Renegade

Chapter nineteen

As they got closer, he managed to get a better look at them: black uniforms and utility belts from which hung a baton, a tranq handgun and no doubt the small oval suppressor device.

It took all of Makoto's willpower no to bolt right there and then. He discreetly nudged Amanda instead, leading them down the first street he found. The CS patrolmen didn't seem to notice them.

He stopped in front of the first house, surrounded by a wooden fence that conveniently hid them. He leaned over, covertly observing the pair stationed next to the bridge. Were they on a break or on guard duty? He got his answer when a blue Sedan pulled up, stopping by the men.

The driver rolled down his window and presented them with a document Makoto couldn't make out. They exchanged a couple of words before the car was let through.

"Dammit," he swore, turning away from the scene.

He anxiously pulled on his lower lip, racking his brain for a solution. Orhaven, the previous city they had stayed in, didn't have agents standing guard, so getting in and out had been a breeze. It had been a bout of bad luck that they had been spotted. If they had people watching the entrances and exits of the town, chances were that security was even tighter inside.

Amanda was leaning against the fence next to him, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, a small frown marring her brow. He didn't particularly want to end up trapped in there, but at the same time, they couldn't stay here. Daylight was slowly chasing the cover of darkness away and more and more early risers drove by them.

A woman passed by in a red Smart, throwing them a curious glance from behind her rectangular glasses. They couldn't stand here, they looked suspicious.

He grabbed Amanda's hand and led her further down the street, casting surreptitious glances behind him. His injury burned in a needless reminder of what had happened the last time they confronted the CS.

Right now, they had two options: turn around and head back to the forest or find an alternate way into town. Option one was unappealing because all of their camping and nature-related knowledge was limited to the couple of times they had set up a tent in Amanda's backyard.

They had wandered for days in the forest before stumbling across this area. Even if they found a map of the region, he still wouldn't be able to navigate them through the thick vegetation.

Option number two came with its own set of complications. They had no idea what the inside of the city was like, the density of AW population or the level of security. They also didn't know if there was any other way in beside the bridge.

He hadn't seen what was underneath it, but he assumed it was a river. How wide? How deep? Could they cross it without getting caught?

Makoto heaved a frustrated sigh, his hand unconsciously tightening around Amanda's. He hated having to make all these decisions.

Amanda was free-spirited and carefree, not to mention too busy with keeping her immense power in check, so problem-solving wasn't something she dwelt on. As for him, well he didn't have the makings of a leader and it showed.

Another car drove by and he made sure to avoid making eye contact. How long until one of the passersby mentioned the suspicious pair to the guards?

Scanning the street, Makoto found a narrow passage between two houses, built for pedestrians. They stepped onto the small path of cobblestones that led them to the street perpendicular to the bridge.

They remained hidden, Makoto casting a furtive glance around the stone wall of a house. He could still see the two agents waving cars through, but they were some distance away. Swiveling his head the other way, he saw nothing but the street leading straight ahead, houses dotting one side and wild vegetation the other. It would have to do.