SAFE (15 page)

“You
better not move, L—ucan. You’re standing on a bomb. I thought we clearly missed
it by some unfortunate chance, but you know what I’m talking about. Don’t you?”
Mag asked.

For
seconds all I heard and felt was Mag’s breath against my ear.

“She’s
right,” Lucan replied. “My right foot is pressing against a round object in the
ground, and if she says it’s a bomb…”

“If
you step off, you will explode. So I suggest you stay frozen.” A twinge of
laughter hid between Mag’s words.

“Not
a problem,” Lucan replied.

“I
have Penny, and I will shoot her if either of you move. Err… well, I guess just
you, James, since you’re the only able body,” Mag added. “Tell them, Penny.” The
end of the barrel pressed harder against my temple and she ordered me to drop
my gun.

I
gulped. “She’s telling the truth,” I answered, dropping the pistol next to our feet.

“Those
gunshots were from me. So if I hear the slightest leaf out of place, I will
shoot both of you. It won’t be hard to do even if I can’t see you. And if you
shoot towards me, you risk hitting Penny or me shooting her before you’re
actually able to do anything.”

“What
do you want?” James demanded.

“You
have two options. Shoot yourself, or come after me and I kill Penny.” She gave
me a quick kiss on the cheek like this was all one big reward—to her long, endless
game.

“I
won’t do that. I wouldn’t risk her life, but what’s to say you still won’t kill
her?” he asked.

All
of a sudden, Lucan butted in, “Mag, none of this is necessary.”

“Shut
up, Lucan. You have enough to worry about,” she spit back.

“Well,
what will it be?” Mag asked James again.

I
didn’t hear James and wondered what he was thinking. I couldn’t see him and
wished he could at least see me one last time before one of us died.

“Penny,
you remember the six things I taught you that night after the grave?”

“Stop
talking,” Mag said, louder this time. Her breath warm and airy against my cheek
and every time she exhaled, a shudder of terror ran down my spine. “I will shoot
her if you follow me, understand?”

I
rummaged through my memory and knew exactly what he was talking about—the six
places he told me to hit a person if I were attacked. Of course, I never imagined
using any of the techniques so soon. However, with a gun pointed at my head, I
didn’t know which move to make first. Do I head-butt her from behind? What if
she shoots me because I startle her? I’d be dead and, at worst, she’d have a
bloody nose.

She
told me to walk slowly backwards while holding her gun on James and Lucan. I
doubted she’d actually be able to shoot them, especially with how fast and
skilled James was, but I also knew they wouldn’t risk her shooting me. Which
meant they would follow every direction she ordered, plus Lucan couldn’t move
for fear of setting the bomb off and killing everyone.

Step
by step, we walked backwards in the darkness. I followed her movements, unsure
of how she knew where we were going with such little light. I wondered how many
times she had been in this area, setting up the perfect escape plan if ever
captured. She knew these woods better than anyone, especially better than the
three of us. Her plan had been carefully thought out, all the way back to when
she volunteered to show us a way off this Land. Maybe even all the way back to
when she kidnapped me?

I
tripped over a small branch and a slight dip in the ground, but luckily I
didn’t lose my balance and she didn’t shoot me. However, the gun was still pressed
against my temple, and it’d only been five minutes since she presented James
with the ultimatum. I hadn’t seen or heard any explosion yet. And I was hoping
it wouldn’t come. Surely, Lucan knew how to disable the device—but how long
would it take?

Fifteen
more minutes passed with us snaking around trees, up new paths, and finally into
a well-cleared area in the thicket surrounding us. I felt the branches brush
against me, not as numerous as before. I tried thinking. She wasn’t wearing her
vest, which meant James could find us once he felt it was safe. If I managed to
live until then, then maybe I’d come out of another fatal situation—alive.

“You
know he’s going to find you,” I said.

“I’m
counting on it,” she whispered back.

Right
then I knew… I was bait.

“Stop,” she demanded and for a brief moment the gun
no longer pressed firmly against my head. But the second I thought to do
something, the barrel shoved abruptly back into place.

“What
now?” I asked, wondering what she had hidden next up her sleeve of surprises.

She
responded with a quick knee into the middle of my back. “If you say a word
about this aloud where he can hear you, I will shoot you first and make sure
your boyfriend still dies. Understand?” she said, jabbing her elbow into my
side. “If you want to live, quietly and carefully step back over this wire.
Just a foot behind where you are now.”

I
didn’t mind dying if it meant James would live, but I was still hoping for the
best, both of us alive. I looked down and couldn’t see the ground, not a twig
or shiny piece of reflection from the little moonlight available. I squinted my
eyes and focused carefully on the movement of my feet.

“On
three, together,” she said. “One… two… three.”

In
joint unison, we stepped exactly a foot behind where we had just been standing,
and she proceeded ordering me to take a few more steps back and then jolted my
knees out of place, forcing me to slam against the ground sideways. The gun
dropped from my temple, and she sat at arm’s length, holding onto the back of
my shirt with a tight grip. I was free in a way. However, she explained the
area we were in was lined with explosives. So what was I supposed to do?

“Tell
me. Why don’t you have any vines like the rest? I thought that wasn’t allowed,”
Mag asked quietly.

I
didn’t feel the need to be closemouthed about the subject. No matter how much I
hated her, it was somewhat cathartic to talk about the life I once had. And
that’s exactly how I’d come to think of it, my
past
life
.
I was
no longer the same girl that strolled with James or went eagerly to work, hoping
for a higher clearance level, pathetically loving my job, which I was good at.
That life was gone and was never coming back, no matter how much I wanted it to.
After hearing and learning everything I had in the past few days, I blindly sat
by, letting my family and friends await their time to be slaughtered once
President Falcon or Colonel West deemed it necessary. I didn’t know how I would
change any of their futures, but I hoped after I found my sister, I would also find
a way back. Another reason I had to live. My life had more purpose now than ever
before, and the weight of it was overwhelming but attainable. I would figure a
way out—with James’ help.

I
sat on the cold ground in silence. The tiny legs of a small critter climbed up
my arm and I brushed it off, not caring anymore about things that didn’t
matter. The wind blew through the branches, creating a whistling sound, and the
crickets rang loud with musical clatter. I envied them—the insects. Their lives.
Simple. My sight was completely gone and my hearing became overwhelmed with
nature. A few coyotes howled in the distance and the hooting of owls scattered
amongst them. A whooshing silence washed over all the others, and at first I
thought it was the wind. I listened carefully for the sound again, and there it
was. A whooshing sound similar to the creeks we camped near and the rushing
rapids we walked through. However, this held more of a splashing effect. A
splashing of waves and water. That’s when I knew we must be near the ocean. I
took a deep breath, and for the first time I realized salty air filled my lungs.
I hadn’t breathed or heard the ocean before and the significance of its
existence never held much weight with me. But now, the feeling of harmony, astonishingly
peaceful, and a quiver of hope ran through my body.

“Do
you really think you’ll get out of this alive?” I asked, turning the tables on the
girl with an evil agenda. “You’re going to die.”

She
didn’t answer, but instead hit the back of my head with the butt of the gun. I
was fine, bruised, but fine.

The
sound of branches jumbled and cracked close by, then out of nowhere, the loud, devastating
sound of a boom roared high, followed by a large, bright, brassy flame that filled
the sky. The bomb. I hoped it had been set off on purpose and Lucan was alive. He
was good at that sort of thing.

The
lightening flash from the blast suddenly filled the area around me, and I could
see again. The shocking outline of James appeared as he stood in front of me and
reached over, picking up Mag by her neck, breaking it with one swift squeeze
from his hand. He dropped her body and looked at me—I was stunned. Not by the
death of Mag or even by the sight of James killing her next to me—killing was
something I had started to get used to. No, what really scared me was the sound
of the explosion. My ears rang worst than they had at the perimeter. I couldn’t
hear anything except for a loud, high-pitched tone and I clenched my eyes shut.
I tried steadying myself as I attempted to stand.

James’
hands swooped me up, then he jumped over the surrounding booby-trapped area and
started running fast through the trees, me in his hands. I opened my eyes—the
forest ablaze. The heat of it scorching hot against my body. Sweat poured down
my face and I squinted further ahead of us. The outline of a small, fluffy, dog
appeared from the nearby bushes, making me happy. Her white hair now tinged
with black ash.

“Where’s
Lucan?” I yelled, though I couldn’t hear the sound of my own voice. I hoped my
words were clear enough, not slurred too much.

James
uttered something. I saw his mouth move, but I couldn’t make out what he was
saying through the jarring of him carrying me, bumping all different directions
in his arms.

Suddenly,
we stopped and he placed me on the ground next to a body. I looked over. It was
Lucan. He’d been badly burned down the left side but his eyes were open,
blinking. James helped him sit up and gently examined his injuries. Pieces of
flesh had been melted together and all the eyelashes from his left eye, along
with his eyebrow, were completely gone. His hair stood straight, singed in unsymmetrical
sections, and black marks smeared the rest of his unburned body.

“I’m
okay,” he mouthed as he held his left arm with his right hand—breathing. Smoke
was everywhere, clearly an unsafe place to rest.

“Can
you move?” I heard James voice, small in the distance of my damaged hearing.

Lucan
nodded. Then he stood up with James’ help and walked unbalanced for a few feet
before walking on his own. I was surprised at the way he moved, walking at all,
and more than grateful he wasn’t dead.

James
picked me back up. Immediately, I told him to put me down and figured if the
burning, bumbling boy could walk, so could I. I gave Lucan a smile of sincerity
and let him lean on me while we walked together, James leading the way, trying
to get us all out of the black smoke.

The
fire was bright, but the smog of the aftermath was worse—all I saw was gray.
James held my hand and led the path while we followed. My eyes were closed from
the searing pain of being dried out by the smolder.

Thirty
minutes passed before we made it far enough that I didn’t feel like I was
suffocating and I opened my eyes. We were standing in a clearer area, smoke
behind us and the vastness of the stars in front. My eyes followed the path of
the stars until they reached an edge. A few meters ahead was the edge of the
island, and I could hear the water crashing against the side of the cliffs
below as it sprang to life with every wave.

“I
was thinking,” James said. “What if Mag was telling the truth about there being
a way to escape this place. Her hutch had barely any supplies and there had to
be some way for her to communicate with… Colonel West, none of which was in the
hutch. And if she was a soldier, a sniper, then she must’ve had a plan in case
this whole Land went to hell.”

“Okay.”
I was confused with where he was going. I understood what he was saying, but
the only thing I saw was the ocean in front of us. No visible escape route.

“Look.”
He pulled the folded map from his back pocket and held it in front of us. The
light from the blazing fire lit the map, making it easy to read. “You see
this?” He pointed to a little red circle directly off the jagged edges Mag
indicated were cliffs. “This is where we are right now or at least close to. I
think there’s something down there that could help us or at minimum give us
supplies.”

“How
will you get down there?” If he were to fall, he would die, no doubt. The distance
to the bottom of the cliffs was not an easy path. At the bottom were large,
serrated rocks lining the surface with every powerful wave that plunged in. Of course,
this was only a guess. I wasn’t sure what awaited at the bottom exactly.

“I’m
going to climb down,” he replied. “I can do it. It won’t take me long. I
climbed tougher things than this back at the Academy.”

“Like
what?” He was going to get himself killed.

“Okay,
well maybe not as tough as this. But I
know
I can do it.
”

I
peered over the side again and gazed down. More darkness. All I saw were a hundred
ways this could go wrong, but reluctantly gave my approval. “Okay.”

James
walked over to the edge, turned on his stomach, and then slowly lowered his feet
around the side. His hands gripped the earth and in two more moves, his head
disappeared over the grassy rim. I leaned over, but was scared to lean too far,
possibly causing myself to fly off in response. My heart froze when I couldn’t
see him any longer. A thick set of clouds, the only ones in the sky, moved
across the moon, blocking the light and any hope of finding him, if he was
still climbing.

I
wanted to call out his name, but didn’t. Scared if I did it might startle him, causing
him to lose his grip. I tried listening for the awful sound of his body
crashing against the rocks, but knew even if he did fall, I wouldn’t hear it.

For
twenty minutes, I sat on the ground next to Lucan. He wasn’t talking, but was still
alive. The dog sat by my side as we waited. If James died, what were the two of
us going to do? How would we get off this island? Out of us three, he was the
only one in a hundred-percent physical shape, something necessary at this
moment in time. I was a weak, one-hundred-and-twenty-pound girl and Lucan, well,
before I would’ve had no worries for the guy, but now, there was no way he
could make that climb or even jump into the water if we took our chances swimming
to the other Land. I hoped the Land wasn’t too far. I hoped there was land.

Just
then I heard my name being yelled. I jumped up and ran to the edge where I spotted
James’ pulling himself up a few yards to my left.

“I
found it,” he said. “I was right, and not only is there supplies and weapons,
but there is a boat.”

I
screamed in excitement and jumped in his arms. “Lucan did you hear that!” I
yelled.

Lucan
stood up slowly. “I’m happy for you guys,” he said.

“And
you too,” I replied. “We have a way off!”

“And
I’m glad, but I can’t come with you,” he replied, grabbing his side.

I
stopped celebrating. “What do you mean—you can’t come with us? Of course you
can. I know you’re injured, but we’ll find a way—” I said.

“No,
it’s not that,” Lucan replied. “I’ll be fine; the regeneration process will
help me heal back to new within a couple of days.”

“Then
what?” I asked.

“I
can’t leave my mom, my friends.” He turned around and faced an invisible vision
of the perimeter. Miles away.

“Lucan,
you blew up your only chance at getting back inside. Don’t you remember?” Maybe
his memory had been damaged in the recent explosion. I knew he told me he
wasn’t completing the journey with us once he thought his girlfriend was dead,
but I hoped he changed his mind.

“If
you don’t think I can fix a measly box, then you don’t know me that well,” he
smiled. “Besides, you two have to find your sister and I have to get back to
the others. It’s the only way to guarantee they’ll find out the truth,” he
said.

And
he was right. If he could get back somehow and warn the others, then maybe they
had a future outside of what they were intended for. “But what about the other
guards? What if they find you first?” I was justifiably worried that he was on a
path that could get him killed.

“The
only guards that knew I was with you are dead along with Rexx. And we haven’t
seen any others since we’ve been on this side of the perimeter. If anything,
President Falcon probably thinks we died by whatever person he was told would
kill us—Mag. He had to have known about that part of the plan. Otherwise, we
would have come across more guards. So I’ll make it back, and just in case,
I’ll take a clear roundabout way away from the grave and then I’ll sneak back
into the perimeter. Most likely, no one will know I’ve gone missing except for
the people within our village. My mom. I have to go back for her.”

I
ran and hugged Lucan, gently, not wanting to hurt him any further, and then
gave him a kiss on the non-burned side of his cheek. “Who’s your mom?” I realized
after spending the last few days getting to know him, I still didn’t know much.