Protectors of darkness: A post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller by Alice Longo

Author:Alice Longo [Longo, Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Blade was nervous. Working on-site with a man who now disliked him intently was difficult enough, but his problems ran far deeper than that. Javid Waters was beginning to seem like the least of his worries. Ula Rathbone knew that he could read, a capital offense, and she had made it clear that she wanted him to teach her to do so too. That was a suggestion that brought with it a minefield of dangers. They could get caught; she could change her mind and report him; he wasn't supposed to fraternize with the Valorium. The list of risks seemed endless. And to add to his problems - to exaggerate them to almost unbearable proportions, Ben had arrived at his house looking terrified and offering a story that was so outrageous, so ill-considered, that for a moment, Blade had feared for his friend's sanity.

"You did what?" he asked as Ben tumbled into his house and poured out the story of what he and his colleagues had been up to. "Are you crazy? How could you think that they wouldn't find out?"

"It was just a stupid lark. We never thought it through."

"How long has it been going on?"

"Two or three months, maybe."

"And you say the Protectors are in the street now?"

"Yeah. They just grabbed Hugh and they will get to my place pretty soon."

Blade leaned against the wall and rubbed his hands over his eyes. This was just unbelievable.

"Why didn't you ask me before getting into this?"

"I didn't want to put you at risk."

Blade sighed. Didn't want to be told how crazy it was, more likely. He was certainly putting Blade at risk now, coming to his home while they hunted for him.

"You are going to have to run. If you stay in the Village, they will find you and then it’s the Hanging Tree for sure."

Benjamin didn't answer. He just stared at his friend as though he were in shock. Blade dug out his pack and started throwing together some kit that his friend would need.

"I have a pack," Ben said.

"You aren't seriously thinking of going back to your place to fetch it, are you? They would just love you to do something so stupid. You need to take my stuff and get moving tonight."

"Where am I going to go? I can't live out there forever." The reality of the danger that he was in was only just beginning to register with Ben.

"You are going south. If you move fast and are careful, within three days, you might make it to that Outsider village I was telling you about. It's called Little Water, and when you find it, you ask for Gaston and Zelda. Tell them you are a friend of mine."

Ben nodded and Blade could only hope his friend was absorbing the information he was getting.

"Make sure you lose any Protectors that might be following you, and please, apologize to the people from me for having sent you there. I am putting them in danger by doing that."

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