Dawn of Rebellion (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 1) Page 4

  When I wake again it’s dark. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep but it takes me a few minutes for the grogginess to wear off. I have to orient myself to my surroundings. I am stiff and every muscle aches. I try to sit but the room is spinning and I fall back. My head is throbbing. Even with all this pain, I am so sick of being in this bed. I try to sit again. I am still dizzy so I manage to get one foot on the ground to stop the spinning. It helps.

  I look around as my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness. It’s hard to see much but I can tell that the cup of water is still by my bed. I reach for it and take a long drink. It’s warm and tastes kinda funny, metallic like, but I’m not in any position to care about that.

  Slowly, I swing my other leg around so that I have both feet planted firmly on the ground. Using my arms, I try pushing myself up so that I can stand. Every muscle screams in rebellion but I don’t stop. It takes a few attempts, but I am finally able to stay on my feet. I take a few tentative steps forward until I am outside my door.

  The only light is coming from the stars in the sky. In England we rarely see the stars, with all the light pollution and whatnot. It would almost be pretty if I could forget for a moment where I was. That’s not going to happen. I inch my way forward, wanting to get a look at where I am. It’s hard to get your bearings at night but the air out here feels so good, I don’t want to go back yet.

  I look off in the distance and notice a small glow that must be a fire. I walk towards it. In the dark I trip over sticks and uneven patches of ground. When I am only a short distance away, figures around the fire begin to emerge. I count nineteen in all. Excitement rushes through me, but also nervousness. I’ve heard about the dodgy people that are sent to the colonies. Then again, I was sent here, wasn’t I?

  As I get close, my entrance into this little powwow does not go unnoticed. They’ve all turned to see who the intruder is. The conversation has grown silent. A few are still staring at me, but most have found something much more interesting to stare at on the ground. Just then, someone stands up from the group and walks towards me. When she gets close I see it’s the woman who helped me earlier. I think her name was Amanda.

  “Hello dear. You look awful; let’s get you back to bed.” Amanda keeps her distance as she moves past me, expecting me to follow. I do.

  “Sorry if I interrupted something.” I’m not really sorry, just confused.

  “No no, we were just wanting some light.” I can tell when someone is lying to me but she’s trying to be kind so I don’t call her on it. Amanda doesn’t say anything else as she leads me to my little hut, for lack of a better word. We reach the door and I step inside, but as soon as I turn to say goodnight, she is gone. These people are weird. Maybe they’re just knackered. I guess I’ll see in the morning.

  Chapter 12

  Gabby

  I wake the next morning feeling a lot better. My headache has turned to a dull throb and I can deal with that. It seems that my little walk last night did me some good because my whole body seems to want to work with me today.

  Someone must have been in here recently because beside my bed is a new cup of water, a piece of bread, and a bowl of something kind of like oatmeal. In England, only people without much money eat oatmeal, so that means I’m pretty used to it. It doesn’t taste too good but, in my world, food wasn’t for enjoyment, only nourishment.

  I eat quickly and step outside. As soon as I do I am in the midst of a stream of people all headed in the same direction. I decide to follow the group and we end up walking for what seems like the better part of an hour. People are chatting and acting like this day is just like any other. Once again, no one talks to me or even looks at me. It’s strange. They can’t be afraid of me. Maybe I’m being hazed since I’m new. We used to haze newbies on the track team. These aren’t teenagers though so that’s kinda childish if you ask me. Not like anyone will.

  By the time everyone has stopped walking, we are in the middle of a forest. Rows and rows of trees stretch in every direction. The trees are covered with what looks like oranges. I didn’t know oranges grew on trees. Huh, kinda makes sense. I have never eaten an orange before, either. One time I saw an officer peeling one and it looked really good. Only people with lots of money can buy fruit. England can’t grow fruit or most any food so it has to be imported. They say that this wasn’t always the case. They say England used to be much warmer like a couple hundred years ago or something. It had something to do with the rest of the world getting hotter and ice melting into the ocean stream that used to warm the air. I don’t know. Dawn was always the geek who actually listened in her lessons. I didn’t need to study much since I always knew they’d put me in the military.

  We are all standing in the middle of a clearing waiting for something; I’m not really sure what. A car drives up and beeps three times so that everyone scrambles to get out of the way. As soon as it stops, the door on the left opens and the driver steps out. His steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car but I’m not about to tell him that. I'm not that daft.

  The driver is a large man in some sort of uniform. He is tall and tanned from the sun. With black hair and dark eyes, he’s a bit scary. He steps in front of the group and starts barking orders.

  “Today is not going to be fun, but then, you weren’t sent here for fun.” He lets out a harsh laugh. “You will be here until dark and I expect every bin full by the time you leave.” As he says this, he points behind him at a stack of massive crates. “Now get to work.”

  I seem to be the only one dismayed by what we were just told. People start moving and it’s almost like a synchronized dance. Everyone knows what their job is; well, everyone except me. Groups of workers move to different areas. I suspect they’re assigned. The men have begun climbing trees while the women are down below putting oranges into their baskets. I’m not really sure where I should go, so I just choose a group nearby that looks like they could use my help. The three men and five women in this area don’t say anything to me as I walk up to the nearest tree.

  The work is much harder than it looks. I have to use all of my strength to pull each orange. At this rate, I’m scared I won’t last very long. One of the young women from my group must have seen me struggling. “You’re doing it wrong.” She walks over and reaches towards the tree. “Don’t pull. Twist the fruit and it will be much easier.” She demonstrates as she explains.

  “Thanks.” I try to be as nice as possible so that maybe she’ll stay and talk to me.

  “We don’t want you to get tired. Then you’d be useless to us. There’s no room for that here.” After her blunt admission, she shrugs and walks back to the rest of the group. Back home I had a blunt streak and I’m wondering how rude it made me seem. That is someone I would not have gotten along with back home. At least she talked to me, though, which is more than I can say for the rest of these people.

  The remaining part of the day passes without incident. I am left alone, but I work hard. We are able to fill up the crates and more. By the time the sun finally disappears, I am knackered. We walk back to camp, or whatever they call it. Just as I am reaching my door, I get the feeling that I’m being followed. I look around and don’t see anyone. I walk around to the side of my hut to check it out and there she is. I find the little girl I met the other day, trying to hide the best she can.

  “Claire, right?” She just nods. “Why are you following me?”

  Claire stays silent and just looks up at me with those big eyes. What strikes me about this is that this little girl is the first person who will actually look at me. “Claire, where’s your mom? Isn’t she going to worry when she can’t find you?”

  At this Claire finally looks away and speaks, “Mommy is gone, and Amanda and Jer are at the fires.”

  I guess I had just assumed Amanda was Claire’s mom. She’s a young girl so she must have been born here. “Who is Jer?” I ask.

  “Brother.” My heart melts for this girl.

  “Come on,” I offer h
er my hand, “Lead the way, and I’ll walk you to your brother’s.” Claire takes my hand and we walk in silence for a few minutes before Claire speaks up.

  “Why can’t we talk to you?”

  Her question surprises me. So it’s not just newcomer hazing. “I don’t know kid. I wish I did.”

  “I don’t think you’re bad. The hot box must have been a mistake.” I don’t say anything to this because she has actually made me speechless. Well, that’s one question answered. Everyone here must think I’m some murderer or something. The District Commander must have really hated me. But was it bad enough to deserve this fate? There must be a reason.

  Without even realizing it, we’ve reached Claire’s place. It looks identical to mine in every way. Well, every way except for the delicious boy standing out front.

  “Claire!” he yells. “Get inside. Where have you been?” He glances at me standing there holding his sisters hand.

  “You must be Jer. I found Claire near my place and was just bringing her home.” I need to tread very carefully.

  “Names Jeremy. Only friends call me Jer.” I don’t even know this boy, but, shite, he's an arse. “Stay away from my sister.” With that, Jeremy turns on his heel and goes inside. I am dumbstruck. What a prat. I don’t even know what to think. I walk back to my hut, and collapse in exhaustion on my bed.

  Chapter 13

  Dawn

  It feels like we’ve been walking for weeks, although it’s only been a few days. I’m not used to this; it’s exhausting. Drew seems tireless. He just keeps going at a pace that I can’t really keep up with. At times, I get pretty far behind him. We think we’re moving south. Neither of us really has any survival skills, so the most we can do is guess. We keep walking, through dense forests and valleys.

  A lot of what we see is really sad; ruins of a culture and a people. Destroyed buildings, large forests, and roads gone to waste. The land is broken and the people are gone. This place is in shambles. In England, we are taught that the colonies had it coming. They destroyed themselves. They had been warned about a possible drought but they kept on using all their water. It was just the tipping point. Everything got worse from there. Famine, war, disease, and a nation was gone.

  Once the darkness falls, we stop to rest for the night at one of the ruined buildings we come across. Only one of the walls stands more than a meter tall. Most of them have fallen completely. It looks as if the entire structure was made of concrete. As I walk through what used to be the doorway I steady myself on a partially fallen wall and it crumbles beneath my hand.

  Drew follows behind and, for once, he doesn’t have anything to say. I am grateful for his silence as I grieve for those who once lived here. He puts a hand on my shoulder and I don’t brush him off. There is an image painted on the floor. It is a large bird surrounded by blue and red stars. It is majestic and for some reason that I don’t understand, I am careful not to step on it. I turn to leave the place behind but Drew stops me.

  “Do you hear that?” he asks. I strain my ears to listen until I hear a stick snap.

  “What do you think it is?” I whisper.

  “Someone’s coming,” he says.

  “Or something.” As I say this, a light appears in the darkness. It’s a flame moving towards us.

  “Stay here. I’m going to find out who that is,” Drew says and walks out the door.

  “Drew,” I hiss, “don’t leave me here.” But he’s gone. I inch back towards the wall and slide to the ground. I look up and there he is.

  A large man is standing in the doorway. The light from his torch illuminates his wild eyes as he focuses them on me.

  “Drew!” I scream as the man steps forward, closing the gap between us.

  His lip twitches and he snarls, “you stupid Brits.”

  I scramble to my feet and try to sprint past him, out the door. He grabs the back of my shirt and pulls me back towards the wall, slamming me into it. A dust cloud surrounds me, sending me into a fit of coughing. The man has one hand around my throat, pinning me against the wall, and the other is still holding his torch.

  “You shouldn’t have come in this room little girl. Long live the USA,” he growls. I try to scream again but his hand closes tighter around my throat, cutting off any words. I can’t breathe. I kick and tear at the man to no avail. My head starts spinning as I feel the oncoming blackness. I close my eyes, waiting for it to come. It doesn’t. In an instant, the pressure on my throat is gone and I am gasping for air. There is a thud as the man’s body hits the ground and I collapse next to him.

  Drew is standing nearby with a bloody rock in his hand. He doesn’t look at me. I move away from the body on the ground and scramble to my feet. I turn to Drew, who still wears a blank expression.

  “I killed him,” he whispers. I put my hand on Drew’s shoulder and urge him out the door and away from the scene behind us. I take the bloody rock from the strong grip Drew has on it and throw it as far as I can into the woods. I grab Drew’s hand and lead him away. When I think we are far enough, I stop. Drew still doesn’t say anything more and the blank look on his face has been replaced by one of guilt.

  Sitting Drew on the ground, I grab a bottle of water and make him drink. I then take his blood spattered hands and pour water over them. Once they are clean, I set aside our packs and wrap my arm around Drew. In this moment, I forget about everything that Drew did in London. He is suffering and I need to be here for him. He leans his head on my shoulder and silent tears make their way down his face.

  Drew killed that man for me and we both need time to come to terms with what happened.

  Chapter 14

  Dawn

  When I wake the next morning, the sun is just beginning to rise. I am surprised to see that Drew is already awake and digging in his pack and I assume it’s to get out some breakfast for the two of us. I still don’t know what to think of this boy. He saved my life yesterday and then was so affected by having to kill someone. I never would have guessed he was that sensitive. I thought he was just some rich git. When he walks towards me, I am surprised to see something other than food in his hand. He sits down before speaking.

  “Dawn, I have something for you.” He holds out his hand toward mine. It is a bracelet with a single charm in the shape of a heart.

  “Drew...” I begin. And then I stop. On the heart is a single word. Sisters. Nobody has ever given me anything so beautiful.

  “I had forgotten I had this,” Drew explains. “Gabby hid it in my car when she was arrested.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” It’s true. I have no words. So, this is why Gabby was sent to the colonies. I slip it onto my wrist and it fits perfectly.

  “She thought you deserved a great birthday.”

  “Thank you Drew. You have no idea how much this means to me.” I smile at him as he helps me to my feet. For a moment we are face to face. Close. But it’s time to get moving again. My sister needs me. Us.

  Chapter 15

  Dawn

  We are walking down what looks like an abandoned road and I stop when I see something shining from the grass off to the side. I walk over and bend down to uncover it. “Drew, come here.” He turns, walks back, and crouches down next to me.

  “What is that?” he asks as I try lifting it to get a better look. It is heavier than it looks so I have to lay it back down. “Looks kind of like a door. To a car or something.”

  He’s right, it does. I brush away more of the grass and dirt that is covering it and find the handle. That’s when I notice the writing on the door. I begin using my finger nails to scrape as much of the mud off as possible. I don’t know why, but I just have to know what this says.

  United States Postal Service

  “Long live the USA.” I whisper.

  “What?” Drew asks.

  “That’s what that man yesterday said to me.”

  “So you think he was actually an American?” he asks the same question I have on my mind.

  “Th
ere aren’t supposed to be any of them left,” I say.

  “Who else could he have been?”

  “I don’t know,” I mutter, almost to myself.

  Just then, there is a noise coming from a little ways down the road. We frantically look around, at once both realizing how exposed we are. We begin moving slowly, so as not to attract the attention of whoever is out there. It doesn’t work, because it’s not a who that’s out here with us, it’s a what.

  I’m paralyzed, unable to make myself run as I stare at the largest bear I have ever seen. “Dawn! Dawn! Come on, we need to get out of here!” Drew is pulling my arm but it’s like I’m glued to the spot. It’s huge, with brown fur, four legs, and dark menacing eyes. It isn’t until it’s coming straight for me that I’m able to start running. Drew is just steps ahead of me and we’re going as fast as our tired legs will take us.

  The road is uneven and littered with rocks, so we have to watch every step. That’s a hard thing to do when you’re running for your life. All of a sudden pain shoots up my leg and I find myself tumbling forwards. By the time Drew realizes I’m no longer behind him, the giant animal is standing over me. I try to get up and move but the pain in my ankle is too much to bear. I look around me and find rocks to throw, in hopes of scaring this thing off. I faintly hear Drew calling my name as he runs back for me but I know that there is no way he’ll reach me in time.

  The animal rears up on its back legs and lets out a long roar. I close my eyes, waiting. I don’t want to say I’m giving up but there is nothing else I can do. Tears are rolling down my face. I’m sorry Gabby, I have failed you.

  I’m waiting and nothing happens. The roaring abruptly stops but I’m still too scared to open my eyes. “Now, that is one hell of a bear.” This unfamiliar voice breaks me out of my trance and I open my eyes. The animal is lying near where I sit, with an arrow through its head.