Rebellion

Chapter 6

We had been in our new house for a couple of weeks now, and it was really starting to feel like a home. We had enough to live comfortably, for the most part. It was a different kind of life than we had in the society, but that was a good thing. We had to work for our food now. It was hard sometimes, but it was worth it.

Landon was getting good at hunting animals for food. He began catching larger animals like deer every couple of days when he went hunting. His arms were getting stronger every time, and now it was easy for him to carry them home.

He used his swords like he had been doing it every day of his life. He learned fast. He taught me to use my knives, but I only had them for defense. I didn't want to kill.

One night, as Landon and I were getting in bed, the darkness outside the window suddenly illuminated as light as day. I heard the familiar sound of aircraft flying low above us. Are they looking for us? I wondered nervously.

Landon and I stayed still under the cover of our blankets and waited. The aircraft seemed to hover above us, as if they were watching, for a few minutes before flying off. Those minutes felt like hours.

I wrapped my arms around Landon and laid my head on his chest. "What if they find us?" I asked.

"They won't..." he assured me, though he didn't seem entirely sure. "But if they do, we'll fight back. We can't go back to the society now. Maybe not ever. We aren't welcome there anymore. We broke the law and we fled. The society will mark us as traitors, and who knows what they'll do if they catch us. I won't let them."

I knew he was scared, but he sounded brave. He sounded like he would fight even if he had die rather than let them punish us for defying them. There was a word for someone who would die for what they believed in. Martyr. I hoped it wouldn't come down to us dying, but Landon was right. We were traitors now. Rebels against the society. We could never go back.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I would possibly never see my family again, never see my little brother. I missed them already. How long had it been now? A month? More than that? It felt like forever.

I felt my eyes sting with tears and quickly wiped them before they fell. Landon held me close to him and gently laid my head against his chest. My tears soaked his shirt and I hoped he didn't mind. I fell asleep in his arms.

I was home. My mother sat in front of me, smiling softly. There was a baby boy in her arms, my brother. I smiled back at her. I was happy to be with her again.

My father walked up to her and kissed her cheek before looking at me apologetically. He seemed to forgive me for all I had done. It made me feel a pang of guilt. I had left them.

Before I knew what was happening, they were gone again and I was in the forest. Landon was no where to be found. I looked behind me and saw officers running towards me. I started running away from them as fast as I could. My lungs ached and my heart raced. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. It all felt eerily familiar. I looked over my shoulder and saw them catching up. I couldn't run fast enough. I couldn't escape. Their hands closed around me and I screamed.

My eyes snapped open as I sat straight up. Landon looked at me with concern. "You okay, Xan?"

I nodded, though I wasn't sure. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Cold sweat dripped down my neck and forehead and I shivered lightly. The room was cold. Landon pulled the blanket over me and made me lie back down.

"It's okay. I'm here," he said softly.

Though the dream was almost the same as the one I had so long ago in the society, I understood now. I knew my crime. I knew why they were chasing me. And I couldn't escape.