The Run & Go

[kindaemissary]

19 HOURS LATER


5:24 AM
​

Sayer woke up to the sound of screeching sirens from overhead, back covered in sweat and breathing heavy. He reached for the gun next to his mattress and flipped the safety off, standing up and peeking through the opened cage door.


"It's starting," Gallucci said from below. He was sitting under two blankets with his back pressed up against the cement wall. When Sayer looked down at him, his eyes were dark against the stark contrast from the sun behind them. The window of the room only leaked a small bit of light in, but it was enough to see the sneer on Gallucci's face.


He turned the safety back on and shoved the handgun Erik had given him between his hip and the fabric of his shorts. Sayer pulled a shirt over his head and flattened it over his torso. The summer heat was more than he had ever had to deal with in the city. Back at his house, he had air conditioning running the entire year. Even at Beloit they had window units in all of the houses. After being at two camps, though, he had realized that providing these sorts of amenities wasn't that easy as he would like to believe.


Sayer sat back down on his mattress and yanked on a pair of socks before shoving his feet into his tennis shoes. "We can't act yet," he muttered quietly. "If what Miriam said was true then there will be Enforcers chasing after them. We just have to sneak into the crowd, show our badges, get a mask, and then destroy the camp."


It hadn't been long since they had been warned about the rebellion that was heading out from the city's borders. Gallucci had wanted to start right then and there, but Sayer wasn't stupid. If they had done that, they'd be dead. The camp wouldn't let anyone in and it would become more than just the face of safety. It would be hope, and neither of them wanted that. At least Gallucci didn't.


Sayer wasn't sure exactly what he wanted anymore. He didn't want to stay at the penitentiary, and there was no way he was going to go back to the city. If, after all of this, Beloit was still standing, he would probably go back there and continue to help them build. He'd destroy the city walls if he could.


"Get dressed and find your squad," he told Gallucci. "It'll be weird if you don't show up. Try and get a gun when you're there. We'll need it." Faking his pretenses with Cavo wasn't easy, but it had worked so far.


Sayer pulled the gun out of his pants and headed down the corridor and to the front gate where Erik and the rest of his platoon stood with weapons. Outside the wall they could hear bodies scrambling for entrance. "How do we know who to let it and who to shoot down?" he asked, voice low. "How long with the resistance last before the Enforcers decide to use harsher warfare? A couple years ago they used bombs to calm down a strike. They'll do whatever it takes to keep the power in their hands."

 

[kailey]

Erik was already awake, dressed, and at the gates. He held an assault like rifle, the barrel pointed at the woods, ready to go. He wasn't going to take any chances. It was all or nothing. Shoot to kill, take in as many runners as they could. That was their goal. Of course, he knew they couldn't save all of them, but they would try.


Aryal, on the other hand, was freshly woken up by all of the commotion. She began panicking, unsure of what to do. Erik had told her to stay safe, but if something major was happening, they would need her. She jumped to her feet and slid on a pair of tight black pants and a shirt. There wasn't time to worry about what she looked like.


She moved quickly to grab the hand gun that lay on her bedside table. Well, it was an overturned waste basket, but it was nice enough. She checked the clip and made sure the safety was pushed in before rushing from her cell.


There was people everywhere. They knew their job, and they were ready. She seemed to be the only one who was internally freaking out.


It didn't take her long to locate Erik and the rest of their security team. She kept the gun in her hand as she pushed through the small crowd to their leader. He glanced down at her with a frown, but he didn't protest. Now was not the time for an argument.


He turned to answer Sayer. "The other team will be waiting inside these gates. We let in anyone who doesn't seem like a threat. That team will search them and decide if they stay, that's not our job" he explained, tone flat.


Aryal glanced back at Sayer and then back up to Erik. "Sayer is right, the Enforcers are going to be ruthless. They're merciless bastards" she muttered bitterly.


"If they decide to get brutal, we fall back until we can get larger weapons. We have a store in the back warehouse, I'm not sure how much. I suppose we'll just see what happens." Erik stated solemnly. He wasn't entirely sure. He knew that wasn't the answer that Sayer was looking for, but it was all he had. This had never happened, so he wasn't sure. He was just going to protect these people the best he could.


He placed a gentle hand on Aryal's shoulder, guiding her backward beside Sayer. He wanted her toward the back. If they lost her, it would be his responsibility and he couldn't live with that.


A loud scream sounded from the forest ahead, as well as the sound of multiple guns firing. He straightened up and clicked off the safety of his rifle. "Be ready," he called out to his team.