87 Below

Chapter 25: Ambush

The vote had been unanimous. With the promise of food, their mouths watered and their stomachs growled. After the hands flew up, the Resistance leaders resolved to get everyone there as quickly as possible and with as little conflict as possible. The air had turned hopeful once more as they trudged through the rain and mud. Not even the mosquitos nagging at their skin could stop them as they marched on.

The forest had grown less and less dense, and this posed a major threat for such a large group, especially since the helicopters overhead had grown more frequent. It would only be a matter of days before the SCUM forces closed in on them.

Atlas walked with Hope, bumping into her every so often from dizziness. Nick had been the one to tell him about the abandoned mine, their chance at short-lived freedom. He had been quiet as he walked a few feet ahead of the pair. He was leading the walk toward the mine.

"What do you think Atlanta will be like?" Hope asked, giving him an inquisitive glance. Atlas shrugged, "I've never been. But we won't be going directly to Atlanta anyways. If Nick is right, the passage will guide us to the Appalachian mountains. Far from any major city and far from SCUM." His voice grew darker as he spoke. It was ironic, the name SCUM. There really was no better way to describe them. He chuckled a bit, "The Society for Cutting Up Men... Who knew they would take over. First the schools, then the world." Absent-mindedly, Atlas reached down for Hope's hand. He captured it in his slender larger fingers and held on.

Hope regarded him carefully. She jerked a bit at his touch, but did not make a move to pull away. Realizing his error, Atlas pulled his hand away, "Sorry," he mumbled, "I forgot that... well,that you forgot." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not making eye contact from embarrassment.

It was Atlas' turn to jerk as Hope interlocked their hands once more, her soft skin brushing against his. It felt like fire licking against his knuckles. He whipped his head to look at her. Her bright green eyes made his knees weaker than they already were from the extensive trek. He didn't dare pull away.

"It's okay. I don't mind the company," she said bashfully, "Besides, it's nice to know you're not alone in this world. Who knows how long we spent alone because of Project 87." Atlas smiled at her. It was the first genuine smile to grace his lips in a few weeks.

They continued for hours in comfortable silence, the sweat from their connection wasn't even intolerable. The sun was rising soon, they would only have a few more hours to walk before settling down for the night. Atlas was mentally preparing himself for the last few hours when Nick turned around in front of them, causing the soldiers to stop.

"We're here," he said as he pointed towards a run-down structure just through the trees. Everyone knew the expectations: stay low, stay quiet, stay alive. Nick crept up to the barely visible structure, scouting the area for military personnel. Releasing his grip on Hope's hand, he inched close to the man, signaling for the rest of the group to stay there. Hope, of course, would have none of that. She followed the men carefully behind.

"I'm gonna get closer," Nick whispered to them. The intrepid man crouched low to the ground and moved towards the building that was only 30 feet in front of them by now.

"I don't see anybody here. It is very early, so maybe we are just here at a good time." The words had barely left his lips when his foot hit the ground and the world shook beneath them all. An explosion radiated from underneath Nick, his body was nowhere to be seen as the dirt and blood clouded Atlas' vision. His ears rang with such a vibrato that he was sure his eardrums were busted.

"-las!" He saw Hope fall over him, her red hair surrounding his vision. He hadn't even realized that he had fallen over.

"We have to go, now!" her voice sounded hazy to him. She was manic as she yanked at his arm. The fear of more land mines was ever-present as they stumbled towards the mines entrance, his ears burned and his body ached from the impact. Regardless of his fears of being blown to bits, he pressed on. His ears finally let the world come back into focus and his blood ran cold at the sound of voices, troops, not too far away from their position.

He glanced back at the Resistance. They were sprinting towards the two of them, tears streaming down the faces of many. Some fell, being swallowed by the stampede and never seen again. Everyone was frantic to get to safety as the sound of troops grew to their right. Hope and Atlas steered in a zig-zag pattern, hoping to avoid more land mines; they had been successful as they closed the distance and made it to the mine. Explosions sounded behind them, causing them both to fall to their knees, the blasts slung dirt in all directions, but nobody stopped pressing forward. Bodies were left behind as the others crawled, lept, and ran to them. Atlas scrambled to his feet, pulling Hope up alongside him. They had little balance as they drove further into the darkness of the mine shaft.