Welcome to Sector 4. Your execution is imminent.
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The world's population has been devoured by nature. Man's control has ripped from him, and civilizations have crumbled.
Only a small percentage of the population has survived the barrage of earthq...
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ELDON
I watched as Cara's head sagged forward, her eyes closing. But with every jolt of the wagon, they opened again. I wished I could hold and comfort her, but this divide wouldn't allow that.
I looked down at the metal secured around my wrists and connected to the metal hook on the wagon's side. I studied it, trying to distract myself from the predicament we were in and how hot and uncomfortable I was.
The little ring was attached to the side of the wagon with two heavy screws on either side, bolting it into the thick wood. I tugged on it, and to my surprise it moved. Not much, but it revealed that one of the screws was coming loose.
I raised my gaze to the men marching around us and the commander on his horse at the front of the troop. No one paid us any attention, and by the looks of it they were all uncomfortable as well. Served them right.
I lowered my hands to the metal ring and grasped the loose screw in my fingers. They slipped off the rusted metal thanks to all the sweat, and I wiped them off on my pants before trying again. That helped and I gripped the screw, turning it bit by bit.
I bit back some angry words when my grip slipped once again and I sliced my finger on the metal. A trickle of blood dropped out and I raised it to my lips, sucking. The bitter, metallic taste made me want to gag.
Once the bleeding had stopped, I began unscrewing the metal bit again. The going was slow, but at least no one seemed to notice.
Then the screw popped out and landed on the floor of the wagon with a clank thankfully covered up by the loud wheels. I reached for it, but remembered my chains wouldn't allow it. Instead, I shuffled my feet and covered up the screw with them. Then I started working on the other screw.
As I worked, I pretended to be asleep, keeping my head and eyes downcast in case someone happened to look over. When the screw finally came out, the metal hook came off the wall. It fell limply to the end of my chains; I was free.
I looked around me again, worrying that someone had seen something. Still, no one looked over at me. Several of the soldiers were talking with one another, but mostly everyone seemed to be preoccupied with trying not to melt.
I gently kicked at Cara's legs to wake her. She lifted her head, startled, but calmed when she locked eyes with me.
I moved my hands, drawing her eyes to what I had done. They widened for split second before resuming their sleepy appearance. I watched as she worked at the screws on her hook, doing the same thing I did. While I waited, I watched everyone carefully, looking for signs of suspicion. Every nerve felt alive in my body, tingling with anticipation. This was our chance, we couldn't blow it.
Cara bit back a cry when her finger slipped, doing the same thing I had done. I gave her an encouraging nod to continue.
One screw free. Her face lit up with hope, then she wiped it away. She worked at the other screw with vigor.
I drew my attention to the screws beneath my feet, thinking I might be able to use them as a weapon. I didn't know how I would be able to grab the screws without being seen, but without them we didn't have much of a chance. I knew how to fight, but the Black Militia were heavily armed and that didn't make for a fair fight. Not that I expected one...
Cara tapped my foot to get my attention and my eyes went to her hands and the metal chain freed from the wagon. I mouthed for her to wait. We had to be careful about this. If we just bolted for it we wouldn't make it two feet before they shot us down. And then where would we be?
I maneuvered one of the screws between my boots and lifted it to where my hands could reach without looking suspicious. Then, I repeated the process with the other screw. Cara had thought ahead and had caught the screws in her hands as they fell. She realized that this wouldn't be easy.
I knew this wouldn't be easy. So there was only one option: wait until we stopped for the night. Then we might have a chance in the cover of night. So we would wait.
A/N: Thanks for your patience on waiting for another update! Had some trouble uploading the photos for some reason. But here we are! Hope you enjoyed :)
