We’re glad for the cover of night, but even in the daytime, there isn’t much to see of Lexington Beach anymore. The ravages of war reach even out here, making it just another former paradise where abandoned houses rest upon splintered stilts along the beach. The citizens who remain choose to live silent lives, off the grid and away from the rule of the Commander. Like mice, they scatter when guards come around.
We tread miles and miles of sand and nothingness until headlights bathe the road in light. I have to squint to see Cole jumping into a ditch. Zeus pushes my knees with his nose, almost nudging me into the spot where the others already wait. We’re breathing heavy as the sound of the oncoming engine gets louder. My pulse quickens as I smash myself against the side of the ditch, and sand trickles down my shoulders causing me to shiver.
The car passes. I wonder who’s inside the vehicle, a guard or citizen. Then my mind wanders to Sutton and whether he’s being tortured right this very second. Cole gently touches my shoulder, and I push myself up onto the road.
“Only two miles to go,” he whispers. “Be on your guard.”
“Already am.” Who is he kidding?
“Then what?” Grace stutters as she takes a sip of water then passes the thermos to Bruno.
“We find a way to get on that train,” Cole says in a lower voice, grabbing a sip when Bruno passes it.
Focus and get on the train … alive.
I shake my head, refusing the drink. I’m too wound up to put anything into my body right now.
We keep going, and soon, I see the dim lights of a train yard. The barbed-wire fence rises around it, and the flickering light gives it a grainy, almost black and white appearance as if in an old photograph. I notice the large bodies of the passenger cars resting in lines. One guard tower sits at the far end, with the dark silhouette of a guard against the light. I exhale, slowly … and try to take it all in. It’s so quiet, I’m afraid one false step will alert them to our presence. And yet, as we move closer, the place seems like almost an afterthought compared to other guard bases I’ve seen. It doesn’t even look like anyone’s patrolling the perimeter.
When I lived in the country, there wasn’t a lot of guard activity, only rumors about it from my dad and his contacts. But when we moved to High Society, they were around all the time. Every week, someone was hauled away screaming, and the people would turn their heads and act like they didn’t know them. No one wanted to be mistaken for a sympathizer, or worse, a co-conspirator.
“How the cracker are we going to get in there?” Grace asks, her voice squeaking at the end. I look in her direction. Her eyes are wide with speculation.
A chuckle escapes me. “Cracker?”
Cole looks at me like he knows exactly what she was saying.
“Yeah, cracker. I know it’s ridiculous, but Grace won’t swear so she says cracker instead,” Bruno says. The whites of his eyes are a stark contrast against the darkness. “Damn waste of a word, if you ask me.”
Grace rolls her eyes at Bruno.
“Anyway,” Grace says. “Back to my question: how are we getting in?”
“Very, very carefully,” Cole whispers. I watch as he scans the yard, his eyes moving back and forth quickly. “From what I can see, it seems like it’s a slow, quiet night.”
“Yeah. There are three guards up there”—Bruno points to the tower—“with their eyes glued to the TV.” We all turn our heads toward the tower. “I imagine two of them are supposed to be guarding the main gate.”
“You think there’s only the three of them?” I ask.
“This is an old train yard. I don’t think they would waste guard resources on it.” Cole readjusts his belt and backpack.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this … seems way too easy,” I say.
“Well, it’s too late to chicken out now,” Grace says.
Zeus snorts beside me.
“I’ll lead, you guys follow,” Cole says. “You know the drill.” I fall in line behind him, Grace and then Bruno behind me. Cole pulls out his gun, and I notice it has a suppresser on it.
“Where’d you get that?” I whisper and draw my gun.
“Sutton gave it to me.”
I nod and take a deep, cleansing breath. Next thing, I’m chasing after Cole through the reeds and sand, listening to the sounds of our heavy breathing and footsteps. The cool air bites at my cheeks. I push thoughts of our loosely made plans and what could go wrong out of my head.
Cole motions for us to stop. He jerks to a halt and franticly signals toward the fence. I follow his hand to a hole big enough for a child to fit through. My eyes lock with Cole’s.
Every instinct I have is telling me that it’s too easy as the hair rises on the back of my neck.
“Feels like a trap,” I say to Cole. “We should look for another way.”
“There is no other way. Go.” He sounds impatient. But when he motions toward the jagged entry again, I shake my head. It’s too late though; Zeus has already dug his way underneath and come up on the other side with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, staring at us like we’re idiots.
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath. Now, we’ve got no choice. My gut screams as Cole holds the fencing up so I can squeeze just below the sharp points.
“Stay close to me,” Cole says as I shimmy under.