SAFE (10 page)

Then
Lucan reached into his bag, pulled out a small, square device, and told us to
run as he threw it against the wall. He dashed towards the tree line and we quickly
followed.

“Close
your ears!” he shouted, bending down behind a wide, grey trunk.

Suddenly,
the sound of a huge explosion pulsated my vision. My ears rang a deafening high
pitch—I heard nothing else. I looked over James’ shoulder as he held my weight
and his senses appeared fine. His hands were not tugging on his ears like mine
were and his head was not shaking, struggling to put the puzzled ground back into
place. I moved my jaw around, easing the ringing effect and in an effort to
make my ears pop with clarity.

Lucan
ran back in the direction of the perimeter and I locked my arms tighter around James,
following behind him. As we came closer to the wall, a four-foot-wide dent
barely cratered the solid mass. However, the electronic box hung from wires,
dangling from its secret spot, and disabled.

“Now
that should block anyone from following us,” Lucan said, smiling.

“How
do you know that’s the only door?” James asked.

I
could barely hear them speak and mainly focused on the movements of their mouths,
matching it with the muted words.

“Believe
me, I’ve inspected every area of the perimeter, at least as far as I was able
to without being detected, and I never came across any other switches in the
ground.”

I
began questioning if this was Lucan’s first time leaving the perimeter.

Although the keypad to the perimeter door was
damaged by the blast, blocking anyone from crossing where we did, we weren’t out
of danger yet. We needed to keep going, but there was no need to sprint like
before.

Our
location was new to all three of us. We had no idea how far or in what
direction the ocean was. James made the decision to head north and walk one way
without veering off in either direction. Lucan and I both agreed with the plan and
we started our journey. I hoped by the time we reached the end of our Land, there
would be a better game plan in regards to crossing the water, not exactly sure
how we planned to do so.

Currently,
the sun sat in the west, our right, which meant we needed to go straight. As we
walked, I didn’t see much difference from
this
side of the perimeter to
our
side. The only change was the animal life. In the Colony, animals were bred in
specific buildings, the majority of them cloned mainly for food consumption.
The only live animals I’d ever seen outside the breeding grounds were birds and
anything else that could fly, migrating from Land to Land. We were told not to
touch the birds, especially if any were found dead for fear of transmitting a
new disease.

Within
half an hour of hiking, I counted dozens of squirrels, varying in shades of
brown and gray, and a few cottontail bunnies hopped across the path we walked
on, startled by our presence. Lucan shot one, putting the meat in a bag for
later consumption. It was a gross process watching him skin the poor bunny, seeing
the blood all over his hands. However, it was necessary and neither James nor I
had been taught how to hunt, let alone skin an animal. It was not the purpose
of our vocation back in the Colony. Lucan was kind and eager enough to give us
a quick tutorial.

Even
the birds seemed more plentiful on this side of the perimeter, either that, or
I was becoming more observant due to our situation. Every twig that snapped
while we walked, or rustling in the bushes, made me apprehensive, causing me to
search constantly for any sign of human life—guards.

Yet,
every breath I breathed felt cleaner. I was sure the change in the oxygen was
all in my head.

Either
way, one thing was for sure, I had never seen this much wildlife before—ever.

All
of a sudden, James broke the pleasant silence. “Lucan, stop.”

Lucan
twisted around on his feet, facing us.

“I
have to know. How did you know what you were doing back there? Who gave you the
guns in your duffel? The explosives?” James rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t
give me some crap about how you’re just helping us out of the kindness of your
heart.”

“Look,
I told you, I have my own reasons and I don’t feel like it’s any of your
business. As for the wiring back on the perimeter wall, I taught myself how to
disassemble the DNA mechanisms on the guns a long time ago. It’s called practice.
And how did I acquire the guns? I have my connections, not all of the guards
are as anal about following protocol as you are. Some know they’ll never move
up in rank. They know where they are is as much as they’re going to achieve. And
the gun that’s in your hand, well, that one is from the trunk of the car you
drove two nights ago. We all had a hand in taking the car apart, stripping it
down to every mechanism and robotic piece controlling it. It’s the best way to gather
supplies, allowing me to rebuild parts into whatever I want without anyone
knowing otherwise.”

“Okay,
let’s say I believe you, which I don’t. How did you know about the perimeter door
and how to open it? Have you done it before?” James asked.

Lucan
paused before answering as he studied the look on James’ face. “Well, that got
a little trickier.” His palm rubbed nervously over his mouth. “I had never
actually opened it before, nobody has. In fact, I never told anyone about the
door, so I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that even knows it exists.”

“You
mean that you let us follow you without technically knowing if it was going to
work? What an idiot!” James shouted, pacing. I grasped my arms around his neck
tighter, holding on while he vehemently shook his hands in the air.

“Well
this i-d-i-o-t saved both your lives. So you’re welcome,” Lucan grinned. Then
he turned around and walked pass James, bumping into him in the process as he
continued hiking.

“Look,
he’s right. We had no other choice. What were we going to do without him? He
gave us our only option and it worked, even if it was an educated guess. Not
just that, but he did save our lives. So can’t we call it even and be nice?” I
whispered to James. “This is getting old. We can trust him, I feel it.” I knew
that last part would eat away at him. However, this time I wasn’t trying to
make him jealous. I really felt we could trust Lucan. And I knew James would
too if he would just think sensibly.

“Fine,
whatever. Let’s just keep going,” he said.

We hiked for a couple more hours, up and down hills
and around marshy areas, taking few breaks in between. The mud on my face was
as hard as rock and my clothes stiff from the gunk. The sun finally began to
set more and we found a spot to camp for the night, next to a stream of water.

James
gathered wood for the fire, something I desperately needed with the cold night
falling fast. Goose bumps rose all over my skin. I felt them but didn’t dare
chance looking at them, accidentally showing the true appearance of my skin. The
only thought on my mind now was changing into clean clothes and as much as I
didn’t want to, wiping off the stiffening mud imprisoning my every move and facial
expression. It was itchy too.

For
minutes, I went back and forth in my head with the decision on whether or not
to tell them. I finally decided. What was the worst that could happen? We were
stuck in this together now.

“Hey
guys, I’m going to wash up,” I said. My ankle was in heaps of pain, but not
near as much as before. Staying off it all day helped tremendously. James
offered to come with, but I told him no. I really wanted some alone time and then
I’d show them when I was ready.

I
grabbed my pack and hobbled off to the right into the woods. I couldn’t go far
with my ankle. The soothing sound of the stream was nearby and the woods were
quiet, serene. If it wasn’t for being on the run, the situation would be
completely relaxing. I sat down on a small rock outside the stream and took off
my boots, then I let the cool water rush over my feet and in between my toes.
The water was the perfect temp for my ankle.

“Are
you okay?” James yelled.

“Yes,
just stay there. I’m fine,” I hollered back.

My
clothes were horribly dingy and desperately needed a wash with fresh water. I
stood up, carefully distributed my weight, hobbled into the shallow stream, and
laid down. The dog appeared from the trees and trotted over to me. The icy
water felt like tiny knives sticking me all over, but after a few minutes, my
body became used to the temperature and I relaxed with my hands out to the side.
I knew a warm fire would be waiting for me back at the camp. The dog sat beside
me and began to splash about. The mud clinging to her fur came off in chunks,
floating down stream. The moonlight reflected off the water, flowing over the
small rocks bubbling the surface.

I
leaned over and took my shirt off. Splashing the water over my arms, I rubbed
the mud from my hands. I scrubbed my face, neck, and rolled around a few times,
not caring that I looked funny—nobody was watching. After a few more minutes, I
crawled back to the embankment. When I packed my clothes at home, I had no idea
the reason my mom had demanded me to do so. And unfortunately, I grabbed a short-sleeve
breezy top along with a pair of pants. My jacket was drenched with water after all
the mud washed off and I rung it out with the rest of my clothes the best I
could. Then I quietly hobbled back to the campsite, wearing the clean clothes
from my pack.

As
I hobbled closer to the camp, Lucan and James were sitting on opposite sides of
the fire. I knew there would be no mistaking what they saw once I came into
view. The fire was bright, lighting up the entire camping area. I decided the
best way to show them was a direct approach and walked straight up to the fire
without hesitation. My teeth chattered and I folded my arms over one another, carrying
a wet ball of clothes. I prepared myself for what was ahead and hobbled closer.
When I reached the fire, neither of them looked at me and I bent down and laid
my clothes across the ground.

At
first, the radiating heat from the fire felt like I was being burned from such
a drastic difference in temperature and then gradually my hands and arms became
warmer. I could finally feel my lips. My jaw no longer clenched tight, allowing
me to hold a conversation without the constant chattering of teeth.

I
looked over to my left. James was staring at me, his mouth wide open, large
enough for an entire apple.

“Is
that paint?” he asked.

I
shook my head.

He
slowly walked over and proceeded to tug at my cheeks and rub my arms. Then he
lifted my shirt and ran his hands over my vineless stomach. “But how?” he asked
taking a few steps back—away from me.

The
look on his face wasn’t one of curiosity—it was fear. He was scared of me.

“What
did your people
do
to her?” he yelled at Lucan.

Lucan
didn’t reply.

“They
didn’t do anything to me, James,” I said, offended and hurt. I told him about
my theory, not even a theory, more of a guess. “Look, my father and mother
already had Madeline taken away from them. Is it such a far leap to think I was
born without vines too and that he would’ve given me the same medication he
gave Sidnee and the others? Can you blame him?”

“But…
but… that means you’re sick. Will you get me sick? Wait, no, I didn’t mean
that. I just meant, I don’t know. I don’t know what to think—” James continued stumbling
over his words.

“I
don’t have all the answers either. I don’t feel sick. I’m not sure anymore, if
it works that way. I mean think about it… If the pills my dad had been giving
me only created the appearance of vines, then I would’ve died a long time ago
if in fact I had been sick. And I’m still here.” As I talked, I debated the
notion in my own head—finally not as scared to contemplate the question. “I’m
pretty sure now that the vitamins I took on a daily basis must have included
one of those pills. That’s the only way I never would’ve asked any questions…”

James
wasn’t looking at me anymore, his eyes focusing off into the space around me.

I
looked over at Lucan and he tugged off a portion of cooked rabbit with his
teeth. “Do you want some?” He held up a piece in the air towards me.

I
was puzzled. “Aren’t you afraid of me too? What if I’m contagious?” I asked.

“Ahhh,
that doesn’t scare me. I know the rumors and heard the adults talking when I
was younger. It’s hard keeping secrets inside the Lowers. Either way, none of those
kids ever got anyone sick so I’m not worried about it. You want some?” he asked
again.

I
shook my head in disbelief at his acceptance.

Food.
I
hadn’t dug into the bottom compartment of my pack yet, and I remembered my mom
putting food in there. “It’s okay. I think I have something. But thanks for
offering.”

James
was no longer staring into space. Instead, he turned his gaze onto the fire. I
walked over, sat down next to him, and grabbed my pack. There weren’t many pockets
for items, and after a little searching, I found a bag of dried cranberries.
“Do you want some?” I asked James.

He
didn’t respond.

He
needed time. Time to process all of this—me. And I decided to give it to him by
moving down closer to the fire. Instead, the dog and I shared a handful of the
red berries by ourselves.

That night Lucan and James took turns watching while
I slept. I offered to help, but they both insisted, saying that I didn’t have
the capabilities to hear someone coming from a distance. And they were right.
The dog cuddled up next to me and the fire kept us warm. For a while I stared
at the blanket of stars covering the sky and then fell asleep.

That
night, I had many dreams, but couldn’t recall the details of them once I woke.
The specifics from the night before forcibly flooded my mind as soon as my
eyelids opened and I immediately remembered where I was. The situation of me,
of everything, tugged at my chest and I wished I was home again. I looked to
the side and around the smoldering fire, the dog was gone—James too. Lucan was
the only one there.

“Where’s
James?” I asked.

“He’ll
be back; he just went to take a leak.” He finished stuffing his duffel bag with
the sun blanket and tossed dirt on the fire. “Stop worrying about him. He’ll
get over it and realize you’re still the same Penny.”

 My
parents always told me I wore my emotions on my face, never leaving them to
guess how I was feeling. I suppose they were right. Lucan answered the lingering
question that was in my head. “Thanks, Lucan.” I smiled.