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Sorry for the long wait for anyone that is still here! I hope you enjoy the new chapter :)
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I had been running for a couple of hours, my legs burned as the heat scorched my skin, and it felt like there was no end in sight.
During that time, I had stumbled upon houses, looking for any signs of life but they were empty.
The panic was sinking in, and my mind still hadn’t come to terms with everything. Night was beginning to set, and I knew I needed a break. To try and collect my thoughts and figure out a plan. I couldn’t just go running blindly into danger, not now.
Entering the house, I tried to calm my beating heart, trying to listen for signs of life. After a moment, I knew no one was here. Well, I certainly hoped so because while I had some training, I wasn’t exactly an expert.
I didn’t want to risk sleeping upstairs in case I needed to run at a moment’s notice.
Setting my bag on the floor, I laid on my back and tried to think. I remembered Ezra saying in moments of trust that soldiers were advancing on the… Rebels. That they moved a lot, between different houses, and often in different groups.
It was a good idea, it meant if one were to be attacked, then the other groups wouldn’t be compromised. That meant that I just needed to keep searching, to keep my wits about me and hope I found safety.
That was simply the only plan I had.
But now my thoughts drifted to my potential brother, was he in one of the groups? Was he even still alive? The chances were slim and right now I couldn’t get my hopes up that he might be alive, because if he wasn’t- well I don’t think I’d survive it. I had already lost my parents, they were for a fact dead and yet that traitorous part of me believed that unless someone told me outright, I wouldn’t completely believe it.
Again, it would destroy me.
My heart ached for them, and for Ezra and Nora. God, would they even know what had happened? Or would the government have sent my name out, a death warrant against it?
I can’t believe I had allowed myself to be blinded by their false beliefs, the truth had come to me to late. And now I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. It had been clever what they had done, appealing to such basic human need for survival, the threat of fear and death, to twist the actions of humans simply trying to survive to pretend that they were at fault.
They had fooled us all.
Maybe what was needed was to teach everyone the truth. To make them see that it was wrong, to try and gain as much sympathy as possible. A revolution could be possible if they just simply believed it. I mean my whole family and even Mr Whitmore believed that it was wrong. There had to be others that felt the same way too. But I knew many were stuck in their ways, in their views, sometimes when you were so surrounded by the same mindset for years, you really do believe you what you see and hear. It wasn’t always so easy to change your ways.
Right now, that couldn’t be possible, the blood shed couldn’t continue for another ten years.
Sighing, I looked up at the ceiling. It still felt surreal, how had I ended up here? Just this morning, I was having fun with Nora and now I might not survive the night alone. Forcing my mind away from all of that, I forced myself into a restless sleep.
The next morning, I woke with a start, dreaming of my… well, my brother. The fear crept up on me as I grabbed my bag and set to make a move, look for the other groups.
As I walked, I hadn’t taken chance to take in the mess that had been caused, vegetation was rather stunted, the result of lack of care and the bombs that had been hit. My parents had told me a lot about it, how it became more prominent in the weeks following the initial night. It destroyed a lot of buildings, only a few houses like what I had been in left behind.
It was a shame. I’m sure it had been gorgeous.
There was no doubt I had still had a happy, normal life, especially compared to what the Rebels had suffered. But it would have been nice to have experienced the world all before this, to not leave in any sense of fear or worry.
With nothing else to do, I walked.
And I walked.
And walked…
After a while, I became paranoid about every sound, expecting a soldier to emerge from the shadows. And so, I grabbed the knife from my bag, holding it so tight in my hand that I think it began to draw blood. In the distance, my eyes could make out another house and it looked whole and complete.
Please be here.
But as I neared, I saw a body begin to take shape. Once I was atop it, I recoiled back, a hand covering my mouth. The scream wouldn’t leave as I stared at the lifeless body; a guard’s neck cut from one end to the other. The blood was dry, clearing it had taken place a long while ago.
Had they done this? There was no doubt the guards were at fault, but this felt- terrible.
Now, I reached for the gun my mother had given me, holding it up as I approached around the side of the house. And there I found more bodies, though this time it was gunshot wounds. Someone had gone hard here, like they were angry. I was prepared to search the house when I heard a dull noise in the distance, like the sound of vehicles.
Oh no, that would have to be back up guards, they always tracked the vehicles that left the city, wait where had it even gone?
But I had no choice as I raced for the house, there was no point simply running and so I needed to hide as well as possible. The house was empty as I went for a downstairs room, being upstairs would trap me if they came in the house. This way would give me a least an option if I needed to. Hiding in the kitchen, I heard as their vehicles stopped and their shouts as they also discovered the bodies.
“Search the house!”
The grip on the gun tightened as I watched through a crack in the door, seeing as a few stepped inside, some heading upstairs, the others sweeping the bottom floor. I thought I would potentially have a chance to slip out, but they were spreading well, and now one was heading straight for me.
Fight or flight kicked in and just as he went to open the door, I kicked it open, stunning him as he fell to the ground. Instantly, I was running for the back door as I burst through it and simply ran. The shouts were heard behind me and then a large body crashed into me, knocking the wind out of me as I hit the ground. I was pushed onto my back and his hands grabbed at me, at my neck.
Clawing at his face, I tried to remember what my father and Ezra had tried to teach me, but it was like my mind forgot it all. I turns out I didn’t need to worry as what sounded like a large rip went through the air and then I watched as blood pooled from his mouth and his body fell off me. Shock went through me and then a face appeared in my face appeared in my view, a soldier.
I started to panic but he pulled of his helmet to reveal- Ezra? He started to pull me to my shaking feet as I stared in shock. Behind him, I couldn’t see the guards, but I did see the recently fired gun at his side.
“Come on, we need to move,” He whispered, pulling my hands but I was rooted to the spot. “Now.”
I finally cooperated as we simply ran, Ezra pushed me in front of him as he directed me where to go. This area seemed more together, as he led me down some displaced alleyways, weird in the vast setting that my eyes had become accustomed to. It must have been an urban area, once a towering city, and now it was mere rubble. Then he pulled me down one, pushing me against the wall, hand on my mouth. We were still and quiet as we heard the soldiers passed, it all felt too reminiscent of that nightmare.
We nervously watched as he began to reach us but then, “Soldiers fall back! We’ll get them soon enough.”
Relief began to flood through me and when we were sure, he let go and watched me closely.
“We need to talk,” I breathed, my first words in a long while.
He nodded, “Okay. But we need to move somewhere safer. I know where we need to head next.”
I frowned, “What do you mean? To a safehouse?”
He bit his lip, and I knew I was right, why on earth would he take me to a safe house… unless he was a sympathiser.
Ezra realised the moment I made the connection and his eyes softened almost. “There’s a lot I need to explain.”
Damn right there was. Anger spiked within me; how could he keep this a secret from me? And now just show up out of nowhere as if it was all okay. He took me out from the shadows and then led me in the opposite direction, leaving this city behind and I presumed walking towards the next safe house. Ezra was rather silent, and I knew I would need to ask what was going on.
“So, you’re a sympathiser.”
Ezra sighed, glancing over at me. His eyes swirled with a million emotions, mainly what seemed like guilt. But why would he feel so guilty about such a thing? “I am.”
“For how long?”
Again, he bit his lip, and I had known him for long enough to know it was his nervous trait. And he only did it when something was seriously up.
“Since I was fourteen.”
I stopped in my tracks, Ezra doing the same as I stared at him aghast. “What the hell! Four years and you’ve not thought to tell me?”
Ezra had the nerve to laugh as he shook his head, bracing his feet in his soldier manner. “Why would I? We live in a society where we are persecuted for not agreeing with these values. You are my best friend, but I didn’t know if you thought different, if you agreed with the killings. Its not exactly something we all speak about in public, is it?”
There was no logic in my head as I snapped, “Of course I don’t agree! It’s disgusting, and as it turns out I’m technically one of them!”
I expected him to be surprised, to ask me how that was possible, but he simply stared at me, that guilt returning. I couldn’t believe this. “You knew. For how long?”
Ezra sighed again and God, I was beginning to hate that sound. “The day I helped train you. Your father told me everything, about how they weren’t your biological parents. And how you were an ‘inferior’. He told me to help protect you, to teach you how to survive because he wasn’t sure how long he’d stay alive for. That night, when they found it, he told me, and I made sure I was on that scouting party to find you. I had no choice.”
My temper dulled, I could the sincerity in his words and his eyes. How many times I had stared into them and known exactly the emotion and thoughts he was trying to convey? “Okay, I believe you. I’m sorry.”
“No, I understand your anger. It’s all changed quickly for you.”
We began to walk again as I lapsed into silence, unsure what to even say now. “How do you know where this safehouse is, and where they would be?”
“I- I have been in contact with them. For a year now.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him. “You’re the spy?”
I had heard the rumours that there was a spy in the city, feeding information to the Rebels. Never would I have imagined that it was Ezra, but it was the same Ezra who was a solider and would have all that information to hand.
“But how did you pass that thing the other day, surely, they would have found out about you?”
Ezra smiled grimly. “A lot when into ensuring I didn’t. It was a lucky escape. Though that doesn’t matter right now.”
I didn’t dare ask him what he meant by that. How he did that and had the confidence to do it right under their noses I would never know.
“You did well to survive, you know?” Commented Ezra, glancing over at me.
I had to snort at that, shaking my head. “If you hadn’t been there, I would have died,”
He shrugged at my response, giving me a look. “Maybe. But you still did well to get that far. Especially with limited training. It's hard for me even now, after years of training.”
Of course, I knew that, but I had to face the realisation that right now I would be dead, simply because I didn’t react fast enough and to use what they had taught me, even if it was the basics.
“I need you to teach me more, so I can be better and prepared. This can’t happen again. You’re not exactly always going to be there.”
Ezra threw me a lopsided grin, as if he thought I was joking or wasn’t taking it seriously. “I’ll try.”
“Ezra, I mean it. Don’t pass this off as a joke.”
For a moment, he seemed to truly look at me. That I was a scared girl thrown into a world that I not used to, not like him and I needed this to survive. After all we were all living in a game of survival. And it wasn’t exactly a game you wished to lose.
“I know. And I will, but the sooner we deal with the government. The sooner this all get easier. Once we overthrow them, we will take back what’s ours. What it was before all this happened. I promise.”
When he spoke like that, with this hope and determination in his gaze, I couldn’t help but not believe him. And I truly believed he would be a great leader, maybe good enough to help us set up a new society, a new future. If we ever got to that moment. I had no other words to offer him but what I could offer him was my hand, clasping it tight and in it I promised the same thing. That we would achieve our future.
One way or another.
After a moment, I let go and Ezra took a deep breath. “Come on, lets get to the safehouse.”
And with that we walked, as we did so my thoughts strayed back to the group we would be meeting, the Rebels. And I wondered what they would be like, how they had survived all those years. There had to be some form of leadership…
“Wait, will we meet the Wolf?”
Ezra let out a startled laugh and I couldn’t help but frown, wondering what the reason for that was. “Sorry I forgot about that nickname; he will laugh when he hears it. And in answer to your question, yes, we will.”
“What is he like? Is he as infamous as the reports say, and what even is his real name?”
“Well, he is. He is cutthroat, he will do what is needed to be done to ensure the survival of the Rebels.”
Oh, that would make their meeting interesting. A Rebel and an ‘elite’. Then a thought occurred to me when he mentioned how cutthroat he was. “The bodies back at that house, was that him?”
Ezra nodded, “Most likely.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of having to meet him, in no short words he was a monster. Yes, he had killed for his survival, but was that really it? Was this torture and how he killed people really needed? I dreaded to think the type of person he was.
“Now as for his name, its simply Kieran. Nothing fancy like the ‘wolf’.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You know his name is derived from what was Irish, meaning ‘dark’, I find it quite fitting to be honest.”
The world before now had always fascinated me, and I had spent countless hours looking at old books, detailing the lives of the people that lived in relative peace. There were more random facts like that which I remembered. Not like it would help me here.
“And I’m sure he’d appreciate that too.”
We both glanced at each other, chuckling under our breaths. I glanced back over the horizon and that was when I saw it, a safehouse.
“Is that…”
“It is,” Finished Ezra, “I should radio Kieran. Let him know we’re coming.”
He fished into his pocket and produced a radio, in which he pressed the side and spoke into it.
‘Hello, is anyone there? Copy.’
Silence ensued as we both stopped staring at the radio. Was he not going to pick up? Had something happened?
‘What is it?’
The voice was short and quiet, deeper than I expected. Or maybe that was just because of the radio.
‘It’s a long story but I am about to approach the safehouse. Along with a… well with someone else.’
‘Right. Can we trust them?’
Ezra exchanged a look with me, face grim because after all I had been raised an elite and they would see me that way.
‘Yes.’
‘Good. Someone will be waiting for you at the door. Keep your weapons shown and hands raised.’
Then the radio went silent, and I felt the nerves appear again. I mean I had no idea how they would react, would they kill me, simply for being an Elite? But Ezra must have missed my obvious worry as he began marching towards the safehouse. As we neared, I made out a couple of figures, both were male, and both glared as we approached. Ezra pulled out his gun, raising his hands above his head. I copied his movement, keeping my breathing as even as possible. One of the males stepped towards us, searching Ezra first and then me. Then I realised I had lost my bag, with all my weapons in.
“Okay. You’re good to go, Kieran’s inside.”
“Thank you,” said Ezra sincerely, inclining his head to the men.
We stepped inside where there were a lot of people gather, talking amongst themselves, their spirits high despite all that they have endured and would continue to do so in the future. All their talks fell to a hush as they stared with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. In the middle of the room, two boys were talking to each other and next to me, Ezra cleared his throat.
“Kieran?”
The taller of the two turned, his eyes resting on Ezra first. “Ezra. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, though I do wonder why this is the case?”
“In due course, I promise. Now, I would like to introduce you to…”
“Melanie?”
I realised that Kieran was looking at me, his blue eyes shimmering with emotions as he stared in shock.
“How-how do you know my name?” I asked confused, feeling intimidated under the weight of his gaze.
“You don’t recognise me? It’s Kieran, your brother. God, I thought you were dead.”
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