15
Chapter Fifteen
SIN
“Stay in front of me,”I tell Reese. We have led the line of sixty men and women along the ten-mile walk to the broken down house in the center of the field. Knowing we are closely monitored by Mom and the rest of the patrols, I’ve been waiting for a signal of some sort, providing me some guidance on where to lead these people, but with no instructions, I only know to bring them down into the bunker. I haven’t been stopped yet.
“I knew it,” one of the townsmen says. “I have seen this house and I always thought there was something peculiar about it. This is the way out, isn’t it?”
“Follow us,” Reese says. She has kept quiet today. I’m guessing she may be afraid to say the wrong thing to these people, which I can’t blame her for since I feel the same, but it has to be done.
With Reese’s hand held tightly in mine, I open the door to the house and push forward, finding the hatch door already open, waiting for us. I assume this is a clue we are headed in the proper direction considering I made sure this door was closed tightly behind us when we arrived.
“The hallway below is dark; stay together and keep quiet,” I tell everyone. Unsure whether to let Reese go first or have her follow after me, I make the decision to descend before everyone else, cautious for anything unexpected. I lead everyone down with only the glow of my small flashlight as our guide, and as we reach the end, the exit door slides open into the white room full of control panels and computers.Deja vu.
Six patrols stand in front of us, all in their biohazard gear. “Keep your hands in your pockets, your mouths closed, remain in single file, and follow us,” one of them says. He sounds like me. Or I sound like him. God, I don’t want to be like this...like one of them.
The sound of steps echoing through the halls grows louder as each person follows behind until we reach the glass door to allow us out. I’m somewhat surprised that not one of them has spoken out of turn or tried to attack a patrol, or us, for that matter. I’m truly shocked at how easy this was. But the easy part is going to end here as we step back out into the world of the unknown.
“Ready?” I ask everyone. Most of them agree with a silent nod.
The door slides open as a patrol steps in front of the line. “There is a hill a mile ahead. You will need to take caution when ascending but as you reach the top, you will find yourselves directly above the center of Coldhall—a town that has been taken over by Juliets. You should all know what that means by now, and by your presence here, all of you are agreeing to help us fight the Juliets. We will start there in that town, clear the space of all who do not belong and begin reconstruction. At this time, there are only five counties in the United States being inhabited. Most of the Juliets are imprisoned underground, but those are not are our main focus right now. You will recognize the Juliets since those who are not infected are wearing biohazard suits for safety and protection. Again, your only task is to remove the Juliets. It is important that you keep track of how many you take out. There are two hundred seventy-four currently loose in Coldhall. When this county is secure, we will move on to the next one.”
“Should we come back when the town is secure?” Kelter shouts.
“You will be taken care of once this mission is complete,” one of the patrols from the back of the lines says.
Reese and I are pulled from the line and brought to opposite sides of the group. I pull myself from the grip of the patrol, refusing to be held in any sense right now. I struggle to see through the crowd, needing to make sure Reese is okay, but I can’t see a thing as the line of people move through the open door into what they think is a fucked up version of freedom. I repeatedly call her name as I continue struggling to break through the crowd, when suddenly a patrol’s arm wrenches around my elbow as his mouth moves closer to my ear. “You are not leaving the bunker. Neither is Reese. Shut your mouth and stand still.”
I turn my head, finding Locke to be the one reciting my orders. Still, I pull my arm from his grip, gritting my teeth as I seethe, “Get your fucking hands off of me!”
Kelter, the last person in line, steps outside before turning back around, most likely to look for me, but the door closes between us. Guilt fills every part of me as I realize the extent of lies and deceit I unknowingly forced upon these people. I want to apologize, but they won’t hear me and even if they could, they won’t care. The damage and betrayal can’t be undone. If that door reopened right now, Kelter would probably kill me with his bare hands, and I wouldn’t blame him.
Reese and I are standing across from one another. The shock on her face probably mimics mine because like her, I thought we were fighting with them. They thought we were fighting with them. Every person from Chipley is now screaming words we cannot hear and the pounding of their fists on the door doesn’t even echo. It’s barely audible. We can only watch each other. We’re traitors, and without us, the Chipley residents are surely marching to their deaths.
Since no one has forced Reese and me to move from our spots, we continue to watch—both gluttons for punishment, especially now as two Juliets who must have been waiting for this door to open again, begin to circle everyone from Chipley. And a fight begins. A war.
The winner is a resident of Chipley. This time.
“It worked,” Mom’s voice sounds from behind me.
Turning away from the massacre I’ve been left to watch, I face her. “We live in a time where it’s one man or woman for him or herself, Sinon. Let the problems work themselves out.” She places her hand on my back in a motherly way. “You are safe. Isn’t that all that matters?”
“That’s not how you lead,” I tell her. “You lead from the front, not from behind.”
“Dear, you have a lot to learn. Why don’t you two come with me to watch what happens? The people of Chipley will win this battle...you’ll see.”
“Then what?” Reese asks.
Mom only smiles at Reese and places a hand on her back, as well. “Come with me, both of you. I’ll have some food and water brought in.”
“This is nothing to you,” I say, following her as she makes her way down the hall. “You have no problem leaving people behind or putting them in danger and letting them fend for themselves. It is about survival—your survival.”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with that,” she says. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor feels like a nail to my head after the past several hours of trailing through Chipley. “If you want to go after them, then go, but with a choice like that, I somewhat suspect you and Reese will both choose food, water, and safety over fighting the ingrates that have taken over Coldhall.”
“Yes, we will stay here,” Reese chimes in. I look over at her, the side of her face, the intentional avoidance. I don’t look away, though. I wait for her to acknowledge me. I wait for nearly a minute before she looks over with a flat, emotionless look.
“We should go help them,” I tell Reese.
