Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

74. Kill Him.

ACE.

I was flooded with panic the second I heard the sirens. The lights in the room went red and started to flash. Josh froze in place.

"Keep working," I hissed at him. I rushed to Rowan's side, pushing past him to look out the window. The entire Academy was doused in the red glow of flashing red light, and the sky was swallowed by darkness.

"What's going on?" I whispered, leaning as far out of the window as I possibly could. I slipped a little and leant back.

"The Transporter is here," Rowan replied, his eyes cast on the sky. It was only then that I realised that the stars and moon were gone; they were covered by the biggest ship I had ever seen; like a giant metallic ceiling, shifting lower towards the earth.

"What does that mean!?" I asked, turning to him with anxiety rising inside me. Rowan laughed a little and then looked apologetic.

"Don't worry," he said, "It's not here to harm anyone. The Transporter is a ship... aircraft... thing. The Council will use it to get everyone to the Upper City. I think they want to load it up tonight."

I tried to steady my breathing. "Then we need to hurry," I determined, "Before they start looking for us."

The sirens stopped, and a robotic voice rang out through the darkness. The red lights continued to flash.

"Do not be alarmed. Please remain in your dorm rooms until you are collected by a Council Member and directed otherwise. You will follow directions promptly and without question. Stay calm, and please do not resist. We will be boarding the Transporter tonight and will be travelling to our new location. Please remain calm."

"Funny how that voice makes me the exact opposite of calm," I hissed, stalking across the room. I grabbed my talk-gadget and checked up on the others. "Tyler," I questioned, "Everyone's going off in lines, the guards are coming to the rooms, what do you want us to do?"

"Go with them," he replied suddenly, "Everything's ready, so we go in the lines to avoid suspicion, then I'll give the signal and we break out, got it? We've got the maps we need and have a clear path. Frankie?"

"Ready. Dallas?"

There was silence on the walkie-talkie. "Dallas?" I asked. There was no reply.

"Dallas, answer me!" yelled Frankie. Suddenly, a new, unfamiliar voice came through the gadget.

"Dallas is out," called the new voice, "He freaked when the sirens started; was saying how we'd all join Andy~"

Rowan grabbed his device and spoke into it harshly. "Shut up, Axel!" he barked, "Now focus. You're taking Dallas' place. Get into the lines and when Tyler gives the signal, join that group and head down the tunnel to the first turn. Follow the map we gave you earlier; you're under the Academy and you're headed all the way to the Mountain Exit. You'll merge with the other groups when you're a few kilometres out from the wall. Keep everyone together and use your comclip to say if anything goes wrong. Understood?"

"Understood," said Axel quickly.

I looked at Rowan in bewilderment. That was his friend he was yelling orders at. Well, it's not like I did anything different. At least now I knew the walkie-talkie thing was called a comclip.

"I can't talk now," came Tyler's worried voice, "I'll give the signal soon!"

There was a knock on the door. I pressed my finger to my lips, quieting the boys.

"Coming!" I called, standing hesitantly to my feet. Josh shoved his work into the corner, standing awkwardly in front of it. Rowan lounged casually on the back of a sofa. I opened the door to a guard, standing there looking frustrated.