The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series Heather Heckadon (books that read to you .TXT) 📖

“What did you think was gonna happen?”

“What?” I asked.

“I’m confused. You just thought Smith was gonna be able to walk in there with Mayhew and then Mayhew could go home? Are you serious?” he asked.

“What else?” I asked. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Aella, even if they could have snuck in there undetected like that, there was still a chance Smith would have been seen letting him leave...we couldn’t have that. We can’t afford to cast any kind of doubt onto Smith right now. We need him. Mayhew knew that when he went with him. Smith had to turn him in.”

“Oh my god...” I couldn’t find any more words. How could this ever possibly work if none of us were even around for it? My hopes were quickly being shot down with each loss. We had already lost a few people when the entire war erupted, and now we were sacrificing our own?

“Let’s go.” Garrett started walking, crouched down, away from the field.

Following behind him, I shot a glance back towards the field to make sure we were unseen, and they were none the wiser.

THREE DAYS WENT BY before Smith wandered back into our camp. He had a way about him, slinking through the woods, unworried. Unlike the rest of us, Smith didn’t have to worry about being on the run. Once he knew no one was following him, he was able to slip into his calm demeanor again, just like he was at home. When we first saw him, it was always eerie but comforting. I was glad he was on our side, but every time I saw him I still imagined him killing our leader.

“It’s done,” he said. Casual as could be, he had replicated an eradicated virus meant to kill hundreds of people.  I wasn’t sure what Smith put up with back in camp. Maybe what he saw and heard made him indifferent to it, or maybe he had always been that way and I just hadn’t noticed. Either way, it gave me chills.

“Is there enough made to do what we need to do?” Garrett asked.

“Yeah, plenty,” he said.

“Sounds like it’s time to warn everyone then,” I said. “We need to get the people out who don’t want to be there. At least give them the option.”

“Already done,” Smith said. “I finished with the serum yesterday. That night, I went to each individual door and told them with a note left that said: ‘something bad is gonna happen here because of what Leslie’s done, and you need to get out now. Go to the woods if you want out.’ I put one under everyone’s door, at least everyone who wasn’t a crew member, then left. I didn’t see anyone leave, but I’m sure they’re heading out today. The people who I saw reading the notes just looked confused. I don’t know how much clearer I could’ve been.”

Spencer walked up behind us. “Now’s the time when we have to be very careful. Those who will side with Leslie will tell him something’s coming. And they’ll tell him who it’s coming from. This is the time when if Smith is gonna get found out, we’ll know it,” he said.

“We need to get people covertly posted up waiting,” I said. “We need a group of fast people that can scope out a situation well and then act quick. There’s going to be people trying to escape and there’s going to be people looking for us out in the woods today. It’s going to be difficult to tell the difference. We need to take them somewhere else first so that no one we don’t want knowing our location finds out. Then, tonight, we strike. Are you guys ready for that?”

Smith nodded, while Garrett and Spencer looked at each other.

“Well?” I asked.

They both nodded. I turned around, ready to rally the troops.

“Everyone gather round,” I announced. People moved to huddle around. “I need people in the woods looking for refugees. This is going to be dangerous, but you’ll be saving lives. You may have to take some as well, though. I also need a safe place to take refugees away from our headquarters...anyone have any ideas?”

One of the chem guys stepped forward and said, “There’s a cavern where we started to mine, and it ended up being a dud. It’s in the opposite direction of our camp here. Would that work?”

Jane spoke up. “I know the place. It will work great.”

“Okay, then. Let’s do this.” I started walking out towards the woods, and the volunteers followed. My hands were shaking, but I was ready. It was beginning, now.

WHEN WE CAME WITHIN a half a mile from Leslie’s camp, the woods became eerie. The quiet consumed us with the occasional crack of a branch, or the skittering claws of the squirrel-like critters that lived in the trees. Each step I took was careful and calculated. My awareness heightened as I listened for footsteps that were not my own or my team’s.

Once we reached a stopping point, we joined together. The five of us decided it was best to take the high ground. Climbing up into the purple trees, we did our best to blend with the scenery, and wait for any newcomers below. Gaining the high ground was important because we could see people from quite a distance away. The leaves in the trees rustled with the breeze, as we slowly sank into the surroundings making us nearly invisible. It felt like we were hunting. Hunting people. The waiting was agonizingly nerve-wracking.

The leaves crunched, and I turned my eyes to the ground, careful not to move my body. I recognized a man from camp, wandering into the woods aimlessly. Looking all around him, his face held tight, he finally came to a stop. Standing there, helpless, he finally gave in. “Hello?” he whispered. “Hello?”

Glancing over two trees away from me, I looked at Sierra. Motioning a thumb’s up while lifting my shoulders as