Shane pushed the kids through the eternal night. Beginning training immediately after they left Granny’s, the kids grew tired after a few hours and could only focus on walking. He soon lost track of time, figuring they’d been going for at least ten hours. Some complained of blisters on their feet, and others stumbled constantly.
“We cannot stop,” Shane said to the kids around him, scooping a little boy off the ground and carrying him. “If we stop, we die.”
It wasn’t something that should be said to children, and he hated how insensitive he sounded, but that was the harsh reality of the situation. They needed to keep moving; he wouldn’t lose any more of them to Greenie.
They’d marched through the forest and found the freeway. Though it didn’t go due south, Shane took a chance and had them follow the road toward Atlanta. The going was much easier, as was keeping track of kids who weren’t weaving between the trees in the woods. He kept a wary eye out for any sign of the green glow that signaled another kid would be killed, planning to divert their path due south if he saw it.
The hours wore on, and Greenie didn’t attack. They passed the spot where Matt lost his leg, and the freeway merged with the one that led directly into the heart of Atlanta.
“Looks like the seventy-five will take us straight to the light,” Steve said, pointing down the road. “You think we should stay on it, or get off and try to take cover in the city?”
“Right now, I think we should try to stay on it,” Shane replied. “But that might have to change once we get down there.”
“Be nice if we had a clue as to what we were up against,” Tracy said.
“Wouldn’t it, though?” Maurice replied. “Don’t worry, I know this city inside and out.”
“This is good,” Petrov said. “I have no clue where we are.”
“We’ve been here before,” Steve said, sounding somber. “This is where we fought our way down and shut off the machine that killed the adults.”
“Lost a lot of good people,” Maurice said, his voice inflected with painful memory.
“Yes,” Anfisa replied. “But you didn’t have us then.” She smacked Maurice on the back. “Don’t worry—we Russians will keep you safe.”
“If you are scared,” Petrov joined in the jest, “hide behind us.”
They chuckled, the Russians’ exhausted attempt at humor refreshing.
“How much longer before this asshole gives us some light?” Jules snarled. “My arms are numb from these damn ropes.”
“How’s the shoulder?” Steve asked, sounding ashamed.
“Hurt for a bit,” she replied. “Feels better now, though I can’t tell for sure being all tied up.”
Her eyes were glued to Jones and his clones as she spoke, and Shane knew they couldn’t let her loose until Greenie turned off her desire to murder them.
“Look,” Steve said. “I think that may be your answer.”
The sky to the south began to glow, faint at first, but then increasing in brightness. Once it formed a bright spot in the darkness above them, the light shined down. It touched the ground a couple of miles down the road, in an area where the freeway climbed up a hill.
“We’re almost there, people,” Shane said, relieved.
Everyone perked up, raising their drooping heads and walking faster. Shane stepped ahead of his friends and came alongside Kelly.
“What happens when we get to the light?” Kelly asked.
“We get to rest,” Shane replied, smiling at her. “And you remember.”
“I remember all of you?” She looked at Nat, who’d stuck by her side all through the night. Kelly’s brow furrowed, like she felt bad for not remembering who this little girl who cared so much for her was.
“Yes,” Shane replied softly. “You’ll remember us.”
They marched on, and the light ahead increased in intensity until Shane couldn’t see the beacon shining down on Atlanta that had guided them this far.
“It’s so weird that the light can be so bright, but it’s contained to that spot,” Anfisa mused. “It seems like it would light up the surrounding area as well.”
“It is odd,” Steve agreed.
Shane diverted his gaze from the light they walked toward, noticing the area around them appeared even darker than before. He shrugged his shoulders, too tired to contemplate the advanced technology Greenie must be using. They came to the light, and the kids passed into it. Shane and Kelly approached, and he could see it was like a shimmering curtain hung down, holding in the light and keeping it from spilling into the darkness.
He took Kelly’s hand. She didn’t resist, though it felt like he was holding onto a stranger. It was their turn to enter the light. Shane looked over at her face as they passed from the dark into the sunlight. Her worried and confused expression transformed, memories and emotion washing over her. She stopped just inside, blinking to adjust her eyes.
Kelly turned to him, pulling him to her. She pressed her lips to his, a solitary tear rolling from her eye.
“It’s so hard,” she whispered, her lips near his. “Having everything stripped from me like that.”
“I know,” he replied. “I wish I could do something to stop it from happening.”
“I’m just glad you’re with me,” she replied. “I couldn’t survive this without you.”
“But if something happens to me,” Shane hesitantly said. “You must go on. You have Nat, and the rest of the kids need you too.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But don’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
“Don’t worry,” he said, smiling at her. “I’m a survivor. Apparently, we all are.”
“I guess it’s not something we would’ve learned about ourselves without this experience,” she said, stepping back from him and embracing Nat.
“Some silver lining,” he grimly replied.
“Do you remember?” Nat asked, her voice and manner timid.
“Yeah.” Kelly kissed her forehead. “I remember.”
“Shane,” Tracy called.
He looked across the sunny circle. The light illuminated the width of the freeway, and most of the kids were settling in the grassy median. They were on the peak of a hill, affording a view of Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Tracy stood at the southern edge of the light, staring out at the city.
“What’s the word?” Shane stepped next to Tracy. His eyes were immediately drawn to the distant column of light, the beacon that he expected marking their destination.
“You see it?” she asked.
“Yeah, wish I didn’t,” he replied.
“That’s the recruit ship that went down,” Tracy said. “Looks like Greenie has us on a collision course with the Anunnaki.”
“It’s what I’ve been saying all along,” Jules said. She’d joined them and was rubbing the feeling back into her arms after having the ropes removed.
Shane eyed Jules, worried she still had aggressive tendencies even with the lights on.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jules said. “I’m in control now. But I’ve known ever since Greenie showed up and freed me that they want us to kill the Anunnaki. That’s why they’ve been pushing us down toward Atlanta this entire time. If we don’t fight, they’ll kill us.”
“There’s something else, Shane,” Kelly solemnly said, joining them.
“I’m not liking your tone,” Tracy replied, a worried frown on her face.
“What is it, Kelly?” Shane asked.
“I think Greenie put a message in my mind.” She paused, sounding like she felt violated by their intrusion. “It said this would be our last stop.”
“Last stop before what?” Steve wondered, only sounding a little worried.
“I think I got the same message,” Jules replied. “Greenie is not going to give us another break.”
“And it won’t be over until we destroy the remaining Anunnaki,” Kelly finished, a sick expression on her face.
“How long do we have?” Shane asked, wanting to make the best use of the time.
“You know they ain’t that generous,” Jules replied. “They didn’t say.”
He looked at Kelly.
“Sorry, they didn’t tell me either,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“What do you want us to do?” Steve asked.
His friend was ready for action; he just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Shane checked the kids behind them. They’d settled in on the grass in the median and alongside the freeway. Some were eating, but several had already fallen asleep. His stomach twisted at the thought of the smaller kids being hurt or killed. They planned to keep them surrounded with older kids to protect them, but he knew once the battle started, that strategy could easily fall apart.
“At least most of them are teenagers,” Tracy said, picking up on Shane’s concern.
Shane returned his attention to the darkness and the shadowy city that lay between them and the recruit ship. “We’ve got to hit them fast and hard,” he said. “We’re stronger and have better endurance. We need to use these to our advantage.”
“We’re attacking the Anunnaki?” Steve asked.
“We’ll head toward them,” Shane replied. “I don’t think Greenie will allow us to go anywhere else. We won’t attack unless we have to.”
“Oh, we’ll have to,” Jules said, an ominous tone to her voice.
“For now,” Shane continued, knowing they had to focus on the present, “everyone needs to get rested. We’ll be useless if we don’t get some sleep.”