LIES
Chapter Seven
Interactive
’s POV:
“It’s easy to get lost,� Gabriel said as I followed him and down one of the many corridors in the catacombs of the Iron Werks. “Always be aware of your surroundings.� He added looking over his shoulder to flash a smile. I replied with a forced weak smile that felt more like a grimace. hadn’t said a word to me since she had left me to change. She would steal glances every so often and look would cross her face like she wanted to ask a question, but the words never came. I could still hear her words in my head.
“Welcome to the resistance.�
Four words that were so little, but meant so much. My eyes flickered to the bandana tied around my upper arm. It’s bright red color stood out against the sun tanned skin. It reminded me too much of blood. Why couldn’t she have picked a happy color like yellow or blue? I looked at the back of ’s head. She had changed so much in such a little period of time. Even before the world went to shit, had always been smart and the voice of reason; but, I never expected her to be a cool, collected leader of a rebel group. From the moment she had left me alone in the medical bay, her face had become an emotionless mask. And then there was Gabriel, his family was taken from him in the worst way, and yet he still smiled. And I’m the one who complains about lack of air conditioning.
“So ,� Gabriel was definitely a talkative type, I could tell already. “What’s life like in the glorious Wonderland?�
“Depressing and dry.� The reply came out bluntly. As much as I hated Wonderland, I couldn’t help but let my mind wistfully think of the dirt plot for only a moment. My frown became deeper set on my face. I had to somehow get back to Wonderland. I’m sure was worried sick. Not to mention .
“That great, eh?� Gabriel replied with a laugh. “I always meant to visit there. All the stories passed around New Hope, my old town, said it was green and filled with water. Diana, that was my fiancée, thought it sounded lovely, the perfect place to raise a family…� Gabriel went silent suddenly. I looked over and saw his blue eyes had darken, obviously lost in a terrible memory of an event that happened merely months before. didn’t say a word. I didn’t know at the time, but I would later find out that Gabriel had never told her name to anyone, not even , yet he had slipped and said her name to me. We trekked forward down the corridor, the only sound was our footsteps on the cold metal tile floor.
“This is it.� said coming to a stop after what felt like a millennia of pained silence. She gestured her hand out towards the area only a few feet ahead. My eyes crossed her face, and once more I could not read her emotions. Barbed wire circled the perimeter fences. Metal and other discarded equipment littered the landscape in large piles. Gabriel dug into his bag and pulled out two sacks that looked as if they were made of burlap. He tossed one to and then turned to me.
“Here, look for things that might be useful.� He extended the bag and I took it. “You know, bits of wire, tin, and other workable metals. You’ll even find food if you’re lucky!� Gabriel paused. “Now don’t make a face, I’m not talking about eating garbage. You’d be surprised what those bastards waste. We found a whole pan of fresh bread once, didn‘t we ? Still steaming from the oven.�
“Okay.� I nodded. This was all a little much. How long ago had it been that I had been roaming the streets of Wonderland looking for books or sneaking around the house stealing looks at ? Now I was roaming through a landfill looking for scraps, a place that also survived as a grave yard for failed experiments.
“If you find anyone, yell.� stated not taking her eyes off of the landfill gate. “We’ll take care of the rest. Now split up and meet back here in thirty minutes.�
and Gabriel marched onward, ducking under a large hole in the barbwire fence. disappeared in a matter of seconds, her footsteps crunching on the gravel path. Gabriel paused and looked back with a wide smile.
“Come on, .� He yelled. “Trust me; it’s not as bad as you think. Think of it as shopping.�
“I always did hate shopping,� I mumbled just loud enough for Gabriel to hear. He laughed and I went through the hole in the fence. I started down the path opposite of the one had taken. She had long since disappeared, and though I wanted to reconnect with my best friend, I had no idea what I could possibly say to her. I could have stayed with Gabriel, I suppose, but his forced cheeriness was a bit overwhelming and all I really felt like doing is moping and attempting to find a way out of here.
“One more thing, ,� Gabe’s voice made me stop. I could hear the gravel crunching under his boots as he jogged over. He opened his fist to reveal a watch that looked identical to ’s. “I made a communicator watch for you while you were out cold. Just push the button on the side to talk.�
I thanked him and Gabriel walked away humming to himself. I continued down the dirt path, my eyes scanning for a pile that held the most treasures. All I could see is rubbish. I walked through a patch of rusted broken cars, the empty burlap sack slung over my shoulder.
Suddenly I stumbled. Looking down, I saw a tangled mass of brown wire. Copper. Sighing, I picked it up from the ground. The one thing I could remember from chemistry class is that copper conducted electricity, which made it valuable. Gabriel would like to get his hands on this piece of metal. I must admit, it did feel satisfying to put something in the sack. I continued picking up bits of metal that littered the area. I had certainly hit the jackpot and this put me in a better mood. I felt useful now, a lot more useful than I had ever felt in Wonderland. I had begun to hum when I heard it.
A scream pierced the air. My heart started racing and Gabriel’s frantic voice came over the watch.
“! ! Are you girls okay!? What the hell is going on!?� His voice was frantic, and I didn’t have time to reply.
I was running, running towards the sound of ’s scream. I had heard her scream before, and I wasn’t going to let her get taken away again. It was my fault she had been taken away from , and they weren’t getting her again. I dropped my full burlap sack behind me. It wasn’t important now. I rounded a corner, stumbling, but not stopping. I was getting closer to the gate, I could see it from where I was. Gabriel was running in the same direction. We reached the meeting point at the same time.
“What happened?� I asked frantically as I tried to regain my breath. “Where’s ?!� Gabriel didn’t know, you could tell by the look on his face. We nodded to each other and then raced down the path that had taken.
It wasn’t long until we found her. Her burlap sack was on the ground and she was kneeling in between the bodies of two people. Gabriel instantly was at her side. I merely stood, frozen and staring at the two bodies. I recognized them instantly.
It was hard not to recognize the soft of my brother’s hair or his handsome face. His eyes were closed, but I knew that two piercing eyes lay behind the lids.
.
Or the sweet face of the youngest in the house, his hair disheveled and matted. His mouth was missing its usually mischievous grin. Dried blood was on his lip and chin.
.
“Are they…?� I couldn’t say it. Tears were threatening to spill over. It was too much to handle.
“’s alive.� said softly pulling her eyes from the ground to my own. “’s not.�
I felt the air get sucked out of my lungs. My big brother couldn’t be dead. He was the one who always took care of me, the one who kept me safe when the world had ended. How many times had I said horrible things to him because he was being overprotective? couldn’t be dead.
“I’ve got a pulse!� Gabriel’s voice woke me from my catatonic state. “ was wrong. I’ve got a pulse, but it’s weak.�
“Forget the supplies. We need to get to the infirmary now!�