Fragmented Souls, page 34
“You know the plan?” Reassured by the Hunter that no one will be coming, I move back under the vent, taking care to avoid being within spitting distance of the boys.
“We listen to Asteroid and every direction he gives us, even though he can’t actually see what we’re doing,” Johnny recites with a sigh. I narrow my eyes at him, having half a mind to pull them out and send someone else in their place. I don’t even know why I let both of them go; the job only needs one.
“We listen to everything he says, wear our masks, drop our brilliant creations and leave right away, not stopping for anything until we get back to Buckey and Tequila,” Rey quickly says. His smile fades as he focuses on me, just now realizing how serious this all is. “Be safe, okay,” he says, his voice becoming small as they shimmy away. Already beginning to bicker, their voices crackle over the walkie in Uri’s hand.
“Stop kicking my face.”
“Stop putting your face there.”
“No, your other left, you dunce.”
“Oh right you, umm –– pipsqueak.”
Uri dials down the walkie’s volume as Asteroid’s voice tries to be heard over theirs. The Hunter beckons to us, starting up the stairs, his gun secure in its holster. We clear every turn, with no one in sight. Not a soul passes through the hallways as we peer through all the doors. Lucky for us, the stairwell walls aren’t made of one-way glass like the rest of the building. It’s less likely we will be seen. We reach the second landing. The Hunter wishes us luck and carries on, his footsteps echoing in our ears.
We press against the walls, moving to the metal door as I peer through the small window. A short, dark hall sits between us and the second door, not more than ten steps away. A Hunter’s back blocks my view into the prison, making it impossible to tell what waits for us.
“Jimmy, stand inside this door and watch the stairs until I call you. Uri, as soon as we get in you watch the other entrance while Ace, Luke and I get J,” I order, my stomach twisting, my instincts warning me of something.
“What do you notice?” the wise voice whispers.
I scan everything in sight. If I were a Big Three leader and I had angry gangs all around me, people who are starving, knowing food is in these buildings, I’d make sure every entrance was guarded, every inch of the building was surveyed, and I would even put a Hunter at each door inside and out at all times. So why is this not the case?
“Are you in position?” Uri asks, his lips dried and cracked, inches from the walkie. His gun looks so heavy in his hands, and the tired look on his face makes me question his being here, but it’s too late for that.
“We are in position, big man,” Rey breathes back.
“Drop the smoke bomb,” Uri orders. We pull on our masks which smell of garbage and rust. They must have found the material on the trash pile past the tree line. My grip tightens around the gold door handle.
“It’s not called a smoke bomb, you great idiotic chicken, it’s a streaker.”
“I don’t know if I should be offended by that or not,” Uri mutters, “It doesn’t even make sense.”
“You just don’t—”
“Rey, drop the damn thing,” I say harshly, interrupting him. The urge to kill the Hunters consumes me, the ones that will be knocked out on the other side of this door, the ones who beat my brother. The cold part of me surfaces only to be pushed down by the happier thought of seeing J again.
“Right,” Rey laughs nervously. They fall quiet for only a second, shuffling around.
“Put on your mask,” Johnny orders.
A sizzling sound comes through the walkie as they detonate the streaker, the sound fading as it falls. As soon as it finds its target, we hear coughing and gasping and then nothing.
“Done,” Rey chirps as if he doesn’t hear the sound of the bodies falling below him.
“Now get out,” I tell them as I twist the handle and apprehensively move down the hall before bursting into the prison. It takes a minute for the thick grey clouds of smoke to clear. Prisoners are knocked out in their cells, and Hunters lie in heaps on the floor, their limbs bending at weird angles, their mouths drawn open, but our masks keep us standing.
The fact that only four Hunters, instead of eight, lie on the floor isn’t the only thing that throws me off as we move further in. J sits slumped over in a rusted metal chair, placed in the middle of the room, his wrists and ankles not bound to anything. Waves of longing, relief and apprehension wash over me.
“It could be a trap,” Uri says, his voice muffled as his tall frame moves along the glass cells. Reaching the other side safely, he holds his gun out and around the corner, watching the opposite entrance.
“Probably, but it’s too late,” Ace says, keeping his eyes away from J.
No one else can bear to look at him, but I do. Along J’s face and neck are green bruises in the recovery phase, and I can see new, bloody purple and blue ones layered over them. His nose is broken, the cut on the bridge of it infected, and his arms are covered in long bubbling burns, oozing orange pus. His ankle is either sprained or broken, and that’s only what I can see on the outside. Under his blood-spotted t-shirt and pants, there has to be worse. I forget Luke and Ace at my side and the Hunters on the floor as I move forward to cup J’s hollow, child-like face in my hands, kissing his forehead.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, even though he can’t hear me. I run my hand over his blonde hair, blanketed with knots and dried blood. “I love you.”
“Harley, we have to go. I can hear people,” Uri calls, running back to us, averting his eyes from J as well. It hurts — it hurts everyone too damn much to see J so disfigured.
“Jimmy.” I stand, pulling myself together, removing my gun from my pocket. I run my fingertips over the dagger handle, thinking. Jimmy leaves his post, running to my side but hesitating at the sight of J. “I need you to take him.” I take Jimmy’s gun from his clenched fingers, sliding it into his pocket. He grabs my arm, trying to object, hardening his jaw because he doesn’t want to leave me again. “It’s non-negotiable. I have to be able to shoot, and Uri can’t carry him, and I trust that you won’t stop running for anything until he’s safe.”
Jimmy bites his tongue, holding back his argument. “Okay,” he whispers, scooping J into his arms easily, even though J is dead weight. He is now only flesh and bones, a light feather that could be carried by the wind.
“We have to go, now,” Uri orders, as footsteps thunder into the room.
“Okay, Jimmy, go. Uri, stay at his back. We will be minutes behind you, only stopping if any Hunters try to follow — and remember, just keep running.” I press my lips to Jimmy’s, the connection feeling rushed and warm — fearful. “Promise me,” I demand, moving them out the door.
He holds me with his crystal eyes like he has done my whole life. “I promise on the sun,” he whispers. He and Uri sprint out the doors and down the stairs.
I grab a couple of clips from the Hunters and am about to run out the door, sure Ace and Luke are close behind, when I freeze. A reflection in the window of the steel door catches my eye, and the gold doorknob just brushes against my fingertips.
“Harles,” the only person who is ever allowed to call me that says, his voice strained. In the window, Ace stands with Luke’s gun pressed to his temple.
I knew this whole mission was too easy — fewer Hunters than expected in the prison, no cameras where there should have been the most, and J readied for us. Luke is the mole in our rank. He has been since day one.
My mind floods with the memories, the hints, and the now clear explanation as to why Luke was so compliant and willing to help us get J. This — him leading me straight into the arms of the leaders, is the reason he’s here, the reason he let us stay at Emma’s. It all makes sense now. I bet he even waited around at the school fire — might have even been responsible for the explosion. He knew I would go in to save J. He knew we would need help. He waited with his car, ensuring he would be on this rescue mission. I feel so stupid.
A small part of me buried under a deep layer of disgust and mortification is surprised, pained even, that someone who I had trusted and had started to care about would betray me. Though every other inch of my being knew he was capable of far worse things than this.
“Harley, I need you to listen to everything I tell you to do or I’ll put a bullet in his head and make you watch him bleed. Now drop your gun and empty your pockets of your dagger and knives,” Luke demands, manipulating his voice to disguise himself as strong and confident. But his pause between each word tells me he’s just as scared as Ace.
I comply, dropping my gun, dagger and two knives, kicking them away and inching toward Luke, noticing the twitching limbs of the unconscious.
“Luke, what are you doing?” My voice is steady, even though I feel far from that. I move toward them as slowly as my body will allow, treating Luke like a scared, beaten victim who is ready to jump at any unfamiliar movement or noise.
“Under the order of the leaders, I am to get you to willingly surrender yourself to them in any way necessary,” Luke says, moving his finger closer to the trigger with every step I take. So I still, barely breathing. I scan the room for anything I can use to stop this, but I figure there are more people than just him with orders to keep me in this prison. The footsteps that we heard coming through the other entrance have stopped, no one storming into the prison. They’re waiting for him to fail and for me to run.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say, willing my voice to be persuasive. “You can put the gun down, and we can all leave here safely and figure something out when we—”
“Stop!” He screams, pushing the gun harder into the side of Ace’s head. The veins in Luke’s neck pop and his face reddens as he begins to lose control. “Your voice doesn’t have the same effect on me.”
He pushes Ace to his knees. Ace shuts his eyes, counting his fingers at his side, accepting what he thinks is to come, but I will not. “It’s okay, Harles, don’t listen to him, I’m okay. Go see your brother. A star isn’t so bad,” he whispers, tears floating down his cheeks into his mouth, reminding me of his desire to be at peace. By protecting me, he’s thanking me for saving him and making him feel loved.
“Ace, I love you, but this is not the time to be stubborn. You don’t get to leave me this easily,” I say, my voice breaking as I move closer to Luke, who moves Ace closer to me.
“Say it, then,” Luke presses, his eyes wild and tired, no longer anticipating this moment, no longer fighting with himself about whether or not he could do this to me.
“It’s not really a willing surrender if you force her to do it,” Ace snarls, his old fight resurfacing for a moment. Luke considers this, then places his finger over the trigger, his arms flexing.
“No!” I beg, taking a deep breath, asking the cold voice for anything that will help, but I have no time to wait and see if she will respond. “Willingly, I surrender. Now let him go,” I say, staring him down.
Luke releases Ace into my arms. Ace grabs hold of me, not caring that Luke still has a gun pointed at him. He cries into my hair, gripping my shirt, forcing all the air between us away. I wipe my face on his sleeve, the smell of grass soaked in dew engulfing me. “You have to go,” I demand, but I hold him as tight as possible.
“Harles, we could—”
“No.” I pry him off, holding his shoulders, turning him in the direction of the door, moving him toward it. We can’t fight back when it could mean Ace’s death and my survival. He is my person, the one I can tell everything to, including things about Jimmy. He is purer and more human than any of us, even Finn. If I let him die I … “You have to run, please, make sure J is okay and that Jimmy doesn’t come back. I’m a survivor, right? I’ll see you again,” I say, managing what I think is a smile as my throat tightens and tears threaten to flood my eyes.
He continues to count his fingers, silently pleading with me to come with him, but I can’t. Luke is growing impatient, and at any minute, he might change his mind and shoot Ace. I push Ace out the door.
“Promise,” he cries, running down the hall, “that you’ll come back.” His strangled words kill me, making this moment feel endless, as if it’s been longer than a couple minutes.
“I promise,” I say, hearing his footsteps fade, his curly black hair and a glint of his birthmark the last thing I see.
“Promise is a strong word,” Luke whispers behind me, handcuffs jingling as he pulls them from his pocket.
“Leave, you idiot. You can outrun him,” the cold voice screams, working to move my legs, but I don’t allow it, even though it’s the only thing I want.
“For once I agree with her,” the powerful voice says.
No, I think, my throat tying itself into knots, my body finally giving in to the human parts of me — so tired and in pain.
“If she does, they will all die,” the wise voice states, throwing me off guard for a moment. Not because she’s right, but because there are three of them with me at the same time. I can feel it.
“Come on.” Luke’s hand falls on my shoulder. Hunters and prisoners start to move, still appearing groggy.
The ten minutes must be up. That means Rey and Johnny have to be close to the tree line, and Jimmy and Uri aren’t far behind. Ace is fast; it won’t be long till he’s there as well. Close to safety. At this moment, I decide I will not go quietly.
I throw my elbow over my shoulder, hitting Luke in the eye, then the nose, drawing blood. I spin and kick, knocking his gun from his hand and tackling him with all my force to the ground. I rip his mask off, but all the smoke is gone. He pulls mine off, too, scratching my face, grabbing a fistful of my hair. He flips us, knocking my head hard on the granite floor, pinning my arms and legs down. His weight is far greater than mine. He grips both my wrists in one of his massive hands, throwing punches with his other. Squirming, I make him miss every time. His knuckles collide with the floor, blood dripping onto my face. I lurch up and bite his arm, the taste of iron streaming down my throat. I manage to free my leg, driving my knee hard into his groin, making him fall to the side, crying out.
I crawl for the door, the Hunters stumbling around and past me. I get to my feet, dazed, my head ringing, my breaths unnaturally forced. My hand opens the cold door when a low voice booms behind me, a voice I recognize from years of listening to mandatory speeches.
“You’re leaving the party so soon? I cleaned the whole place for you,” he says malevolently, his shoes clicking on the floor. “Besides, I wouldn’t run if I were you. I have Hunters everywhere, even around the banished in No Man’s Land, since Luke has given me their location.” His words seem liquid, smacking against his saliva-soaked lips. “If you leave, I will kill your beloved gang and more, not just Ace.”
“Stand down,” the cold voice whispers. Even she knows when a battle can’t be won.
I don’t turn around when I fall to my knees, raising my hands to the back of my head. All my fight has vanished, exhaustion and emptiness taking over. Again.
“Good girl,” he chirps. Hunters grab my arms, shoving my face to the granite, cuffing my wrists behind my back too tightly. They place a bag over my head, so all I see is pitch black when they drag me up and forward.
I struggle against their grip until someone slams the handle of his heavy gun into my stomach, knocking the air out of me, making it hard to gain it back through the tightly woven fabric.
“Sorry, sir,” Luke says, his voice strained, following me. The fact that he called him ‘sir’ makes me struggle against the Hunters again. Another blow to the stomach makes it so hard to breathe, my head hurts.
“Stop doing that, we don’t want her to suffocate. If she does, I’ll die,” the leader intervenes loudly, hinting at his anger and fear. “And no. You did your best, but now you will be her guard and stay with her until the end. I believe this will be a sufficient punishment for almost letting her go. It will hurt you as much as it hurts her,” he says to Luke.
I imagine the leader in a long silver coat, with his hair slicked back, his lips pursed and hands held behind his back as he walks at Luke’s side. I feel his eyes on me as they drag me to my death.
Chapter 25
(Jimmy)
I promised on the fucking sun. I wish that promise wasn’t so serious to us, but it is, so I couldn’t stop running. Not when the blood circulating through my legs consisted only of lactic acid. Not when it felt like bleach burned into my chest and leaked into my stomach or when Tequila told me it was okay to stop.
“Jimmy, it hurts,” J whimpers as he starts gaining consciousness. His face is barely even surprised when he sees me. He started groaning a couple of blocks back, his broken, burning body hitting mine with each careless step. It took all my willpower not to stop because even though I knew how much pain he was in, his inability to scream in pain made it worse.
I shield him the best I can from the lashing branches and leaves, but they still slash at his delicate, inflamed skin. I lay him down in the medical hut, noticing for the first time how hollowed out his cheeks are. When they cut off his shirt, I can count all his ribs, and only small portions of his skin are free of any wounds. Finn and Anna push me out as I pace, thinking the worst. His body falls limp as I watch through the piece of plastic, my own circulating pain causing my knees to almost buckle under my weight before a heart monitor beeps to life, lines showing the faint rhythm.
I relax for only a second before I tense again. Harley should have been right behind us; she should be here. I look frantically through the gang for her wavy brown hair, for her golden eyes. Rey and Johnny lie on the ground, their smoke bombs and weapons strewn around them as they argue. Uri sits, holding his ribs as a person I’ve never seen before wraps him in cloth. Tequila and Buckey must have run after me because Tequila’s nimble fingers lock around my forearm, and Buckey belly flops on his brother. Even Até is moving toward us, but there’s still no Harley, Ace or Luke.
