I couldn't get over the fact that Violet could read my mind. Just like that. I should have been happy for her...but I just couldn't find it in me. I plastered a fake smile onto my face. "Freddy just pinged me. I'm gonna meet with him at the construction site."
My sister nodded. "I know where that is," she said. "Don't worry, I'll just stay here and keep watch. You can trust me." She shot me a glare. She was still angry at me for doubting her capabilities.
Grabbing a small backpack, I headed out of the hideout. Since Freddy was a Medic, he often came by to the West Quarter on patrols. The Government had to up the amount of patrols since a lot of dirty stuff happened in our Sector. Some people would do a lot to get their hands on money.
It was not a long way to the construction site. It had been under construction for about a month now, and it was almost finished. The Government had ordered for a small building to be built near the border between the Upper and West Quarters. That's all Freddy told me when I asked him what it was for. I wasn't even sure that he knew what the building was for. Regardless of his knowledge, he always had to accompany the Builders every few days. Quite a lot of accidents would happen at construction sites, anyway.
Freddy was a trusted Official of the Government. His respected status meant that he could get his hands on some Biobags without arousing suspicion from the other Officials. They were a very cheap resource for rich people, anyway. My hands rubbed together in anticipation. We would trade the Biobags that Freddy passed to us for cash. That alone could pay for our food.
I rounded a corner, passing through the market. The smoke rose, turning the sky a dusty shade of grey. I coughed, and the thought of me being sick returned to me. I held my breath until I'd passed the smoke. I really didn't want to get sick, as the bills for medical assistance would be very high. We couldn't afford something like that, especially not in our current state.
The aroma of the delicious food cooking in the market stalls made my stomach rumble. I hadn't eaten for a while and it was taking its toll on me. I told myself that I would get some food soon.
I imagined Violet being taken by the Government, just like our parents were. Kicking at the Guards with defiance, and screaming at them to let her go. However much I resented her mind-reading powers, I loved her all the same. Tears sprung to my eyes and I wiped them away roughly. My love for my younger sister filled me with renewed purpose.
Standing in the shelter of an old building, I checked my Messenger. The message from Freddy popped up onto the cracked screen, filling me with joy.
Meet me at the construction site. I promise it's nothing dangerous - they're almost finished there. You'll see a back door of the building. Just go through there and I'll meet you in the small room on the left.
I didn't get to see Freddy very often and I was always looking forward to our meetings. He would contact me through my Messenger - I was so lucky to have one. I would usually hide it under my sleeve because I couldn't be seen with one on the streets. Most West Quarter citizens couldn't even afford one; Freddy managed to scrape one off the shelves for me. It was cracked and it had been left by someone that didn't want it anymore.
My purposeful footsteps echoed as I started walking down a dirty alleyway. I'd seen the construction site before - I knew too well where that was. I was on my way to one of the most guarded places in the West Quarter. I reminded myself that I couldn't get caught.....I needed to get back with food for Violet.
From all my years of travelling the streets, I knew that the Officials were scattered around the West Quarter, but I had never seen so many of them in one area. They started crowding this spot about a month ago.
The building under construction with its great metal walls greeted me. I stepped through the back door of the construction site. No one saw me as I slipped into a small unused room of the building. As I waited for my friend to meet me, I wondered what the construction site would be used for. Us West Quarter citizens didn't get regular updates from the Government. A wave of bitter resentment washed over me momentarily.
Freddy was right - it looked like they would be finished with this construction site quite soon. Some of the signs have been taken down and they have started transporting things over. When I thought about it, it looked like a building made to hold something dangerous. Why else would they need metal walls? I suddenly felt the urge to leave, and relief rushed over me as Freddy opened the door.
"Hey," he said. "I brought you this." Freddy passed a few Biobags to me.
I accepted them gratefully. "Thank you, Freddy." I looked up at him and in his eyes, I could see his love for Violet and me.
My heart felt warm inside. It had been a while since we had gotten help from anyone.
The Biobags looked like nothing much, but to me they were everything. They were very expensive to make and usually, only Upper Quarter citizens could afford them. It sounded crazy when I thought that my sister Violet and I had been living off Biobags. But it was what had gotten us so far.
I was usually the one that would get the food for Violet and me. Violet was too young to go out by herself. She would stay in our hideout. Violet said that I was overprotective......but all I was doing was trying to keep her safe. Our parents were taken from us when we were so young and I would do anything to keep Violet safe. In all honesty, she was what kept me going these days.
These days, Biobags were used to carry the belongings of people. I'd heard of a time when people had this thing called plastic, back in the Old Age. They used it to make their bags and even their technology. Scientists created Biobags because we needed a solution for pollution in the City. Pollution that our ancestors made us clean up. Our past ancestors were not very clever, according to our elders. Apparently, they threw rubbish into their Marine Resources. Imagine that! What a waste. Even the thought of that made me shake my head in disgust. After the Great Destruction, there was barely anything left on the Earth but polluted seas, dead bodies and a lack of trees. Science was what saved us.
Violet and I had very few memories without Freddy - he had always been there for us both. We liked to think of him as our uncle, but biologically he wasn't related to us. He used to be a friend of our parents.
Freddy cleared his throat. "Things are very bad in the Upper Quarter. Have you been told?"
Confusion hit me. No? We never received updates from the Government anyway. I shook my head.
The Medic's face was pale. "The Government really wanted to win the War. So much that they ordered their Scientists to concoct a deadly Virus to kill their Soldiers. I've heard rumours that it's the deadliest--"
"Frick," I muttered, interrupting him. "For real? How could they do that? That's crazy!"
"And that's not the worst of it," Freddy said. "I just found out that they're bringing the Virus to this building after the construction has been completed. This is a giant metal storage chamber for the world's deadliest Virus."
I was speechless. I wanted to get away from this building as quickly as possible. But I willed myself to finish this conversation with Freddy. "That's insane," I breathed.
"Yes," Freddy agreed. "That's why I was going to tell you that we need to arrange a new meeting spot. I won't be needed for patrols here anymore, since the construction will be complete tomorrow or the day after. Where do you suggest we meet?" He looked at me inquiringly.
I had an idea. "What about the trash station? It's not the best spot...but if they catch you there then you can just say that you got a fake alarm and you were checking it out. You could say that you were just doing your job."
Freddy brightened. "Yes! That's a great idea!" He quickly quietened, realising that he was speaking too loudly. We heard some bangs just outside the closed door of the room. Freddy and I both crouched down low to avoid being seen. After Freddy made sure the coast was clear, he ushered me out. "It's not safe here anymore, Alan. Promise me that you won't come back?" He held my stare seriously. "You can't come here anymore."
"Alright," I said reluctantly. I wanted to watch them unload the Virus tanks into the building. Freddy must have heard the reluctance in my voice because he said, "If you do that, then I promise I'll bring along some candy the next time I meet you."
Ah, he knew my weakness. I nodded eagerly and he let me sneak back outside. Candy was scarce in the West Quarter. Even a small candy was so rare. We considered it a once-in-a-lifetime treat. I felt guilty because I'd had candy three times in my life. Violet too. We had just the luck of our lives when we found a bag of unopened candies in the trash, at the trash stations. I had a feeling that it had been thrown out by accident.
I snuck around the perimeter of Guards spaced around the construction site. After many visits, I noticed that there was a weak spot in the chain of men. Two of them hardly paid attention and luckily for me, they were right next to each other. I could easily hide in the bushes while they were watching, then sneak past them when they started dozing.
I did exactly that, and once again I was hit by a wave of pride. I managed to sneak past again. I allowed a small moment of satisfaction at their obliviousness. I was sneaking into the most heavily guarded place in the whole West Quarter without getting caught.
I was so pleased with my success and I was totally on cloud nine about it. I never realised that there were two people stalking me at this very moment.