984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I stand and join Miranda in the hall. I glance around and see that she’s alone. Where are Dana, Canton, and Bridget?

Miranda seems to read my mind and responds, “They’re waiting in the Rivie Drop-Off room.”

We walk quickly and silently through the empty halls. We don’t pass a single person on the way. Everyone else must be asleep.  I can’t imagine sleeping right now. Adrenaline pumps through me.

Miranda stops in front of a door. She presses her Notice to the door. It slides open, revealing Dana, Canton, and Bridget in quiet conversation.

Dana’s face breaks out in a big smile when she sees me, “Piper.”

She comes to hug me, “Can you imagine? We might get to see Brinn again. I’ve missed her so offie much…”

I press my lips together, thinking how Brinn could already be dead. I think the Officials would have at least mentioned her in the last message, saying whether she would be staying in the Complex or coming with us.  That would seem useless, though, if she had already been executed by the Heads.

I check my Notice.  It’s only twenty minutes past the 23rd hour. We still have forty minutes to wait.

Bridget and Canton, still not completely recovered, have to take a seat. Dana and I soon join them. Miranda stays in the room with us, checking her Notice nervously every few minutes.

I ask Miranda, “What…what are you going to tell the people here when they ask what happened to us?”

Miranda shrugs, “Most of the Nurses know since I had to get Bridget and Canton out of the Nurses’ Wing. Whether they believed me, I’m not sure. I’ll tell everyone the truth, I think.  Even if people don’t believe me, the story will always be in their minds, making them wonder, what if? Little thoughts of a possible rebellion will always be in their minds. ”

 “Another thing,” Miranda adds, “you need to take off all your Notices. They have a tracking system embedded in them that the Officials could use once they realize you’re missing.”

Dana presses a button, and her strap quickly releases.  She hands it over to Miranda.

Heat rises to my cheeks when I realize I’ve completely forgot which button to push to take off the Notice. Dana sees this quickly presses a button on the strap of my Notice to release it.

The Notice pops off and I hand it to Miranda.

Neither Canton nor Bridget have Notices, since they were still in the Nurses’ Wing.

We wait in silence, all of us too nervous to speak. I’m sure the same questions are going through everyone’s mind.  The same never-ending what ifs?

I wish I still had my Notice so that I could know what time it is, how much time was left to the agonizing wait.

Miranda checks her Notice and whispers, “Ten minutes.”

Bridget is the one who breaks the silence afterwards, “I just want all of you to know that…if for some reason I get caught by Officials, I don’t blame any of you. I’m making the choice to leave and none of you should have any guilt.  I’d rather die trying to stay alive, than live with only the anticipation for my possible death.”

Dana nods, “And, if you have the choice between saving yourself, or hopelessly trying to defend me, choose to save yourself. Then, just make someone’s life a little better for me, okay?”

Canton responds, “Be the change that I would want to be, if I don’t make it.”

I interrupt, “But, it won’t matter because the rogue Officials will get us out of there safely. We’ll be the first people to safely escape the Unknown, the Complex, and the Heads.”