Chapter 36 Safety First
THIRTY-SIX
SAFETY FIRST
Julia
I change the damp clothes on the brow of the older man lying on the bed before me, making sure the material stays in place as he tries to drift off to sleep.
He groans but the cool cloth remains where I put it.
Moaning fills my ears as I step away from his bed and duck outside his curtains, into the main part of the refugee infirmary.
A fever has taken over the camp and both are full of people just like him.
Feeling hot myself, I see my replacement walk into the tent, not appearing any better.
I smile at them remorsefully and escape outside without a word, taking a deep breath the moment I’m no longer in the stifling tent.
We’ve lost three elderly refugees today, all due to fevers we couldn’t suppress.
Without enough readily available water and food, everyone is weakening quickly.
More and more fights have broken out, and not just among the refugees.
No one likes how little resources they’re getting.
The long line waiting around the water containers is telling, considering the number of people currently admitted to medical care.
I wouldn’t want to be one of the few soldiers guarding the water rations.
I move to the side of the infirmary tent’s opening to get out of the way of several people heading within and shift my eyes to the encampment’s entrance far to my right.
There, I spot Graft and a few soldiers speaking.
Graft’s arms fly outward as he talks to his men animatedly.
One of the soldiers points at him and says something back before storming away.
Morale is dropping. I’ve only been here a week and it’s only gotten worse in that time span. The frown that’s already on my face deepens.
I debate making my way closer to see if I can get any news about what’s going on, but decide I’ll probably have better luck the opposite direction.
Watching to make sure no one notices, I head to the barracks, where the soldiers sleep, and sneak past them.
When I get to the ruins on the other side, I hunker down and creep toward the hole I found before, then into the stacks of crates and machines hiding it from public view.
For a time, I watch, seeing if anyone comes along or is patrolling the area.
So far, so good. Everyone is distracted.
With sickness running through the camp, it’s spread through the soldiers as badly as it has through the refugees.
Sneaking closer, I spot two soldiers outside the large tent in front of the hole, quietly monitoring the area. From their vantage point, they’ll see me if I try to head down the walkway inside.
I find a place between two crates to wait.
Time crawls by; I’m about to give up when commotion from the front of the encampment draws the attention of the guards.
They speak to each other in clipped tones, then one of them jogs away to see what’s happening.
While the other one is distracted, I take my chance and move closer to the hole, hoping I can get near enough to see inside.
I’m about to scurry down the stairway when the soldier abruptly turns and walks away from the tent, towards me.
I press my back into the nearest crate as he saunters past, stilling my breath.
As he heads deeper into the tunnel, I lean to the side to look into it myself, seeing a huge underground path that almost looks like a road past the packed dirt and rocks.
There are spotlights within that light up the jagged cement walls lining the dug-out part of the hole.
It’s big enough for multiple people to walk through at the same time.
Turning away as the soldier disappears within, I realize the tent outside is completely unguarded now. Forgetting the tunnel, I waste no time dashing to the entrance and peeking inside. The large space is filled with computers, machines, and more crates, butI don’t find more soldiers.
There’s some strange weaponry lying about. I press into the tent and briefly swipe my hands over a gleaming sword that looks nothing like any sword I’ve seen before.
Lurker weaponry… They’ve found some.
Hearing the barricade commotion grow louder, and a voice starts ringing over everyone else’s that sounds like Graft’s, I back my way out of the tent, leaving the area behind before the soldiers come back. I’ve risked enough.
Making my way towards the booming voice, I confirm it’s Graft before I see him. He’s standing in a small crowd of people.
“I’ve got an announcement!” he shouts through an amplifier right outside the soldier’s infirmary. Soldiers and refugees have begun to gather around him. Spotting Benjamin to my left, I walk to his side and stand by him.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I think a new group of refugees have arrived. Maybe? I don’t know.”
“Everyone come close!” Graft’s voice booms out again as he waits for more people, many of them sick, to gather in front of him. He looks worse than usual, the shadows beneath his eyes elongated and dark. His gray hair is slick across his head like he’s run his hands over it a thousand times.
I peer past him, beyond the entrance and to the trees in the distance.
Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth and biting down on it, I try but fail to not think about Krellix.
I’m not as mad at him as I first was. Now, all I want is to see him once more to make sure he’s…
okay. There’s a nagging intuition in my gut telling me he's very much not.
“Okay guys, listen up!” Graft’s voice resounds as he starts to address those closest to him.
I search for Quinton and Olivia but don’t locate them amongst those gathered.
“As you all know, we’ve had a terrible loss.
A terrible tragedy that befell us all several weeks past. We lost our home, our loved ones, our…
stability. We’ve lost everything, everything that is…
except each other. Life has been hard, hell, right now it looks bleak.
There’s not enough food, water, or medical supplies.
More refugees are arriving every day. But there’s still hope.
Today, for the first time since we lost—”
An explosion erupts, blasting into my ears, and I flinch, ducking, covering them against the loud sound. By the time I realize that I just heard a gunshot from close range, everyone is running and screaming.
“Julia!” Benjamin cries as he grabs my arm. He pulls me away, toward the refugee tents. I stumble with him while several more gun shots go off, instinctively reaching for a weapon that’s not there.
Trying to understand what’s happening, I twist over my shoulder as Benjamin drags me along, and catch a glimpse of Graft’s lifeless body on the ground. There’s already blood pooling around him. Seeing soldiers taking aim at their own comrades, I turn my focus to running away with Benjamin.
“Quinton, over here!” he calls out, letting me go and waving at Quinton, who’s gazing worriedly at a group of panicked refugees from the opening of their shared tent. As Quinton catches sight of us and weaves our way, I turn to Benjamin.
“We need to find Olivia.”
“We need to get to safety first,” he argues. Quinton, joining us, nods. We all startle and duck when another round of gunshots go off, followed by increased screaming. “They’re firing at each other!”
“Just give me a minute! Wait in your tent, I’ll only be a minute!” I sprint to the tent I share with Olivia, calling out, “Olivia!” Pulling back the flap, I don’t find her inside. “Olivia!”
“I’m right here.” Olivia comes out from one of the neighboring tents. She scuttles towards me and I yank her to my side, giving her a short hug. “What’s going on?” she asks, her expression awash with fear.
“Someone’s murdered Graft. Come with me.” I grab her hand and lead her back to where Benjamin and Quinton are waiting for us, peaking out from behind a flap of ultimately-useless plastic. “I got her,” I announce as Olivia and I duck inside.
“Where should we go? Everyone’s running to the back, heading into the ruins,” Quinton says.
We all pause as a group of soldiers runs past us, towards the front, shouting for back up. I reach for my gun again, instincts telling me I should join them—only to drop my hand and choose my friends.
“They don’t have leadership,” I say, “Without Graft, the fighting will get a lot worse before it gets better. We need to find shelter and protect ourselves until then.”
“What shelter?” Quinton waves his hand hysterically. “The tents won’t save us from bullets!”
Benjamin shifts forward. “We need to get out of here, that’s what we need.” He sighs but it’s stiff with stress. “Where’s Krellix when you need him?”
My brow furrows and my heart pangs at the mention of his name. “He’s gone. We made a deal and he delivered. He has others… to get back to.”
“Like they’d ever allow a naga into this camp to begin with,” Olivia whispers under her breath.
Making sure they’re all looking at me, I nod my head toward the exit. “There’s only one way out of here and it’s heavily guarded. But I know a place we can go. Follow me.” I don’t hesitate as I quickly rise to my feet and lift the tent flap. “Keep your head down. It’s not far!” I call behind me.
Amidst the chaos, I keep my grip on Olivia’s hand tight as I lead her, Benjamin, and Quinton past the infirmaries, and then the barracks.
More shouting comes from within. We dodge around the back, between the main dirt path and the first refugee sector until we make it to the ruins on the other side.
Thankfully, the area is still clear. I take a moment to scout around and in between the crates for any others who have come here to hide. But with more substantial ruins past these that the refugees could run to, I don’t find anyone around the hole’s entrance.
“Keep low,” I softly command as I lead them forward.