Page 68 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

T he scene before my eyes was like seeing hell on earth.

The fire that raged, burning trees and tents to nothing but ash, rose into the sky at the height of twenty-five and thirty feet.

The bright reds, yellows, and oranges gave an ominous glow against the blackened sky.

The carnage was even worse to bear witness to.

The bodies of so many Dissenters littered the ground, twisted into repulsive shapes, bending in unnatural ways.

And the blood…there was so much blood. I felt my stomach retch and twist into an awful knot as I thought that the Devil himself had come to end the rebellion because I was convinced we had just driven into the pit of hell.

We didn’t waste time. There was still an active attack going.

Rebels and Telvian soldiers alike were battling to the death, firing guns, swinging any object that could be used as a weapon, or just fighting fist-to-fist. Matias slammed on the brakes.

And as he did, the ground rumbled and quaked as an earsplitting sound boomed through the night, causing the windows to blow out of the car.

“Shit!” I couldn’t be sure who said it, or maybe we all did. The night brightened as a bigger, black plume of smoke rose into the air.

A bomb.

A bomb had just gone off.

“This is bad, Matias.” Wes scrambled out of the backseat.

“We’ve got to find Sasha,” he shot back as he opened his door and got out. I followed suit.

Out of the car, I looked around, a fresh wave of fear and dismay gripping my heart. And with a deep sense of certainty, I felt the awful truth dig itself into my soul, deep in my core.

We weren’t going to make it out of this alive.

Wes pulled out his assault rifle, readying himself for the inevitable battle for his life. “They probably evacuated her to the training center. That’s our best bet of finding her.”

Matias nodded and walked to the back of the car, popping open the trunk. “Mara, take this.” He pulled out a black duffel, and from within it, he pulled out a 9mm pistol. Wes joined him, rummaging quickly as the ground shook beneath our feet, nearly causing me to fall. Another bomb.

Damn it! This was so bad.

I took the weapon in my hand, scared and nervous to be holding it. I had little training with firearms. The Dissenters normally used stunners, not lethal weapons. But today, today was going to be an exception.

Matias called my name, gaining my attention while grabbing the gun again.

“The safety’s off, okay? Remember, cock it back to load it.

Aim and then pull the trigger when you’re ready.

” I nodded, gulping down the knot forming in my throat.

He handed the gun back, already loaded, and then produced a black rectangular block.

“This is an extra magazine. When you run out, push that button, and the old mag drops out, remember? Stick this one in, cock it back again, and you’re ready. ”

I took in a huge breath, grabbing the rectangular block and shoving it into my pocket.

This was bad. I wasn’t ready for this. Every part of me was screaming for me to run, to hightail it into the woods once more.

But I planted my feet, trying to breathe evenly as best as I could.

Matias must have sensed my unease, because he took my face into his hands then, bringing his forehead down to mine, our noses touching ever so slightly.

And in that moment, it was like everything else faded away and there was only us.

No death or carnage, no Dissenters or Telvians.

Just us.

“You can do this. I know you can.” I tried to nod, but his hands held me in place.

“Mara, listen to me. We can do this. We’re going to make it out of here, okay?

But you need to promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll get to the training center.

Got it? No matter what happens…you get there and you stay alive. ”

“But what about—”

“No. I said, no matter what happens. You get there and you stay alive.” His eyes closed then, and the grip he had on me, the pressure of his face against mine, intensified. “I already thought I lost you once. I won’t lose you again. So no matter what happens, stay alive.”

I swallowed hard, my eyes glistening with fresh tears.

And then I heard it…the words that I’d been dancing around for weeks, too afraid to admit them.

I heard his voice, gentle but desperate.

“I love you, Mara. I love you. And I want the chance to see what that’s going to be all about.

So let’s do this, okay?” His lips were on mine then, deep and passionate.

Desperation skirted the edge, a fear I knew we both shared.

The fear that this was it. He pulled away, and I felt my heart squeeze with longing.

He took a shaky breath, and with an air of resignation, announced, “Let’s do this. ”

As if the universe didn’t want to disappoint, the earth quaked beneath us so fiercely I was thrown off balance and ended up on my back. The searing pain of dirt grinding into my raw flesh sent a yelp out of me as I squeezed my eyes shut in pain.

Holy shit!

I opened my eyes, seeing that Wes and Matias had also fallen with the blast, but were already scrambling to their feet. I rolled onto my side and got myself up.

“We’ve got to move!” Wes roared, a look of pure anger and frustration consuming his features. With no further hesitation, he was off, pointing his gun and firing at a Telvian soldier that was running by.

I was up on my feet, gripping the gun with both hands, being careful to keep it pointed down to the ground. I looked at Matias, holding an assault rifle he pulled from the trunk. He gave me a nod. “Follow me,” and then he was running, taking off after Wes.

With a deep breath, I followed in pursuit, leaping over bodies and doing everything I could to keep from slipping in the muddy mess of pine needles and blood that the forest floor was still trying to soak in.

We weaved through the burning tents, heading for the trail that I knew led to the training center.

Evacuation protocols had people going to the center, the only spot with a clear enough space for rescue helicopters to land.

I heard a scream to my right, turning to see a woman coldcocking a Telvian soldier in the gut, throwing him off balance, but not before he fired his weapon, throwing her back into a lifeless heap on the floor.

Oh my god!

I raised my gun to fire, to return the favor this soldier did to this woman. But I hesitated. It was a life. A Telvian life. And I…I was a Telvian life too. I didn’t know if I could do this.

But I didn’t have to, because a second later, the soldier cried out as a blade pierced through his chest. The man arched his back in anguish before the steel disappeared again, right back into his body, allowing him to drop to the floor.

And there, standing with a look of pure satisfaction, the glint of a katana catching the light of the flames on the ruby red of fresh blood, stood Edith.

Damn, she was so badass.

Seeing her brought a surge of relief within me, because she was alive!

She caught sight of me, and without delay, started running, coming up alongside me, and throwing her arms around me.

Of course, the gesture was endearing, and I wanted to hug her back, but the whole your-arms-are-wrapped-around-my-raw-back thing put a damper on the situation.

I gasped out again in pain, tired and frustrated with this crap.

“Oh my god,” she cried out as she backed off me. “Are you hurt?”

“Long story,” I shot back.

“Let’s go!” Matias called out as he fired his gun at a Telvian soldier heading right for us.

Edith glanced at him and then looked back at me. She gave me the we’re going to have a serious talk when this is over look, and then she was grabbing my arm and tugging me forward as we broke into a run again.

Another boom shattered through the night, sending the ground quaking beneath us.

I lost my balance again, and then I was on the floor, rolling in the slick, bloodied earth, losing my grip on my gun.

I rolled onto my stomach, trying to get my knees underneath me to stand, but before I knew what was happening, I was being knocked off my side and sent flying across the ground several feet, rolling once again through the muck.

It hurt—the pain stealing my breath in a harsh hiss.

I tried to recuperate, to get my bearings when I looked up and saw a Telvian soldier standing right above me.

My heart dropped, and I scrambled for the gun, forgetting that I had dropped it several feet away from me.

As the realization hit, I didn’t have time to rethink my strategy.

The soldier grabbed me by the hair and lifted.

Up, up, up, I went, being lifted off the ground by the hair at the nape of my neck.

I screamed.

I could feel those delicate little strands being plucked out one by one from the weight of my body.

I tried to kick the soldier in the gut before he threw me into a pile of rubble.

My back smacked against something hard, causing me to see stars as I dropped to the floor in a heap.

Head spinning from the intensity of the pain whirling within me, I pushed.

Get up , the voice inside me screamed. Get up now!