Within the Walls

Chapter 3

I return to my apartment in silence but risking my neck all the same. It is past curfew. Sneaking inside, I light a candle.

Isabelle lays sprawled out on the couch. Her nightgown soaked in sweat and pinpricks of bloodstains. I sigh, kicking off my boots and padding into the kitchen. Grabbing a cloth from the drawer, I run cool water over it and wring it out. I lay the wet cloth over her burning forehead. An exhausted tear slips from my eye and I sit on the coffee table. Her blood has darkened on the floorboards at my feet.

"I will save you," I say. "I will save us both, big sister."

She stirs but does not wake.

I stand, moving into the tiny bathroom and draw myself a cold bath. Peeling off my dirty clothes, I shudder as I sink into the shallow water. I grab the bar of soap and scrub my skin, my hair. Rinsing, I climb out and grab a towel. A cool draft pulls my hairs and I dry off. I dress in a pair of rag shorts and a shirt and crawl into bed. Fear drags me into a restless sleep.

I awake before the sunrise, though my eyes sting in protest. Forcing myself out of the canvas sheets, I dress into my black pants, long sleeve shirt and boots. Coat on, sword in a scabbard across my back. I eat a bread roll and gulp some pre-boiled water. I leave Isabelle a glass and a note on the coffee table.

I exit the apartment and hurry down the stairs. The gritty scent of soot drifts through my nose as I step out of the building. Above me, the sky is fading from black to morning grey. It is the time of the evening when you can see your breath. The usual hum of the day awaits. Fear still tucks people away. I ignore my still growling stomach as I pass smells of baking bread and roasting meat. I weave my way through the streets, to the outskirts of the Convex Sector and to the bank of the River.

The water misses my boots as it laps onto the bank. Bending down, I pull off my boots, tossing them to the side along with my leather hood and sword. I'm sure I will be back for them soon. The River eases into a black abyss, a match to the sky above.

I cannot swim, I remember.

Breathing out a laugh to myself, I flick back to the note I wrote for Isabelle.

"I will be back. Love, Elle."

Hesitant to trust my note, I gather my wits. Drawing in one final safe breath, I lower my foot into the water. Then another, then another. As the water ripples around my waist, I fill my lungs with oxygen and submerge myself beneath the surface.

The water sinks its icy fangs into my flesh. I fight the instinctive urge to gasp until I break the surface. The current pulls against me as I crawl back up the bank.

A shriek pierces my eardrums. A middle-aged lady points and screams, "Infected! Infected!"

Figures step out of their doors, drawn by the shouting. Then more shouts. A cacophony.

"That Convex will become infected!" someone shrieks as a squadron of Tranquillity patrolmen break through the growing crowd.

"Get on your knees, Convex," a Tranq barks, his whip held by his side. He wears a black bullet-proof vest over his torso and dark grey leather pants, identical to his fellow Tranqs.

The water drips from my clothes and gathers in my hands as I clench them into fists. "Why?" I snap. "I thought Lord Sneya liked games."

Without warning, someone grabs my wrists, yanking them together. I growl, kicking out, heel connecting with the person's shin. They grunt but hold firm, fastening handcuffs with sharp edges to my wrists. I continue to struggle, but then I feel a jabbing prick in the side of my neck, and whatever drug injected into my bloodstream takes effect. My mind is woozy. My body is heavy, as I lose control. I fall to the grass, vision swimming as the Tranqs march around me, barking indecipherable orders at one another.