering of cockroaches in the walls reached my ears.

"Well isn't this quaint?" Behind me, Dove ran her fingers over the grey nightstand, only to have them come off covered in dirt and the nightstand, now a light lavender color where she had wiped it away. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I know it's not great, but it's under the radar, and it's cheap, ok?" I sighed, taking in everyone's unhappy expressions. "Besides it can't be much worse than sleeping outside."

Coby patted my shoulder supportively as the nine of us shuffled awkwardly into the little room. It was dusty and way too small for all of us, but it was heated and it was shelter. That was all we really needed.

"Well first order of business is assigning beds," I said, surveying the room for the best option. There was an armchair in one corner and two twin sized beds. "I guess the twins can sleep together in the chair as can Cheetah and Dove in one of the beds. I can take the floor, and then two more people can probably fit in one of the beds."

"I'm ok with sharing with Wolf," Charlie volunteered. "We were tent mates back at camp anyways.

I nodded in agreement. That left Jay, Coby, and I to take the floor with a couple of pillows and some spare blankets. Once everyone settled down in their designated sleeping areas, we got down to business.

"So, we really need a plan of some sort. Everyone also needs to be caught up on what's happened. This little rebellion of ours won't last long if we don't work like a well-oiled machine. Not only do we have Isaac gunning for us, but we have Dr.Rowan, who frankly, is probably our bigger problem.

"The Suppressors have never been betrayed. The only way you leave is by getting murdered, punished to death, or executed for cowardice. Up until Wolf and me, no one had the nerve to even consider turning their backs on them, so Dr.Rowan will be fuming. As for the rest of you, you could very well be considered traitors or at the very least, charged with cowardice.

"He'll probably have assassins after us by morning, which is why we need to talk now. The most important thing is for everyone to be on the same page, so let's all get caught up and then we'll make plans for later." I gave everyone a long serious look, and they all nodded in agreement.

We spent the rest of the evening piling up information. Jay and I shared our childhood stories to help them understand our sudden loyalty. I also asked Coby to lend me my journal so that I could tell everyone where they came from. He was reluctant to do so, but complied when I assured him that I would only be explaining the basics of how I found each of them. It took everyone a while to take in the fact that I had known everything about them the entire time, but after Dove nearly choked me to death and had to be pulled off by Coby, I helped them to understand that it wasn't by choice.

They eventually calmed down and accepted that I was unable to share because it would be disobeying a direct order from Dr.Rowan. I felt a tinge of guilt when I couldn't bring myself to tell them everything about themselves. I found my tongue heavy and unable to form the words even when I tried. After so many years having been controlled by the Suppressors, it was a struggle to break free from their iron grasp and disobey.