Numbered by Crissi Langwell

Author:Crissi Langwell [Langwell, Crissi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: North Coast Stories
Published: 2019-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Exodus

Noelle

∞

The elevator is packed as we take the long ride down to the underground. Everyone is crammed close together, foot to foot so we can all fit inside. We didn’t go into detail with the kids about why we were leaving, and to their credit, they didn’t ask. Most importantly, I lay out the rules to stick together and not say a word. The ride is silent as the number above our heads counts down to one and then continues to drop. We reach the underground, and my hands feel sweaty. I know we’ve exceeded our time limit, but I also know they’ll wait. Being the pawn has its advantages—no one is leaving without me. But they also won’t be happy when they see the extra baggage we’ve brought along.

Sure enough, Thom repeats some of the same words he used when I escaped into the elevator.

“Calm down,” I say.

“No, you calm down,” he shouts, which makes no sense because I am calm—at least on the outside. “What were you thinking? We have a boat that barely fits the nine of us, and you’ve brought…” He starts counting the kids. “Twelve kids and a baby? Seriously?” He shakes his head, his mouth set in a firm line. “No. We’re not bringing them. They’re staying here.”

One of the girls clings to me, whimpering. I smooth her hair.

“No one is leaving you here,” I say to her. Then I look at Thom.

“I’m not going if they can’t go. You’ll have to leave without us.” I hold his stare, hoping he bends and doesn’t actually leave us here. He can’t. There’s too much at stake if he leaves me.

Thom breaks eye contact first, and I know I have him. He breathes in deep, running his hands through his hair, glancing at Colby who’s still sitting inside the boat. “I didn’t want to do this,” he says, and the next thing I know he’s pointing a gun at me.

“Drop it,” Ryder says from behind me, and I see his hand extended with the gun Thom gave him. “If you shoot her, I shoot you. But if you drop the gun, you’ll live to see all of us get out of this cave alive. The choice is yours.”

Thom’s eyes never leave mine, and his gun remains trained on me. “She’s too much of a liability if she doesn’t come,” he says, his eyes narrowing. I refuse to look away, trying to touch any humanity that exists inside him. As soon as I break eye contact, I know my life will be over.

“We can have it both ways,” I say. “Take the kids, and you can have me, too.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“But it is.”

He won’t let up. I prepare myself to die, but keep my eyes locked on his. We stay frozen, a few seconds feels like hours. He finally lowers his gun and I breathe a sigh of relief, releasing all my clenched muscles as he places the gun on the ground.

“Kick it over here,” Ryder says, keeping his gun on Thom.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.