Uncitizen, page 15
God was so good to her.
A new backpack was on the bed. She gathered up her clothes and stuffed them into it. She looked around her area. She might be allowed to use toiletries at the farms. She stuffed them into the bag.
A knock.
“Come in.”
Mr. Davis came in. “I’ll need to put the punishers back on.”
She walked over to the bed and picked them up. She’d assumed as much.
After locking them back on, he seemed to hesitate, but then straightened his spine and looked directly at her. “ I’ve been thinking about that discussion we had about God. I wanted you to know I’ll give it some more thought. You’re quite different from all the other prisoners I’ve ever dealt with. If that’s why, then it’s something I want to know more about.”
One person at a time.
40
Mr. Davis escorted her down the hallway. “This is our private entrance. The transport bus will meet us here.”
“I just want to thank you again for this new assignment.”
“You’re welcome. I want to thank you for all you’ve done for my family. I…don’t have words to express how grateful I am that I still have my daughter and a newborn son.”
“It was my pleasure. And this new assignment is thanks enough.”
“Good.” He opened the door.
She was taken aback at the park. There were flowering trees and bushes, playground equipment. Magdalena looked at Mr. Davis. “Wow. It’s beautiful out here.”
“It’s a communal area for several of the factories. Children need to be able to play. Katya hasn’t brought the kids out here because of her health, but now that the baby’s been born and the weather is getting warm, I’m sure she’ll spend a lot of time out here.”
“It’s beautiful. ” There were parks in the city, of course. But not like this. They were crowded and dirty, but they did have things for the kids to play on.
They walked through the park into a parking lot. There were private cars lined up in a row. She didn’t have to ask who they belonged to. As Gnat always said, some people were just a little more equal than others.
The transport bus was waiting behind the row of cars.
Magdalena looked at Mr. Davis. “I guess this is it.”
“I guess it is.”
She slung the backpack over her shoulder, straightened her back, and walked toward the bus.
The driver by the bus was tall with darker skin. When she met his gaze, he stared back with bright blue eyes.
Her feet stopped moving. She knew this man. But from where? Those vibrant eyes would be hard to forget. She stared, trying to remember.
He gave a slight shake of his head. A warning? His gaze met hers.
And then she remembered. Those blue eyes against his dark complexion. He’d been at the meeting Gnat had taken her too. She’d even been introduced to him, but she couldn’t remember his name.
It must be a coincidence that he was the driver. And obviously, he wouldn’t want it to be known that he knew Magdalena—an Uncitizen. She gave a nod to let him know she wouldn’t betray his secrets.
The man looked past her at Mr. Davis. “She’s not allowed luggage.”
“The backpack shouldn’t be a problem.”
The driver shrugged. “There’s no more room in the luggage compartment, but I guess she can carry it on the bus with her.”
“Good-bye, Magdalena.”
“Thank you, Mr. Davis.”
“Get on the bus.” The driver jerked his head towards the back.
She walked up the steps.
“All the way to the back.”
The two front seats were occupied by armed guards. That made sense. Mr. Davis had said there was no way to get to the farms except by driving through the Empty Lands. And everyone knew how dangerous that was. Exiles out there waiting to attack and steal whatever they could from anyone they could.
She smiled at the guards.
They didn’t react.
There were about fifteen other people already in the bus. The passengers on one side wore standard issue prison uniform. On the other side were five young men dressed in regular clothes. Why were they going to the farms?
As she walked down the aisle, she looked at the other prisoners. No one was familiar. She breathed a sigh of relief. A part of her had been absolutely sure that Franny would be sitting on the bus. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. She sat down in the first available seat.
The driver’s voice boomed behind her. “I said all the way to the back.”
“Oh, sorry.” She quickly stood back up and came face to face with him.
He grabbed her arm. “This way, since you can’t follow directions.” He guided her to the very back seat. Before he let go of her arm, he squeezed it. She met his gaze. He mouthed the words, ‘be ready.” As he turned away, he dropped something on the seat. Then he walked back up to the front.
Be ready? For what?
A young man turned toward her. “Looks as though you’re the last one to get picked up. We’re off to an adventure.”
Adventure? What planet was he from? He was big and burly, probably several years younger than her. His green eyes twinkled, and he had dark brown hair that was longer than was allowed in the factories. There was nothing about him that said prisoner.
“If you say so.” The last time she’d been in a bus the only person she’d talked with had tried to kill her. She didn’t want to make that mistake again. But it was probably best to be nice. “Magdalena.”
“I’m Jordan. This will be great, don’t you think?”
“Not really.”
“Why not? I decided working on a farm was better than being stuck in some office building for my service year. Who knows? If I like it, I might decide to make it a permanent service assignment.”
He wasn’t a prisoner. He was a volunteer. After Life Training was completed every citizen was required to serve NewAm in some way before getting further training for their permanent assignment. “That’s nice. I did my service year at a hospital. I became a caregiver.”
“So that’s why you’re going to the farms? To be a caregiver there?”
“I’m not a caregiver any longer. I’m a prisoner.”
Jordan’s gaze looked her over. He lowered his voice. “You don’t look like a prisoner. The rest of them are wearing the same black outfit. Why aren’t you?”
“I was helping out somewhere else for a while and had to wear these clothes. The only ones I have.”
“Oh.” His tone said it all. He turned away from her.
Magdalena looked at what the driver had dropped on the seat. A screwdriver. She looked down at the black trackers on her wrists. Should she take them off? It would mean severe punishment. Maybe so severe that they wouldn’t let her go to the farms. And she really wanted to go there. Be ready.
The bus stopped moving. They were at the wall that surrounded the city. A large iron gate blocked their way.
A guard walked onto the bus and made his way down the aisle. When he would come to a prisoner, he would lean over and do something.
She looked at the screwdriver in her hand.
He must be checking to make sure their trackers were secure. She was glad she hadn’t messed with hers. She shoved the screwdriver underneath her legs.
The guard finally made it to the back of the bus. “Let me see your wrists.”
She held them up, barely able to breathe.
He checked, and then turned away without comment.
She sighed in relief.
As soon as they drove through the gate, it was a whole different world. The sidewalks disappeared under weeds that had grown for years. There were broken down houses and buildings. The Guardians had forced all the exiles away from the borders closest to the city to keep the citizens safe from attacks.
Magdalena reached underneath her legs for the screwdriver and glanced around. No one was paying attention. She started loosening the screws.
A clanking noise emanated from under the bus. The driver slowed but didn’t stop even as the clanking continued.
“I told them to fix this bus right.” The driver was angry. “We’re already two days behind schedule. I hate unreliable workers.”
“Should we turn back?” one of the guards asked.
“We’re pretty close to the halfway mark. We could turn back, but it would be pretty much the same distance to the farms. They have mechanics at the farm, so they’ll be able to take a look at this hunk of junk. What do you think we should do?”
“Keep going,” The guard said. “As you said, we’re behind schedule.”
The clanking got louder. Finally, the bus stopped.
The driver looked at the guard. “I’ll take a look at it.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. You keep an eye on the prisoners. I wouldn’t want any of them to get any ideas.”
The guard stood up with his T-gun held against his chest. “Don’t worry about that.”
Magdalena finally remembered the driver’s name.
Marcus got off the bus.
The other passengers continued chatting, seemingly unconcerned.
Marcus walked around the bus, bending down at points to look underneath the vehicle.
Be ready.
He came to her side of the bus, lifted the door to the luggage compartment, stuck his head inside, and closed the door. Their gazes met through the window. He winked, held up an arm, and touched his wrist. “be ready,” he mouthed again.
Magdalena glanced around again, stuck the screwdriver in the first bolt and felt a frisson of fear as the bracelet came loose. She did the same to the other. She experimented with taking them off, but put them back on in case the guard decided to check again. Her hands easily slipped in and out of them. She set the screwdriver aside. She was terrified…and ready. But for what? Nobody ever escaped from prison—or from The Guardians.
But then again, with God, all things are possible.
41
Marcus walked back onto the bus. “I couldn’t find anything wrong. Let’s hope we can make it to the farms. It’s not too much further.”
“Let’s hope so.” The guard sat back down.
Marcus took his seat. A moment later the bus began to move.
They’d only driven a short distance—about five or six minutes—when Magdalena saw the smoke rising from the floor of the bus.
This had to be it.
She slipped the trackers off her wrists and put her backpack on her shoulder. She was ready. Be with me, God. With us.
“There’s smoke,” someone screamed. “The bus is on fire.”
More yells as the bus lurched to a stop.
Marcus jumped up.
The guards did the same.
Smoke was filling the bus. “Off. Everyone off,” Marcus yelled.
One of the guards lifted his T-gun. “Nobody moves.”
Marcus turned to him. “Can’t you see the smoke? It could explode at any minute.”
The other guard touched the man’s shoulder. “He’s right. We can’t stay on the bus. It’s not safe for any of us.”
The whole bus was filling with smoke now. People were beginning to cough.
The guard relented. “All right. Everyone off.”
People stood up, trying to push past each other.
Magdalena stood up.
The emergency door at the back of the bus opened a crack.
Magdalena stared at Gnat in open-mouthed astonishment.
Gnat put a finger to her lips, and then held out her hand.
Magdalena grabbed it and slithered through the crack.
Gnat quickly closed the door. “Not yet,” she whispered. “Gotta wait.”
Flames shot out of the baggage area. More screaming. Panic. The guards were yelling orders at the prisoners. Marcus came around to their side of the bus. He pointed toward the woods.
Gnat tugged her arm. “It’s time. Run.”
Magdalena ran across the road toward the woods.
Gnat sprinted ahead of her.
Marcus was beside her.
They hadn’t gone far when someone behind her screamed, “Stop running or I’ll shoot.”
“Don’t stop. Keep running,” Marcus panted.
She ran.
The sound of a T-gun slashed through the underbrush, but the shot didn’t reach them.
She was in the trees now.
Magdalena sprinted as T-gun shots bounced off the trees.
Gnat was far ahead of her. She was running from tree to tree to keep from being a target. Magdalena did the same.
A huge explosion shook the ground.
More yelling but the longer they ran, the fainter it got.
Gnat stopped behind a tree.
Magdalena ran to Gnat. The two women hugged each other wordlessly, out of breath from their mad dash.
“I ran back.” Marcus came up to them, his words coming out in breathless gasps. “I didn’t see anyone following us. I think they have enough to deal with.”
“Are you sure?”
“Not really. But we can’t stay here for long.”
Magdalena leaned against a tree trying to catch her breath and regain some composure. “What is going on? Why are you here? I don’t understand any of this.”
“This isn’t the time. We need to keep moving,” Gnat said.
“To where?”
“We’ll tell you all about it later. This isn’t the time.” Gnat started walking.
Marcus didn’t move. “Where are the others? Why aren’t they here?”
“Who? What are you talking about?” Magdalena was scared.
Gnat ignored her and looked at Marcus. “I don’t know where they are, but we need to find a place to hide. We can’t stay here in the open. It’s not safe.”
“Do you think The Guardians will be looking for us?” Magdalena asked, terror filling her mind.
Marcus answered. “Of course, but it will be a while before that happens. Someone from the bus will have to either walk the rest of the way to the farms or back to the city. Either way, that’ll take some time.”
“Can’t they use the bus’s communications to call for help?”
“I made sure that wouldn’t happen. But I’m not leaving here.”
Gnat held up her hands. “I understand, Marcus. I don’t want to leave either, but we can’t stay here and just wait for The Guardians to find us.”
“You two can go. In fact, I think you should go. When the others get here, we’ll catch up with you. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. They must have been delayed for some reason.”
“They? Who is they?” Magdalena looked back and forth between Marcus and Gnat. “You need to tell me what the two of you talking about.”
Gnat was adamant. “We aren’t splitting up, Marcus. If we do, we may never find each other again. We have to stay together.”
“Who is they?” Magdalena practically screamed.
Marcus shook his head. “I’m not leaving without Adrianna.”
“It’s not as if I want to leave Trisha or Weldon behind, but we can’t stay here.”
Magdalena stepped in between Marcus and Gnat. “Excuse me, people. I think you better tell me what the two of you are talking about. Right now.”
They stopped arguing with each other and gawked as if they’d forgotten she was there.
Marcus pointed at Gnat. “Go ahead.”
“All of us—Trisha, Weldon, Marcus, and his mate, Adrianna—we all decided to leave NewAm to become exiles.”
“You chose to become an exile. Because of me.”
Marcus shook his head. “Not because of you, because we wanted to be free. Free to say the Name of Jesus out loud without reprisals. Without being afraid.”
This was too much to deal with. “I didn’t ask for any of you to give up your lives for me.”
Gnat looked at her. “It’s not about you, Magdalena. It’s about God. Besides, The Guardians put a bounty on my head for telling people about God. They want to kill me. I decided to not stick around. The others decided the same for themselves. Nobody forced anybody to do anything they didn’t want to do. It’s not your fault.”
“OK. I get that.” Magdalena could understand Gnat wanting to leave. But the others? They had lives—good lives.
Gnat continued, “Anyway, the original plan was that Trisha would help me escape, but then Weldon found out you were going to the farms.”
“And before we knew it, we’d all decided we didn’t want to live in NewAm any longer.” Marcus picked up their story. “That being an exile in the Empty Lands had to better than hiding our faith all the time.”
“So see. It really isn’t about you,” Gnat told her. “The problem is they should have been here already waiting for us. And as you can see, they’re not.”
The whole thing was mind boggling. “So that’s a problem.” Magdalena got it now.
“That’s why I’m telling the two of you to go,” Marcus said. “Keep heading south past the farms. When they get here, we’ll head south. We’ll catch up with you.” Marcus didn’t sound sure of himself.
Magdalena shook her head. “Gnat’s right. I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up. If we do that we probably won’t ever see each other again.”
Marcus’s voice was firm. “I’m not going anywhere without my mate—my wife.”
“Did you have some sort of plan if they didn’t show up here?”
“We didn’t even think about it. We thought the problem would be getting you safely off the bus and away from the guards. It didn’t occur to us that they wouldn’t be waiting for us.” Marcus shook his head. “Something bad must have happened.”
Magdalena agreed with him but refrained from saying so. It wouldn’t help the situation.
“One thing’s for sure, we can’t stay here.” Gnat held up a hand before Marcus could speak. “And we’re not giving up on your wife or Weldon or Trisha. We need to pray for guidance and for them to be safe wherever they are.”
Marcus added, “And for us to find them.”
Tears filled Magdalena eyes. She’d never been able to talk so freely about God in such a way. In spite of the dire situation, it was…it was utterly amazing. In that moment, she understood why the others chose to give up their lives in NewAm. “And while we’re at it, let’s thank God for keeping us safe from those T-guns.”
