Chapter Twenty-Six Noah

He recoiled from the window.

Things had quickly gotten out of control on the stage below. Initially, Noah had been encouraged by the crowd's reaction, but the number of guards who had stormed into the square out of nowhere made it difficult to see a way out for the three vulnerable people on the stage.

A shocked whisper ran through the crowd in the square. Creeping back to the window, he forced himself to look. To his relief, Faith hadn't moved. She stood in the centre of the stage, three guards pinning her arms to her sides. But the expression of horror on her face made him sick to his stomach.

Bracing himself, he scanned the stage. Flynn was now standing, well-guarded, on his original platform. But the guards who had been grappling with Robyn at the front were backing away. For a moment, Noah couldn't see the Resistance fighter.

And then the last guard moved and he understood the crowd's gasp. Robyn's body lay horribly still. She was twisted at an odd angle. The front of her shirt was stained with blood. Her head faced the crowd and one arm was outstretched, as though she had been asking for help as she died.

Closing his eyes, Noah let despair consume him. There were too many guards in the square now, and not enough Resistance fighters to overcome them.

It was over.

When he turned back to the stage, Danforth had made her way to the podium again.

"I'm sorry you all had to witness that." The chancellor pulled herself up to her full height. "It appears that the Resistance situation is more serious than I thought." She gazed out at the crowd, her face taut with concern Noah knew was faked. "Let me tell you the real truth." She gestured at Faith, who had stopped struggling and was staring ahead blankly. "This young woman is extremely damaged. The Resistance has taken advantage of her vulnerability."

She glanced at Robyn's body.

"As I keep telling you, the rebels, both in Eremus and here in the city, are extremely dangerous. They prey on the weak. Faith here has been fed numerous falsehoods, facts which have been twisted to suit their dangerous aim: to turn you against me." Danforth paused, her face a picture of false shock. "If you begin to believe what they're telling you, they stand a good chance of gaining control. And after working for so long to shield you from the violent influence of males, I can't let that happen. I swore to protect you, and protect you I will. Whatever it takes."

She pulled the microphone from its stand and stepped down, moving towards the platform where the guards surrounded a defiant-looking Flynn.

"The males who planted the explosives which killed so many have obviously gained more influence over our own citizens than I had realised." She shook her head. "How they did this, I don't know. But I know their goal. It has always been the same: to regain control. They're attempting to do this by feeding you lies." She gestured to the lone figure on the platform. "Lies which will do nothing but destroy our unity, our togetherness, our strength."

Noah's entire body was shaking. The only thing keeping him upright was the grip he had on the windowsill. He kept his gaze fixed on Flynn as Danforth continued.

"Lies which will allow them to gain a stronghold over the women of this city. Force you back into the subservient role that women used to occupy." Danforth circled the platform, her eyes fixed on Flynn. "These people are traitors. We cannot allow them to threaten our community this way."

The crowd had begun to mutter again. As though she sensed she was losing them, Danforth hurried back to the podium to finish her speech.

"To demonstrate my devotion to your protection, this man, this… traitor, must serve as an example."

Time seemed to slow as Danforth stepped close to Hammond, whispering something in her ear. The lieutenant nodded in response. Assigning another guard to take her place beside Faith, she made her way across the stage to the platform. Waving a hand, she dismissed the other guards, who retreated to the rear of the stage without a word.

Hammond took up a position on one side of Flynn. Noah couldn't help but think she was making sure her audience had a good view of what was about to happen. Raising her gun, she aimed it at Flynn's head.

On the stage, Faith cried out, perhaps hoping for a last-minute reprieve. But Noah could see it was hopeless. A glance at the crowd demonstrated the guards' stronghold. Any attempt to break through their barricade would be suicide.

Holding his breath, Noah returned his gaze to his father, determined to witness his last moments. Flynn was looking at Faith, inclining his head slightly in a gesture of acceptance. Noah choked back tears. His father's last moments would be devoted to comforting another.

On the podium, Danforth gave a sharp nod. Hammond fired.

Noah clung to the windowsill, squeezing his eyes shut as the sound of the second gunshot ricocheted across the square and back.

When he opened his eyes, Noah had to fight the urge to scream. Flynn lay on his back to the side of the platform. His body had crumpled and seemed somehow smaller. The bandana which had fallen from his eyes was twisted around his chin, hiding the lower part of his face from view. But his open eyes stared up at the sky.

As the noise of the shot died away, everything happened at once.

There was a roar from the crowd, followed by ripples of movement which, from above, looked like waves. Fear and confusion reigned. Some people surged forward, threatening the guards at the front; others headed for the sides of the square, attempting to make a quick exit.

Danforth lifted her wristclip to her mouth, shouting commands. The guards who had been manning the entrances surged forward, their weapons raised. At the same time, those who had been protecting the stage began driving the crowd back. The ceremony was over, and the chancellor wanted the citizens to disband as soon as possible.

Forcing his eyes away from his father, Noah searched for Faith. Before the shots had been fired, she had been standing in the centre of the stage, flanked by two guards. Somehow, during the confusion, she had ended up on the ground. As she was lifted up by one of her captors, Noah feared she too had been shot.

She lay limply in the guard's arms. But as her captor carried her to the side of the stage, she shifted her head, resting it against the woman's chest. She was alive.

With a start, Noah remembered the small orange pill she had taken. It made sense that the drug was finally taking effect. But what would it do to her?

Unable to look anymore, Noah slumped down on the floor of the storage room. Beneath him, the restaurant was emptying out. Guards were calling for citizens to evacuate, to return home as quickly as possible. Would they check whether the building was empty?

His gaze fell on the box of apples. They were his only available weapon, and they hadn't been much use up to now. Picturing a guard storming in with a gun and being pelted by fruit, he fought the urge to laugh. Perhaps he was becoming hysterical.

He couldn't afford to lose control. Flynn and Robyn were dead. But Faith was still alive, and very much in danger.

Noah hauled himself to his feet. In the square below, the crowd was thinning, guards herding the women out of the square. A few citizens were struggling, arguing, but, on the whole, Danforth's army seemed to have the situation under control.

A glance at the stage revealed it to be almost empty. Both Faith and Danforth had disappeared, and there were only a few guards remaining. They were deep in discussion, motioning towards the bodies at the far side. Noah braced himself to follow their gaze.

When he did, he felt like someone had punched a hole in his chest.

Two of the guards stood over his father. Grabbing Flynn's legs and arms, they hoisted him up like a sack of grain.

A surge of rage threatened to overwhelm Noah. Once again, he stepped away from the window, unable to watch. Swallowing his fury, Noah strode to the store room door. Once he had adjusted his mask so it properly covered his face, he made sure that the stairwell was empty.

It was time to go.