World in Tatters Ch. 46

Edwards silently leads me through the back alleys of the city, gradually taking me towards the outskirts. When we finally reach the main gate, Edwards takes me into the guard shack where Richard, Kiera, Artemis and Apollo are waiting for me, each with one hand cuffed to their chair.

“Let them leave unhindered.” Edwards addresses one of the Atlanta soldiers. “Drum’s direct orders.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah. All of them.”

Without further protest, the guardsman goes about uncuffing each of my companions. Once finished with the four, he fiddles with his keys, trying different ones on the heavy steel door behind them.

“Where’s Alice?” I stammer. “Are y’all alright?”

“We’re fine,” Kiera says. “Alice is here, but…”

Just as she’s about to finish her thought, the guardsman finds the right key. He yanks the door open, causing a nauseating screech. On the other side of the door, Alice leans against the back wall.

The second we see each other, Alice and I rush to each other. She throws her arms around my neck, and I enthusiastically return the hug. I bury my head into her shoulder, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

“I was worried about you.” I whisper. “What happened?”

“We can talk about that later.” She says back. “When we get ourselves out of here.”

“Drum’s letting us go.”

“What?” She pulls back, baffled. “Why?”

“Honestly, I still don’t know. I’ll try to explain what I do know later. But for now—”

“Hello again, Steven.” From behind the door, Aunt Nora slinks out of the dank room.

I step over to her and nearly lift her in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re alright. I thought Drum might try to hurt you once he realized why we came.”

“Oddly enough, no.” She muses. “But if, as you say, he’s letting us leave, we should get going.”

I look at Edwards still standing in the doorway. As if agreeing with Aunt Nora, he steps aside, gesturing toward the exit. Finally reunited, the seven of us exit the guard shack.

“Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Steven.” I hear from behind us. I turn to find Rolo Kilik skulking nearby. “If I had my way, you and your little posse would all be locked up and you’d be executed.”

“Oh, yeah? For what crime?” I snipe.

“Treason, for starters. Sedition. But mostly just for being an arrogant prick.”

“Alright, Rolo. Good thing it’s not up to you then. We’ll just be on our way unmolested. Why don’t you just run back to daddy. I’m sure Drum has some treats for you. Maybe he’s got a puppy for you to kick.”

I catch a glimpse of his unbridled rage flickering behind his dark eyes, his scar glistening with reflected sunlight.

“’Til next time then, Friend.” He spits the last word like even the thought of it is physically painful.

“’Til next time.” I mutter, turning away. We seven companions collect our belongings from Drum’s soldiers and begin the long trek back to the resistance camp. Weirdly enough, he even gave us our guns back. He did have them empty the ammunition though, which is unfortunate.

While we walk, I take stock of everything still in my pack. Though it’s clearly been ransacked, I think everything is still inside. I run my hand through the clothes and gear until my fingers find it. My breath catches in relief as my hand wraps around the leatherbound hilt. I pull the hunting knife, sheath and all, from the depths of the bag.

Despite my complicated feelings and past with it, I’ve felt naked since my knife was taken from me last night. I sling my pack over my shoulder and lace the sheath back onto my belt. Feeling much better with the blade returned to its proper home, I jog to catch up with the others.

As we make our way away from the city, we keep quiet, constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure we aren’t being followed. At one point Richard instructs Artemis and Apollo to scout the surrounding area. When they get back, there’s nothing to report. When we’re certain we’re alone, Richard brings our group to a stop. We’re only a mile or two outside the city, but without anyone tailing us, he thinks it’s safe to talk.

As chipper as ever, Richard turns to Aunt Nora, “Well, despite our…detour… it appears that our mission has been a success. I must admit, Madam President, I am honored to finally officially meet you.”

In that moment, a bit of levity returns to our troupe. We decide that it’s time to take a break and considering that none of us have eaten since last night, we make it our lunch break. Kiera pulls travel rations from her pack and passes them out to everyone. We chat and laugh for a while, decompressing from our ordeal.

“Wait a second, Richard.” I interrupt. “What happened to the others? Where’s Rachel? Where’s Chris and the rest of your crew?”

“Relax, Steven, they had strict instructions. By now, Jarvis should have them packed up and halfway back to camp. Your sister is in good hands. Besides, I don’t think Chris would let any harm come to her.” Understanding his implication, I flash a disapproving look. Teasing, “Because he feels indebted to you two for helping him out, of course.”

Deliberately ignoring him, “We should get going.” Kiera chides. “If we want to make it back tonight.”

I flash Kiera a grateful smile before glancing over to Alice. All day, I’ve noticed a change in her demeanor. She’s happier. She hasn’t left Aunt Nora’s side since we left Atlanta. It’s just as well, Aunt Nora is content to spend the time with her daughter. But there’s something else there, lurking just below the surface. Fear maybe. Perhaps fear that her mom will be taken away again.

We quickly pick up our gear and start back on the road. We make good progress getting back to camp, but Richard and Kiera thought it best that we take a couple detours just for safety. Because of that, we end up staying the night in an abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere. We get up early the next morning and make a push to meet up with the resistance militia.

By midday, we find the first signs of the army moving through the area. We catch sight of some scouts mixing in with regular travelers on the road. They try to be inconspicuous, but they aren’t exactly professionals at this. Most of the resistance recruits are young people eager to get to the fighting. Their scouts are no different.

Another few miles down the road, we run into a group of sentries posted in the roadway. They stop us from entering the encampment ahead. Richard and Kiera flash some credentials sparking a series of salutes and apologies from the sentries. After a couple of questions, we find out Richard was right. Jarvis and the others made it back last night. From the sound of things, they were a bit panicked, trying to rally some others to break us out of captivity.

We decide it’s best that we make our way straight to the command tent to set the records straight with the brass…With my mom.

I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of my mom being in charge of this army. Hell, I still haven’t gotten used to the idea that she’s still alive after all this time.

But something keeps nagging at the back of my mind. As hard as I’ve tried, I can’t shake some of the things Drum said to me yesterday.

I mean, yeah, he’s the bad guy. He’s clearly a villain, but the way he talked about Mom…It’s put me on edge.

Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to facing her.

By the time we come up to the command tent, Mom and a group of guards are standing outside waiting for us. Apparently someone ran ahead of us to tell her we were coming. But something’s off.

Three of the other council members are huddled nearby, but apart from that, the area had been cleared out. Jedd is conspicuously absent. I would have expected him to be here for his grandson’s triumphant return. Mom’s guards stand at attention, staring daggers at our approaching party.

I feel the tension rising among our party members. Alice latches onto Aunt Nora’s sleeve, like a child fearing getting lost. Neither Richard nor the others reach for weapons, but I can tell they’re just as suspicious as I am.

But Aunt Nora…Aunt Nora breaks into a wide grin. Walking right up to my mother, Nora embraces her, “Charlotte, my dear old friend. It has been far too long.”

Without blinking or returning Nora’s gesture, “Arrest them.”

With no hesitation, the guards behind my mother go to work. They surround our party and begin cuffing each one of us in turn. Everyone that is, except me.

“What is the meaning of this? Where’s my grandfather? He’d never allow this!” Richard demands, struggling against his captors. “Charlotte, why are you doing this?”

“Why? Where to start?” She spits. “Abandoning your post. Going AWOL. Kidnapping my children! Not to mention—”

“Kidnapping?” I interject. “This whole thing was my idea. If you’re going to arrest someone, it should be me!”

Completely ignoring me, “Not to mention,” she looks straight at Aunt Nora with a look of disgust. “Bringing a traitor into our midst. If you consort with traitors, you are a traitor.”

Aunt Nora is taken aback by the accusation, staggering away from Charlotte in shock. Five years of captivity and her closest friend does this. Anger and confusion well inside me in equal measure. “Mother, what are you doing?” I bark. “You’ve known Alice since she was born. You’ve known Aunt Nora for longer than I’ve been alive. You know damn well, they’re no traitors.”

“You,” She calls over to one of her soldiers, ignoring me yet again. “Take my son to his quarters. Make sure he stays there until further notice.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The soldier moves toward me, flinching only for a moment at my death glare. His hand hovers over his sidearm as he approaches me. I pull away as he and another soldier try to grab me under my arms. I stare daggers at my…at Charlotte as her goons lead me away. My heart wrenches at the thought of what might happen to my friends. What might happen to Alice.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, but—”

“You will.” Without another word, my mother turns on her heels and walks off back into the command tent. The council members that had been watching from the shadows cower as she passes by them.

With a shove, the soldiers direct me through the makeshift streets, Drum’s words echoing in my mind. “You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.”

I hear my friends fight and struggle against their captors as I’m whisked away. As much as I want to go back for them, I’m frozen. I can’t think of anything to do that might help them. The best I can do is try to convince my mom that she’s wrong.

What else can I do? I still don’t know where Rachel or Jason is. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. My brain goes numb in the flurry of emotion and anxiety.