She Bleeds for Us: The Galactic Consortium 3

Chapter 39

Gabriel thought he knew what the trip north would be like. He was beginning to fear he was wrong.

The first time he made this trip there had been hundreds, if not thousands of others on the road. Most had either made it out of the country or decided to weather the storm where they were. The roads were empty.

Except for checkpoints, which had multiplied. There had been one at Pepel, where the ferry landed. Gabriel had just barely managed to escape the crowd and flee into the countryside before being forced through it.

After that, he stuck to the forested areas on the side of the road when it was possible, or crept through fields. It was slow going and the trip to Port Loko took two days, far longer than it had the first time around.

It was now the morning of day four and he had just reached Kambia and the last stage of his voyage. Knowing there would be checkpoints on the main road south of the city, he skirted the edges of it, entering through a residential area to the west.

Kambia was so different from Freetown, where most of the buildings were tall, western construction. Here one-story mud-brick buildings predominated. He walked the wide roads, blending into a group of children making their way to school for the morning. One girl even waved at him. He waved back but didn't approach closer.

The main road was more modern, with cars and trucks rolling down it. He turned north and kept walking. There was a gas station and he almost went in, spent a few of the leones that Devaki had given him "in case of emergency" on food.

He had eaten nothing but ration bars for the last three days. But lack of variety wasn't an emergency and just as he reached the station a large military truck pulled in. The wide rear bay was empty but he knew what went in there, refugees. They had just taken some to a camp in the south. He'd heard people on the roads talking about the camps. They were short on supplies and food.

The only saving grace of the camps is that they were also short on guards. One woman he met on the road had escaped three camps already. "Gotta get across the border, camps there have food and plenty of it," she told Gabriel. Gabriel had made a noncommittal noise of agreement. Let her think that's what he wanted too.

But the two of them had parted ways before a checkpoint and Gabriel didn't know if she'd made it this far north, or was back in a fourth camp.

Not wanting to attract the attention of the soldier who might ship him off, he steered clear of the gas station, no matter how much he wanted a candy bar or even a piece of fruit to break the monotony of his diet.

There was another fueling station to his left as he walked, but this one didn't seem to have any sort of shop connected to it, only a tiny cubicle where truckers could pay for their fuel.

"Goddam prices," one complained as he passed Gabriel on the way to his truck. Gabriel looked up at the billboard. He could read enough to know the numbers, but he'd never had to buy gas and didn't know good prices from the bad.

A military jeep was in the parking lot next to the fueling station. But there was no checkpoint and Gabriel was already worried about running late. This last stretch would take most of the day and then he would have to cross the border. He pressed on.

There was a small hotel on the very north end of town and after that a bridge heading out of town.

The hotel had been taken over by the military. Beyond he could see a checkpoint on this side of the river. He stared at it for a long time. How would he cross the river? He couldn't swim, besides the river was large and even a good swimmer would struggle.

A hand came down on his shoulder. He startled but the hand tightened before he could flee. "And just what are you doing out of school?" the man asked as Gabriel looked up at him.

He was tall and broad, dressed in a soldier's uniform. He was face wasn't unkindly, but something in his eyes told Gabriel that this soldier was no fool. Indeed he answered his one question, "Because you aren't from around here, are you?"

Gabriel wondered if he should try lying. But what lie would work?

"You are trying to get north, like..." the man shrugged. "A lot of others." His grip on Gabriel's shoulder remained tight, as though warning him not to try to run. "Skinny little thing. Can't say I blame you. If I was poor...But it won't work. You can't make it. And the camps have food, at least."

Defeated, Gabriel sighed. "Yeah."

The man pulled him towards the hotel. Another soldier came out. They led him to a wide field behind the hotel. More than a couple dozen other refugees were already being held there, after failing to get passed the checkpoint. Gabriel was so defeated that he forget about lying and told the main guard his name. "Gabriel."

They took his belt with his supplies. That caused a moment of surprise and suspicious looks. "Where did you get this?"

Gabriel looked down and didn't answer.

"Nevermind," one of the other guards said. "Interrogators can ask later."

That caused Gabrial's heart to race. The man snorted and let it drop. "With the others, and don't try nothing."

As he approached the others, the woman he'd met on the road materialized out of the crowd. "You, I wondered where you'd gotten off to," she said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, almost made it," Gabriel said, feeling weary.

"So did I got someone to sneak me through in his truck. But they searched the cab." She shrugged. "Guess I'll have to try again."

Gabriel scanned the edge of the crowd, watching the guards watch them.

"Not here," the woman said. "Too many guards, paying too much attention. When we get to the camp. They'll be laxer. More chances to get out there."

But would it be too late? Gabriel was supposed to be meeting his contact soon. And how could he contact Devaki now?