Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (20 page)

Seth had blank eyes. Empty eyes. Much like the first night that I had met him. He didn't look like that humane man that was willing to sacrifice his life for me.

Stephan turned and looked at Seth. "You did a great job."

I stopped my struggling. What was he talking about?

"Thank you, sir."

They shook hands, then looked at me again.

My jaw was open and my eyes were wide.

"I'm sure by now you can tell that Seth works for me, not the rebellion." Stephan said.

Was Seth still playing his role of being Stephan's second man? I thought he had said Stephan knew he worked for the rebellion? A terrible feeling corrupted my stomach. I felt like I was going to puke.

Stephan tilted his head. "I'll leave you two to talk." And he with a nod of his head, he left.

Seth didn't say anything. He just watched me panic and try and escape from the restraints. Blood trickled down my wrists and dripped onto the wooden floor boards.

"Let me out!" I screamed at him. My throat sounded thick with tears. In my gut I knew, but I was still hoping I was wrong.

Seth shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" I cried. "We need to save everyone! Adam! Your brother. Is he still in the semi?"

Seth knelt in front of me and looked into my eyes. "You're a great girl, Brianna. You're always wanting to save people, but how about right now you just save yourself."

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. "What do you mean?" I was lost. Completely lost.

"Just don't fight it. Go with what Stephan says if you want to live."

I looked at Seth with hopeful eyes. "And then we can save everyone?"

A strand of Seth's copper hair hung in his black eyes. "No." His tone was flat.

"What is going on?" I slumped in defeat. I needed answers and right now Seth was my only way to get them.

"I've never worked for the rebellion."

I stiffened. Yes, he did. He had to. I watched him. He was a good person. I was never wrong about my intuition with people.

"I have always been on Stephan's side. It was easy to make everyone think I worked for the rebellion with my family being a part of the rebels."

My face contorted into disgust. "How could you work for Stephan? He murdered your parents."

"It was easy. I picked a side. The winning side."

The winning side. Stephan and The Unit were the winning sides.

I shook my head in disbelief. "You are lying."

"Why would I lie to you about this? It's only you and me are in here. Nobody else. No reason for false pretenses."

I hung my head. "Nothing makes sense."

"Yes, it does. You're just denying it. How do you think you guys escaped after your trial with all the trained soldiers there? Did you really think it would be that easy to get away?"

I haven't thought about how easy it was to get away. Now I just thought we were lucky.

"I was sent there by Stephan. We knew life's had to be lost on both sides. We needed the group scattered up. Weaker in numbers."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why have me shoot you? I thought you were dead." My mouth felt dry. I attempted to swallow a few times. What was going on?

"If I stayed with The Unit and nothing happened to me after I got you how, people would get suspicious."

Everything was slowly clicking in my brain. The light bulb was finally lighting up.

"You knew Rugter would take me to the trial. You knew I would break him out. Every move we made, you knew we would make it." He had predicted everything.

Seth nodded. He smiled when he saw I was finally understanding. "Not only did you guys lead us to a group of enforcers, a safe haven for people, and David. The leader of the rebellion. After word gets out that the man at the top was caught, there is no safe haven anymore, and a huge number of enforcers are caught, the rebellion will fall apart. There will be no rebellion."

I suddenly felt cold. My heart felt cold. Seth betrayed not only his family but me. In the time that I had known him, I had grown fond of him. I mourned his death. I mourned his parent’s death. I had cared about him. He betrayed us all. He tricked everybody.

He was a cold and condescending man. He seemed satisfied when he saw hate flash across my eyes. I wanted to punch him. To hurt him. To make him feel everything that I was feeling.

People trusted him. Relied on him. This whole time he was truly a monster.

"There we go," he murmured. "Now you see."

Seth stood so that he was standing over me. "You can follow along side with Stephan and me, or you can go down with your friends."

"They were your friends too." I said with disgust.

Seth seemed unfazed. "They chose their side and I chose mine."

"You betrayed them." You betrayed me.

"The world is full of betrayal."

I snapped at him. "Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?"

Seth crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm getting tired of your attitude. I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen to me closely. You still have your innocence and I admire that. I understand somewhat that you were born in a different time frame. You are unused to the way things are here. I suggest that you keep that to yourself. If Stephan thinks you're crazy he will kill you on the spot. You will be of no use to him. If you want to keep your life, you will obey the laws and you will obey Stephan. Let go of your friends. Live your life. Being on Stephan’s side you will survive. You will fall asleep in a warm bed every night and you will never go hungry. Go against Stephan and you will die. There is no way for you to get out of this situation. He thinks your memories are gone. He thinks you’re reborn. Let him think that. Let him think you did all this for your brother. For family. He will think you will do anything for him as well because he is your blood. Swallow your pride and do what's best."

I clamped my mouth shut and didn't speak. Seth seemed to want me to live. To follow him and Stephan. Why? Was there something else he wasn't telling me? I tried to read his eyes, even his face. He held a perfect mask in place. I wanted to crack that mask and truly see what was on the inside. Was it ugly? Would it be a monster inside of him that he was truly hiding?

Why go through all this trouble to shut the rebellion down? Why was he doing this?

I looked away. I wanted the mask on his face. I wanted to be able to hide my emotions with ease.

I was in pain. My father was out there in the semi. He was going to die and I just got him back. We haven't even talked about it yet. About what happened. Why this happened. He was still a stranger to me and I wanted to re-get to know him.

"I am going to take the handcuffs off. You are going to follow me into the house without a fight. Tomorrow we leave at dawn for the executions. You will obey Stephan. You will not put up a fight. It's over Brianna and there is nothing you can do about it."

I held still as Seth unlocked the handcuffs from my wrists. I rubbed them getting blood on my hands in the process.

Head hanging low, I followed Seth across the dry grass.

He had said it was over. What he didn't understand about me was, as long as I was alive and breathing, it would never be over.

They locked me in a bedroom. Much like the one I got put in before. A huge comfortable bed, a working shower, and a steaming meal on the bedside table.

I scarfed the food down, then felt guilty after. Everyone else was suffering in a cold, metal semi. I got leisure.

I took advantage of the hot shower and clean clothes. I didn't dare look at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't want to see my battered body and my battered face.

If I attempted to escape, I'd get shot on sight. Seth made that clear enough. I didn't want to give up either. I curled into the fluffy comforter and squeezed my eyes shut.

What was I supposed to do? Give up? Keep trying? I couldn't bare giving up. I had made it this far. All the times that I faced undeniable death, I had survived.

Adam wouldn't give up. Even after he got beat by the soldiers, he was still willing to defend me. He was a true friend. One I didn't deserve.

Climbing out of bed, I walked over to the window. There was a full moon outside. It cast a gentle glow on the grass. I could see soldiers walking around with flashlights.

I was surprised when the window opened. I had assumed it would be locked just like my bedroom door. There was no screen and I was on the first story.

An ice cold breeze drifted through the open window. I shivered and shut it. It was a trap. I knew it had to be. They wouldn't take the precaution of locking me in here to leave a window open. They wouldn't put me on the first floor.

They were testing me to see if I would run. I backed up until my knees hit the bed and sat down. I wouldn't run, not yet. I couldn't when they were expecting it. I would be setting myself up for failure.

I didn't sleep. I couldn't sleep. All night I tossed and turned on that bed. It felt like an eternity before someone finally opened the door.

I shut my eyes and kept my breathing even. Footsteps led to the bed.

"I know you're awake."

It was Stephan's voice. It reminded me of the first day that I woke up here. He said the same exact thing and I did the same exact thing.

Opening my eyes, I sat up. He was in another one of his fancy suits.

"Get dressed. We will be leaving in ten minutes." Stephan strode out of the room.

I put on a flowing white dress. My jeans and sweat pants days were over. I was back to wearing Evelyn's clothes.

Twisting my hair into a messy bun, I walked out of the bedroom door. Stephan had left it unlocked.

Seth stood there, waiting. His eyes took in the dress.

"You look nice," He commented.

I ignored him and walked down the hallway. The dress showed all of my scars and bruises. I did not look nice.

Seth grabbed me by the nape of my neck and led me through the kitchen. He was dictating my moves. It took all over my willpower for me to not swing around and punch him in the face. I must have had strong willpower.

When we stepped outside, I raised my hand to block the sunlight from my eyes.

I watched as the semi drove away, flanked by four black SUV cars. There would be no escape.

Seth led me to the back seat of one of the black SUV's. He switched the child lock on. Getting inside the car, I felt trapped. Claustrophobic.

He got into the driver side and a soldier got into the passenger side. I was surprised when Stephan got into the back seat with me.

"Let's go." Stephan said and Seth started the car.

We followed behind the other SUVs. The smoke that covered the sky yesterday was gone now. The fire had been put out.

"What is going to happen?" I asked, biting at my thumbnail.

Anxiety had taken over.

"Now we will hold an execution," Stephan said it like it was any ordinary day.

"There will be no trial?" I asked. I had had a trial. Didn't they have the right to defend themselves?

Stephan glanced at me. "No trial. We do not hold trials for lawbreakers."

I saw Seth give me a shut up look in the review mirror, but I kept talking.

"I had a trial. A chance to defend myself. You do not think they should have the chance to defend themselves?"

The soldier in the passenger seat turned back and gave me a curious look.

"You will no longer speak," Stephan said in a cool and collected tone.

I knew then that people didn't know of trials. The right to defend themselves. The soldier had no idea what I was talking about. He probably didn't even know the word freedom of speech. He probably didn't even know how to live his life without fear.

We continued to drive down a windy road. The tree branches were coming closer and moving in on us. It didn't take long for the little twigs to scrape against the side of the car.

We drove for a good five minutes before the trees broke and we emerged on a freeway. The gravel was broken down. Seth had to dodge chunks of metal, broken down cars, and bodies. I averted my eyes once I saw the bodies and the bones.

He pulled off of the freeway when he saw the sign Louisville. We were here. A place I heard so much about, but never saw. The sign looked new. It couldn't have been there around the time I was alive before.

There were shopping centers all around us. Some looked abandoned and some looked new. People casually strolled on the sidewalks. There were a lot of cars driving around. Since I woke up, I had not seen so much population, nor so many people.

Soldiers were everywhere. In their vehicles, walking on the road, and sitting at benches. This didn't look like a rebel town, it looked like The Unit's town.

We drove through the town and stopped in a random parking lot. The only other cars parked where the SUVs. They surrounded the semi when the semi parked.

"When will the rest arrive?" Seth asked, breaking the long drawn out silence.

Stephan opened his door. "They are already here."

The soldier in the front seat came around and opened the door for me. I got out on wobbly legs. My dress flowed around me from the wind. I felt like a princess in a scary movie.

The soldier gave me a curious look. His eyes were the color of mud. I could tell he wanted to ask me something, but he clamped his mouth shut when Seth walked around the side of the car. Seth gave him a look.

"What happens now?" I asked.

The unknown was scarier than the known.

"Now we begin." Stephan grabbed my lower arm and led me through the mass of cars.

I didn't notice it before, but there was a huge brick wall at the end of the parking lot. In front of the brick wall, there was a huge wooden platform. I looked towards the top of the brick wall. There was a piece of wood sticking out. On the piece of wood, there was rope. The bottom held a loop.

My feet froze when I realized the way the execution would be held. They were going to be hung. My mouth dried. It was barbaric. If they were lucky, they would die instantly.

Stephan nudged me forward. In front of the platform were hundreds of chairs. We were meant to watch. They were putting on a show. I was horrified.

People were filing into the chairs. Even little kids were taking seats. Little kids were going to watch human beings be murdered. This was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Why does it have to be like this?" I could barely get the words to leave my lips.

It didn't have to be like this. There could be peace.

"I need to set fear into the people. I never expected the rebellion to get so big." Stephan responded.

I didn't expect him to give me an honest answer like that.

"Why lead with fear?" Why do any of this?" It didn't make sense.

Stephan led me to a chair at the front. He was giving me a clear view. I wouldn't be able to watch. I clenched my eyes shut when I sat down.

"People obey when they are afraid." He stated it like it was simple. Like it made perfect sense in his mind.

I was shaking. I couldn't control it. I couldn't do anything to stop this. Nothing. I had no control. No power. I could do nothing but watch as the people I cared about died.

After fifteen minutes, every chair was taken. People were even standing up just to watch. I listened to the excitement in the crowd. They wanted this to happen. They were all for it.

When I heard a commotion, I looked towards the sound. A long line of people were walking towards the platform. Soldiers stood around them, guns aimed.

They were being led by chains. I recognized a few of them. Some of them were the enforcers from Paradise. Some of them were the hungry people there. My eyes searched out Adam and my father. I didn't see them in the line.

I felt relieved, then terrible. Why should one life matter over another?

Seth took a seat to the right of me. I clenched my hands on my thighs. I wanted to hurt him. I hated him. This was his fault. All of this. If it was not for him, none of this would be happening. Everyone trusted him. Relied on him. He took advantage of that. He was just going to sit here and watch as all these life's got stolen.

"Relax," he whispered.

I tensed. He was telling me to relax. Who was he to tell me to relax?

"I hate you." I whispered back. I felt a little better after saying it.

"Be quiet." Stephan demanded. "The show is about to start."

He said the show like it was simple, like all of this was simple. Nothing about this was simple. Stephan leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. His dark eyes looked excited. He was enjoying this. A soldier tugged on the chain and the line of people started walking up the steps. They weren't fighting. I could see it in their faces. They had given up. They looked defeated.

Why wasn't anyone doing anything? Why wasn't anyone trying to stop this? It was human massacre. I looked at Seth. He was watching my face intently. My eyes said to do something, but my mouth stayed shut. He wouldn't do anything. He was a liar and a traitor. Seth's lips were turned down in a frown. His posture was as rigid as a board.

A soldier unclipped one person from the chain. I recognized her. She was the girl in Paradise. The one who was feeding her mom rats. They had been brought food, water, and shelter. All of it was for nothing. When they fought for survival, it was for nothing. They were going to die anyways. There was no hope.

I slumped in my seat when the soldier led her up the steps. She stayed calm as he put the loop of the rope around her neck. I had to crane my neck all the way back in order to see her. When he tightened the rope, she looked down. Our eyes met.

Before I could breathe, she got shoved off the platform. A loud roar filled the crowd. I could barely hear over the blood rushing in my ears. My heart had stopped. People were standing up and clapping. Others were shouting. I watched her body swing back and forth from the rope. The life had left her eyes. She no longer existed. She was gone. Forever.

The soldier easily pulled the rope back up. After disposing of her body, they began to lead another person up the platform. Another defeated person. Someone else without hope. Hundreds of people surrounded me, yet nobody did anything.

Nobody cared. That's when it clicked in my brain. I was somebody. I cared. Why should I wait on somebody to do something when I was somebody? I was here and I could do this. I could do something. Maybe I would fail, or maybe I would succeed. Who knew? It was a risk I was willing to take.