Chapter Twenty Noah

So far, so good.

Noah had escaped the hospital with no issue, and with the streets so crowded for the memorial service, no one paid attention to a lowly drudge. The city's women were readying themselves for the ceremony, either hurrying home to watch the televised version or heading to the venue itself.

But as he got closer to the square, he ran into a problem. The streets around it were packed, and whilst Danforth's guards still appeared to be letting citizens in, every single woman who entered was stopped and had their bag searched.

Noah had no hope of getting inside without an accompanying citizen to vouch for him.

Instead, he slipped into an alleyway which ran along the rear of the square. The buildings here were mostly open to the public: restaurants, museums, a few offices, and a theatre. He peered at the doors leading out of the alley. Surely one of them would allow him access to the square?

One particular doorway had a noticeboard that was crammed with leaflets and flyers. It was suspiciously familiar. When Noah ducked into it to take a closer look, it hit him where he was. This was the alleyway he had hidden in with Ella and Evelyn when he'd first entered the city. The door led into a restaurant of some sort. Probably one crammed with citizens hoping to catch a glimpse of the ceremony.

Taking a chance, he tried the door.

It clicked open, and he peered inside. The space beyond was empty. Praying that other drudges worked there, he tugged his mask higher and stepped through. At the end of the hallway was a busy kitchen, filled, just as he had hoped, with numerous drudges.

This was a place he could blend in.

Steam billowed from several ovens and there was the sound of pans bubbling on the hob. Multiple drudge feet hurried by, all moving with purpose. Standing still as he was, Noah did not fit in. At any moment, someone could ask what he was doing. And he wouldn't have a suitable response.

Bypassing the kitchen, he made his way further along the hall. What he needed to find was the main dining room. If he could make his way through it without attracting attention, he could find the front entrance and slip outside into the crowd. Then he'd be right where he wanted to be.

At the end of the hall, he found himself facing a pair of double doors. The hum of conversation coming from the other side made him hopeful. But when he pushed them open, he knew he'd made an error.

The dining room was filled with customers, as he'd expected. But, in stark contrast to the usual drab, grey uniform, the serving drudges were all dressed in a vibrant blue. The second Noah took a step into the room, gasps and whispers attacked him.

"A kitchen drudge? "What's it doing in here?" "Place has really gone downhill."

Following his instincts, he backed out of the room. He had to get out of here before someone questioned him and discovered he didn't belong. He headed for the exit, but before he could reach it a pair of drudges entered from the alley. Changing direction, he headed back towards the kitchen.

"Hey you!" The voice came from behind. "Stop!"

Cornered, Noah opened the one remaining door in the hallway. Finding himself at the foot of a set of stairs, he began to climb. On the floor above, there was what appeared to be the entrance to a second dining room. Not wanting to make the same mistake, Noah ignored the door and kept climbing.

At the top he reached a dead end. Praying that no one had followed him, he opened the two doors leading off the narrow hallway. Both led to storage rooms packed from floor to ceiling with boxes. Selecting the one which he knew would face the square, Noah made his way inside. Glancing down the empty hallway, he was grateful to see that no one had followed him as he closed the door behind him.

Navigating with caution, he made his way towards the only window. It was set into the gently sloping roof, but Noah hoped it might provide him with an exit. When he reached it, his heart pounding, he stood on tiptoes and peered out.

Beneath him, the square was packed. What seemed like thousands of women were still flooding in from both sides. The window gave him a side view of the stage, which was empty, yet set up with chairs, a podium with a microphone and, at the far end, a second platform whose purpose wasn't clear.

On the stage, a woman in a government uniform approached the microphone. Noah eased the window open as she began to speak.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Bellator. Welcome to our service of remembrance. Your chancellor will be onstage in a matter of minutes. Please be patient and find yourselves a space from which to watch the ceremony."

Noah shuddered at her words. Turning around, he snagged a box and pulled it towards him. Positioning it beneath the window, he planted his feet on top.

Please.He found himself praying. Please let there be a way down.

Hauling the window open all the way, he glanced at the building below. His heart sank. There was no fire escape. No handy rooftop which he could climb out onto. No awning below which might break his fall. Not even a drainpipe he could shimmy down to reach the ground.

Nothing but a sheer drop. He was trapped.