Coup D'état *Discontinued

Night Sixteen.

“Wake up.”

I pried my eyes open groggily. The darkness of the cabin greeted me as I struggled out of the unconscious state of mind I had been in. I quickly slid off of the mattress, landing quietly on the floor. Inwardly, I smirked at the thought of how much quieter I had been. Nat’s warning had been fruitless, after all. 

I joined the other rebels as we slipped out the door of the cabin with stealth and celerity. The moon showered down its rays across the ground as the three other members of my cabin stood waiting in the shadows of the building for me. Jacob greeted me with a grin when I approached the trio. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” He teased.

I rolled my eyes at the younger boy, holding back a yawn. The two older boys lead the way as we hurried along the pathway in the opposite way of the Mess Hall. I noticed how the pace was slower than normal, presumably from the elder in the group.

We walked in the shadows of the building. The moon was particularly bright this evening, which lead me to become more confident that there wouldn’t be rain. I would find victory at the end of the dry evening.

After a few minutes of walking, we finally reached the edge of the rows of cabins. The large stalks that bordered our small civilization of humans stood tall and looming over the crowd. Nat led the way through, easily pushing past the heavy plants.

“Jacob,” I whispered softly, trying to keep my voice down.

He looked over his shoulder, meeting my eyes to let me know he was listening. 

“Aren’t you worried about the Wanderers?” 

The vivid memory of the last time I had been out here replayed itself in my mind. People had disappeared because of these monsters, and still we were forming another meeting. Silently, I wondered how many would return this evening after such a tragic event.

Jacob, surprisingly, shrugged casually, “Maybe a little. Why? Are you scared?”

I bit my lip nervously, “After seeing what they did, I’m not going to lie that I’m starting to worry about our general safety.”

“There’s a risk in everything.”

“But…”

Jacob stopped, turning to face me. His hands moved to grab my shoulders as his eyes captivated mine. “We’re doing things for the good of humanity. There is always a risk. But remember who you’re doing this for. Not for you, not for me; we’re in this rebellion for the good of the human race. Think of all the future generations we might be saving.”

I swallowed my words, nodding. 

Jacob gave me an encouraging smile before pulling me into a tight hug. Surprise filled me as I was crushed into his chest. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his back and returned the show of affection.

“Dammit, break it up.” 

Nat slapped Jacob in the back of the head as he pulled apart. “Could you two be a little bit more responsible and stay on the path?”

“Sorry.” Jacob muttered, his face flushing with embarrassment. I avoided eye contact with Nat, feeling embarrassment of my own course through my veins. 

Nat turned on his heal, once more returning on the path toward the gathering. Jacob and I exchanged guilty looks before quickly following after. 

After pushing through the stalks for what felt like hours, we finally reached the clearing in the woods. All around us, other people were gathered, talking quietly amongst themselves. A few people looked up, giving a respectful nod to Nat.