Free Redeemer by Katie Clark

Is this correct?”
    I’m not sure who he’s directing the question to, but I nod.
    “Bring them to the transport holding station.”
    Tucker resumes his dragging.
    “Where did you think you were getting away to?” the guard with the scanner asks. “There’s nowhere to go outside of the cities.” He’s small but very sure of himself. He carries himself with pride, and he’s clean and put together. What’s worse than being caught is that he sounds like he actually believes his words, which is sad because there is so much out there besides the cities.
    He glances at my arm and pauses. “No one said they were hurt.”
    Tucker shrugs. “Not my problem.”
    The other guard sighs. “Take them to the hospital first, but then straight to the transport holding station.”
    Tucker frowns. Obviously he doesn’t think we deserve the medical attention—or he doesn’t think I deserve it. Isabel isn’t hurt, but I’m not about to point that out to them.
    We change directions and Tucker shoves us into what I think used to be called a truck—only it looks different than the transport trucks. This one’s back is open, which is where he puts us. Using rope, he ties us up. I try to keep in my grunt when he tugs at my bleeding skin.
    Finally, he hops in the driver’s seat and starts down the deserted street.
    Lesser City 3 looks so different than Lesser 4 I almost can’t reconcile the change. Buildings rise toward the sky, and most of them are in good repair. The streets are mostly clean even though they’re used as large walkways instead of for cars. No one roams the streets as the curfew is active at dark, but still, things are much improved over the city we escaped from.
    I remember noticing how nice Lesser 3 was compared to 1 and 2 when I travelled to this city with Professor Higgins during my training in Greater City. It isn’t a bad city to live in, if one must be Lesser.
    “What’s going to happen to us?” I lean toward Isabel.
    Isabel shakes her head. “It’s hard to tell. We’ll probably be taken back at first light. Who knows how they’ll punish us. Make us go without allowances for a month or two?”
    It’s the first she’s spoken since we were captured, and her fear shows through. She didn’t want to escape. She only did it for me.
    This is my fault. I wanted out of my prison and I went after it at any cost, even the cost of Isabel’s life.
    “I’m sorry, Isabel.”
    She manages a true smile. “It’s no biggie, sugar. Really, I’ve been through much worse.”
    Hints at her past remind me we have unresolved issues, but they’ll have to wait. Tucker pulls to a stop in front of the hospital I remember visiting on my trip with Professor Higgins. The same hospital where I met Fischer’s father, Ricardo, and the same hospital where Mom died. She’s buried in the field out back, under a small wooden cross.
    My heart lurches and I hold back burning tears. What secrets did she take to her grave?
    Tucker unties our feet but leaves our hands roped as he leads us inside. “We need to get them cleaned up,” he tells the medic on duty.
    The girl frowns and nods, scurrying away. She returns a moment later with a doctor who leads us to an empty exam room down the hall. The doctor asks Tucker a few questions, then turns to me and looks at my arm. “How’d that happen?”
    He looks nice enough, like he doesn’t give half an allowance whether I’m a criminal or not.
    “I fell into the chain link fence around the city. A stray chain sliced it open.”
    He winces and sucks in a breath. “Ouch. That fence is pretty rusty. We need to get it cleaned out. Let me grab the medic and we’ll get you stitched up.”
    “It won’t take long will it?” Tucker growls.
    The doctor smiles tightly and shakes his head. “Not at all. Excuse me.”
    We sit silently, waiting for the doctor to return with the girl from earlier, except he doesn’t.
     
     
     
     

11
     
    My breath catches and my blood freezes when