The Anomaly Project

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

AUTUMN

Todd, Tessa and I follow Haley through the woods, Haley leading the pack. Tessa follows behind her, then me, and Todd brings up the rear. All of us are brandishing our weapons, just in case Banniks or Absents decide to make a surprise visit. Haley holds a wicked-looking steel spear out in front of her, pushing the branches and bushes away from her path.

"How long does it take to get there?" Todd calls up to her.

"I don't know," she shouts back. "Five, six hours? It'll be dark by the time we get there."

Todd sighs quietly behind me. We all walk in silence for a few hours. The sky begins to darken, the light fading. We quicken our pace, wanting to get out of the forest before dark.

Finally, Haley stops us. We've emerged from the woods and have been walking along a grassy plain for the past hour. The city lights glimmer in the distance, but we're close.

"We'll take a quick break," she says. "We're about forty-five minutes away. Let me give you some advice – don't let people see you. There's a very strict set of rules there, and they don't let new people just pop on in whenever they feel like it."

"Save the speech," Todd groans, plopping his pack on the ground. "You can tell us once we're in. Just let us rest for now." He sits down and rubs the bottoms of his feet. "I've got to get some better walking shoes," he mutters.

I pull a water bottle out of my bag and take a swig, then pass it around. Haley allows us a few more minutes of rest, and then tells us to get up and start moving again.

The city is growing clearer and more defined as we near it. There's a large building to the far left, adorned with white lights – presumably a government building. The rest of the city is dark. Rows upon rows of houses line the perimeter. Although maybe "shacks" would be a more appropriate term. They're hardly bigger than the sheds we have back at camp. There doesn't seem to be anything else inside – just houses.

I'm so focused on the city that I hardly notice the barbed wire fence in front of me. "Autumn!" Tessa hisses, and I stop in my tracks. I was about to walk into it.

"Don't touch it," Haley warns. "It's electric."

Cautiously, I back away from the fence. Haley steps forward and examines it. I can hear the buzzing, like a nest of wasps. "They use all the available electricity on this fence," Haley informs us. "That's why none of the houses have lights - just the government building, and the fence. They want to keep their people in, and unwanted visitors out."

"So, how are we going to get in?" Todd asks.

Haley turns and smiles at us. "You've got me, of course."

Tessa's eyes widen. "You're going to absorb all the electricity in that fence? Hales, I know you're all Electric Girl and stuff, but that's just asking for it."

"Where there's a will, there's a way." Haley reaches out and grabs the fence with both hands. She gasps immediately, and jolts. Tessa rushes forward, but Haley shakes her head frantically. "No! Don't touch me. Get over the fence - it's safe. And be quick!"

The three of us scramble through the wires, and then Haley crawls through. She lets go, and collapses. Tessa drops down beside her. Haley breathes slowly, and then shakes her head, as if to clear to mind. "Wow! Remind to me to not do that again anytime soon," she says, running a hand over her face. "I've literally got electric currents in my veins, but that was a bit intense."

"A bit intense?" Tessa repeats with a laugh. "Are you okay?"

Haley nods. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine now." She stands up, looking a little shaky, but she ignores it and moves forward. "Come on," she whispers back to us. "We have to stay quiet now. Be invisible."