Insurrection [On Hold]

24 Exposed

My brain is jarred out of my dream and my head jolts in pain. I open my eyes to Barrow's hands on my shoulders, shaking me.

I shove his hands away. "Keep your hands off me."

"Where's Roger? What did you do to him?"

"What? Nothing."

He towers over me. This man. . . "He's not in his bed."

"Downstairs maybe? Last time I saw him, he was going to get me a blanket."

"What blanket?"

I look down at my lap that's only being cover by my cloak. "He went for it before I was asleep."

He curses. "He never came back then." In seven strides he crosses the room. I quickly stand and follow him. The stairs creak as we descend them. The tavern is empty, the tables arranged back to their previous spots.

Barrow yanks open the door and swears. I run the rest of the way and freeze in the doorway. The transport vehicle is gone.

I step out onto the deck. "Did he desert?"

Barrow doesn't answer. Instead he walks around the building. I follow him.

Barrow lets out a string of curses. My feet move faster, but my heart stops once I see Roger sprawled on his back, dead. His eyes are open. Blood is dried in streaks on his head. I cover my mouth and close my eyes.

"What did you do to him?" Barrow grabs hold of me. His fingers dig into my muscles.

My eyes pop open. "How can you think I did this?"

"To get away. Return to your rebels."

I take a step toward him even though he's already far too close to me. The good are always the ones to die. Roger was one of the sweetest people I've met my whole life. Yet Barrow is the one to live. "Don't you think that if I wanted to escape, I would have killed you? Or if I had killed him, I wouldn't have returned to the room?"

"This is your fault."

I shove him. "I was asleep just like you."

"He went to get you a blanket."

"A blanket I didn't ask for!"

"If you hadn't acted so selfless you would have taken his bed and he wouldn't have had to get one for you."

I get torn down for being selfless. Everything I do is wrong to somebody. "If you had given me your bed and slept on the floor we wouldn't have had to worry about Roger going to get me a blanket. I simply sat down on the floor. I didn't complain. But you"-- I jam my finger in his chest, --"have done nothing but complain." I swallow. "Besides, I ran from the army so I wouldn't have to kill anyone. Are we going to waste time arguing about something I didn't do?"

"What else are we supposed to do?"

I motion to Roger. "Find who did this."

"We never will. They're long out of Crena."

They won't ever pay. Roger's death won't ever be appeased.

"So we do nothing for him?"

"If I didn't have to take you to jail for your mess-ups maybe I could actually hunt down whoever did this."

"I didn't mess up. I took someone else's punishment."

"Again with being selfless. Look what it's done." He walks past me—our backs now to each other. "I hope you die there."

My chest rises. My hands ball into fists.

"I'm going to check about getting another vehicle."

"What about the diplomat?" I ask.