Nequam

Chapter 4

Understand?" Penny asked. She stared at the group of children in front of her. They were all in their pajamas, each with a blanket filled with potatoes and bread crusts slung over their back.

They all nodded. Charlie stepped up to Penny. He held his blanket in front of him. It was filled with coal that Penny had stolen. Her blanket was filled with their food provisions.

"Alright, let's go," Penny said. She turned around and started to open the floorboard. She heard the others form a line behind her. Nobody spoke.

"One at a time, hop into the tunnel. Get out on the other side. Wait there and keep guard until everyone is out. Don't draw attention to yourselves. Go," Penny instructed. She gave the first person in line, a twelve year old boy, a little shove. Tentatively, he hopped into the hole. Penny directed the rest of the group into the tunnel, one at a time.

When all of them were in, Charlie nodded to her, his face grim.

"See you on the other side," he said and hopped in. Penny turned around and looked at the few remaining kids: two older girls and three young boys. They all tested negative for the gene.

"Last chance to follow," Penny said. They all shook their heads and looked down.

"Okay. Just don't tell anyone what happened," Penny warned. They all nodded. She knew she could trust them. All of the children in the Holding House trusted each other. They all went through the same thing, and they all knew that they should never make life worse.

Penny wasn't worried about what would happen to the kids staying behind. All of them were safe from incognitosis, and the officials did not dare hurt them. Penny guessed that the Heads would want the few safe people in Nequam to live.

Penny turned to leave, but the lights turned on. She heard pounding footsteps from the hallway, and she quickly jumped into the hole. She guessed that more officials were teleported through the P.O.R.T.A.L to collect the kids that are to be sent to the Endless March. She grabbed the floorboard above her and dragged it over the hole just as she heard a roar of fury above her.

Everyone started to run in opposite directions. Most ran away from the city. Others ran parallel to it. Charlie and Penny raced right to it.

"Why are we running to the city, again?" Charlie asked as they sprinted across the damp grass. Just as he said the words, distant shouts and explosions echoed from the brightly lit landscape.

"Because if we run the other way, we'll hit the Wall. The city is the only place with doors to get out," Penny replied and continued to run. She shuddered from the thought of the Wall. It was a giant barrier made of steel with spikes surrounding it and lining its top. It was also the only place with guards. The worst part was that it surrounded all of Nequam.

"What are we gonna do after we pass the Wall?" Charlie asked, panting.

"We have to cross the bridge to get to the Wasteland," Penny said. She looked behind her. They had been running for a few minutes by then and the Holding House was well behind them. Penny skidded to a stop and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Do you think there's a place away from the Wasteland? And away from Nequam?" Penny asked, lowering herself onto the damp grass to rest. Charlie shrugged.

"There might be." They both stayed silent for a while, breathing deeply.

"Alright. Come on, we can't sit here all night," Penny said after a moment and started to run towards the city. Charlie followed her.

They said nothing while they ran. The only noise in the area was the muffled thudding of their footsteps and the biting wind. Penny turned toward the horizon as she ran. The sky was turning a lighter shade of grey. The world around them started to awaken as the sky finally became white. Small brown mosquitos started to flee from Penny and Charlie as they kept running. Birds flew above them, high enough to avoid the suffocating smog in the sky, but low enough to be visible to those who wanted to look.