Hopes and Dreams

Chapter 4

He didn't know what time it was when he finally climbed up the rickety stairs to his apartment. There had been a few close calls with the night guard but overall he had been extremely lucky. George had only heard stories of people caught out after curfew and it never ended well for them. Blowing out a silent breath, he unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He grabbed the packet of matches by the door and lit a lantern, sending light dancing across the floor. The apartment was small, but so were all the homes in his area. It had one medium sized room with a small sub-room branching off the side that served as his bathroom. The bedroom, kitchen, and living area were all combined together in the larger room. It may have been cramped if a family was living here, but since George lived alone, space wasn't an issue.

There was one thing he had that other apartments didn't: a big window. It may not seem like much to others, but to George, it was everything. He picked up the lantern and walked to his bed which sat right underneath the huge wall of glass. He carefully set the light down on the windowsill and situated himself on the mattress. No, it wasn't anything luxurious or expensive, but the simple window was his gateway to the outside world without worrying that anyone else could see him. George had looked over the city many a night and had memorized almost every detail, but it seemed different that night. The streets shined silver from the rain, smoke curled gently from tall chimneys, all was quiet. It seemed fake, like a lie. He felt lied to. For years the priests had been lying to everyone, telling them everything was alright and as it should be. But how could this be right?

"I'm sorry," he said to the night. It was a good listener. It never talked back, never asked questions, it politely let him spill out his pent up thoughts. "I'm sorry for never seeing. I'm sorry for never doing anything. I've spent years biding my time while I could have been making a difference. Maybe this is my chance, I don't know. What other chance will I get? Is this even the right thing?"

George's mind raced back to the past. He remembered wanted posters plastered everywhere of rebellious criminals. He remembered how the priests warned against dangerous ideas. He remembered people weeping for their loved ones that had been killed in skirmishes with the rebellion. That was what stopped him. "Am I going to die?" The important question went unanswered. It chilled him to his core. George shuddered and leaned his forehead against the glass pane. The night's cold lips reached through the window and kissed his head, lulling him gently. The light of the lantern next to him flickered warmly, each thing combining and making him feel incredibly safe. "I'm not going to die."

"I'm not going to die."

"I'm not going to die."

"Sheesh, you will if you don't stop talking," Sapnap snapped, jerking George back to the present. He hadn't realized he had said his thoughts out loud. "Now, back to what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted." He shot George a searing glare that made him shrink under his gaze. "Dream, you'll distract the guards. You should be a large enough target that they won't notice me and Georgie untying the horses from the carts. If all goes well, we'll set the horses loose, kill the guards-"

"Wait, you didn't say anything about killing anyone," George interrupted. Sapnap glared at him again, furious at the second interruption.

He sighed and rubbed his furrowed brows. "We're going to do what we have to. If we have to kill some mindless drones, we will. What really matters is getting that food shipment back to the people who need it rather than to the snobby nobles who could spare a potato or two. I'll reconsider taking you on this mission if you're getting cold feet at shedding some blood. You're not, are you?"

George bit the inside of his cheek. The guards were innocent, weren't they? They were just doing their job, but their job entailed taking from the poor, jailing people for small crimes, and sometimes even killing innocents. But... did they really deserve to die for that? "No, I'm not."