Elites of Eden: Yarrow Not Rowan

Chapter 18

"What's your name?" I ask the mysterious little girl. I walk backwards with Lachlan's gun in hand. Where is he? I'm officially paranoid and terrified.

"My name is River," She says staring ahead as she leads us. Lark and I exchange a pitying look at how damaged this girl acts. They're just children.

"That's a pretty name. Where are you taking us, River?" I ask.

"Someplace no one will find us," She says, and nothing more. Lark and I exchange another odd glance.

"Ok," I sigh. "Well, as long as it's safe."

"It is." She nods. "No ones supposed to go down there, not even second children."

She leads us through the kitchen and down corridors I never explored before. Some passages are so low I have to crawl. The way is pitch black, but River know the way.

When we enter, an automatic gentle glow illuminates the large chamber. There are barrels marked with names that make no sense to me. Some kind of chemical names. There are blocks of what looks like putty, like something a child would play with. And wires everywhere, linking all the unidentifiable substances.

"What is this place?" I ask.

"It's the Room Boom," She replies. I look ahead and see an obvious big red button, high up out of children's reach. I have no doubt what would happen if I pressed it.

"Okay," I breath. "We can't stay down here forever but it will work for now. Lark, do you have a gun?"

"Yes, but Rowan I have to say something before you go," Lark says. I don't give her the chance.

"There's no time for sweet goodbyes. I have to go, protect the children if I can't." Without another word I turn around and start crawling through the dark passages again. I need to find Ash and the other children.

As I crawl I smell something acrid. I think I smell smoke. But what could be burning, most things in Eden aren't flammable. For a second I think I've mistaken the smell. But no, I've only smelled smoke once or twice in my life but it is an unmistakable smell, unlike anything else in Eden. I'm smelling smoke, I'm sure of it. So what are they burning?

With horror I realize the only two possibilities are they're burning bodies, or they're burning the tree. I'm not sure which one is worse.

If they're burning bodies they're dead men anyways, but the tree is the last living multi celled organism, besides us. And the tree is protecting the children. The children! The smoke will eventually fill up the hidden bunker and suffocate them all. I crawl faster in a panic.

When I immerge back in the cavern the solar panels on the roof show a deep blue. It's night time and it's eerily quiet. To my relief and despair, the tree is on fire and the flames are catching. The flames is contrast to the dark room make strange shadows on the cavern walls that I use to my advantage.

I make it to the tree unmolested and unnoticed. The heat from the flames make my face warm. I dig through the dirt and dead leaves, forgetting how out in the open I am. Not that it matters, I see no green shirts, I see no one at all. I start to gag on the thickening smoke. Finally, my finger catches on something in the moist dirt. I find a handle and wrench up, opening the hatch. Darkness looks back at me.

"Kids?" I whisper. "It's me, Rowan."

"Rowan!" A young voice calls back- Rainbows voice. I hear the children start to murmur. I look around me quickly, still no sign of danger. Where is everyone?

"Shh. You have to be quiet! All of you follow me." I expect them to talk and make noise as we make our way to the kitchens but surprisingly they understand the seriousness of the situation and they stay quiet, sulking in the shadows. When we finally reach the kitchens we sit on the floor. There's about twenty kids here.

"Okay. Rainbow, do you know where everyone else is?" I ask. She might be a child but she still knows more about the Underground procedures than I do. She shakes her head.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go find out, but I need y'all to hide," I whisper. "Do y'all understand how important this is?"

They all nod and in their eyes I see a mixture of strength and fear and I know they can handle this. They'll be okay, I'll make sure of it.

"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, okay? Everything is fine. Do y'all know where the Boom Room is?" Rainbow nods and I continue, "That's where we're going to wait for now, but we can't stay there for long."

I feel my heartbreak as I look at a boy with red hair and freckles who looks about ten years old, he's the oldest in the batch. Slowly, I remove my gun from underneath my shirt and press it in his hand. I hold back a shuddering sob.

"Do you know how to use it?" I ask. He nods.

"My dad taught me," He replies. Somehow it brings me no comfort. How did the world get like this? When did children start learning how to arm themselves before they were even in double digits? It makes me sick, but I have no time to feel sick. I have a mission.

"Okay. Be careful with it, only use it if you have to. Follow Rainbow. Stay silent. Stay hidden. You can do this." And without another word the warrior children walk away from me, leaving me alone and defenseless. They're just kids but somehow I felt safer with them near.

I push away the fear I feel, and start to walk back to the main cavern. I have to make it to the armory to rearm myself.

I step back in the main cavern, at first slow and tentative, then bold. I feel a strange feeling of nostalgia. I cover my mouth with my shirt as I gag on the fog.

Suddenly, I'm hit in the gut and the air is knocked out of me. I go to grab my stomach but I can't move. I fall to the floor, stiff as a board. What's happening?

Through the fog I can see Greenshirts wearing respirators. They paralyzed me. One Greenshirt with dark hands comes near me. He crouches beside me and takes off his mask...then spits on my face. I can't wipe it off.

"Yarrow," His griff voice says. I see his face now, and I realize he looks just like Hawk. He comes closer to whisper in my ear, "You're the reason my boy is dead."

It's Hawks father, I realize. Hawk and his dad were never close but Hawk looked up to his dad, and wanted to be Chief Of Law Enforcement, just like his dad. He stand up and kicks me in the ribs as hard as he can. I can't move or talk but my throat still manages to make a small grunt. He crouches beside me again.

"We watched you, ya know? We know where those dirty, selfish kids are and they're going to the Center just like you, and you're all going to get what you deserve." He spits on my face again. He kicks my rib cage one more time. My bruises were almost healed before today. If this going to be my life now? Running from my old friends, and waiting for bruises to heal?

Finally, Hawks dad pulls a syringe out from no where and slams it into my neck. Tears that already filled my eyes start to fall down the side of my face. He injects the liquid into my neck and although I desperately try to fight it, I can't, and my eyes flutter shut as I fall asleep.