Curiosity Killed the Cat

Red

Jason's POV

Katerina smiles at first, but fades as the words process through her mind. A blush starts to creep on both of our faces.

She quickly looks away. "You guys have lost so many people already."

"But with you, that can actually come to an end. We finally have an advantage! You know when and where is best to attack and get inside the Walls."

My words seem to make her grimace. Then she shakes her head, slowly at first but progresses into a rapid motion.

"I still don't understand why you need to bother them! Why don't you guys move far away, where they won't be able to find you. Everyone would be safe," she says, her eyes lighting up hopefully.

I grab her wrist and tug her into a standing position. She yelps, startled by my sudden grip clamped on to her arm.

"Here, I'll show you," I growl, dragging her out of the infirmary tent. She lags slightly, probably still disoriented from being unconscious for the past three days.

"I can walk myself! Let me go!" Kat snaps, wriggling herself out of my grasp.

I whip my body around to face her. Our bodies are inches apart. She has to look up slightly to look me in the eye. I see her face turn red as she takes a timid step back.

I flash her a smirk. "Something wrong?"

"J- just show me what you wanted to already," Kat stammers.

She's nervous. Her hands are sweaty and her face looks like a bright, red tomato.

I stare at her for a moment, thinking. Her voice brings me back to my senses. "Did you drag me out here to stare at me all day?"

I look away and pull a metal door open, which leads to a staircase downwards. Kat's eyes go wide with curiosity. She doesn't wait for me to lead, but starts to walk down the stairs herself.

"This is where we hide our weapons, such as guns, grenades, and other things," I explain.

"What's a gun?" She asks, genuinely confused by the term.

I raise an eyebrow. "You guys didn't know even more than I thought. You have a lot to learn, Kat."

As we enter the underground facility, the air suddenly grows hot with moisture. There are several doors and pass codes I have to enter to finally get in.

There are about seven workers down here that build bombs and all kinds of other things. Sometimes, they don't come back up for weeks.

"What are all these weapons for?" Katerina asks.

"Even before you came, we've been planning an attack. They'll never know what hit them," I reply with a grin.

She scowls, giving me a hard shove that makes me stumble. "My family is in those Walls!"

"Well we have to make sacrifices. Who knows, someday they might become one of the monsters in the government."

Whoops. Wrong thing to say. Hurt registers on to her face. I instantly feel bad.

"Kat, that came out wrong. I--"

I'm cut off by someone walking towards us. He taps Kat's shoulder, making her yelp and stumble back in surprise.

"Jumpy one. She the new girl?" He asks.

I nod, relieved to escape the situation. "Kat, this is Carter. Carter, this is Kat."

He offers a charming smile to her, which for some reason makes me feel slightly defensive.

"I can show you around," he offers. Kat smiles at the idea and nods eagerly.

I'm about to walk with them, but Carter stops me. "You're okay, Jason. She doesn't need an escort anymore. She's been here for weeks."

"Oh... yeah. I guess you're right," I mumble.