I peek out from where I am hiding. There are three guards running in Aiden’s direction, and one guard is left standing at the show tent’s entrance.

I do not see anyone else around besides that one guard, but he is looking straight ahead, and the door to the first building is out of his eye range. I move out from behind the booth, and I quickly move to the first of the small buildings. I have no choice but to walk in the direct light, so if anyone were to walk by and look my way, I would be a goner.

I walk over to the door quickly and open it. Without thinking, I walk into the room and close the door behind me. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, acting as a reminder of how badly this can end up.

The room has a single light on, but it is enough for me to see everything. Once I look at my surroundings, I realize that I am an idiot for not checking to see if anyone was in the room first. Luckily, there is not, but the empty chairs around a square table tell me that there could have been.

On the table, there is a half-eaten sandwich that looks like someone abandoned it in a rush. That person can be coming back here any second. I have to move fast. I look around at the rest of the room. There is a smaller table on the back wall, and sitting on that table are about eight to ten black bags of various sizes.

I make my way over to the bags within three strides to make sure I don’t waste any more time than I need to. I pick up the first bag on the end of the table and I look through its contents. After finding only a few pairs of clothes along with some food I move on to the next one. The following three bags seem to be similar to the first, meaning there is nothing worthwhile in them. I am starting to lose hope that this room, which was relatively easy to get to, is the right room.

I then move onto a medium sized black leather bag. I unzip the bag, and the first thing that catches my eye is a small, slick black flashlight. There are also some loose papers, but after giving them a quick look over, I determine that they don’t contain anything of importance, so I put them back. The next thing I see is a notebook with literally no notes in it. I am starting to get frustrated. If there is nothing in this room that relates to what Vesper told Aiden, then I am wasting time looking in the wrong building.

I put the bag back down on the table, making a loud thunk when I do. At first, I think to myself, it was the flashlight, but then again, that noise sounded much heavier than the small flashlight that is in the bag. My heart races as I open the bag once again and take out the flashlight, papers, and notepad. I see a flap on the bottom of the bag blending in with the black fabric. I pull it back and see the cause of the noise. On the bottom of the bag, there is a small handgun.

I stare at the gun for a second before picking it up. The weapon is the darkest shade of black I have ever seen, and it lacks the shine that most metals have. The gun is cold to the touch and heavy in my hand. I have never held a gun before. For some reason, I thought it would feel different from holding a large piece of metal, but it does not. The way it fits in my hand makes it feel so real, so dangerous.

I am not quite sure what to do with it. Aiden didn’t say anything about weapons. Should I bring it with me or leave it here? I have never shot a gun before, the people of Treegrass are not allowed guns. Why would we need guns if the government would always protect us?

Only police officers are allowed to carry guns, but they have spent years training in the town of Officials to learn how to use them properly. The police have never had to use their weapons in Treegrass before. As far as I’m aware, we are a pretty low-crime town. I think the most severe crime someone has ever committed here was theft.

Before tonight, I had never heard the sound of a gun being fired. Of course, I have seen and heard a gunshot before in old videos of the war with the Fritts, but that was different. The real thing is much louder, and it echoes. The videos always made it seem like the shots were quieter and somehow not as dangerous and scary.

The reality of the situation is sinking in, and I can't help but feel a sense of dread and loneliness. We were so unprepared. So innocent. I am standing in an empty room holding a weapon that I never imagined I would ever be in my grasp.

I tuck the gun in the waistband of my jeans and hope I will not ever have to use it. I bring it with me as protection. I take the small flashlight with me as well because why not?

The only protection I have apart from the gun is myself. I don’t think it would be in my best interest to try and fight a guard since I have never fought anyone other than Devin before. Fighting Devin can't even be considered a real fight, it was only ever play fighting, it was nothing serious. Given the gravity of the situation, I don’t want to take a chance and try fighting someone today, especially not a guard.

I go through the rest of the bags, but they all seem to be the same as the first few I looked through. There were no more guns or any other weapons, so I move away from the table to leave.

I press my ear up to the door to try and listen for any guards that may be walking around on the other side. I don’t hear anyone talking or walking, and there are no gunshots, so I crack the door open and look outside. Nobody’s around.

I step outside, and once again, I am in direct lighting. I move to where Aiden and I were hiding before behind the booth and assess my situation. The guard is still standing at the entrance of the show tent, his attention focused on something in the distance.

The building I was just in is closer to where this spot is. To get to the other building, I would have to cross an open area in the light, but the guard in front of the tent would surely see me. I have to find a way to get to the other building without getting caught. I could do this by looking for dark places to hide, or I could just wing it and run across the open area through the lights to get to the room. It may be dumb, but I chose the second option.

Moving through the shadows would take too long, and there aren’t many dark places over here to begin with, so it would be a challenge anyway. I would like a third and easier option, but it does not look like there is one. I need to get to that second building. By now, Aiden is probably making his way to the kitchen, and the other guards will be coming back my way at any minute. I don’t have the luxury of taking my time.

I inch my way up to the edge of the booth and contemplate my chances of making it to the second building if I were to try and run there. All the lights are on over here, and there are also lights all around building two. There is no way that the guard in front of the show tent won’t see me. The door is facing in my direction, similar to the first building, so the guard in front of the show tent will only see me for a few seconds before I disappear from his view, thanks to the building.

The main question now is, do I run to building number two, or do I try walking there casually and hope the guard thinks I am one of them?

I freeze for a second as a thought occurs to me.

There were guard jackets on the back of the door of building one. Maybe if I put one on, then I will blend in better, and I can make it to building two without getting shot.

I make my way back over to building one as fast as I can and go back inside. Once the door is closed, I look at the coat hanger on the back. There are a few dark gray guard vests and jackets on it, and I steal the one that looks the smallest, which is not that small.

I put the jacket on and I immediately know that it’s too large for me. The sleeves go a few inches past my hands, and if I were to zip the jacket up, it would look like I am wearing a dress. I roll the sleeves up to my wrists, and then I press my ear to the door.

I am already a gun and flashlight thief, so I might as well be a jacket thief, too. Hopefully, I will blend in more with the darkness, and the guards will think that I am one of them and leave me alone.

If this does not work, then the guard will most likely shoot me or chase me down. There is probably about a fifty-fifty chance that either of these options will happen.

I want a second to think before returning outside, but I have already taken up too much time.

I take the chance and open the door again, leaving the first building. I keep my head up and look straight ahead, walking as though I have places to be, which is technically true. I hold my breath as I make it halfway to the building.

I tell myself that the guard at the front of the show tent will think I am just like another guard—a guard with a very oversized jacket on.

Each step I take feels like an eternity. The seconds seem to pass slower, and I feel as though I am walking in a dream, fighting to move my body just one step more.

Once I get to the door of building two, I let out the breath I was holding. My knees are trembling, and I can't seem to keep my hands from shaking with fear.

I lean up against the door and close my eyes. I listen to hear if any footsteps are coming my way, and when I don't hear any, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. If that guard came over here and looked at me close up, he would definitely know that I am not a guard.

When I don’t hear anything else besides the leaves on the trees near me moving with the wind, I take that as a good sign and go inside.

Chapter 16

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