Page 110 of Heart of the Sun

A muffled scream came from one of the gargantuan homes, and my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t want to think about who might be screaming and why, and so I didn’t because it would do me no good. But it did bolster my decision to try my best to give these people some sort of fighting chance.

I let out a sigh of relief when I stepped onto a larger portion of land, picking up my speed. The journey downhill less precarious, but the sounds of Leon’s men were everywhere now, no longer attempting to be quiet as they went from home to home.

A burst of gunfire sounded from above, my heart jolting with each distant crack.

“Oh God,” I said. Maybe the people Leon had arranged to take over weren’t killers, but they still had weapons and if someone attempted to fight back, they were going to use them.Who was going to try to escape? If you had nowhere else to go, escape meant death just as surely as facing down a loaded gun.

Based on my travel time and descent, I estimated that I was very close to the front gate. That was confirmed when I spotted the roof of the guardhouse.

I moved swiftly around the back of the small structure, and then stood on my tiptoes to look inside. There was just enough light cast by the lanterns nearby to see that Asher was tied to a chair. He spotted me, his eyes widening as he beckoned me for help by gesturing with his head.

I ducked down again and moved quickly among the shadows to the front of the building, peeking around. The guards were there, but their backs were to me. I kept my eyes on them, my heart thundering as I opened the door, praying it wouldn’t squeak, and slipped inside. I released a gush of breath and then I ran to where Asher was, going down on my knees behind him and beginning to untie his bindings. “The guards are compromised. They surprised me in my sleep and tied me up,” he whispered. “I was able to grab one of their walkie-talkies—”

“That was intercepted. This place is being taken over by Leon Lee and a group of armed men you might have heard being let in through the gate. They plan on evicting the elderly by force, if not others too. Leon says they’re not planning on shooting anyone, but I don’t know if that’s true. They’re unaware you have any weapons here though. Freddie and Layne are gathering as many of your people as they can. They said you know where to meet.”

Once Freddie and Layne alerted a few, they could all begin spreading out quickly, already knowing the lay of the land, every row in all the gardens and each wall and terrace. Even the elderly were on their home turf whereas the invaders were not. It was a huge advantage.

The rope came loose, and Asher began freeing his hands. “I never trusted that guy,” Asher hissed before bending forward to untie the bindings at his ankles.“He acted like he owned the place the first day he arrived. They’ll be sorry they ever attempted this. Are you with us?”

“No. I’m not staying. I have somewhere else to be.”

His gaze hung on me for a moment. “If you belong somewhere else, don’t give that up. I won’t forget what you did for me. For us. Thank you.” Asher pried up a floorboard and took out a large black bag. He reached inside and pulled out a handgun. Then he stood and grabbed something off the top of a shelf and handed it to me. I took it. A key. “Do you know how to ride a dirt bike?”

I remembered the bikes that Asher and Leon had used to take Layne and me up the hill that first day. How was I going to get one of those past the guards though? “It’s been a while,” I said.

“Come on.” Asher pulled in a breath and then unlocked the window at the back of the room. This window was older than the one I’d escaped from and didn’t swing open. Instead, he raised it slightly, pausing when it let out a creak. I cringed and looked over my shoulder as though I could see the guards through the wall. But when I heard one of them laugh loudly at something the other said, my shoulders lowered in relief. Asher raised the window higher, pausing and then pushing it up enough that we could squeeze through.

He stepped aside and I crawled out a window for the second time that night, grateful that this one didn’t involve a descent. Asher was right behind me and we both stood, listening again before he whispered, “I have my own bike that’s parked outside the gate, behind some trees on the left.”Oh.Outside the gate. It was where I was willingly heading, but the phrase itself inspired a ricochet of fear. “Wait for the two shots and then come down to the gate. I’ll open it for you.”

I opened my mouth to ask about the two shots but then realized what he meant. He was going to ambush the guards and kill them. Which was necessary. They’d betrayed the entire community. Instead, I said, “A bike is valuable. What if you need it.” It was probably what they used to go out and obtain all the weapons and ammunition they’d been able to score while others searched for food.It was why they had a fighting chance now. Each vehicle was a matter of life and death.

He glanced behind him and then back to me. “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘burn the boats’?”

Burn the boats? What?“No.”

His mouth gave a small quirk. “Look it up someday.”

“I’ll google it as soon as I can.”

Asher smiled, and then turned, ducking around the building and into the foliage that ended near the front gate. I closed my eyes and hummed so quietly that no one who wasn’t standing an inch from me would have heard. I waited, my hands gripped together until I heard a loud rustle, a pop, and then a yell that was cut off by another pop.

I walked quickly around the guardhouse and to the gate where Asher was already standing. In my peripheral vision, I saw the two guards lying in a heap next to each other but didn’t turn my head.

Asher pulled the gate open, and I slipped through the small space. He closed it behind me and as he was closing it, I said, “Thank you so much. And good luck.” It seemed so inadequate, but it was all I had.

“You too,” he said and then he turned away, off to join the others. Off to fight.

I found the bike where he’d said it would be and then rolled it down the street, getting far enough away before swinging my leg over it and sitting down. Then I turned the ignition, the loud rumble in the midst of the silent night making me grimace.

I released the brake, the bike flying forward, wobbling momentarily as I emitted a high-pitched hiss, certain I was going to tumble off. But I gripped the handles, finding control and speeding off into the night. If I rode fast, and wasn’t stopped, I could be home before morning.

chapterforty-seven

Tuck

The guards at the next barrier were jacked up on tension and power, and I got the inkling they were itching to shoot someone and at the smallest excuse would do so. I backtracked about a quarter mile and then veered off to the side where I’d seen a few others walking earlier, making their way around the guarded area even though there was only desert in that direction.

Those walking sent furtive glances in my direction, clutching their packs tightly, some holding weapons down at their sides, the threat clear. Even those who weren’t looking for trouble would protect what they had at all costs.

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