I think we’re really close to making our move, although a date hasn’t been set yet. Mateo, Lord Paul, and Dakota are in a closed door meeting as we speak, and according to Luke they’re discussing logistics. He also mentioned Lord Paul wants to send another request for aid to the Republic, but Dakota is against it. I don’t think they’ll come, but I also don’t think it will hurt anything to send them a letter. I hope Mateo at least tries to reach out to them one more time. Although, that would cause us to have to wait even longer, considering the Republic’s headquarters is as much as a week away on horse. Meaning it would take a week to get them the letter, another week for them to get here, and that’s assuming they don’t need any time to prepare in between, which I’m sure they would. In the end, I think the men and women, the leaders, who are here right now, are all that will be here when we attack the compound. We need to figure out a way to make this work with what we’ve got.
And that’s just what we plan to do, which is why Chase is meeting with Andy again tonight. And it’s also why I’m going with him. No one knows that yet, except Chase, but it’s happening.
When I found out the leaders had asked Chase to meet with Andy one last time, I’d asked Chase to secretly meet with me this morning before breakfast, and I convinced him to let me go. He didn’t really like the idea or understand why I wanted to go, and to be honest, I’m really not sure why it’s so important to me, I just need to feel like I’m doing something, anything.
That’s why I’m sitting here in the ally, waiting on Chase to leave. I left Luke a note on our dresser because I didn’t want him to worry, and had snuck out while everyone was eating dinner.
“Pssst.”
Looking to the mouth of the ally, I see Chase on a dark bay, waving me over. Standing and taking a quick glance around, I make my way to him before Chase gives me a hand up so I’m positioned behind him with my arms wrapped around his middle. Giving the horse a nudge, we take off at a slow trot in the direction we need to go first.
Unfortunately, we can’t just ride up to the compound and risk being seen. Which means we have no choice but to take a roundabout way before leaving the horse a half a mile out from the north wall and then travel the rest on foot. We’ll pass right by the dilapidated house we holed up in the night of our escape, and we could pass right over Talon’s grave. I’m not looking forward to either of those things.
We left Bonham four hours before our meeting time with Andy. Chase has made this trip a few times in the last couple weeks, so I don’t doubt he knows what he’s doing. The two have been meeting outside the north wall during Andy’s perimeter checks. Andy is a member of the security department, so he told Chase what nights he’s scheduled on the perimeter, and Chase arrives early and simply waits for him to make his rounds. Andy works four hour shifts when he has perimeter duty, and during that time he will pass the north wall once every hour. His shift starts at midnight and ends at four a.m., so we should be arriving in the wooded area outside the north wall shortly before midnight, and then we just wait.
The ride to our first stopping point seems to take forever, and its clear Chase and I are both nervous, given neither of us have spoken a word in over two hours. When he slows the dark bay to a stop before dismounting and then helping me to do the same, he speaks for the first time.
“We have about a forty-five-minute walk. Let me lead from here, and no talking. Sound really carries out here.” He waits for my confirmation, and then he turns, setting off in the direction of the compound as I follow close behind.
The forty-five-minute walk seems like two weeks, and I have to actively remind myself not to talk. I don’t want to give away our position, but I’d give just about anything for the time to pass quicker. The silence causes my mind to wander, and just as I can’t take another minute I see the north wall. The last time I saw it large sections of the wall had been blown up, leaving massive chunks of concrete littered about. Now as we get closer, it’s as if none of that ever happened, as if the attack itself never happened.
Less than two hundred yards from the cleared walkway at the base of the wall, we crouch behind a thorny bush as we wait for Andy to come into view. Several minutes pass in silence before a figure appears on a path that will pass right by us, only its immediately clear it isn’t Andy. In fact, I recognize that face, it’s Brian, David’s right hand man. As he gets closer, his head quickly turns in our direction, and I’m certain he’s sees us, but Chase grabs my wrist, holding me still. It’s almost as if he’s staring straight at us, but he quickly passes us by and continues on his original route.
Once he’s completely out of sight, Chase leans back, pressing his cheek to mine before whispering, “We’re early. Brian must be on the eight to midnight shift. His shift is probably about to end, which means Andy should be by in about twenty minutes or so.”
I nod my head, feeling relieved as Chase sits back once again facing the
