Read Online Rise by Anna Carey - Free Book Online

blended together in the growing darkness, one indistinguishable from the next.
    The older man with white hair was sitting with his back hunched, his arms folded on the railing. Another man, no more than forty, stood beside us. “They’ll never make it through the gates,” he said. “There was an attack five years ago. A gang made bombs with gasoline. It must’ve burned for an entire day—the whole north end of the wall was consumed. Even they couldn’t get past. Whatever riots are going on in the Outlands should be controlled within a couple of hours. No need to be frightened.” He bowed slightly, his expression so earnest, as if he alone had the power to reassure us.
    I turned back, trying to catch a glimpse of the southern end of the wall, where one of the remaining tunnels lay. The man was wrong—the rebels would make it into the City, if they hadn’t already. Moss had described it in detail: how the north gate would be attacked first, then, once the soldiers had been called to that edge of the wall, another wave of rebels would move through one of the remaining tunnels and into the Outlands, bringing in additional supplies. Now that the siege had started, I couldn’t be certain when the rebels would reach the City center. But if we weren’t back in the Palace, with Moss, when they swept through, we’d both be dead.
    I started toward the exit, pulling Clara with me. “We need to leave,” I whispered to her. “I don’t know how much time we have.”
    A small crowd had formed by the exit, peppering the soldiers with questions. A short woman stood in front of them, her hands gesturing frantically. Now that the sun had set, she’d borrowed a short red jacket from the waiting staff to keep warm. “But I have to go,” she said, her voice uneven. “My sons are just two blocks south of here. What if the rebels make it through the gate? What will we do then?”
    â€œThey won’t make it through the gate.” The soldier’s head was completely shaved. The skin at the back of his neck came together in thick, pink folds. “We’re more concerned right now with the dissidents inside the City. It’s safer here than down on the street.”
    Three men stood beside her, listening. One reached over the soldier’s arm and pushed at the top of the metal door, seeing if it would give. “Get back!” the other soldier yelled. He yanked the collar of the man’s shirt, pulling him away.
    The man struggled free of the soldier’s grip. “We have families we need to get to. What is it to you if we want to leave?”
    â€œThey’re right,” I said. “How long are we expected to stay up here?”
    The heavy soldier glanced sideways at his colleague. “These were your father’s orders.” He looked less certain now, as a few others moved toward the exit. “They need people off the road so the Jeeps can pass. They’re supposed to remain here. It’s just for now.”
    â€œWe’re just supposed to sit here?” One of the men by the door had taken off his suit jacket, revealing a sweat-stained shirt. “What about our families?” A few tables were still blocking the exit. He grabbed the legs, pulling one of them back. “Someone help me move these.”
    The heavy soldier went to stop him, but I took his arm. “You have to let us leave,” I said. Another explosion went off in the Outlands, the smoke rising up in a sudden massive cloud. I steeled myself against it. “All of us. If we stay here much longer we’ll be trapped.”
    â€œEve,” Clara whispered. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe we just have to wait it out. We shouldn’t argue with them.” She watched the heavy soldier readjust his rifle as the crowd moved.
    But I pushed forward, grabbing one of the chairs from the top of the pile and passing it back to her. Two