Aberrant by Ruth Silver Read Free Book Online Page A

and
fear coursed through me. Could it possibly be a trick? Someone discovered our
destination and wanted to cut us off on the way?
    "We didn't expect you until at least tomorrow." She
gestured for us to follow her. "You’ve made incredible timing. You mustn’t
have stopped at all. We're making sleeping arrangements for you as we speak. I
thought I would lead you the rest of the way."
    "Appreciated." Joshua nodded, following behind me
as the tunnel narrowed.
    "You know who we are, but I didn't catch your name,"
I remarked, following behind her. She was several inches taller than me, but
even more so, I noticed her well-defined muscles.
    "Scarlet," she replied over her shoulder. "Come
on." She continued to lead us through the tunnel for about half a mile until
we reached a fork. The tunnel dumped us out under some type of shelter. Clearly
people had taken all three options – footprints made it unclear which was the
right way to go. "Follow me," Scarlet gestured as we took the fork to
the far right.
    I was grateful Scarlet had found us when she had. I didn’t
think I'd have taken the right direction without guidance. I couldn't help but
ask, "Where do the other two tunnels lead?"
    She paused for a long moment before answering us. "Different
sectors." She let that hang in the air, and although I had a thousand
questions at this point, I had a feeling she had no interest in answering any
of them.
    I could hear Joshua breathing heavily, and I knew he must
have been tired. I was exhausted. "How much longer is it?" I asked.
    "Considering how far you two have traveled already, not
far. The compound isn't completely underground," she smiled. "We just
have to reach the surface, which is quite a hike up."
    "Great," I tried to add as much enthusiasm as I
could, but I found it hard considering we hadn't slowed down in hours.
    Scarlet smiled glancing back, "Aside from the part
about it being uphill, we're almost done. Just don't die on me, okay?"
    A nervous laugh escaped my lips, confused by her words. Die
on her? She had a strange sense of humor. "Right. Got it." I pushed
myself uphill. I focused on her feet, following each step she took and put one
foot in front of the other. It was no wonder they sent Scarlet to find us. She
was definitely in good shape. "Do you come through the tunnels a
lot?"
    Scarlet didn't turn around to answer my question. "What
do you consider a lot?" She gave a shrug. "We use them when we need
to." I gasped for air, breathing loudly as I struggled with the incline.
"Maybe another twenty minutes," Scarlet encouraged us. I focused my
attention on the ground, watching the path as I climbed the final hundred feet
behind the blonde. Then sunlight came into view. I grimaced, my eyes tearing from
the bright light outside. "There's no door on this side?" That
surprised me.
    "No, why? Yours has a door?" Scarlet asked
curiously.
    I nodded, climbing out and onto the surface. "Where is
everyone?" There seemed to be nothing in sight for miles.
    "Our city isn't here." She smiled. "We'll
take a vehicle across the plains. Won't be that long. Just sit back and
relax."
    "A vehicle?" I repeated, feeling a sense of dread
at the word.
     
    I felt a fierce curiosity as the gate by the wall opened.
I knew I should be in class, but doubted anyone noticed. We had learned just
days ago about the Monospaces and how they transported newborns to other towns.
    I'd never seen the gates open. It was a rarity. Only on days
the Monospaces entered and left the city was it necessary. I hid alongside an
empty house. The family living there was at work, a job assigned by the
government. My body stayed pressed tightly to the siding, peeking out every so
often to watch with fascination as vehicles rolled in, one after another. I'd
never seen cars, trucks, tanks, or any other type of transportation before. I
read about a few types of transportation – mostly trains and planes in books – but
this was real. I could almost reach out and touch