My voice is swept away by the soldiers’ cheer. Their shouts feed the flame in my gut, fueling my confidence. I clutch an empty glass vial and hold it high for the soldiers to see.
“This is all we need. The blood of the Immune will send the strongest leaders of the world to their knees, even the Bloodred Queen herself. The Immune lies here within Everland. Find the girls. Find them all! Find the female whose veins pulse with the antidote to the Horologia virus.”
Again the Marauders roar with solidarity, their deep voices almost mechanical beneath their helmets. Gunshots ring through the chilly morning air.
“Find Pete! He knows where they’re hiding. Search every street, building, rubbish bin, crack, hole, crevice, rooftop, and basement. She’s out there. Bring me the cure!”
The army thunders in approval. With clenched fists pumping, they burst into chants. “Hook! Hook! Hook!”
I ball my fists, cringing at the nickname they have given me. “It’s Captain Kretschmer,” I mutter through gritted teeth.
“I’d go with it, Captain,” Smeeth says. “It has a nice ring to it. Don’t you think?”
My eyes skim the Marauders, taking in the rows of men cheering for me. For me! Not my mother, the Queen of Germany. They’re not shouting out the surname that I was unfortunate to have been born with. No. Not Captain Kretschmer.
Hook!
Tucking the vial into the pocket of my coat, I feel the tug of a smile pull at my lips. “Perhaps you’re right, Smeeth. It’s a new beginning, not just for me, but for all of us.” I spin the gold ring adorned with the seal of the Bloodred Queen on my finger. “A new era.”
Slipping the ring from my finger, I hold it for the soldiers to see. “Long live the Bloodred Queen!” I shout. I toss the ring into the air, and with my pistol, I shoot the band of gold. It fragments into two pieces before clinking on the brick ground. The last link of choking resentment slips from the heavy chain wrapped tightly around my neck.
The soldiers chant my name, feeding the embers of determination deep inside of me. I reach inside my pocket, pull out another ring, and slip it on my gloved finger. With a balled fist, I hold it up for my army to see. The gold skull and crossbones shimmer in the sunlight.
“We will rule the world!” I shout.
The Marauders roar as they climb into their vehicles. I rush down the steps and slide into my Steam Crawler. With a hiss of the boiler, the military vehicle rumbles to life. The tank howls as its mechanical legs creep forward into the broken city.
Having ventured out only at night in the last year, my eyes sting in the daylight. Mikey fares better as he peeks through the holes of a colander neatly tied to his head with twine. An old, rusty pot lid serves as a chest plate. Bronze cogs, bolts, and wheels attach kettle lids to his makeshift shoulder pads and spin as he swings his arms. His brown teddy bear peers out of the top of the small rucksack on his back. Seeing his petite frame in the crude armor reminds me of the hours Joanna spent constructing it. I miss her terribly and wish I could take back all the things I said the last time I was with her.
Mikey struggles to keep up, and finally stumbles, his worn shoes tripping on the buckled concrete street.
“Mikey!” I sprint to him and kneel. Blood seeps through a scrape on his knee, staining his tattered pajamas. “Are you okay?”
“It hurts and I’m tired,” he says, sniffling back tears.
We’ve been traveling toward the city for an hour. I’m worn out from walking, crawling under fences, and hiding under what is left of expressway overpasses. Mikey must be exhausted.
Bella pulls the teddy bear from Mikey’s rucksack, kneels by my brother, and hands the stuffed animal to him. “Here, this will help you feel better,” she says. Mikey takes the ragged toy with some reluctance, worry creasing his forehead. He snuggles the bear to his chest, and I notice the corners of Bella’s lips turn up in a slight smile. In that moment, her fierceness disappears, and I see a trace of the girl she must have been before the war changed us all. I can’t help but smile at her attempt to comfort him in spite of her pride.
When she catches me staring at her, she grimaces and stands. “You really ought to be more careful. It’s no wonder you fell with all that shuffling you’ve been doing,” she says, flipping the lever on her rocket pack. The contraption gives a loud hiss as steam rises from the pack. Her wings deploy with an audible click. They glitter brightly beneath the faintest ray of sunlight peeking through broken storm clouds. Bella’s feet lift from the ground and she floats to Pete’s side.
“Can’t we rest awhile?” I ask, wrapping an arm around my brother.
Pete stops, shakes his head, and walks toward us. “If we rest, we die. You just don’t get it, do you, Immune?” he says. His tone is sharp and jarring, sending a fresh wave of anxiety through me. My cheeks grow warm. When I say nothing, Pete walks away with Bella flying just above his right shoulder.