all god's orphans
Chapter 49

The panic that was tickling Grey’s brain and threatening to make him lose it subsided a bit when he saw the woman who had spoken. Her eyes were large and kind. Her demeanor held no hint of malice. She genuinely wanted to know if she could help him. He smiled back at her and she waited for him to answer.

“Um,” He began. “I was...I needed the bathroom and...” She smiled more broadly.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie.” She assured him. “It happens to all of us as we get older.” He didn’t think she looked that old. She seemed to be roughly his age. Her hair was wild and could have used a brush, but it fit her style. He gestured at his clothes, which had gotten dirty as he slid beneath the wire. “You need some clean clothes, huh?” He looked down at himself and felt stupid for not having realized how dirty he was going to get.

“Yeah.” He stammered a bit. “I guess so.”

“Well we’re in the middle of a laundry cycle so it’s going to be a few days. I’ll get you something to hold you over if you wait there.” She left him standing there beside the tent and he began to wonder if she was only pretending to help and would instead return with soldiers to take him to some prison cell like the one where they’d held him before. He turned again to the forest and thought about just bounding over the fence and running as fast as he could, but the thought that Kite would still be in danger stopped him. He had a mission and he was going to see it through.

After a few minutes, the woman returned carrying a clean soldier’s uniform.

“Take those off.” She said. “But don’t let anyone see you or they might get the wrong idea.”

“Thanks.” He said sheepishly before quickly getting out of his dirty clothes and into the fresh camouflage.

“I’ll get these cleaned up for you.” She said. “You can come get them tomorrow.” Grey looked down at himself. He looked like every other soldier walking around the place. This would be easier than he thought.

“Thank you.” He said, smiling as she turned to go. “Wait. What’s your name?” She stopped and turned back for a moment.

“My name’s Carla, dear.” With that she turned to go without asking his name. For a moment, Grey stood there silently, trying to get straight in his head what had just happened. He needed to think about it for a minute before continuing on. He now looked like everybody else, minus the balaclava, but only a few of the soldiers were wearing them anyway. If he could just convince them that he was indeed one of them, his job would be much easier.

Millie had told him to stay clear of the women’s section so he moved as quickly as he could without drawing attention to himself and made his way to the center of the camp. Around the scaffolding was a large, clear area where the inhabitants of the camp could gather without tripping over tent lines and electrical cables that led to generators. The grass here was trampled flat and he wondered what the stage was for. Hardly anyone so much as glanced in his direction. He noticed the sentries in the trees were barely paying attention. That was good. He just had to replace the general’s office, get the letter, and get out.

To one end of the camp were several trailers and one of them held what he was looking for. Millie had said the general’s trailer would be the only one with guards at the door, which didn’t make him feel better, but when he couldn’t replace a single trailer being guarded, he felt worse. They all looked identical. Small, white metal rectangles that sat just a foot or so off the ground with little steps leading up to the doors, but none of them were guarded. The windows were too high to afford him any view of the interior so opening doors would be a shot in the dark. He wished Millie was there. She hadn’t mentioned this contingency and he didn’t know what he should do.

He tried to come up with a plan, but nothing seemed possible. The sentries in the trees were paying little attention and he decided it would be best to slip back out and go replace Millie. She would know what to do. It would be risky, but there seemed to be little danger in being caught. He had gotten in easily enough. Millie had said that would be the tricky part anyway. Getting out should be a breeze, he told himself.

Walking as nonchalantly as he could, he winded his way through the maze of tents trying to replace a good spot to cross the fence line. He had just picked out a good spot when there was a great commotion near the front gate. He turned back into the middle of the camp to try and see what it was, but there were too many obstacles between him and it so he decided to just leave while he still could. As he neared the fence once more, he saw an armed man wearing camouflage and a black balaclava running along the perimeter. He stopped in his tracks hoping to remain unnoticed, but as the soldier approached him, he pointed his weapon at Grey and shouted.

“Back away from the fence!” His voice boomed in the forest and all eyes suddenly turned towards Grey who simply raised his hands and backed away slowly. The man sprinted away, but it was too late. Others followed after him and soon, there were more guards in the trees and even more posted down below, just outside the fence. Grey was trapped. He did his best to blend in with the crowd that was making its way to the center of the camp. He wanted to slip back to the trailers, but it wasn’t possible to do now with everyone heading the opposite way. He ended up in the middle of the throng as a man took the stage and through speakers that were mounted atop the scaffolding announced.

“Now hear this! Commanding General Joseph Atwood has entered the base. New security protocols are now in effect. All movement into and out of the camp must be cleared with the appropriate personnel. All foraging parties and roaming patrols are suspended. Stand by for an address by the general.” Grey felt dread climbing up his back, but everyone around him seemed to greet this news with delight. They were all smiles and expectant faces. It made him feel queasy, but there was nowhere he could go. He was stuck there.