Wanted

Blind Faith

~ Chapter 5 ~

Mallie

A knock on the door jolted my concentration out of the pages of my book. I jumped up from the couch and took a deep breath, hoping above hope that I wouldn't be receiving a visit from Enforcement. I was still shocked they hadn't found me. Opening the door hesitantly, I found myself standing face to face with Matt.

This wasn't the first time he had come back. He told me he was making sure his fellow gang members hadn't discovered my whereabouts yet, which I was comforted to believe was the truth.

I hadn't left my apartment since that day, now a week ago, and to be honest, I felt like a bird trapped in a cage. I was just too scared to leave. I even quit my job with the NewsNet to cover for myself. It was crazy how quickly my priorities had to change. Six months ago I would have given anything for that job, but there was no question I valued my life more than I valued employment.

"Are you going to let me in, or what?" Matt sounded annoyed... very annoyed.

"Yeah! Yeah, sorry. Come on in." I opened the door the rest of the way and stepped back so he could enter. Matt took a couple of steps inside and stopped, proceeding to stare a hole through the back of my neck as I locked the door. I turned around to face him and we both stood in silence, neither of us wanting to be the first to speak. It was still painfully awkward to have Matt around. Probably because of the whole he-tried-to-kill-me thing.

"Well, why don't we take a minute to see what's going on in the outside world. I haven't watched the News in forever." I walked back to the couch and sat down on the far end, crossing my legs as I reached for the TV remote. I flipped to the local News channel.

Matt followed suit and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, looking anything but comfortable.

At first, the only thing that was on was just some boring headline like "City Passes New Law." Then, the spotlight switched to a different newscaster who, by the giddy gleam in his eyes only a fellow journalist like me could see, had a much bigger story to tell. Some footage rolled and the lamp situated beside the couch burst.

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"Faster. Let's go, MOVE!" Matt was so on edge I thought he might punch through a wall.

It had already been nearly two hours since the newsreel played. I was in a fog, while Matt was obviously very clear about what was going on. The reporter's voice rang in my ears:

"Two suspects of a horrific crime committed at the Detroit Dump just last week have now been identified with the help of a security camera."

They showed the camera's recording. Sure enough, there stood Matt and I, each on an opposite side of the crime tape.

"The suspects have been confirmed as Wanted, so are of course extremely dangerous. If you have any valid information regarding the whereabouts of these criminals," the TV showed grainy, zoomed-in pictures of each of our faces, "Enforcement will make sure you are rewarded. Remember, these are Wanteds, so caution is advised."

I finally managed to zip up my crammed suitcase. It contained every comfortable article of clothing I owned, including all the necessary toiletries. I still had no idea where Matt planned to take me, but I figured, It can't get any worse. Why not just trust him on this? I've already put enough blind faith into the guy.

After slipping on an inconspicuous gray coat and a pair of warm boots with jeans tucked into them, I rolled my suitcase out into the hallway. I took a brief, wistful last glance at my apartment, buttoned up my coat all the way to my chin, then climbed into the elevator that would be delivering me to my fate.

Once out on the street, I tried my best to look natural while following Matt, at the same time keeping my face hidden from passersby. It was a little difficult, but manageable, and it sure beat getting caught by Enforcement. The thought of getting arrested for a crime I didn't commit made me a little dizzy, and for a second I almost tripped while trying to keep up with Matt's brisk pace.

We both walked a long way, just far enough that my feet were beginning to get sore. Luckily, a few yards ahead set a parked LightBike, and Matt appeared to have its key.

"Climb on. We'll ride the rest of the way," he assured me.

I had a million questions, but I held my tongue so we could get to wherever we were going as fast as possible.

It was hours before either of us spoke. I was beginning to drift off, so it was Matt who broke the silence for once. "We're almost there," he said through his headset.

I was still shaking off my hangover of grogginess when our destination came into view. Once over the top of a hill, a little - well big - congregation of attractive, compact, log cabins nestled on a large lake came into view.

The moonlight was reflecting off of the water, illuminating the otherwise darkened streets of what appeared to be an entire community. The whole scene seemed very primitive compared to the constant air traffic and towering skyscrapers of Detroit. I would have never guessed something as incredible as this would be located so deep in the wilderness away from civilization. Of course, I thought, that must be the point.

So late at night, the roads of the community seemed as abandoned as a ghost town in an old western. Thank goodness LightBikes hardly created any noise, otherwise I would have been worried we had disturbed ancient spirits of some kind.

Matt drove down the silent streets for a few more minutes before turning off of what seemed to be the main avenue of the community and onto a smaller, less traveled road. Just a little ways farther and we started up a long gravel driveway. He continued on until he reached the cabin the driveway belonged to. It was fairly small, but seemed that it was more than capable of housing several people if need be.

"This is my place," Matt explained while unlocking the wooden door, "But no one's ever lived here, since I left to live on the streets with the gang. I'd never hear the end of it, if one of my old friends saw me now."

I smiled to myself as I dragged my suitcase past the living room with the fireplace that took up the entire wall, and beyond the quaint kitchen. I had always wanted a place like this. It seemed that everything here relied less on technology and more on the surroundings.

I heaved my bag up the stairs to the first bedroom I came to, which I deducted would be where I slept for the night. Matt stayed downstairs doing something for a few minutes, but then he trudged upstairs himself and threw a set of keys on the pillow beside me.

"I told you I wouldn't forget what you did," he said dismissively. "The place is yours. You'll be safe here. The government doesn't even know the Out exists."

"Wait, you're just giving all this to me?" I asked, gesturing to the whole cabin with my hands.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "For now. I have to be back with the gang by tomorrow or they'll get suspicious. You won't see me again for a while. Get some sleep. You're gonna be just fine here, but in any case, good luck."

"So, you're ditching me?" I could feel the panic rising in the back of my throat. That was it. No going home. No more navigating the familiar city streets. No steady job. The realization slammed into me like a mallet.

"Like I said, I have to be back with the gang tomorrow and the place is yours. Loosen up, nice people live here, you know. There isn't anywhere you could go safer than the Out."

He sounded so sure of himself that I managed to release some of the tension in my shoulders. It was fine. I was ok, and maybe Matt was telling the truth about the people. I just never expected to be ripped from my old life - a life that was safe - so abruptly. For the first time in a long time, I struggled to do what I had been consistently telling myself to do since first grade... find the silver lining.

"I really can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Matt. If it weren't for you, I might be rotting in a prison cell somewhere. Promise you'll try to stay safe," I managed.

He flashed me what looked like half a lopsided grin before retreating downstairs without another word. I crawled under the covers, not even bothering to change, and dreamt that night about the day to follow and what on earth I was going to have to face.