End (Except for the Epilogue)

PART TWENTY FOUR

The receptionist was just packing to go home, when around the corner rushed a crowd of about eight people, three of whom he'd seen a few hours earlier. They ran past without noticing him. It wasn't usual for people to leave. The receptionist decided it was none of his business and resumed what he was doing. As he entered the city, however, a group of guards passed him and also left the city. The receptionist decided this was also none of his business and continued on his way home.

Sonia declared a halt on a small hill not far from the cave entrance. Angele, Evan and Etina needed a rest. When Evan got his breath back he exclaimed on how dark it was and sat heavily on the ground. Etina joined him while Angele took possession of a large rock. The others stood around awkwardly.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Sonia roused herself from wondering what had happened to Ralf to realise that she was the leader now.
"Um..." Where were they going? She looked around and espied a cluster of lights. There must be a town or city down there.
"We're going there." She pointed, hoping she sounded confident. She was met with silence. They were probably judging her decision. She sat down and glared at them through the dark.
Glittering stars peeped through the rippling red night lights in the sky; stars that seemed to pierce through the group like icy needles. Their breath came in clouds like the steam from eight kettles.

One of the strangers, the woman who had spoken to Sonia, approached Angele.

“It's a beautiful night.”

Angele, still in shock, nodded mechanically.

“Were you on the long march too?”

This question brought back the memories of Ralf, Lana, Jermaine and Connal, all of whom Angele believed must be dead. Tears filled her eyes and choked her lungs. Her head rang with that gunshot. He couldn't be dead, not after all the time they'd spent together. Right now she'd do anything to have him back, even die herself. What was the point of living without him? Years of loneliness and despair. The woman was speaking again, Angele couldn't hear what she said. She felt her hand being tugged and got to her feet. Through her tears she saw Evan and Etina begin to move down the hill into the dark. The woman beside her pulled her along behind them.

Sonia came up beside Leone, who towered over her.

“How far behind us would you say they are?” she struggled to keep up with his long strides.

“Not very far, they are better at running than most of us.”

Sonia silently agreed, too out of breath for words.

The guards were trained to easily catch anyone, either by speed or stealth.
Thankfully they were nearly at the outskirts of the town Sonia had seen.

However, to her horror, across the road and surrounding fields sprawled a blockade, cutting them off from their escape.

The town authorities must be under Chrystal’s control and have been informed that they might try to get out that way. They were trapped. Guards behind them and the blockade in front of them. There was nowhere to go, except sideways, there could be anything that way. The world was too big. She couldn't move, see, hear, or think. She fell to the ground. She felt it rumble as the guards surrounded her.

Evan and Etina clung together, frozen with fear. The others had disappeared. Ahead of them Sonia lay on the ground, and behind them came the shouts of the guards as they overtook them. They were roughly torn from each other and walked away, a hand on their shoulder. A single gunshot ripped through the night. Sonia was dead.