Blemished, The (22 page)

“W
hat’s going on?” Daniel shouted.

“Nothing,” I said. “You just get it started. I’ll handle this.”

I jogged over to the boat edge. The Enforcer still only had one hand on the rail. He struggled to pull himself up whilst still carrying the gun. With his helmet off I saw how young he was, barely twenty. I swallowed and focussed. Without hesitating I hit him squarely on the jaw with the butt of my gun.

The Enforcer fell back into the water, losing his weapon in the process. From the canal bed another bullet landed just inches to my right on the boat. He was shooting less often now, taking aim at more solid targets. He was running out of bullets. I turned to run back to Daniel and Angela but something caught on my bad ankle and I fell to the floor with a scream. The Enforcer had me. I kicked out at him but he ducked. I didn’t dare to hit him with the gun in case he ripped it from my fingers and used it on me. I kicked again, hoping that I wouldn’t have to shoot.

I thought it strange that the Enforcer wasn’t trying to pull me into the water. Then I understood. He was trying to hold me still. Just as I rolled to my side another bullet hit the boat where less than a second before my head had lain.

“Now would be a really good time to start this thing,” I yelled out to Daniel. I screamed in frustration at the Enforcer and kicked, hitting him on the jaw. “Why are you even working for them?” I kicked and rolled, avoiding another bullet.

“They are my orders,” he said simply.

I kicked him hard in the chest and finally his grip loosened. The boat chugged and spluttered and then died. The motion loosened the Enforcer’s grip again and I took my chance. With one last almighty kick I rid myself of the Enforcer. As he fell back into the water the boat pulled away and I cheered.

“About time, Daniel,” I said with a laugh.

He turned back from the seat and grinned. I climbed up the boat, limping slightly on my ankle.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“Just my ankle from the bite.”

“Let me put some cream on it,” Angela offered.

She opened her backpack and pulled out the supplies we got from Billie. Working quickly she opened the bandage, spread on the antiseptic cream and wrapped it tightly to give me more support. We ate a little of the bread and cheese. The boat roared along and Daniel deftly manoeuvred us through the canal. Things were looking good – until we saw the lights up ahead.

“Daniel!” I shouted.

“I see it,” he said, his face set. “We’ll have to turn around.”

I swore. “The Enforcer on the canal bed… we didn’t think about his Plan-It.” I heard a noise behind us and turned. “They’re following too!”

I ran to the back of the boat to get a better view. It was the Enforcer I had kicked into the water. He must have taken the boat behind us. He was unarmed. Instead he was forcing us into the path of the boat ahead which would contain armed Enforcers.

“We’re trapped!” I said.

“We can’t be,” Angela exclaimed. “We’ll be taken.” Her eyes widened and the fear on her face tugged at my heart.

Daniel turned to me. “It’s over.” The boat began to slow down.

“No,” I said. I spun around, my arms flapping desperately to my sides. “It can’t be. Not after everything. It just can’t be.”

“If we slow down and go quietly they won’t shoot us,” Daniel said. “They will only shoot at us if we fight back.”

“We’ll get away. We have to,” I said. The lights ahead were brighter now. Behind us the Enforcer never slowed.

“Mina’s right,” Angela said. “We have to get away. We’re meant to get to the Clans. I just know it.”

I looked out into the darkness at the canal, hoping something would jump out at me. There were no boats moored in this part of the canal. We were surrounded by a grassy bank. Up ahead another footpath veered away from the banks of the canal into an old industrial estate.

“I’ve got it!” I yelled. “Daniel, can you drive the boat really close to the left side of the canal?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you planning?”

“Just do it! We don’t have time.” I rummaged through the boat cabin.

“What are you doing?” Angela asked.

“Looking for something to jam the accelerator with.”

“Why?”

“We’re going to jump off the boat,” I said.

Angela looked at me in horror.

“Are you crazy?” Daniel said.

I found a first aid kit in a small rectangular tin. “This will do. Which is the accelerator?”

Daniel tore his eyes from my face to reluctantly point out the metal pull-lever responsible for speed. I shoved the tin hard in between the panel of the boat and the lever, forcing it forwards. The boat sped up, churning the water behind us. Daniel steered the boat close to the canal edge and fixed the steering wheel with a piece of rope. The metal scraped against the stone wall of the canal.

We were still a few feet from the grassy canal bed meaning that we would have to reach up and grab the side and pull ourselves up. All while the boat was speeding along. I gulped.

“I don’t know if this is going to work,” Daniel said quietly.

“We have to try,” I replied, quietly enough that Angela couldn’t hear. “I’ll get Angela out first.”

He nodded. “You’re right. You’re crazy. But you’re right.”

I smiled into the darkness. We approached the footpath – our only chance of getting out alive. The lights of the Enforcer’s boat loomed ahead. I tossed out backpacks up onto the grass. We took hold of Angela and lifted her up.

“Angela, you’re going to have to fall and roll onto your side, okay?” Daniel said to her. “We’ll be right behind. You take the packs and do not look behind you. You run towards that footpath and keep going. Understand?”

“Yes,” she said. Her voice sounded breathless. Scared but excited.

We counted to three and threw her up. Angela fell and rolled. She was on her feet in seconds. She grabbed our things and ran into the night. It looked easy enough with two people helping you up. But we had to do this alone. I thought about my injuries and cringed.

“You next,” he said.

Before I could protest Daniel had me by the waist to support me. The grassy ledge was high above my head and I gulped.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” I confessed. The boat suddenly seemed impossibly fast beneath my feet. My head grew dizzy.

“You
can
do this,” Daniel said with such ferocity that I believed him.

He shoved me hard and I jumped up, my hands reaching for the ledge. The boat moved away slightly and I realised that if I fell it would be straight into the canal. I scrambled for the wall, fingers just finding purchase on the damp grass. My legs hung loosely in the air. Behind me I heard the sound of the Enforcer’s speed boat gaining on us. I pulled, gritting my teeth against the weight of my own body. I had to be on the grass before the Enforcer reached me and I had to make sure Daniel was safe. For a horrible second my fingers slipped and part of the grass came away but I managed to prop myself up by pushing my feet into the slimy cracks of the canal wall. With one last heave I pulled myself up and rolled over just like Angela.

I stood and saw the Enforcer pulling his boat towards the canal wall. He was going to chase us. Up ahead Daniel was battling with the boat, trying to close the gap between it and the wall. I ran towards him, watching with bated breath as he retied the rope. He turned to me and then looked at the wall. He stepped high onto the side of the boat and jumped.

He missed.

“D
aniel!” I screamed. I ran harder. I couldn’t see him, not even in the water. “Daniel? Where are you?”

“I’m here,” he said faintly.

I dropped to my knees. His fingers were just visible in the dark, clinging to the canal bed. I took hold of his arm and pulled him up, his bulk hard to move. Daniel collapsed on top of me as he finally made it over the edge. I clutched his face.

“I thought you fell in,” I said. “I thought––”

“I’m fine,” he breathed. Something caught his eye on my neckline. In the struggle my necklace had come free from under my tunic. “You wear it?”

Heat prickled my cheeks. “I always wear it.”

His eyes searched my face but I heard the familiar sound of metal against stone. The Enforcer had rammed his boat next to the canal wall but he was struggling to keep the boat steady enough to jump.

“Come on, we have to catch Angela up,” I said.

Daniel scrabbled to his feet, and held out a hand to help me up. I took it and he yanked me hard. We turned without looking back, running towards the footpath. I still didn’t feel at full strength due to my injuries and Daniel curbed his pace next to me, making sure he didn’t leave me behind. I bit my lip and tried to speed up.

The footpath was narrow and slippery with mud. Daniel ran beside me, our arms bumping each other. I hopped over stones. My tunic, still soaked, dragging me down. I knew the Enforcer wouldn’t give up the chase. We reached the industrial estate filled with abandoned factories and warehouses, disused roads connecting them.

“Which way do you think Angela went?” I said, not slowing my pace.

“We go straight ahead ‘til we find her,” Daniel said between gritted teeth. He held onto his rib cage as we ran.

“Did you hurt yourself?” I asked.

“Just bruises.”

There was a huge crash and bang behind us and I heard shouting.

Daniel smiled crookedly. “Sounds like the boat crashed.” He slowed for a moment to turn and look behind us. There was smoke in the sky.

“Come on, we should get moving,” I said.

I shuddered at the sight of the smoke. People could be injured. As we moved something else caught my attention, coming out of the footpath was a man dressed in black, bleeding from the head and soaked in water. The Enforcer.

“Quick,” I whispered.

Daniel saw him too. He hadn’t seen us. We sprinted silently through the industrial estate. I looked out for Angela but she was nowhere to be seen. With horror I realised that the Enforcer could find her at any moment.

We ducked between two large buildings and hid. The Enforcer had slowed to a walk. He stalked the estate, listening. I saw him take out his Plan-It and tap something on the screen.

“He’s calling for back-up,” I whispered to Daniel.

We walked silently through the two buildings. There was an open space leading to a road which spiralled out of the estate towards the GEM district. On the other side of this road lay an expanse of forest – a great place to hide and on our way towards the farm. We walked quietly towards the road, with our backs against a warehouse, staying amongst the shadows.

“We have to get out of here,” Daniel said, talking so quietly it barely made a sound.

“Angela,” I mouthed.

He nodded. We couldn’t leave without her. In the distance I heard a squeal and my heart sank. She’d been caught.

I was running before I had time to think. Daniel followed, close at my heels. I had no idea how many had captured her or if they were armed but I didn’t care. I just ran towards the noise. She stopped screaming. I faced a warehouse. On the right of it lay the road and on the left another narrow path between two buildings. I wasn’t sure which direction she was.

“This way,” Daniel said, taking my hand. “I think I heard her.”

He took me to the right. We walked quietly now, surprise being our only advantage. I hoped that it was just our pursuer who had found Angela. If there were more Enforcers we would be in trouble.

“How are we going to do this?” I said to Daniel. “We don’t have weapons…” I trailed off. Out from the side of the building stepped the Enforcer with Angela.

We flattened ourselves against the warehouse. He didn’t see us and he stayed close to the side of the building. He was alone and unarmed.

“I have your friend,” he shouted. “I have a gun to her head. If you do not surrender I will shoot her.”

He shifted back into the shadows but the damage was done. We knew he was bluffing. There were two of us and one of him. He was injured. He looked tired and pale in the moonlight. We had the advantage again. I nodded to Daniel and we knew what to do. We ran straight for them, ready for a fight.

If the Enforcer was surprised or frightened at the sight of us pelting round the corner he hid it well. He pulled Angela between us like a human shield but Daniel was tall and he easily punched the Enforcer in the face, well above Angela’s head. In the shock, the Enforcer let go of Angela and I sat her down by the warehouse. Daniel punched the Enforcer in the stomach. The Enforcer retaliated with two quick punches. I reached into the pack for rope I had taken from the ghettos. Daniel kicked the Enforcer between the legs and punched him again in the nose. My fingers finally clasped the rope.

“Pin him down,” I said.

Daniel tackled the Enforcer, knocking him to the ground. I moved swiftly, getting hold of the Enforcer’s wrists and binding them with the rope. I knotted it and then let out some length, enough to bind his feet. Then I reached into his pocket for his Plan-It.

“You can’t use that without the lenses,” the Enforcer said sternly. “And they are custom made for the wearer.”

I didn’t like the thought of pulling plastic out of someone’s eye. “How do you send a message to your team?”

The Enforcer turned away.

Daniel punched him. “Tell her.”

“I was not instructed to tell her,” the Enforcer said. “I was instructed to capture you,” he looked at Daniel, “and you.” He nodded at me with narrowed eyes.

His gaze chilled me to the bone. His face was slack – emotionless. Looking at him make me want to get as far away as possible. There was something
inhuman
about him.

“It’s useless,” I said. “He will never tell us. We could torture him and he would never tell. We need to get out of here before the others come.”

Daniel punched the Enforcer one more time. I dropped the tiny piece of plastic to the floor and stomped on it. Angela passed us our packs. We sprinted through the open area towards the road. I turned back to look at the Enforcer one last time. He sat perfectly still, staring into space.

“He’s like a robot,” Daniel said. “A robot programmed to capture us. I’ve never seen an Enforcer like it. Do you think they have more like him?”

“Maybe,” I said. “They could have an army.”

If I had ever had any doubt that the Ministry could mess with our heads it was eradicated. Now I knew that the Operation caused all those women to lose their minds. I thought of all the women who gave up and committed suicide. The Ministry didn’t just murde
r people who broke the law; they murdered Blemished women simply for existing.

“Now
I know that we have to get to the Clans,” I said.

Daniel turned to me. “Why is that?”

“Because one day we have to stop all this. We have to stop the Ministry,” I said firmly.

“You’re crazy,” he said. He sighed. “But I’m in. Wherever you go – I go.” He sighed again, heavier this time. “Even if it kills me.”

I frowned at him. Daniel sprinted ahead, crossing the road to the forest in just a few steps. I didn’t understand why he would say that.