Page 75 of Juniper Unraveling

The muffled bellow of screams ripping from my chest beat against the salty skin across my lips, but fail to breach the barrier. Something thumps the back of my head, radiating a shock of pain across my skull, and I’m dragged into the backseat of the car. The door hits the bottom of my boots as it’s slammed shut.

“I was accepted into The Legion, Wren. I leave next week.” Albert’s voice against my ear oozes down my spine. “Thought you might want to celebrate with me.”

“Fuck you!” My stifled scream only serves to sprout a smile across his face.

“I just wanted to give you a ride. Why do you have to be such an ornery bitch all the time?” His hand snakes down my belly until he’s cupping me between my thighs. “Is it because you’re a freak? Huh? Maybe you need some dick to set you straight.”

He squeezes between the apex of my thighs, and I manage to get a piece of his skin between my teeth, biting down as hard as I can, until he releases my mouth.

“Ouch! Fuck!” He knocks me upside the head, and I sit up in the seat. “I wasn’t going to touch you anyway. I don’t fuck freaks.”

I reach across the other boy for the door, and as he squeezes my breast, I elbow him in the chest. “Assholes!”

Before I can reach the door ahead of me, the one behind me flies open, and Albert is dragged from the seat.

Scrambling out of the car, I round the back, to find Six has pinned him to the driver’s door, keeping the other boy in the front from getting out. His fingers dig into Albert’s flesh as he throttles him, and the widening of his pupils cast cold spikes of terror through my veins. Six is bigger than all three of the boys and comparatively stronger—perhaps than all of them put together.

“Stop!” I shout, setting my hand on his arm, and in the next breath, he snaps out of it. Albert’s body falls to the ground in a slump, and the little prick grabs his throat, sputtering a cough.

The boy from the backseat points at Six, backing away, his eyes wide. “You’re him. You’re the one Legion is after! You’re the one who escaped!”

I can hardly suck in a breath as I push at Six, urging him to run. “Hurry! Go!”

He stumbles back, obviously reluctant to leave, but at my insistence, he twists on his heel, and we dart through the woods. Wind burns my lungs as I push my legs, running as fast I can with Six close behind.

Perhaps it takes only minutes to reach the house, but it feels like so much longer, and my whole body is trembling, my mind scrambling for a plan.

“They’re going to come after you, Six. They’re going to take you back to that place!” I break into a sob, pacing back and forth in my bedroom, my chest heaving from the run.

Six sits on the bed, catching his breath.

“We have to get you out of here. We have to hide you!”

By now the boys have likely returned home. It’s only a matter of time before they alert the guards, who will then alert the Legion soldiers. They’ll search day and night for him, now that they know he’s inside the wall. No corner of the community will be safe for Six. And if he’s as important as Papa says, I won’t be safe, either.

With my satchel still crossed over my body, I race down the stairs, and upon reaching the kitchen, I throw back the cupboards, filling the bag with cans of food and bottles of water. Six follows behind me, and when I spin to him, I have to force myself not to look into his eyes. I gulp back the tears, doing my best to stay in a mode of determination. The beginnings of a plan pop into my head, but with so many unknowns and holes, my mind can’t stay ahead of it.

“There’s a truck that goes out tonight, to guard the solar panels and relieve the other guards. I’m going to distract the ones at the gate. Arty. I’ll ask him if he knows where to find Papa. I’ll tell him there’s an emergency at home. You climb into the back of the truck. The panels aren’t far from the Juniper tree Papa showed us a while back. Do you remember it?”

Six nods, the conflict clear on his face.

“I want you to go there. Hide in the Juniper tree, just like Papa said. I’ll come for you.”

He shakes his head, the shine of tears glittering in his eyes.

“Six, you have to go. They’ll take you back to that place. I won’t let them do that. I won’t let them turn you into a weapon. I won’t let you die!”

In spite of the tears streaming down my cheeks, I push away from him and make my way toward the front door. “We have to go. Now!”

Hand on the knob, I peer through the window, but freeze on seeing a convoy of cars rolling to a stop in front of the house. Spinning around, I run the other way, pushing Six toward the back door.

Hand in hand, we race across the garden, taking shelter behind the pole barn. From around the corner of the building, I watch as Legion soldiers pour out of the back door, like a mound of fire ants.

Keeping out of sight, I lead Six through the adjacent woods, along a well-known path that runs parallel to the cul-de-sac. My heart feels as if it might punch through my ribs, by the time we reach the main road through town, but Six and I stay off the shoulder, racing through the backyards of the other houses.

A large gray building sits on the edge of the road before the wall, a guard station that houses offices and holding cells. Six and I tuck ourselves into the back corner of the building, behind a wall of shrubs, with a clear view of the guard posts.

I slide down the wall, expelling a long breath. “We’ll wait here until dusk. The truck carries supplies and tools out to the station. You can hop in the back and stay low.”