The City Of Death

Chapter Nineteen- Macy

Turns out, I was right. I'm not going to get a whole lot of sleep tonight, but not for the reason I was expecting. 

I was dreaming of Skye when it happened. Nothing coherent- flashes of memories, snippets of voices that I'm still not sure were real or imagined. There was nothing I could really grasp onto- just like most of my memories of my sister. Some are starting to become clear, but they're all inconsequential. Only the memories of us running to the news station and school and our home have become clear. Only the memories of the crisp morning air on my face and the feeling of sitting on her shoulders have come into focus. 

I'm brought out of my dreaming and into the waking world by a terrified scream. Immediately, I'm trying to untangle myself from my blankets and get out of my tent. I need to see what the problem is and how I can help, or if I simply need to grab my things and bail. The moon is still high in the sky when I finally stumble out of my tent, telling me it's around midnight. I scan the area and finally find the source of the scream. 

Savannah is halfway out of her tent, clawing at the ground and screaming as she tries to pull herself the rest of the way out. Gemma is already out of her tent, running to Savannah and trying to figure out what happened. In her terror, Savannah can barely talk, and Gemma already has tears in her eyes at the thought of how scared her girlfriend is. She kneels in the dirt beside the Doctor as I finally reach them, taking a similar position on Savannah's opposite side. 

There's commotion around the camp as other Renegades wake up and run out of their tents to find out who's screaming and why. I watch as Atlas bursts out of his tent, pushing his hair out of his face as Israel exits his tent, hastily throwing a shirt on. I see Annalise next, holding a sleepy and scared Rosalie. Aubriana arrives shortly after, rubbing her stump as she watches the scene with concern. Atlas finally reaches us, crouching next to me as Gemma starts to rub Savannah's back. 

"What happened?" he asks, and just as Gemma and I open our mouths to tell him we have no clue, Savannah finally speaks. 

"He was here!" she shrieks, her whole body trembling. "I saw him!"

"Who was here?" Atlas asks as he and Gemma help Savannah to her feet. It's no easy task, considering Savannah is still weak and trembling with fear. But once she's up and I stand myself up, I can see her eyes. I can see the terror in them. "Who did you see, Savannah?" 

"Satanus!" she cries, pointing to the opening of her tent. "He was standing right there!" Whispers start to spread throughout the Renegades already gathered, and I feel my chest start to tighten with apprehension. The Renegades are protected by their will to live. It's only through Israel's unchecked depression that they manage to get him. So what the hell happened to let Satanus break through that protection? And why didn't he take Savannah when he had the chance? 

"Israel," Atlas says, and in two seconds, the man in question is by his leader's side. "Wake everyone. Tell them to gather here. We have to do a headcount, and then we're going to search the woods." Israel nods curtly, jogging over to Annalise and giving her a quick kiss. He then cradles Rosalie's face in his hands, whispering something to her and kissing her forehead. Then, and only then, does he run off to follow Atlas's instructions. I look back to Savannah, who's leaning against Gemma and quietly crying. 

"How could Satanus get here?" I ask softly, and Atlas looks over at me, his cheek twitching. He really does need to find a different way to express his anxiety. One day he's going to injure himself if he keeps biting his cheek. He sighs softly, turning to Savannah. The anxiety melts off his face and is replaced by concern as he takes a step to Savannah. 

"Hey," he says quietly, and Savannah looks up at him, wiping her face to no avail. In her terror, the tears just keep on coming. "Can you tell me what happened?"