Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(37)
He doesn’t look convinced, but doesn’t say anything.
“All right,” I say after a minute. “It looks like there’s an evacuation area in the Square of Sector Two. Let’s head over there.”
I fold up the map, but keep it in my hand, so I can reference it quickly if I have to change course and pinpoint the exact location.
We slip by the Guard, who is too busy reading something on his holoscreen to notice us—not that he would be looking anyway. His duty is to prevent people from getting in, not from getting out.
This time we hurry to the Square, still keeping to the shadows and avoiding the large crowds of Citizens. It’s more crowded than usual today because of Festival. With all the Couples dressed in their colorful carnival clothes, we probably won’t stick out as much as I thought we would, but I’m still the Daughter of the People and highly recognizable, and so is Gavin with his torn and dirty clothes. The only problem is, the farther into Sector Two the thicker the crowds. Even in the shadows it’s difficult to push our way through so no one will notice.
Making it worse, Gavin gawks at everything. It makes him stick out like a sore thumb, but he keeps up so I don’t say anything. I need to focus on getting us through here. My nerves are stretched to breaking and my heart is in my throat because I’ve spotted three Enforcers. They don’t appear to have noticed us and from their relaxed postures I know they aren’t on alert, but I also know that doesn’t really mean anything. If I can see them, they can see me. We must tread very carefully.
Six Guards are straight ahead, but they appear too busy flirting with the group of young women surrounding them to be paying attention. Since it’s either them or the Enforcers, I lead Gavin in their direction, double checking our position against the map and the location of the evacuation area. It looks like the evac area is in the middle of the Square, which doesn’t make sense, but maybe there’s something there I don’t know about.
When we reach the designated spot on the map, I frown. This can’t be right. This is a supper club. Only Coupled Citizens and their families are allowed in here. But, I’ve been here a few times with Mother to catch a show with our dinner and I think I remember there being some kind of back room. Maybe that’s the evac area.
Being mindful of the Enforcers and the Guards, I rush into it, with Gavin nipping at my heels. While music is playing, something from the entertainment for the night, I’m sure there’s no one in here yet. It must still be too early for the dinner crowd, but I don’t stop. My heart is thumping so hard I can feel it in my head. I pretend like I’m supposed to be here and keep walking until I find what I’m looking for—a drapery-covered wall. I push it aside and see a door. I open it to reveal a set of stairs, leading up into darkness.
Gavin shuts the door behind us and the sound from the club becomes muffled, with only the thump, thump of the bass audible. At the top of the stairs the sound of music gets louder again and I can see lights peeking through a tiny gap in the wall. Curious, I go to it and find it’s another curtain. I’m actually peering out from behind the bronze metal latticework behind the bar. I release the curtain and continue forward, my foot kicking something that hits the wall with a metallic clink.
I lift it up and study it in the light dripping in from the gap in the curtain. When I see what I’m holding, my blood turns cold. It’s a casing to a bullet. I’m sure this is where the Enforcers hide to watch over the Citizens. I glance up at the wall, just to verify, and sure enough there’s a plaque with one of Mother’s Enforcer statutes on it. The one about an Enforcer having to act at a moment’s notice. I’m sure if I looked farther I’d find another.
“We have to get out of here,” I say.
“You brought us here,” Gavin replies with a tight laugh.
“I know.” I guide the way to two doors. The one ahead of me leads to another set of stairs. It seems familiar to me, so I’m hopeful it leads to the evacuation area.
At the bottom of the stairs, a quick study reveals a large room and a second exit. That must be the evacuation area. I lead the way over to it. A group of large boxes blocks the door and when I try to push one, I know it must weigh at least fifty kilograms. I’m not sure if I can even lift it, but before I can try, Gavin picks it up and moves it out of the way. Impressed, I can only stare as he moves the rest of them. Before long he’s cleared us a path and I’m opening the door.
The hinges make a squealing sound as I push the door open, and the breath I didn’t know I was holding releases in a hiss when I see not a tunnel like I was expecting, but the back side of the supper club with an unimpeded view of the other half of the Square.
Gavin peers over my shoulder. “Um … I may be wrong, but that doesn’t look like an evacuation tunnel.”
I only turn to glare at him and slowly close the door, hoping the squeal of the hinges doesn’t alert anyone to our presence.
“Now what?” I mumble, and take a closer study of the room.
There’s a broken light in the far corner and it appears no one has come into this area in a long time. There’s a thick layer of dust on the boxes and on the floor. We leave footprints in it as we make our way to the shadowed area. My prints are quite small compared to Gavin’s. Then again, he’s tall. Even in my boots, he’s at least fifteen centimeters taller than me.