***
Krys reached up to wipe away the tears that ran down her cheeks. She looked down at her watch to read the time once more: 10:54. She kept trying to tell herself that he was just running late. Any moment now she would feel him get on the back of the dirt bike. A little late…that was over an hour ago. The dread she felt that her lover was not coming started to fill her mind. It took her a moment to accept it.
She revved the loud engine of the dirt bike she found stashed away at the safe house. She adjusted her dark sunglasses then looked around for Agents that might be on patrol in the area. She was now out well past curfew and needed to move fast. She reached down for her cell phone and typed in seven numbers. It rang twice.
“Yeah,” Clarke’s voice said.
“It’s Krys. Do you have everything ready?”
“Our broadcast will be played over the morning news.”
Krys allowed a smile. “Good work, Robbie. You take care, you hear?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to spread the word. Inform as many people as I can.”
“How are you feeling?” Clarke asked.
She sighed and looked down at her stomach. “I can almost feel that poison eating away at me.”
“I see…well, if I don’t see you again, it was an honor.”
“You, too.”
She pressed END and took one last glance backward. She hoped to see Kaspar’s figure move in close from the distance; ready to take the ride along with her. She never saw him. Another tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away.
The time for grieving over lost friends had…
The sound of a vehicle’s engine running shook her back to the present. As she looked back, she saw a figure walking towards her. Krys gripped her sunglasses and pulled them away from her eyes. Could it be?
She felt a wave of excitement as she recognized the man who approached was Kaspar. She killed the bike’s engine and ran towards him. Kaspar winced in pain as she squeezed. She backed away, looked down, and saw the cause of it.
“What happened to your arm…why are you so late…did you really do it?” Krys blurted out.
Kaspar held up his hands. “Wow, wow, take it easy. Some dog bite my arm. It took me a while to find what I was looking for.”
“Is your mother smiling down on you?”
Kaspar knew what she meant. He shrugged his shoulders. “What’s done…is done.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
“You care to ditch that piece of shit over there and take a ride with me?”
The two laughed together. Kaspar saw that smile, he felt that warm feeling, and once more, everything in that moment was right with the world. He began to fall in love with that feeling, and with her. She went in for another hug, only she was more careful this time. She buried her head in his chest. As Kaspar ran his fingers through her soft, black hair, he didn’t know what would come next. All he knew was the he felt something inside that he had never felt before. Hope.
“Ryan…” Krys asked as she pulled herself away.
“What?” Kaspar replied. He used his thumb to wipe away a tear from her cheek.
“You know that I don’t have much time left, right? You really don’t have to…”
Kaspar had about enough talk. He pulled himself in close and pressed his lips against hers, interrupting what she was about to say. The two embraced each other with a long kiss before any more words were spoken.
As their lips caressed against one another, Kaspar suddenly no long cared about revenge. His Mother, no matter how many Agents he killed, would never be back in this world. He only hoped that, if there was an afterlife, he would meet her there. For now, he knew that she would want this for him. For him to be happy, that’s all she ever wanted for him. He remembered her telling him, the night before she died, that he needed to find someone special. Krys…she was special, all right, and there was nobody else he’d rather be with at this very moment than her.
“I don’t know the future,” Kaspar said as they pulled away. “We’ve got to live in the present. We’ve got to present our evidence to those people out there. Don’t you worry. I’ll be with you…until the end.”
“We’d better get moving then, soldier.”
Kaspar smiled. “After you.”
.Epilogue
The bright morning sun began to shine through the living room windows of the Sullivan residence. There were Agents all around the house, dusting for prints, and examining the numerous bullet holes in the walls. Sullivan stood in the living room, with little Davie at his side. Fitzpatrick had tagged along with the search team. He walked in front of Sullivan, obscuring his view of the morning news on the television.
“Let me get this straight,” Fitzpatrick said. “He just let you go?”
“That’s right. He barged into my room, ready to kill me, and then when my boy ran in, he just left.” Sullivan replied.
“I always knew your son would do great things. What about the bullet holes littered everywhere?”
“He fired at me as he made his escape. I don’t think he was trying to hit me, more like warning shots so I wouldn’t pursue. Then he vanished.”
“And, you didn’t get any good looks at him, right?”
“Just like all the other resistance members, he wore a mask, but he did have some nasty gashes on his arm like an animal attacked him.”
“Now things are starting to make a little more sense.” Fitzpatrick said, scratching at his head.
“What do you mean?” Sullivan wondered.
“You heard about your two partners, right?”
Sullivan fought back a smile. “Sure did.”
“Well, Demarcus had a large dog who had its brains blown out.”
“So, he was going after all three of us, then?”
“Sounds like it. I’m going to go upstairs, help those fellas out. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Sullivan turned his attention back to the television screen. The picture started to get fuzzy then went completely black. When the picture returned, it was not the USR news. Instead it was a picture of a waving American flag. After the flag faded away, there sat a man with white, scraggly hair and thick glasses behind a desk.
“Citizens of the USR, this is the resistance…”
Rebels & Lies
Acknowledgments
Though writing in itself is a very solitary act, the novel you have just read (and, hopefully enjoyed!) would not have been possible without the encouragement and support from several people. To my parents, who have always supported this crazy dream of mine to write a novel. Thank you for your constant support and for instilling in me a never say die attitude. Despite all the disappointments, getting my hopes up with partial requests, and self-doubt, you never let me quit. To my buddy Billy who read not one, but two completed drafts, which was more than I could ever ask for. Thank you for your time, encouragement, and feedback. To my wife and editor, Chrissy, thank you for putting up with me through all the long hours it took to get this thing done. Thank you for your support, kind words of encouragement, not laughing at me for my silly grammatical errors, and for being the best wife ever! I love you. Big thanks to my sister-in-law Charity for the various connections she helped me make. Thanks to Greg Dejaynes for the awesome cover art. And, last but certainly not least, to my friend Dani, who always wanted to see her name written in a book. There you go.
About the Author
Rebels & Lies is Brian Cotton’s debut novel. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and pets.
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