They were almost to the ships. Alona had been watching Arlo as he was walking. He had only spoken a few times to give commands. He had killed two black-eyed men, they were barely alive. He said they must have accidentally come across the tunnels, and almost starved down there.
People had moved to the other side of the tunnel to avoid their dead bodies. Mothers covered their children's eyes as they passed.
Alona was crushed. She had admitted her feelings for him and he had ignored it.
She didn't know what she expected. They were marching towards war and she was acting like a hormonal 14-year-old girl.
"Here! We've made it to the ladders." Arlo called out.
Alona held her light up clicked it rapidly. Drew came jogging up.
He joined Arlo at the ladder, then quickly climbed up.
Alona helped usher people towards the ladder. Arlo stood on the other side of the stream of people. He hadn't looked at her only a few times. From his expression, she could tell he was all business. He was the Captain again.
They followed the last few people up the ladder.
Alona climbed out in the cave, for whatever reason she expected it to be brighter at the top of the ladder, instead, it was the same darkness. She sighed, at least now she could breathe a little better up here.
Arlo climbed up behind her. She walked towards the rest of the group. They were already moving towards their safe haven.
To her left were several large boulders. She watched as a soldier opened a small panel on the rock and typed in a passcode, suddenly the boulder flickered into a ship.
She stood stunned at what she had watched.
She tried to remember which number ship was the one she was supposed to board.
Arlo came up beside her, "That one." He said as he pointed to a ship at the end, it was number 8.
She glanced up at him and nodded.
"Look, Alona-" He began.
She could tell where he was headed, "It's fine." She said, cutting him off, she walked towards the ship.
Nadia leaned against the inside hull of the ship. Alona slung her bag into the storage compartment above her seat. She felt relieved it was no longer weighing on her.
"Hmm." Nadia said from behind her. "I see."
Alona turned, looking at her confused.
"Look, I know." She said, "You must be shaking in your boots right now."
Alona scoffed, "Yeah."
"At least now you've killed someone. You won't have to worry about that first kill anymore." Nadia said dropping down into a seat.
She had killed someone. That didn't feel right, but it was, and she was about to kill more people. Alona sat across from her, "You're right."
----
They were ordered to move to the bathhouse, two ships accompanied them. Drew and Greg were on one of the other ships, along with other soldiers.
Alona watched as Arlo's crew buckled into their seats. She stood on the lowered ramp, at the back of the ship.
She had fished her Polaroid camera out of her bag, lifting it, she snapped a picture, earning her confused looks from the crew members.
"What is that?" Vlad asked, leaning forward to see the picture coming out of the camera.
"It's a camera." She replied, showing him the developing picture.
He raised his eyebrows, watching the picture develop.
The pilots came over and examined the photograph, passing it around, so that each curious member was allowed to see.
Alona sat in her seat, preparing to buckle in.
One of the pilot's crew members returned her photograph, "Where'd you get that thing?" He asked, gesturing to the camera.
"Uh, it was given to me." She replied. It wasn't a lie.
The man nodded content with her answer, then returned to his seat.
She glanced at Arlo, expecting a look of disapproval, instead, he was half smiling at her.
She looked away confused. Tucking the picture into her back pocket, she began buckling in.
----
The ships took off, Alona was surprised at how silent they were. She remembered when the ship had flown over them in the Wastelands and remembered she hadn't heard it until it was right overhead.
As they flew Nik and Feliks began singing. Alona couldn't understand what they were saying, they were singing in a different language, but she laughed at their goofy faces. Even Nik was smiling, which was shocking. It made sense, though, this big scary Volkov excited to kill people.
They landed near the bathhouse, they were far enough away from the castle that they would remain undetected. They were allowed to leave the ship but were to remain close.
Alona walked around outside. In the distance, she could see the lights from the castle. She climbed up a boulder to get a better look. At the top she sat down, it was strange to see the light in the distance, it reminded her of the sun.
Arlo climbed up the boulder and sat beside her.
"Looks like a weird sunrise." She whispered.
He half smiled. She wondered if he remembered what a sunrise looked like.
----
They gathered around the ship. It had been hours since they landed.
Alona's stomach growled. She had been nibbling on the jerky she had packed.
She watched as the crew members sparred with each other. Drew was inside the ship, listening to the radios, waiting for the word to be sent that the civilians were safe inside the bathhouse. His first in command was leading the ground troops. They were already in place, underneath the castle.
A report came in that the tunnels were ridden with the diseased people. Apparently, that was where the King had decided to dump them.
They waited for the civilians to report back. Alona hoped they were safe.
Alona glanced inside the ship, Greg was pacing back and forth across the ship. She was relieved he wouldn't be involved in the actual fighting. He was a little upset but Drew convinced him it was for the benefit of the Rebellion.
Alona assumed he meant that Greg would take his place if anything happened to Drew.
Arlo had cleaned his rifle, he was currently cleaning Alona's rifle, with intense concentration. Pasha sat crouched beside Vadik, she had braided her hair. Nadia's hair, like always, was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Alona thought of her sloppy bun.
She pulled the leather band from her hair, allowing it to fall around her face. She tried to put it back up, but pieces kept falling out.
Pasha looked at her and smiled, "Want me to braid it?" She asked.
"I was just going to throw it up, just a little tighter." She laughed.
"Here." Pasha said, walking over, "Let me."
Nadia watched as Pasha gave Alona boxer braids, two french braids, one on each side of her head.
"Thanks." Alona said when Pasha was finished.
Pasha sat beside her, "It's nice to have someone who doesn't threaten your life when you touch their hair." Pasha looked at Nadia and rolled her eyes.
Nadia responded by raising an eyebrow, then pointing at her wife her knife. They both smiled.
It made Alona uncomfortable how happy everyone seemed. She wondered if every mission was this way, jokes and laughs beforehand then utter seriousness afterward. She assumed this was their way of masking their emotions.
She stared at Arlo. She shouldn't have told him until after the war.
----
"Listen up!" Drew's pilot, Jerr yelled.
Everyone stood, gathering around the ship.
"Orders are in. Lift off in 10 minutes." He pointed to Drew, "You know the plan. Remember what we're fighting for." He paused, looking over everyone's faces, "We fight for freedom. We fight for those who have died because of tyranny. We fight for the future!" His short speech worked.
Shouts of agreement came from the crowd.
"Now!" He yelled, "Let's go kill a king!"
----
Sawyer :)