Unplugged: The Beautiful World (#3, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Thirty Three

    "You ready, Becca?" Leah anxiously asks the little girl. The first part of our plan is the part that makes me most nervous.
    "Yep," she replies, shaking out her hands. At first I'm surprised by how fearless the child is, but then I see the goosebumps on her arms. I bite my lip. Danny made me promise him that Becca would stay safe... And she will, I argue with myself. Nothing's going to happen.
    "Go on," I urge. It would be foul luck if the train departs before we even get the chance to cross the road. After a beat, Becca slips out of the alley and sprints across the street. She remains undetected. Once Becca reaches the opposite side, she scurries over to the nearest stack of supplies: in this case, cans of food. I hold my breath.
Becca hurriedly grabs one of the cans and throws it as far as she can. It bounces against the parking lot on the other side of the train station. Noticing the distinct crashing sound, the black-clad government officials cease their conversation and sprint over to the location of the sound, leaving the loading dock unprotected. Becca gives us a thumbs up from her hiding spot, and my heart unclenches.
    "That's the sign," Leah mutters, noticeably relieved. "Let's go."
    One after the other, we cross the decrepit road and head over to where Becca crouches. The guards, preoccupied with finding the cause of the sound, pull out flash lights and start to heavily search the front of the station.
    "Move, move, move," I urge, herding my friends towards the open train cars. We still have a lot of distance to cover in order to reach the train, and our need to make as little noise as possible hinders our progress. It won't take long before the guards give up their search.
    "Come on," I urge. We begin to move over piles of supplies and through towering crates with less reserve. The cool evening air does nothing to soothe my burning skin. Only yards away from the train, Oscar stumbles over a concealed pile of tires, knocking over a mountain of water rations in the process. The earth-shaking sound jars me to my core.
    "Over here!" A guard screams from behind, his voice dreadfully near. Almost squealing in fear, I urge my friends to sprint towards the train. Now completely unconcerned with making noise, we knock over piles of crates and provisions, trying to block the way to the train. A metallic squeal shakes the ground as the brakes release and the great wheels arduously begin their forward tug.
    "Get in!" I scream. The sound of a gunshot washes out my call. We sprint towards the nearest open car, which slowly moves away from us as the monstrous train gains speed.
    "Wait! Wait!" The guard calls desperately, his voice breaking halfway through. The train must have to reach Atlanta on schedule. I wonder how much trouble these guards will get into for all of these soiled supplies. Finally we reach the open car, where we have to keep up a steady jog to travel alongside it. Leah helps Becca in first, then she scrambles in herself. Oscar and Matthew urge me in before themselves. Once I grab hold of the walls, Leah helps pull me in the rest of the way. Now the guard is so near I can hear his footsteps. He shouts and hefts his gun.
    "No!" I cry. A bullet flies through the air then ricochets off of the metallic wall, just inches beside Matthew's head. Another scream freezes in my throat. Matthew claws his way to safety. The last one to jump is Oscar. He lifts himself into the car, and another shot is fired. Oscar screams out in agony, and the guard stops trying to follow us, his form grinning stupidly and growing smaller by the second. Matthew grips Oscar under the arms and heaves him into the train car. A steady wind blows into the opening, causing our hair to fly uncontrollably behind our heads. Matthew stands and starts to slide the car door, cracking it. Leah chokes out a sob and rushes over to Oscar. I force myself to stare at my friend, horrified. A crimson stain spreads out from just above his knee cap, turning his dark brown pants black.
    "Are you okay?" Leah sobs, over and over again. Oscar's eyelids flutter weakly; he doesn't have the strength to respond. She kisses him desperately and tries to slap some color into his cheeks. It doesn't help.
    "Somebody, do something!" She screams, her anguished voice echoing through the enclosed space. Spurred to act, I throw off my pack of supplies and dig through it until I uncover the heavy-duty roll of gauze that Lucy had lent us. I toss it to Leah, who hurriedly unrolls it and sets to work on Oscar's leg. A lump grows in my throat, and I turn away, trying to hide the moisture that starts to gather in my own eyes. Why does this keep happening to me? Why do people I love keep getting hurt? Father said that pain and anger and sadness is an illusion, but how can that be true when it tugs so insistently at the back of my eyes, when it pulses through my head like venom?
    "What's happening?" Becca whispers tearfully into my ear. I didn't notice her climb over to my side of the train car. "Is he gonna be okay?" I swallow, hard, and nod.
    "Yeah, he'll be fine." I grip Becca's hand and squeeze it just as hard as she squeezes mine. My gaze drifts over to Oscar again, who now sits up against the back of the train car with help from Leah, leaning on stacked crates. His eyes are still closed. Leah finishes tying off the gauze and Matthew feels for Oscar's pulse. They talk in low voices for a few moments, then Leah nods slightly. The gesture sends Matthew over to Becca and I, presumably so she can be alone with Oscar.
    "Is everything okay?" I ask nervously, not sure if I want the answer or not. Matthew sighs and rubs his blood-stained hands on his jeans.
    "I think he'll pull through." The answer is uncertain, and I groan inwardly.
    "Do you think Leah's okay?" He nods, mouth pressed into a hard line.
    "She just needs some time alone." I glance over at the Becca, who cowers against a wall of enormous batteries, trembling. Matthew sees her as well, and then his gaze softens. I watch as he slowly moves over to her.
    "You were really brave," he mutters, lifting the corner of his mouth in a sympathetic smile. Becca lifts her head.
    "What do you mean?"
    "When you distracted those guards!" He replies, raising his eyebrows. "I couldn't have done it as well as you."
    Becca's face starts to retain some color, and her eyes widen at the praise from Matthew. His efforts of cheering her up seem to be paying off. Despite everything, I have to hide a grin behind my hand.
    "Really?" He nods conspiratorially.
    "You're one of the bravest people I know." Becca beams and throws her arms around Matthew's neck. He momentarily stiffens with surprise before returning the gesture. When they pull apart, I can't help but notice the covert wink that Becca sends my way.

* * *     

    A freezing breeze swirls around the train car that night, and I try to tighten the sleeping bag around my body even more. It's been almost impossible for me to get any rest. Matthew lightly snores to my left while Becca lies curled into a small ball on my right. Leah had been up all night, watching over Oscar and making sure that he didn't drift off. Another gust of wind ruffles my hair, and I suddenly reach out to make sure that Matthew's still beside me. I know it's a dumb instinct, but it comes all the same. My hand rests against the small of his back; it moves with his breaths. I rest my head against the wall once again, sighing in the darkness. On the other side of the car, the sound of crying mixes with that of the speeding train.