Landon grumbled, “I can agree to that.”
I felt slightly better that they wouldn’t lock me in the tech center all the time. I didn’t feel confident about being tracked by Haven, but I didn’t see another choice. We could leave now, head for the unknown and take our chances in the Gravelands. But we didn’t have any food or water, and we didn’t have a vehicle to get us anywhere. We’d likely die on our way to the next town.
Rebecca stared at me gravely. “I expect you both will abide by our laws from here on out or you will both be exiled,” Joshua and I nodded. “Jacqueline will let you gather a few things from your room and then she’ll take you both to the tech center to get your trackers implanted. Dismissed!” She announced.
Joshua and I both headed out of the council hall with Jacqueline leading the way. The line of young men had barely dwindled. I avoided their stare, their curiosity as they slowly proceeded forward, giving the attendant their name. I wondered how they knew about me and more importantly what they knew. Jacqueline walked a few feet ahead of us, giving us privacy to talk. I silently thanked her for still respecting us and our wishes. She was probably the only one in Haven who liked us. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or angered by the recent news. I could feel the whispers, like tingles against bare skin as we walked further from council hall and rounded the corner. I was grateful to be out of sight from all those curious stares. “I guess we should consider ourselves lucky,” I remarked. I didn’t feel lucky. I tried to sound upbeat, but everything was quickly falling apart around us.
Joshua scoffed at the idea. “Lucky? I wouldn’t go that far,” he emphasized. “This is how it starts. Eventually, they’ll make it a crime for us to see one another.” He sounded disgusted.
“They sort of already are,” I remarked, trying to understand the council’s decision. “I think they just want to make sure I’m protected.” Though I didn’t quite understand how setting me up to meet multiple bachelors was any form of protection. It seemed as if they only wanted to keep Joshua away from me. The one person I could trust, implicitly. I knew the rules were different because I was different. They didn’t seem particularly bothered by Joshua having a girl in his room. It didn’t seem fair.
“Seems like they don’t really care what we think at all,” Joshua retorted as we headed into our building. “Were you okay last night? I worried when Landon escorted you out of the dormitory.”
I walked slowly up the stairs, Jacqueline just a few feet ahead of us. “Aside from being locked in a room with no windows.” I sighed. “At least they’re giving me freedom from the tech center and a real bed. I should be grateful,” I mocked. I didn’t feel grateful, but I knew his mother at least tried to make it easier for me. As soon as we crested the top stair, I froze in place. The building shook with an alarming intensity as the first drone flew low overhead. The downstairs chandelier swayed and I held onto Joshua’s arm and my eyes widened in terror. “What do you think is going on?” I asked watching the movement grow stronger as vibrations echoed through the dormitory. A nearby painting affixed to the wall crashed to the floor, the glass breaking. I could feel the ground quake beneath my feet as Joshua grabbed my hand, refusing to let go.
“We’re being attacked.” It wasn’t a question. Together, we jogged briskly down the hall toward our rooms. I didn’t know how much time we had. All I knew was the government was here, and they were searching for me!
The first explosion caused the building to rumble as a bomb dropped just outside the dormitory. Dark smoke filled the hall, blinding us. I gripped his hand tighter as he dragged me toward his room. We split up, but only for an instant while Joshua ran into his room to grab the map and I threw open my bedroom door, rushing towards the dresser. I needed my father’s journal. Desperately, I reached behind the furniture, struggling and coughing as the building shook with each new bomb that fell.
Joshua came into my room, ignoring all rules as he helped push the dresser further from the wall, knocking it to the floor allowing me more than enough room to grab the journal and go. I tossed it inside the pack and Joshua put the map inside before we stepped out of my bedroom. I glanced down the hall, not sure what I expected to see. To the right the dormitory had been hit, and a roar of smoke and fire filled the confined space. Jacqueline was gone. Hand-in-hand we ran in the opposite direction toward the staircase.
My eyes burned. Coughing, I refused to let go of his hand as we stepped outside. Drones weren’t the only things attacking Haven. Tanks rolled into town. A few soldiers jumped off, taking over the perimeter, guns drawn. I paused, gripping Joshua’s hand as we were shrouded in smoke. Just a few feet away, a soldier lifted his weapon and unleashed fury on a group of innocent people. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from crying out when a child no older than three hit the cement. His eyes remained open as blood seeped from his head. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. It took only a moment to realize he’d died instantly. All I could do was stand there in shock.
“We have to move,” I heard Joshua’s voice, but it didn’t register. The smoke swirled around us and gunfire erupted in every direction. He grabbed my arm. “Olivia, I need you to focus.” I nodded once, trying my best to clear the cobwebs from my mind. I couldn’t, though. I wanted to run out to the child and protect him, but it was too late. I was too late. They were here because of me, innocent blood on my hands. I felt the heat radiating from the dormitory and my eyes flashed back. “I need you here with me, Olive.”
“I am,” I insisted, knowing if I didn’t focus we’d both be dead. I spotted more soldiers – their standard issue uniform and the Cabal crest on their jacket sleeve told me all I needed to know. The government had come looking for us. “Which way?” I couldn’t see the exit. With the smoke enveloping us and the fear coursing through my veins, I forgot the direction we’d come from.
“The border,” Joshua held my hand tight in his. “This way,” he insisted as he tugged on me to follow. Together we jogged through the smoke along the edge of the buildings, careful not to run too fast into a soldier. I could hardly see my own hands in front of me. I could feel the heat radiating as we came upon a flaming building. I heard a woman’s scream, and Joshua gripped my arm, holding me back. “No,” he told me, seeing the soldiers across the street as the woman ablaze ran out of the burning building and into the street toward the enemy. She threw herself on the ground trying to put out the flames roasting her skin. In her rush of panic and pain, she hadn’t seen what was right in front of her. I sucked in a horrified breath recognizing the blonde hair, and I witnessed a spray of bullets as her body went limp. I buried my face in Joshua’s shoulder, unable to see any more. It was Scarlet, the woman who’d found us in the tunnel and driven us to Haven. I could do nothing for anyone here. It was dangerous to stay any longer, and the gate entrance was the biggest risk. Haven had only one way in and out of town, and we had no other choice. Barbed wire encompassed Haven, so we were otherwise trapped.
Joshua’s voice was barely above a whisper, with no hint of emotion as he, too, witnessed Scarlet’s murder. He was trying to focus, so we could both survive. “Keep moving,” he insisted. He gripped my hand and led me past the burning structure through the smoke as we neared the edge of Haven.
Seeing the guarded gate ahead, I glanced around finding an empty vehicle parked to the right. “Come on,” I pulled Joshua with me as we rushed toward the vehicle while we still had the chance. It just happened to be the same one we had arrived in with Scarlet. Thankfully, the keys were in the ignition. I started the engine, and though unsure how to drive, I quickly figured it out. We backed up first as I didn’t quite know what ‘R’ stood for. I ran something over, but didn’t look back to see who or what it was.