Unravel Me (39 page)

But he laughs at me. Looks at me like I’ve said something obliquely entertaining.
“I’m sorry, are you trying to teach
me
about the realities of war?” He shakes his head. “Are you forgetting that I was a
soldier in Warner’s army? Do you have any idea how much crazy shit we’ve seen?” He
gestures between himself and Adam. “I know exactly what to expect today. Warner was
insane.
If Anderson is even twice as bad as his son, then we are diving right into a bloodbath.
I can’t leave you guys hanging like that.”

But I’m caught on one sentence. One word. I just want to ask. “Was he really that
bad … ?”

“Who?” Kenji is staring at me.

“Warner. Was he really that ruthless?”

Kenji laughs out loud. Laughs louder. Doubles over. He’s practically wheezing when
he says, “Ruthless? Juliette, the guy is sick. He’s an animal. I don’t think he even
knows what it means to be human. If there’s a hell out there, I’m guessing it was
designed especially for him.”

It’s so hard to pull this sword out of my stomach.

A rush of footsteps.

I turn around.

Everyone is supposed to exit the tunnels in a single-file line in an attempt to maintain
order as we leave this underground world. Kenji and Adam and I are the only fighters
who haven’t joined the group yet.

We all get to our feet.

“Hey—so, does Castle know what you’re doing?” Adam is looking at Kenji. “I don’t think
he’d be okay with you going out there today.”

“Castle wants me to be happy,” Kenji says matter-of-factly. “And I won’t be happy
if I stay here. I’ve got work to do. People to save. Ladies to impress. He’d respect
that.”

“What about everyone else?” I ask him. “Everyone was so worried about you—have you
even seen them yet? To at least tell them you’re okay?”

“Nah,” Kenji says. “They’d probably shit a brick if they knew I was going up. I thought
it’d be safer to keep it quiet. I don’t want to freak anyone out. And Sonya and Sara—poor
kids—they’re passed the hell out. It’s my fault they’re so exhausted, and they’re
still talking about heading out today. They want to fight even though they’re going
to have a lot of work to do once we’re done with Anderson’s army. I’ve been trying
to convince them to stay here but they can be so damn stubborn. They need to save
their strength,” he says, “and they’ve already wasted too much of it on me.”

“It’s not a
waste
—,” I try to tell him.

“Anywayyy,” Kenji says. “Can we please get going? I know you’re all about hunting
down Anderson,” he says to Adam, “but personally? I would love to catch Warner. Put
a bullet through that worthless piece of crap and be done with it.”

Something punches me in the gut so hard I’m afraid I’m actually going to be sick.
I’m seeing spots, struggling to keep myself standing, fighting to ignore the image
of Warner dead, his body crumpled in red.

“Hey—you okay?” Adam pulls me to the side. Takes a good look at my face.

“I’m okay,” I lie to him. Nod too many times. Shake my head once or twice. “I just
didn’t get enough sleep last night, but I’ll be fine.”

He hesitates. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” I lie again. I pause. Grab his shirt. “Hey—just be careful out there,
okay?”

He exhales a heavy breath. Nods once. “Yeah. You too.”

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” Kenji interrupts us. “Today is our day to die, ladies.”

Adam shoves him. A little.

“Oh, so now you’re abusing the crippled kid, huh?” Kenji takes a moment to steady
himself before punching Adam in the arm. “Save your angst for the battlefield, bro.
You’re going to need it.”

A shrill whistle sounds in the distance.

It’s time to go.

It’s raining.

The world is weeping at our feet in anticipation of what we’re about to do.

We’re all supposed to split off into clusters, fighting in tight groups so we can’t
all be killed at once. We don’t have enough people to fight offensively so we have
to be stealthy. And though I feel a pang of guilt for admitting it, I’m so happy Kenji
decided to come with us. We would’ve been weaker without him.

But we have to get out of the rain.

We’re already soaked through, and while Kenji and I are wearing suits that offer at
least a modicum of protection against the natural elements, Adam is wearing nothing
but crisp cotton basics, and I’m worried we won’t last long like this. All members
of Omega Point have already scattered. The immediate area above the Point is still
nothing but a barren stretch of land that leaves us vulnerable upon exiting.

Lucky for us, we have Kenji. The 3 of us are already invisible.

Anderson’s men aren’t far from here.

All we know is that ever since Anderson arrived, he’s been going out of his way to
make a point about his power and the iron grip of The Reestablishment. Any voice of
opposition, no matter how weak or feeble, no matter how unthreatening or innocuous,
has been silenced. He’s angry that we’ve inspired rebellion and now he’s trying to
make a statement. What he really wants is to destroy all of
us
.

The poor civilians are just caught in his friendly fire.

Gunshots.

We automatically move toward the sound echoing in the distance. We aren’t saying a
word. We understand what we need to do and how we have to operate. Our only mission
is to get as close as possible to the devastation and then to take out as many of
Anderson’s men as we can. We protect the innocent. We support our fellow Point men
and women.

We try very hard not to die.

I can make out the compounds creeping closer in the distance, but the rain is making
it difficult to see. All the colors are bleeding together, melting into the horizon,
and I have to strain to discern what lies ahead of us. I instinctively touch the guns
attached to the holsters on my back and I’m momentarily reminded of my last encounter
with Anderson—my
only
encounter with the horrible, despicable man—and I wonder what’s happened to him.
I wonder if maybe Adam was right when he said that Anderson might be severely wounded,
that perhaps he’s still struggling to recuperate. I wonder if Anderson will make an
appearance on the battlefield. I wonder if perhaps he’s too much of a coward to fight
in his own wars.

The screams tell us we’re getting closer.

The world around us is a blurry landscape of blues and grays and mottled hues and
the few trees still standing have a hundred shaky, quivering arms ripping through
their trunks, reaching up to the sky as if in prayer, begging for relief from the
tragedy they’ve been rooted in. It’s enough to make me feel sorry for the plants and
animals forced to bear witness to what we’ve done.

They never asked for this.

Kenji guides us toward the outskirts of the compounds and we slip forward to stand
flush against the wall of one of the little square houses, huddled under the extra
bit of roof that, at least for a moment, grants us reprieve from the clenched fists
falling from the sky.

Wind is gnawing at the windows, straining against the walls. Rain is popping against
the roof like popcorn against a pane of glass.

The message from the sky is clear: we are pissed.

We are pissed and we will punish you and we will make you pay for the blood you spill
so freely. We will not sit idly by, not anymore, not ever again. We will
ruin
you, is what the sky says to us.

How could you do this to me?
it whispers in the wind.

I gave you everything
, it says to us.

Nothing will ever be the same again.

I’m wondering why I still can’t see any sign of the army. I don’t see anyone else
from Omega Point. I don’t see anyone at all. In fact, I’m starting to feel like this
compound is a little too peaceful.

I’m about to suggest we move when I hear a door slam open.

“This is the last of them,” someone shouts. “She was hiding out over here.” A soldier
is dragging a crying woman out from the compound we’re huddled against and she’s screaming,
she’s begging for mercy and asking about her husband and the soldier barks at her
to shut up.

I have to keep the emotions from spilling out of my eyes, my mouth.

I do not speak.

I do not breathe.

Another soldier jogs over from somewhere I can’t see. He shouts some kind of approving
message and makes a motion with his hands that I don’t understand. I feel Kenji stiffen
beside me.

Something is wrong.

“Toss her in with everyone else,” the second soldier shouts. “And then we’ll call
this area clear.”

The woman is hysterical. She’s screeching, clawing at the soldier, telling him she’s
done nothing wrong, she doesn’t understand, where is her husband, she’s been looking
for her daughter everywhere and what is happening, she cries, she screams, she flails
her fists at the man gripping her like an animal.

He presses the barrel of his gun to her neck. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll shoot you
right now.”

She whimpers once, twice, and then she’s limp. She’s fainted in his arms and the soldier
looks disgusted as he pulls her out of sight toward wherever they’re keeping everyone
else. I have no idea what’s happening. I don’t understand what’s happening.

We follow them.

The wind and the rain pick up in pace and there’s enough noise in the air and distance
between us and the soldiers that I feel safe to speak. I squeeze Kenji’s hand. He’s
still the glue between me and Adam, projecting his powers to keep us all invisible.
“What do you think is going on?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer right away.

“They’re rounding them up,” he says after a moment. “They’re creating groups of people
to kill all at once.”

“The woman—”

“Yeah.” I hear him clear his throat. “Yeah, she and whoever else they think might
be connected to the protests. They don’t just kill the inciters,” he tells me. “They
kill the friends and the family members, too. It’s the best way to keep people in
line. It never fails to scare the shit out of the few left alive.”

I have to swallow back the vomit threatening to overpower me.

“There has to be a way to get them out of there,” Adam says. “Maybe we can take out
the soldiers in charge.”

“Yeah, but listen, you guys know I’m going to have to let go of you, right? I’m already
kind of losing strength; my Energy is fading faster than normal. So you’ll be visible,”
Kenji says. “You’ll be a clearer target.”

“But what other choice do we have?” I ask.

“We could try to take them out sniper-style,” Kenji says. “We don’t have to engage
in direct combat. We have that option.” He pauses. “Juliette, you’ve never been in
this kind of situation before. I want you to know I’d respect your decision to stay
out of the direct line of fire. Not everyone can stomach what we might see if we follow
those soldiers. There’s no shame or blame in that.”

I taste metal in my mouth as I lie. “I’ll be okay.”

He’s quiet a moment. “Just—all right—but don’t be afraid to use your abilities to
defend yourself,” he says to me. “I know you’re all weird about not wanting to hurt
people or whatever, but these guys aren’t messing around. They
will
try to kill you.”

I nod even though I know he can’t see me. “Right,” I say. “Yeah.” But I’m panicked
through my mind.

“Let’s go,” I whisper.

I can’t feel my knees.

There are 27 people lined up, standing side by side in the middle of a big, barren
field. Men and women and children of all different ages. All different sizes. All
standing before what could be called a firing squad of 6 soldiers. The rain is rushing
down around us, hard and angry, pelting everything and everyone with teardrops as
hard as my bones. The wind is absolutely frantic.

The soldiers are deciding what to do. How to kill them. How to dispose of the 27 sets
of eyes staring straight ahead. Some are sobbing, some are shaking from fear and grief
and horror, others still are standing perfectly straight, stoic in the face of death.

One of the soldiers fires a shot.

The first man crumples to the ground and I feel like I’ve been whipped in the spine.
So many emotions rush in and out of me in the span of a few seconds that I’m afraid
I might faint; I’m clinging to consciousness with an animal desperation and trying
to swallow back the tears, trying to ignore the pain spearing through me.

I can’t understand why no one is moving, why we’re not moving, why none of the civilians
are moving even just to jump out of the way and it occurs to me, it dawns on me that
running, trying to escape or trying to fight back is simply not a viable option. They
are utterly overpowered. They have no guns. No ammunition of any kind.

But I do.

I have a gun.

I have 2, in fact.

This is the moment, this is where we have to let go, this is where we fight alone,
just the 3 of us, 3 ancient kids fighting to save 26 faces or we die trying. My eyes
are locked on a little girl who can’t be much older than James, her eyes so wide,
so terrified, the front of her pants already wet from fear and it rips me to pieces,
it
kills
me, and my free hand is already reaching for my gun when I tell Kenji I’m ready.

I watch the same soldier focus his weapon on the next victim when Kenji releases us.

3 guns are up, aimed to fire, and I hear the bullets before they’re released into
the air; I see one find its mark in a soldier’s neck and I have no idea if it’s mine.

It doesn’t matter now.

There are still 5 soldiers left to face, and now they can see us.

We’re running.

We’re dodging the bullets aimed in our direction and I see Adam dropping to the ground,
I see him shooting with perfect precision and still failing to find a target. I look
around for Kenji only to find that he’s disappeared and I’m so happy for it; 3 soldiers
go down almost instantly. Adam takes advantage of the remaining soldiers’ distraction
and takes out a fourth. I shoot the fifth from behind.