Jarrod laughs. “And why not?”
I have a strong urge to slap Jarrod, but force myself to remain still. This has been mentioned many times, and he still does not listen. He's not a very good guardian either. He was sent here to protect me, but look at him!
I slap my thighs instead and growl. “Don't you understand? Marcus Kent could be watching you right now. He's desperate enough to try and find Caleb and his people. I'm sure he'll target anyone that's part of the hideout.”
Jarrod crosses his arms. “If you don't want to risk it, then we will have to do it the harder way.”
He's right. I don't want to risk anything. The hideout may not be the most familiar thing to me, but it was my temporary home. I will never be able to enter it again for as long as both Kent and his mission lives.
Mirroring Jarrod, I cross my arms too. “We need to send some kind of signal.”
“Like what?” Jarrod asks.
I remember the day I first left the cell Denham put me in. There was that red smoke. It caught my attention as well as two guards'.
What if we do the same thing? Maybe scouts will be out here tonight. They'll see the smoke and want to come investigate it. But wait...I can't forget about Kent's guards. They'll want to see where that smoke is coming from as well.
I turn to Jarrod. Maybe he has some ideas. “Is there anything you guys use to send signals to each other?” I want to tell him about the smoke, but I don't.
Jarrod lifts a finger to point somewhere at the sky behind him. But it's not necessarily the sky, I notice, but more of a tall, gray tower.
“Every night, Caleb sends out someone to remain in the towers for a couple of hours or so. They act as a look-out. If we get to that tower and wait, we'll be able to get help.”
“Every night, you say?” Addison asks. “How long will we have to wait, then?”
She looks up at the sky right at the same time I do. The sun is slowly setting, even though it seemed to be morning only a few moments ago. Streaks of orange are starting to show up, and I can't believe how fast this day has ended.
“Should we go now?” Rian asks, looking out at the tower too.
Jarrod nods. “It would be better.”
So using the same street we took when Fox was here (my stomach tightens as I think of what could have happened to him), we walk. It's silent at first, right up until Rian walks up behind me.
“So,” he starts. “I've been meaning to ask you, but I just didn't get the chance. When Kent asked for the hideout leader, you gave him my name.”
I don't know if he's angry, or just amused. My action put him in danger, and I regret doing that.
“I did,” I confirm. “And I'm sorry.”
Rian shakes his head. “That's fine. We're still alive, and I don't blame you.”
He doesn't ask why I used his name, and I am secretly glad. I myself don't know why I used it. All I know is that I needed a name, and the first person that I could think of was Rian.
I look up at him. “You don't blame me?”
“No. How are you holding up so far?”
Both Rian and I are behind everyone else, and I stare at the back of our companies' heads, trying to think of what I can say.
I've been doing well so far, according to my standards. Apart from waking up from death a second time, murdering Denham, and possibly betraying people who helped me, I'm doing okay. But I'm afraid that maybe...maybe there's one more thing left to happen that will snap me completely in half. And I am dreading that moment.
The answer I provide Rian is something he probably doesn't want to hear, but he doesn't push me for details. “I'm fine so far.”
No one asks about Denham. He's dead, and there's really nothing more he can do for us. Fox didn't seem to care when I saw him last. Rian and the others don't seem to care either. But who does care about Denham's death enough to do something about it?
The people of the town? How great of a commander was he that people would be devastated?
What is wrong with me? I almost feel glad for Denham's death. What is this place turning me into? I'm not supposed to feel lighter. I'm supposed to feel fear, because whoever cares about him will be coming for me soon. Is it Marcus Kent?
“Here.”
Jarrod stops where he is, and the others follow. It's not until a couple of seconds later that I realize I need to stop walking too.
We have arrived at a tall building...or more like the tower Jarrod had pointed to earlier. It's not the tallest structure here, but it still stands at a great height.
Bricks—now chipped and stained—have been used to make this tower. It's painted with dirt, mold, and what I think is blood.
I put a hand over my forehead, trying to get the thought of what could have happened here out of my head.
“This way.” Jarrod motions to us with his hand, and we trail behind him as he starts making his way around the tower. We reach a wooden door already falling apart from the many years it has existed. How long has this town been standing in this empty field?
Jarrod taps on the door and waits, glancing at all four of us standing behind him. My stomach twists and I can't help but think this could be some sort of trap. No one is opening the door. Is someone supposed to?
I still don't know what decision to settle on. Jarrod's really part of the hideout, or he's not. If he's not, he's doing a hell of a job acting.
He finally twists the doorknob, pushing the door open. All four of us crowd behind Jarrod to see what's inside. I have trouble seeing anything because I'm in the back, trying to look over my group's shoulders.
I can only see darkness. The others seem to be seeing the same thing.
“Is there a light here?” Addison asks.
Jarrod is the first to step inside. He nods and places his hand on one of the walls, groping around for a light switch.
The darkness inside the tower disappears, and dim light replaces it. The group has spread out enough, giving me room to see what the tower holds. None of us have walked through the door yet, and I don't I want to. What if I just stay out here?
There are boxes strewn throughout the room, torn ones along with whole. And I see a staircase, not too old but not too new either. It's like this room is pulling me in, wanting me to check out its mysteries.
No, thanks, I tell it. I'd rather not.
“You're sure we can go inside?” Addison asks, stepping closer to the door again.
Jarrod nods and points to the staircase. “Caleb usually sends someone here. Very rarely does anyone just want to enter for fun.”
“Why are there boxes?” Rian asks.
Jarrod laughs. “No one's going to steal anything from them. They're empty.” He waves a hand. “Let's go.”
Addison steps forward first, but she doesn't walk through the door. “You sure it's safe?” she asks.
Jarrod nods.
I pull in a breath. “Can I stay here...and keep a look out?”
Everyone looks at me. Do they know I won't actually keep a look out?
“Still paranoid about Kent coming to sweep us away, huh?” Jarrod asks, crossing his arms.
I scoff. “Of course I am.”
Jarrod sighs loudly. “I can't say that he won't, but sure. I'll just—“
Click.
Our eyes shoot up to the tower's staircase. Even though there's not a lot of light provided by the light bulb, I can still see a figure standing on one of the steps.
He's holding a rifle.
CHAPTER 23
V I V I A N
Jarrod's hands shoot up.
Almost immediately, the others follow.
But my hands are reluctant to lift, only because the face that belongs to the figure is familiar. He's someone I wouldn't think would want to hurt us, but maybe I'm wrong because the first time I met him, he didn't seem to like me very much.
He's Sabine's brother.
“Tobin?” I call out, just to be sure. I hear a laugh echoing in his familiar voice. However
, I do not find comfort in it even though he's not a stranger. He lowers the gun. So Jarrod's not lying. People from the hideout do get sent up here.
I hear Tobin clear his throat, then call out, “And you must be that new girl, am I correct?”
“Yeah.”
With his large rifle by his side, Tobin steps down from the stairs until he's standing right in the doorway. My eyes drift from his face to his gun, then back up.
“So you know him?” Rian whispers. “Who is he?”
I don't get a chance to answer the question because Tobin raises his eyebrows and asks, “What's your business here?” His eyes move to Jarrod. “And yours too?”
I can't read his expression to tell if he knows him or not. If he doesn't, then maybe Jarrod is a traitor all along. If he knows him, then I have no choice but to accept everything Jarrod has told us.
“Just trying to—” Jarrod clears his throat “—just trying to get—uh—Caleb's attention.”
Tobin laughs through his nose. “Caleb's attention? He rarely comes here. It's my attention you want. And you got it.”
Jarrod points to me, and it's still not very clear if they know each other. “Vivian here,” Jarrod starts, his words speeding up as he moves further down his sentence, “needs a team sent out to help some guy—her friend, I think. He's inside the guards' quarters.”
Tobin looks at me. “Is he alive?”
But I can't answer that. Addison beats me to it with a scoff. “Excuse me? Of course he's alive.”
I start to shake my head but realize it won't do anyone any good. I don't know what's happened to Fox anyway.
Tobin doesn't snap back at Addison. He just stands there, looking down at her.
“His name is Fox,” I decide to say. “Will you help us or not?”
Tobin turns to me. “And you had to come here? Why couldn't you have just asked Caleb yourself?”
I swallow, my throat dry. If only Tobin knew how dangerous it is to just stand here and talk about plans. I've reminded myself about a hundred times already. Kent might be listening in.
If I tell him what has happened to me, will he distance himself from us? Will he have us killed? Is Sabine a type of person who would tell her brother this kind of information?
I point to Jarrod and say, “Because Jarrod told us to come here.”
Tobin glances at him. “Jarrod, huh? He told you this?” Again, if he knows this guy, he's not showing it.
Jarrod replies, “We can't go inside the hideout because Marcus Kent planted some sort of chip inside her. She said it monitors her all the time, and our conversations are recorded.”
I brace myself for Tobin's reaction. I can picture him raising his gun and impaling me with bullets. You're a traitor, I can hear him saying.
But his reaction is nothing I expect. He only stands there and laughs. “So Kent's finally created some great technology, huh?” He shakes his head. “Fantastic. Do you know if it's actually functional?”
I shake my head and hold up my right arm. “There was something glowing here when I first got it.”
“And why did Kent give you that?”
“He wants to find your hideout. And if I returned back to it, he would track my location. I'm not planning on going back.”
Tobin nods. “I figured. He's been looking for us for quite some time now.”
“So will you help us?” I ask.
Tobin waits a moment, then says, “Yes. I'll send a message to Caleb.”
CHAPTER 24
V I V I A N
Tobin leaves us inside the tower.
He says we won't have to wait long, but what are we waiting for? A team, or permission from Caleb to assemble a team?
“Does Tobin know you?” I finally ask Jarrod. He looks at me and sits down, his back against the wall. The others are on the other side of the room, discussing something in low voices. I'm next to Jarrod by my own free will.
“Yes, he does know me.”
I remember how Tobin looked at Jarrod. It was almost a confused look, like he didn't actually know him. But at the same time, it looked like he did know him. He was just not fond of Jarrod.
I've been doubting his earlier words, so I'm not sure if I should believe him right now. My opinion will not change until I know for sure this guy is not going to stab us in the back.
“How long have you two known each other?” I ask.
Jarrod laughs and scratches his head. “Not long actually. I joined the hideout group about half a year ago.”
Half a year ago? While I was dead half a year ago, Jarrod was joining the hideout. There's so much going on right now, and there's so much I've missed.
Earth used to be beautiful. Just thirty years ago, everyone was living a normal life. I, on the other hand, was being stabbed to death by...Denham.
I scoff through my nose, shaking my head from that thought. I had completely forgotten about him and what he did to me. Now I have to sit here and pretend like I'm fine.
Something happened to turn nature into this. Remembering Denham from my past did something to my mind. Something opened up. A passage in my head. The tunnel to my past used to be blocked completely, but now I can see a crack, but it's barely big enough to let me through to my memories.
I remember seeing the people way before this time. Innocent people who didn't deserve to die in nature's destruction. People who could have been saved. But scientists and researchers refused. There is not enough room, they had said. We can only preserve a certain number of people.
There had been a certain age range they accepted.
I remember the air. I remember how the sky was. I remember how cold it got. The weather was unusual, unpredictable, and abrupt. Weathermen predicted a hot day, but instead, we received snow.
Slowly, the earth died out. From what, I don't know. The memories are too far to reach.
My death came before I could experience the full disaster.
Here I am now, sitting here with strangers I might have known from my previous life. I barely know them now, and thinking about what they might have done to me in my past life does not help. Addison could have hated me for all I know. Laurey could have been an enemy. And Rian...he could have been someone close to me.
But what do I think of him now?
My eyes lift to him. To his once spiked-up blond hair. It's flat and not brushed. But I couldn't care less how he looks like now. We've all gone through things we were not ready for. But what kinds of things are waiting for us now?
Rian meets my eyes just as I'm about to look away.
I glance at Jarrod, wondering if he wants to continue our conversation. He's looking down at his feet, silent. I'm guessing not, so I push myself to my feet and head over to Rian, who has pulled himself out of the discussion the rest of the group is having.
He pats the empty space next to him and rests his head against the wall of the room.
I take a seat close to him, cross my legs, and place my hands on my knees.
“So,” I say. “You're doing okay so far?” Typical conversation starter.
I expect his true answer to be “no.” None of us are doing okay. We need Fox here with us so we can all go home.
Home. How great does living underground sound to me right now?
Rian takes the easy answer. “I'm fine. You?”
I shrug, but decide against answering the same thing. Taking a deep breath, I say, “Frustrated. What happened with Denham is all my fault.” My answer finally has some truth to it.
Rian sighs. “Look, Vivian. Denham was a project we hoped to bring back to Jack Welds. We failed because the project's dead now.”
I purse my lips together, hoping this doesn't turn into a heated argument.
But Rian does not seem angry. He continues. “Even if he hadn't died, I'm sure he would have refused to come with us. Sure, we could have knocked him out somehow, but—uh—that would probably give him a concussion.”
I don't laugh at Rian's attempt to lighten the mood. There is just not enough strength and courage left in me to plant a smile on my face.
Rian frowns too and looks over at the others. They've gone their separate ways. Addison seems to be sleeping, and Laurey is sitting away from everyone else in silence. Jarrod hasn't moved from where I last left him.
“Vivian?”
I look up at Rian. “Yeah?”
“Who exactly are those people everyone keeps mentioning. Caleb, Sabine...Tobin?”
I point to the door but realize that doesn't answer his question. “Tobin is the guy who just left us. Sabine's his sister. Caleb is the man in charge of the hideout.” I know that this information doesn't help him, but maybe if he knew a little bit of their background, it'd be easier to understand them. But even I don't know what I mean by understand them.
What I know about those three people limits to only one thing: they work together.
“Hmm...” Rian trails off and looks down at his hands, flipping them over to examine the black swirl of graffiti printed on his fingers. “This is just all so weird.”
The tower's door flies open, letting in the little light that's left from the sun.
“Tobin's back.” Jarrod is the first to get to his feet and greet the silhouette standing at the door.
It is Tobin. His hair pointing to the side is something I can't really miss.
“We had a couple of volunteers,” he tells us, hand still holding the door open. Somehow I think they're right there behind him.
“Who?” Jarrod asks, taking small steps toward Tobin. “Your sister, I'm guessing?”
Tobin glances to his right without a reply. But the answer comes when two figures emerge from behind the wall. A tall girl with short, black hair is one of them. Sabine.
The other is a man. Someone I've never seen before.
Tobin narrows his eyes, and I swear he's looking at me. “I'm coming with you, but only because I need to take a look at this prison, not because I want to protect anyone.”
He only wants to protect his sister. He's made it obvious by now.
Jarrod claps his hands together. “So...when do we go?”
Tobin holds up a hand. “We wait until it gets darker, then we go ahead and infiltrate the station. There won't be as much security.”
Jarrod laughs. “You do realize there's electronic security at night, right?” He waves his arms around. “I'm sure they won't let the entire building alone with the door unlocked.”