The streets are quiet, no cars or evening voices looming around the roads and sidewalks. We stride behind the houses, away from all peering eyes and security cameras set up atop every roof. Our footsteps are steady and slow, our bags slapping against our legs as we walk.
I take in the neighborhood, the one story houses all lined in a perfect row on either side. The bushes in the front all perfectly trimmed the same size. It looks as if the entire street were the inside of a mirror, reflecting one house but creating thousands more in the reflection. No light shines through any of the windows, leaving the night dark only lit by moonlight. Far off in the distance, the marble and quartz buildings stand tall, the evening clouds and stars reflected in the windows.
"How much longer?" Becca asks, falling in step next to me.
"You see that house right there with that light in the window?" I point to the only house illuminated on the vacant street. "That's where we're going."
"Oh, okay!" She says, and remains quiet for the rest of the walk.
Quinn comes to my left side, "Are you sure Mia's okay with us coming over at this hour?"
"Yes," I say.
Her and I have planned on leaving together, we had set up an entire escape plan, we just didn't know when we would be able to use it. We agreed to wait until one of us had a reason to leave, and I do now.
My heart skips a beat out of excitement as I place my foot on the first stone step. This is finally happening. I ball my fist, knocking lightly on the black painted door. Not even a moment passes when the door opens nonchalantly. Mia's face appears around the bend.
With a smile on her face, she says, "Come in."
"Thank you," I state as a small sigh escapes my lips, taking her into an embrace.
She smiles warmly, "I got your message, and our stuff is already packed."
"Our?" I hear Quinn question.
Almost as if on cue, Sam walks quietly down the stairs, taking feather steps to prevent the wood from squeaking. With two bags in hand, he strides closer to us.
"All packed," he says, setting down the bags gently.
"Oh! And I've also contacted Logan to get ready, he'll be here shortly."
Quinn comes close to my ear, surprise clear on his face, his tone dipped in what sounds like hurt, "Wait," he whispers, "You've had this planned? All of you were going to leave?"
I nod, having an idea of what he's going to ask next.
He pauses and exhales before speaking, "And you were going to do it without me if I had said no, weren't you?"
"I," I'm cut off by an easeful pound on the front door. Mia's quick to turn the knob. Fluffy white locks come into view, as crystal eyes gaze down to take in our faces.
"Hey," he says, slicking back his hair.
"Okay," Mia breathes, clasping her hands together, "Now that we're all here...we need to talk about the escape plan."
"The Patrolmen change every thirty minutes at the gate, with a five minute interim between shifts where no one is there," I say, "We will have to wait until that small time slot to go."
"How will we get there without being seen?" Sam asks, his bulky arms crossed and his brows furrowed.
"There are trees lining the area forty five or so feet away from the West gate. We can duck in the brush until they change, and once they do, we run." Mia says, making an invisible model with her hands. Sam nods.
I take a glance over at Quinn, his features still clouded over with what seems like betrayal.
All five of us have been friends since the beginning, always doing everything together, but this was the first time where we excluded someone. But I knew that if we told him about it, he would refuse, and tell us it was a foolish idea.
I can feel his gaze on me for a moment, and I begin to feel guilt, but that feeling is quickly drawn away once I'm brought back to the present.
"Madelynn, you brought the maps, right?" Mia asks, her green eyes sparkling with adventure.
"Yeah, I brought them."
"Great, well then everyone knows what to do. We need to go, now, before we miss our chance," she pauses to look at her watch, "The guards change in twenty five minutes, at one, so we need to put a little kick in our step."
She grabs her duffle, and everyone else follows suit. I grab mine and Becca's, and head towards the door.
My heart beats rapidly with motivation to get out of this place, it bounces excitedly in my chest, ready to jump out of its cage. The wind weaves through my hair, refreshing my head. The crisp air feels different for once, it doesn't feel stressed or expecting, it feels nice. After what felt like forever, we were finally presented with the opportunity to leave. The tangibility feels euphoric, triumphant.
We all walk in one large group, the only noise is our shoes slapping the concrete. We walk towards one common destination, the one exit of two out of this caged city that feels more like a prison than it does a home. The gates lie West of the city, and the Sectors lie just beyond that on a secluded section of land where a small cluster of office buildings once stood. There is about thirty or more miles between the two civilizations.
I've heard people guess what their society was like, what their living conditions were, and they all were similar.
We head under the shade of the trees, relying only on our eyes to navigate our way through to the other side. The murkiness living under the leaves feels unwelcoming, radiating the feeling like we're being watched. I step, one foot after another, avoiding all contact with dead branches and twigs. My eyes have barely adjusted to the darkness, but I can faintly see the others, their white blouses and T-shirts gleaming in the gloom, a perfect contrast.
"We're almost there, the clearing is just ahead," Logan hums, I can dimly see his finger pointing just to the left of where we stand.
Within minutes we stand at the edge of the trees, gazing out at the flat dirt in front of us. Footprints from the boots of the Patrolmen clearly visible in the loose dirt. We duck down behind low bushes, hiding ourselves from view.
I avert my gaze upward, my eyes inundated with large steel beams stretching higher than thirty feet high. Barbed wire lines the perimeter all the way down as far as the eye can see, guards every twenty feet. Guns rest in their hands, each one with a finger on the trigger, ready to fire.
"Three minutes," Mia says, anticipation in her voice.
We all remain quiet, not a single breath to be heard. If you listen closely, you can hear our rabid heartbeats. My eyes dilate as I scrutinize the gate, the tall metal doors sealed shut. Two blinking red lights shine at the top of the pillars lining each side of the doors.
That's when I saw the door Mia told about earlier when she was explaining the plan; but I hardly listened because I was too busy worrying about Quinn.
Two guards with snipers stand tall in front of each pillar, two more stand at the top of the gate.
"One minute."
We all wait in anticipation.
"Three."
I take in a deep breath, watching the guards put their guns to their sides.
"Two."
They don't move from their spots, they stay standing still.
"One."
A loud buzz comes over the area, screeching like a flock of wild birds. At that moment, all guards rhythmically begin to walk to the nearest inside building, but the Patrolmen at the top of the gates remain standing.
I look over to Mia, and realize she's staring right at them, her eyes trailing all the way up to the top of the gate. She begins to part her lips once the guards turn their back to us.
"Now."
At her word, we stand, quickly hoisting our bags securely on our shoulders and beginning our run. Sam, Mia's brother, runs ahead of us, a few feet from the door. As he reaches it, he opens the latch and holds it open for us. Quinn - who's holding Becca tightly in his arms - runs through first, followed by Mia, then Logan, then me.
As soon as I pass through the threshold, I feel free, not the kind of free I felt while running in the alleyways, but a kind of free that is indescribable. As I run I glance around at the others, who are still running, smiles and delicacies of joy clear on every face.
As we run farther from the city and closer to the trees on the other side of the meadow, loud, piercing gunfire fills the air.
"They're shooting! Go, GO!" Logan screams, peering behind his shoulder as he picks up his speed.
A sudden flutter of anxiety hits my body, adrenaline running even faster through my veins as my legs carry me across the grassy plains.
I steal a glance over my shoulder and my eyes dilate in terror as I see a large group of white bodies behind us, aiming and firing their guns at us.
"Shit! They're following us! Run and don't look back!" Sam wails.
I sling the bags into my arms, my eyes focused on my target.
"When you get to the trees don't stop running till they lose your trail!" Logan orders, everyone following.
I begin to fall behind, my legs giving out from beneath me. My breaths come out unsteadily as an agonizing pain comes from my side, but I try to ignore it.
They keep firing, the bullets landing everywhere but us, thankfully. From the corner of my eye, I see bullet after bullet fly into the bark of the trees, and I'm suddenly relieved once I make it under their cover.
I take in the surroundings, everyone else farther along than me, their white clothes slowly disappearing in the distance. I take one look back and realize I have a chance to split left off into the never ending field of thich, luscious trees.
I immediately turn, scanning the area briskly for the largest tree and narrow my eyes on one. I rush to it, ducking around the tree, hiding my body from the Patrolmen's sight. I sink down to the ground, my feet aching from the run that felt like it went on for miles.
I cover my mouth with my hand immediately once I hear their running boots come into the forest. I peer around the side, barely able to see in the darkness. Some continue running forward, while others stay behind.
They break out the flashlights, and I suddenly feel my heart stop.
"Look around, some of them might be hiding!" a Patrolman shouts to the others. I squeeze my eyes shut, my hand still tightly around my mouth.
I instantly open my eyes to the sound of a branch breaking under a boot, sounding like it came from just behind me, and I wait for the man to round the corner to find me.
I thought we would be able to escape, to get to our destination. But I guess we didn't think about the possibility of being chased, and I feel so damn stupid for not thinking about it. I just hope the rest of them make it.
I remain silent, my eyes wide with horror as the flashlight shines right beside me, my heartbeat jumping out of control. I shift my body a little to hide my shadow from the light.
"All clear!" I nearly jump out of my skin to the sound of his voice.
They all begin to retreat, walking out of the forest and back into the meadow, returning to the city. I can see their suits faintly through the trees, the city lights glinting in the distance.
I let out a soft, quiet sigh of relief, my hand dropping from my mouth, my shoulders sagging and my tensed muscles relaxing. But it doesn't last long, for a calloused hand wraps around my lips. I nearly scream into the hand, but then the owner steps around into my line of sight, and I instantly calm down.
Sam has his pointer finger lifted to his lips, telling me to be quiet. He kneels down and watches the men disappear from sight.
He puts his finger down and lifts his hand from my face, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"That was a close one," he says, a wide smile taking residency on his attractive face. He holds out his hand to help me up and grabs my bag in the process.
"Where are the others? Is Becca alright?" I question quickly.
"Relax, they're all fine. They're up ahead resting by some rocks we found to take shelter. Logan got grazed a little by one of their bullets but he'll be alright."
"What about the other Patrolmen? I saw them following you and-"
"They left, they all turned back once signaled to, over their walkies," he says calmly, and I feel another wave of relief make its way over me.
Everyone's alright, everyone's safe.
"C'mon, let's catch up to the others."
I inhale, "Okay."
***
We walked quietly along the trees, twigs and dead leaves snapping and crunching under our shoes. I stare down at the unfamiliar ground, taking in the fact that we're free, that we all made it out alive. I avert my gaze to the sound of voices, the rocks coming into view.
As soon as I walk into the circle of stones, I take in the triumphant faces and gleaming grins.
"There she is!" Mia happily sings.
She sits beside Logan, whose arm is all bandaged with clothing. Next to them is Quinn with little Becca in his lap, her eyes sagging, sleep ready to take her.
I stride to them, kneeling down in front of Becca.
"You alright?" I ask.
"Yup!" She says, squeezing the stuffy in her arms tighter to her face.
Everyone is quiet, sleep overtaking everyone else, too. But a soft voice breaks the comfortable silence.
"That was fun!" Becca joyously states.
And the whole group erupts in a fit of laughter. I myself can't help giggling.