Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (14 page)

"Well what a sight."

I looked up. A woman was in the trees with a sniper rifle. She wasn't wearing one of The Unit’s uniforms, but she also wasn't dressed as a rebel. She wore black leather pants and a leather tank top. Her hair was a strawberry red with blond highlights. She tilted her head as she watched me.

"Who are you?" I asked, taking the gas mask off.

The woman smiled and jumped down from the tree. She landed gracefully. "I am Jessica. Evelyn would know that."

She knew I wasn't Evelyn. She watched me with her cat eyes. She walked around me in a slow circle. "You sure did ruin her body."

"How do you know I'm not Evelyn?" My tone was worried. She was the second one now.

"Dr. Lynn and I had a long chat." She smiled at me like a cat who just caught a mouse.

My mouth felt dry and I was beginning to get dizzy. I felt way too hot in the uniform.

"Dr. Lynn?" I haven't thought about him in a while. He knew about me. He put it together. He was the same as me.

I fell to the ground as another explosion shook the world. The trees caught on fire and it was spreading rapidly. The woman looked at the fire as if she was fascinated.

"Evelyn would love this." She smiled.

In that moment, I knew she was crazy. Her eyes ate up the sight of the flames. She was enjoying this.

"Come. I should probably lead you to safety before you get yourself killed." She gracefully walked down the mountain side.

I didn't know what else to do, so I followed. I stumbled and fell a lot. There weren't any more gunshots. I knew deep down inside, the battle was far from over.

The flames were following us. I started coughing and put the mask back on. The girl had short hair cut in a sharp a line. She sauntered when she walked. A sniper rifle was strapped to her back and another gun was strapped to her leg. On her left leg, she had a huge knife strapped to it.

We made it to a dirt road on the mountain side. The rebels were all there crossing the road. I could see Seth peering up at the mountain. He was looking for someone. When his eyes landed on me, and he looked relieved, I knew he was looking for me.

I felt awkward. I didn't know how to act. He knew who I was. Him and this girl. I felt like I didn't know who I was. I was unsure of myself.

David watched Seth as Seth watched me.

The woman smirked at me. "Seth likes you. He won't admit it, though. Probably because he is dating Chantel."

I had forgotten about that. I suddenly felt guilty for admiring his good looks. I didn't want to admire another girl's man. Chantel was hanging on his arm and staring at him like he was a God sent from heaven.

"Oh." What else was I supposed to say?

When we reached the group it got quiet. The rebels were staring at me. Seth and Adam were no longer in The Unit uniform, but I was.

"You abandoned me." I accused both Seth and Adam.

"I sent Jessica back to get you. I knew you would be safe with her." Seth nodded towards Jessica.

"She didn't need my help. She was running through the forest like a mad woman shooting all the soldiers." Jessica exaggerated.

I looked around at all the faces. All of these people had voted for me to die. Now here I was, living and shit. "Where did The Unit go?" I wondered out loud.

"They pulled back for more reinforcements when they realized we had our own soldiers with us. We need to get moving." David commanded. He crossed the road and began to head down the mountain.

Nobody was questioning why I was allowed to follow. Nobody was questioning anything.

Some of the rebels spread out to keep watch as we walked down the mountain. Everybody had their weapons raised and ready to fire.

Chantel couldn't stop touching Seth. It was like she couldn't believe he was real. Seth would reassure her and hold her hand, but he seemed distant. Off. Something was on his mind.

"We need to split up now." David stopped walking and looked at everybody. His tone held authority.

"Will we meet?" Jewel asked from the back of the group.

"No. We will split into groups and go to different locations. When you get there, I want everybody to report to the seeker of that town." David started listing off names of groups. When he was done listing the group, the group would meet, and leave.

The only names David didn't call was Seth's, Adam's, Chantel's, Rugter's, Jewel's, and mine. He separated Bret from his brothers. Bret came over and give the group man hugs and went off on his way. He didn't seem worried. He seemed sure he would see them again. In a world like this, I wouldn't be too sure.

David easily led the way through the forest. He knew it like the back of his hand. Everything looked the same to me. I was stressed out and nervous. Three hours ago he attempted to blow my brains out and now he was just letting me tag along. Seth didn't explain anything to anybody. Whenever he got asked a question, he said he would explain later.

Jessica, his friend, would smirk every time he dodged a question. She knew everything. I could tell.

The temperature dropped along with the sun. I was glad I kept the uniform on. It kept me somewhat warm.

We could hear helicopters in the distance. They were looking for us. David didn't seem worried at all. Nobody did, but me. The trees easily gave us coverage over our heads.

"Where are we going?" Chantel spoke, breaking the drawn out silence.

David didn't turn around. "You will know when we get there."

"Why can't you answer a basic question, David?" Chantel let go of Seth's hand and walked faster to keep up with David.

"If The Unit catches us, he doesn't want you to be able to tell them the location we are going." I spoke out loud, assuming.

Chantel whipped her head around and glared at me. Her dainty hand curled into fists at her side and her brown eyes blazed. "I was not talking to you, now was I? Why don't you do us all a favor and shut your mouth before I blow your brains out."

"Behave." Seth ordered Chantel. He looked at me. "She is right anyways, Chantel. You should know not to ask by now."

That is where Seth went wrong. You never take another woman's side in an argument unless you want to face the rath of a dragon. Chantel gave him a cold look and stomped ahead of the group. Adam clapped him on the back and laughed under his breath.

"Anyone want to tell me what Evelyn is still doing alive? I know we got attacked by The Unit, but we can still execute her." Jewel was directing the question towards David.

I didn't realize she wanted me dead too.

"I have to go through her charges again sense we can take one murder off the list." I could sense David was lying.

"So one murder is off the list and now she is forgiven for the rest of her murders?" Rugter seemed irritated. "The people want justice."

"Well, the people need to be here for another trial since ours got interrupted and right now we are all scattered around. Until we can all get together and be organized there will be no execution." David's voice held a final note.

Nobody spoke another word about it. Chantel was still fuming at the front of the group. Rugter and Jewel were whispering things back and forth together. Seth and Jessica kept making some sort of eye contact. For a group this small, there was a lot of secrets.

I was just thankful to be alive. My luck ran deep. A lot of unfortunate things happened to me, but I was still here. I was still breathing. I was thankful for the sharp pain in my ribs. It let me know I was alive. The pain from walking so much on my feet didn't bother me at all.

An easy smile slid across my face. Every time I stared death in its face, I won. I have not died.

I was done taking things for granted. I enjoyed the natural smell of the earth. I loved the way the pine needles cracked under our feet. The crickets in the grass played a beautiful melody. The breeze in the air was refreshing. It could be worse. Everything could be worse.

Adam slowed down and walked side by side with me. It was odd to think twelve hours ago he was pointing a gun at my face. I kept looking forward. It made me feel a little bitter even though I understood why he did it. I told him I murdered his brother.

"I'm sorry." His tone held regret.

Forgiveness overcame me. "It's okay. I would have done the same to you."

"If I shot Rugter?" Adam asked.

I don't think I would shoot Adam if he pointed a gun at Evelyn's brother. I didn't respond.

"It just wasn't what I expected to hear after I said that to you."

He was talking about how he confessed his love for Evelyn. I felt uncomfortable now. I didn't like that he thought he loved me. I looked at Adams' face. He carried himself so well for a man so young. His jawline was soft. Stubble was beginning to grow on his jawline. Adams' nose was a little crooked. It had obviously been broken a few times. Thick black eyelashes framed his emerald green eyes.

As I stared at him, he stared right back at me.

"I am not Evelyn. I may look just like her, but I'm not her." I whispered.

"But you are. I know your memory is gone, but you're different now. Improved. That bomb knocked some common sense into you."

I thought about the first time I saw him in the forest. He held himself with power and authority in his group. In this group, he was a follower. He adapted to situations well.

Adam towered over me with my four foot eleven frame. Whenever I looked at him, I had to crane my neck up. He had a thin build, but it was fit. He made me feel tiny.

"We will stop here and camp out for the rest of the night." David sat underneath a tree and rested his back against it. He shut his eyes.

The group kind of looked around surprised. Chantel had no problem walking to a far off tree and laying underneath it. She looked at Seth. She expected him to follow.

Seth glanced at her and walked over to Adam and I. He looked between the both of us. He seemed perplexed.

"Can I talk to you?" His voice was a deep timbre. He directed his question towards Adam.

Adam gave me a half smile and walked off with Seth. They disappeared into the trees.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I just sat on the ground where I was at. I was too wound up to sleep. I shot two people today. It began to dawn on me. I've murdered three people and watched people die. I wasn't that better than Evelyn. I could make excuses and try and justify what I did, but what I did was wrong.

I was not a soldier. I slid the gun away from me and leaned back into the tree stump. One month ago, I would have been worried about how I was going to pay my bills. Now I was worried about surviving. Things changed fast.

A long time passed before Seth and Adam came back. Seth walked over to Chantel. When he reached her, she turned her back around. She was ignoring him.

Adam walked over to me but stayed standing. His AR 15 was in his hands. He was taking watch.

"What did you and Seth talk about?" I was being nosy.

Adam glanced down at me. "He just said you are not who I think you are. Well, it was more of a lecture to stay away from you."

I scrunched my face. Why would Seth lecture Adam to stay away from me? I looked towards him to find he was staring right at me. Did he find out who I really was from Dr. Lynn? How did he even manage to even talk to him? Where was Dr. Lynn? I couldn't imagine him associating with rebels.

When my thoughts slowed down, I fell into a restless sleep. Something startled me awake. The sun was just beginning to peek through the trees. I could hear rustling in the trees fifteen feet away. Adams' arm was draped over my stomach. He must have gone to sleep next to me.

I slid his arm off of me and he grumbled a few words before nestling further into the pine needles.

When I heard more rustling, I decided to investigate. I followed the noise. Seth was perched against a tree, shirt off. He had gauge wrapped around his torso, but it was soaked with blood. When I gasped, he looked up at me.

“Sorry, did I wake you?" His voice was full of pain.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from the blood. I did that. He was wounded because of me. I walked closer to him and stared.

"I'm sorry for shooting you." I mumbled.

"I made you do it. It's not as bad as it looks. I tore the wound open in battle yesterday."

I looked up into Seth's face. He was controlling his facial expression. He was attempting to hide the pain he was feeling. Little beads of sweat covered his forehead.

"Stephan said you died." I blurted.

Seth's eyes darkened at his name. "He thought I died. A fire broke out and burned a lot of the soldiers. They found my name tag in the ashes."

"You wanted them to think you were dead?" I was putting two and two together.

Seth's eyes were so dark I could barely make out his pupil. His tan skin seemed a little pale. "Yes."

"Why?"

"He knew I worked undercover for the rebels. Time would only tell before he killed me himself."

I fidgeted. I didn't like the thought of him being dead, even if all this time I thought he was dead. "Why would he keep you as his second man if he knew you were undercover?"

"Who knows? With Stephan, everything was a mind game. I never understood him."

Answers. I was finally getting answers. "How do you know who I am?" That was the most important question.

Seth looked towards the tree tops and sighed. "When I was healing, I bumped into Dr. Lynn. He was alone and lost. He isn't much of a survivalist. He told me everything about himself and you."

"You believed him?" I was surprised. It sounded ludicrous. Even I had trouble believing it. "Just like that?"

Seth breathed heavily through his nose. "I've known Dr. Lynn for a long time. He is a man I would trust. I knew something was different about him the day I met him." Seth's gaze connected with mine. "I knew something was different about you the night I saw you chuck a flashlight at a soldier."

"Oh." I blushed, remembering that night. My attempted fail to run away.

Seth groaned in pain and pressed his hand against his stomach. Blood seeped through his fingers. It made Sanchez bleeding out flash through my mind.

"Do you have more gauze? Your wound needs to be cleaned."

Seth nodded towards the bag on the ground. I went into doctor mode, remembering how he took care of my feet. I pulled alcohol and gauze from his bag. Slowly, I pulled the gauze away from his stomach. The bullet wound was stitched, but it had blood leaking out. I applied the alcohol to it, and bit my lip when he groaned. I was hurting him. I forced myself not to pay attention to the way his stomach flexed when he tensed. His body was perfect. Sculpted.

When I finished wrapping the gauze around his stomach, I smiled. "Perfect."

I wrapped it so tight only a little bit of blood seeped through. Seth smiled in thanks and put his black shirt back on.

I tore my eyes away from his body. I couldn't help but look.

"What happened while you were away?" Seth trailed his fingers down the scratch marks on my face.

"I was attacked by the diseased." His fingertips warmed my skin. I stepped backwards, uncomfortable.

"They got you good." Seth murmured, staring intently at the marks.

I laughed. It came out nervous. "You should see my back." It was meant as a joke, but he took it literal.

"Show me."

"What?" I backed up further. "No."

"I need to make sure it's not infected. Show me." It was a demand.

"Seth, no. I'm vaccinated. I'm fine."

"Brianna, the disease mutated. Show me."

Something in his voice made me turn around and lift my shirt up. Seth stepped closer. I could feel the heat from his body.

He swore under his breath. My heart started racing.

"Am I infected?"

Seth turned me to face him and I dropped my shirt. "No. How did this happen?" He was angry. "I told Adam to take care of you. Why are you all banged up?"

"It didn't happen on Adams watch. Rugter took me away to go to David. It was a command." My voice got defensive.

Seth looked at me incredulously. "Adam let you go? Just like that?"

"Yes. No. I mean he followed us. I had a trial." What was the big deal?

Seth opened his mouth to say something, but his words got cut off by an ear shattering scream.

Without a second thought, we ran to the group. A diseased girl was laying on the floor, dead. Her head had been smashed in. Rugter stood over her with a huge rock in his hand. He was panting.

"What happened?" Seth demanded.

Jewel was sitting on the ground. Her face looked shocked. She just kept looking back from the diseased to Rutger.

Chantel had her hands covering her mouth. Something horrible had happened. David's face looked bleak. Saddened.

"She scratched me." Jewel sounded lost. She lifted up the front of her shirt and I saw scratch marks down her torso.

She wasn't vaccinated. She was going to get sick.

"No." Rugter shook his head back and forth. "No!" He yelled. Rugter dropped to the floor and took Jewel's face into his hands. "It's going to be okay. We will find a cure. It's going to be okay." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, but it wasn't working.

Tears streamed down Jewel's face, but she didn't say anything.

Sadness filled my heart. In an odd way, I liked her. She was strong. A leader.

David took the gun strapped to his waist and walked over to Rugter and Jewel. "Move." He told Rugter, pointing the gun at her head.

Rugter spun around and faced David. "No. There has to be a way. It can't end like this." His voice was panicky. He was breaking.