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I woke with a start, sweaty and tangled in my sheets. It was a dream I’d had before. It always started with my family of four playing a game of cards around the table. We’d all laugh as Mom would splay her perfect hand in front of Cato, gloating not because she won, but because my brother was so competitive. But as she stood to revel in her glory, something, or someone, would always take her down. In tonight’s dream it was a single bullet like the one Emmaline fired on test day. Mom’s body hit the floor with a...
THUD.
The sound came from outside. I rushed to the window just in time to see Cato closing up behind him. He must’ve hit the ground a little too hard when he jumped out of his bedroom window. Beside him on the ground lay a black trash bag.
I’d almost forgotten about that bag with everything else that had happened over the last couple of days. I quickly threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt, slipped on my boots without stopping to find socks, and pulled open my window. Cato was already gone. I threw a leg over the window sill and carefully dropped down to the patio below, then rushed over to the boxwood bush where I’d seen him land the night he brought the bag home.
An old tree stump was hidden behind the bush. I stepped up and peeked over the tall wooden fence to find Cato walking quickly but silently toward the business district. The bag was tucked under his arm, and it wouldn’t have looked suspicious at all if I didn’t already know what it was. Using the stump, I pushed myself up and over the fence, wincing as the wooden post pushed against the bandaged cut on my thumb.
“Oof.” My landing could have been a little more graceful, but at least I wasn’t hurt, and I didn’t think I was loud enough to have been heard.
It wasn’t technically a crime to be out after dark. It just wasn’t very wise— especially in the back alleys behind the living quarters. I rushed along the back fences as quickly as I could and only stopped to pause once I’d reached the main street. Most of the lights were dark in the homes around me, but there was a street light about a block ahead on the left. Cato was just beyond it, still moving straight ahead.
I scurried to catch up, staying on the right side of the street close to trees and shrubs that lined the road. As I ran past the street light I saw Cato take a turn off of the main roadway up ahead. My adrenaline picked up as I unsuccessfully tried to think of anything familiar in that direction. Where was he going?
I saw them just after I turned the corner. Fear gripped my body and I stood frozen to the sidewalk. Two shadowy figures stepped out from between an abandoned storefront and a line of old houses that backed up to the same forest that ran past the sanitation headquarters. I knew they were Outsiders from the way they walked before they even stepped into the light. The shorter man had a slight limp, but the taller man was menacing as he stalked over toward my brother.
Cato was on the stoop of a boarded-up old church building. I searched for somewhere he could run, somewhere safe. But I wasn’t able to see much from my spot on the corner. If I went any further they’d spot me in the light on the road up ahead. But I was quick. If I could just get their attention away from my brother...
He turned around before I could act. I inched back behind a tree near the road and watched with my mouth open as Cato reached out and pulled the shorter man into a brief hug. He turned and did the same to the taller man. They spoke in whispers for just a moment as Cato held out the bag before opening the front door of the church and ducking inside under a wide board.
The night was quiet and still again, with no one else in sight. Cato didn’t seem worried, but there was no way I was going to leave my brother here with those men. I knew what the Outsiders were capable of. But I’d have to find a different way inside so they wouldn’t know I was there.
I dashed over to the church building and made my way around its perimeter. I’d never been up close to a church before. After the Great War, officials decided we would all have more peace if everyone kept their spiritual beliefs private. When public displays of worship or prayer became illegal, churches, temples, and mosques were shut down and boarded up across the country. Some had been repurposed for public use, while others, like this one, sat abandoned for decades. I imagined if it had been located closer to the Center they may have cleaned it up and made it useful again.
My boot crunched on a pile of broken green and blue glass behind the building. I paused, making sure no one was around who might have heard. Up above was an elaborate window about six feet above the ground. I could make out what used to be a picture of a dove radiating rays of golden light over trees and water below.
Several of the stained glass panels were broken or missing, and beneath it was a hole where a second, smaller window had been entirely removed. A board that used to cover the hole was hanging loosely by one nail. I could probably squeeze through the opening if I went head first and pulled my body through on my stomach, but first I’d have to see what was on the other side.
Nothing was behind the church except a pile of dried leaves, so I walked back around to where the old houses sat. An empty metal trash can lay on its side next to a run-down looking shack that I supposed was probably also empty. It was lightweight enough that I could carry it back to the window without dragging it on the ground. Turning it upside down, I climbed on top and peeked through the hole beneath the stained glass.
The window opening was at the end of a dusty auditorium. A few pews remained scattered along the edges, but the room was mostly empty and very dark along the interior walls. In the middle sat a circle of five men and two women gathered around a lantern. Dim light danced across their faces, but they looked to be at ease. Cato sat with his back to me, and I spotted the trash bag sitting neatly in his lap.
I watched in silence for just a moment before pushing myself up and through the window. A giant table overflowing with ripped hymnals sat about two or three feet in front of the window, next to an old podium. Getting inside was tricky, but I reached out with my arms while my legs still dangled outside the window and somehow got myself into a bridge position, with the front half of my body gripping the large table and my feet perched on the window sill. The books were stacked high enough to block my view from the group in the auditorium.
Slowly I let down one leg, then the other and slid behind the podium to ensure I was completely out of sight.
Once inside I could hear the group more clearly. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips. They didn’t see me come in. I carefully peered around the edge of the podium to see what I was up against.
“See anyone yet?”
The woman who spoke was looking toward the front door. I couldn’t see him from the window, but the tall man who walked up on Cato outside was now standing guard inside the church.
So that made six men and two women. The group’s ages seemed to skew on the younger side. Cato was nineteen, and the two boys to his left looked to be about the same. But on his right sat an older man. I’d say he was close to sixty if I had to guess, but he was definitely the most physically fit old man I’d ever seen. I wasn’t counting his age against him. He would still be a challenge to contend with if I needed to get Cato out of there. The women were slightly older than Cato, as were the last two men— the ones I saw outside earlier.
I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of a group like this.
“No one yet,” the man at the door called back. The door was slightly cracked and he was watching from the narrow opening.
“I told you no one would come,” said a short man who looked to be in his thirties. I recognized him as the man with the limp.
“It was a death wish from the start. We were fools to think it could work. What a waste.” He scowled, and a young woman beside him placed her hand on his knee.
“It was not a waste,” she said. “Sam planted the seed, and seeds take time to grow. We won’t let his sacrifice be a waste.”
The circle was silent for a beat before Cato spoke up. He sounded excited, and though I couldn’t see his face from my angle, I could hear his goofy grin in his voice. I almost smiled right along with him, but then I remembered we were still in an abandoned old church surrounded by Outsiders. I craned my neck a little further past the edge of the podium to try and catch a glimpse of him speaking.
“Well I’ve got something for you all to see, even if it is just the eight of us. Get over here, Dave. You’re gonna want to check this out!”
The tall man at the door, Dave, left his post and sat next to one of the teenage boys opposite Cato. Dave was clearly an Outsider. The bare skin of his knees poked through the tattered holes in his jeans as he lowered himself to the floor. The boy beside him looked a little more put together, though. There was something familiar about him.
“Whatcha got?” Dave asked.
My heart picked up speed as Cato lifted the black trash bag from his lap. This secret was too dangerous for me, the person he supposedly trusted most in the world, but he was fine showing it to this ragged bunch? It was insulting. And yet, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. I had to know what was in there.
Everyone else had similar looks of excitement and wonder as they focused on my brother. Everyone but the boy directly to Cato’s left. He looked around the room, instead. His dark eyes were alert, searching. He turned slightly to scan the area where I sat, and I quickly pulled my head back behind the podium.
I was instantly annoyed at him for forcing me out of sight as I heard the crinkling of the plastic bag Cato opened in his lap. I’d been waiting two days to find out what was inside, and now I risked missing my only shot. The group began to murmur quietly, and I hoped the boy beside Cato had turned his attention back to the bag as well. But to be safe, I decided to peek around from the other side of the podium this time.
I didn’t see the rat. And I don’t think the rat saw me. If it did, it paid no mind as it scampered across the back of my hand. But I minded. I minded a lot.
I flung my hand out the moment I felt its disgusting little feet touch my skin. Its warm, furry belly made contact with my skin for a fraction of a second before it went flying across the church, squealing through the air. In any other circumstances, I probably would have been proud of my reflexes, nudging Cato, asking him if he saw how quickly I reacted. But this was not the time or the place to brag to my brother.
I heard the group jump to their feet as I pulled myself into a tight ball behind the podium. Maybe they didn’t suspect any foul play. Maybe rats went flying through their secret church meetings often. Maybe I’d survive this whole night unscathed.
Or maybe not.
“Who’s there?” Whoever shouted did not sound afraid. His voice was strong and clear, ready to fight. I suspected it was the old man.
“Check behind the podium. I thought I heard something back there a minute ago.”
The second voice was deep and smooth, and I pictured the dark eyes that were searching for me moments earlier. I’d rather have the furry rat back.
Two sets of footsteps made their way toward me, and I debated whether I’d be safer if I made a leap for the window. The hair on my arms stood on edge as they neared, and my legs were like springs, ready to pounce. But a click of metal told me I wouldn’t make it very far. Of course they had weapons. Why wouldn’t they?
I was defenseless, but my brother sat just twenty feet away. They seemed to like him. Without a second thought I came out from behind the podium, both arms in the air.
“I’m with Cato,” I said quickly. The breathless sound of my own voice was a little unnerving.
The old man and Dave were blocking my view of the group, and Dave held a gun.
“Please don’t hurt me,” I said. “I mean no harm. I was just looking after my brother.”
“Claren?” Cato said. The men parted slightly, giving me a view of my brother’s pale face. He was wide-eyed, and his mouth remained slightly ajar.
“Get her!” yelled the boy farthest from me. I knew now why he looked familiar earlier. This boy wasn’t an Outsider. He was one of my classmates.
“That’s the girl who got Sam killed!”