Savage Run by E. J. Squires Page A

they’ll find me no matter where I
am.
    “ Easy there,” the guy with
the shaved head and eagle tattoo on the back of his neck says.
“What’s the hurry?” He laughs a little. “So you’re
Joseph?”
    I don’t want to talk to someone at the
moment, but since I’m stuck here in front of the closed door, I
answer. “Yes. Hi. You?” I glance over my shoulder and around the
front of the bus to see if anyone’s coming. My mouth is so dry that
my tongue sticks to the roof of it.
    “ Danny. Pleased to meet
you.” He holds out a hand.
    I bang on the door a couple of times, and
when it opens, I get on at once. I run to the back and sit down,
slumping in my seat and leaning against the window, looking out.
From the corner of my eye I see others get on the bus and find
their seats.
    “ May I sit
here?”
    I look up and am relieved when I see Arthor.
“Sure.” I start to chew on my nails.
    “ Nervous?” he asks. The bus
starts to drive off.
    I lower my fingers from my teeth and look
down at the floor. I’m not going to tell him someone’s after me.
“Bad habit—I know.” It’s one of the reasons my father makes me wash
my hands so often. Scrub the impurity from them.
    “ It’s okay.” He looks out
the window. “We’re all afraid. Some of us just hide it better than
others. Some of us pick on unsuspecting imps.” He nudges
me.
    His comment almost makes me smile.
“Johnny?”
    “ Yeah.” We curve around the
compound to the back, passing Unifers marching in perfect
synchronized rhythms. None of them appear to be after
me.
    A little more relaxed, but still gawking out
the window, I ask, “So, why are you here?”
    His brows furrow. “It would make my parents
proud of me and give them something to look forward to.”
    “ So they supported you in
coming?”
    He hesitates. “They don’t really
support…much about me. Well, my mother does, but not my
father.”
    I remember how his mother had waited for him
outside the fence when he was registering, how despairing her eyes
were and how white her knuckles were, clutching the fence.
    “ But hey, it’s boring
talking about me. Why are you here?” His eyes widen.
    I glance around nervously. “Maybe not right
here…”
    He nods.
    Shortly after the bus stops in front of a
blue and green Nissen hut—Unifer housing composed of sheets of
metal bent into half a cylinder. They’re identical to the ones I’ve
seen in newspaper articles about Unifer training camps with a
garage door for the entrance and tiny barred windows on the sides.
I didn’t think housing could get any uglier than our trailers back
home, but I have to say that these take the cake.
    Before stepping off the bus, I thoroughly
inspect the area. A huge Culmination flag waves in front of the
structures, and the gold and red bee mascot looks fierce against
the black background. There’s still no sign of anyone who looks
like they might be after me. Was Mai just messing with me? She
doesn’t seem to be concerned at all, but then again, maybe she was
the one who ratted me out. But how did she know? Nicholas.
    Like the others, I huddle around Nicholas
and Mai.
    “ Tonight each of you will
sleep in your own room,” Nicholas says. “In your room you will find
a bed, a sink, a hole in the floor to do your business, and a
Savage Run uniform for tomorrow. Dinner will be delivered to your
room at 8:00 p.m. sharp and breakfast will be delivered at 6:00
a.m. tomorrow morning. Speaking with or communicating with any
other participant is prohibited. Leaving your room is prohibited,
and if discovered, you will be disqualified from the program and
sent home. Strict obedience is required at all times.”
    Mai takes over. “Later tonight, Nicholas and
I will visit briefly with each of you, so don’t go to sleep until
we’ve stopped by.” She reads off a list, stating what room number
each participant will be sleeping in. She doesn’t read my name.
    “ Everyone is to meet back
here at seven a.m. sharp