Instability

※ 29 ※

Vivian and I tread towards the shelter, reluctant to go back but reluctant to stay outside any longer. I keep my bow tucked close to my side, loaded in case any meal-worthy animals happen to pass by. We walk and jog back to the shelter, up until Sergeant Frey is a stone throw away from us.

"Ashley!" Vivian calls all of a sudden. I'm thrown to the ground again, my stomach thudding hard on the grass.

"Girls, let's go!" Sergeant Frey calls distantly. She's also been swiped off of her feet, but she stand her ground near Entrance Six. I don't hesitate to run, and neither does Vivian. Once the ground stops shaking, we sprint for the trapdoor.

We squeeze in about seven seconds of running before the next tremor. When my right foot touches the ground, my leg buckles. I tumble sideways, sliding onto my back. Somehow, Vivian manages to reach the trapdoor, and she calls my name.

In a semi-delirious state, I pick myself off the ground, grab the fallen arrow from my bow, and bolt towards the door. I lose my balance again as another vibration trips me. Crawling towards Vivian, she pleads for me to hurry.

I finally make it into the underground shelter, and Vivian slams the trapdoor shut. Bolting it, yet another earthquake rips me off my feet. I grab the steps for support, my fingers squeezing the gritty concrete for dear life.

When the shaking pauses, we scramble down the steps, skidding into safety. We open the door at the bottom of the staircase, our group of fellow hunters assembled in front of us.

All of their heads turn for a moment in recognition as we receive a relieved nod from Frey. With dirt-coated clothes and dead leaves in our hair, Vivian and I look to Sergeant Frey for answers.

"Those were man-made earthquakes," Sergeant Frey says. She picks some dead leaf pieces out of her brown hair. They fall sadly onto the floor. "The Europeans invented them to cripple our war effort."

I glance at Vivian. She seems desperate to release a sarcastic comment but knows better than that. Rule one: respect higher authority.

After handing over our sacks of meat and fruit, we're dismissed to return to our barracks. Vivian and I take the familiar route to Arsenal Four: a bleak, dark room filled with weaponry. We don't say much to the Renegades guarding the room because our weapons are adequate identification.

After entering the Arsenal, I take my time scanning at all the weapons. Spaced out on the ground are an array of guns, slingshots, dart blower-things, sideways bows, and a whole bunch of other weapons. Corresponding ammo lays next to them, ready for use at any moment. All the way in the back of the room are the bows, dozens of sheaths lining the walls.

As Vivian becomes lost in the gun department, my eyes observe every bows, some plain, some wooden, some with curves at each end, and even some smaller ones. I don't know why I like bows so much. They just seem like a weapon that screams rebellion.

I hear Vivian's gun click as she unloads the bullet cartridges and drops them onto the ground with all the other used cartridges. I unsling my sheath and bend to place it in the corner of the room. I lay my bow on the pile and run my fingers over every handle. I sift through every sheath's arrows, their arrows clattering lightly with satisfaction.

I rise from my knees and walk over to Vivian who's eyeing up all the guns. "In paradise yet?" I taunt her. She shakes her head at me, smiling lightly. A Renegade guard gazes at us to make sure we're not stealing anything.

We exit the Arsenal, not saying much until we're out of hearing distance of the stationed Renegades. Waking side-by-side down the dim hall, we talk quietly.

Vivian brushes the leaves out of both of our hair. "I really hate how we can't carry weapons. What's going to happen when someone finds our little underground hotspot?"

"They won't," I say. "There's no way."

A boy about our age jogs around us. With his cropped blonde hair and strong build, I nearly jump in shock, thinking he's Daniel. But he's not.

"Poor little Danny, shooting bullets out in the middle of who-knows-where," Vivian sighs lowly while I struggle to breathe again.

She turns left into our bunker, and I follow, laying down on my bottom bunk. I settle on top of my sheets and let my mind wander. Little moments flash before my eyes. Me interrogating Daniel. Jumping on Daniel in the hospital. Back-talking him to the point of madness.

Before I realize it, I'm reliving the hike to Fort Collins. It scares me how much Danny's features have faded and blurred in my memory. Yet fear reels my mind back to Earth. Guilty, I send my love silently to my family.

The bars on my bed rattle, and my eyes dart towards Vivian. She stares peacefully, undisturbed, at the ceiling. Huh. I relax against my bed.

Out of nowhere, I'm thrown off of my bed and onto the ground, Vivian thudding close by. "Ouch!" Vivian says in a pained voice. "It threw me into the wall!"

I groan and sit up cautiously, rubbing the back of my spine hurting. "That must have been a huge tremor."

A Renegade's deafening voice sends a command from the hall, loud and clear.
"Level one emergency! Everybody go to Entrance Two! Now!"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

when i first wrote this chapter, i forgot the author's note (whoopsie doodles!).

Question: how did you find wattpad and when? i first found it four years ago from a girl i met at chemistry camp (and yes, chemistry camp was fun). i didn't actually join until about march 2014 because i read an awful book and was like "pfffft, Wattpad's stupid."

my mind changed very quickly about that last comment...

now, i'll be at some school event or i'll see a friend and they'll say, "oh, I go and write on this website called wattpad." and then we fangirl together about wattpad.