Aberrant by Ruth Silver Read Free Book Online

my old life by. I could no
longer leave flowers on my father's grave, a yearly tradition on the
anniversary of his death. This would have to be enough, my life preserver
keeping me afloat.
    “I know,” he breathed, reaching for my hand. I willingly
took it, giving his a gentle squeeze. I felt a shudder course through my body
as we walked faster wanting nothing more than to reach the other side of the
tunnel, seeking freedom.
     My legs were sore, but I ignored the pain. Joshua had me
pause to open my pack. He pulled out a blueberry muffin and granola bar.
"Pick one," he offered as I snatched up the muffin and unwrapped it
from cellophane. He zipped my bag and we continued to walk, eating and talking.
Neither of us wanted to waste any time stopping. My legs were burning, but we
had to keep moving. By now, a search party of guards must be looking for me.
They had probably already searched our house and my mother's home. It was only
a matter of time until they found the cellar door and tunnel. My stomach
grumbled as I finished the snack and dropped the trash. Joshua kept walking,
refusing to let anything slow him down. I knew he was tired – I could see the
worn expression as he tried to stay tough. I linked our arms together.
"Almost there," I attempted a smile.
    "Really?" His eyes glanced around, scoping out a
door or an exit. There was nothing.
    "I have no idea." I laughed softly. "Just
hoping as much. We've been walking for hours," I emphasized. How much
further could the tunnels lead? The tunnel suddenly made a sharp curve. Not
only were we heading away from town, but we had also started heading south. "What
do you make of those?" I asked, catching sight of something fixed to the
wall every hundred or so feet. They were small and seemingly insignificant, but
it still made me curious.
    "No idea." Joshua shook his head. It was too dark
to really see much in the tunnel, aside from straight ahead. Even with the
lantern the tunnel was dark.
    I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a flicker and a
flash. Realizing the tunnel lights had been turned on, my eyes burned for a
moment. The unknown objects were lighting sensors that lit up our path as we
continued walking south. I glanced back, watching as the lights behind us faded
off every hundred feet. As another light flipped on, the one furthest back shut
off. It must have been a mechanism to preserve power. The lantern flickered and
sputtered out. Dead. "Dumb luck?" I smiled weakly at Joshua.
    He gave my hand a hard squeeze as we continued into the
tunnel. "I think the Rebel Alliance knows we're coming. By now, word
should have reached wherever they live that we've left Genesis and need their
help."
    "I'll have to thank them." I smiled, relieved for the
illuminated path. I stopped momentarily to drop the lantern to the ground since
we no longer needed it. "I'm glad you came with me," I whispered.
    Joshua grinned, pulling back slightly. "Like I would
have had it any other way?"
    I leaned my forehead against his. “You could have stayed in
Genesis with your family.”
    “You are my family now,” he reminded me with a gentle kiss
to the tip of my nose. “We need to keep moving.” I nodded faintly, knowing he
was right. Until we reached our destination we couldn’t stop. Every second we
rested was a moment we could not waste. We needed all the time we could get to
escape.
    "You hear that?" I gasped certain of the sound of
voices. Maybe I was losing my mind from lack of sleep but I was sure I heard
noises coming from up ahead.
    Joshua didn't answer, straining to hear what I heard. A
moment passed, and I stalled as a shadow cast over the walls. And then I saw a woman
slowly walking toward us. I really hoped whoever she was happened to be with
the Rebel Alliance – it was all I could think of.
    "Olivia, Joshua?" The tall, thin blonde woman
approached us.
    I hesitated to answer, but felt I had no choice except to
confess who we were. "Yes, that's us." A moment of trepidation