The Tides That Bind Us [AfroFuturism]

A Way Out

"Why should we trust you?" Zaharah levelled Markus with her gaze. "You've been playing the Director's game for this long. Why would you stop now? What benefit do you gain from defying her and helping us?"

Jade touched her arm. Z calm down.

"It's fine Jade." Markus roughed up his dreads. "Zaharah's anger isn't misplaced. If you have another way out of Denden, I won't stop you."

I'm not comfortable leaving Markus behind. What will happen to him when the Director finds out he didn't stop us?

"He lied to us!" Zaharah screamed, much to the chagrin of her throat. She wasn't prepared for this, to choose between trusting the people she called friends and family, or playing it safe and risking the only real family she had left.

She didn't fault Jade for being soft on Markus, for wanting believe he cared about them. He was a constant figure in their lives, the only person who came close to filling the gap their family had left behind. But after recent revelations Zaharah felt as though she didn't know Markus at all.

Z, we need to be smart about this, Jade signed. What other plans do we have? We need help, and I'd rather it Markus who helps us.

Zaharah clenched and unclenched her hands in a vain attempt to quell her ire. The air in the room felt hot and cold at the same time, like a storm lingered on the horizon. But before it could roll in, the chime of Markus' cell phone filled the room.

"It's Dwight," he said.

Zaharah had half a mind to rip the phone from his hands and drown it in the sink, but before she could give in to the urge, Markus picked up and put the phone on speaker. "Hey, D."

"You guys need a way out of here, right?" Dwight asked, right to the point as usual. His voice was echoing, as though he was holed up in a bathroom.

Markus glanced at Zaharah. "They do."

"I'm sending some files to your phone. I have a plan that could work."

Zaharah rolled her eyes. "What, does he have a fucking Heli stashed away somewhere?"

"No, Zaharah, I have knowledge of another way out of Denden. Through the breach. It's a series of platforms at the four cardinal points on the island. They're stocked with pods, rations, survival suits, supplies, everything you need to make your dirty getaway."

Markus gave a nod. "I know about it, but the breach stay locked unless Denden is on fire or sinking. Only the Director has the authority to open it."

"I'm not saying you should waltz in through the front door. You can get to the breach through the ventilation system. The easiest way is through an access point in the east side complex used by the maintenance team. Climb the ladder up into the vents and exit at the breach. From there connect your phone to the control panel, and I'll hack the system to give you access to the pods. Use them to get out of here. Good luck." And he hung up.

For a moment, they sat in silence, staring at the phone, and then at each other.

Do you think we can trust him? Jade signed, and both she and Markus looked to Zaharah. But she didn't have an answer for them. Dwight could be luring them into a trap for all she knew. Part of her wanted it to be genuine, because they had no other options.

"It could be a trap, but what else can we do?" she asked with a shrug. "We have no other options."

"If it's a trap, then we'll be prepared." Markus pat her on the shoulder, but the gesture felt empty. "Head downstairs, I'll borrow a buggy." He disappeared into the hall.