Page 14 of Storm

Shadows linger over the crates I’m hiding behind, breathless. The heavy roller doors of the truck bed ring shut, and I release held air. Perfect. Stuck in the back with a few half-piled pallets in total darkness. Fingers rub against smooth silver, my heart on a string. What I still don’t get is why this truck? I thought I was meant to run far away from Halo. If anything, I should head to the Fairy Lands.

That’s my only chance at freedom. The colourful creatures behind the line of trees that segment the two worlds. Fairies… I’ve only ever caught glimpses of them on hollowing days. A giant blue fairy, my saving grace. If they are willing to lie for us, what else are they willing to do? They are already fighting against Halo.

The truck jolts, and I fall into the wall behind me, pain radiating up my right arm. “Again?” That’s going to leave a bruise. Clumsily creeping my fingertips in front of me, I find the mesh encasing a group of boxes off to the side, and I stand, spreading my legs wide to ground myself on the rickety floor, the movement so strange.

In less than a minute, we’re screeching to a stop.

Fuck. I should’ve known this ordeal would be futile. There’s no escaping Halo. Whatever Nix had planned was forfeit when he was found in the truck bay. Surely, they’re checking every single vehicle going through the parking lot checkpoint.

Fight. His voice is in my head.

Noises permeate the air outside. A chill winds up my spine.

Solence pumping with veracity, I breathe deeply, holding the one thing I have left of them. When this is all over, I may have nothing left. The ultimate test. Will I let them have my grief or my rage? Or both?

Time needs no introduction. My mind is made up.

I’m Storm of the lightning fields, and I won’t let Halo have me. If it’s the last thing I do, I won’t let them have this. My hand rests on the thudding organ underneath, the coolness of the locket a reminder.

For Mam.

For Nix.

For all the seronds who came before.

I will be their destruction.

A jarring squeal comes from the hinges of the roller door. Early morning light pours into the darkness. My eyes blink rapidly, adjusting.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

No—fucking fight. Mam would hate to know I’m swearing so much, even internally, but fuck, my life has seriously turned into a steaming pile of shit this morning. Worse than the smell coming off of Noah.

Slipping down behind the boxes, I hide.

“Shut him up. I’m sick of hearing his pitiful moans.” An irate voice travels through the chamber of the cargo hold. I clamp my hands over my mouth to control whatever wits I have left. The harshness of the coarse bandage rubs against my nose from another wound I sustained fixing the rods. I live with my hands strapped these days. A sneeze coming on, I hold my tongue to the roof of my mouth—a trick I learnt from Mam.

The sneeze stops. Thank fuck for that.

Who do they need to shut up?

Each step of the heavy boots thudding my way has my hands twitching. I am barely able to form a single coherent thought. Shock is my baseline. The walls of the truck are pushing in on me at every strike of heavy rubber against metal. I want to fight, but with the sudden reality of my situation, all I can do is cower at the possibility of what is to come. They can’t find me. I need to find safety.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a leering tone hisses—the person in the truck, a hollow keeper. My skin shrivels over my protruding bones. They know. They have Nix.

I feel it before I even need to see him. There is no way of slipping out beyond the factory. The keepers will eventually find me.

They may have skeletal keepers on duty at the factories, but it’s enough, especially with the drones watching us. And no one is climbing the double-fenced outer ring of the factory fences without being shot first. They’d hate to waste a bullet, usually going for starvation, however, it’s always a message they are willing to send.

“Come on, you didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? Stupid bastard inbreds.” My ears blister, his jibes harsh.

“Hey, fucker, I told you she ran. She’s not on the truck. I helped her jump the barrier.” His voice guts me.

Oh, Nix.

I whimper behind my bandaged hand. So damn foolish. Suddenly, I know exactly what he’s been trying to do. It was never about me going quietly. He hoped to distract them. It was a long shot. A stab in the dark. My brother believed he could distract them long enough that they’d let the trucks go.

Idiot.