Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) Read online

  Sadness overcame me. Probably not. I did not have any family, nor did I have special relationships with people. I always kept to myself. It was easier that way. I think talking with Dr. Lynn was the most human interaction I had with one person.

  My thoughts turned devious. I finally made eye contact with him. “I would love a tour of the forest. It’s beautiful out there.”

  He looked surprised. “You hate the forest. You always said it was dirty and disgusting in there. You never wanted to get your clothes dirty or dirt under your nails. You were a lady, not a barbarian.”

  Evelyn sure was something. “I do not recall.”

  He nodded his head. “Right. Well, maybe when Stephan gets back I can see if he can assign some soldiers to stand guard while I show you around.”

  Annoyance prickled at me. How was I supposed to find an escape route if we have the military surrounding us? “Why would we need soldiers to accompany us?”

  This time, sadness overtook him. “It’s dangerous out there. We can never be too sure if security got breached.”

  The rebels popped into my head. All this military for three young people? Something wasn’t adding up. I kept my mouth shut about the people I saw in the woods. I don’t know why, but I felt like I shouldn’t bring them up. Even though they admitted to the bombing and pointed a gun at me, I found myself unable to say anything. They could have finished me, but they didn’t. They could have finished who they thought was Evelyn.

  “Where are we?” I asked, picking at a hangnail.

  Silence. I looked up to see him give me an astonished look.

  “You don’t know the basics of where we are? Your head was hit harder than I thought.” He shoved his hand through his gray hair and seemed to get a little stressed.

  I asked another question. “If I was hit by a bomb, then why am I not in a hospital?”

  Dr. Lynn pursed his lips and crossed his arms. “You were hit by a bomb in a very public place. Now say we took you to the hospital at The Unit. That is another very public place and you could get hurt just as easily there as you did at the media meeting.”

  The Unit. That’s what the soldier’s uniforms said. “Why would a soldier try and kill me?”

  “I mean if security got breached.” I could sense Dr. Lynn’s patience running thin. He did not like this topic.

  “Security can be breached here. You pointed that out earlier.”

  “It is less likely in a smaller more confined space.”

  We were doing a dance. “Still a possibility.”

  “Evelyn…” His tone held a warning.

  Now my temper flared. “Don’t Evelyn me.” I snapped.

  A stunned look crossed his face. “I meant no disrespect. I apologize. Your new personality makes me very relaxed around you. That was highly unprofessional of me.” He seemed almost fearful.

  My spine stiffened. Who was this Evelyn that caused such fear? “You do not need to apologize. I would like to be alone.”

  I curled into a ball when he left the room. None of my questions were answered. I still do not know where I am. I never thought of it until now, but why did they not take me to the hospital? Why put me in a bedroom and strap an IV to my arm? I paid close attention to all the aches and pain in my body. I was not even given pain medication. Every day, I have more questions and fewer answers.

  That night I slid out of my bedroom, sneaking into the hallway. Security went down at dark. You would think they would have fewer soldiers out at broad daylight. When the floor creaked underneath my feet, I paused and bit my lip. Nobody heard. I continued my trek down the hall, ignoring the painting on the wall.

  My footsteps were light as I glided down the hardwood stairs. I looked around. A long table stood in the middle of the dining room. What looked like fresh flowers were in a vase in the middle of the table. It was open in here. The walls were glass on one side, so you could see everything outside during day time. During night time, people could see in if a light was turned on.

  A shudder slid down my spine. That was a fear of mine. An open window during the night with the light on. Everyone could see in, but you couldn’t see out. I walked over to the glass wall, ignoring my fear. Peering into the night, I saw a couple of soldiers disappear into the forest. Where were they going? I walked along the wall until I found a door.

  I slipped out into the dark night. I was back on the porch. The porch I escaped from four nights ago. That felt like years ago. When I assumed the coast was clear, I walked the perimeter of the porch. The house was a lot bigger than I thought. It took me a few minutes to make it all the way around.

  I decided to follow those soldiers. I slowly walked across the grass. I did not want to run and make it look like someone was trying to escape. I breathed out a small sigh of relief when the trees swallowed me. Then, unease gnawed at my lower belly. It was completely silent. I could not hear any crickets or any signs of nature. Just pure silence.

  I walked straight. Flinching every now and then. I forgot to put shoes on. A gentle breeze flew by making goosebumps rise on my arms. My teeth started to chatter. The deeper I got into the woods, the colder it got.

  I saw light one hundred feet ahead. Someone had a flashlight. What if this was the rebels again? Would they kill me this time? Am I pressing my luck? I ignored my fears. I have nothing to lose. Pressing deeper into the woods, I hid behind a tree. I could hear their voices clearly.

  “Stephan sent orders.”

  I heard a harsh laugh. “What did he say this time?”

  “Sanchez, Aaron, Mike, and I are all to help out in Louisville with the food trucks.”

  Another harsh laugh. “Why do we even feed those disgusting, useless people? I say let them all starve off and die.”

  I frowned. Were they speaking of homeless people?

  “Power. We need the people to rely on us so they do not rebel. How can they rebel when we are the one feeding them? Feeding their children? Providing for their family?” I recognized that voice as Sanchez.

  “We do not need to feed them.” The voice argued back.

  What happened to the world in the seven and a half days that I was sleeping? A hand wrapped around my mouth. I opened it to scream, but the hand pressed down harder. Arms locked around my waist and carried me out from behind the tree. Five men were all standing around in a circle. They looked shocked when the person behind me dragged me over and dropped me.

  The second his hands were off of me, I kicked backwards, hitting him in the shin. After I heard the muffled groan, I turned around to punch him in the face. Except it was Seth who was bent over in pain. Immediately he straightened and caught my fist with ease. Seth twisted my arm around my back and forced me to walk forwards.

  “Look who I found.” His voice was cold.

  Sanchez lifted his eyebrows. “I thought you hated the forest? Now you sneak off into it in the middle of the night. What’s your game plan?”

  The other soldiers all shot each other looks. I did not understand the look that they shared with each other. Fear left my system and confidence came. These people think I am Evelyn and that Stephan is my father. Stephan was the one calling all the shots around here. They could not do anything to me.

  “Let go of my arm.” My voice was soft but held a sharp edge.

  Seth dropped it immediately. Again, the soldiers shot each other looks. I noticed they stood more at attention. I could feel the heat from Seth’s body warming up my back. I stepped away.

  Seth spoke. “You need to be aware of your whereabouts before you go blasting off plans. She could have been the enemy.” His voice held authority.

  Nobody questioned him. “Yes, sir.” Filled the forest.

  Seth looked at me now, with his dark gaze. “Follow me.” He turned, heading back into the direction of the house.

  I tripped a few times trying to keep up with his quick pace. My feet were bleeding. Sadness filled my stomach. What was going on around the world? It sounded like the government had too much power i
f the people had to rely on them for food. Too much seemed to have happened in a little over a week. The time frame was not matching. Maybe I am not in America.

  When he opened the door leading back into the house, I stopped. My feet had blood all over them and I did not want to get blood on the floor.

  He looked at the blood on my feet then back to my face. “Where are your shoes?”

  I did not respond.

  “Come inside.” It was a quiet demand. I do not think many people questioned Seth. He was easily over six foot tall. His build was thin, but I knew muscle was hiding behind that military uniform. The way he carried himself made him seem bigger than life. Arrogance.

  I shifted. “I do not want to get blood on the floor.”

  He flipped on the porch light and looked at me. And I mean really looked at me. He started from my feet. He was staring at all the cuts and scrapes from the tree branches. His eyes moved up to my legs. The bruises on my porcelain, white skin were beginning to fade. They were an ugly brown now. He stopped at the bottom of my cotton shorts. Now surprise lit his face. These shorts were extremely hard to find. They were all the way in the back of the closet buried beneath piles of clothing. I do not think Evelyn knew that she owned these. His gaze lifted to the soft shirt I was wearing. He looked everywhere from my collar bone, to my arms, and to my neck. Finally, his gaze rested on my eyes.

  “You’re different.” He cracked the fragile silence.

  Because I am not Evelyn. “Yes.” I stated.

  Seth took me by the elbow again, leading me into the house. He all but dragged me to the counter. With ease, he lifted me onto the counter and plopped me onto it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, sliding forward to get off the counter. I was praying he did not take my invite earlier seriously.

  His hands pushed me back. “Stay.” It was the voice he used with the other soldiers when he was making an order.

  For reasons unknown, I felt obligated to comply. He was gone for a few minutes but came back with a first aid kit. I was silent as he washed the blood from my feet and put alcohol on the cuts. He was focused. Concentrating. His copper hair hung in his face when he looked down.

  After he bandaged the cuts on my feet he stood. His face was closed off. He held his hand out to mine. Just like he did that night in the forest. I hesitantly reached my hand out into his. He helped me from the counter and led me back up the stairs towards my bedroom.

  "What were you doing in the forest?"

  It sounded like a question, but I knew it was a demand for me to give an answer. I ignored him.

  He stopped outside my bedroom door while I casually walked in.

  Seth leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. "Was that another futile attempt at running away?"

  I arched an eyebrow. "Who says I ever tried to run away?"

  "Stephan."

  Something dropped in my stomach at hearing that name. If there was someone that I was afraid of, it would be Evelyn's father. I smothered the fear on my face with a haughty look.

  "You should leave. Wouldn't want anyone thinking we were being sexual in here."

  Seth crossed his arms over his chest and looked over me slowly again. I didn’t like how intently he was staring at me. “The house is empty. Nobody would know.”

  I froze. Was he responding to my offer from earlier? I did not expect him to act on that. I sat up, suddenly nervous. I offered myself to him, but I did not plan on giving myself to him.

  For some reason, whenever someone made me feel like I had the lower hand in the situation, I always acted arrogantly. “Don’t pretend like you could handle me.”

  Seth’s dark eyes roamed over me again. The corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile. “Your right. Your four foot eleven frame is way too much for me.”

  “Hey!” I shouted, offended. You never, and I mean never, mock a girl about her height. I grabbed the pillow from behind me and chucked it at him as hard as I could.

  He easily caught it and dropped it on the floor, laughing. All too soon, it ended. Seth shook his head, gave me a questioning look, and left the room.

  I plopped backwards on the bed. The moment was over. That was the only moment where I actually felt human since I woke up. I closed my eyes, picturing his soft rumbling laugh.

  Chapter Four

  "Wake up." A hand shook my shoulder continuously.

  I flipped onto my belly and burrowed further into the blankets. I was exhausted. My brain felt clogged. The ends of my dream were mixing into reality.

  "We need to go!" It was Dr. Lynn's voice. He sounded panicked.

  I peeked an eye open. It was still dark outside. "What?" I coughed, clearing the sleep from my throat.

  He yanked my arm pulling me out of bed. I could barely make out his figure in the dark.

  "The rebels breached the wall."

  The word rebels made Adam, the young man, cross my mind. He has breached the walls before. Why was it a big deal? A gun shot rang out into the air. Now I was fully awake.

  I followed Dr. Lynn out into the hallway and down the stairs. He was almost running full force. "Where are we going?" Panic laced my voice.

  Were those people out there shooting at us? Why were they doing this? In order for a human being to kill, they must have been pushed to their limits to murder. The Unit. They said something about food trucks and making the people rely on them. Did they not feed the citizens?

  We stepped into a garage. There were three SUV's in here. Dr. Lynn led me to the one in the middle and ushered me into the back seat.

  The leather was cold on my skin. Goosebumps broke out across my body. I twirled my hair between my fingers. A bad habit I had whenever I got anxiety.

  The garage door opened and Dr. Lynn drove out into the night. More gunshots rang out. I let out a small scream when I heard a huge explosion. I looked to where the sound came from and pressed my hand into my mouth. One of the massive towers was crumbling to the ground. A fire broke out across the trees. The flames were beautiful. The bright red was a shocking contrast to the black sky. Smoke covered the moon making everything darker.

  Dr. Lynn started swearing under his breath. We were driving down gravel road heading into the opening in the trees. I was surprised when he stopped the car.

  In a heartbeat, he was opening my door. I did not want to leave the safety of the vehicle.

  "Hurry," he demanded, pulling me from the backseat.

  I was astonished when he led me into the woods.

  "Where are we going?" I yanked my arms from his but stayed on his heels. I was not wearing any shoes and I grimaced at the pain as pine needles stabbed my sensitive feet.

  "To safety."

  This did not feel like we like we were heading to safety. It seemed like we were heading straight towards danger. I flinched when a sharp tree branch sliced into my cheek.

  An automatic gun was going off. I dropped to the floor, screamed, and covered my head with my hands. My heart was beating out of my chest. I was shaky and dizzy. I could feel the adrenalin pumping through my veins. Dr. Lynn pulled me up roughly and all but dragged me.

  "You gave away our location." His tone was accusing.

  My legs were jello. Every few steps, they almost gave out on me. My body was betraying me in a time of need.

  Dr. Lynn came to a sudden halt. I slammed into his back. He looked all around us. Nobody was in sight. The gunfire was coming from far behind us.

  He bent down and began swiping at the pine needles and dirt on the ground. Lifting a piece of wood, he motioned for me to go down. I followed his directions. There was a secret passageway underneath the ground. I used my hands to guide me down the steep stairs. I could not see anything. The wood that led to the tunnel closed with a silent click.

  Dr. Lynn turned on a flashlight. He walked around me and began to lead the way. The walls were made from stone. It looked like we were in a dungeon. The air down her was moist. I shivered from the cold. The temperature dr
opped a lot.

  We walked for what felt like ages. Every moment, I felt my anxiety build. My heart wouldn't slow down. What if they found the tunnel? Would they murder me? Would they murder Dr. Lynn?

  I wanted to scream that my name was Brianna and whatever Evelyn did it had nothing to do with me.

  Dr. Lynn stopped walking when we got to another set of stairs. He peered up at it.

  "I do not know what lays across these doors. Stay right behind me and if I say run you need to run." His voice trembled.

  He was just as scared as I was. For some unknown reason, that made me feel better. The walk up the stairs seemed to take forever. Dr. Lynn shoved the wood up and walked out into the blackness. I followed.

  We were right next to a highway. I looked down the little hill leading to the road. The weeds were dead and yellow. The gravel was broken and holes were in the street. Cars were ditched on the side of the road. Some were flipped upside down. Almost every single one of them had broken windows or some sign of damage. The paint was peeling off of most of them. They looked extremely old.

  "Where are we?" I asked in wonder. I had never seen anything like that before.

  Dr. Lynn ignored me. He pulled me away from the scattering trees and led me to the highway. I tripped over rocks and tree branches. I could barely feel the ache in my feet, my mind was so distracted.

  He was looking everywhere like a madman. His grip on my arm got tighter.

  I attempted to yank my arm out of his grasp. "Let go!" He was hurting me.

  "We need to get to safety." Dr. Lynn's once soothing voice sounded crazed.

  The gun shots in the background no longer made me feel fear. Instead, I was afraid of the man who helped nurse my body back to health.

  I yanked my arm again. "I understand that, but you're hurting me."