Behind the Stars (31 page)

D’Lo nodded. “I figured that.”

“He’s not the enemy, Dee. He’s my friend.” My voice choked as his big arms held me in a hug.

“He’s more than that.”

I couldn’t answer.

D’Lo kept talking. “Jackson wants a prize. A symbol to show we won.”

I tensed at his words. “What does that mean?”

“He wants to do a firing squad. Like Napoleon or something. In the morning at dawn, all the boys get to shoot him.”

“Oh my god—Why?”

“Respect. All these kids are looking to him as their leader. Now we’ve caught one, he’s got to act.”

“They didn’t catch him. They hit him from behind. They’re little cowards.”

D’Lo made a grunting noise, and for a moment we were silent. Then I spoke in a low voice. “We’ve got to save him.”

“Just wait—”

“No.” I started for the door, but D’Lo held me.

“Russell’s in there. And Dexter. And that little punk’s after you.”

I bit my lip remembering Dexter’s promise to me. “I guess he knows I lied about being a spy.”

“He knows.”

At that moment, the doors inside burst open and the noise of loud voices filled the dorm. Jackson was back, and we listened to heavy metal objects clanging together as they fell on the bed.

“It was just like Dee said. Long wooden boxes buried at the bottom of the hill.”

“This one’s mine,” Dexter said, and I heard the sliding
clatch!
of a rifle chamber opening and closing.

Russell laughed. “Easy, little man. Everybody’s getting one.”

“Then I’m gonna shoot her.”

“You’re doing no such thing,” Jackson said in a reproving voice, as if Dexter were simply a misbehaving schoolboy. “Now go round up the others. I’ll announce what we’re gonna do.”

The sound of a rifle hitting the stack again was followed by the familiar squeak of the dormitory doors. Dexter was headed up to the bonfire, and Jackson and Russell were left alone.

“What if they come back for him,” Russell said in a low voice.

“We’re armed now,” Jackson replied. “It’d be a real war then.”

“What about the others?”

“How’s Yolanda? She doing okay?”

“She’s okay,” Russell said. “But it’s creepy. She doesn’t remember any of it.”

They were quiet and I could hear the shuffling sound of them walking around the space.

“Has he come around yet?” Jackson asked.

“A little, but Dexter hit him again.”

My lips tightened, and I gripped D’Lo’s arm.

“We’ll pump him for information tonight, see if he’ll tell us anything.”

“Then tomorrow?”

“Come on,” Jackson said, and I heard the doors squeak open and closed twice as he and Russell left. They were headed to the bonfire, and D’Lo released me.

“I gotta get up there,” he said. “You stay right here til I get back. I’ll try to sneak off before they’re done. Don’t do anything stupid.”

I nodded, knowing the minute he was gone, I was getting inside to try and rescue Gallatin.

––––––––

I
waited until the sounds coming from the yard were in full swing. They weren’t as manic as the night I left Jackson’s camp, most likely because they weren’t taking drugs this time. Still, I could hear the thirst for blood in their responsive cheers to Jackson’s announcements. As fast as I could, I slipped around the side of the dorm and toward the door, but just as I got there, my blood ran cold.

Cleve stood outside the dining hall staring at me, alive and well. He didn’t move or speak, and neither did I. I couldn’t even think of what to say—at this point nothing surprised me anymore. It didn’t matter; there wasn’t time. My hand was frozen on the handle leading into the large hall, and I waited to see if he would make a move in my direction. He only stood staring at me, and after two heartbeats, I pulled the door open and rushed inside.

I leaned against the wall breathing hard. It was dim in our former sleeping quarters. The only light was a single electric lantern hanging in the center of the room, and I made my way through the bunks as my eyes adjusted to it, holding onto the bed frames for support. I leaned forward and looked, trying to see where they’d put him. Desperation tightened my shoulders until I finally spotted him in the far back, in Braxton’s old bunk.

A little cry flew from my mouth as I rushed to where he lay, and I dropped onto the mattress beside him. His arms were tied behind his back, but I had nothing to cut the bindings. I gently pulled his shoulder so I could see his face, and as I did, my breath hissed in. An ugly black slit was over his unscarred eye, which was swollen twice its size. His lip was also split, and an ugly purple bruise had already appeared on the side of his chin. I wanted to kill Dexter, but at that moment, Gallatin let out a quiet moan.

“Gallatin?” I whispered, stroking back his long bangs.

His eyes didn’t open, but I saw his lips move just slightly.

“What did you say?” I leaned forward to put my ear to them.

“Must get out,” he mumbled.

“No.” I hugged his shoulders as tears stung my eyes. “I’m not leaving you.”

He grunted and tried to move. My arms relaxed, but he only shuddered and went still again.

I dropped my cheek against him, stroking his soft hair as the sounds of boys cheering echoed in the night. Turning my head, I looked around the empty dorm, remembering a time when it was filled with people I knew. I thought of the very first time I’d opened my eyes in this place. How strange it was then, and how much had changed since that day.

The gleam of lantern-light reflected off the shiny barrel of a rifle, catching my eye. My chest clenched, and I realized how to stop them.

As fast as my pain allowed, I stood and went to the bunk where rifles were stacked. Braxton had thought they were burying bodies, but really they were burying our weapons in long pine boxes that looked like mass graves. I lifted the one lying on top and grasped the grey metal handle sticking out from the side. I pulled it back and slid the bolt open. It was empty. No bullet.

I picked up another one that was shaped differently, but it was still a bolt-action. I pulled the metal chamber open, and it was also empty. They all must be, I thought. Then I looked around the room for a box of ammunition. There was none on the lower bunks, and I wasn’t quite tall enough to see the tops. For a moment, I stood and rested my head against the bed frame of the bunk above the guns. I knew it would be up there, but I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to climb.

I had to be. Taking a deep breath, I clutched my fingers around the triangular, metal edge and pulled, using my good leg to push me up. Sure enough, five white boxes of Winchester bullets had been tossed on the bare mattress. Even better, the small pistol Ovett had carried lay beside them. My eyes widened just as the screen door screeched. They were back. I shot my hand out and grabbed the gun, dropping to the floor as I did so. An involuntary yelp came from my throat, and I quickly limped backwards, gripping the pistol in my hand and praying it was loaded.

“Who’s there?” Jackson called.

I’d just made it to Gallatin’s side when he came charging through the rows. My hands shook as I slid back the cylinder release and checked for bullets. Three brass ends gleamed in the dim light, and I pushed the round chamber closed again.

“Prentiss,” he said, and I heard the screech of the door opening and closing two more times.

“Everything okay?” I heard Russell call.

“Just hang on,” Jackson said in an easy voice, but I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or to the guys.

“You’re not gonna kill him.” My voice was low, and the sound of it startled me.

“Take it easy, Pip.”

“You’re gonna let us go, Jackson.”

Feet moved fast in our direction, and I pulled the hammer back to cock the gun. It clicked into place and Jackson held out his arm.

“Hang on, guys,” he said. “Just a little situation here.”

My legs trembled, but somehow I managed to keep the gun steady. I lowered myself to sitting at Gallatin’s back.

“It’s her,” Dexter spat. “Traitor-bitch. I’m gonna kick your teeth out!”

“Settle down,” Russell growled at him.

“What you gonna do, Pip? Shoot me?” Jackson smiled in that familiar way.

“Yes,” I said. “If I have to.”

His smile faded a notch, but he didn’t retreat. “You’re tired, Pip. This ordeal’s got us all messed up. Nobody’s thinking straight.”

“I’m thinking straight.”

“Put the gun down.”

“You’re gonna let us go.”

His voice turned placating. “How you gonna leave? You can barely walk, and that guy’s out cold.”

“Dee?” I called. “You there?”

“D’Lo’s at the bonfire,” Jackson said.

“I’m getting a rifle.” Dexter moved quickly toward the gun bunk. Just as fast I pulled the trigger.

BLAM!
The loud metallic blast made everyone stop. I gripped the gun tighter, blinking my eyes fast to clear them. My ears rang, but I could hear Dexter spitting curses.

“Is he hit?” I shouted.

“No,” Russell answered.

“Get him out of here, Russell! Now!” I hoped they didn’t know I only had two bullets left.

I heard the shuffle of feet, and it seemed they didn’t. The screech of the door told me they’d left.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” I ordered, hearing the tremble in my voice. “You taught me to use a gun, and I will. Now get Dee back up here.”

“How’m I gonna do that with you holding a gun on me?”

“Call Russell back.”

“C’mon, Pip. Look at yourself.”

“Call Russell back!”

He sighed.

“Russell!” Jackson called over his shoulder, his hands held in the air like we were in an Old West movie. A door screech. “Get Dee up here.”

The door sounded again, and I put my other hand on the handle of the pistol to hold it steady.

“Those boys aren’t gonna let you take him,” Jackson said.

“Yes they are. Because you’re going to tell them to.”

Just then the door screeched and D’Lo came lumbering in, making his way through the rows.

“Slow down, Dee,” I said, moving the gun back and forth between him and Jackson. My giant friend stopped in place. “Are you going to help me get him out of here or what?”

“Prentiss,” he breathed. “I told you to wait.”

“There’s no time for waiting. Are you going to help me or not?”

His shoulders dropped and he looked over at Jackson. I saw Jackson look back at him waiting to see what he’d say. Waiting for his football-buddy best friend to take his side over me and the alien invader.

My heart sped up as I waited to hear what he’d say. I’d grown to count on D’Lo being on my side, but I had no reason to believe he’d pick me over Jackson. Guys stuck together as a general rule, at least when it came to friendships.

The tip of the gun shook as I watched his dark face twist.

“Prentiss, what are you thinking?” D’Lo said. “You can’t run. Dexter’s coming after you, and those little boys are faster than me.”

“So you’re not going to help me?”

“It’s not like that. You haven’t thought this through.”

Jackson took a step forward, and I jerked the gun around on him. He froze.

“Hang on. Think about what you’re doing, Pip. You’re taking sides with an alien, a monster, over your own kind.”

“You’re the monster! You and all these little savages. Dexter said he’d kick all my teeth out—”

“Dexter’s showing off, trying to look tough. You think I’d let him do that to you?”

“I saw them around the bonfire, dancing and chanting. Following you like you’re some kind of cult leader. You didn’t even ask questions, you just attacked.”

His eyes flashed. “They attacked first.”

He rushed forward, and my eyes closed. I screamed as my finger squeezed the trigger. The sound of gunfire blasted through the room, but my hands hadn’t moved. The noise came from in front of me.

My eyes opened, and I saw Jackson on the floor, but I hadn’t shot him. I’d forgotten to cock the pistol.

––––––––

A
fter that, everything was confused. Outside the noise of boys screaming filled the night, and through the screened windows of the dormitory, I saw the fast-moving shadow of someone running past. Then another shadow ran after it. Inside the poorly lit sleeping quarters, the scene was equally chaotic.

Jackson writhed on the floor in pain with blood coming from his shoulder, and Cato strode toward me, dressed in a solid white uniform with a long, white cape hanging stiffly down her back. She was both regal and determined, and close behind her were Ovett... and Cleve—working with the aliens!

“He’ll be alright,” Ovett said, dropping to a knee beside Jackson on the floor. “It’s just a shoulder wound, nothing serious. They can attribute it to a hunting accident.”

“You! Giant one,” Ovett pointed at D’Lo. “Take a sheet and apply pressure to the wound.”

I stared open-mouthed at the entire event. “You’re not from Meridian!” I hissed to Cleve as D’Lo stepped forward and kneeled beside Jackson. He took the pistol from my hand.

“My name is Soso,” he said. “My job is to keep tabs on potential threats like you.”

My eyebrows shot up. “I’m not a threat...”

“Once I left you, I went to monitor the renegade camp in the woods, infiltrate them as the drifter Clinton. When the ships departed, I stayed behind to keep you safe if necessary.”

“You stayed behind for me? I don’t understand—”

“Our young leaders are still maturing into their gifts, learning the give and take of information. The general deduced our newest Guard would come back for you somehow.”

“So you were really looking out for Gallatin.”

“I relayed his location back to the ship and have been monitoring the two of you ever since.”

My cheeks flushed pink, but Cato and Ovett distracted me. Ovett waved his hand as if batting a fly, and the leather straps around Gallatin’s wrists fell to the floor in shreds. Instantly, Cato moved Gallatin’s hands around to his chest and sat beside him on the bunk.

“He’s lost too much blood,” she said. “We have to get him out of here. Back to Shubuta before we can proceed.”