Dawn of Rebellion (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 1) Page 11

  “What is it doing here? We are deep in British territory.” Sam asks to no one in particular. None of us have any answers. We stand there staring at the images for a few more minutes and then sit and silently eat our lunch.

  As we are eating, it begins to rain outside. For the past few days, it has rained at around the same time every afternoon. It’s just a light rain but it does slow us down a bit. I ask Sam about the daily showers and he says that in the South this always happens this time of year. Usually we just keep walking. If we’re in some kind of woods, we have some cover but if not, we get soaked.

  After lunch, it is still raining so we decide to wait it out, expecting it to let up pretty soon. I lean back on my elbows to relax a little and feel something sharp poke at my arm.

  “Guys, I think I found something else.” I rock onto my knees and turn around to get a better look. I brush though some of the debris on the ground trying to find what was poking me. I am so excited I can hardly contain it. I may have found some kind of artifact these people had. I feel around with my fingers until I am gripping something made of incredibly hard material. I have to use all my strength to yank it from the ground and as soon as I do I start screaming. I throw it into the corner and run out of the room into the rain. Drew follows me; completely unaware that now he too is sopping wet.

  “Shite! Drew that was a bone! People died here.” I start sobbing as Drew folds me into his arms. I feel another hand on my shoulder and turn to see that Sam and Lee have joined us outside.

  “When you ran out, we found more,” Sam says.

  “Yeah, place is a graveyard.” Lee has that same sadness in his eyes that he had when he was telling me the story of his lost love. I break free of Drew and wrap my arms around Lee’s neck. The hug takes him completely by surprise but he doesn’t push me away. After the shock has worn off, he even hugs me back. I give Sam a hug as well. As much as I am affected by this, they were not my people, or Drew’s.

  By an unspoken agreement, we don’t spend another minute in this place. We pick up our packs and get moving. The rain is letting up as we walk across a stretch of farm land, careful to stay out of sight of any of the workers. I wonder if the people working the farms are slaves like Gabby. Is she working on a farm?

  We cover a lot of ground during the day. I feel like we’re moving faster than normal, trying to get as far away from that place as possible. We settle in for the night under a patch of trees as usual. As we move south, the ground is wetter. They must have gotten more rain here. No one complains of the dampness when we stop. Everyone is lost in their own thoughts. My mind has been on my sister all day. Up until now, I didn’t let myself consider the kind of work Gabby was being made to do. I didn’t think about what she was being put through; I just knew it couldn’t be good. I find myself wondering if she will be the same person that was taken from me back in London. She was bossy and liked to break the rules but she would do anything in the world for me. Have they worked that out of her?

  Nearby I see Lee take a seat next to Drew. This seems odd to me because they never say much to each other. I strain to hear the conversation. I’m curious and honestly a little bored.

  “You did the right thing,” I hear Lee begin, “that man would have killed Dawn otherwise.”

  “It’s never right to kill someone. I meant to just knock him out. I don’t know why he came after us,” Drew says.

  “You’re Brits. Most Americans won’t need more reason than that. The eagle represents freedom, but the people in this country who use it, they’re brutal and savage. That is not how I want my freedom won.” Lee pats Drew on the back as he gets to his feet. “We should be there tomorrow.” With that, he walks away.

  Drew moves to sit beside me. I hope Lee was able to help him. I don’t know how I’ve come to care for this man so much after hating him in the beginning. I just don’t want him to be hurting.

  “Lee says we’ll be there tomorrow,” Drew whispers.

  “Really?” I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know if I’m ready for this. For the first time I worry that we’ve come all this way and she won’t even be there. What if they’ve taken her somewhere else? What if she’s dead? Drew must be reading my face because he puts his arm around me and pulls me to him. I don’t know what it is about this boy but he makes me feel safe. As soon as his arm is around my shoulders I am able to push all my worries to the back of my mind. Well, all my worries except for one.

  I'm a right prat for fretting about this right now, but what happens to mine and Drew’s friendship when Gabby is back in the picture. Will they automatically go back to the way it was before all of this? I don’t understand my feelings for Drew, I don’t even really know if I have any, but I can’t lose him. He might be a cheeky bastard who gets on my last nerve, but I don't care. Gabby has always gotten whatever she wants though, so I guess it’s up to her. On the night before I go to rescue my sister this is what I fall asleep thinking about; a boy.

  Chapter 32

  Gabby

  A splash of lukewarm water hits my face and I sputter awake. Then another splash and another until I am choking and gasping for air. I am being held upright with a soldier on each arm. I always dreamed of having a soldier on each arm but it was quite different than this. My head feels like it's been cracked open and pieced back together. I try to lift my head slightly to see where I am but the pain is too much so I let it sag to my chest. Memories start flooding back to me; the guards by the fence, hiding behind the trees, and running. It seems like I have had to run for my life too often lately.

  As soon as the solders realize I have come to, they push me to my knees and back away. I can’t stay upright so I drop to all fours. I know I am outside because I am in the dirt and I can feel the evening breeze blow across my skin. There is an excruciating pain that erupts in my stomach as someone kicks me. It takes everything I have to not be face down in the dirt right now.

  “I thought one example was enough for you slaves but apparently not.” The man who kicked me is talking in a low menacing voice. Before every sentence he speaks, he gives another kick to my stomach.

  “You cannot escape!” He is yelling this time. I must still be in the camp. Without even looking up, I can feel many pairs of eyes focused in my direction.

  “You are here because you deserve to be.” This time the kick comes to the back of my legs and I am no longer able to keep myself from falling. I am now lying on my stomach in the dirt. No one moves to help me. They all just watch; thankful it isn’t them.

  “There is no salvation for you, no one coming to save you from your crimes.” Two soldiers grab my arms once again and haul me to my feet. The man who was speaking puts his hand underneath my chin and raises my face. “This girl is young and she will pay for her stupidity. I am going to spare her life because I am a just man.” As he holds my head up, I look him in the face. The first thing I notice is the nose and the scar on his cheek. I could never forget his face if I tried. He took Jeremy away and is all too eager to punish me.

  There is defiance in my eyes as I stare ahead. The commander then turns to the rankers that are holding me up. “Take her to the box. Let her think about her crimes for a day or two.”

  I no longer feel any pain; only numbness. I am numb to everything happening around me. It is almost as if my brain has turned itself off. My legs are too weak to walk so I am carried to the edge of camp. This is where the hot box is located. I know it only too well from my first few days here. I survived it then, I can do so again. The soldiers drag me up the steps and then, very unceremoniously, throw me in. As they close the door, I slump to the floor and welcome the unconsciousness that comes.

  Chapter 33

  Dawn

  The next morning we hit the road early. Lee and Sam seem to agree that we only have a few hours left to walk. The scenery has changed dramatically. There are still trees but most of them are in straight lines and are covered in fruit. I have never seen so much fruit in my life. That was on
e of the many things that Gabby and I could never afford. England can’t grow any of its own food. The weather is too cold and much of the soil is contaminated. This means that fresh food must be imported and the price is jacked up.

  Along with the trees, there is also a lot of open land. We haven’t come across many areas of the country that are actually being used for anything so Floridaland is a shock to me. The British have cleared large swaths of land and even built on some of it. Much of the area is being used for animals. Cows seem to be big business here. This makes walking a little more treacherous because, now, we also have to watch out that we don’t step in any of the cow shite that litters the ground.

  “So, do we have any sort of plan once we get there?” Drew looks sideways at Lee.

  “I have some ideas but we need to scout the place once we get there. I don’t know what kind of security stuff they’ve got.” Lee stops there. One thing I’ve learned about this man is that he never says more than he needs to.

  It’s lunch time when we stop. We’re running low on food so we’ve been eating sparingly. My stomach has become so used to the pains of hunger that it rarely even growls anymore. I haven’t had anything since noon yesterday, though, so I need to eat something. We are going to need our strength. The only thing we have left is some squirrel that Lee caught yesterday and cooked over last night’s fire. This is not the first time we’ve had to eat squirrel but the thought of it makes me queasy. Every story that I’ve ever read about people on some adventure has made it seem like anything would taste good if you’re hungry enough. Well, I’m starving, and this squirrel still tastes disgusting. What makes it worse is that we have passed by so many cows. I would kill for a burger right about now; oh and some chips as well.

  When we’re done choking down our lunch, Sam turns to me and smiles.

  “So, we’re here! We made it!”

  “What?” I am stunned. I though we still had another hour or so of walking. I look around and everything looks the same as it did two hours ago. I don’t see any signs of a slave camp nearby. We’re sitting amongst a group of citrus trees. To our right, the trees stretch as far as the eye can see. To our left, there is a road.

  “Just down that road,” Lee points. I stand and dust off my pants.

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s get on with it then.” They all get to their feet and follow me. The mood has lifted significantly, even though the hardest and most dangerous part of this journey is yet to come. A little ways down the road we come upon a wire fence stretching far off in both directions. It should be easy enough to climb so I reach out my hand to try.

  “Wait!” I turn to look at Drew. “Do you hear that humming?” I nod. “I think it’s electrified.” Oh crap, it was just almost game over for me. I can’t believe I was so daft.

  “Get down!” Lee urges just in time for the rest of us to see them as well. The patrol is walking along the outside of the fence, scanning the woods. If we hadn’t ducked down when we did, we’d be toast. I wait for them to be out of sight before asking,

  “How many guards do you think there are?” No one answers me as we wait for the next patrol to pass by. It takes almost ten minutes before we see anyone else and it is the same two guards walking in the opposite direction.

  “So, what now?” I ask.

  “Where there is this much electricity, there has to be a transformer box,” Drew says. “If I can find it, I can possibly turn off the fence.”

  “Possibly?” Lee looks skeptical.

  “I can do it. It might take some doing but I’ll find a way to get the power off,” Drew says more forcibly this time.

  “OK then, how will we know when it’s off?” I can see a plan forming in Lee’s mind.

  “You won’t hear a sound coming from the fence anymore.”

  “OK, Sam you stay with Drew and find that box. Once it’s off we’ll only have a small window before they figure it out. Make sure it’s off two days from now at sun down.”

  “Wait a second. Where will you be?” Sam looks concerned as he says this but I’m beginning to catch on to Lee’s plan.

  “Dawn and I are going in. We’re getting ourselves caught.”

  Chapter 34

  Gabby

  There is pain. I can’t even pinpoint where it’s coming from. It’s all over. I am beaten and bloodied and stuffed in this box yet again. I can’t think straight when my head is pounding like it is. I reach up to wipe away the crusted blood from my lips and wince as my ribs scream in agony. The heat only makes my suffering worse. I curl up on the floor and welcome the unconsciousness that comes as it is the only relief I am sure to get.

  There is a small opening near the floor that I had all but forgotten about. During my first imprisonment, that door saved my life. It allowed someone to bring me the tiniest bit of water that would keep me alive. Once again there is a small cup of water appearing through the hole. I can’t tell if this is real but I take it anyway and gulp the water greedily. When I am able to speak, it is only a whisper.

  “Hello? Is somebody out there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.” His voice is low and quiet.

  “Who are you?” I croak.

  “A friend,” he pauses.

  “Please help me,” I whisper.

  “Keep trying,” he responds, “it has been done before.” He starts to walk off.

  “Wait,” I try to yell, “What has?”

  “An escape,” he says.

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “I just didn’t want you to die in here.” I hear his footsteps fade away and I am alone again.

  Chapter 35

  Gabby

  “AAAAAAA!!!” I scream as the agony spreads but there is no one around to hear me scream. Anything, I need to think of anything to get my mind off the pain. This is all my fault.

  You know, I actually thought I was pinching that bracelet for Dawn. I wanted her to have the best birthday present ever but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to have me home for her big day and I blew it. I am such a git. I wasn’t there and my mistake has cost me dearly. The night I was arrested there was a storm. It was quite a storm and Dawn must have been so scared. Dawn was afraid of a lot of things but nothing frightened her like thunder did. I always tried to be brave for my sister and, most of the time, I was.

  There is a new kind of pain now. It’s not physical. I have lost everyone I have ever cared about. I’ll never see Dawn again, Claire and my father are dead, and Jeremy and my mother are gone. I don’t know if Jeremy is still alive but I have to believe he is. He is a hope I can cling to. Without that, I might as well give up. It’s so hot; I think I’ll just take another kip now.

  Chapter 36

  Dawn

  I can’t believe that I’m actually going along with Lee’s plan. We must be certifiable nutters. We’re going to get ourselves thrown in the slave camp without the guarantee of coming back out. We don’t know if our escape will work. No one ever gets out right? We just better hope that Drew and Sam know what they’re doing. Before we left them, we planned the escape as best we could. We have no idea what it’s actually like inside the camp. All we could really do is pick a meeting spot and a time when the power would be shut off.

  I have never been so terrified in my life. Having Lee with me makes me feel somewhat better but it doesn’t take all the pressure off. We have a very short time frame in which to pull this off. At sundown, two days from now, we have to be ready.

  This is the easy part. We’re walking through the trees along the fence. Insanely, we’re looking for someone who can take us in. We come upon a hill and hear a conversation on the other side.

  “Today’s our last day stationed here. I am so ready to be gone from this place.”

  “Yeah, just being around these slaves makes me feel grotty.”

  We crouch out of sight to listen.

  “You heading to the plantation after shift?”

  “Wouldn’t miss this party. General Nolan is even going to
be there.”

  I spit on the ground, disgusted that one of these pigs shares my last name. Lee is looking at me, confused. I realize I’ve never told any of them my last name. I just shrug and turn back to the soldiers. I’ll explain when this is all over. I can just barely see them over the hill. I'm surprised that one of them is just an old gaffer. The other soldier is quite young.

  Lee only has to nod for me to guess what he’s thinking. These are the ones. We start rustling leaves and snapping twigs to get their attention.

  “Did you hear that?” one of them says.

  We hear footsteps crunching through the grass, coming up the hill. We make like we are about to leg it but the soldiers spot us and sprint in our direction.

  “There they are,” someone shouts behind us.

  “We’re gaining on them!” The yelling is closer now. They are indeed gaining on us but not because of their own skill. In reality, these squaddies are embarrassingly slow, but we, of course, want them to catch up.

  All of a sudden I am tumbling to the ground. One of the soldiers has tackled me. The other soldier already has Lee in handcuffs by the time I have stopped my descent at the bottom of the hill. He pins me to the ground with his knee and cuffs my hands behind my back. He hauls me to my feet. I feel like one big bruise.

  I sneak a glance at Lee who’s playing his part rather well. His eyes never leave the ground. There is a cut on his face. He must have been hit pretty hard. I try to imitate him and look down as we walk but I can’t help myself from looking up at our captors every now and then.

  “Where should we take them?” The younger soldier must take his orders from the older one.

  “Let’s go to the plantation. I’m sure it’ll be OK that we left our post early since we’re bringing these two.” The older soldier decides.

  “Maybe General Nolan will notice our good work!” I am appalled just hearing that name.