The screams.
That’s the worst part of it all.
As my dagger pierced his flesh, he screamed. Loud and piercing. Either in a cry for help or to block out the pain flashing through his body.
Either way, I didn't care.
It’s the least they deserved.
I crouched in front of our prisoner; my feet almost slipped on the blood. His face was a mess, not as perfect as it was. No longer a perfect solider.
“I won’t ask again, what attack are they planning?”
I saw his lip curl, spitting out blood. “I’ll never tell you."
My own lips curved into a smile, yanking the dagger out of his leg. “Tell me, or you lose the eye. See I don’t care what happens to you once I’ve finished. The big question here is if you tell me what I need to know, and I’ll make it quick and easy. Or you don’t and I’ll keep going until there is nothing left to salvage. Your choice."
This time he blanched at my words, I slowly stood up, moving my knife closer to his eye until it was inches away. My grip was steady as his half-shuttered eyes stared back at me.
“You have three seconds. Three. Two-”
“Okay!” He quickly shouted, pure fear gripping that one word. “Okay, I’ll tell you what you need to know."
“Good, tell me."
And he does so. I learnt that there was a team of ten soldiers, heading for the current compound and it was likely they would be here in just two hours. That was okay, we would be long gone by then.
“Thank you for your cooperation."
Then I pulled out the gun at my side and shot him square between his eyes. He was dead instantly. I sighed as I observed the scene, my own clothes a bloody mess. It was always a tricky matter to deal with it but at least we got what we needed. Leaving the room as it was, and for the next soldiers to find, I made my way up from the basement and went straight to the room I occupied.
Hastily, I pulled on fresh clothes, burning my old ones. I grabbed my bag and filled it with my knives and the little food and water we had. We were often scarce these days. Walking back into the main room of the house we were in, those Rebels with me took note of my bag.
“We’re leaving?” Asked one, I think his name was Thomas. He was new to the group, and I could see the slight nervousness in his eyes. I wasn’t stupid, I knew some either feared or hated me. The rest knew it was what was needed to be done.
We were not the enemies.
“We are. Pack up and let’s go."
The word quickly spread amongst the group of twenty and they were as efficient as me in their packing, as I said, we did not have a lot of personal belongings to say the least. In just less than ten minutes, we were moving.
It was mid-summer and the sun blared down on us, a lovely consequence of global warming. Another greedy act in humanity, but at least this didn’t just affect us.
I walked at the front of the pack; the others close behind me but not close enough that they had to walk with me. There were groups, people that had found friends along the way and they tended to stay that way if possible. I pulled out my radio,
“Anyone there?”
Instantly a female voice sounded through the radio, “Kier? What’s going on?”
“We’ve been forced to move. Group of ten heading to our hideout. We’re going to go three miles south. To hideout eight, we’ll need to cross seven of the list."
“Copy that."
I knew the others will have heard the message but not had the time to reply. In total there were the four of us, each of us in charge of a group of the Rebels as the Elites liked to call us. More of a survival instinct than anything else, it kept us separated and if an attack was to occur, then it wouldn’t kill all of us. Just that one group.
Technically, I was the leader of the Rebels, but Raven, Kaleb and Eris were just as important as me. They ensured their groups survival and the ‘Inferiors’ as a whole.
God, how I hated that word.
Used as if we were lower than them, as if we had any less value. But there would come a day when they would regret their actions against us. And when that day happened, I would make them beg on their knees for mercy.
What occurred back at hideout seven would just be the start of what I would do to every person in the government. As for the rest of society, I’d make them work like dogs like they made some of us do.
There would be no retribution.
For a good hour, we walked under the burning sun, not daring to stop for a break. We just couldn’t risk it. The rest of the country had become a waste ground, buildings not blown apart by the bombs all that time ago were left lifeless. Any nature had suffered without the care it needed and again the earth’s climate was messing it up. We often stopped to loot buildings for any supplies we might need but most had been cleared out long ago, either by us or the government.102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSYlPs9Rfk
Winding our way through streets and cities, down empty motorways, we reached the compound. A couple of year ago the four of us had pretty much walked our way down the country until we found the safehouses. There was about twenty-five in total, the further from the Elite cities it got. Our chosen safehouses were usually abandoned warehouses or homes that were big enough to house us, sometimes we went for simple ones in rows of houses to keep us hidden. All had been prepicked, stashed with supplies for when we arrived.
If we needed too.
Raven was currently in nine, a half an hour walk east. Kaleb was at ten, an hour south-west and then Eris at eleven, an hour and a half away south. It was important to know where everyone was, made it easier to run and to keep coordinated.
In fact, in just a couple of hours we would be meeting to discuss today’s attack plan. This one had taken a couple of days and a lot of thought; I had no doubt that the Elites were currently restless.
That thought alone delighted me.
We reached the front doors, and I raised my hand. “Wait here."
This safehouse I believe was set up around two or so years ago, one of the later ones as we worked our way down the country, but there was always the chance someone else was holed up here. And we need to be prepared. So, I pulled my gun out and quietly entered the house.
It was completely dark, expect for a few open windows. The house seemed quiet, still, as if someone hadn’t lived here for a long time. I kept my breathing still, waiting for any signs of life. Just as I was about to call out that it was safe, I heard a crash from upstairs.
Someone was here.
I was no on guard as I moved up the steps, the gun aimed. It was darker up here, no sign of light. Pulling out my flashlight, I used my free hand to aim it, resting it under my gun occupied hand. The hallway before me lit up but I was yet to see who was living here. I creeped slowly, trying to ensure I didn’t create any sudden signs. All doors were closed expect one, the door slightly ajar.
Either he was stupid or forgot to do it in the panic.
Moving closer to the door, I lightly pushed it open with my feet. I peeked my head around the door, shining the light around the room. There was a bed, with a bag half open on it. Likely, he had tried to grab something maybe a weapon.
“Hello?” I called out.
No response, the room suggested he could either be hiding in the closest or in the en-suite bathroom. Either one was possible.
“I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not with the government."
Silence.
Good, he wasn’t dumb enough to fall for their traps.
I smiled. “Down with the Elites."
It had become a symbol for the Rebels, created by Sara Quinn, a woman famous for starting the revolution. Honestly, it wasn’t that a good line to go with, but it was good enough. And only we knew it.
Instantly, I heard movement behind me and was surprised to see that he had hidden behind the door, so I had my back to him, and he could strike me from behind.
I shone the flashlight at the figure, and I discovered it was a boy, a gun in one hand, a knife in the other one. His eyes were narrowed, watching me closely.
“Who the hell are you?”
I smiled, I liked him already. “Kieran Nox, at your service."
Surprise flashed across his face, wariness setting in. “As in the Kieran Nox, the leader of the revolution."
Huh, I was more famous than I thought. “That’s right. Now can you put the knife down?”
The boy did so but didn’t let it go, in fact he was gripping it tighter. Good, he wasn’t so easily fooled. You couldn’t trust people in this world anymore, even me. “Why are you here?”
“This is one of our safehouses, our last one got overrun. Now I have about twenty people outside so I’m going to be inviting them in. Wait here, we need to have a talk,” I explained, but then I remembered the group outside and I needed to let them in.
I started to stalk towards the door but before I left, I threw him a smirk. “Oh, and don’t think about leaving. You don’t want to face the consequences, do you?”
With that, I left him and pulled the group inside. They almost looked relieved to see me, despite how they felt.
“I have someone upstairs to deal with, get a bit more light in here. It’s too dark even for me."
They did as instructed, some older ones of the groups already knowing how to ensure everything was up to speed and set for my taste. I did hate the dark, ever since I could remember.
Well, ever since that night.
I made my way back up the steps and into the room, where the boy was still there. He was now stood in the middle of the room, almost pacing.
“You’re acting like I’ve caged you like some animal."
He glared at me, his gorgeous smile tightening. “Well, haven’t you? You threatened me that if I left you would kill me or worse. I’m not an idiot, I know the reputation that proceeds you."
I smirked. “How exciting. What’s your name?”
The boy hesitated. This was clearly going to take a while, none of the others had been like this. So stubborn about just talking. Usually, they were filled with relief to find other survivors, to have a group to stick with them. Evidently, he did not share this view and he had heard of me, so he had no intention of seeking more or anyone else out.
“We don’t have all day, I’m not going to bite."
He finally sighed, “Fine. It’s Lukas."
Right. “Okay, Lukas what?”
“I have no last name."
I snorted, he just wanted to make it difficult for me. There was no indication that he wanted to do anything rather than keep as much to himself as he could. “Everybody has a last name Lukas, even me."
“Well, I don’t,” He snapped. I had touched a nerve, that could be useful for me in the future.
“Fine, don’t tell me. I’m assuming you were alone, surviving on your own?”
Lukas nodded, “Okay. Well, you’re part of our group now. There are three other groups out there. All with similar sized groups, their leaders will be meeting up with me today."
“What if I don’t want to join?” He suggested.
I laughed out loud at his words, what an idiotic stance to take. “You do. Because otherwise you will struggle to survive on your own, and you know it."
Lukas fell silent, he knew that he had no argument against it. “Fine. I’ll join."
I smiled, observing the boy stood in front of me. He was very cute, I had to admit. Faded blonde hair, blue eyes, stunning lips.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the group."
Lukas followed after me and when we set foot downstairs, all eyes turned to him. “This is Lukas, welcome him to the group. I have things to deal with."
Right about now, the others would start to turn up, depending on how long it took them to get here and if they ran into any trouble along the way. Scoping out the rooms, I settled on arguably the biggest room for our meeting today. In the middle of the room laid a table, how convenient. And useful.
Setting it upright, I attempted to remove the rubble. When it all kicked off ten years ago, the government had bombed a lot of cities. Warnings and to try and ensure that no Inferiors could survive here. They should have done a better job at doing it, because it had not worked in their favour.
I had just finished setting out the plans upon the table when there was a knock on the door. Turning, I found it was Lukas of all people.
“A girl has arrived."
I nodded, “Thank you."
We made our way down the stairs, and I found Raven standing in the middle of the room, her golden-brown skin bathed by in the light streaming through the windows. Raven looked as beautiful as I remembered, maybe even more so in the few months that had passed.
Her grin was bright as we met and hugged. “It’s great to see you again Kieran. It’s been a long time,”
“It has, how is your group?”
Raven sighed; something must have gone down. Something not good. “We’ve lost a couple, too close for comfort calls with soldiers."
My face twisted into a frown; this could be an issue. If they got to close to someone, took them and got any information- we would all be screwed. And we couldn’t let that happen now, not after all we had been through.
“We’ll deal with it. As long as you are okay.”
Raven chuckled, “I always am."
I had missed her; I had forgotten what it was like to smile. To have a joke and not feel a constant weight on my shoulders. It was exhausting.
“Come, take a seat. It might take a while till the others come."
As we entered the main room, the group milled but a few looked at us. Their gazes questioning and nervous, they had yet to meet Raven or the rest of the group. If they were nervous around Raven, then they would be terrified around Eris.
For a moment we were quiet, watching the world around us. I spotted Lukas walk into the room, my attention snagging on him. I heard a snort next to me and looked at Raven confused.
“What?”
She shook her head, smiling. “I’ve just noticed that you’ve stared at that boy ever since he walked into the room."
I rolled my eyes, “Shut up."
“Why? I mean have you been with anyone since well before you became leader- boy or girl?”
I sighed, of course I hadn’t, I barely had time to breathe these days. “No. Not anyone. I think my last one was a boy, don’t remember who though."
It was true. Unlike some people, I didn’t care who I was with. Boy or girl. Even more so now because there was no judgement, nothing to lose and it was simply attraction and love. Could you believe it, a time like this and I was thinking about a stupid concept such as love?
“Well, he seems cute enough, I’d go for him."
I watched him again, talking to Sofie. He certainly was.
There were loud knocks at the door and before either of us could move, in walked Kaleb and Eris.
“Boys, good of you to finally show up,” Greeted Raven as she moved swiftly, pulling them into quick hugs.
“We would have been here sooner if Eris hadn’t been so grumpy."
The wicked smile Eris gave him was lethal, a hint of the sort of craziness beneath. I noted the stares from the group. Many hadn’t been in the presence of my friends, for safety we stayed away from each other a lot and I had gained a lot of new members since I had last seen them. All they knew was that we were the leaders, and they listened to us.
“We should go upstairs, talk about the plan."
Nods all around as we headed to the room, gathering around the map laid in the middle of the table.
“Right, so are we still doing the train?” Asked Raven, all hint of laughter and jokiness gone. This was serious business now.
“We are. Kaleb had gathered intel I believe."
He nodded, pointing to the map. “Yes, the main train carrying supplies comes through the eastern gate, there they have soldiers and buildings that take the food and distribute to the main city itself and to the others. It’s the best train link they have and stops at each work camp before completing its journey."
Those not fortunate enough to have escaped the hands of the soldiers were either killed or put to work in the camps, forced to harvest their food for hours without rest. One of the first things I would do would be to shut those goddamn camps down.
I nodded, “Okay. Good, what time do they arrive. Where would be our best chance to blow it up?”
This was more Eris’ role; he was good with the attacks and timings of it all. “Probably about ten miles out. Its’s between a checkpoint and the main city."
There was a single checkpoint, where the food and supplies would be checked. Likely for any escapees before it made it to the city.
“What time does the train leave the checkpoint?” I asked.
There were blank faces, all tight with discomfort. “What?” I snapped.
Kaleb sighed, “We don’t know. We couldn’t get close enough to check, there were too many soldiers and they’ve been on high alert because there hasn’t been an attack for a while."
Our whole plan was ruined, simply because we didn’t know what times the train left. “Well, there’s nothing we can do. It’s too high risk to not know exactly when we can pull it off."
“I know."
We all turned to the voice and stood at the door was Lukas. “What do you mean?” Demanded Eris, voice dangerously low.
“I know when to strike.”
We were all sceptical as Raven quizzed, “And how would you know that?
He lifted his chin, staring me straight in the eye. “Because I escaped from one of the camps."
Silence. And then Eris laughing, “Bullshit. No one escapes alive."
“I did."
I chose to remain silent, studying him closely. To see if I could catch him in the lie because it couldn’t be true, otherwise, we would have heard.
“Prove it."
Lukas pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a tattoo, a number in fact. A prisoner number:
1.
“What the hell?” Blurted Raven as the number all registered with us. “You were the first camp prisoner."
He nodded, stepping into the room. Every prisoner from what we had gathered was marked by a number, a sort of way of keeping them in control and marked. It started at one with the first prisoner- Lukas apparently- and now the number was in the hundreds across the camps. Though I was sure he had been in the biggest and most infamous camp, camp Mors. Latin for death.
A sick idea by the government who truly wanted us dead.
“I was. First one ever to be captured, to be put into a camp. See, I’ve spent five years in one and after a time, you learn things. Like how to escape and the desperation to escape was enough for me to do it."
“Why haven’t we heard about it?” Asked Kaleb, doubt in his voice.
I was beginning to feel the same, some of the camps were armed with countless guards. And the gates were wired, sometimes even electric. And even if he did escape, we would have heard. Such an escape would have been broadcasted.
Lukas smiled. “I know what you’re all thinking. Surely, they would have told the people, but ask yourself, why would they? Why would they willing tell the people that an Inferior had escaped, was on the run? Would that tell them they weren’t safe? That if they could escape a camp, then they could get into a city? They wouldn’t do it. They wouldn’t risk the peace."
He was right, above all the government wanted to look strong. Not to show any sign of weakness. “Okay, we believe you. What do you know?”
Lukas stepped towards the table, arm nearly bumping mine. “The train gets to the city at exactly 6.30 in the morning. It will be about ten miles at away at 6, that’s when you need to strike. They do it early to get ready for the day."
“That works. I have the explosives, if we set off in the night, we’ll get there just before. And set of an explosion they won’t see coming."
I nodded, smiling at the others assembled. “Then let’s get to it."
For the rest of the evening, we made sure to get all the explosives and plan ready. We told the group we would be leaving, and I decided to leave Lukas in charge, he appeared to be telling the truth about the whole camp thing. I would need to have a conversation with him about that.
And so, we set off around four in the in the morning, taking a truck we had hijacked and maintained long ago, of which was in Eris' sole possession. He loved anything like that. Other vehicles were long dead and limited supply of fuel made it worse. Eris often had to make trips to get some. During the ride, we enjoyed the feel of not having to walk a large distance while catching up with what we had been up to in the time since we had last seen each other. It was as I expected, Eris scared the living daylights out of his group and Kaleb was fair in his treatment.
I expected no less.
Finally, we arrived at the tracks with just five minutes to spare. Hastily, we set up the dynamite on the tracks before running fuse to a safe distance away, all we had to do was push the button. The last five minutes was tense and felt like a lot longer than it was. Finally, on time, we heard the screech of the train as it barrelled towards us.
“Three, two, one."
Eris pressed the button as the train passed over the dynamite and there was a large bang as the dynamite blew a hole directly where the food and supplies lay. The front half of the carriage came to a stop, while the rest of it was in flames.
We all looked at each other grinning.
It had worked, Lukas was right. And even better was that we had his knowledge to get into the camps, recruit more Rebels. And once we did, it was time to bring the government to its knees.
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