She could make out six guards around the perimeter of the camp. There might be others mixed in among the tents or far enough away for her not to be able to identify their black attire. She would have to do what she could and hope for the best.
She signaled her group. They all lined up on their stomachs on the cool wood. Her mind flashed briefly to a time long ago when she had fallen to the boards not terribly far from here with Theo. That night had changed them all. It was easy to think that the Event had transformed the potential life she and Theo would have otherwise had together, but Kylee was not so naïve. In another lifetime, in literally another world, she and Theo would have gone their separate ways after a summer of fun. Now, she had seen what it was like to be an adult. To live with Theo, to fall in love with him in a deep, meaningful way. It was hard to be thankful for anything that came from the Event, but in a way she was.
“We are ready for your signal, Kylee,” said Joseph.
She pulled her head up and made eye contact with her whole team. All eyes were on her. She pointed from each woman to a guard on the beach and made sure each understood who her particular target was going to be. She gave Joseph his assignment last. She was only targeting three of the guards. To aim for any more, any farther away, would be foolish. This way she could feel more confident at the odds of a kill, and leave her soldiers with the thought that maybe it wasn’t his or her bullet that connected.
She lined up her aim. She took three deep breaths, steadying herself. “Now!” she cried, and fired.
Chapter 29
Theo returned to his room after lunch and stood by the window. He looked out at the city. The city and the island on which it stood belonged to a maniac. Come nightfall, he would hope to change all that. It was a hard thing for him to imagine, given his current state of imprisonment.
The more Theo thought, the more his nerves began to get the better of him. He paced around the room, drawing concerned looks from his cellmates. What was he thinking, putting Kylee in this situation? Not just Kylee, but Bill and Ryan, his closest friends. Jamie, the rest of the inner circle, all those brave women who had provided him with a home. He had forced a play that could get everyone killed.
He couldn’t be sure what was going to happen tonight, but he didn’t see a pleasant evening under any circumstances. He saw a possibility where he was killed by a guard, a possibility where Tiberius discovered the rebel attack and expedited his execution, and a possibility where he was freed from this place only to enter a war.
When he had paced around the entire room fifteen times, Theo finally collapsed on his mattress. Excitement and anticipation had often made it impossible for him to sleep. This was different. This was the opposite, really. Fear and dread were triggering a deep-rooted, primitive impulse to protect himself by curling up in a ball and going to sleep. He was exhausted.
Theo lay on the mattress and closed his eyes. Maybe a little rest would help clear his mind for whatever frightening experiences awaited him this evening. He turned to his side and drifted into a hypnogogic dream state, neither completely asleep nor completely awake.
In his dream, he sat up on the dirty mattress and looked around the room. It was empty. Tony, Wes, Jason and their respective mattresses were gone. Standing in front of the large window was Sam Lucas.
Theo jumped to his feet. “Mayor Lucas, how—”
Lucas laughed, the warm chuckle that Theo missed so much. “Ah, Theo. I regret to say that I don’t think I’m the mayor anymore. You can call me Sam.”
“But Mayor…Sam, how can you be here?”
“How can any of us be here, Theo? Trapped on an island, lost in a strange universe, my gosh, it’s the stuff we used to go see at the movies.” Lucas walked over to him. “Why don’t we sit here and you can tell me what’s on your mind.”
He pulled on Theo’s arm. Theo had expected Lucas’s hand to pass right through him, but the grip felt as real and as strong as ever. Lucas pulled Theo down to a sitting position on the mattress, except it wasn’t a mattress anymore. It was a plush couch, like the ones in the Mayor’s suite in the Palace.
“You’ve been busy since I’ve been gone,” Lucas said.
Theo nodded. “Tiberius has been hunting me. He’s killing people, imprisoning innocents. He’s out of control.”
“I know. Paul has nobody keeping him in check anymore. He’s free to impose his will however he wants. But then, of course, you’re not going to let him, are you, Theo?”
“I’m trying, sir… Sam. My friends and I. We organized a group… we call ourselves rebels. We found weapons and they are going to attack this prison tonight.”
“I know all about it, Theo. I’ve been watching you. You’ve never shirked your responsibilities nor shied away from the challenges placed before you.” Lucas wiped away a tear forming at the corner of one eye. “You make me very proud, Theo.”
“Thank you, sir.” Theo said. He hesitated before saying, “I’m scared.”
“You should be scared,” said Lucas. “You’re facing huge obstacles. But remember this, Theo, those emotions: fear, worry, care, they ground you and make you human. Paul has forgotten that. That’s why you’ll be a much better leader than him, when all this settles.”
“I… I don’t have any plans to be the leader! I want to let the people decide.”
Lucas slapped Theo gently on the back. “Precisely. They will choose you, Theo. I always knew they would. It’s what I was grooming you for all those months we met together.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I told you my plan was always going to be to reinstate public elections. Now, I didn’t know if you’d be ready the first go-round, but eventually, you would be my natural successor, Theo. Someone with young ideas but a mature sense of purpose, grounded in compassion and true concern for all the people of this island.”
Lucas stood up and began to walk toward the window.
“But… Sam,” Theo began, “I’m just a kid. How can I fight a war?”
Lucas turned to him, no sign of a smile on his face now. “You are no ‘kid,’” he said. “You are the finest young man I have ever had the pleasure to know. You may not be a military mind, but that’s okay. You’ve found a natural general in Kylee. Let her move the troops. You, my friend, are the rallying point. The symbol of hope for the people of Atlantic Island. This war is the people’s war. There is only one battle that you must fight alone.”
“Tiberius,” Theo said. “But, Sam, he’s strong…like supernaturally strong. How can I hope to fight him?”
“If your enemy is too strong, you don’t defeat him with strength. Paul may be strong and quick but he always sees things one way. Use your mind, Theo. Think outside the box. It won’t be easy, but I know that in the end you’ll be the one victorious.”
Lucas was standing back by the window. Theo started to feel his mind slipping, as his body worked its way back to an awake state. “Wait,” he called. “Sam… will I ever see you again?”
Lucas smiled. “I’ll be with you. And remember, there are always other worlds.”
With that, Lucas vanished, and Theo felt his mind race back to the land of the living. He sat up on the mattress and looked around the room. The view through the window told him that the sun was just beginning to set.
“Get your nap in?” asked Tony. “You were talkin’ something fierce for a while there. Must have been some crazy dreams.”
“Must have been.” Theo scratched his head. Had it been a dream? It felt much more realistic than any dream he’d ever experienced. Still, it had the trappings of a dream. Already the memory was starting to fade, as memories of dreams always do.