Trapped | The Trapped Trilogy Book 1

Eight (Part 2)

Eight (Part 2)

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I wake to the crackling of fire in the distance. Voices swarm over me, talking quickly and urgently.

"...no one knows who this rogue is, but now you know what happens when someone rats you out!" Lease stands in front of a large crowd of people from the wreckage, her back to the old camp, barking out commands and 'words of wisdom', taking the leader position-Doug's position.

As I stand up, my body protests.

I can see the campsite completely burned down, the light from the fires illuminating everything around them, including the bodies...

How long was I out?

Lease looks at me and smirks.

Long enough for Lease to take over.

"Here is the possible traitor now," She smiles guilefully at me, her head shaking from side to side a bit like it's one of the tether balls located in the Home Dome playgrounds.

My stomach turns, and my harsh laugh bubbles out of my throat like fire.

"Oh, I'm the traitor? I tried to save your precious leader, Doug," I say to her and the crowd. "I tried to save him while everyone else was thinking about saving themselves!" Mutters and whispers are shared in the crowd. "I watched him burn! I watched his flesh fall off of his body. I was there for the one person YOU believed in, and I saw not one of you there to help save him! Even you, Lease, oh, precious new leader. And the funny thing is, is that I'm not even a part of the rebellion."

The crowd falls silent with the last words I speak. I stand fuming and glaring at Lease. Where is all of this coming from inside of me?

She sighs and shifts her weight, probably trying to figure out what to say next. She turns to the crowd and barks out commands.

"We'll set up camp for the night at the river. Start walking that way-" Lease points forward, "-and when you reach the river, start setting up with what we have left. No fires."

They all obey, still trembling and shaking in fear, and she turns back to me.

"What are you trying to prove?"

"Nothing. I'm just sick and tired of being pushed around."

She laughs harshly. "And you want to go back to your pleasant little Dome?"

"At least I had-"

"What?" She mocks. "Your freedom? A job? A home?"

"A friend," I say, almost threatening.

My mind flashes to Nad. She was-is my best friend. I don't care how childish I sound. How much of a three year old I sound like. I've never had a friend.

I hope everything is okay there... I think.

And of course everything is okay in the Dame's Dome. I shouldn't be worrying. Everything is always okay there. Nothing could go wrong.

Except the bombing by one of the tunnels...

"Lease," I turn around. "Who is it that needs me? Why am I so important?"

She smiles cruelly.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know. Do you want me to take you?" She hisses.

Something inside of me gets a sick feeling about her.

It's like that feeling the moment I knew I was caught when I touched the wall, the day my life became one gust of wind away from falling off a cliff. Something just isn't right about Lease. There's just this certain darkness about her that I can't place my finger on. I feel like she isn't who she says she really is... Is that strange? Who would lie about that...?