"Go, go, go!" I usher Stephen, pushing him down the alleyway in front of me. Another bullet is fired, hitting the wall beside us. Chunks of stone patter to the ground in our hasty wake. My heart pounds into my ear as we bolt down the tight pathway, hyper-alert with fear. More bullets fire from guns, but they somehow manage to hit everything else but us.

Stephen and I run out of the alley and across the street in a zigzagging pattern. Adrenaline pulses through my legs, propelling me forward faster than I've ever run before. Our rebel boots slap wildly against the pavement as gunfire blasts through the air.

At the exact moment Stephen and I enter the second alley, the Screeners decide to open fire on our backsides. Bullets upon bullets of lethal ammo bounce around the skinny pathway. The first of many bullets hits me squarely in the back. Protected by a vest, I feel a second-long, tingling punch that pushes me farther towards the end of the alley.

As Stephen and I approach the next street, I get an idea. At the most unpredictable moment I manage to choose, I grab Stephen's arm and feign sharply to the right to trick the Screeners.

Yes, I think smugly, I outsmarted the nation's finest soldiers at only 18 years old.

Simultaneously, we smack into a rock-like blur of red. Before I can blink, hands cover our mouths and grab our arms. I immediately fight against the Screeners, clawing, grabbing, fussing, and jerking my body to defend itself.

"Hey! Get off of me!" I scream against my gag. My words go unheard as the guns and the restraints threaten to kill Stephen and I. Stephen yells something inaudibly from out of view, the exact location I want him to stay away from.

As a Screener muffles my screams, I continue to fight against him regardless of the fact I'm being yanked into a nearby building. Doors slide open then close, and I sense more danger coming.

I drag my heels, claw my fingers, and do whatever I can to stall for time to keep alive. Just as I get the Screener's arm to loosen an inch, Stephen is back in my peripheral vision, but not in the way I expected. Two Screeners have his arms pinned behind him, his knees planted on the lobby floor, and a gun to his head. A spare Screener codes the door to lock, sealing us into the building while forcing the anarchic Grand Rapids out.

"Stephen," I find myself saying, asking him for his forgiveness. My stupid plan led us right back into the government's clutches. I'm such a moron.

At the sound of my voice, the Screener grasping Stephen pushes the barrel of his gun harder into his dirty temple. Stephen refuses to look scared, angered features harden on his unswayed face. Hysteria creeps up the back of my throat as I feel my own Screener tighten his arm around my neck, forming a death trap especially for me. Another gun is drawn, and a cold barrel presses against my forehead.

"Male first?" a Screener behind me asks.

The Screener with Stephen nods in agreement, turning his attention to his grim prisoner. "Any last words?" the Screener's deep voice asks menacingly.

"Yeah, screw you," Stephen says, glaring wildly.

Instead of pulling the trigger, the Screener laughs boyishly. "Are you kidding me?" I deadpan in pure disbelief. My blood pressure rises, "Are you laughing at him?

Stephen's Screener lifts a hand, reaching for the buckle underneath his helmet. The gesture is cocky and unnecessary, until the Screener slides off his helmet and lets it drop to the floor. A boy with tousled blonde hair reveals himself by lifting his face to look at mine. Light laughter echoes from his throat.

"Remember me?" Tanner says with a genuine grin. The tension in the room shatters to the ground as I exhale in relief.

Tanner chuckles again. "Nice to see you, too, Holland."

"Was that you the entire time?" Stephen gasps, still in dead shock. "I can't believe you--"

"I know," Tanner says, walking over to Stephen to help him to his feet. "We had to make it look authentic."

"It?" I ask.

"Yeah, it," Tanner answers honestly. "Those Screeners now know you as rebels who got arrested. But in reality, you're being rescued by masked rebels."

"Why us?" I ask, "Why are you risking yourselves for us?"

"Well, the risk is for everyone," Tanner says. "This rebellion isn't even close to stopping, and we need to engage in part two of our master plan. Commander Delphin sent a group of us to get you guys."

While fixing his lopsided chest guard, Tanner smoothly orders one of the still-helmeted Screeners to find an office room. He tells him to open one of the hologram-protected cabinets and retrieve the contents. The rebels follows the orders.

"So how did this all happen again?" Stephen half-interrupts, "and how are the hell were you not arrested by now?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain everything once we get out of here safely," Tanner says, taking a seat on a nearby receptionist desk. "But it wasn't that difficult."

The rebel/Screener comes back with red clothing and helmets stacked strategically in his hands. "Now get changed, you two," Tanner says, "We've been prepared for this part of the plan since Delphin told us about it."

-- -- -- -- --
i'm sorry for the short update! please don't hate me! the next update will be especially epic i promise!

hint: Hephen will resurrect.

;)

off topic, but i also want to suggest a published book for you to read! i'm almost finish with it, and it's SUPER AMAZING! go to your local store or library and get Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. it is a phenomenal dystopian/ technological novel!

Question: Choose a phrase: twisted path, twisted traitor, or twisted surprise.

Follow-up Question: Pick a number between 1 and 30. If you pick my number, you win a special prize and a shout-out/ dedication.