A sense of freedom immediately rushed through her, and she felt hopeful for the first time in forever.
If she ran straight through the forest, she would come upon the main road in a matter of hours.She would reach Hillsboro by sunrise, and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon she would be on a train bound for a faraway town.She didn’t have a destination in mind.She just wanted to put as much space between herself and Harmony as she possibly could.
She ran until her sides ached and her lungs burned, but she didn’t dare stop.She ran like her life depended on it—because in a way, it did.Just the thought of staying in Harmony filled her with dread.Sometimes, escapees were found and dragged back to the compound, and the Prophet always made their lives hell.
But the farther she got from the compound, the more confident she became that her escape would be a success.As long as no one noticed her missing until morning, she would have a real chance at buying a train ticket and getting far, far away.
She only hoped she had enough money.She had no idea how much things in the outside world cost.In Harmony, money never changed hands.People were expected to share with their neighbors, though she’d heard whispers about some families hoarding supplies.
Thankfully, she’d found a small stack of paper money in the same hidden compartment of her father’s desk where she’d discovered the prayer book.Was three hundred dollars enough to buy a train ticket?Would paper money even work?She recalled hearing something about galactic credits being the preferred method of payment in the United States these days.God, she wished she knew.
Worries started to flit through her mind, darkening her spirits.Where would she live?How would she purchase food?She would need to secure a job immediately.But would anyone be willing to hire her?
She possessed very little knowledge of the outside world, and most of that knowledge came from the Prophet’s vocal condemnation of modern customs during his sermons.Sometimes, he gave specific examples of the evils of the outside world.He frequently talked about the Internet, claiming it was a blasphemous creation that tempted humankind to sin.He also lambasted the various treaties Earth governments had forged with different alien races, since he believed all aliens were demons.He thought money was evil too, though that hadn’t stopped her from taking the three hundred dollars from her father’s desk.
Despite Wren’s concerns about surviving in the outside world, she didn’t turn back.She reminded herself that every time the Prophet spoke, her instincts screamed that he was wrong.Even as a young child, she’d doubted the truth of his sermons.
She didn’t remember much about her life before coming to Harmony, but she recalled being happy and carefree.She had fond memories of playing with neighborhood children in a small town called Franklin.She also remembered enjoying school, especially the art and music classes.
When she thought about how her parents had uprooted her and Alec, anger ignited in her chest, and she managed to hasten her pace through the forest.If she’d thought Alec might’ve considered joining her, she would’ve invited him to run away with her.But he was as deluded as her parents.All three of them truly believed that only those who followed the Prophet and belonged to the Order of Harmony would ascend to heaven.All three of them worshiped the ground the Prophet walked on.
She wanted no part of it.
She ran until the rising sun splintered through the trees, and the main road came into sight.A lone hovercar whooshed by on the road, and as she ran closer, she finally glimpsed the town of Hillsboro.While she’d never visited this town before, Alec had shared a few details about Hillsboro and other nearby towns.In addition to his duties as a guard, he was occasionally sent beyond the walls of Harmony to acquire supplies.
She knew Hillsboro had a population of about six thousand.She also knew it was considered one of the safer towns around.But most importantly, Hillsboro had a train station, and it was her understanding that you could just walk up to a counter and purchase a ticket to another town or city.Giddiness filled her as she crossed the main road and hurried toward the buildings.
In the distance, she spotted a few people out for a morning walk.Her heart panged when she noticed some of them had dogs.Years ago, her parents had dropped the family dog, Snowball, off at a shelter before they moved to Harmony.The Prophet didn’t approve of pets, believing them to be unclean.
Overcome with emotion, Wren paused in the middle of a small park.She removed her backpack and took a seat on a bench.She blinked back tears as she gawked at everything.A quick glance at her watch showed it was just after six in the morning.She grabbed a canteen from her backpack, took a long drink of water, then put it away.
A middle-aged woman jogged past her while flashing a brief, polite smile.Wren smiled back, then jumped to her feet.
“Wait!Please, if you don’t mind, could you tell me which way to the train station?”Wren asked.
The woman glanced over her shoulder, then turned and jogged in place as she gave Wren a strange look.“You mean Greenrail?It’s right past the school over there,” she said with a gesture at a large brick building.“Just follow the path around the left side of the school and you’ll see it.”The woman smiled one last time, then turned and jogged away.
Greenrail?Yes, that was what the new train system was called.Wren remembered going to the grand opening of the terminal in Franklin as a child.Huge solar panels had covered the roof of a bright green train that was on display that day.When the train had pulled away with its first passengers from Franklin, the whole town had erupted in applause.
How strange.She hadn’t experienced the emergence of such a clear, detailed memory from her childhood in years.If she remained outside the repressive walls of Harmony, would she recall more childhood memories with full clarity?
After she put her backpack on, she headed toward the school.She walked around the brick building, and the Greenrail came into sight.A joyful gasp burst from her throat.
But the station didn’t appear to be open yet.The small building next to the tracks was locked, and there was no one around.She removed her backpack and found a seat on another bench, determined to purchase a ticket as soon as the station opened.
She gazed at the tracks, following the slightly curving path that disappeared into a wooded area on the horizon.Free.She was finally free.
She prayed no one would come looking for her.
A sudden rumble in the distance filled her with unease.
She glanced around until she noticed smoke rising over the trees, though the fire had to be miles away from Hillsboro.
Two more rumbles followed, then a massive bang shook the ground beneath her feet.
More smoke darkened the horizon, and eventually, several hovercrafts cut through the sky.
Red beams of light flashed overhead as the crafts exchanged fire.Some angled their weapons downward, blasting the ground below with searing red.
