The Sleeper Cells: A Terrorism Story

Chapter 4: Nowhere to Go

Titus and I are running back through the woods to the log cabin. Why is it even a question in my mind to tell Lindsey or not? I know I should tell her.

"This is horrible. What is going on?" Titus asks.

"I don't know, man. We need to get back quick."

We pass the destroyed tree stand so we know we're on the right track. Eventually, we arrive back at our cabin.

__________

I can't force myself to tell Lindsey yet. I just can't. Titus pulls me to the side of the dining room, "We have to tell her."

"I am."

In this case, Titus has the authority. He knows this situation all too well. He doesn't even have to say it. I know he's referring to his mother's surprise death. She vanished from his life and he knows Lindsey shouldn't be lied to. That's what it would be if I didn't tell her: lying. However, it's surprising to see Titus act like this. He went from someone who seemed depressed and empty inside to someone who is there for every single one of us. He is growing... just like all of us—most of us.

"I'm still thinking about how to tell her. There is no easy way. It's horrible."

"You're right. It really is," Titus uttered.

We take our bags of supplies and put them on the dining room table. Kris and Kennedy come to help empty them. We separate the water from the food, making two separate pyramids of supplies. We move the supplies to the cabinets in the kitchen.

"That's better," Kennedy says as she takes a step back to see the now full shelves.

"I suggest we do something with the backpacks. They're useful, but we should put them somewhere easily accessible," Titus says.

Kris smiles in agreement. "Very smart guy," he pats his back, "have you done this before?"

Kris trusts us. I feel like Titus, Kennedy, and I are all capable of surviving and working our way through the mess we are in. We grab the bags and put them on a table behind a couch in the living area. If we ever need to make a quick getaway, we can zoom past this table and scoop them up. Kennedy holds up her hand for a high-five. Titus takes the offer.

Lindsey and Rosemary are sitting on the couches in the living room. This is the time. I have to do it...

I stand out in front of Lindsey, unable to look in her eyes. I just can't. "Lindsey, can you come back here with me?" I patiently ask her, scratching at my neck.

She gives Rose a strange look and stands up to follow me down the hallway. I take us into the back bedroom and close the door behind us.

"So, Titus and I ran back to my house. Lindsey, if you had been there and saw what I saw, I would be under the understanding that you would tell me what you saw."

"You lost me. I'm confused. Are you breaking up with me?"

Ugh. Honestly, I would, but now is not the time. I bring myself to say, "Lindsey, no. Your parents did not make it out."

Every bit of color faded from her. Her skin matched the whites of her eyes. Her eyes dropped to the floor, searching for something to believe in. She's in shock. Her body tenses and she covers her mouth. She bolts into the bathroom, slamming the heavy door behind her and locking me out. I find the magenta-colored bed and wait.

After about thirty minutes of waiting on the edge of the bed, I finally am able to ask her a question through the door. "Are you okay?" I ask in my slow and shaky voice. I know she isn't, and I know I shouldn't ask that right now. But I couldn't think of anything else to say. A million words run through my mind but not out of my mouth. What can I do right now? Nothing. I need to be there for her, but it obviously wouldn't help anything. I know her head is spinning, and I know she thinks those cold bathroom walls are about to cave in on her. She needs her time, and I need to give it to her.

The bathroom light turns off, but she doesn't make a sound.

In the living room, Titus told the others. Everyone is sitting on the brown couches and watching the hallway. I can see them tense up as I appear in the hallway entrance. They sink deeper into the couch when they see it's just me. Kris is looking out the window holding the silky curtain back.

"She's broken. She threw up and has sat in the bathroom the whole time. She hasn't said anything. I don't know what to do." I explain. I can tell in all of their eyes something is hanging over them. Like a dark and ugly cloud. Suddenly, everyone in this cabin has the same thing on their mind, are my loved ones alive? Kennedy has been through this and she's still upset. If it can happen to Lindsey and Kennedy, it can happen to any of us.

"I don't see it going back the way it was anytime soon. We have to stand up. We have to fight or more people die. We are not just welcome mats sitting for these terrorists to walk on. We are their tombstone. We are the end of their short reign. We are just a small group, but you know there are more survivors like us. The government also knows what they're doing. The Vista is too strong for them. There may be more horrifying things to come, but we must stick out our chests. We have a long road ahead, but the road will end."

"For Lindsey's parents," Rose says.

"For my family, my friends," Kennedy sputters.

"For us," Titus adds.

"...For everyone," I say.

A quiet creep of a door broke our moment. Everyone inspects down the hallway for Lindsey's arrival. Except she wasn't coming to this end of the hallway. The backdoor's familiar sound rumbles throughout the cabin. Slam. Lindsey was gone. And with that type of sprint, I don't think she's coming back.