To Be A Runner

Chapter 42: Just A Dream

This chapter is dedicated to zoey_morgan

"Come on. Run!" Sarah cries out. Her voice sounds stern, with just the slightest hint of panic. It's classic her, really.

"That's them there!" The voice of a guard screeches. "After them."

"There has to be a way to help them," I say quickly, still not truly understanding what is going on. "Those guards have nearly got them and-"

"Help Abel?" Nadia interrupts with a scoff. "After all they've done to us? You know we're about to attack them."

"Maxine Meyers is Abel's only medical doctor. If we let them get her Abel Township will have no one to care for them."

Nadia doesn't reply, and I clench my jaw angrily.

"Do you really hate us that much?" I whisper with hurt interlaced in my voice.

"Us?" She repeats. "What do you mean-"

"I agree with Chrys," Archie buts in. "Right now we are fighting the same enemy; My enemy's enemy is my friend. Anyone that jerk Van Ark wants to kill is well, you know. I don't think we should kill them with our explosives like this. That's all I'm saying."

She sighs in exasperation. "Fine, let me just..." Her voice trails off and I can hear her muttering to someone else. There's agitation in both voices, but still she comes back with an answer.

"The council advocate a principle. Runner Five, the decision is yours. If you want to help those people, we can start detonation from the farthest mark from the Abel runners. That might give them a chance to get away, but that will mean the decision will be to set off the explosives. Are you willing to do that?"

I don't want to. I really, really don't want to, but these people are bad... they're bad people. Maybe not evil, but bad. They're doing all kinds of weird, confusing mumbo-jumbo with half-zombies and Paula and who knows what else. And it seems Van Ark also wants to destroy New Canton, but worse than that he wants to kill Maxine, and apparently any Abel runners inside the Complex.

And who knows who else might be in there with Eight? ...Jody? Summer?

Me?

"Yes. Yes, we'll detonate." It hurts so much to force those words out, but I manage to do so, and funnily enough, no tears even try to well up in my eyes, even though I know there will be casualties-many of them.

"Okay, but to set off the explosion farthest from the runners, you'd have to head back 'round to relay station One and set the charger to go off manually." Nadia lets out a deep breath and I have a strange feeling that she's nervously wringing her hands together.

"The decision is yours, Chrysalis. If you want to help those Abel Township runners, go now."

I take in a shaky breath, but I already know what I have to do. I may not like or trust Sarah, but I like her more than Van Ark-or dream Van Ark, at least-and there's other Abel runners in there,and I'm not going to let them die; Not even in a dream.

I know what I need to do, and I do it.

I run.

•

The first drop off point not too far away, but it is still far enough off that if I don't make it there in time I could be too late. With that in mind I fight to push my burning legs to go faster. My head is still screaming that if I do this people will die, but I fight back the thought with another-that if I don't do this, my friends will die.