CONFINEMENT

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

   Castania had been right in her suspicions all along: They had to leave the sewers at some point, and that point was now. They had gotten lost a couple of times, but it had been easy enough for the group to backtrack and find the right path to continue on, and after spending a month navigating the filthy, old and narrow tunnels, Preston had finally round everyone up and told them that the easy part of the escape was over, they were safely out of the Center, but now they had to move on the surface. Officials would be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, so it was important for them to move in smaller groups to attract as little attention as possible. The next part of the plan seemed dangerous, but doable, if they were cautious enough. At the end of the tunnel, they would be meeting with five different Zones-folk and split into groups of six. The Zones-folk would then guide them to their base, taking different routes and only moving at night when they could be as hidden as possible. The journey would take around three to five days, depending on which route they took, and Castania and Ripper made sure to be in the same group so they could keep an eye out for each other, and they chose the longest route, led by Preston and Glut, to spare some of the older Savings the trouble of having to walk that far.

   And that was where she found herself now, sneaking around in a pitch-black forest, her arms clinging to the gun like her life depended on it. They had been walking all night, moving as soon as the sun had settled in the horizon. It had been a long night, fortunately without any problems, but Castania could see the sun beginning to rise in the distance, and she couldn't help but feel a little relieved that they would be taking cover soon. Hopefully she would be able to relax a bit, but not fall asleep. The few minutes she had allowed herself to doze off in the sewers had punished her with haunting dreams of Harrison, so she welcomed the insomnia with open arms.

   Without a word, Preston signaled to their group of six to stop, as they reached the end of the forest. Glut peered out of the tree line, looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary, and Castania did the same. Just as a safety precaution.

   "Coast is clear." He whispered when Glut had given him a firm nod, and signaled for them to follow him, as they sneaked out of the tree line on hurried footfalls. No longer concealed by the trees, Castania felt uneasy out in the open, completely visible by anyone and anything, but she trusted when Preston told her the coast was clear.

   No longer engulfed in darkness, Castania was able to make out a big manor in the distance. It stood out like a sore thumb, build in yellow brick and out in the middle of nowhere with nothing around it. The windows were black, there was no car in the driveway, and as they slowly strode up to the building, she wondered if this was where they would be resting until the sun would set once more.

   Turned out, she was right. She eyed Glut with anticipation as he fetched some kind of knife from his pocket, and traced the rim of the glass on one of the basement windows. Carefully, he gave the glass a few tabs and the whole glass pane fell onto the cobblestone path they were standing on and shattered in a million pieces. Castania cringed at the sound, begging the Lords that no one heard, but the manor seemed completely abandoned. Glut jumped into the basement, reaching a hand out as they jumped in one by one as well. She felt Ripper's careful hand on her back, as she steadied herself in the basement, and her thoughts instantly drifted to Harrison. Lord she missed him so much, unsure where he was or how he was doing. Unsure if he was even still alive... No, I can't let my mind go there, she thought as a shiver ran down her spine, and she shook off the memory of the last night she spent with him.

   Preston told them to settle in while he and Glut searched the basement for anything of value. Anything that would help them out. She and Ripper lied down next to each other on the cold concrete floor, using an old blanket to conceal them from the cold winter air. The four other Savings did the same, and soon she heard the faint noises of sleeping people around her, but she didn't allow herself to close her eyes.