The fence had a gate. Locked gate with chains.
The man pulled something from his pocket. Small metal tools. He worked on the lock in the darkness. His hands moved confident even though he could barely see.
Click.
The chain fell away. The gate opened quiet on old hinges.
We went through.
Inside the compound was darker than outside. The buildings blocked the moonlight. Made shadows on top of shadows.
"Stay close," the man whispered. "Don't make noise."
We followed him between buildings. He moved like he knew where he was going. Like he'd been here before or studied maps.
There were lights in some windows. Yellow lights. People were here. Living here or working here or something.
The man stopped at a corner. Looked around it. Pulled back.
"Two guards," he whispered. "At the main building entrance."
"Can you get past them?" Lily asked.
"Yeah. But I need a distraction."
He looked at me.
"You said you're small and quiet. Think you can make some noise at the back of that building? Draw them away?"
My heart started beating faster. This was it. This was being useful.
"Yes."
"Don't let them see you. Just make noise. Throw rocks at windows or something. Then run and hide. When they're gone, I go in."
"What about after?"
"After, you stay hidden until I come out. No matter what you hear. No matter what happens. You stay hidden and safe."
"Okay."
The man pulled out his gun. Checked it one more time.
"Lily, you stay here. Behind this corner. If anything goes wrong, you run back to the car and drive away."
"I can't drive," Lily said.
"Then you figure it out fast."
He touched my shoulder. The good shoulder, not the hurt one.
"Be smart, Echo. Don't be brave."
Then he moved into the shadows.
I started walking the long way around. Keeping to the darkness. Keeping quiet like I used to when I lived in the department store and didn't want adults to notice me.
Being invisible was easy. I'd practiced for years.
I got to the back of the main building. Found some rocks. Good throwing rocks.
Took a deep breath.
Threw one at a window.
CRACK.
Glass breaking sound. Loud in the quiet night.
Voices from the front. "What was that?"
"Check it out."
Footsteps coming around the building.
I threw another rock. Different window.
CRACK.
"There! I saw something!"
I ran. Fast and quiet. Into the shadows between buildings. Found a good hiding spot behind some old crates.
The guards ran past. Toward where the sound had been. They had flashlights. Big lights cutting through the dark.
"Probably just rats," one guard said.
"Big rats to break windows."
They kept looking. Kept searching.
I stayed hidden. Stayed quiet. Barely breathing.
After a while they gave up. Walked back toward the main building.
"Probably nothing," one said.
"Should tell the boss though."
"Yeah."
They went inside the building.
I waited. Counted to one hundred. Then two hundred.
The man had gone inside. Was doing his job. Finding the bad person.
I'd helped. I'd been useful.
Now I just had to wait.
Time moved weird when you were hiding. Felt long and short at the same time.
Then I heard something.
Shouting from inside the building. Gunshots. Two. Three. Four.
More shouting.
People running.
Something was wrong. The plan was falling apart. I could feel it.
More gunshots. Different guns. Different sounds.
Then an explosion. Windows blowing out. Fire light inside the building.
I wanted to run to Lily. Wanted to run away. But the man had said stay hidden no matter what.
More people were coming out of other buildings now. Running toward the main building. Armed people. Guards. Soldiers maybe.
So many of them.
Too many.
The man was inside with too many enemies and only one hurt shoulder and a gun that probably didn't have many bullets left.
I saw Lily then. Running from her hiding spot. Running toward the main building.
"No," I whispered. "Lily, no."
But she couldn't hear me.
She was running to help. Running because she cared about the man. About me. About doing something instead of hiding.
A guard saw her. Raised their gun.
"LILY!" I screamed.
Everything went slow and fast at the same time.
The gun fired.
Lily fell.
Just like that. One second running, next second falling.
She hit the ground and didn't move.
My brain stopped working right. Static and white noise and disbelief.
No.
No no no.
This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to be smart. Supposed to be careful. Supposed to all be okay.
I ran toward her. Forgot about hiding. Forgot about safety.
Just ran.
Got halfway there when something grabbed me. Big hands. Adult hands.
"Got another one," someone said.
I fought. Kicked. Bit. Screamed.
But it didn't matter. The hands were too strong. The arms were too strong.
Everything was falling apart.
Everything was wrong.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
We'd almost done it right. Almost been smart. Almost made it.
Almost.