The Cipher

Chapter sixteen

  I didn’t need to pack, although that had been my first instinct, I could take nothing with me.

  Nothing except myself and Cyrus. As long as Cyrus was with me, I suppose I really had everything I needed anyways, but I still would have liked to bring a toothbrush at the least.

  Zero assured us that we would not need anything, that we would be supplied with everything, and if we brought anything, it might look suspicious.

  If it were anyone else, I would question it. But because it was Zero, and because where he had come from, I knew it was the truth.

  We were leaving before dawn, staying in the shadows; keeping away from the Society patrols. 

  The entire Slum Sector had risen quietly to wish us farewell; even the inhabitants of the Sector who weren’t in the rebellion came to say goodbye.

  I think even though they weren’t bold enough to join us, there was a part of them that wanted us to win, and maybe even liked us. We said our hushed goodbyes in the pale moonlight, and Onyx, Zulu, Cyrus, Zero and I left for the secret compounds, and the soldiers left for their barracks. 

  Exiting the shoddy gates felt utterly terrifying to be honest. It felt like I was leaving home again. Something inside me told me I would never return. It was never good to go into a mission with a negative thought, so I tried to turn it into something positive.

  We didn’t talk at all, in fact, we all were focusing so hard on making sure our feet didn’t make any noise against the rocky pavement. Onyx, the clumsiest of the five of us, accidentally kicked up a small stone. It made no more than a whisper of a sound, but this terrified us. The Society was filled with a stark silence, and such pitch blackness, that any sound would be heard for miles, it seemed. 

  It was relatively easy to evade patrol, though. Since it was so dark in the after-curfew hours, the soldiers had to use flashlights, making them easy to spot. 

  Of course we did not have the luxury of flashlights, but we had the advantage of vision that had adjusted to the darkness; making every sense sharper. My hearing seemed more acute to sound than it had ever been; I could practically hear the ants crawling beneath my feet. My sense of smell had heightened; although this wasn’t of good use, for I was right behind Onyx, who was nervously sweating, and maybe even passing gas, for a horrible smell followed us wherever we went.

  There was a moment, I believe, when we were passing a security guard extremely close to us, where Onyx must have gotten very nervous. For a horrendous odor wafted through the air like a noxious gas. It took everything that I had not to gag, but the patrol soldier on the other hand, was not so strong. He began to barf. We watched frozen in terror as he wheezed and he heaved. 

  We should have run.

  As soon as the man had recovered, he began to sniff the air. You would have thought he was a dog for all of the accurate sniffing he had done; he was coming straight toward us.

  We retreated further into the shadows of the street; trying to find refuge under some small decorative bushes on the side of the road.

  Surprisingly, we made no noise, but the guard was still following his nose without fail.

  We were all shaking, I could practically feel the vibrations of their stunned joints on the ground where I now lay, crouched.

  I met Cyrus’ eyes, somehow bright in the dark.

  I went to grab his hand, but something cut me on my wrist. I started to bleed profusely. I clamped my other hand, no doubt infested with dirt and bacteria, over the wound. I gasped sharply. 

  The man looked into the darkness. I looked back at him. 

  I could have sworn he was looking right into my soul. But obviously his eyesight was not as keen as his sense of smell, for he had an expression of pure befuddlement written in his features: drawn brows, lip corners pointed downwards, and forehead wrinkles. He couldn’t see me.

  In a sudden rush of survival and terror combined, I picked up the rock that had injured me, and I tossed it across the street. My blood flew.

  The man, stupid and easily tricked, ran at the sound of the skidding rock. 

  The five of us, taking our chance, ran for the compound.

  When we reached the isolated door, it was open, thanks to Neriah and Pheobe’s magical hacking skills. We were in our bunks by the end of the night. I was in a room with Zulu, in fear of someone recognizing Cyrus and I as the infamous couple who Infracted and escaped HQ. We decided we shouldn’t be seen too much together after working hours.

   Apparently we were kinda famous in the Land. Well, infamous would be a better term, I suppose.

  We were more easily identifiable when we were together. 

  Despite the conditions, I slept like a baby.