Текст книги "Sunset Rising"

Автор книги: S. McEachern

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Six

The apartment was empty when I arrived, and I took the opportunity to get out of my vest for a while. I could feel the heat from the laundry room radiating off my skin. I wet one of the towels and put it on the back of my neck. It felt refreshingly cool. I splashed cold water on my face, and soon my body temperature came down. I put my t-shirt back on just before Jack came through the door.

“I was worried about you today. How did it go?” he asked.

“A couple of Domers came looking for Madi, and I talked to them.”

“Guards from the Dome?” He looked confused. “Why were they there?”

“Crystal’s owner didn’t like her having a black eye and wanted to talk to the person who gave it to her. They asked when I had seen her last, and I told them truthfully. They wanted my name.”

“And you gave them Autumn Jones, right?”

I responded with a sarcastic look. He ignored it.

“That was unexpected,” he said. I’m hoping your alias checks out okay. I didn’t have a lot of time in that storage room.”

He sat down heavily in the chair. I could tell he was thinking hard about the information he had made up on Autumn and Ben Jones.

“And you were right this morning about people talking. Di said she told a few people about what happened last night.”

“I know. It was the main topic of conversation in the mines today. You’re inspiring a lot of people! Today was a good day. We finally have only Liberty guards in our section, so we were able to do some training. A lot more people have joined us.”

“Di said she and her husband were coming, so I managed to find two more people to join.” I made a face.

“Wow, two people. You were busy.” Any sarcasm he had meant to be included in his tone was softened by the fond smile he gave me. “Speaking of tonight, I’m starving. I’m even looking forward to eating that grey muck you call dinner.”

At his reference to our food, I was reminded of my conversation with Crystal that morning, and an image of Jack at presidential parties floated into my head. He really did prefer the finer things that only the Dome could offer. I couldn’t imagine him ever being attracted to an urchin like me.

“You’re such a bourge,” I said almost under my breath.

“What was that comment for?” He seemed taken aback.

“Nothing.” I went into the bedroom and put the vest back on. “Ready.”

Jack was already standing by the door waiting for me. We left together and headed for the common room. He didn’t hold my hand or put his arm around me this time. I wondered if my comment had made him angry.

Even though it was early, the room was already packed. The guard at the door greeted us in his usual manner, and we queued up with everyone else. We collected our food and went in search of a table. David Chavez was there with his wife and asked us to join them.

“I’m not sure if you’ve met my wife, Terra,” he said.

“Pleased to meet you,” Jack said, extending his hand to her. She took it.

“I’m Sunny,” I said, taking the seat next to her.

“I know.” She smiled.

I gestured at her large round tummy. “How far along are you?”

“I’m due any day. And the little one is getting heavy, so he can come out any time!”

“You’re hoping for a boy?” I asked with mild interest. I wasn’t sure why anyone would want to bring a baby into this Pit, but I kept that to myself.

“A boy would be… easier. I was never sent upstairs, but…” She trailed off, looking from me to Jack.

I understood what she meant. I looked at Jack to see his reaction, and noted he was looking uncomfortable.

“Though I’m glad it worked out for the two of you,” she said in a rush. “It’s just that your love story is very rare.”

If only she knew the truth, I thought to myself.

“Don’t be so sure that girls have it rougher than boys,” a man said as he pulled up a chair and joined us. “They killed my son a few years ago. He got a job working in the sewers, but it made him so sick to his stomach that he couldn’t keep up with the workload. They beat him more times than I could say before they killed him. He was only twelve years old. I hope they all rot in hell.” His tone was bitter, his cheeks wet with tears.

The woman at the table next to us pushed her chair back and gave the man a sympathetic pat on the back. “I lost my husband five years ago when the guards beat him to a pulp,” she said. “He was working the diamond mines and accidently broke three picks in one day. As if that’s a good enough reason to kill a man!” She shook her head. “I’ve remarried now.” She turned to look at the man she was sitting with. “I had to remarry if I wanted a place to live. No offence to you, lover,” she said to the man fondly.

Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see an unfamiliar face.

“I heard how you handled that supervisor,” the woman said. “God bless you.”

Jack flashed me his best “I told you so” smile, and I gave my best sardonic smile back. He looked smug.

“It’s about time something was being done,” the man who’d joined us said, tears still glistening in his eyes.

“We all have scars,” a woman behind me said. Her voice was familiar. I turned to find Summer’s parents standing there. “Right now my baby is in the hands of that monster we call a president.”

“Mrs. Nazeem!” I said, jumping up to hug the woman. “I miss Summer, too.”

“I know you do. You’ve always been a good friend to her.” She hugged me back.

“I’d do anything to help her. You know that.”

“You are doing something, Sunset,” she said. She took off my hat and let my hair fall around my shoulders. “Who knew the little girl who was always trying to hide her beautiful hair would one day be the person to lead us? Your mother would be so proud.”

I blushed at the compliment but knew she couldn’t be more wrong. I wasn’t the leader in all of this. Jack was.

Before I could respond, I heard a commotion at the door and turned to see Crystal coming into the room carrying a guitar. Her eye was still badly swollen and starting to turn black. She had a sad smile on her face as she grabbed a chair and went to the front of the room.

People were pouring into the room behind her until it became so crowded it was standing room only, and yet more people remained out in the hallway, standing on tiptoes to get a glimpse of her. I felt Jack’s hand at the small of my back as he came to stand beside me. He had a puzzled expression on his face.

Crystal raised her voice to be heard throughout the room. “Hi, I’m Crystal.”

A few cheers went up.

“Now I know her!” Jack whispered in my ear. “She’s Malcolm West’s mistress. She’s a really good singer.”

“I know.”

Crystal propped a leg up on the chair and rested her guitar on it. She strummed a few chords. “Like most of you, my life down here hasn’t been all that great. I’ve lost people I loved. I’ve been used in ways I never imagined possible. And I’ve been beaten.” She pointed to her swollen face. A few people wiped tears from their eyes. “Yet I wake up every morning, willingly go to work for a woman who beats me, and allow myself to be the lover of a man I detest. And not once have I ever done anything about it.” Her voice was getting husky, and she stopped to clear her throat. I could feel the tears welling up in my own eyes.

“I recently had the privilege of meeting someone very special. Someone who showed me that taking control of my own life was in my hands—not theirs! She showed me that if life is ever going to get better for us, then we’re the ones who need to change,” she shouted. “And she and her husband are trying to show you the way, too. So I wrote a song for them. I wrote this song for us all.”

The entire room was silent as she began to strum her guitar. It was a slow, haunting melody that spoke to the heart.

Nothing’s ever been right down here

We live and die under the rule of fear

Into slavery we are bound

Then they beat us down

They sentenced us to live in a rock

And if we cry they put us under lock

They promise us one day we’ll see the sun

But when we finally get one, she’s on the run

The chords she strummed became faster, louder, and she sang out with a powerful voice.

So rise up, rise up

It’s time to make a choice

Everyone here has a voice

It’s time you learned how to use it

Unite! Unite!

They’re here to help us fight

If we turn our back on them

Then we’re all condemned

Her strumming became slower then, more haunting.

You probably didn’t know

But I overheard it said

The Pit they want to blow

And soon we’ll all be dead

Don’t forget they promised us the sun

And now that we have one, she’s on the run

If we keep believing their lies

We might as well say our goodbyes

Crystal was strumming hard and fast on her guitar. The entire room was rocking with the emotion of her music. She stood up on the chair, letting her music fill the room. She sang out again.

So rise up, rise up

It’s time to make a choice

Everyone here has a voice

It’s time you learn how to use it

In a world full of wrong

They’re the only thing that’s right

It’s time to make a stand

It’s time to unite!

Rise up! Rise up!

She strummed one last chord with flourish and raised one arm in the air. The crowd went wild. Everyone was cheering and clapping. Not one eye in the room was dry. Jack gazed down at me, his dark eyelashes glistening with tears.

“She’s a hell of a songwriter, too,” he said.

I nodded, too choked up to speak.

Crystal took a bow, jumped off the chair, and started walking for the door. I didn’t want her to leave before I could talk to her. I pushed my way through the crowd and caught her just before she left.

I touched her arm. “Crystal!”

“Sunny! Did you like it?”

“Like it? It was the most beautiful song I ever heard.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Thank you.”

My weak “thank you” didn’t even come close to expressing the emotion her song had evoked in me. I didn’t know how to convey my appreciation in the aftermath of her beautiful music.

“You inspired it,” Crystal said. “You stood up for me when no one else ever did. You’re standing up for us all, and I love you for it. But I have to go now. I don’t have much time.”

She gave me a sad smile, kissed my cheek, and went out the door. The crowd parted to let her through and then followed her. There was an exodus of people out of the common room as others joined her entourage.

I wondered where they were all going.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

When the crowd following Crystal had left, I returned to the room to look for Jack. Despite the number of people that followed Crystal, a large crowd remained in the room, anxious for the evening’s training session to begin. I found Jack with a group of people gathered around him, sharing their life stories. Many people were still wiping the tears from their eyes. They spoke of beatings, killings, and rebellions. A group of younger people behind me was singing Crystal’s song.

Jack put his arm around me and pulled me close enough for him to whisper in my ear. “It’s happening.”

I nodded. I knew what he meant; Crystal was uniting the Pit. I should have been happy. That was what I wanted. But my mind was still on Crystal. Why was everyone following her, and why did she say she didn’t have much time? I spotted her parents sitting alone at a corner table in the back of the room. Her mother was sobbing uncontrollably. I excused myself and went to talk to them.

“Hi, I’m Sunny, a friend of your daughter.” My introduction seemed a little silly considering the song Crystal had just sung. “I wanted to say that Crystal is a beautiful singer. Her song really touched a lot of people.”

“Forgive my wife,” Crystal’s father said. “She’s very upset right now.”

“I can tell. I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help?”

“You’ve helped enough!” Crystal’s mother spat at me.

“I’m sorry?” I was taken aback by her anger.

“Crystal knows what she’s doing,” her father said through his tears. “I have to trust in that.”

“I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Mr. West has forbidden her to sing down here. She’s only allowed to sing at his request,” her father said.

“But the camera is broken in this room. He’ll never know she sang here.”

“But they aren’t broken in the other common rooms. She’s going to every level to sing her song so everyone will hear it. She already sang on the first three levels. It’s just a matter of time before someone upstairs hears her,” he said, his voice laced with despair.

Now I understood why everyone was following her and why she said she didn’t have much time. If West had heard about her song, then he probably already had Domers on their way down to get her. People in the Pit had been beaten to death for lesser crimes. We needed to help her. Without another word I ran to Jack.

“We have to help Crystal!” I said, pulling on his arm.

“What’s going on?”

“Her parents just told me that West has forbidden her to sing without his permission and she’s going to every level. We have to smash the other cameras!”

I ran out the door and down the hall with Jack on my heels.

“Wait!” he said when we reached the stairs. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the communicator that Bron had given him. He made sure he was on the right frequency to reach the Alliance guards and sent out the order to break the cameras from the fifth level down to the eighth. Five guards confirmed receipt of the order.

“It’s done,” he said.

I turned to go down the stairs. “I want to make sure.”

I heard Jack’s exasperated sigh, but he followed me anyway. We passed the fifth and sixth levels and kept going until we were almost to the seventh level, but the number of people on the stairs was too thick to get through.

“We’ll just have to trust that our guards got to the rooms,” Jack said.

I heard the clatter of footsteps racing down the stairs behind me and turned to see a small army of Domers marching toward us. They were armed.

“Clear the way!” one of them shouted.

Jack grabbed me, pushed me against the stone wall, and used his body to block me from the guards.

“You don’t have your hat on, and your hair is almost back to its normal color. They’ll recognize you in a second.”

“But we have to help her!”

“You’re my first priority. When the guards pass by us, we go back up.”

“No!” I wouldn’t abandon her.

“Clear the way!” the guards were yelling.

But there were too many people on the stairs to clear the way for them. One of the guards unhooked something from his belt and held it high.

“Clear the way or we use the gas!” His voice boomed through the stairs.

“Dammit!” Jack said under his breath.

Cries of fear rose up, and the crowd started slowly moving forward as the people farther down left the stairs. Jack and I were caught between levels and had no place to go but down. Going back up would take us right into the path of the guards. He kept me in front of him, hiding me from their view. When we reached the seventh level, we stepped off the stairs and joined the hordes of people there. I expected the guards would pass us by, but two remained on our level while the others kept going down.

“Crowd control,” Jack said. “We’re stuck here until they leave.”

After several minutes passed, we heard a scuffle on the stairs as the guards came back up from the eighth level dragging Crystal with them. We were close enough to the stairs for me to see her. I didn’t see any new bruises on her face, so I hoped that they hadn’t hurt her. She saw me standing among the crowd and gave me a huge smile.

“Rise up!” she yelled to the crowd. They responded with a cheer, raising their fists high in the air.

I wrenched free of Jack’s grasp. “I can’t just stand here and watch this happen!”

I pushed my way through the crowd, intent on saving her. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that, but I couldn’t just let her be dragged away. I was vaguely aware of the crowd getting louder, their cries getting angrier, and then people started moving forward. Everyone wanted to save Crystal. I had almost reached the stairs, but then I was being crushed in the surge of angry people. I felt hands grab me from behind and knew Jack had caught up to me. I tried to kick him to make him let me go, but he pushed me up against a wall and pinned me there. I was dumbfounded when he ripped off his t-shirt, balled it up, and pressed it against my face. I tried to pull it away, but he kept a firm hand on it. A shot rang out and something landed not too far from us. A few seconds later tear gas filled the hall.

Jack’s eyes started tearing up right away. I tried to give him the t-shirt he had pressed against my face, but he wouldn’t take it. Instead he rearranged it to cover my eyes, too. I was blind, but I could hear the chaos going on around me. Jack was gasping for air. I pulled at the shirt to get it off my eyes, and it shifted enough for me to peek out. I watched in horror as Jack fell to his hands and knees in a fit of coughing. I had to get him out of there.

The alarms rang out, signalling a lockdown. In a few minutes there would be more guards down there, forcing us into our homes. I pulled at one of his arms, urging him to get up. My eyes were beginning to sting, and I put the t-shirt back over my face. I would be no good to him if I became incapacitated too.

Jack managed to stand up. I seized him by the wrist and started making my way through the mob. Every time I peeked up from the t-shirt, my eyes stung. The stairs weren’t far from us, but it seemed to take forever to get there. When we finally made it, the stairs were littered with people dealing with the effects of the gas. I was appalled at the sight, but one thought kept me going past everyone: Jack couldn’t breathe. I stepped over people, pulling him behind me. My eyes were beginning to sting more, and breathing was becoming difficult. I was coughing too, and it slowed our progress. But I didn’t stop moving. I could hear Jack wheezing behind me.

We made it to the fifth level, and the air up there was clear. I took his t-shirt away from my face to make better time. The stairs were still thick with traffic, but it was moving steadily. I could hear the arrival of the extra guards. We were almost to the fourth level. I pushed through the crowd and nearly lost my hold on Jack’s arm. His eyes were still closed and tearing badly. I looked around and saw other people in the same shape, trying to find their way home.

We reached our level before we met the guards on the stairs. Instead of going straight to our apartment, I ran to the bathroom. He needed to rinse the gas out of his eyes. There were a few other people already there with the same idea, but they made room at the stone tub for Jack. His eyes were still closed against the sting, but as soon as he felt the water, he madly splashed it in his eyes. He dunked his entire head under, scrubbing at his hair and the back of his neck. When he came up for air, his eyes were open.

“Come here,” he said, pulling me down to kneel beside him. His voice was deep and hoarse.

I splashed the water in my own face. My eyes weren’t as bad as Jack’s, but they were still stinging quite a bit. The water felt cool and relieving.

“All the way,” he said roughly, plunging my head into the freezing water. He pushed all of my hair in as well and splashed water along the back of my neck. I came up gasping for air when he finally let go of me.

“What did you do that for?” I asked.

“You have to get the gas off your skin and hair.” Then he looked at everyone in the room. “When you get home, strip your clothes off and wash them.”

More people staggered into the bathroom, and Jack and I left to make room for them. The halls were still thick with people, most of them moaning and crying. Guards yelled, telling everyone to get to their homes. But most people were too desperate to get to water and relieve their stinging eyes.

As soon as we walked into our apartment, Jack unzipped his jeans and almost tore them off his body. He ran to the sink and filled it with water. A rash covered his back. I grabbed one of the towels off the rack, soaked it, and started rinsing his back. His sharp intake of breath told me it hurt. I realized he must have taken a good dose of the gas when he was blocking me.

“Thank you for saving me,” I said.

Jack smiled and was about to say something when he went into a fit of coughing. My eyes were beginning to sting again, and I wiped at the tears, which only made them worse. I opened the cupboard door to get him a glass for water but could barely see. My eyes were starting to roll up in the back of my head. I wiped at them again, but that made them even worse.

“Stop rubbing your eyes. It’s on your hands,” Jack said, gripping my wrists and wrenching my hands away from my face. He bent his head close to my t-shirt and his eyes started tearing again. “It’s all over your clothes.”

He grasped the collar of my shirt in both hands, ripped the front of it open, and let it fall to the floor. I still had the vest on so it hadn’t soaked through to my skin, but the outer shell of the vest would have to be washed. I took it off, careful not to drag it across my face.

“Now the pants,” Jack said impatiently.

I unzipped them and took them off. Once I was down to my underwear, Jack let me rinse my eyes and face. I was conscious of the fact that we were using a lot of our water ration. I prayed we didn’t run out. He gathered up our clothes and put them outside the door of the apartment and then came back to wash his hands. While he was at the sink with his back to me, I picked up the wet towel and gently dabbed his red skin.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“A little. It’s just a mild chemical burn, so it should be gone by tomorrow. The canister must have gone off right behind me.”

“It did. I watched it hit the floor. I didn’t think tear gas was this bad.”

“Tear gas has been used so much down here that no one is afraid of it anymore, so they changed the formula to make it more… effective.”

I remembered that he’d already had his t-shirt over my face before they had even released the canister. “How did you know they were going to use the gas?”

“Because it’s the order I would’ve given if I was in charge.”

“You do have insight.” Once again I was confused over whether or not I liked this side of Jack.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder at me, a scowl on his face. “Just because I was trained by them doesn’t mean I’m like them. And I think my insight has been valuable.”

“It has been valuable. I’m sorry.” I finished wiping his back with the wet towel. “Better?”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He turned around to face me. “Tonight was just the first battle. There will be more.”

“Crystal was amazing. Her song really brought everyone together.” Goose bumps rose up on my skin when I thought of her song… and when I thought of the inner strength it must have taken for her to defy West and do what she thought was right.

“Every battle has its heroes, and she was definitely the hero tonight. No matter what happens, always remember she knew exactly what she was doing.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hopefully nothing.”

We locked eyes for a moment while I pondered if I should challenge him to tell me what he was really thinking. But did I want to know? Maybe it was best to wait and see what would happen rather than torture myself with my imagination.

Jack’s eyes wandered down the length of my body, and I became conscious of the fact that we were both standing there in just our underwear.

“I better get dressed. The guards will be here soon for us to scan in. We’re still under a lockdown.” I headed for the bedroom.

“Sunny?” I turned to look at him. “It took a lot of conviction and belief in your own people for you to put on that wedding dress. You knew the risk you were taking when you did it. You and Crystal are more alike than you know.”

I didn’t respond to him, but kept going on into the bedroom. I didn’t believe what Jack was saying. Leisel had intimidated me into doing something stupid. It was nothing like Crystal’s act of heroism.

I dug through the bag of clothes Bron had brought us and found an outfit. It felt good to have the heavy vest off my shoulders, so I decided not to put it on again. It was unlikely a guard would recognize me on a routine scan in.

“Your turn,” I said as I came back in the living room.

Jack was just coming back into the living room pulling a t-shirt over his head when there was a sharp knock at the door. That would be the guard.

“Your hair!” Jack said.

I looked for my hat then remembered it was still on the table in the common room. “I left my hat behind.”

“Use the towel.”

I took the dry towel off the rack and wrapped it around my head. Jack put on his hat, but the ends of his light brown hair were still visible. There was nothing we could do about it now. I opened the door.

“Good evening, sir. Ma’am.” The guard greeted us with a smile. “Could you scan in, please?”

I breathed a sigh of relief that it was an Alliance guard. We waved our hands across the scanner.

“Was anybody seriously hurt tonight?” Jack asked.

“A few people with asthma had a difficult time, but one of our guards had an inhaler so we were able to save them. The ones with chemical burns were taken to the baths.”

As I stood there with the door open, I could hear the faint sounds of distant singing. I cocked my head to one side, trying to hear. “What is that?”

Jack and the guard became quiet, listening too. The singing became louder. Doors opened up and down the hall as people stepped out of their apartments, defying the lockdown order. I stepped out too, looking in wonder at all the people who raised their voices and sang Crystal’s song. I was vaguely aware of Jack coming to stand next to me. He wove his fingers through mine as we stood and listened to a Pit united.

“This is bigger than I ever imagined. We need to come up with a plan.”

He was right. The time had come to make our plan of attack.