After the Walls

Chapter 15

We burst onto the train platform and jump off, landing on the tracks below. The cackles and giggles shake the stairwell behind us, spiking my pulse with terror like a shot of bourbon. Blind and fuelled by fear, we run. Through the pitch-dark train tunnel, stumbling over the uneven, rusted tracks. The stench of decay and old, worn metal clings to my nostrils, making it hard to suck in oxygen. My lungs burn. My muscles scream. Their breath is hot on the back of my neck as they increase their speed, quickly catching up to us. Their limbs stretch out, and long nails caress my arms and grab my flying hair. But we run, we run, we run. Until the moonlight crests the lip of the tunnel and we burst into the liquid night.

We sprint across the red-bathed field towards the forest.

"We will come for you!" one of them shrieks in such a raspy voice it drags me to a halt. I whirl around.

The dozens of Red Movement people hover in the tunnel's mouth. But they do not exit the shadows into the red light. They no longer chase.

The boys yell at me to keep moving. But I stay still. "How many of you are there?" I ask.

One of them curls their split lip. "Hundreds. Did Edward Mallory not say he abandoned us?" His eyes blaze like a house fire.

"When are you coming?"

He shrieks with laughter. "That would ruin the surprise, Elle Fallon."

Then they slink into the darkness of the tunnel, their chortles dancing across the field and up my neck.

I blink, half-expecting them to launch back out of the tunnel like a pack of hungry lions. But their laughter only dissipates, deeper and deeper into the ground. Blowing out my cheeks, and gathering my wits, I jog after the boys into the forest. We don't stop moving until my muscles feel like they will give out.

"We need to rest," I say, panting.

After stopping and resting until dawn, we press on, making our way back to the Floodgates. We skip the untamed tribe, skip the river, and find our small boat washed up by the lake.

"Cover your ears," Ruben says as we push the boat onto the lapping water.

At long last, we arrive at the base of the towering kingdom walls. The sun hangs high in the sky, and for once, clouds do not coat the blue.

"We cannot go into the kingdom together," I say to the boys as we huddle by the entrance to the bunker.

"You go first, Elle," Aston says, slumping his shoulders in exhaustion. "We will just follow after."

"If he asks, I'll say you guys found me."

"Do you have the Devil's Ivy?" Ruben asks, pinching his brows.

"I wouldn't lose it." The sun grazes my face as I pat my rucksack. "I'll figure out how to sneak it into his drink."

I hug each of the boys. When I reach Ruben, I hear his trembling breath as he holds me tight.

"I hope we can be together again," I whisper, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But now, you need to focus on gathering an army. Hopefully, I will visit the Convex Sector and help."

With one last glance at the people I love most, I slip into the bunker and make my way to the palace through the tunnels.

As I emerge into the lower levels of the palace, I duck my head, trying to not make eye contact with any of the servants or any passersby in the halls. Warm light breathes into the palace, and I shiver at the missed feeling after days in the rain and frigid elements.

But people spot me anyway, despite my efforts. My telltale red hair has always betrayed me. They whisper my name among themselves as if it's a curse word. I know Edward will hear the news of my return within minutes. So, I hasten to my bedroom and slam the door shut, clicking the lock. I'm grateful none of the guards linger outside my room. At least I can have a moment to myself. Clean up. The days in the wilderness have found a home under my overgrown nails. Grease and dirt coat my hair and face. My clothes are a smelly, ragged mess. I peel them off, and sink into the hot, running tub, sighing as I scrub the grubbiness away from every crevasse of my body, and wash my hair. I also stash the Devil's Ivy plant, still in the rucksack behind the pillow, cringing at the terrible hiding spot, but knowing I have nowhere else for now.