The Treasure Map by Tyler Scott Hess

Author:Tyler Scott Hess [Hess, Tyler Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

No Other Choice

“HOW LONG DO we have?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

“Ten, maybe twelve hours, Niko,” the Elder tells me as he offers me his hand. “Now get up. Tonight’s journey won’t be any easier than the last.”

Two hours was all they gave me. I could have slept for twenty-four. I stretch out my back, wiggle the soreness from my body, and roll over to push myself up from the tiled floor. When I make it to my feet, I see a blurry image of a young man whose voice I recognize before my eyes see him distinctly.

“Follow me. I have to show you something,” says Wiley, Rafe’s twin brother. “Come on, it’s in the lab.”

“Lab?” I ask, but he ignores me, leading me through the narrow hallway to one of the back rooms. When I arrive, I see bunks converted into desks, laptop computers turned into a sophisticated network of machines depicting an array of maps, with a radio running quietly in the corner. “What is all this?”

“Isn’t it great?” Rafe asks. He’s sitting down in a disheveled black swivel chair as he manipulates the screens to show me the hub’s capabilities. “Whoever was here last, knew what they were doing. They left everything I needed to set this all up. I’ve laid out our best course of action on the center screen. The trip to The Port won’t be short, but it will be safer if we take the byways through the hills.”

“Wait, The Port?” I ask. “Who decided we’re going to The Port? You’re just asking to be arrested. We need to go to Akiva.”

“No,” Rafe says, shaking his head to the point where his whole body wobbles. “Not Akiva, we have to go to The Port. Akiva is a death sentence. Look at this map I unearthed from the State’s computer network. The red dots represent the State’s armed guards from town to town. The larger the dot, the more presence they have in a certain village. Look for yourself, Akiva has more guards than any other town per capita. We might as well hand ourselves in. We’re going to The Port.”

“I have to show this to the Elder,” I tell him.

“You don’t have to show me anything,” he says, hovering over us. “I’ve seen the schematics, the numbers, and the layouts. They’re lying to you.”

“I found these on the State’s own network,” Rafe insists.

“I know,” the Elder says. “And how hard was it for you to uncover this information?”

“Not very. I’m good at what I do,” Rafe says.

“I’m sure you are, but the State is smarter than you think. You found what you were looking for and moved on, just like they wanted you to do. But those aren’t the real plans, and The Port isn’t as safe as that map tells you it is. Tell me, which village do you think the State would want to protect? Some rinky-dink town like Akiva, filled with people who make their living from growing vegetables, or The Port, the region’s major transit center? We’re going to Akiva.

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