“Where is he?”
“Ellyssa!” Mathew exclaimed, snatching her wrist. “What are you doing?”
She jerked her arm free.
The doctor stepped back, hands in front of him. “It’s not his fault.”
In an instant, a wave of misery washed away the anger, as Ellyssa looked into Woody’s eyes. Emotional upheaval. Her inability to cope was incapacitating her logical thought process. She released him. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice breaking. “I just…” She covered her face and fought back the tears.
The next thing she knew, familiar arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry, Ellyssa,” Woody said.
Ellyssa wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t. If she opened her mouth, sobs would burst forth. She buried her face in his chest.
“Is he dead?” she muttered, afraid of the answer.
“I don’t know.”
A flame of hope lit in Ellyssa’s heart. Fueled by determination, she stepped back and looked at Woody. His look of pain and suffering shamed her.
“I’m sorry, Woody. I should have never treated you that way.”
His breath still jagged and irregular, his grey eyes lingered on hers. “I understand. Believe me, I do.”
She took his hand. “I need you to tell me everything.”
Shaking his head, Woody straightened his shirt, the simple act appearing to calm him. “We don’t have time. They’re coming,” he said. “They’re coming. I ran… Following…” He flapped his hands around.
Ellyssa tried to grasp his fleeing thoughts, but his emotions and the flood of adrenaline rendered her gift useless. “Woody, I’ve never asked this before, but may I read you?”
Confusion mounted and added to the panic. “What?”
“Your thoughts are too frantic for me to understand.”
He looked from her to Mathew.
The doctor gave him a nod. “I’ll explain later. Let her do it.”
Bewildered, Woody glanced back at Ellyssa.
“Please.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know. You will, though. I need you to calm down and focus.”
Placing her hands on the sides of his head, Ellyssa exhaled, releasing every bit of her own emotions and tension. Woody’s thoughts flipped wildly for a moment; but as he relaxed, the images cleared and became readable.
Woody running, dodging branches, bracken, and bushes. In his flight, he got tangled in thistle. Stairs leading towards light. An old farmhouse, leveled by years of neglect. Rein, still alive, with a nameless guard holding an electroshock weapon. A man, beaten and bloodied, slumped in a chair. Broken figurines. Unwelcome company.
She gasped, dropping her hands. “Micah.”
“Who?” asked Mathew.
Woody’s brow knitted. “Yes. That’s the name of the blond boy. He said he was your brother?”
“Yes, I have brothers…and a sister,” Ellyssa said. “I’m sorry. There’s a lot you don’t know about me. The female who…tortured that male in the chair, is Detective Angela Petersen, the head of the
Kripo
unit from The Center. She is dangerous. I saw her mind.”
“You. Saw. Her. Mind?” asked Woody, emphasizing each word.
“Yes. Like I did yours, just now. I’ll explain everything to you, but not now.” Ellyssa paced in a small circle, hands behind her back. She stopped in front of Mathew. “Go get Tyler’s group and hide. I will join you soon.”
Woody grabbed her elbow. “Where’re you going?”
She pulled his hand away, holding it tight within hers. Her fear for the community, for her friends, had wakened her soldiering instincts, but keeping her emotions in check was hard.
“To the entrance,” she replied.
“Why?”
“Reconnaissance.”
“Are you crazy? If you read my mind, you saw what she is capable of,” Woody said, his voice fluctuating between disbelief and determination. “It’s not safe.”
“I have to go,” she said. “I will meet you at the evacuation point.”
“But…”
“I promise nothing will happen to me. I will be fine.” Ellyssa leveled her eyes with his. “This is what I am trained to do.”
“What about Jason?” Mathew asked.
She squeezed Woody’s fingers. “Meet me in his room, instead.”
“When?”
“I do not know. Wait for me. I will be there.” Ellyssa faced Mathew. “Get the others to safety.”
Reluctantly, Woody released her hand as the doctor pulled him away. “Come on. We need to hurry.”
“Be careful,” Woody said, his gaze lingering on her before he turned and walked toward Jason’s room.
Those two simple words touched Ellyssa. She blinked, keeping a tear at bay. “I promise.”
“I expect you to keep it.” Mathew’s voice floated from the darkness.
Ellyssa stood still for a moment, listening to their padding feet before she took off toward the hospital, the beam of her flashlight bouncing across the blackened walls. As she passed the room that had held the beginnings of her new life, her old life came to the forefront. Emotions squelched, shoes barely touching the floor, she moved silently, like a predator, to the entrance.
The access remained well-hidden. Sunlight oozed between the rocks that had been meticulously placed years ago. Light burned her eyes as she peeked through a gap. All seemed calm. Trees and long grass swayed in the wind, birds chirped, and the soft hum of insects punctuated the day. But off in the distance, right where the grass met the rocks leading to their hideout, vegetation and grass lay flattened, where Woody had trampled through the clearing.
There was no doubt in her mind that they would find their camp.
35
Perched for hours, unmoving, her breath controlled, Ellyssa watched the tree line listening for any indication of the detective. The cool snap of a twig. The soft whisper of clothing brushing branches. The rustling of leaves.
Deep down, she wanted to run into the forest and find Rein. Ellyssa knew such an impulsive act would put everyone at risk. Her soldier’s instincts told her to wait, for her own protection, for the community’s, and for Rein’s. She needed an indication of how many, and who, before she acted.
Detective Petersen would definitely be leading the search party, but Ellyssa wondered if Micah was with her. Would Father allow the possibility of his being injured? It wasn’t a secret that the Renegades were armed; Rein and Woody had had weapons when the detective captured them, but the detective would be blind to the number of people and the number of arms they would face.
Neither Rein nor Woody would ever conceive betraying their family.
No, the risk proved too great. Micah would not be included.
Relieved, Ellyssa sighed. If her brother had accompanied the search party, she would have had to fight, which would’ve exposed her newfound family. For survival purposes, it was best for the community to stay under the radar and remain hidden.
A soft hum carried on the wind; disembodied words joined together into a long, hushed murmur. Ellyssa calmed herself, bringing forth everything she’d learned. Her muscles twitched in preparation.
Forty-five meters away, five people filed out of the trees, one after another. Three women, with hair tied back into buns, and two men, with hair cropped short. All sported dark green camouflage with tan boots. Not the traditional uniform of the area police, but one necessary for blending in to the woods.
The five walked as if trying to be quiet, their postures slightly hunched, but their clothes scraped along plants and their boots padded on the ground. One female leaned over and whispered to a comrade. Ellyssa couldn’t hear what she said, but once again, the hum reached her.
Their lack of training had to be driving the detective mad.
As if her ears burned at that thought, Detective Petersen materialized from behind a bush. She walked with a detectable, but quieter, tread than her comrades. Her short hair was slicked back and held in place with an elastic band. Her face held a scowl as she glared at the first five.
After her, a male appeared. He was tall and lean, his features angular. Ellyssa recognized him from Woody’s memories. The detective had addressed him as Captain Jones.
Seven?
Their search party had to consist of more, maybe at a camp, or searching elsewhere.
The detective motioned for the others to circle around her. Hushed voices carried on the breeze. Angela pointed to the crushed grass, then toward the tree line on the opposite side. Afterward, in one team of two and one of three, the party split to cover the expanse, leaving Detective Petersen and the captain alone.
Slightly confused at these actions, Ellyssa watched as the detective spoke to the captain. She bent down and touched a blade of grass, then lifted her head and looked straight at the rocky overhang where the mineshaft lay hidden.
Ellyssa stilled, her breath nonexistent, as Angela’s cold stare pinned her in place. Even though it was impossible, Ellyssa couldn’t help but wonder if the detective could see her.
In a matter of minutes, their haven would be found.
Time to go
.
Her heart smooth and steady, her pulse light and unhurried, Ellyssa backed away down the tunnel. No padding, no sounds of movement as her pace quickened. When she rounded the second corner, she flipped on her flashlight and hurried to Jason’s room, where Woody waited. He leaned against the stone frame of the entrance with his eyes closed.
“Woody.” Ellyssa touched his shoulder, then quickly covered his mouth, cutting off his squeal of surprise. “It is me,” she whispered in his ear. “Understand?”
Wide-eyed, he nodded. She let go of him.
“I didn’t even hear you.”
“Yes, I know.” She nodded. “We need to move. They’re in the field.”
Together, they walked into the room where Jason lay on a pad. His cot had already been moved to the evacuation cavern.
Under the yellow beam of the flashlight, Jason looked worse than the last time Ellyssa had seen him. His body was thin, skeletal, underneath the flimsy green blanket that was pulled up to his chin. His pasty face emphasized the dark circles around his sunken eyes, and his skin stretched tight over his skull. The blanket rose and fell as he gasped and his breath rattled in his lungs.
“We need to hurry,” Ellyssa said, moving to Jason’s side and grabbing the corners of the pad. “On the count of three,” she said. “One, two…”
“Wait.”
She looked at Woody, but he just shook his head and glanced down at Jason. The sickly male looked at Ellyssa, his eyes clouded and unfocused.
“Wait,” Jason repeated, the word barely above a whisper. His tongue flicked out and licked his cracked lips.
“Jason, we have to go.”
“No.” Jason paused for a long time. His unfocused eyes jerked from side to side, and his tongue tried desperately to ease his dry lips. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
Jason’s apology meant nothing to Ellyssa. She looked away. “We do not have time for this.”
Grasping Ellyssa’s hand, Jason squeezed, his fingers barely applying any pressure. He was burning up, his fever out of control, and his touch made her skin crawl. She still despised him. He was very lucky her thought processes had changed. “I want you to know how sorry I am.”
Ellyssa fought a shiver. “We will talk about it later.”
“There will be no later.”
“They are coming. We do not have time.”
Jason dragged in a noisy breath and released it. “I’m dying.”
“You will be fine.” She tightened her hold on the pad and prepared to heft him up.
“Don’t.”
Her patience wearing thin, Ellyssa snapped, “Do you not understand? They are coming.”
“Ellyssa,” Woody said, his face sad, “let him finish.”
The corner of Jason’s dried lips curled into his a grimace, and his bottom lip split into a fresh sore. “I know I’m dying. We don’t have medicine. Leave me.”
Ellyssa shook her head. “We cannot do that.”
“You have to. I can detain them.”
She glanced at Woody and saw the debate raging behind his eyes.
“I’m dying,” Jason said, as if those two words gave all the reason in the world. And, perhaps, they did.
Jason squeezed her hand again, this time with surprising strength. He paused, swallowing. She watched his Adam’s apple struggle under his skin.
“Let me do this one last thing. Please,” Jason whispered. “Dying wish.” His lids fluttered closed, and his hand loosened its grip and slid to his side.
After all the times Ellyssa had read his mind, with his selfish, sick nature shining through, she’d never thought him capable of such an act.
Ordinary humans never ceased to amaze her with their raging emotions and turmoil. Compassion? Forgiveness? Such things went against every fiber of her upbringing, but that had been before she’d joined this family.
Ellyssa reached out and, tentatively, touched his cheek. There was no doubt Jason was dying. His mind was slowing down, the electric pulses firing weakly. Would leaving him be the most humane thing to do? In his current condition, neither the detective nor the police would bother capturing him. Wasted effort. As a matter of fact, they might think him contagious, and end his suffering more quickly.
“What do you think?” asked Woody.
Indecisive, Ellyssa nibbled on her bottom lip. “I do not know,” she responded, as she lifted her gaze to Woody. “He is dying.”
Woody smoothed out Jason’s blanket and tucked it tight under his body. “I think we should do as he requests.”
“But…”
Woody reached over and brushed her cheek. “He wants the opportunity to right his wrong.”
Ellyssa closed her eyes and nodded. “I forgive you,” she whispered. Without another word, she stood and left the room. She waited as Woody said his goodbyes.
“It was the right thing to do,” assured Woody as he entered the main tunnel. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “It was nice of you to forgive him.”
“I had to.”
His fingers trailed down her arm and found her hand. “I know—”
Ellyssa stifled his words by covering his mouth and cocked her head to the side. A soft scrape flowed through the tunnel and reached her ears. Woody stilled when she did, a hint of fear masking his features.
She placed her finger to her lips. With a flip of her hand, she motioned him to follow, and led them toward their refuge. Surprised at the ease with which Woody moved, she glided beside him, silently. If she couldn’t hear him, neither could they.