Chapter 4.2

Suddenly- Whee! Whee! Whee! A deafening sound rang out, vibrating in our bones, turning us numb. With the shock, I almost lost my focus on Shadow, but immediately regained it. Outside, guards were running about, yelling into their radios and frantically trying to find the source of the disturbance. We pressed ourselves against the outside wall, a few feet from the exit. I was afraid that if we tried to move, we would accidentally run into someone and get caught again. Adrenaline coursed through us making it difficult to stay still, I found myself wide-eyed, watching every movement of the soldiers as they buzzed past in a frenzy. Blood rushed to my head, and sweat oozed from my pours, turning my skin sticky and uncomfortable and it cooled in the wind.

Through the mist, I could see Theo had pressed one of her hands over her mouth, and the other over Tommy's, to stop the sound of her breathing… or to remind them not the scream, I wasn't sure. Not that they would have heard over the siren regardless.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. We waited until the frenzy died down slightly and there were fewer soldiers outside. It just meant that they were inside, checking on the prisoners, and were that much closer to discovering our disappearance. I squeezed Theos forearm twice firmly, to indicate we should start moving again. Slowly, we crept out from the shadow of the building and across the courtyard. Our hearts did tiny somersaults as we entered the sun, suddenly feeling much more exposed, but we aren't stopped. We walk straight out. Other than guards, there didn't seem to be any other security on the outside so that was a saving grace. We headed North West towards my house, we checked before we left, and the patrols seemed to still be in the East of the city. A few streets in we decided it was safe enough to come out from under Shadow, and we could move a lot quicker.

About halfway, we came across an abandoned truck, which Theo climbed, and with the binoculars checked the progress of the patrols. There were lots of abandoned vehicles, and bags without owners and random everyday items scattered throughout the streets as if those that owned them simply vanished. Although we knew they hadn't, I could imagine Garlantian soldiers appearing from nowhere, dragging them away from their tasks, ripping them from their cars with overwhelming strength, without explanation. Then carted off, to God knows where. Maybe killed and buried in a mass grave for the crime of being born Reagen. There was an abandoned ladder at a shop front where someone's half-finished whitewashing was abandoned. The tin of paint split over the pavement underneath was already dry, with the brush fallen to the side.

The sound of Theos feet echoed down the street as she landed back on the ground, but there was no one else around to hear it. "They're heading back to the apartments, I think they've found out we're gone and they're organising search parties in the city."

"We better get a move on then." I faked nonchalance, but I was feeling terrible, I don't know if it was keeping Shadow in that state for so long or simply the effort of the escape. I hoped for an easier time now we were out of there. "We'll have to take the long way if they're looking of us." I added. The more direct route took us up the main road, but the hill was steep and straight enough that someone could easily see us walking up it from miles away, we were better off using the side road and alleyways.

"I was thinking that too." Theo agreed. It was tedious but necessary. On the way, Tommy kept asking about the things he saw, like a small child who'd never been outside. I'd imagine he was a lot like I was when I first came to Reaga, except a little more extraverted. He seldom stopped talking, but thankfully, Theo answered most of his questions and I took to navigating the streets while trying to calm the throbbing that was beginning behind my eyes.

By sundown, we managed to reach my house without any trouble. But, knowing Alex and probably Sean and Alliana would never return to it again, it felt empty. It didn't feel like home anymore. The vibrant coloured flowers and the pretty little vines that grew up on either side of the door didn't seem so homely. As if they'd lost their colour even though I knew objectively that in a physical sense, everything was the same. I remembered the first time I saw this house, I thought it looked like it came from a fairy tale, but looking at it now, with the silent city in its backdrop, it didn't feel like that anymore.