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Authors: Lissa Trevor
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attack came.
The explosion rocked the cabin. Large nails shredded the walls, and a thick bleach smell crept in. She was spared the worst of it by the heavy cot she had been lying on. It flipped over on top of her after the blast. Bethany lay there stunned until the acrid smell started to make her choke. What happened? Why would anyone bomb the Tech cabin?
Holding her breath as the fumes started to burn her eyes and throat, Bethany eased herself out from under the bed, trying not to get cut on the glass or sharp wood. She crawled on the floor. All Tech ground to a halt, and she could hear shouts and running feet heading toward them.
That was when the rapid gunfire started up. Someone was spending a lot of money out there. With her eyes crimped shut against the burn, Bethany groped around for her backpack, cutting her palms on debris. She had to get out of here before she passed out or before whoever had the guns decided to come in. Moving the large dresser to get to the window Lucas had tapped on last night, Bethany worked blindly but quickly. Her lungs started to ache, but she knew from experience that if she took a breath, it would be worse. She had to hurry.
The fumes were getting thick, but Bethany slit her eyes open enough to get her bearings. Using the dresser as a stepping stool, she levered herself up and threw her backpack out of the window. She scurried through jagged glass, shredding her jeans and giving herself a nice long cut on her leg.
From the outside, it looked as if the cabin was barely standing. The front and all the computers had taken the brunt of the blast. Bethany buried her face in the ground and took a cautionary breath and held it as she tasted the ammonia and bleach still. Keeping low, like she had been taught, she scurried on her elbows until she saw a picnic table. Tipping it over, Bethany got behind it and then let herself breathe again. Spots came in front of her eyes as she gulped down air with greedy gasps. Dizziness caused by the exertion, the fumes, and disengaging from the electronics made her vision dim. She fought against passing out and curled into a ball using the table to hide.
The gunfire had stopped, and there were people shouting and gathering around. No one wanted to go near the cabin until the vapors dissipated, but she could hear a few brave souls trying to get through the debris.
“Are you all right?” a woman with soft green eyes asked her. She was dressed in a leather jacket and pants. Her long blonde hair fell into messy waves down her shoulder, and she smelled like a wet dog.
“Lisa?” Recognition came slowly. Bethany must have inhaled some of the poison. She tried to focus her eyes.
“Yeah, come with me. Lucas is tracking the saboteurs.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s bad. I think they were trying to take out all the Techs.”
“Why would anyone do that?” Bethany said, letting Lisa help her to her feet. She coughed out some of the poison that still lingered in her chest, and they staggered into the forest.
“Lucas thinks it’s the Purebloods.”
“Are they some kind of ultrareligious group?”
“No, I think it’s just some people who like the way the world is, and they’re afraid of going back to the way things were.”
“We’re a long way off from that,” Bethany said.
“Not if we get the computer technology that we lost back. And it’s rumored that the Cal Poly University is nearly intact.”
“After being under water?” Bethany snorted.
“That’s the thing, it never was under water. A chunk of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding area had just broken off and floated away into the Pacific.”
“And now it’s back?”
“Now boats have seen it as an island in the distance. Alcatraz still stands—why not one of the colleges?” Lisa said, pulling her along the edge of the conclave, keeping low to the ground so they wouldn’t be singled out.
“I’m sure there are looters there even as we speak.” Bethany’s throat was raw
The explosion rocked the cabin. Large nails shredded the walls, and a thick bleach smell crept in. She was spared the worst of it by the heavy cot she had been lying on. It flipped over on top of her after the blast. Bethany lay there stunned until the acrid smell started to make her choke. What happened? Why would anyone bomb the Tech cabin?
Holding her breath as the fumes started to burn her eyes and throat, Bethany eased herself out from under the bed, trying not to get cut on the glass or sharp wood. She crawled on the floor. All Tech ground to a halt, and she could hear shouts and running feet heading toward them.
That was when the rapid gunfire started up. Someone was spending a lot of money out there. With her eyes crimped shut against the burn, Bethany groped around for her backpack, cutting her palms on debris. She had to get out of here before she passed out or before whoever had the guns decided to come in. Moving the large dresser to get to the window Lucas had tapped on last night, Bethany worked blindly but quickly. Her lungs started to ache, but she knew from experience that if she took a breath, it would be worse. She had to hurry.
The fumes were getting thick, but Bethany slit her eyes open enough to get her bearings. Using the dresser as a stepping stool, she levered herself up and threw her backpack out of the window. She scurried through jagged glass, shredding her jeans and giving herself a nice long cut on her leg.
From the outside, it looked as if the cabin was barely standing. The front and all the computers had taken the brunt of the blast. Bethany buried her face in the ground and took a cautionary breath and held it as she tasted the ammonia and bleach still. Keeping low, like she had been taught, she scurried on her elbows until she saw a picnic table. Tipping it over, Bethany got behind it and then let herself breathe again. Spots came in front of her eyes as she gulped down air with greedy gasps. Dizziness caused by the exertion, the fumes, and disengaging from the electronics made her vision dim. She fought against passing out and curled into a ball using the table to hide.
The gunfire had stopped, and there were people shouting and gathering around. No one wanted to go near the cabin until the vapors dissipated, but she could hear a few brave souls trying to get through the debris.
“Are you all right?” a woman with soft green eyes asked her. She was dressed in a leather jacket and pants. Her long blonde hair fell into messy waves down her shoulder, and she smelled like a wet dog.
“Lisa?” Recognition came slowly. Bethany must have inhaled some of the poison. She tried to focus her eyes.
“Yeah, come with me. Lucas is tracking the saboteurs.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s bad. I think they were trying to take out all the Techs.”
“Why would anyone do that?” Bethany said, letting Lisa help her to her feet. She coughed out some of the poison that still lingered in her chest, and they staggered into the forest.
“Lucas thinks it’s the Purebloods.”
“Are they some kind of ultrareligious group?”
“No, I think it’s just some people who like the way the world is, and they’re afraid of going back to the way things were.”
“We’re a long way off from that,” Bethany said.
“Not if we get the computer technology that we lost back. And it’s rumored that the Cal Poly University is nearly intact.”
“After being under water?” Bethany snorted.
“That’s the thing, it never was under water. A chunk of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding area had just broken off and floated away into the Pacific.”
“And now it’s back?”
“Now boats have seen it as an island in the distance. Alcatraz still stands—why not one of the colleges?” Lisa said, pulling her along the edge of the conclave, keeping low to the ground so they wouldn’t be singled out.
“I’m sure there are looters there even as we speak.” Bethany’s throat was raw
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