Chapter 48: Taran

"I can't keep running!" I gasp clutching at a stitch in my side.
Xavier turns to grab my arm, dragging me closer to him, but he doesn't slow his pace. My breath is coming out in fast, sharp gasps and I feel as though I'll collapse. We climbed the wall in record time, using the chaos within the city to cover our escape. Xavier forced me to keep pace with him, though his legs and arms are longer. I have more climbing experience though and was able to make it over with only a few cuts and bruises. A dress isn't the ideal outfit for climbing so my arms and legs have taken the brunt of the scrapes. Xavier has it worse off, he slipped a few times and fell once, landing several feet below on a ledge jutting out from the wall. He groaned in pain and cradled his aching ribs, taking a minute to recover before forcing us to get moving again.
"We're almost there," he grunts and points to the Tucson foothills.
"This is stupid!" I snap. "The explosion would've attracted every Primitive in the area, we should be hiding inside the city until the guard take them all out. We're as good as dead out here in the open."
He laughs bitterly, the sound caught in the wind as we run. "Your husband has locked down every sector in the city by now and stationed extra guards on the wall. I'd be surprised if he hasn't already spotted us. We wouldn't have been able to escape the city without the explosion taking everyone's attention."
I gasp and almost stumble as I twist to look over my shoulder. Xavier is right. The wall looms large in the distance, the watchtower a speck against the landscape. We'd be easily spotted with a pair of binoculars. If Diogo is looking for me, I'm positive he'll think to look outside the wall. Then my gaze drifts, the cloud of dust still marring the area from the explosion grabbing my attention.
"Oh god," I moan breathlessly. "Please tell me you didn't do this because of me."
"Don't flatter yourself," he snaps. "I already told you, it's time for the rebellion to show what we're capable of. Take our cause to the next level. Collecting the Desert Wren at the same time only recently became part of the plan."
"And what exactly do you intend to do with me?" I ask scathingly.
He stops running so abruptly that I slam into his back and bounce away. I hunch over, grabbing my knees and gasping for air. He bends with me, getting right in my face.
"You're going to rally the rebels, show them you're safe and that we're a united force." His voice is hard, his eyes glittering with the manic energy that has become more and more prevalent lately. "You're going to do your job."
"How exactly am I supposed to do that out here?" I argue with him. "The rebellion is inside Sanctuary, not out here in the desert."
"You're going to do your job," he says again, his voice harsh and commanding. "You're going to lead a group of refugees into the city."
"What refugees?" I demand.
Instead of answering, he straightens, grabs my arm and starts running again. I cling to him in order to keep up, my feet flying over the hard-packed earth, dust flying with every step. I'm covered in it by now, the grit infiltrating every part of me, my legs, my eyes, nose, mouth. I've made this trip many times, but I've never done it with such recklessness. I've always covered my face, worn heavy clothes to protect against the sun, and jogged at a reasonable pace.
I'm on the verge of collapse, stumbling helplessly behind Xavier when he finally slows. "We're here," he says, pointing toward a rocky outcrop.
"Where?" I ask, looking around with bleary eyes.
He doesn't answer, just drags me toward the rocks. I'm too winded to argue or resist. I clutch at the agonizing pain in my side and blink back tears caused by dust. As we round the outcropping I'm surprised to see a grouping of vehicles with men surrounding the area. They all have weapons and stand alert to possible danger. I jerk back, yanking my hand from Xavier's hold. He takes hold of me again and drags me forward, leading me to the biggest, meanest looking man in the group. The guy is wearing dark, heavy clothes, a bandana over his mouth and nose and a hat. Scars cover every inch of his face and hands. I suspect scars cover the rest of his body too, though I've no desire to see.
"Gunther," he snaps, stepping forward. Though he addresses Xavier his strange light green eyes take me in with mild curiosity, flicking over my dusty dress and hair. "You were supposed to meet us an hour ago, lead us into the city before the zombies catch wind that we're out here." He stabs a finger out past my shoulder. "They're on your fucking tail and closing in fast."
I twist around to see, squinting into the brightly lit desert, but I don't see anything. He must've used binoculars. My stomach sinks and I feel queasy at the thought of Primitive's being so close.
"You worry too much, Talon. Your cars'll move faster than them," Xavier says, tugging me toward the nearest one. "We'll hide out in the Catalina mountains until they pass."
The man steps threateningly toward Xavier, grabbing him by the throat. I'm shoved backward as Xavier jerks in his hold. "There's no fucking time, you idiot. We'll have to set up a perimeter here and hope there's enough of us to take them out."
He throws Xavier away from him and strides back to the vehicle. Over his shoulder he says, "The woman can hide inside my car, you'll take point with me."
I turn scathing eyes on Xavier as he rubs his throat and glares after the man. "Are these the ‘refugees' you want me to escort into the city? These are mercenaries, Xavier! Outsiders! They're in it for the resources. They don't want Sanctuary!"
"We need them," Xavier mutters. "We don't have a chance at taking the city without them."
"Is that your plan?" I ask incredulously. Then I realize it goes even further than that. "You want to take down Diogo and replace him, don't you?"
"Diogo, the military, the Authority, the elites." He fixes his eyes on the city in the distance. "All of them."
"Replacing one dictatorship with another isn't what the rebellion stands for!" I shout at him. "At least his is a stable government, you don't know what you're doing. All we wanted was change, not this," I sweep my hand around indicating the armed men preparing for a Primitive attack. "You're going to bring the whole city down."
Xavier turns on me, his eyes vicious, his mouth twisting bitterly. "Your precious idealism means nothing in the real world, Taran. Sanctuary doesn't work the way you want it to. We won't be able to negotiate with the Authority. Fuentes won't allow it. In order to instill democracy again we need to topple and replace the Commander. I wish to God you weren't the one the rebels decided to flock around. You weren't meant to make the tough decisions, I was. I've been the rebellion since day one. I've sacrificed everything for the cause, given up every comfort. Given up any chance at reconciliation with my wife"
"Xavier" I reach for him, forgetting where we are and what he's done for a moment. "I didn't know you wanted anything with me. It never worked out for us."
He shakes my hand off and paces away from me. "We could've worked, Taran, if we tried."
"Relationships require more than presence, Xavier."
He flicks his eyes to mine. "Like love? I've always had that. Always."
I stare at him open-mouthed, no idea what to say. I'd been married to him for twelve years, until Diogo dissolved our union. He'd never once declared his feelings. And now, it's too late. Too much has happened to separate us.
"I'm sorry, Taran," he says, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Sorry I dragged you into this, used your reputation to gather the rebels. Brought you out here. I'm so focused on the cause I didn't consider what I was doing to you."
I watch him for a moment, trying to reconcile everything that's happened with the husband I knew; an impatient and driven man, but he was never deliberately cruel. "You killed an innocent man today, Xavier. You're too involved. There's no going back now."
His eyes light with passionate fire once more, replacing the momentary defeat. "There is no innocence in the Authority." His voice is hard. "And you're right, there's no going back. Only forward, with the weapons I've bought and the mercenaries we'll pay for once the city is taken."
I straighten in an instant, all sympathy for him fleeing. I'm about to tear a strip off him, when someone shouts from behind us, "Heads up!"
I turn just in time to see Talon and his men start shooting. I assume they're shooting at the approaching Primitives, though I don't see any yet.
"Fall back!" Talon shouts. "They're right on top of us. To the vehicles!"
Xavier grabs my arm and hauls me toward the nearest vehicle. He opens the door and flings me inside, slamming the door shut. I turn onto my back just in time to see a Primitive slam against the door I'd just crawled through. I scream and scramble back against the opposite door. It crawls up the door, bleeding hands pressed against the window and stares in at me through dark bruised eyes. I've never seen a Primitive so close before. I think it's a woman from the long, wild hair and delicate bone structure. But it's hard to tell from the strips of flesh hanging off her face, the pieces of wood and metal jabbed through her skin and into her skull.
Time slows as we stare at each other, only the glass of the door separating us. Her eyes travel over me, watching me as I'm watching her. I thank God that this vehicle still has its glass, that it's still intact compared to most others. She slowly starts banging her fist against the window, gaining speed and force with each hit until she's slamming her hands against the window so hard it rattles in the frame. I stare in fear and awe as she mangles her hands, breaking the bones in her fingers as she tries to get to me.
Explosive pops fill the air around us as the men battle against the horde. I can hear screams of agony as, one by one, the mercenaries are taken out. I straighten up and twist around in every direction, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of Xavier. But I can't tell friend from foe in the melee. A gun goes off right in front of my car and I whip around to look. Talon has shot the head off a Primitive.
He turns to look at me, giving me a grim smile before leaping back into action, yanking a Primitive off one of his men and turning his knife on the creature, severing its neck in one stroke. Bile rises up and I look away before I see the body collapse.
A cracking sound reminds me of my own predicament.
"No!" I yell just as she shoves her fist right through the window, scrambling to reach me as the window shatters all around her arm. She drags it back through the opening and claws at the window until she manages to pull it right out of the frame.
I twist around reaching for the handle at my back. Just as she launches through the open window, shoving herself inside I manage to open the door and scramble out. I don't look over my shoulder, I start running on all fours as soon as I touch the ground, pushing myself up as soon as I'm clear of the car. Her shrieks follow me.
Tears stream down my face as I run faster than I've ever run in my life. The sound of her uneven gait follows me, picking up speed as I do. Hysterical sobs bubble up my throat and join the cacophony of noise all around us. I don't make it far when she launches herself at me, slamming into my back, digging her fingers into my shoulders.
As I'm driven to the ground, instinct kicks in and I roll, taking her with me and disorienting her. I'm able to shove her off, despite her superior strength. I crawl away from her, kicking out at her face. A crunching sound tells me I've broken something. But it doesn't slow her down. In seconds she's on my back again, shoving me face down into the dirt. This time as she grabs hold of me, she sinks her teeth deep into my neck. I scream in agony as she starts to tear.
But before she can finish the job, tearing the flesh from my bones and killing me, she goes slack. I twist around as she falls away. I shove myself backwards, staring down at her lifeless corpse, the head lolling on the ground next to her body. My gaze goes up and I find myself crouched under the shadow of my husband, standing motionless over me with a rifle in one hand and a knife dripping blood in the other.
I gasp, my hand flying to the bite on my neck. My shaky fingers come away bloody. She broke the skin. With tears dripping down my face, I look up at him, into his hard, pitiless gaze.
"Diogo  "
END OF BOOK ONE