A Cold and Heartless Lullaby -Chapter 12-

Dread churned in Leper’s soul, and he found no comfort within the city’s borders. The wheeler rumbled beneath him as he arrived at the outskirts, and glowing beetles fluttered in the sky above him, moving from one building to the next in the blizzarding darkness. I won’t be safe here.

Slung over his shoulder, the ration bag hardly seemed worth it. The reverant’s fury was a steep price to pay for one bag of food, but it was too late to regret his choices. 

Leper rolled up to his hideout, stashing the wheeler around the back. When he switched it off, a quiet resonated in his ears, and all he could hear was the flapping of a loose tarp on a window up the wall. He looked up at it, craning his neck. I should have fixed that by now.

Inside, Kia sat in the corner, huddled in her blanket and staring at the floor. She did not acknowledge him.

“I got you more food.” Leper dropped the bag in front of her.

“I thought you said there wasn’t a market,” 

“There isn’t.”

“Then where did you get it?” Kia asked. Leper stalked over to the entrance and pushed it open a crack, staring out at the snowy void. Nothing. He was glad the snow had covered his tracks, but Leper knew he wouldn’t be hard to find.

“Look, it doesn’t matter where I got it. Just be grateful and stop asking questions.” Leper let the concrete slab fall back into place. “We can’t stay here; it’s too dangerous. We may have to leave, even tonight.”

Kia tilted her head, “Where are we going?” 

“We- I don’t know,” Leper said, “anywhere but here.”

“You stole the food, didn’t you?” Leper froze. “That’s why we have to leave,” Kia guessed. This kid is observant.

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“How?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop asking questions?’” 

“But-”

“Be quiet!” Leper carefully lifted the slab and peeked out. His soul pulsed. Distant lights flashed, barely visible in the blowing snow as they approached. There was no question. Wheelers.

“Rot!” Leper cursed.

“Rot?” Kia repeated,

“You don’t get to say that.” Leper shouldered his battery pack and snatched the ration bag from the ground. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Kia tilted her head again.

“Get up!” Leper commanded. She stared at him. Fed up, Leper turned back to the entrance and tuned his hearing. He could barely hear Roman shouting.

“Search every nook and cranny of this place! We will not rest until that andron is found!”

The wheeler was in the back. If they went out the front door, they’d risk being seen before they could reach it. Even starting the wheeler would draw attention to themselves. They could try to get away without it, but they wouldn’t get far. 

Leper’s mind raced. They’ll find the hideout any minute now. A tarp rippled in the wind, and Leper snapped back to reality. The window sat high up on the wall, tilted from the floor. It was big enough to fit through.

Without bothering to explain, Leper grabbed Kia by the blanket and made for the back wall. She tried to scream, but Leper stopped her.

“The reverants are right on our doorstep. Keep your voice down, and hold on tight.”

“You’re cold!” Kia whined. Leper didn’t respond; he just held her close with one hand and drove the other into the cement wall. It struck in with a puff of dust, and a crack flared out. Removing his hand, he replaced it with his foot and lifted himself up, striking another handhold further up. 

“Hold on to me,” Leper said. Kia finally obeyed, and Leper used both hands to continue climbing. Halfway up, the piece of cement he was holding on to faltered, and he swung, pivoting outwards. Kia screamed. Leper flinched, fighting to grab hold again. He could hear the sound of boots approaching the hideout, but he had almost made it to the window. 

“Move this rock!” Roman commanded. It jumped in place as guards threw themselves at it, but it did not move. The tarp from the window was almost within reach. Leper heard the guards grunting as they tried to push the slab away. He snatched the edge of the tarp and tugged, but it wasn’t coming loose. Struggling, the guards wavered, and the concrete fell back into place.

Climbing higher, Leper got a better grip on the tarp and jerked it, but only part of the woven plastic tore away. More boots joined the crew as they worked to move the slab. The tarp popped from its staples and peeled away in one sweep. The guards shoved the concrete chunk away, and blustering winds surged through. Five guards had rushed into the room the moment Leper got his foot on the ledge.

Leper and Kia dropped out the window, scraps missing them by a breath. Snow cushioned the fall, but Kia still screamed. Leper tossed her onto the wheeler and mounted behind her. He had to reach around her to twist the crank. She squirmed out from under him, reaching down to something on the ground. The jerboa was sitting in the snow. Not wasting a second, Leper scooped it up and stuffed it into her blanket. Just as the engine bubbled to life, guards turned the corner, and he shot out onto the open road. 

Scrapguns fired from all sides the moment Leper appeared. Reverant wheelers were everywhere. He ducked down over his handlebars, searching for an escape, but the wheelers were closing in. More and more appeared all around him, and he picked up speed, hoping to escape. Amidst the confusion, Leper had no idea what direction he was going in. Somehow, a sense of dread was crawling over him. Then he realized why.

Leper gripped the brakes as hard as he could, and the wheeler skidded to a halt. Wheels chewed gravel and ice as he swung around, turning away from the gaping ravine mere strides away. One of his back wheels dipped over the cliff. Leper’s soul lurched. Kia held tight. He hit the gas, and the rest of the spinning tires barely managed to heave the wheeler out of danger. 

Wheelers and reverants were approaching on all sides. They had stopped shooting.

“Halt!” Roman called. Parked in a semicircle, the wheeler’s lights glowed red as they idled, blocking every exit. “You are surrounded, andron! If you try anything, you will be shot immediately.”

Leper was running out of options. 

“Face your sin, andron,” Roman commanded. “Let your fate be decided by the will of Sol!”

With 12 scrap guns trained on him, Leper lowered his hand to switch the lights off on his wheeler. He took his chance and banged the side of his fist on the metal chassis. The sound echoed into the night, louder than anything else. Again, Leper struck the metal.  Roman grinned.

“What are you trying to do? You can’t face us!”

With one final pound on the wheeler, Leper watched a pack of beetles burst out from a nearby building. Their glowing abdomens throbbed as they approached, just as Leper had hoped. Kia hid her face, and Leper revved his engine. 

Cries of surprise and horror lifted into the night as giant beetles landed on the wheelers, mistaking them for mates. Leper punched the gas.

Wheels spinning, Leper shot forward, taking his chance. Half of the reverants abandoned their vehicles, fleeing in terror. Others were pinned to their handlebars by giant beetles. Wings buzzed, making a sound like rotor blades as the beetles began their ritual. One of the wheelers was flipped over, flinging snow and tossing its rider. Leper passed through the circle, unattested. 

Roman stood in front of the chaos, focused only on Leper as he leveled his scrap gun. He took a shot but missed. By the time he could reload, Leper was too far.

“You’ve made a powerful enemy, andron!” he screamed. “A powerful enemy!” 

Gliding over the snow, Leper clutched the gas with all he had, the wheels rumbling smoothly over uneven terrain. When he switched on the lights, snowflakes became streaks of white, and Kia huddled closer in her blanket. There was no destination. Leper hadn’t thought that far ahead. Whatever happened, his only goal was to keep her alive.