MEMORIAM Read online

  MEMORIAM

  By

  RACHEL BROOM

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the result of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is merely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Rachel Broom

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transferred in any form or by any means, including recording, photocopying, or other electronic or mechanical ways, without prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and articles.

  Cover Illustration Copyright © 2015 Rachel Broom

  Cover design by Rachel Broom, Alayna Eiting, and Nicole Eiting

  Editing by Alexandria Haslam and Chandler Austin

  To everyone who’s ever supported my dream of becoming a writer.

  Thank you.

  And to that teenage girl who spent years putting her heart and soul into this novel- thank you for taking a risk and following your dreams because without you we wouldn’t have Violet and Sam, and we both know how much they mean to us.

  Table of Content

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

  -Albert Einstein

  PROLOGUE

  It was cold when I woke. I stretched my arm and draped it over Sam’s torso, burying my face in his back. My toes poked through the thin blanket and skimmed the wall separating us from the next healer’s unit. Healers were lucky that they got their own rooms. Most rooms in the base were narrow and cramped, with beds stacked on top of each other like ant piles and no window for light. Sam let me sleep with him most nights because I think he felt guilty about my living arrangements compared to his.

  “Sam?” I whispered. I ran my hand through his mud brown hair.

  “Sam,” I said again, leaning down and brushing my lips against his neck. “Today’s the day.”

  He groaned and opened his eyes. “What time is it?”

  “Almost sunrise, I think.”

  Three months ago Sam and I made the decision that we were going to escape the Trux base. It’d taken endless weeks of planning and coordination to find someone to help us who we could trust, but we’d finally done it. We were ready.

  “We should go,” Sam said.

  “Mm.”

  But neither of us moved. I lay and listen to the near-silence – the creak of the bed under our weight and the gentle whistle of the wind.

  “Sam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know,” he replied. “I am, too.”

  “I love you,” I said. Those words hung in the darkness of the room. Sam stayed quiet. “No matter what,” I added.

  No matter what. Those words rang in my ear as we got dressed and walked through the tubes, our hands entwined. “Tube” was the nickname given to the living quarters of prisoners that encircled the center of the base. I held my breath as we passed rooms in the tube where, through the fogged screens, I saw people sleeping. The grate flooring clanged under our feet as we walked. I jumped when Sam pulled me back behind an archway, peering through.

  “Clear,” he said.

  My stomach squirmed. I knew how dangerous this was to escape. When the Trux first took control of Rinfero a year ago, I learned that we were never in control. We, the Pax, never stood a chance. It wasn’t in us. We were too peaceful, as the Trux would say. Not enough guts to start a war, or end one for that matter.

  Compared to the other four rectors that inhabited North Country, Rinfero was the most extreme. It was comprised of the Trux and the Pax. The Trux were the aggressors, while we Pax encouraged open-mindedness and love. Strangely enough, our government was balanced when we worked together. During that time we rose up in power together, with our strong government and united people. We became the strongest of the five rectors. Others had begun looking to us for trade and alliances.

  Years passed; then Rinfero began to fall apart. Maybe it was the Trux’s anger of what happened twenty years ago: they requested to become their own rector, and were denied by the North Council. War broke out because of it, so the Pax asked for help to control the Trux. Other rectors’ military forces came and had contained the Trux, allowing us Pax to reinstate peace. After all, we were the designated peacekeepers. We should have known that the Trux were planning to strike back though.

  When the Trux took over Rinfero a year ago, hundreds of thousands of Paxes’ homes were invaded, children slaughtered, and parents taken. The Trux locked us up. They carted us to prison camps, called bases, like cattle. None of the rectors dared stand up to the Trux. They were much too powerful this time around to be controlled. The Trux and their new president, the Head, must have been biding their time all those years spent under Pax’s rule, waiting for the chance to ‘lead Rinfero into a new age.’

  “We need to go faster,” I told Sam. My anxiety was growing. We only had till sunrise or it would be too late.

  “James is meeting us at the wall, right?” Sam asked.

  “I told him before sunrise.”

  Sam quickened his pace. Our shoes trudged through the mud as we left the tube. The wind blew softly and the air was cold and rigid; you could still see your breath. Hardly anyone was out at this time. Past the tubes was a wall that sprung twenty feet high, cement, ensuring captivity. The space between the dome, the center of the base, and the tubes that ran along the border of the wall was empty; nothing but mud and dead patches of grass.

  “Teb should be up ahead.” Sam pointed to the area up ahead where the wall began to curve.

  “I hope this works,” I said.

  “He may have lost his mind but he hasn’t lost his compassion. I trust him,” Sam said. “The skryers should be pitied just as much as us. They are Pax, too.”

  “Not all of them,” I corrected. “Teb is a Trux. He wasn’t tortured to insanity like the others.”

  “Yeah but he’s close to it. He went in for another round of treatments last week.”

  Up ahead I spotted a small figure and my heart leaped. “There’s James,” I said. We crossed the yard and I broke out into a jog, stretching out my arms to the little boy. He ran over with a slight limp, a smile creeping on his face.

  “Vi!” he squealed. I threw my arms around him and pulled him up, wrapping him in a tight hug. I kissed his dark curls and rubbed his small back, trying to ignore the pain in my chest as I ran my hand along his defined backbone. My throat tightened when I sat him down on the ground next to me, touching his cheek.

  “My favorite little brother,” I said.

  James smiled. “I’m your only brother.”

  I chuckled. “I know, I’m just being silly. Does your stomach hurt?”

  “A little bit.” He shrugged. “I’m happy you’re here, though.” He smiled at me, showing his missing front tooth. My eyes stung.

  “I’m happy you’re here, too. It’s been a while, huh?”

  “Too long,” he said.

  I laughed. “Oh James.” I stroked his cheek. “I’ve missed you.” I pulled him onto my lap and hugged him. “We’re going far away from here where no one can separate us anymore,” I whispered in his ear.

  Up
past the curve of the wall I saw a figure walking towards us. My insides twisted.

  “Is that a skryer?”

  “I don’t think so. It looks like Teb. Hold on.” Sam jogged up ahead. I gripped James’ hand, stroking his head.

  “It’s okay,” I told him.

  “It’s Teb,” Sam called out. My shoulders loosened and I let go of James’ hand as I ran over to Sam.

  “We thought you weren’t going to make it,” I said to Teb.

  “I had to take care of some things.” By things I wondered if he meant skryers. Teb looked around at us. “Are you ready?”

  I went over to Sam’s side and took his hand, squeezing it. “Let’s go.”

  “If you don’t want your tracker signals picked up right away then your safest bet is the section I’m taking you to,” Teb said. “It’s usually guarded by two skryers but I took care of them.”

  Our trackers were the biggest flaw in our plan. All of us Pax here in the base had trackers below our ears under a layer of skin. Originally Rinfero used the trackers to keep track of its citizens, informing them with news or personalized alerts. I would have never guessed the Trux’s new president, the Head, would turn it into a weapon to use against the Pax. The tracker not only tracked us, but our health as well. It could sense when someone was dying and those people were usually terminated within the week. It wasn’t possible to remove our trackers safely without injuring ourselves; the only option we’d come up with was venturing into a city to find a professional healer.

  “Remember, the trackers are your main priority. Once you jump the wall go straight to Stoclo. There are healers there who will help you.” Teb started walking and we followed behind, passing the entrance to the center of the base.

  “Vi?” James whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “Is this the last time we’ll see the dome?” he asked, pointing at the center of the base.

  I smiled down at him. “Yes, it is.”

  “I’m not sure how much time you’ll have before the base realizes your tracker signals are out of bounds so you’ll need to hurry,” Teb continued. “Don’t stop running until you hit the woods.”

  “Do you think we’ll be safe once we hit the base’s border?” I asked.

  “It’s hard to say. I honestly don’t know how the base security will respond to a breakout like this. You aren’t leading an army but at the same time you are breaking out. It could cause an

  uproar,” Teb said.

  An image of James in a prison cell flashed in my mind. I shook my head and gripped Sam’s hand tighter. “We’ll make it.” I paused. “You don’t think they will send hunters after us, do you?”

  I felt Sam’s eyes on me. I ignored his stare and kept my gaze on Teb.

  Teb frowned. “You know the likelihood of you making it out alive if hunters do come after you is slim. They’re trained killers.”

  “So are you, but you’re helping us.”

  Teb bowed his head.

  “Violet-“ Sam scowled.

  “-I know what I am, Sam,” Teb said in a low voice.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” I reached over and grabbed Teb’s arm. “Truly, we owe you our lives. I know this decision to help us wasn’t easy.”

  “I don’t have the freedom to make decisions, Violet. Once the Head gets in your mind…it’s all over. You’re not you anymore.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m grateful I can help in some way.”

  I tried to muster words but none came. It broke my heart to see good people like Teb being mentally torn apart. I reached out my hand. He grasped it.

  “Good luck.”

  “Thank you.”

  I let go and looked over at James and Sam – my little ‘family.’ Many people had lost or been separated from their families. I was lucky enough that we were put in the same base; now we were leaving together. My heart felt whole. I hadn’t had that feeling in a long time.

  When we were first caught we were about to cross the border into Alister, another rector that was rumored to be a safe place for Pax. No pain could compare to seeing those closest to me tied up and thrown into pods. I remembered James calling out to me, screaming for help. Children weren’t assets to the Head since they were considered weak and helpless so I knew the chances of James surviving were slim. I had head-butted the hunter holding me and ran to James, holding his little hands and whispering in his ear, ‘It’s okay,’ over and over.

  Today, part of me was scared that we weren’t going to make it. I didn’t want to think about that, especially now with us attempting to escape, but negative thoughts swarmed my brain as Teb handed me a klave and hoisted me up onto his shoulders. The weapon felt strange and foreign in my hand. Klaves were meant for hunters and skryers, a gadget designed with an injection fluid in each needle meant to poison its victim slowly until the person died. It was rumored that the poison took an hour, at least, to kill its victim. I secretly hoped I wouldn’t have to use it on anyone today.

  “Remember, run straight for the woods. Don’t stop for anyone.”

  I nodded and positioned myself on Teb’s shoulders, steadying myself against the wall. My legs shook as I stood up, the klave aimed at the wall. Its smooth casing fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. I shot once, the small needle firing into the concrete.

  “You got it?” Sam asked. I nodded over my shoulder.

  “Give me a second.” I fired three more times at the same spot. I then aimed the klave a foot above the four needles lodged in the concrete and fired again. Several more times I did this until a small stepping ladder of sorts was designed, leading to the top of the wall.

  “Be careful, Vi,” Sam said.

  “I will.” My fingers burned as I gripped the needles over my head, resting my right foot on the first set of needles I shot. “They’re holding,” I panted.

  “You need to hurry,” Teb said. I hoisted myself onto the next set of needles, taking deep breaths as my heart raced. The sky grew lighter. Dawn was coming. I gripped the last needle and threw myself on top of the ledge and looked back down, watching as James was hoisted onto Teb’s shoulders. He was too small to reach the needles I had placed in the concrete so I pulled the small section of rope I had managed to steal out of my pocket and tossed it down.

  “Okay, James. Hold onto the rope, okay? Don’t let go.”

  Teb looped the rope around James’ chest and tied it, signaling me when he finished. I began to hoist James up, gasping as my foot wavered and slid.

  “Shit.” I grabbed the ledge, swearing again under my breath.

  “You okay, Vi?” Sam’s voice called out.

  “Yeah.” Tears sprang to my eyes. My body was rushing itself, telling me I was running out of time. “You can do this,” I said to myself. James was almost at the top.

  “My arms hurt.”

  “Just a few more seconds. Hold on, James. Don’t let go.”

  I bent low while holding the rope back with my other arm. “Grab my hand, James.”

  His small fingers reached up, scrambling for mine. I grasped his wrist and pulled him up, balancing myself as he fell into my arms.

  “Are you okay?”

  James nodded. The sky was a slight pink now. Bits of yellow dotted the trees. All around I could see the forest start to grow, spreading over rolling hills and past those hills, sprawling mountains. I took a deep breath in, tasting fresh pine and sea salt on my tongue.

  “Why are you smiling?” James asked.

  “Do you smell that? That’s the ocean and the trees. It’s beautiful.” It was like a new rush of energy surged through me. My confidence grew and my anxiety lessened.

  I was working my way down now. During my second set of needles I heard yelling. I looked around frantically for skryers. I scrambled back up the wall and looked over the ledge. Up past the main entrance of the dome I saw them, three skryers running towards us. “Sam!” I called out, panic flooding my airways.

  “Sam, go!” Teb yelled, waving for Sam to
climb up. James needed to start climbing down while I helped Sam. I stuffed the klave in my back pocket and tightened the rope around James’ chest, my hands shaking. Everything felt frozen. Screams across the empty courtyard, Teb cursing and Sam panting, his shadow moving up the wall. I lowered James down the other side of the wall, ignoring the sweat that ran down my nose. I let go of the rope when James neared the bottom and watched as he hit the ground with a soft thud then scrambled to his feet. I turned back to Sam who was halfway up.

  “Come on, Sam,” I mumbled. “Please. Please make it.”

  Sam was nearing the top. He groaned as he reached up for the last set of needles. “Sam,” I whispered, “you can do it. You’re almost there.”

  He smiled up at me. “Nothing like some skryers to get your blood pumping, huh?”

  I smiled through my tears, fighting back sobs. He stretched out his arm and I clutched it.

  A faint whistle reached my eardrums and I screamed, Sam’s hand slipping out of mine. “No, goddammit!” I screamed. “SAM!” He’d been shot by a klave.

  Sam was lying on his stomach, his back to me. I noticed Teb on the ground a few feet from Sam. A small needle from a klave was lodged in his neck. Teb was gone.

  “Sam!” I screamed. “Can you hear me?”

  He rolled over. Even through the faint light I could see his piercing blue eyes. “Vi, run.” His voice wobbled. I shook my head. He slammed his fist into the ground.

  “Dammit Vi, you get out of here!”

  “I can’t.” I sniffed. “I won’t leave you.”

  “I love you,” he gasped, clutching his neck. Tears streamed down my face.

  “I love you, too.” My tears blinded me as I turned, leaping from the wall. I hit the ground with a loud crunch, my ankle buckling under my weight.

  The sky was was bright now, lighting the way to the forest line. Behind us I heard more yelling.

  “Where’s Sam?” James asked. I ignored him and grabbed his hand, limping towards the forest. My eyes felt swollen and puffy and it was hard to see from the constant stream of tears running down my face.

  “Keep running, James. Come on,” I said.