274 (Complex Series, #4)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Theo asks, “What about you? Are you immune?”

Piper shakes her head, “No, the shots all work on me. I had a friend though, Sienna, who was immune. She was the first to be discovered. She was tortured and killed by Ellen.”

“Is that how you got involved with…all this?” Theo asks.

“Somewhat. It’s a long story.”

I shrug, “It’s not like we have anything else to talk about. Tell us.”

So she does.

She snuck out at night with a roommate in the Complex, meeting up with a boy. They were caught by rebellious Officials. The rebellious Officials sent Piper and the boy to the Unknown, to try to find the rogue group of people. Everything went wrong, the boy ended up dying. There were multiple deaths, including Piper’s loyal roommate, Kate. Sienna was taken away by Ellen and later killed. They had to leave the Unknown to save their own lives. So they escaped to the village. However, they couldn’t use the way we are traveling now, through the tunnel. This part of the Complex had still been active at the time. They had to travel outside. It took them much longer because they had such an indirect path. This way will only take us hours.

She tells us of another lie of the Heads. There are still people alive outside. There are very few, but there are some. The village people were suspicious at first, but eventually welcomed them into the village. They formed the plan to save all the immune children, to protect them from what happened to Sienna.

Theo and I are the final two immune children. They’ve saved every other child. Except for Tessa.

Piper is one of the people who escaped the Unknown. The story that Harry told me is true. Five people escaped the Unknown and the Complex. They beat the Heads.

We walk in silence the rest of the way. I’m filled with hope of what I might be able to do to help. I could make a difference. I could fight against the Heads.

We finally reach a steel metal door. Piper enters the complicated code and it slides open, light spilling into our hall. I flip off my flashlight as Piper pushes me forward. The door closes behind us, Piper putting in the final code.

Piper says, “We made it. We’re here. The village, this is it. Well, part of it.”

I survey the hall we are in. It looks exactly like the Complex. Steel, silvery walls trapping us in, doors and doorways scattered across the walls. How can this be the village? Have we even left the Complex?

I don’t know what I was expecting the village to look like, but I didn’t think it would be identical to the Complex.

Piper pushes us forward, guiding us around the corner. Giggling echoes from somewhere down the hall.  A girl bursts from around the corner. Messy curls hang down to almost her waist. She looks to be a seven or eight year. She runs to Piper and hugs her tightly.

The girl says, “I’s a-missed ya so much Piper. I’s a-sorry I a-missed ya the last two times.”

Piper ruffles her hair, “It’s okay, I don’t blame you. I missed you too.”

The girl asks, “So who be the newest?”

Piper turns to us. She motions to me first, “This is Claire and that’s Theo.  This is Rose. She’s a great friend of mine.”

Rose glows when Piper calls her a great friend. Rose turns, “I’s goin’ ta a-go get Marrielle and Brinn, okay?”

Piper nods and Rose sprints away. Piper says, “Rose isn’t from the Complex. She’s a villager, which explains her way of speaking. It’s strange at first, but you’ll get used to it.”