STEEL (The Aurum Trilogy Book 1)

Chapter 28

TWENTY EIGHT

Lauren

            I was tired of driving so I had Daniel take over. I shut my eyes and tried to get some sleep. My arm muscles ached and my head was throbbing. I put a hand on my temple and soon, it covered my whole face out of frustration. This was getting tiring.

            "You alright?" Daniel spoke up as he took a left turn. We were already in Division 7 and we still had a long way to Division 1. Daniel was doing a great job to get us to pass the border fences. He just flashed that piece of paper and negotiated with the watchmen and boom! We were in. Does he have some kind of hypnotic charm or supernatural powers to convince the watchmen to let cross the borders? Who was he and why did he seem to speak of eloquence and manage to control these people? Daniel managed to avoid inspections and we crossed each border hassle-free. All he needs to do is step down the Hummer and have a little chitchat with the watchmen. They looked at him with respect and dignity as if he is of great importance in Aurum. Who was this Daniel that I've met? Was that even his real name? Up until now, I'd never known his surname or his real identity. Yes, we talked. We even laughed and joked but we never mentioned details about one another. There was always a line drawn between us, indicating our limitations and expectations. But now, even if he had told me not to trust him, I was eager to know. I wanted to know who he is.

            We'd already been on the road for a week, basically living and breathing in the Hummer, taking turns with driving and watching. We ate whatever food we could get  which mostly came from cheap food stores or from the wilderness around us. We crossed border gates and crashed when both of us really needed rest. We'd park the Hummer anywhere secluded and sleep in. So far, Daniel had not shown any sign of trying to kill me. Which is good because if he tried to do so, it may end up the other way around.

            Daniel told me that once we reach the third division, there won't be any gates, instead there would be golden walls just like what my father told me. He described it to me and told me about the tight security if you were not a resident there. Clearly, by the way he said it, he has been there. Where was he from? Was he from a richer division like Jonathan?

            Jonathan. I pushed the thought of him away again. I was in the middle of saving the whole landmass yet I was thinking of him and even worse, I was playing our memories over and over again. All I wanted was for him to be safe. Daniel and I have to get to The Control before President Knoxx gets assassinated and The Alliance takes over Aurum. I didn’t like The Control or the way it governed the people. I’ve always detested it but it was better than choosing The Alliance. If The Alliance succeeded and had the chance to rule over Aurum, it would still be the same controlled society. Yes, the classification under social status would vanish; however, The Alliance would kill those who sided with The Control and eliminate those who were weak and wounded during the Division War. They would find a way to take out the weak and useless of the land so as not to hinder their progress. I knew this because this was how it worked in The Hawk. Whenever we had an agent who was aging and didn’t do well on missions anymore, he or she would be killed by The Hawk itself. They would terminate the agent who was no longer in good condition and recruit a new and younger one. When I inquired The General about it, he simply told me that if an arm was already malfunctioning and damaging our whole system, we might as well cut off the arm and try to place a new one. He was analogically suggesting a prosthetic or a genetic experiment. I brought back Jonathan to Division 1 for a reason. I brought him back because I wanted him to have the life he ought to have. He didn’t need me in his life, no matter how strong our feelings for each other were. It would have been better if we stopped it, if we kept it hidden, if we pushed it away. Like a malfunctioning arm which was deteriorating both of us and paralyzing us, we should cut it before it was too late. We should end this madness before it ends our lives.