“Behind the Bowl,” Elle replied. “Come on. Follow me, and this time, do exactly what I tell you. The Klan has a lot more security than you’d think.”
Gang members roved the border of the park, patrolling, looking for people that dared trespass on their territory.
Elle stopped dead in her tracks. Georgia bumped into her back, pushing her forward. Elle barely regained her balance. She shot Georgia a harsh glare, gesturing ahead. Two Klan members were coming their way. They were loud, stomping along, talking in slurred voices. Clearly drunk.
Elle slid into a bush and the kids followed.
“…Come on, Elena,” the first of the two Klan members said. A male. “We’re missing it.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“I’ve got a lot riding on this fight. Hurry up.”
“I’m hurrying…”
They passed slowly, but as soon as they were out of sight, Elle crawled out of the cover of the bush and looked around. Evening was setting in, masking the park in shadows. Torches were being lit, giving the area a tribal appearance.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Georgia muttered.
It should, Elle thought.
Jay and Flash said nothing, but Elle noticed Jay’s hand on the thirteen-year old boy’s forearm. Jay sensed her stare and Elle looked away, embarrassed.
I’m just not used to people, she thought. There’s nothing to feel weird about.
They came around the back of the park. It was quieter here, and the reason was obvious. Huge, animalistic kennels had been set up between the trees. People were crammed between trees, enclosed on all sides with sheets of cyclone fencing. Some of them held a single person — prize fighters — and others were filled with groups of prisoners.
Just beyond the cages, huge, muddy pits had been dug into the ground.
They were the small fighting arenas — the Pits.
“Who are these prisoners?” Georgia commented, frowning. “Gladiators?”
“Basically,” Elle replied.
“Bunch of maniacs, if you ask me.” Georgia took a deep breath — apparently she was more rattled by the sight than she wanted to admit. “Remind me never to visit Hollywood again.”
Elle fought the urge to turn back, to run away. This place brought back memories. Very bad memories.
Why am I here? Why am I doing this?
Again, she had no answer. It just felt like the right thing to do, she guessed.
“The Pits are just beyond where they keep the prisoners,” Elle whispered.
“Where will Pix be?” Flash asked.
“I don’t know. She could be in any of the cages.”
“How are we going to find her without being seen?”
“I’m working on it.”
Elle studied the area. The cages were lined up in two rows parallel to each other. Klan guards roamed between the cages, keeping watch. They carried long, pointed stakes. Occasionally one of them would shove the stake through the cyclone fencing and harass the prisoners, keeping them subdued.
“This is going to have to be insanely fast,” Elle said. “You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I’m not sure we can pull this off,” Jay replied, hesitant.
“Hey, you’re the ones who wanted to come here,” Elle pointed out.
“I know. But this… we don’t stand a chance.”
Elle sighed. Hadn’t she tried to tell him this before they came?
“Well, I’m here now, and I’m not leaving until I do some damage,” Elle snorted. “You can leave if you want to.”
Weird how the tables had turned. Seeing this place had reminded Elle how much she hated the Klan — how much she wished somebody would take them down.
“I have to help Pix,” Flash said, his voice soft.
“Well, I didn’t walk a mile down Sunset Boulevard and a thousand empty pawn shops to sit on my butt and do nothing,” Georgia replied. “I’m still in.”
Jay didn’t say a word.
“We need a diversion,” Elle said, narrowing her eyes at Jay. “Pix could be in any of the cages, and the only way we’ll have enough time to find her is if we open all of them.”
“You’re insane,” Jay stated.
“You’ve told me that before,” Elle replied. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. Jay and Flash, you create a diversion. A big one. Blow up something. See that bonfire on this side of the Pits? There are diesel tanks that they use to keep the torches burning.” She pointed. “See? Make a huge fire or explosion. Make it loud.”
“How do you know where to find all of this stuff?” Georgia asked.
“Georgia, you come with me,” she said, ignoring the question.“As soon as Jay and Flash blow up the tanks, these Klan members standing guard are going rush over there. We’ll have a chance to open the cages, if we’re lucky.”
“And then what? There are hundreds of Klan members in the arena around the corner,” Jay said. “We’re toast.”
“We’re going to run, and then we’re going to hide,” Elle answered. “And we’re going to stay hidden until the Klan calms down. Then we move on.”
“What if they capture us?” Georgia asked after a long silence.
“Then we’re dead.”
“If we separate from Jay and Flash, how are we going to meet up with them again?”
“We’ll have a meeting place,” Elle said. “Do you remember the bakery where we stayed last night? We’ll meet there. It’s far away from here and it’s hidden.” She turned to Jay. “Can you find the bakery on your own?”
Jay shrugged. Elle didn’t find that very reassuring.
“Any questions?” Elle offered.
Georgia raised her hand like a kid in a classroom. The gesture almost made Elle laugh.
Almost.
“How do we get the cages open?” Georgia asked.
“We cut the wire,” Elle said, pointing to the coil of wire twisted around the cyclone fencing. Elle drew a pair of wire cutters from her backpack. “I’m always prepared,” she grinned.
Then Elle pointed to a thickset, tall man with a shaved head. His forehead and cheeks were swirling with tattoos. He wore no shirt, just combat fatigues and a leather strap across his chest. The strap sheathed a sword on his back.
“He’s our biggest problem,” Elle whispered. “He’s the chief guard. He gives the orders. You can tell by his tattoo, see?” The man had the Klan symbol tattooed on his left bicep. “We take him out, and some of our worst problems are eliminated.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Georgia sighed.
“I could,” Elle said, “but it would be a lie.”
“He’s huge. He’s like an anvil with legs.”
“I’ll take care of him. You focus on cutting the wire.” Elle handed Georgia the wire cutters. “You’ve got be quick.”
Jay interjected, “We’re probably going to die, aren’t we?”
Elle wanted to slap him. Yes, she’d known that this was probably a suicide mission, but that was before she had decided to help them. She had planned to lead them here and let them pull off the rescue attempt on their own.
But something inside her wouldn’t let her do that.
She wanted to do something about the cages sitting in front of her. She wanted to help. The world might be destroyed and society might have collapsed — but she could do a little good. She could help someone.
“You ready?” Elle said.
No one answered.
Elle took that as a yes.
“They’re all dead, Elle.”
Uncle stood in the doorway of the ranch house, tall and imposing. His scraggly gray hair hung limply to his shoulders. Rain drops slid down his wrinkled face. Elle sat on the floor, a book in her hands.