Steven dos Santos - The Sowing

Drusilla recoils. I can feel Arrah flinch as if the chains that bind us are a string of nerve endings.

Boaz continues his rant. “These Establishment bastards are slaughtering our people and you’re too selfish to care.” He lunges at her, grabbing her throat and pulling the key away.

“Boaz, no!” Cage leaps for him. But Drusilla knees Boaz in the groin.

“ Ungh!” He doubles over.

Drusilla yanks the key back and rushes over to Arrah. The chains connecting us rattle and pull taut as she grabs hold of her. Their foreheads meld together as Drusilla cups her face, laughter mixed with sobs. “I never thought I’d get to hold you again.” She fumbles with the manacles a few seconds before slipping the key into first one lock, then the other. Click! Click! The chains binding Arrah clatter to the ground.

Arrah throws her arms around Drusilla, planting kisses all over her face until their lips meet, first tenderly, then passionately, as if they’re sharing one final breath that will dissipate the moment they pull apart.

“I’m so… so sorry about your dad…” Arrah chokes on her words.

“We can’t… not now…” Drusilla’s tone is tender but I can sense the sharp edge, like a paper cut, barely scratching the surface but deeply painful.

I finally turn to Drusilla. “Get Arrah out of here. Now .”

Drusilla jams the key into the collar’s slot and turns. The device pops open. Arrah rips it off and turns to me. “Lucian—”

“Remember what we talked about at the furnace.” I force a smile. She’s still looking at me as Drusilla hauls her off to the safe zone.

Recruit Drusilla has released her Incentive and is the victor in this trial. Only two keys remain.

Out on the field, Crowley stumbles around while Cage and Boaz circle each other. If it weren’t for the occasional loud crunch of fists against flesh, you’d think they were dancing; their swaying, twisting bodies maneuver around each other in a spray of sweat and blood. Dark crimson trickles from their noses and mouths. Boaz speeds up his jabs. But even though Cage’s lip is swollen purple, he’s taking a defensive stance, holding back, not hurting Boaz as much as he could.

On the ground between them, another key glistens.

“I need it too, mate,” Cage rasps, sounding more desperate than I’ve ever heard him. “My sister —”

“And that traitor !” Boaz takes another swing, but Cage blocks it. “You think I haven’t seen it in your eyes? If you lose this Trial you could still save Tristin. But you won’t sacrifice him, will you? Even after what he did to us?”

“Shut up,” Cage rumbles.

Boaz takes advantage of Cage’s temporary distraction and bashes him in the face. Cage reels backward and Boaz lunges for the key.

Cage isn’t down yet. He grabs Boaz by the shoulder and hauls himself up. His fists are a blur. Thwack! Thwack! I can’t help but recoil from the sound of each impact. It’s as if he’s venting all of his rage at last.

“Cage!” Tristin screams.

But her brother doesn’t seem to hear her. Or doesn’t want to.

“They’re just playing it up for the higher-ups.” Leander nudges Corin in the shoulder and steps forward, shielding his view.

But the kid ignores him, pushing past Leander to get a better view. “Leave him alone, Cage!” Corin screams.

Boaz collapses, his face pulpy like potter’s clay.

Cage steps over him. He staggers over to us almost as if he’s on auto-pilot. His chest is heaving.

Tristin falls into his arms. “You shouldn’t have…”

“It’s… going… to… be… okay.” His hands leave bloody prints on her skin as he pulls her close.

Our eyes meet for a second over her shoulder, and he turns away. Ashamed of what he’s done? Or that I know how he feels about me? Does he know I can never feel anything for anyone ever again?

Cage unlocks Tristin’s bonds, then turns and unlocks mine. “Thanks for looking after my sister,” he says as my neck band falls away.

I nod. “Cage—”

He turns away and hustles Tristin to the safety zone.

Recruit Cage has released his Incentives. Only one key remains.

I grab for Dahlia’s hand but she shakes her head. “Don’t worry about me. It’s better this way.” Her eyes glisten and I see relief there.

Then I’m pulled away by Cage and thrust into the safety zone, helpless, as my foster mother’s daughter waits to be murdered.

A few feet from where Boaz lies, Crowley crawls across the sand, his pale body covered in grit and scrawling a bloody streak like the tail of a comet about to burn out. He slumps beside Boaz.

Boaz reaches out and touches Crowley’s head. “Aren’t we both a mess.” He tries to chuckle, but it turns into a cough and he spits out a mouthful of bloody saliva. His face turns serious. “Don’t worry. I’m going to get you some help.”

But Crowley’s barely stirring now.

Boaz raises himself on hands and knees. Suddenly, he digs into the ground. A high-pitched laugh echoes throughout the field.

He raises his hand.

In it rests the last key.

My whole body tenses. This is it. Now Dahlia dies.

But instead of staggering over to the Incentives, Boaz stoops, grabs Crowley in his arms, and half-carries, half-drags him over to them.

To Dahlia.

Her eyes open wide. There’s confusion there at first. And then, regret.

Boaz thrusts the key into Crowley’s hands. “ You have to do this, brother.”

Crowley’s eyes flood. He mouths something to Boaz. Even though I can’t hear it, I know he’s expressing his gratitude. Boaz is giving him a chance to live.

A chance for Dahlia to live.

Crowley steps over the line and almost tumbles.

Leander catches him in his arms. “You’re almost there,” he says. His voice sounds different than I’ve ever heard it before. Compassionate. Tender. Gently, he guides Crowley’s hands toward Dahlia’s bonds, holding them steady while Crowley unlocks her hands, then moves to her collar.

Dahlia is shaking her head. Tears stream from her eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”

Leander smirks at her. “You’ve always been First Tier, D.” He shrugs. “Guess this is one time I get to be first.”

The collar drops to the floor.

Recruit Crowley has released his Incentive. Recruit Boaz, you have emerged last in this Trial and must now make your choice.

Dahlia drags Crowley over to the safety zone. They stand silently beside me.

Leaving only Boaz and Leander and Corin.

Corin takes Leander’s hand. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Leander swallows hard. “Thanks, kid.”

Recruit Boaz. Make your selection now.

Boaz turns to Leander with what appears to be genuine regret in his eyes. “Sorry.”

Leander looks in our direction and nods. “Not as sorry as these bastards are going to be when they find out what we’re made of. Flame Squad to the end.” He salutes us and Arrah, Drusilla, and I return it.

“I choose Incentive Leander.” Boaz’s voice breaks, losing its earlier bravado.

“I’ll be with you soon, Rod-Man.”

Then the smile on Leander’s face disappears, turning into a grimace. His body convulses and his hands fly up to his temples. Fountains of blood spring from his mouth, his nose, his ears. His eyes swell, then burst, spattering his chest with gobs of pulp. He collapses. Corin crouches down and cradles Leander’s head in his lap.

Dahlia stiffens beside me.

Around me, the others stare at the corpse.

The last thing Leander saw before he died was us .

That’s the same thing all the other Imposers at this installation are going to see.