Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (7 page)

Guilt ate at me and I looked down. Seth put his hand under my chin and made me look up at him.

“Take the gun.” His voice sounded far away.

I shook my head. I just wanted it all to end.

Seth put the gun in my hands and pointed it at himself. “Shoot me. Shoot me so I can go back. They can’t know I helped you escape.”

I opened and closed my mouth. That was not what I expected him to say after he pulled a gun out. The gun felt like a million pounds in my hand. “I can’t.” I whispered.

“Yes, Evelyn, you can. I have seen you kill. I know things are different now that your memories are lost, but the girl you were is still in there. You are still in there. Shoot me.” He sounded desperate. The gun shots were getting closer now.

I shook my head back and forth, making the pain in my body worse.

Seth wrapped his hand around mine. Before I was able to stop him, he pushed on the trigger. The blast from the gun made my hand jerk. He fell to his knees, putting pressure on his stomach.

“What did you do?” I screamed, dropping to my knees. The gun fell to the soft grass.

Seth groaned, dropping his head. “Run now, Evelyn.”

I laid my hand over his bloody hand. “Why did you help me escape? How did you know I helped Rugter?” My voice broke.

Why didn’t he turn me in? He was supposed to be one of the bad guys.

“I saw the determination on your face when you were walking towards the basement. I just had a feeling. Go now. They are coming.” Seth’s voice held urgency.

I don’t know what overcame me. Maybe it was the adrenalin pumping through my veins, maybe it was the fact that I just shot him, or maybe I was just losing my mind. I lifted Seth’s face with my bloody hands and pressed my lips against his cheek. A surprised noise rumbled in his throat. I pulled back. “Thank you.” I breathed.

I looked towards the building and saw soldiers running in our direction, their guns aimed right at us. A bullet whizzed past my head. I gave Seth a fleeting look and run over to the iron gate. This was going to hurt. I pulled myself over and jumped off. Pain shot up my feet. Half jogging, half running I made it into the safety of the trees.

I don’t know when I came to think being in the forest was safe, but I could not ignore the comfort it provided me in that moment. I tenderly touched the side of my face and flinched. It was swollen and in pain. I didn’t even make it a few minutes into the forest before someone’s hand wrapped around my arm.

“Don’t scream.” It was Adam’s voice.

What was he doing here? I kept my mouth clamped shut. Everywhere I went, I ran into trouble. Adam dragged me through the forest, not saying a word. I heard a dog bark in the distance.

He muttered curse words. “Hound dogs. We need to hurry up and reach the creek.”

I cried out in pain when he made us start running. I didn’t know how much more abuse my body was going to be able to take. I don’t know why I was following Adam. Seth told me to go to Rugter.

“Wait, Evelyn’s brother.” I caught my mistake. “I mean my brother. I need to find him.”

Adam yanked my arm hard when he felt me slowing down. “Don’t act like you care about his well-being. I don’t know what you’re plotting, but we will find out.”

Plotting? I attempt to save Rugter and now I am plotting something? I was panting by the time we reached the lake. The ringing in my ears finally went down. The barking of the dogs was getting closer. The freezing water made me teeth start chattering the moment we stepped foot in it. I slipped on a rock but caught my balance.

We swam across the creek. The dress was sticking to my body. I was so cold my skin got itchy. When we got out of the water, I saw people waiting by the trees. We were caught. Adam saw them too, but his footsteps didn’t falter. He was heading straight towards them.

“Hurry.” A female voice said. I recognized her voice. She was the girl who was with Adam that first night I tried escaping.

When we reached them, Adam shoved me forwards. The girl, about the same height as me, wrapped something around my wrists binding them together. She tied something to my bound wrists and yanked. I was the prisoner now.

After a few minutes of running, we broke out from the trees. We were right by a freeway. A van was parked, engine on. I got ushered into the very back of the van. Adam took the passenger seat making me sit in the back with the girl. She gave me a dirty look and stared straight forward.

The driver started speeding away down the freeway, dodging abandoned cars. I was silent. I left Rugter. I abandoned him. Who knew what The Unit would do to him now? And Seth… why had he saved me? Did he know the rebels were in the woods? Did he know I would end up with them? Everything in my life was going too fast. My life was spiraling out of control.

I sniffled.

“Oh, God. The princess is about to cry.” The girl scooted away from me like I contained a disease.

I bit my lip, hard. I needed to learn how to control my emotions. I needed to learn how to keep everything in. Things were different here. I needed to be strong, not weak.

“Play nice, Chantel.” Adam warned, from the front seat.

My brown hair was plastered to my face, my teeth were chattering so hard that it rattled my brain, and I knew my lips were blue. I have never been so cold in my entire life.

Everyone was quiet for the rest of the ride. We drove until the sun came up. I kept looking behind us, expecting to see SUVs on our trail catching up, but none ever came. I couldn’t get Seth out of my head. What if he died? The gun was in close range when he made me shoot him in the stomach. I would be a murderer just like Evelyn. I was no better than her.

He was going to die the way Sanchez died. Blood spilling out of his mouth and dropping to the floor. It was my fault. All this was my fault. Guilt weighed heavily on my heart. I was a ruiner. I tried to do good and instead I hurt people. How can one human being cause so much damage?

We drove for a long time. I could feel the sun beating against my face through the window. My eyes were closed, blocking out this thing I called my life. My dress was damp and sticking to my skin.

Adam spoke. "Is she sleeping?"

I felt Chantel peer at me. I kept my breathing even and moved slightly.

"Yes," She answered shifting away from me.

"From the looks of it, Evelyn broke her brother out. I do not know why she would do something like that, but I don't trust her reasoning. Seth said she has been different sense the bombing. More quiet and soft, but all it takes is her getting her memory back for her to flip into the monster that she was again."

My ears perked at Seth's name. Was he in the rebellion? If he was a part of the rebels, what was he doing being Stephane's wing man and in The Unit? That was a dangerous game to be playing.

"A grenade went off in the jail cells. Some of the soldiers were wounded while others were killed."

My stomach plummeted. Lives were lost because of me.

"All those gunshots you guys were hearing, that was the people rebelling. They heard the alarm go off. They knew a prisoner escaped. They were running over to see if it was their wife's, husbands, kids, or anyone they knew. We know the consequences for escaped prisoners..." Adam trailed off.

A guy spoke up. "How odd that she broke her brother out the day we were heading in."

Were they going to break him out?

"It was a good thing she picked today. Her plan had less of a death rate than ours." Adam replied. He sounded exhausted. Stressed.

Chantel got pissed. "Who cares if her plan had less of a death rate? She is one of them. She represents everything The Unit is. We have seen first handed what she has done. She's a person's worst nightmare."

It got quiet after Chantel’s rant. The road got bumpy. We were off of the freeway now. I peeked an eye open to see we were on a one lane road headed straight for the country.

Adam fiddled with a radio. I froze when I heard Stephan’s voice.

"Many lives were lost today and we all are mourning the loss that our country has faced. Soldiers died on the front of the line as well as citizens. Together we will find peace, tranquility. And I am going to need your help. My daughter was taken hostage by the rebels. The rebels broke Rugter out of prison today. Both are missing. Around all open cities, you will have pictures of Evelyn and Rugter and suspected people in the rebels. We will come together as one and find peace, but I am going to need your help. We can't do this without you, the people."

Stephan went on to name the fallen soldiers and citizens. My mind kept replaying what he said. He said the rebels took me hostage, which they did, giving to the fact that my arms are tied up. He doesn't know that, though. I shot Seth to make it look like he tried to stop me. Seth probably told him bits and pieces of the story. This wasn't adding up.

Chantel screamed. I jumped up so high my head hit the roof of the van.

"He's dead." She started sobbing. Chantel grabbed onto her thick, curly brown hair and started rocking back and forth. She attempted to speak, but her words were incoherent. Adam was swearing up at the front seat. He slammed his fists onto the dashboard. A young man in the middle seat of the van covered his face with his hands. The driver pulled over to the side of the road.

I looked around, confused. Who had died? I did not listen to the names. I was too lost in thought. Was it a citizen that they cared deeply about? This was all my fault...

Chantel randomly turned to me and wrapped her hands around my throat. She began to choke me. Her brown eyes peered into my blue eyes. "You were the last one to see him. What happened?"

I pried her fingers off of my throat and shoved her backwards. I bent over, coughing and gasping for air. For such a tiny girl, she was extremely strong. "Who?" I gasped.

"Seth!" she screeched, voice breaking.

I looked at Adam and back to her. "I don't know what is going on?"

But I had a feeling I did know. Seth was dead. All because he made me shoot him. I wasn't righting Evelyn's wrongs. I was making everything worse.

"We need to stay calm." The driver turned around and looked every single one of us in our eyes. He seemed older. Pushing his thirties. His eyes were as green as freshly watered grass. He had dark eyebrows that made the color in his eyes more intense. I could tell he was composing his face, trying to keep it together. He was hanging off of a loose thread.

“Evelyn.” Adam said my name like it was a statement.

I looked at him, holding back my own tears. I was a killer. I was a monster. Self-loathe filled me.

“I saw Seth carry you out of the military unit. What happened?”

Now all eyes were on me. I swallowed, my mouth dry. I did not know what to tell them. I did not know whether to lie, or give the truth. I just shook my head back and forth and looked at my lap.

“Did anyone see him carry you out? Did he get caught?”

Chantel started sobbing harder. “Oh God, he died for you? Why would he risk his life for you?”

I pressed my lips together. My heart hurt. My soul hurt. My body hurt. I just hurt everywhere. I kept my mouth shut and brought my knees to my chest. Resting my forehead on the top of my knees, I silently cried. This was all my fault. So many people were hurt because of me.

Chantel started punching me with her tiny fists. I curled tighter into my body, not stopping her. I deserved this. “What did you do to him?” Her voice was frail. She was losing it.

I heard the van door open. Someone tore her away from me. Her screaming got more distant. I refused to look up. I couldn’t bare to see the looks on their faces.

It was quiet in the van. The driver and the guy in the middle seat didn’t say anything as moments passed. Minutes passed. It felt like a couple of days had passed. I knew Adam was the one who carried Chantel out. His presence was overbearing. That overbearing feeling went away.

I thought of the night that Seth bandaged my feet after I went running through the woods without shoes on. He took care of me. He did not like me, but he made sure I was okay. In a place where humanity seemed thin, he clung to his humanity. He was an angel in a world full of demons. He was gone because of me. His masculine laugh echoed in my head. I had my heard him laugh once. I wished I had gotten to know him better. I wished I had asked him questions. How old was he? Did he have any siblings? Where were his parents? What made him happy in life? What were his goals? All those simple things about people that we all took for granted. Now I would never know.

I kept my head down when the van door reopened. A warm musky scent wafted to my nose. Adam was the one sitting by me now. The driver started the car.

A calloused hand softy touched my arm. I cringed away from the touch. Lifting my head, I looked at Adam. Could he see the guilt on my face? The shame in my eyes?

He rubbed his hand through his buzz cut hair and just looked at me. He looked at me like he could see into my soul. Adam was searching for something in my eyes. I must not have had the answer because he quickly looked away.

I felt relieved when the driver finally stopped the van. He parked outside of a two-story brick house. We were on a barn. In the distance, I could see cattle and chickens roaming freely. Everyone emptied out of the van silently. Adam led me out by the rope tied around my wrists. I felt like a dog that he was walking.

The driver, whose name I learned was Bret, looked around us. He seemed suspicious. Bret's green eyes changed into a hazel color when the sun shone on it. I could see brown mixed into the green. I looked from Bret to Adam. They had the same color eyes, except Adam’s eyes, were just green without any brown in it. Adam had dirty blond hair and Bret had brown hair. Side by side they looked related.

Chantel walked straight towards the barn on the other side of the property. She didn’t say a word and nobody stopped her. She was taking Seth’s death the hardest out of them. I looked down, frowning. I didn’t blame her for hating me.

“What is she doing on my property?” A woman stepped out onto the porch. She had soft, blond hair that framed her oval face. She was wearing a red flowy dress that had patterns all over it and a white apron was tied around her waist. She looked like a perfect housewife.

Adam tugged the rope, making me step closer to his side. “She is a prisoner with us.”

Bret looked between Adam and the woman, gauging the situation. His muscles in his arms tensed. He was ready for a fight.

An ancient man walked out onto the front porch, shotgun in hand aimed right at me. I was not fazed at having a gun pointed at me. In the past week, I had guns pointed at me so many times. In a weird way, I was used to it. I didn’t even bat an eyelash.

Adam pushed me behind him. “Mr. Walker, she is with me.”

The old man frowned, making all the wrinkles on his face more prominent. Mr. Walker had thin hair. Only a couple of strands stood standing. His hands were blue and bruised. He wore overalls twice his size making his fragile body look frailer. Yet there he stood, shotgun in hand, ready to blow my head off.

Mr. Walker seemed angry at the idea. “Get that disgusting parasite out of here!” He was panting with anger.

The woman smoothed her hands over Mr. Walker’s back in concern. She didn’t attempt to get that shotgun out of his shaking hands. She looked at me with an icy stare. She wanted him to pull the trigger.

Bret, the peace keeper spoke. “Now why don’t we all calm down and think rationally. Nobody needs to die today. We've already lost one of our own, let’s not make the numbers bigger. If you don’t mind Susan, I am going to head in for a shower. Adam will take Evelyn and chain her to a tree. She will be staying with us for a few days until things get situated. Don’t worry about her. You won't even know she is here.”

Chain me to a tree? Did I look like a farm animal?

Mr. Walker kept the shot gun focused on me. “You guys know I never ask about your business, but why did you bring Stephan’s daughter here? She is all over the news. Everyone is looking for her. You are putting my family in danger.” For a man his age, he was aware of his surroundings.

Bret started heading up the steps. “We will talk when we are inside. Adam, you know what to do.” Bret turned around and looked at something behind me. “Come in, Mitchel.”

I forgot about the guy who was sitting in the middle of the van. He hasn’t said a thing since I met him. Adam tugged on the rope leading me away from the front door. The air here was clean. It was nothing like the smell in the city. There were birds here. I could hear them chirping in the trees. Animals surrounded me. I enjoyed the noises of nature. I almost forgot what it sounded like.

I didn’t say anything when Adam chained me to a tree in the shade. His face was a blank mask. Something changed in him from when we were in the car to now. I didn’t make any kind of eye contact with him. It was degrading getting chained to a tree. I knew not to speak. Things could be worse.

I used this time to mourn Seth. I did not know him well, but there was something about him. Something that just pulled me to him. I closed my eyes. I was exhausted. I drifted into a restless sleep.

Something poked me in the ribs. I muttered under my breath and curled into a tight ball. The wind was blowing really harsh. I heard the thunder roar in the distance. The sky sounded angry. Light flashed behind my closed eye lids. Another poke jabbed me on my ribs.

I sat up. A little girl stood in front of me giggling and holding a stick in her hand. She wore a yellow sunflower dress. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were bright with life. Rain began to fall from the sky. I breathed in the wonderful scent, feeling a little at ease.

“What are you doing?” I asked the little girl.

She tilted her head to the side. She was observing the chains bound to my wrist. “My name is Mary, but people call me Mare.”

“My name is Brianna, but people call me Evelyn.” I swiped my brown hair out of my eyes.

Mare sat down beside me. She wasn’t shy at all. “My momma says you’re a bad girl and to stay away from you. She says you killed Brother Matt. Drafted him away and sent him out to a war zone. My momma says he had to fight his friends.” Mare looked up at me, blue eyes shining.

I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I had a feeling I did. The Unit. He got drafted for the military, then had to fight his own friends in a war. My heart was sad. I had never seen, nor felt so much grief in my life. Sadness surrounded me. Everyone was hurting. I wished I could take it all away. I wanted to make everything better.

I noticed Mare started shivering, but she kept those blue orbs on me.

“Why don’t you go inside where it is warm,” I suggested, giving her a little push. My teeth chattered through the words. The temperature out here dropped fast. If we are in California, I see that the drought went away.

Mare shot me an incredulous look. “Are you crazy? Let me tell you something, princess.”  She tapped my nose with her index finger and winked. “We are all about equality. I have the same right as you and you have the same rights as me. If you don’t have the right to step foot in my momma’s house, then neither do I. Abraham Lincoln said we are all equal. We abide by the same laws that are best for humanity.”