The Renegade

Chapter 27

Part Two: The Outskirts

The wind whips through the emergency door in the side of the helicopter as I cling to Elz. We hold each other as tight as we can, shaking from the icy cold that cuts through our thin clothing. I thought escaping to the tundra was a good idea, but my confidence is fading. Audra huddles a few feet away from us. Does she regret her choice? She gave up everything to save our lives, but why? What can life outside of Domus offer her?

But she made her choice, and she's about to land in the middle of the tundra as a result. The plane starts to lower to the ground and I grit my teeth to keep them from chattering. My brother died because he was left outside like this, and I nearly died when Luk carried me to the Domus outpost. Now we can't return to Domus or the Civilization.

"Get down!" Luk shouts as the plane hovers over the snow. The others may be able to jump ten feet and land softly, but I can't.

The helicopter lowers, the thrum of the rotating blades overpowering in my ear. We all stand up, clutching each other and the edge of the door to keep from falling out. We have a few bags of supplies that one of Ior's friends stowed in the helicopter, but other than that, we're on our own out here. The dome glitters in the distance, the only sign of what we leave behind. Will I ever go back? I hope not.

"Go!" Luk yells, and Ryke jumps out with Hayl, followed by Tali and Audra. "Elz and Orrick!" he yells and they jump too. Elz falls when she lands, rolling a few feet away.

"Ready?" Luk shouts, turning towards me. He carries Ila, her arms wrapped around his neck, but he still offers me his hand.

I nod and grimace as I stand and limp to the door. Luk squeezes my hand and I grit my teeth. I can do this. We made it out of here alive, and a jump from a helicopter isn't going to stop me.

"Let's go!" he yells and pulls me after him. For a second, we're airborne and the cold wind is carrying us. Then I collide with the ground and my legs give out beneath me. Strafe. Snow seeps between my thin jumpsuit and my skin and envelopes me in cold.

"Are you okay?" Luk asks. He managed to land on his feet, both he and Ila dry and untouched. With one arm, he helps me up and I stagger to my feet, icy tendrils covering my skin. My leg screams in pain.

"I'm f-fine," I chatter, wrapping my arms around myself.

We gather in a tight circle and Orrick digs into one of the bags to get an elk pelt for me and Elz. I tug the corners around my shoulders as the two of us huddle together. The mangy pelt blocks the icy wind, but goosebumps still sprout on my skin.

Ryke stands a few feet away from us, arms crossed. "So what's the plan now that you got us kicked out of Domus?" he asks me.

"K-kicked out? We had to leave, we didn't have a choice!" I exclaim between chattering teeth.

"Not if you'd let Domus use the gas on the Civilization," Ryke says, and we all fall silent. "It's not like you saved anyone anyways."

My shoulders slump. He's right--for all we know, Father Paul's bombs might have been just as effective as the gas would have been. Everyone could be dead by now.

"Just shut up, Ryke," Luk bites. "I have a plan."

I turn towards Luk in surprise. After Father Paul told him that the Civilization was behind the virus, I thought he would shut down, but he hasn't. He squares his shoulders and gazes up at the sun, his hand shielding his eyes like a visor.

"I know a place we can go, at least for a little while," he says, grabbing one of the packs and slinging it over his shoulder. "But we have to get moving before hypothermia sets in. Our pilot was a friend of Ior's, and he made sure we were dropped nearby."