Chapter 5: Wren

 

 

It was impossible for my foot to walk any further. It was about to give up after having walked for a full day straight and getting nowhere.

The road wasn’t real, it was just an illusion set up to send me insane. No matter how far I walked, how many steps my feet beat out on the ground, the scenery never changed. I was on a giant hamster wheel with no way out.

My feet decided to call a coup.

They stopped and collapsed until my butt hit the floor of the forest.

There had been no other vehicle on the road since I saw the one at the gate. I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined the whole thing. At this stage, anything was possible.

Maybe I was an illusion too.

Just a ghost doomed to walk the road until my feet were just stumps that hung below my knees.

One thing was certain, if I was going to hitch a ride through the gates of Aria and return to the city, the vehicle was going to have to come to me.

Walking was no longer an option.

Finding a vehicle was deemed impossible.

There had to be a better way of getting inside the city. My brain hurt while I tried to think about it. A million ideas presented themselves before being dismissed again. None of them would work, not unless I suddenly had the ability to fly.

I didn’t.

No matter how I flapped my arms.

The next idea struck me like a bolt of lightning had shot down through the clouds and hit me on my head. It cracked open my skull and extracted the thought that was little more than a wisp of a thing.

I needed a vehicle.

I could not walk any further to the place where the vehicles came from.

So I needed the vehicle to come to me.

The thought was simple when I really stopped to let it develop. The road I was on seemed to be the only one that led to the gate. That meant all vehicles going into Aria had to pass by this very spot at some stage.

All I needed to do was make sure a vehicle stopped so it gave me the opportunity to hitch a ride with an unsuspecting driver. There were ways to make vehicles stop, like damaging them.

Or at least injure them temporarily.

I needed to set a trap, do something to the road that would cause the vehicle to break down. I could dig a pothole, or scatter sharp objects over the tar to puncture the tires. Which would have all been good ideas if I actually had a shovel or sharp objects.

Maybe I could find the tools I needed?

Hope filled my chest, swirling around until it energized my feet to walk that little bit further. I searched the forest surrounding me, looking for anything I could use against a vehicle.

The thickets.

They were sharp and tough, hard enough to pierce the skin and maybe puncture a tire? It was worth a shot. I picked at the thickets, breaking a sweat as I broke off branches and placed them in a pile. After prying off enough to scatter across the road, I also found some sharp rocks. The rocks might not be able to puncture a tire but they could damage something else underneath the vehicle.

I took my stash and placed them across the smooth surface of the road. They were unavoidable, but they did stick out across the black asphalt. Hopefully anyone who passed through would think a strong wind took them from the forest and laid them out across the road.

Surely suspecting a Defective Clone had scattered them would be the last thing they thought of.

Although… we did tend to get the blame for everything bad that happened around Aria. I pushed the thought away as I took cover between the trees of the forest again.

Now, it was only a matter of waiting.

At least I could rest while I did.

The silence of the lonely stretch was broken by the primal growl of a wild animal. It was emanating from the forest behind me, belonging to any number of creatures I could only begin to imagine.

My guess would be a bear.

Or a leopard.

Or many monsters.

Any number of creatures could be hidden in the dark depths of the ancient forest and watching me, sizing me up for their dinner. This place didn’t exist in any books authorized by President Stone, my imagination had to fill in all the blanks.

And it was filling it with something furry with big teeth and claws.

It was difficult not letting my mind run away on a tangent and make the creature even bigger, with more teeth, and talons so sharp they made daggers look like toys.

It growled again.

I shifted to the edge of the forest and tried to remain calm while I crossed the road. The last thing I needed was the animal thinking I was playing with it so therefore it must chase after me.

That would not be good.

Ducking into the forest on the other side, my eyes immediately scanned the area. I couldn’t hear the animal on this side but I was certain they were there regardless. If not the one from the other side, then many others just like it.

If not worse.

The distant hum of an engine stole my attention away as every part of me froze in place in case I missed it. The noise was definitely the low grumble of an engine and it was getting louder.

A vehicle was coming.

I crouched by the side of the road, still hidden by the trees of the forest as I waited. My breath caught in my throat, not daring to exhale in case I was caught. Every part of me geared up to do what I had been waiting all day to do.

The stretch of road was long, giving me time to prepare myself as it came into view. It was another truck, similar to the one that had gained access at the gate but with slight variances. The color was ivory, a dirty cream box that was growing bigger by the second.

My feet were ready but my heart was shattering its protest in my chest. I wasn’t built for this kind of suspenseful action. I was supposed to grow and be healthy until someone took my life when my organs were needed.

But I hadn’t let them do that.

So I supposed this was sufficient punishment.

The truck was about to pass over my trap. It would skid across the rocks and thickets, hopefully being damaged in the process so it had no other choice except to stop.

Then I would make my move.

My pulse beat out the seconds one by one.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

The truck groaned and protested as the driver swerved to avoid the debris littering the road. He tried, but failed. The vehicle fishtailed and croaked.

But he didn’t stop.

Wheels continued to turn, the engine still roared with power, and the driver didn’t even have to wonder what just happened. He disappeared into the distance and left me alone with all my hopes crushed.

My opportunity to get into Aria had roared by without a second thought. So much for my plan. My options now were either to continue walking down the road and find a truck before it left or to make my trap better.

I could always walk further tomorrow.

Today I would work on my trap.

Taking the few steps to the road, I inspected my handiwork. The thickets had been broken, merely spread around without having any impact on the tires. In the war of rubber versus branches, the rubber had won.

Round one, anyway.

The rocks were scattered around the road, disrupted from their places. If the thickets were useless, then it was all going to rest on the rocks in my second attempt.

I hurried deeper into the forest and gathered as many rocks as I could. Each one was so heavy I had to carry it alone. I laid them across the road in a random pattern, trying to make it still seem natural and not made by a person on purpose.

My fingers were sore and scratched, growing worse with each rock I pried from the earth and dropped onto the black tar. I didn’t want to lose another opportunity, I had to get it right this time. My dress rehearsal had failed, the main event could not.

There looked like there were more rocks on the road than in the ground by the time I was finished. To make it seem more like a natural event, I laid dead leaves and twigs from the forest floor across the asphalt.

It still didn’t look very convincing.

I wasn’t a miracle worker.

Light was starting to fade, reminding me how many shadows lived amongst the trees. I was terrified of going to sleep, sitting upright with my back pressed across the gnarled bark of a tree so I couldn’t get comfortable.

I wondered whether the others had found a town yet or whether they were still walking through the forest. A part of me feared the trees went on forever and nothing else existed outside of Aria. That’s what President Stone wanted us to believe, maybe she wasn’t lying.

The thought almost made me laugh.

Of course the president was lying.

There was nothing more I was surer of.

The trucks had to come from somewhere, which meant the trees would eventually end and they would find a town. It would only be a matter of time. I hoped it was sooner rather than later and they would be welcomed instead of shunned.

If the rocks didn’t stop the next vehicle, then nothing would. There was a lot of walking in my future if that was the case. My feet screamed at me to reconsider already, to find another plan or simply live in that patch of forest for the rest of my life.

I watched the rays of sun grow smaller until they completely faded away and gave up to the night. Everything looked different at nighttime in amongst the trees. The noises were different too. Birds that had been sleeping all day suddenly came alive, hooting out their voices and telling everyone that they were awake and alive.

Crickets chirped so loudly they may as well have been living in my ears. They refused to be silenced, not caring what anyone else said. Every rustle of leaves was the creature stalking me, determined to make me their next meal and waiting for the right time.

I felt very small in such a big place.

My existence was inconsequential to everything else in the forest. The trees and animals would continue to live even without my presence there. It all thrived regardless of what happened with me or in Aria.

There was something both terrifying and empowering about that thought. It emboldened me to fight for my right to exist and make a mark on the world. It scared me to think I could vanish and it wouldn’t care.

They were my final thoughts before I drifted off to sleep.

A noise battered against my head in my dreams. It was a constant hum, as sharp as an icepick as it tore at my consciousness. I swatted at it, wishing it would go away.

Until I realized it was real.

And the source was an approaching vehicle.

The sun was already peering over the top of the trees when my eyes flew open. Lacework of rays were dancing around the ground, making patterns as complex as only nature could make.

I shot to my feet, making my head spin with the action before bracing myself against the tree. Now was not a time for fuzzy thoughts, they needed to be sharp and still so I could think and act as I needed to.

Peeking my head through the trees, I saw the vehicle. This one was a truck again, but bigger than the last two. Its gray metal walls rattled as it moved, having a competition with the engine to see who could be louder.

I counted down again, waiting to add the sound of crunching metal to the mix. But before I could, the truck’s brakes squealed as they were forced to clamp down on the wheels. The driver swerved, trying desperately to avoid the rocks and stop before he hit them.

He was too late.

Through the window, I caught a glimpse of his expression. The middle-aged man was angry and confused. He gripped the steering wheel like it was a lifesaver but it wasn’t going to save him from my trap.

The vehicle hit the rocks, the noise they made when they collided was much louder than I expected as it hit the metal underside of the truck. The tires gripped the road as they skidded from side to side, gliding as if on snow.

Pieces of branches and leaves were kicked up into the air, making a green and brown whirlwind around the action. The whole scene took only a few seconds to play out in front of me, but it felt much, much longer.

The truck came to a screeching stop in the middle of the road. I could hear the driver swearing from my spot in the forest. I crept closer, crouching low and remaining in the shadows. I might not have had very long before he got the truck working again and taking off.

He jumped down from the high cab and did a complete circle around the truck, inspecting it low to take in the damage. I could see a few dents but it looked otherwise fine. I doubted I had done any real damage, maybe shaken up the man a bit, at worse.

He looked just like any citizen in Aria. I’d never seen anybody from the outside before yesterday. We weren’t allowed to discuss anything that happened outside the wall so a part of me wondered if it really was just full of monsters.

But this man could have been walking in the middle of Aria Square and he wouldn’t look any different. Nobody would look at him twice.

He stood and looked around, his gaze travelling over my hiding spot. My heart stopped beating while his eyes lingered on the area. I was convinced he could see me, sure he would come over and demand to know my crimes.

Would he kill me?

Or would he deliver me to Stone once he saw the paleness of my blue eyes?

Every atom in my body froze while he watched. Any moment now he would yell out, maybe rush at me quickly before I had a chance to get up and stumble over my gimp foot. My defect would make it easy for him to catch me.

Any moment now.

I couldn’t move.

He looked away and I almost died of relief.

His inspection of the vehicle ended at the front tire on the right hand side. He swore again, letting off a string of curse words before they settled down into a sigh. Standing, he kicked the tire several times in frustration before resigning himself to the conclusion. It was flattening, it needed to be changed.

I hoped he had a spare.

Otherwise the wait would be a lot longer than I had planned for.

He moved to the other side of the truck and opened the door, fiddling with something before the whole cab leaned forward. I assumed that was where the spare was kept, but I was the last person qualified to know for sure.

While he was busy with his head buried in the cab and his mind focused on the task, I took my chance. One hesitant step out was quickly followed by a series of fast ones. My feet were as quiet as a ghost as I skipped around the debris and headed for the back door of the truck.

It had a large handle on the back, sure to make a noise when I tried to move it. I crawled onto the bumper bar and waited for an opportunity, not daring to breathe while I did.

After a few minutes the driver lowered the cab. I had a window of only a few seconds to coordinate my door with the noise of the cab closing. I waited only two beats of my heart before taking the opportunity.

The handle groaned when I turned the metal bar but it didn’t resist me. I slipped inside the back of the truck and closed the door behind me. I couldn’t lock it from the inside so I let it swing open naturally, hoping the driver would think it came loose in the melee caused by the rocks.

The truck was filled with boxes, pictures on the sides said food was contained within. It smelled earthy, like they could have been filled with fresh produce. Just the thought of food made my stomach grumble and beg to be sated.

I squeezed through the boxes to reach the back of the space, pushing a few stacks over a few inches so I could fit. I crouched down and strained to hear the progress of the driver.

It was eerily quiet in my hidey-hole. All I could hear was the sound of my blood rushing through my ears. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I was more scared of being caught, or returning to Aria. Hiding in the truck would guarantee me either entry into the city or a swift death when caught by the guards at the gate.

The moment the truck started, my fate would be in the hands of a higher power. I could only hope luck was with me. It hadn’t done me any favors in the past. But there was a first time for everything.

I was convinced I was going to be found. Surely the driver would thoroughly check his load before driving off? If he couldn’t fix the tire, maybe he would call for another truck. It would arrive and they would have to take everything out of this one to go into the undamaged vehicle. They would definitely find me there, hiding behind the boxes like a piece of treasured cargo.

It was difficult to breathe. My lungs seized up, deciding it was easier to give up now than suffer a death from someone else’s hands. I gasped, gulping in air that tasted like cardboard. The harder I breathed the louder I was.

I was going to get caught.

I would never see Reece or Rocky again.

The air was forced into my lungs, large shocking gasps that dried my throat and threatened to choke me. I focused on the rhythm of my breaths, counting them to ten before starting again. It was all that existed in my world for a few minutes.

To calm myself down I told myself lies. I could do this, I could return to Aria and survive, I wouldn’t be found in the truck, it would be easy to get out again once through the walls, the guards wouldn’t check inside the vehicle. I told myself every lie imaginable until I could breathe normally again.

The back door locked.

Something outside slammed.

The truck leaned a little to the side.

The engine roared to life.

We were moving. The driver must have been able to fix the tire so we could continue on toward Aria. Maybe my lies weren’t so untruthful after all.

It was dark in the truck but I remembered the boxes contained food. There would be a while before we reached the gates so I had a chance to eat something. Prying open one of the boxes, the food inside was cold but a distinct shape – carrots. They tasted only slightly of dirt so I ate one and then another. A few more were stuffed into my pockets for later.

If there was a later.

I settled back into my hiding place and tried not to let the gentle rocking of the cabin lull me to sleep. I needed to be fully alert and awake, nodding off now could be disastrous for my survival.

In my mind I pictured the road outside. It had taken me a full day to walk to where I set my trap. How long would it take to drive it? A fraction of the time, no doubt.

Instead of picturing the guards we would encounter at the gate, I imagined Reece and what he would be doing now. It was probably something normal like eating or having a meeting with Joseph, but it was reassuring. If he was doing something ordinary, then maybe after I found him we could do something ordinary together. I was just so tired of having to run and escape and hide. I craved normal.

The truck stopped before I could really prepare myself. Not that I could do anything, but I needed to be as silent as a mouse and as invisible as the wind.

The truck bobbed as it righted itself, the driver must have left his seat. I pictured him speaking with the guards as voices mingled together in a muffled din outside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Until the back door opened.

The sliver of light was like a warning beacon as it lit up the back of the truck. I shrunk further into my hiding place, crossing everything I had to give me good luck.

“It’s just food, the usual delivery,” a man said. I recognized his voice, it was the driver. He wasn’t using any of the curse words he was muttering when I first met him. “You never normally check the load.”

“New security measures, sir,” another man replied, undoubtedly a guard. They worked in pairs, another one would be close by.

“I don’t have anything to hide.”

“I’m sure you don’t, but we still have to look. President’s orders and all being what they are.”

“So you’re checking all deliveries now? My boss is going to love that, it will take us twice as long for each haul.”

“Sorry, sir. We’ll be as quick as we can and then you can be on your way.”

The truck groaned as someone stepped onto the bed. The spotlight of a flashlight flicked around the darkness. I closed my eyes, hoping that would help.

It didn’t.

His heavy booted footsteps thudded on the steel floor. Boxes rustled as he randomly chose some to look inside and inspect the contents. The smell of dirt and sweat permeated the air.

I all but stopped breathing.

He was getting too close.

He was going to find me.