by Abi Ketner
More shots rip through the once peaceful quiet, and this time they’re closer.
Dammit. Where the hell are they coming from?
“What’s up?” Cole asks in a sleepy voice. I gesture for him to be quiet.
“Shots fired,” I hiss as I peek over my shoulder, and he immediately snaps out of it.
“How many and where?” He pulls his gun from his waistband and takes up position across from me in the entryway, wrinkles creasing his forehead as he focuses on the streets.
“Four or maybe five. I’m not sure, but they sound closer each time.” It’s not long before Zeus joins us, practically gluing himself to Cole’s side. His ears dance back and forth, listening to sounds that we can’t hear. It makes me jealous.
Then screams slice the air.
People dart past the building, holding things, belongings—whatever they deem most precious—others empty-handed. But it’s the woman with the infant tucked under her shirt, trying to protect her child, who bothers me most. A few faces I recognize, but they run too fast for me to stop them. I want to protect them all, but I know that’s not realistic and slap the thought away.
“What’s happening?” I breathe. Cole shrugs, his eyes darting around the area.
Just then, Genesis plows up the steps, urgency written all over her face. She doesn’t even have a weapon ready, and Cole nearly shoots her. Two people follow closely behind her, their bodies loaded up with munitions and their guns pointed at us. Their glares mean business.
“Leave,” she says. “Now. There’s no time.”
“And go where?” I demand in a steely voice. Zeus growls beside me.
“Follow me,” she says simply.
I give her a skeptical look.
“Guards are combing the quarter for you, and if you stay here, they’ll find you,” she says, her fists clenched at her sides. I can’t pull my eyes away from the scars she carries on her well-muscled arms.
“Coming here means they’re desperate,” Cole says. “I’ll round everyone up.” He runs inside while I hold my gun steadily pointed at Genesis. I still don’t trust her.
“Give me one reason why I should trust you,” I hiss at her.
“One thing I am not, is a liar,” she says. More people slip past us behind her, running away from the sound of oncoming boots. “I’d gain nothing.”
Considering that, I open my mouth, but she barrels on, “Listen. You want to survive then come. I’m not about to sit here and wait.”
“Working with you is our decision to make.”
“Then decide, dammit.” She steps down, uneasily scanning the area around us. Her people shift on their feet, heads constantly swiveling. Cole appears behind me with Owen and the others. Zeus snarls at Genesis, and she steps back. We have all of two seconds to decide whether to go with her or try to tough it out on our own. Part of me says we need allies, regardless of who they are, and the other part tells me I’m crazy for thinking about aligning with such a violent group of people.
“Yes,” Bruno says. “We’ll go.”
“That settles that,” I say, focusing back on her. Tension unfurls through my body, readying me to run. She glares daggers at me, and I almost bare my teeth at her like an animal. “And don’t try and pull any fast ones. No games, Genesis.”
She nods and turns, directing her people ahead of us. I take the lead behind her with Cole and Zeus. The others know the drill, and we’re on the move, sprinting and stopping, darting between buildings and panting for air. My gut serves up a queasy feeling of being chased along with the urgent need for shelter and protection. We can’t keep doing this. At some point, we’ll need to fight back.
Genesis keeps a good pace, winding between buildings, down pathways where bottles and glass remnants force me to watch where I plant each foot. Deeper and deeper into the jungle of concrete, we move. Graffiti passes in a blur, screams and the rattling of gunfire always a familiar sound at our backs. Slowly, the sun lifts itself from its slumber, casting pink and orange fingers across the sky. But it looks like it’s going to rain.
When we cross another street, there are guards pushing through the front entrance of a building. Clenching my jaw, I catch Cole’s eye and gesture toward the scene. He shakes his head. He sees the guards barging through the front door while Sinners scream from the inside. Some of the Sinners come from around the building and begin fighting the guards with axes, knives, and whatever they can get their hands on. A guard falls to the ground and is exterminated. I want to cover my ears while listening to the sickening sound of axes landing on bone and flesh. Back up guards arrive, though, and they shoot the Sinners without question. It turns into a hand-to-hand, gutting fight, but I rip my eyes away and command my legs to sprint in order to keep up with Genesis.
She never tires or slows. She’s like a well-oiled machine. Her calves bulge in front of me, speeding along with grace and efficiency. It makes me wonder how I ever subdued her. When we reach a building covered in black-and-white tribal art, Genesis motions us through a side entrance. Of course, there’s no doorway or windows left. She pushes through a small room into a hallway, then leads us to another room that resembles a kitchen. Inside, there’s a table and four chairs, all pieced together with odds and ends. A crude brick oven lines the back wall. Blackened soot pours out of it and covers the cement floor like it coughed up demons.
Genesis passes through the kitchen and enters a living area with pea-green cushions on the floor and a ratty rug in the middle. She heads for the closet doors on the left side. I’m shocked to see the doors intact since most everything else has been stripped. She whips them open and begins removing floorboards.
“You first,” she says to me. She’s on her knees, holding open an entrance in the floor, “Don’t worry. They’re expecting you.”
There’s no time to ask questions, knowing the guards could be at the front door any minute. Unlike the Sinners we saw earlier, we don’t want to fight until the chips are falling in our favor, and that hasn’t happened yet. I make sure Cole’s here and then disappear into the darkness. My hands cling to the steel ladder. It reminds me of the entrance to the revolt headquarters where I reunited with Keegan for the first time and where he trained me. What I wouldn’t give to have him greet me now with one of his big-brother hugs.
When I reach the bottom of the ladder, I have to jump the last two feet to the dirt floor. My knees crack, and at first, it’s pitch black. But slowly, my eyes adjust. Small candles light the huge room, giving it the eerie feeling of a séance or something. I step back but someone pulls me forward.
“Who the hell are you?” someone demands as I yank my arm away.
People sit in a rough circle, lying on old, musty-smelling pillows. Their stares haunt me, and shadows flicker over their faces. The candles dance around the room as the others enter down the ladder. Each one of my friends are wide-eyed as they stumble into the darkness behind me.
Genesis moves the floorboards back into place and shuts the entrance, climbing down smiling. Her smile disappears quickly, though, as muffled yelling can be heard upstairs.
“Shhhh, stay quiet,” she tells everyone.
With each step on the floor above, dust kicks up and stirs the candles more. All of our eyes move to the ceiling as heavy boots stomp across the floorboards. My body feels like cement as I freeze in place. Zeus growls, but Cole commands him to be silent.
“Step forward where I can see you,” a voice above us commands. The demanding tone sends chills through me. “Let’s make this greeting as painless as possible … shall we?”
We all remain silent and rigid. My hand tightens on the gun at my side. If they figure out we’re down here, I’ll go down fighting before I let them take us.
“I’ll ignite the building,” he threatens. “And laugh my ass off while you’re engulfed by the flames … or suffocate, whichever ends you first.”
“Sir,” another voice interrupts. “If they’re dead, then they can’t tell us the whereabouts of
Lexi Hamilton.”
I grimace at my name. Beside me, Cole hands Owen to my mom and pulls out his gun. His body bumps into me, sending fire through my veins. We’re both thinking the same thing: this ship won’t go down without a bloody fight from us.
The footsteps creep closer to the closet. I brace myself.
The closet doors creak open.
A few candles blow out. My breath catches in my throat, my heart pounding. No one down here whispers or moves.
The boots move around above us, stomping on the floor. It rattles my nerves, and I bite down on my lower lip as a few people beside me gasp.
“We. Will. Find you,” the voice above says. For a moment, the boots come together and stand still, as if listening. I dare not move an inch. “Make no mistake.”
A pair of boots comes running across the floor. “Movement down the street,” the second voice says, “and we think we’ve spotted them!”
Something crackles, like a radio coming to life. “Two men down,” a scratchy, muffled voice shouts. “I repeat: men down!”
Cole’s jaw twitches, and I know that means anger is boiling up inside him. He’s a predator caught in a cage, wanting to break out and do damage. I shake my head at him. Now isn’t the time to lose our heads.
Finally, the closet doors creak closed, and the footsteps fade away. We exhale a collective breath.
When we finally speak, it’s in whispers.
The person who led me into this place is reappears before me. “Since you’re in our safe house, looks like it’s been jeopardized,” she says. “It’s not often Genesis asks others to join us, so for her sake and yours, you better stay true.” I squirm under her mocking stare. Out of one fire and into another. “It seems Wilson has more balls than the Commander did. Sending his men into the quarter to search for one, simple girl.”
“What does he want with you?” a guy sneers. I only shrug. “You need to leave.” He looks back at the woman who spoke first. “She’s going to get us killed.”
“I vote for turning her in,” says another.
By now, I’m standing protectively in front of my friends, even though I know most of them don’t need it. Thankfully, Levi keeps his mouth closed for once. The tension in the room rises as other strangers throw in their opinions.
“Enough!” Genesis says. She doesn’t need to raise her voice to command attention. All eyes rotate toward her. “She’s obviously important to Wilson, and that’s exactly why we won’t hand her over. She’s leverage.”
Anger rises within me. “Are you saying I’m your hostage?”
“Hostage or accomplice,” Genesis says easily. “The choice is yours.”
“You agreed no games,” I snap.
“No, I recall it was you who said that.” She smirks, and I know she’s got me.
“You backstabbing bitch … ” Bruno jumps forward, but we hold him back. We’re outnumbered, and if he sets them off, we’ll all pay.
“How about the virus?” another voice asks in agitation. “For all we know, any one of them could be infected!”
“They’re not,” Genesis says, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s merely willing it to be true, since she doesn’t know for sure. But she paces around all of us, her eyes darting around her people quick as a cat’s. “You don’t get why I brought them here, then fine—there’s the exit.” She challenges, pointing at the ladder.
No one makes a move to go. In the ensuing silence, she shrugs and gives a cruel smile.
“For you loyal few, I brought them here so we could be allies. They will find food and get the answers we need, and in return we’ll supply them with weapons.”
“Who says we need them?” one of her people asks from a dark corner. “We’ve managed just fine so far.”
“Were you even listening, you idiot? They. Have. Food. Food! We don’t. Wilson needs her, and she’s with us. Get it yet?”
No one says anything. I’m beginning to think we should’ve taken our odds against the guards instead of coming here.
“But those two are guards!” A man points to Cole and Bruno. “I recognize them. One worked in the rail yard.” He turns toward Cole. “And him—he was Wilson’s right-hand man!”
Cole squints but says nothing.
“Were,” Genesis says firmly. “They were guards.”
“There’s too much hostility in this room,” Jade says. “Why don’t we sit down and take some deep breaths.”
“And who the hell are you?” the same man demands.
“Miss Lexi’s mother,” Bruno says. He crosses his arms over his chest and almost dares the man to question him.
Owen squirms in my mom’s arms, and she puts him down, pulling him behind her to shield him from the prying eyes of the others. Owen closes his eyes and begins moving his mouth silently. Is he counting? I don’t know, but I don’t have time to find out. My insides are coiling together, torn between wanting to save Sutton and find the cure for the virus, and disliking the shifting loyalties of Genesis’s followers.
She steps forward then and faces her people. “Do you want revenge for the friends and family you’ve lost?” she asks.
“Yes,” they say without hesitance.
Genesis turns to our group. “Do you?” she asks.
“Stupid question,” Levi says from behind me. I spin to face him, and he shrugs innocently.
“This is our shot,” Genesis says, raising an arm. “Together. It’s as easy as that.”
Some of her people nod, apparently seeing her point, and she smiles approvingly.
She turns back to us, her smile fading away, candlelight flickering across her pretty, cruel face. “So, I believe we’ve made a deal.”
“Why don’t you divide up the goods while I head out and scout?” Genesis says. “Someone needs to step up and ensure our safety for the time being.” The way she says it makes it sound like a demand—and degrading as hell. She leaves without giving us a chance to respond, and Bruno’s nostrils flare. Her followers raise their eyebrows expectantly as Genesis chooses a partner to scout with her.
There’s no point in arguing with her, since this was part of the deal, and we all know the last thing we need right now is added tension. So we sit down and divvy out what we were able to bring. Hungry lips smack together as we pass around cans, water, and some supplies. Selfishly, I keep a few of the things from my medical kit for myself and my friends. Besides, I’d be willing to bet the majority of the people here wouldn’t know how to use half of the stuff.
Afterward, we huddle in the corner, far away from the others, whispering and coming up with strategies for finding another stash of food. Genesis’s people eat our supply up like rabid beasts and watch us, making me tense and impatient. But none of them approach to ask us questions—thanks to Zeus. Thank God for him.
“He’s traumatized,” my mom says, motioning toward Owen, who still hasn’t spoken a word and grasps Cole in fear whenever others are around.
“Obviously,” Levi says. “Aren’t we all?”
“Of course, but he’s a child who’s witnessed his parents murder,” my mom says harshly. “We are able to distinguish reality, but he can’t.”
“Neither can Lexi,” Levi snarls.
“Watch your tongue,” Cole threatens. “Before I cut it out.”
“That’s a bit extreme, Cole,” Bruno says. Then he turns to Levi. “Another comment like that about Miss Lexi, and you’ll be answering to my fist.” Levi doesn’t acknowledge the threat, instead continuing to chew like a cow. Bruno gestures toward my mom. “Go on, Jade.”
“Thank you, Bruno. As I was saying, you guys are able to fend for yourselves, fight for your survival, but Owen’s life depends on us. He’s lived through a traumatic event, and not talking is his way of coping. Therefore Owen will speak when he deems it necessary, which might never happen. But I assure you, I’ll do my best to work with him.”
“Here we go again with the PTST thing,” Levi grumbles.
“It’s PTSD,” my
mom corrects quickly. “And it’s not a joking matter.”
Levi mutters under his breath, and I roll my eyes. He has a habit of making himself sound so stupid.
Mom continues, “Before my sweet Lexi was born, I was a practicing psychiatrist.” She cracks a thin smile, and I press my hand over my chest, feeling my heart flutter. “Mental health has always been a passion of mine, much like humanitarian causes were my husband’s interest.”
I fold my arms across my chest, unsure of where she’s going with this. Cole glances in my direction, raising his eyebrows, but I ignore him. He turns his attention back to her, leaning in to hear her words, but his gaze keeps flicking back and forth between us, like he’s expecting a response from me.
He furrows his brow, taps his foot, and then sighs, but I don’t need to make excuses for not having mentioned her to him before. There are many things from the past that I’ve kept locked away because I’m not ready to share them just yet. Why would I want to? This woman never fought to save her only daughter, never once took into account that I was innocent. No, instead she screamed and labeled me a Sinner. How in the world am I supposed to accept or talk about that? So I shake my head at him, forcing him to focus on anything but me.
“Great, so you’re a mind guru,” Levi interrupts my mom with a chuckle. His voice makes Zeus’s head perk up. “Lotta good that’s gonna do us in here, but maybe after we get out, I’ll give you a call and you can put my pieces back together again. Like Humpty Dumpty.”
“It would be my pleasure,” she says just before her voice is taken by a coughing fit, and her body trembles as she gasps for air. There’s something she’s not telling me, and I’m blocking my thoughts as best I can. If I ask her, and I’m right, I’ll be forced to face losing her too. Thinking of losing both parents and Keegan is like a dagger in my chest. Even after all she’s done.
Owen pauses a picture he’s drawing in the dirt to peer up at her.
“That is, if you’re still around,” Levi says under his breath. I cast an evil glare his direction, and he shrugs. “So can you prescribe medication?”