Crying: A Dystopian Novel

Standing: Chapter 5

++++ LAELYNN ++++

"Breathe," I think to myself. I've been running for so long that my brain has to remind my lungs. I sit down against a nearby tree and shut my eyes. Images of her being taken present themselves, and I shudder as I open my eyes.

"Laelynn!"

"Michael." I groan at my brother.

"Don't do that! I thought they got you too." He pants and sits down next to me. He puts his arm around me and squeezes the shoulder opposite of him; almost as if he's trying to convince himself that I'm still here.

"No. Just trying to escape." Michael's green eyes find mine, and I try not to think about anything accept their color.

"Please don't do that again." He says, holding me to him. I can tell that he's upset, like the rest of us, but I know that he's scared out of his mind too.

"Sorry. I never thought they'd come back, Michael. I mean, it's been six years." I hug him and just sob into his shoulder.

"Me either."

"Michael? Oh, gosh. They're gonna kill them." Grace is stumbling around the woods. She looks as exhausted as I feel. "Thank goodness!" She says when she spots us. She sits down on the other side of Michael as I release him.

"Hey." Michael says.

"I thought you were gone and all you say is 'hey'?!" She grabs his hand and squeezes it.

"Laelynn? Laae-lyyyyyn!" Eleise shouts.

"Found her already." Michael hollers back. She comes into view and starts shouting again.

"YOU LITTLE BUTT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" She forces herself to yell this insult at me before she lies down on the grass in a sob ten feet in front of us. I crawl over to her and embrace her. I don't turn around, but I hear Michael sob.

"She's gone, Grace. Anna's gone."

++++ ANNA ++++

"LET ME GO!" I scream. I'm stuck in this tiny room, shackled to one corner. There's a brick a few feet away from the shackle brace to be used as a makeshift pillow, but I can't bring myself to sleep. I'm exhausted. I haven't slept since they brought me here two days ago. Of all days to come, they came on May 15th. With my good arm, I reach once again for the old toy radio that I managed to keep hidden in my boot, but it feels pointless. John hasn't answered at all, even though I've tried at least a dozen times. I pull it out and whisper into it. "John? Please. Please, John."

"Are you okay?" He whispers back. Tears almost flow from my eyes.

"Why haven't you been answering?" I ask him.

"What are you talking about? I haven't let it out of my sight since they got you. Not once did anything come through. Are you okay?" I must have just been thinking about it the whole time. I guess sleeplessness does that to you.

"I'm okay, for now. Did they get anyone else?" It's times like these that I remember that awful year, when I thought they would get everyone.

"No." I hear him start the golf cart in the background.

"Good. Listen, I can't risk someone finding out about the radio. I've got to-"

"No, Anna, please. Don't go. I'm trying to find Michael. Everyone decided to run out into the woods today."

"John? What in the world?" I hear Michael say.

"Anna." He pants. The sound of the radio switching hands comes through the speaker.