Area 79

At four o’clock they arrived in swarms.

Elijah leaned forward in his seat, his eyes fixated straight ahead, as a dull hum vibrated through the air. The sound grew louder as they scattered around the courtyard and Elijah’s spine tensed in readiness. He had to strike quickly. Night came quicker in the north and Area 79 wasn’t the type of place you wanted to get caught after dark. It was a place without decency, free from those who believed in edicts handed down from the skies, where only the criminals and poor survived. Or so Elijah had been told.

The bells of the high school chimed three times, signaling the end of the school day and the impending darkness. Elijah squinted. He picked up the little black book in his lap and gingerly flipped to the dog-eared page with her name. Siax Lun. His boss’ neat handwriting was just as familiar to him as his own. He carefully studied the picture of the girl underneath the script and memorized its every detail. It was his job to make sure he grabbed the right person and despite the oddity of his chosen profession, Elijah took pride in his work.

He once again scanned the open courtyard. There she was, Siax Lun, crossing the campus with a tattered pink backpack and yellow bow in her hair. Her frame was wiry like the impoverished students around her, but unlike the others she had grown to a considerable height for her age. Elijah wondered just how comfortable a teen that tall would be in the trunk of his car.

No time to iron out the details now. Siax was walking at a rapid pace on the sidewalk, hesitate and he’d miss her. Elijah set his car in drive and trailed the unsuspecting girl. When they were far enough from the campus, he pulled next to her, and lowered the window.

“Siax!” he shouted.

The teenage girl glanced in his direction, her eyes widening in horror before a look of acceptance and defeat curtained her face. Her shoulders slumped forward as she walked towards the car. Elijah slammed the wheel with his fist, but the girl didn’t hesitate. She had been tipped off.

“Dammit! Who told you?” Elijah hissed as the girl climbed into the passenger seat without any coaxing on his part.

“My mother,” the girl said numbly. “She wanted an opportunity to say goodbye.”

“Did you tell anyone else? Say any other goodbyes? A best friend? A boyfriend, maybe?” Elijah asked through clenched teeth, his anger mounting.

“No, of course not. I understand the stakes,” Siax replied.

“Doesn’t seem like it. Your parents paid me to smuggle you across the border to Area 1. Do you understand what would happen if we were caught?” Elijah asked, turning his full attention to the stupid girl.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” Siax repeated. She looked him dead in the eyes, “I swear.”

Despite his rationalizations, Elijah wanted to believe her. The girl had to know what was at stake. The punishment for illegally exiting your Area was death—both for the runner and smuggler.

“Besides,” the girl began. “I don’t want you to get caught anymore than you do. My parents don’t have any other connections. We’ll need you to get my parents across the border too.”

Elijah put the car in drive and sped towards the highway. “My directions were to get you and only you. We’re putting you in the false bottom of the trunk and hightailing out of here. No one said anything about your parents.”

Siax grabbed the dashboard for balance as the car lurched forward. “But they said…they said… they said they were coming,” the girl stammered. “You must be confused.”

“I doubt it. I have the directions clear as day right here,” Elijah said holding up his little black book. “My only direction is to grab you and to give you this black briefcase.” Elijah leaned back and rummaged in the backseat until he felt the hard surface of the briefcase given to him two mornings prior. He thrust it in Siax’s lap as he merged onto the highway.

He watched from the corner of his eye as the girl’s hasty fingers unfolded a note attached to the top of the case. The subsequent silence that filled the car was deafening. Siax’s jaw went slack as her eyes darted back and forth across the paper.

“What is it?” Elijah asked.

“$20,000,” the girl responded slowly. “Why…I don’t understand. They gave me enough food to survive until I got across the border, in case we got separated. I don’t understand why they gave me this.”

A tug pulled at Elijah’s heart. He ignored it. He had to in this line of work. “The price to smuggle an adult across the border is $10,000 even,” Elijah said matter-of-factly. His eyes remained on the flow of traffic ahead. He waited in silence as the synapses fired in the girl’s head. She would have to make the connection herself.

“My parents aren’t coming,” Siax said after a long pause. “They gave me all the money they saved to escape so I can try to build a better life in Area 1. They…they…they aren’t coming.” Siax folded the note in her lap, handling it as gently as if it was a fragile piece of glass. She held it to her heart and sniffed.

Shit. She was crying. Elijah shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. “The more of you that cross, the riskier it is. You’re young, easier to hide, and on the other side of the border you’ll learn to blend in. Your parents are making a smart choice.”

“How can it be the right choice if we’re not together? Please,” she begged, “turn around.”

Elijah didn’t flinch as he accelerated the car and sped even quicker towards the border. Elijah did not underestimate the significance of his task. He was taking Siax to Area 1.