Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (4 page)

I saw light one hundred feet ahead. Someone had a flashlight. What if this was the rebels again? Would they kill me this time? Am I pressing my luck? I ignored my fears. I have nothing to lose. Pressing deeper into the woods, I hid behind a tree. I could hear their voices clearly.

“Stephan sent orders.”

I heard a harsh laugh. “What did he say this time?”

“Sanchez, Aaron, Mike, and I are all to help out in Louisville with the food trucks.”

Another harsh laugh. “Why do we even feed those disgusting, useless people? I say let them all starve off and die.”

I frowned. Were they speaking of homeless people?

“Power. We need the people to rely on us so they do not rebel. How can they rebel when we are the one feeding them? Feeding their children? Providing for their family?” I recognized that voice as Sanchez.

“We do not need to feed them.” The voice argued back.

What happened to the world in the seven and a half days that I was sleeping? A hand wrapped around my mouth. I opened it to scream, but the hand pressed down harder. Arms locked around my waist and carried me out from behind the tree. Five men were all standing around in a circle. They looked shocked when the person behind me dragged me over and dropped me.

The second his hands were off of me, I kicked backwards, hitting him in the shin. After I heard the muffled groan, I turned around to punch him in the face. Except it was Seth who was bent over in pain. Immediately he straightened and caught my fist with ease. Seth twisted my arm around my back and forced me to walk forwards.

“Look who I found.” His voice was cold.

Sanchez lifted his eyebrows. “I thought you hated the forest? Now you sneak off into it in the middle of the night. What’s your game plan?”

The other soldiers all shot each other looks. I did not understand the look that they shared with each other. Fear left my system and confidence came. These people think I am Evelyn and that Stephan is my father. Stephan was the one calling all the shots around here. They could not do anything to me.

“Let go of my arm.” My voice was soft but held a sharp edge.

Seth dropped it immediately. Again, the soldiers shot each other looks. I noticed they stood more at attention. I could feel the heat from Seth’s body warming up my back. I stepped away.

Seth spoke. “You need to be aware of your whereabouts before you go blasting off plans. She could have been the enemy.” His voice held authority.

Nobody questioned him. “Yes, sir.” Filled the forest.

Seth looked at me now, with his dark gaze. “Follow me.” He turned, heading back into the direction of the house.

I tripped a few times trying to keep up with his quick pace. My feet were bleeding. Sadness filled my stomach. What was going on around the world? It sounded like the government had too much power if the people had to rely on them for food. Too much seemed to have happened in a little over a week. The time frame was not matching. Maybe I am not in America.

When he opened the door leading back into the house, I stopped. My feet had blood all over them and I did not want to get blood on the floor.

He looked at the blood on my feet then back to my face. “Where are your shoes?”

I did not respond.

“Come inside.” It was a quiet demand. I do not think many people questioned Seth. He was easily over six foot tall. His build was thin, but I knew muscle was hiding behind that military uniform. The way he carried himself made him seem bigger than life. Arrogance.

I shifted. “I do not want to get blood on the floor.”

He flipped on the porch light and looked at me. And I mean really looked at me. He started from my feet. He was staring at all the cuts and scrapes from the tree branches. His eyes moved up to my legs. The bruises on my porcelain, white skin were beginning to fade. They were an ugly brown now. He stopped at the bottom of my cotton shorts. Now surprise lit his face. These shorts were extremely hard to find. They were all the way in the back of the closet buried beneath piles of clothing. I do not think Evelyn knew that she owned these. His gaze lifted to the soft shirt I was wearing. He looked everywhere from my collar bone, to my arms, and to my neck. Finally, his gaze rested on my eyes.

“You’re different.” He cracked the fragile silence.

Because I am not Evelyn. “Yes.” I stated.

Seth took me by the elbow again, leading me into the house. He all but dragged me to the counter. With ease, he lifted me onto the counter and plopped me onto it.

“What are you doing?” I asked, sliding forward to get off the counter. I was praying he did not take my invite earlier seriously.

His hands pushed me back. “Stay.” It was the voice he used with the other soldiers when he was making an order.

For reasons unknown, I felt obligated to comply. He was gone for a few minutes but came back with a first aid kit. I was silent as he washed the blood from my feet and put alcohol on the cuts. He was focused. Concentrating. His copper hair hung in his face when he looked down.

After he bandaged the cuts on my feet he stood. His face was closed off. He held his hand out to mine. Just like he did that night in the forest. I hesitantly reached my hand out into his. He helped me from the counter and led me back up the stairs towards my bedroom.

"What were you doing in the forest?"

It sounded like a question, but I knew it was a demand for me to give an answer. I ignored him.

He stopped outside my bedroom door while I casually walked in.

Seth leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. "Was that another futile attempt at running away?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Who says I ever tried to run away?"

"Stephan."

Something dropped in my stomach at hearing that name. If there was someone that I was afraid of, it would be Evelyn's father. I smothered the fear on my face with a haughty look.

"You should leave. Wouldn't want anyone thinking we were being sexual in here."

Seth crossed his arms over his chest and looked over me slowly again. I didn’t like how intently he was staring at me. “The house is empty. Nobody would know.”

I froze. Was he responding to my offer from earlier? I did not expect him to act on that. I sat up, suddenly nervous. I offered myself to him, but I did not plan on giving myself to him.

For some reason, whenever someone made me feel like I had the lower hand in the situation, I always acted arrogantly. “Don’t pretend like you could handle me.”

Seth’s dark eyes roamed over me again. The corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile. “Your right. Your four foot eleven frame is way too much for me.”

“Hey!” I shouted, offended. You never, and I mean never, mock a girl about her height. I grabbed the pillow from behind me and chucked it at him as hard as I could.

He easily caught it and dropped it on the floor, laughing. All too soon, it ended. Seth shook his head, gave me a questioning look, and left the room.

I plopped backwards on the bed. The moment was over. That was the only moment where I actually felt human since I woke up. I closed my eyes, picturing his soft rumbling laugh.

"Wake up." A hand shook my shoulder continuously.

I flipped onto my belly and burrowed further into the blankets. I was exhausted. My brain felt clogged. The ends of my dream were mixing into reality.

"We need to go!" It was Dr. Lynn's voice. He sounded panicked.

I peeked an eye open. It was still dark outside. "What?" I coughed, clearing the sleep from my throat.

He yanked my arm pulling me out of bed. I could barely make out his figure in the dark.

"The rebels breached the wall."

The word rebels made Adam, the young man, cross my mind. He has breached the walls before. Why was it a big deal? A gun shot rang out into the air. Now I was fully awake.

I followed Dr. Lynn out into the hallway and down the stairs. He was almost running full force. "Where are we going?" Panic laced my voice.

Were those people out there shooting at us? Why were they doing this? In order for a human being to kill, they must have been pushed to their limits to murder. The Unit. They said something about food trucks and making the people rely on them. Did they not feed the citizens?

We stepped into a garage. There were three SUV's in here. Dr. Lynn led me to the one in the middle and ushered me into the back seat.

The leather was cold on my skin. Goosebumps broke out across my body. I twirled my hair between my fingers. A bad habit I had whenever I got anxiety.

The garage door opened and Dr. Lynn drove out into the night. More gunshots rang out. I let out a small scream when I heard a huge explosion. I looked to where the sound came from and pressed my hand into my mouth. One of the massive towers was crumbling to the ground. A fire broke out across the trees. The flames were beautiful. The bright red was a shocking contrast to the black sky. Smoke covered the moon making everything darker.

Dr. Lynn started swearing under his breath. We were driving down gravel road heading into the opening in the trees. I was surprised when he stopped the car.

In a heartbeat, he was opening my door. I did not want to leave the safety of the vehicle.

"Hurry," he demanded, pulling me from the backseat.

I was astonished when he led me into the woods.

"Where are we going?" I yanked my arms from his but stayed on his heels. I was not wearing any shoes and I grimaced at the pain as pine needles stabbed my sensitive feet.

"To safety."

This did not feel like we like we were heading to safety. It seemed like we were heading straight towards danger. I flinched when a sharp tree branch sliced into my cheek.

An automatic gun was going off. I dropped to the floor, screamed, and covered my head with my hands. My heart was beating out of my chest. I was shaky and dizzy. I could feel the adrenalin pumping through my veins. Dr. Lynn pulled me up roughly and all but dragged me.

"You gave away our location." His tone was accusing.

My legs were jello. Every few steps, they almost gave out on me. My body was betraying me in a time of need.

Dr. Lynn came to a sudden halt. I slammed into his back. He looked all around us. Nobody was in sight. The gunfire was coming from far behind us.

He bent down and began swiping at the pine needles and dirt on the ground. Lifting a piece of wood, he motioned for me to go down. I followed his directions. There was a secret passageway underneath the ground. I used my hands to guide me down the steep stairs. I could not see anything. The wood that led to the tunnel closed with a silent click.

Dr. Lynn turned on a flashlight. He walked around me and began to lead the way. The walls were made from stone. It looked like we were in a dungeon. The air down her was moist. I shivered from the cold. The temperature dropped a lot.

We walked for what felt like ages. Every moment, I felt my anxiety build. My heart wouldn't slow down. What if they found the tunnel? Would they murder me? Would they murder Dr. Lynn?

I wanted to scream that my name was Brianna and whatever Evelyn did it had nothing to do with me.

Dr. Lynn stopped walking when we got to another set of stairs. He peered up at it.

"I do not know what lays across these doors. Stay right behind me and if I say run you need to run." His voice trembled.

He was just as scared as I was. For some unknown reason, that made me feel better. The walk up the stairs seemed to take forever. Dr. Lynn shoved the wood up and walked out into the blackness. I followed.

We were right next to a highway. I looked down the little hill leading to the road. The weeds were dead and yellow. The gravel was broken and holes were in the street. Cars were ditched on the side of the road. Some were flipped upside down. Almost every single one of them had broken windows or some sign of damage. The paint was peeling off of most of them. They looked extremely old.

"Where are we?" I asked in wonder. I had never seen anything like that before.

Dr. Lynn ignored me. He pulled me away from the scattering trees and led me to the highway. I tripped over rocks and tree branches. I could barely feel the ache in my feet, my mind was so distracted.

He was looking everywhere like a madman. His grip on my arm got tighter.

I attempted to yank my arm out of his grasp. "Let go!" He was hurting me.

"We need to get to safety." Dr. Lynn's once soothing voice sounded crazed.

The gun shots in the background no longer made me feel fear. Instead, I was afraid of the man who helped nurse my body back to health.

I yanked my arm again. "I understand that, but you're hurting me."

Dr. Lynn stopped once we reached the highway. He turned and looked at me. His flashlight blinded my eyes.

"Nothing is as it seems is it?"

I shoved the light out of my eyes. "What’s wrong with you?" Ice slide down my spine. He was losing his mind in fear.

Dr. Lynn dropped the flashlight to the ground and it rolled down the gravel. "I'm the same as you."

My legs tensed, getting ready to sprint away. What if he was secretly apart of the rebels?

"You died you know." He laughed, but without humor. "I watched the life leave your eyes. I watched your heart stop beating. I begged you to come back, not to die. Your life was in my hands and I knew Stephan would blame me for your death. I did everything I could. Everything! You died anyways." Again he laughed, but this time he was choking on it. Saliva sputtered out of his mouth and got all over my face.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. I was at a loss for words. Dr. Lynn reached behind him. I saw a flash of silver metal. He pointed a pistol at me.

"This is not the place for you Brianna. I'm sorry." Remorse filled his words.

I used to imagine what I would do when a gun was pointed at my face. I imagined I would fight back and win. Me against a gun. When I was in the woods and that girl pointed a gun at me, I could not bring myself to care. I felt like I had nothing to lose, but now I realize I had the most precious thing in the world to lose. Life. There were so many things I had not experienced. Things I may never get to experience. I was not ready to die.

"My name is Evelyn." I despised the tremor in my voice.

Dr. Lynn stared at me, gun unwavering in his hand.

"My name is Bryan. I was born in 1975. I died in 2015. I woke up in 2075. It was me, but it wasn't me. My hair was different. I was married to a different woman. I lived in a different house. My life was different, but the body. The body was just like mine." His voice broke on a sob. "I died from cancer, yet here I am."

I knew I was looking at him like he was crazy, but I couldn't help it. The man just told me he died and came back to life in another body in the future. What even makes him actually think I wasn't Evelyn? One time I said my name was Brianna and now he is rambling about this crazy stuff? He must have cracked under pressure.

Even though I wanted to scream and run in the other direction, I spoke to him with a soothing voice. "Everything is going to be okay. Lower your weapon."

Dr. Lynn gave me a sad look. "I am sorry that I have to do thi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed onto his arm and pushing it towards the sky. He pulled the trigger. I jabbed him in his stomach as hard as I could. The moment his fingers slackened on the gun, I quickly removed it from his grasp.

The gun was in my hands now. It was me versus a man with a gun and I won. I aimed the gun at him and backed up out of arms reach. He dropped to the floor sobbing. I had never seen a grown man cry before. I felt something tug at my heart, but I ignored it. He spoke crazy and he was going to murder me. He was going to murder me after he made me think he was leading me to safety. I couldn't trust anyone.

I kept my voice neutral. "I am going to leave now. If you follow me, I will shoot." I warned.

He didn't say anything. He just sat on the ground crying his heart out. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. Without a backwards glance, I picked up the flashlight and jogged back to the secret tunnel. All this time I was planning my escape, and here I was running back into my prison. I needed so many answers and I had a feeling staying here would get me the answers I needed.

I felt suffocated when I entered the tunnels. The walls were closing in on me. The roof was getting shorter and shorter. My breathing was getting short. It was hard for me to intake air. I was running out of air. Sweat dripped down my face and my shirt was sticking to me. My heart was beating too fast. I was dying. I was running out of oxygen. I was not going to make it out of the tunnel alive.

I fell to the floor. My breathing was harsh, not enough air. Black danced across my vision. I was going to die in here and nobody was ever going to know. I brought my hands to a gunfight, won, and now a tunnel was going to take me out. Tears leaked from my eyes and my nose started to run.

All this for nothing. I dragged myself across the cold floor. I only made it a few feet before my arms gave out. My ribs ached where they were bruised, the cuts on my feet and palms were on fire. I was going to die a painful death. The pistol was a few feet in front of me. I reached my hands out and dragged it closer. It made me feel safe.

Suddenly exhaustion overcame me. I was tired. I did not know the last time I fell into a deep sleep. Now seemed like a good time.

Shoes appeared in my vision. I recognized them. Adam. The guy who led the rebels. I looked up to see his stone face looking down on me. Adam didn't like Evelyn very much. Through my heavy breathing, I gave him a small smile. His green eyes practically glowed in the dark. He looked like a lion ready to pounce. He was the hunter and I was his prey. His dirty blond hair was cut in a buzz cut, giving him the look of a tough man. I saw through it, though. His face was youthful. Adam was probably twenty at most.

"Run." I panted. The tunnel had no air. I did not want him to die with me. He probably had so many things in life that he wanted to experience too.

He squatted down so he was closer to eye level with me. "What do you mean?"

Adam's breathing was perfectly fine. I pressed my hands into my throat looking at him with wide eyes. "No oxygen. No air. Run before you die too."

Many emotions flashed across his emerald eyes. He sat me up and leaned my back against the wall. Adam pushed my head down between my knees. "Breathe. Only when I tell you too. Breathe in. Breathe out."

Adam's voice soothed me. In a couple minutes, my heart rate slowed down and I was breathing normally. A flush filled my cheeks. I was having a panic attack. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and laughed softly to myself. He was here to kill me, but I was the one who almost ended up killing myself. The pistol was still in the grip of my hands.

Adam gave me a curious look. "What are you doing in here alone?"

I tried not to stare at the gun on his leg, nor the AK47 strapped to his back.

"I was heading back to the house." I chose the honest answer.

He rubbed his hands over his jaw thinking. "You are under attack, you escape, and then you run back to the house. Now, why would you do that?"

I was going to die at his hands. He may have helped me, but now I realize he needed answers. Just like me. We were both in the same boat.

I had nothing to lose. I chose the honest route again. "Truthfully?" I sighed. "I just wanted answers."

Adam frowned. I was being vague. I froze when I heard footsteps. Fear took over again. I don't know where my fear was when I was talking to Adam, but it was back. I gripped the pistol tighter in my hands and aimed down the tunnel where the footsteps were coming from. Adam pushed my arm down making me lower my weapon. We were not on the same team, but he made me feel like we were.

It was Sanchez. His hand was pressed into his stomach and blood as seeping out from his fingers. He looked shocked to see me sitting in here with Adam. He opened his mouth to speak, but blood sputtered out and he started choking.

Something tightened in my stomach. Adam watched, his face stone cold. He did this. I was comfortable with him one moment, and now I wanted to get as far away as possible. It was one thing to hear about something that somebody does, but it was different to see it with your own eyes. To experience it.