Chapter 48: Chapter 48

We're being tailed. The rumble of trucks in our wake is more unsettling to me than it is to Haruhiko.

“Do you think it's the Chinese? Or maybe Sanoske?” I ask, my eyes glued to the headlights growing closer in the rearview mirror. My heart is pounding like a drum.

Haruhiko has switched off our lights. We're navigating through the desolate landscape in the dark, but at least we're hidden. I grip the edge of the seat, my knuckles white.

“No,” he replies. “Sanoske didn't order a tail. It's Albion.”

I can't tear my eyes away from the trucks gaining on us.

“Does that mean they won the battle?” My voice is barely a whisper.

“Maybe,” Haruhiko says, his voice flat.

I can't stop watching the trucks in the mirror. My heart feels like it's being squeezed. I try to take deep breaths.

“Should we go back? Maybe Sanoske and the others need help,” I suggest.

Haruhiko shakes his head.

“No, my orders are to get you to safety.”

“Haruhiko.” I'm struggling to breathe. My breaths are coming out in short, panicked bursts. “I can't just leave him.”

Haruhiko speeds up, but his hand finds mine. I look at him, my eyes wide with fear.

“Alex, he's been through worse. You run, and you hide. Those are your orders,” he says, his voice almost a growl.

Sanoske’s words echo in my mind. ~Promise me you’ll listen to me, Alex. When I say run, you run. When I say hide, you hide. When I tell you not to fight, to survive, you survive.~

I turn back to the darkness outside. Haruhiko is focused on the rocky road ahead, his brow furrowed. I can tell he's trying not to think about the others we left behind.

***

We drive for hours in the pitch black, the headlights of the trucks always in our rearview mirror. Sometimes they disappear, only to reappear moments later. Haruhiko guesses they're following our tire tracks in the ash-covered landscape.

Every so often, they fire a missile. It whistles through the air and explodes when it hits the ground, always too close for comfort but never close enough to harm us.

In the darkness, Haruhiko has me rummaging through the truck. It's filled with ammunition, which is of no use to us right now.

I grab a couple of pistols and stuff them into the pockets of my Perfect soldier pants. I also hand Haruhiko a bazooka and a few grenades, which he attaches to his chest.

Unfortunately, there's no food or water.

As the sun begins to rise, Haruhiko parks the truck in the ruins of a crumbling building. We get out and head for the hills as fast as we can, the trucks still hot on our trail.

I follow Haruhiko across the ash-covered landscape, constantly looking over my shoulder. The rocky terrain reminds me of my first journey after escaping the Masters’ mansion. I’d almost died.

Has it been over a year already? Or has it been longer? I've lost track of time.

Haruhiko stops when the sun is directly overhead. He points to a building in the distance.

“That's a factory,” he tells me quietly. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and looks at me. “They make bullets. Not far from there is a settlement. We think it's the same one you went to.”

He pauses. “Your old school should be about forty kilometers from here. That's about a day's walk. That's where Beth should be. Hopefully.”

My heart skips a beat as I look at the factory on the horizon.

“I have to go get her,” I say.

He nods. “I know, Alex. But I can't go with you the whole way. I'll stay at the factory. You have to go to the settlement and the school and then back to the factory. You have to do it alone. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” I reply without hesitation.

He nods. “Good. I'll distract the soldiers following us until you get back. I can't give you more than twenty-four hours, Alex. After that, I'm coming to get you, and we're heading back to the ship.”

“I understand. I'll get her.”

“Good. Follow me.”

We cross the rough terrain quickly. There's a new determination in my steps, a stronger motivation than I've felt in a long time. This is the closest I've been to Beth in years.

As we near the factory, Haruhiko signals for me to hide. We watch as workers scurry in and out of the building.

I'm immediately reminded of dear Ellen and Liam. Their clothes are the same worn-out gray rags, and the houses near the factory look just like Ellen’s home.

Dressed in perfect gray and covered in ash, Haruhiko and I blend in with them. There are enough war prisoners in the factory for Haruhiko to go unnoticed.

We head towards the houses, walking casually so as not to draw attention from the soldiers guarding the factory. They don't notice us as we slip into the nearest house.

But the woman inside the house notices us right away. She's a cripple; half her face is melted off, her head is half bald, and her eyes are a milky white. Clearly a victim of a raid.

She's older, but that doesn't stop her from jumping up and attacking us with a long metal spoon, screaming for help.

Haruhiko quickly disarms her before she can hurt us or herself. She backs up against the wall, eyeing us warily.

Once she realizes we're not going to hurt her, she calms down. Haruhiko bows.

“Who are you?” she asks. “No wagon brought any new workers.”

She squints at us with her one good eye.

“I'm Alexandra. This is Haruhiko,” I tell her. “We just need a place to stay.”

She mulls it over. “Runaways don’t get far,” she cautions us. “They’ll scoop you up, and I could get in hot water for aiding you.” She frowns.

“We won’t let that happen,” I assure her.

She doesn’t seem convinced and keeps frowning at me.

“You’re a Defective?” she finally asks me.

“Traitor,” I respond truthfully. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and she takes a seat in the room’s only chair.

“Traitor puts me in even more danger,” she states. Then she shakes her head. “I can’t. I won’t risk my family for you. Five houses down, there’s a family. They’re more daring. Try them.”

She gestures towards the door. Haruhiko and I have no choice but to thank her and quietly exit. We walk casually, and although the camp workers give us curious looks, no one sounds the alarm.

We knock on the door of the fifth house, and it swings open immediately. Standing in the doorway is Julia.

I blink at her, and she blinks back, recognition dawning in her eyes. We grew up together. We were in all the same classes. We had squabbles and laughter and giggles. We held hands and waited for our Testing together.

We were friends. After I became a Perfect, I lost track of her. She wasn’t on the truck to the establishment.

“Alexandra?” she whispers, her dark eyes scanning my disheveled appearance. “What are—”

“Can I come in?” I interrupt.

She nods vigorously and steps aside, allowing Haruhiko and me to enter. Her house is small, just one room and a door leading to what I assume is a bedroom.

Julia stands in the center of the room, her hands nervously clutching her gray skirt.

“Julia.”

I extend my arms, and she collapses into my embrace. We hug silently for a long time, reflecting on how our lives have diverged since we last held hands at our Testing.

She pulls away, sniffling, and I take a good look at her. She looks almost Perfect, but her mouth breathing seems to have worsened.

Her arms are also marred with scars and welts. Her once thick hair is thin and held together with a frayed ribbon. I wonder what the past few years have done to her. She used to be so full of life.

She wipes her tears and looks at Haruhiko with curiosity.

“This is Haruhiko,” I introduce. “He’s my friend.”

Julia nods. “Welcome,” she greets, and Haruhiko bows deeply. She blushes.

“Julia, can we stay here for the night?” I ask her.

“Of course,” she nods. “Of course. Alex, didn’t you become a Perfect? I heard you had a daughter. I heard Beth became a Defective, but she never came here.”

I nod slowly. “She died in childbirth,” I reveal.

Julia nods sadly.

“Jennifer, Lola, and Henrietta came here with me after the Testing,” she shares. “Henrietta is still here.”

“Jennifer and Lola?”

“They didn’t survive the last raid,” she discloses. “What are you doing here, Alex? I thought you were a Mother of Albion.” She gives me a small smile.

“I am.” I pause. “I was. I have a daughter. But now I’m Traitor Alexandra,” I confess.

She blinks at me and lets out a heavy sigh.

“That’s not surprising,” she responds. “Come sit, and I’ll whip up some food.”