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Memoirs From the End of the World
Entry #34
The crowd ebbed, flowed, and reacted in
bizarre ways as it tried to collectively figure out what was going on. Up to this point, RC hadn’t done anything to
draw attention to herself. However, the
act of running straight toward the perceived source of the disturbance was
clearly arousing the suspicions of some.
Whispers followed her as she pushed people out of her way, but she
ignored them. If she slowed down for
anything, something terrible could happen.
Of course, she glanced to the platform
from time to time to keep tabs on what was happening to Alyx. She couldn’t help it. The first time she hazarded a glance, he was
still standing there in shock. Part of
her wanted to scream for him to run for it just in case a guard decided to come
from nowhere and grab him, but she restrained herself. On her next glance, someone was grabbing
him. It took a third frantic look to see
that it was a couple of Brock’s rebels that were dragging him away from the
scene. Relief flowed through her. Though she wasn’t yet out of danger, nor was
Ollie, the main objective had been accomplished.
Just as soon as RC’s relief began, it was
cut short by the sound of gunfire. One, two, three, four, five, six. Though she tried to keep track of the numbers
in her head, she soon lost track. Who
was shooting? Had the guards caught up
to Ollie? Were they trying to stop the
rebels from taking Alyx away? Neither of
those options settled well. Or were the
rebels the ones responsible for the gunfire?
Don’t
worry about that now! RC
scolded. Find Ollie first.
It seemed virtually impossible to locate
a specific moving target in the chaos, but RC’s eyes finally located Ollie’s
frantic face in a gap in the crowd. She
pushed herself onwards with a renewed vigor, plowing through the little cloud
puffs that her frozen breath left hanging on the air. She clamped her hand firmly on the gun hidden
beneath her jacket, knowing that she might have to use it at any moment.
Though Ollie was moving fast, he was also
zigzagging to throw off his pursuers, so he wasn’t covering all that much
ground. He was currently heading in her
direction, and the guards were moving to cut him off. One was raising his weapon, and it looked
like he was in a position to get off a reasonably good shot. Resolving that this was the time to make her
move, she whipped out the little pistol and took aim. Hasty though the shot was, the bullet buried
itself in the guard’s wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon. It skidded along the ground and was soon lost
as the hurried footsteps of those in the vicinity kicked it further into the horde. RC took another shot, this one piercing his
knee. The guard dropped, exposing the
guard immediately behind him to attack.
This time, the guard aimed his weapon at her, and she only had a split
second to disarm him the same way.
Ollie zagged again, and RC matched
course.
More rapid gunfire ensued. This time RC’s ears told her that the sound
was coming from just outside the area. Please let those be the rebels, RC
thought, well aware that she could only successfully dodge so many shots.
Soon her path intersected with Ollie’s,
and they were nearly running side by side.
This clearly made them an easier target, but they were also nearing
their escape route. Brock must have
reminded them a hundred times. If they
made it to the corner of Billson Avenue and 2nd Street, which was
just outside the open area used for public executions, people would be there to
clear off anyone who might still be after them.
Safety was in sight. Both of them were almost there . . .
RC’s leg went up in flame as something
tore through her flesh. The sound of the
shot arrived a fraction of a second later.
She stumbled, and in that moment, she knew whoever shot her would be
able to apprehend her within moments.
Another pain came, this time in her
arm. Except this pain was caused by
Ollie’s fingernails as he seized her arm and pulled her along. “Hurry!” he urged.
More shots rang out, except this time, RC
knew for certain it came from the rebels, because one of them felled the person
who shot her. This time when she
hazarded a glance back, no one seemed to be following them. Surely reinforcements were on their way, but
with any luck, she’d be on the way back to the rebel hideout by then.
With Alyx.
And Ollie, of course. She definitely didn’t want anything bad to
happen to him either.
Ollie pulled RC along, though she kept
her legs moving in spite of the blinding pain.
Soon they made it around the corner.
A truck had already pulled up to take them away. It was aimed away from the mayhem to
facilitate a quick escape.
RC and Ollie clambered into the back,
followed by the last of the soldiers.
The truck was in motion before the back doors were closed all the way. RC didn’t so much sit down as tumble into a
seated position. Her heart was still
pounding, though the panic associated with her mad dash to freedom was quickly
being replaced by a far more pressing concern.
“Did we all make it?” she asked, unable
to make out anything in the dark.
“All present and accounted for,” Becca
replied.
A couple of heartbeats later, there was a
hopeful voice. “Rose? Is that you?”
“Yes.
It’s me.” She followed the sound
of Alyx’s voice and found him leaning against the wall. She settled next to him and reached out. “I’m here.”
Awww yay! Alyx and RC are back together again :)
ReplyDelete...but for how long?