The car journey to the centre of the Silver City was quite uneventful, aside from being shoved between the gap between the front seats and the back seats in fear of being seen. I was glad to see Calleigh again, because I felt like I needed someone who I trusted, and she needed someone who was going to protect her. Despite our social class differences, I did trust her. The warmth in her eyes and the way she delicately moved proved that she had no coldness in her heart.
Although I was glad to see her, we weren't allowed to talk to each other. The car ride was in silence, with only the blaring of sirens in the distance and the cars beeping angrily in frustration and fear to keep us company. I was low down in the car, but I could just about see the top of cars from the window, and I noticed that nearly everyone was going in the opposite direction. Surely someone would notice if we were the only ones going into the City?
Next to me, I felt Calleigh's body begin to shake and I saw her face crumpled like a piece of paper as she tried not to cry. I gently tapped her on the shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. She looked up and tried to smile bravely, but a tear escaped her right eye. I kept my face placid and shook my head to tell her that she can't cry; the guards would see it as a possibility of the plan going wrong and might hurt her.
Suddenly, the car swerved to a direct left and our bodies lurched to the side, followed by the swearing of one of the guards - probably the driver. The sirens from the distance seemed to be nearer now, and we were picking up pace. I saw the guards exchange worried looks and I noticed how terrified Calleigh looked, and how small she was with her body crammed against two seats.
"Get out when we tell you to," the guard from the passenger seat turned around and addressed me. "Both of you." Yet he refused to look Calleigh in the eye. It was for the better anyway; her face was buried beneath her hands as she tried to recover herself. "And take these." He handed me an ear piece, which he gestured to immediately put in my ear. At once, half of my hearing was transported to somewhere else - somewhere with other voices ready to command me. He also gave me a large, cliche red button that I noticed wasn't connected with any wires.
We were still speeding along the roads, but I was too scared to sit up properly and see where we were. From what I could see, we were getting closer to the centre of the City. Was this really going to happen? The buildings towered over our car, and I realised that I could no longer see any rooftops from the cars. We were all alone, lost in the dead of the City.
Why couldn't anybody see us? Why wasn't anyone stopping us? None of this made any sense.
I could understand why the City was quiet; everyone had evacutated after Calleigh got told to say what she was going to do, but why weren't there any police chasing after us, trying to stop us?
The car took another rapid turn and I saw a flash of blue light in the windows of one of the buildings. Oh. Maybe they were.
"We're going to take another turn, and then you're going to get out," he said through gritted teeth.
Calleigh raised her head and nodded. Fortunately, her eyes weren't as red as they were and the way the light was didn't show off her tear-streaked face as well it could have. I nodded too.
We took another turn, weaving in between buildings and down a road that seemed quieter - or would have been quieter, if there were more people around. The car pulled to an abrupt stop and the doors flung open without us having to touch them. We clambered out as the guards pushed us hastily.
"Go in there!" was the last thing I heard him say.
The doors slammed shut and the car made a smooth 180 turn back onto the main road. They must have lost the police car or whoever were chasing us quite successfully, as there didn't seem to be anyone in persuit. Before watching the car disappear, I grabbed Calleigh's hand and led her inside the building that the guard had pointed to.
It was over thirty storeys high and looked just as smart as the rest of the buildings around it. Does it have any link to the Rebellion, or is it just a random building?
My gut told me it had a slight link to the Rebellion, but it couldn't have been too important for them, as they were going to blow it up.
I pushed the revolving doors and looked around, expecting someone to be there, waiting for us - whether a friend or a foe. Although what was the difference? Regardless, no-one was there and I stood for a second, frozen. Calleigh did the same.
"Can you hear me?" A loud, piercing voice echoed in my brain, making me sure I was hearing voices. I remembered about the ear piece the guard gave me.
"Uh," I replied. Could she hear me? "Yes?"
"Good. Go to the top of the building. Take the stairs."
I looked around blindly, frantic to find the stairs. Calleigh registered my sudden panic and stared at me, completely confused. She too remembered the ear piece and the expression on her face calmed slightly, but the image of her shaking and sobbing was still fresh in my mind. She had to get out of this alive - I had to make sure of that.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a staircase and I grabbed Calleigh's shoulder to alert her. She ran after me, seeing the staircase and understanding.
And we sprinted, up countless stairs until our sides hurt and our breath was lost, stolen by the smell of destruction that was waiting for us in the near future. I knew that no matter how fast we ran or how many rests we took, I would never get my breath back again.
