Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (28 page)

"I miss you, Evelyn." He breathed.

He wasn't seeing me as me. In this moment, he was seeing his daughter. I backed out of his arms. I walked away from him. I left the gun up there with him. I knew he wouldn't shoot me. He wasn't angry anymore. He was lost. I think we all were. In a world this destructive and destroyed, where did people find the good? Was there any good left? I thought of Adam. Yes, there was good left.

I dropped down from the tree and screamed at the top of my lungs. "Bomb! The helicopter has a bomb and it's going to drop on us!" I was in the middle of The Unit soldiers. They looked at me like I was crazy.

I pointed to the helicopter that was getting closer and closer by the second. They must have recognized what kind of helicopter it was because their eyes widened.

"Get everyone to safety! We can't all die" I cried.

I just kept screaming the word bomb over and over and over again. The battle stopped. Everyone stopped fighting. Once they saw the helicopter, they all simply watched it. It was like nobody knew what to do. Running was pointless. Run where? Into the trees that were fifty seconds away from bursting into flames? I looked up onto the roof. Stephan was standing there, head tilted back facing the sunlight. He was ready for death. None of us were.

I watched the faces of everyone around me. Some were full of fear, regret, and sadness. I think that's what we all were. Sad. Fighting this battle that had no end. Killing each other instead of living in harmony. Accepting our differences.

I found Adam in the crowd of people. He had been watching me.

"There is a bomb shelter beneath the house. Run everyone!" A soldier shouted through the front door.

It took a second for people to react. I expected everyone to push and shove and force their way into the house, but that wasn't what happened at all. People filed inside in a single line. It was like Elementary school all over again. Adam approached me and gave me a little push towards the front door.

What were the chances that the rebellion and The Unit would come together in peace and attempt to survive together? I looked at the roof at Stephan again. He was watching me. My heart panged with pain. He didn't want to live. Adam took my hand and led me into the house. Nobody was carrying weapons anymore. We walked down steps that led into a basement, then more steps that led underground.

It was a tunnel. Stephan always chose houses with secret tunnels.

Whispers reached my ears all around me. Everyone kept walking through the tunnel. Further and further away from the heart of the house. The bomb would be landing any minute now.

I looked up into Adam's eyes. I don't know why I said it. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, maybe it was because we were five seconds away from death, or maybe because it was true.

"I love you," I said.

I felt it in my heart. This man was willing to die for me, to kill for me. Whenever I was lost, he guided me. He was there since the beginning. I remembered the night he opened up to me about his past. I remembered all the times he protected me, all the good I have seen him do, and the way he could always find a reason to smile.

He was truly a phenomenal man and I was lucky to have met him. I suddenly felt lucky. To be here with him in these last moments. The flashlights people had aimed away from his face, so I could no longer see his facial expression. 

I didn't mind not knowing how he felt about my confession. I embraced him in a hug. He hugged me back. His warmth surrounded me. His scent enveloped me. At least at the end of all this, I had him.

Adam brought his lips down to my ear, "I love you too." He whispered just as the bomb dropped.

"I found another one!" That voice was far away.

Everything sounded far away. I felt far away. I couldn't feel my body. My thoughts wouldn't process. Where was I? Who was I? Why was there a tight constriction on my chest? I couldn't breathe. Air. I needed air. I tried to take in deep breaths only to have little particles fly into my mouth.

I began to choke.

"We got a breather!" I was floating. Something was underneath my legs and back. My head was dead weight. I couldn't lift it up.

My eyelids turned bright red. I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. Air that once felt dirty and moist turned fresh. I took in big gulps of air and began to cough. I still couldn't lift my head. I still couldn't feel my body. It was okay, though. I could breathe. I could finally breathe.

My body gently touched the ground. Something cold touched the pulse at the base of my neck.

"This one is alive." The voice called out.

It sounded oddly familiar. I tried opening my eyes, but my body just wasn't cooperating. My fingers twitched at my side. What was going on? Why was I immobile? Was I dead? Was I in the arms of an angel?

Everything went silent. I was lost. I needed to find my way back. Back to where? Was I dreaming? Wake me up! I kept screaming those words in my head, but nobody woke me up. Where did the noises go? Where did the people go?

Something touched my leg, but I was still surrounded by darkness. I felt my body get propped up. I was in someone's arms. Someone was holding me. My head got tilted back. Liquid touched my lips, but I still couldn't get myself to open my mouth.

Someone parted my lips and poured a little bit of water down my mouth. Water. I remembered water. My tongue was dry. I wanted more. No, I needed more. I couldn't form the words. I think the person understood because they continued to feed me water.

"Wake up." The voice was the voice of an angel.

I had to be dead. The beautiful melody kept talking to me. Pleading with me. The angel sounded sad. I wanted to tell the angel everything was going to be okay, but I still couldn't speak.

I slipped into darkness again.

When the darkness faded again, I was on something soft. Cushiony. It felt too pleasant to be hell. Maybe I was in heaven. Where did my angel go? A familiar scent wafted around me. My angel was back. I wanted to beg my angel to never leave me again.

When my eyes finally opened, green orbs were staring at me. Watching me. A beautiful, perfect man stood in front of me. He spoke. I recognized the voice. It was the angel from earlier. His face was battered and bruised. I wanted to make the physical pain I knew he was feeling go away. He gently touched my face and I tilted my cheek into his palm.

A white soft blanket was draped over me. We were in a bedroom. There was a man behind the angel. He wore a white lab coat. Was he an angel too? He didn't look like one.

Again, my eyes drifted shut.

"Brianna."

Slowly, I awakened. Pain. I felt pain everywhere. My entire body was in pain. My head was pounding. My mouth was dry. Opening my eyes, I looked around. Seth was in a chair right next to the bed I was in. I looked at my arm. An IV was in it. By reflex, I moved to rip it out.

"No, you don't." He said, holding my hand in place.

I was confused. I looked around. "Where are we?" The last time I woke up in a situation like this, I wasn't where I thought I was.

Adam wrapped his big hands around my cold hands. "We are in a sanctuary." He responded, watching me closely.

A sanctuary? It took a few moments, but everything came rushing back to me. Being tortured, the battle, Stephan, the bomb. I burst into tears. I'm not sure why. I felt overly emotional. I should be dead. So many times I should have died, but I kept living. How did I keep living?

Adam shushed me and crawled into the bed next to me. He provided me comfort. I thought he was an angel. He basically was. He held me while I sobbed and broke down. He was careful not to move the IV in my arm. He kept telling me everything was going to be okay now.

Eventually, I stopped crying and I just laid there hiccupping.

"Sorry." I mumbled, embarrassed now.

"Don't apologize," he whispered, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

I looked into the golden flecks in his iris. "What happened?"

Adam opened his mouth, then shut it. "You need some rest."

I looked at the sunlight streaming through the blinds. The window was open. The room smelt like fresh air and cut grass.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Maybe three weeks."

Almost a month. I've been sleeping for almost a full month. I attempted to sit up, but Adam pushed me back down. "Save your energy," he said.

We laid there in harmony for a while. I looked at Adam. His breathing was deep and even. Was it over now? Was Stephan dead? Were we all free of the chains he bound over us? What happened now?

I ripped the IV out of my arm and carefully got out of bed. Walking to the window, I looked out at the field stretching behind us. It was beautiful. The air was crisp and clean. A warm breeze drifted through the window. I took a deep calming breath. Spring was here.

I looked down at the white nightgown I was wearing. Someone had changed me. My body was covered in faded bruises. My left arm was wrapped in a bandage. I touched my cheek. I had stitches. I was a mess.

Where were we? He said a sanctuary. I walked across the fluffy carpet and opened the bedroom door. It led out into a quiet hallway. I saw a few doctors walk past and disappear into rooms. Was this some sort of hospital?

My stomach growled. I checked behind my shoulder to make sure Adam didn't hear. I didn't want to be in bed rest. I wanted to explore.

Quietly, I made my way down the hallway. Nobody paid any attention to me. Nobody questioned what I was doing out of bed.

Entering a living room, I looked around. People were standing around talking. Everyone appeared injured. Some of them had on military uniforms and others wore rebellion uniforms. Had we come together as one? I always found it odd how tragedy brought humans together. Why did we need violence to come together?

One man looked over at me. "You are awake." He stated.

I was suddenly embarrassed about the nightgown I was wearing. Heads turned and faced me. I was greeted with smiles. I couldn't remember a time when so many people smiled at me.

I nodded my head in agreement. Yes, obviously I was awake.

The man grinned more, brown eyes sparkling. He was a military soldier. He appeared carefree and happy. If these people were so happy, why was I so sad?

"You're our savior." He watched my facial expression like a hawk.

I was confused now. How did I go from enemy to savior?

A woman in all black spoke up. "You must be confused. Why he is saying this is because if it wasn't for you, we would all be dead. You spotted the bomb helicopter. You saved a bunch of lives that day." She smiled. "You will be remembered."

I was getting embarrassed with all the attention on me. I shuffled on my feet. Maybe I should have stayed in the bedroom.

"Thank you." I responded.

The man walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "No, thank you. It's because of you I get to go home soon and see my kids."

A weight lifted off of my shoulders. Instead of making it so a man never saw his family again, I made it so he got to see his kids. His wife. Maybe even his mom and dad. Instead of bringing pain, I brought joy.

I looked at him with hope in my eyes. "Is it over?" I asked, voice shaking.

I felt the atmosphere here turn grim. I had asked the wrong question. I looked around at the sad faces surrounding me.

"It's just the beginning." The woman dropped her head in her hands. Her jet black hair fell all around her.

I was puzzled. Stephan was dead. The Unit had no leader. How could it not be over?

The man led me to a couch and sat me down. "We've all heard rumors about you. You're not Evelyn. You are not from here. What was it like before? How did you end up here?" He looked at me with curious eyes.

I bit my lip and looked down. "I died in a car crash and woke up here." I didn't answer his next question. I didn't want to talk about a time they would never experience. I didn't want them to be sad.

"What does freedom taste like?" He asked, voice rough with emotion.

I didn't expect him to want freedom. He obviously worked under Stephan.

I licked my dry lips and stared at my hands. "It tastes like harmony." I offered.

He had puppy eyes. I looked at the ring on his finger and his boyish features. He appeared so innocent, but so did I. I think in a world like this, we all do things we're not proud of. He may have did what he has done to survive. Animals will do anything to survive.

I leaned back into the soft couch and watched the clock on the wall tick. It was so quiet now.

"Why is it not over?" I inquired, voice steady.

The woman lifted her head. "Stephan wasn't the only bad man. Just because they lost their leader, doesn't mean they lost everyone who wants to lead. Yes, the military is broken apart and in shambles, but that doesn't mean different squads didn't have a leader. Before he had no states, now the county is divided. Some men left the military only to fight with their buddies. It's everyone against everyone right now."

I gnawed my lip. "How do we end it?"

"Nobody will ever agree to one thing. I don't think this can ever end." The man said.

We turned our heads when we heard a creak behind us. Adam stood there, arms crossed and face angry.

"I thought I told you to get some rest." His tone was accusing.

I mimicked his crossed arms and glared. "I'm not tired. I've been sleeping for three weeks."

Adam's green eyes glinted with a little bit of anger. "You had a roof fall down on top of your body. You need more sleep."

When did he become so demanding and bossy? I leaned further back into the couch to show I wasn't going anywhere. He was cranky. He was the one who needed sleep.

The man sitting next to me chuckled. "You should listen to your boyfriend. You're all sorts of banged up."

I started to say he wasn't my boyfriend, then snapped my mouth shut. I looked at Adam's burning eyes. I had told him I loved him moments before I thought we were going to die. He said it back. Did he mean it or was he just so caught up in the moment?

I looked at the way he looked at me. With so much care. I knew that I meant it, but I was unsure about him. I didn't want him to feel pressured. What if he only loved me as a friend now? I kissed his brother and he knew about it.

I stood on weak legs and walked over to him. Silently, he took my hand and led me back to the bedroom. He tucked me into the warm blankets and sat on the chair next to the bed. I wished he would lay down with me again. I wanted to be in his arms. He made me feel so safe.

His eye brows furrowed. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I am thinking about how fresh the air is here." Opening my eyes, I looked at him. "Where is here?"

Adam leaned forward and took my cold hands in his. "Before all this happened, here would have been Los Manolis. It's right outside of where Chico and Oroville used to be. Now here is Saint Pleasanton. It's a town that the rebellion won from The Unit."