“Another?” he chuckled as he walked up to us. “How many this time?”
Twyla bit her lip as she grimaced slightly. “All four.”
“Well, darn it, Twyla,” he said.
“Can you manage it?” Twyla asked.
The man wiped his brow with the back of his greasy hand. “Yeah, yeah, I can. Give me an hour or two.”
“Perfect,” Twyla said gesturing toward the church. “Join me inside?”
“I guess so,” Blake said.
“Good,” Twyla said. “By the way, that was Waylon. He’ll be fixing your tires.”
We followed Twyla across the dirt parking lot toward the tall, ornate front doors of the church. My eyes stopped on all of the vehicles parked at the back of the lot.
“Are all those vehicles out there yours?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Twyla said with a smile. “People we’ve convinced to stay.”
“That’s a lot,” I commented.
Twyla nodded. “There have been others that hadn’t been traveling by car. But we have run into a small problem.”
“Oh?” Jay asked. “What kind of problem?”
“We’re running out of space,” Twyla said.
Her honesty, or what I assumed was honesty, was rather shocking. It made her seem strong and confident. Nothing I’d ever felt in my life.
She wasn’t even the least bit worried about having us in her territory. I looked around, assuming there must be someone hiding around the corner with an arrowed aimed at my heart.
“It’s fine though, I’ve got someone on it,” Twyla said.
I wasn’t exactly sure what she’d meant but I could sense that we weren’t going to find out any more. At least not at the moment.
Inside the church, my stomach turned at the strong scent of mold and mothballs. I clenched my fists as I looked around the empty pew-lined room. Based on the wide-eyed expression Blake was wearing, he was equally concerned about the lack of other people.
“Is this some kind of trick?” Blake asked.
“What do you mean?” Twyla asked squinting at him.
“Where is everyone? You told us you saved countless people from wandering into the base,” Blake said.
A smile grew on her mouth and she flapped a hand at him. “No one stays up here. Much safer in the basement. But don’t be surprised at the number of people down there because there are a few people working on arrangements for our move.”
We followed her down the creaky stairs and into a small area with jackets hanging on hangers. The doors straight across from us were held open with door stoppers. On the other side was a long underground cafeteria.
People were sitting at many of the tables. Some of them were eating… others were having what looked like deep, meaningful conversation. Some hadn’t looked up when we’d entered but a small group of four younger folks had. They were playing a board game at a table close to the kitchen and took a quick second break to give Maddie a quick once over.
I tried to count how many people were around but everyone kept moving around. My best guess was that there were at least fifty people moving about the basement.
“We’ve got beds set up in the other closet and some set up along the wall over there,” Twyla said pointing across the way. “The tables fold up so we can squeeze more when it’s time to get some sleep.”
“A rigid schedule?” Dillon asked.
“Not at all but when it gets dark, there isn’t a whole lot to do. The candles don’t provide enough light that we can do anything all that important,” Twyla said. She gestured toward an empty table. “We’ll talk there.”
We sat down and I noticed a solid, muscular man leaning back against the wall. He was close to the open closet we’d walked through to enter the cafeteria but I didn’t think he’d been there the whole time. I would have felt his powerful gaze.
His piercing green eyes were focused on us. Or rather, they were focused on Twyla.
“Is he your bodyguard?” I asked letting my head fall to the side to indicate the man.
“Maybe I’m his bodyguard,” Twyla said raising a brow. She hesitated for a long moment wearing a half-smile. “That’s my husband. We look out for each other. He’s a bit more paranoid about strangers coming into our space than I am.”
Blake crossed his arms. “Sounds smart to me.”
“Why is that? Do I need to worry about you?” Twyla’s eyes moved around, stopping at each one of us. “Any of you?”
“No,” Blake said. “But I’m apprehensive. There are a lot of people that can’t be trusted. Which is why it was probably stupid for us to come down here.”
“I know it won’t do any good saying so but you can trust us,” Twyla said. “It’s those at the base you can’t trust.”
I placed my palm down on the table as if pressing a giant pause button. “Let me just stop you. There isn’t anything that will change my mind about going to the base. My sister is there.”
Twyla stared at me for an uncomfortably long time. I swallowed hard in the silence and I was almost positive my gulp could have been heard by everyone at the table.
“That does complicate things, doesn’t it?” Twyla said.
“Terribly so,” I replied.
“You’ve actually stunned me.” Twyla chuckled. “I’m not exactly sure what to say.”
She shot a quick glance over at her husband. Twyla folded her hands together and set them down on the table.
“Well, I hate to say this but it might be best to just forget about her,” Twyla said quickly holding up her hand when she saw the scrunched-up look that flooded my face. “I know, it’s an awful thought but honestly, she’s probably as good as dead inside there.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Dillon said.
I turned sharply to face him. “You escaped.”
“He’s the first person I’ve met that has,” Twyla said looking at Dillon skeptically. “I don’t blame you for wanting to get your sister out of that place but to go in there, well, you’d have to be crazy.”
“What do you know about it?” I asked with an edge to my voice.
“Just what I’ve heard,” Twyla said looking directly into my eyes. “It sounds like he’s already talked to you about it. If you go in there, your chances of escaping are less than one percent.”
Maddie crossed her arms. “Better than zero.”
“We can help you here,” Twyla said. “If you go there, you’ll be a brainwashed pawn, isn’t that right?”
Dillon nodded before she’d even finished her sentence. “You’re absolutely right.”
“He didn’t get brainwashed,” I said. “Neither will I.”
“Let’s say that’s true, what about him,” she said pointing at Jay. Then she pointed at Maddie. “Or her.” Twyla smacked the table with both hands before I could respond. “Look, we have gathered up enough supplies to last us, all of us, twenty years. I’m not going to force you to do anything against your will. I won’t make you join an army to kill the sick. I won’t prick your finger over and over and run tests on you.”
“What do you want from us?” I said. It was my turn to be skeptical. “It’s not like you’ll help us out of the kindness of your heart. You want something.”
Twyla smirked. “I do. But it’s not that sinister. I want our numbers to grow. Eventually, I want to make sure that when humanity rebuilds, they do it right.”
“And you want to be in charge of it all,” I said.
“Yes, but with the help of other intelligent people,” Twyla said. “The way they’re going about it in the base and the outposts is not creating any kind of future I want to be a part of. It’s not the future we’ll want for our children.”
The back of my neck was hot, even though the temperature in the basement was on the cool side. Twyla made a lot of excellent points but what she didn’t have was the answer about what we should really do about Polly. Forgetting all about her was not an option.
“Is this you
r daughter?” Twyla asked.
“Yes,” I responded.
“I can see the resemblance,” she said. Her chin rose to indicate a young blonde girl. She was playing the board game with the others, giggling and smiling. Something Maddie should have been doing. “Can we have a moment? Just you and I? Mother to mother?”
My eyes darted over to Blake. His jaw stiffened but he didn’t say anything. Jay shifted uncomfortably.
“I guess so,” I said.
Twyla stood and gestured toward the kitchen. “Shall we?”
My throat dried but I followed her. I could feel Blake’s eyes on me but it didn’t help me feel much better about being away from the only people I knew.
“It’ll be better for your daughter to stay with us,” Twyla said. “We can protect her. Keep her safe.”
“Why would I trust you over them?” I asked
“Because we’re normal people,” Twyla said. “I was a professional illustrator before all this. Brock and I were married at a young age and soon after had Lily. Brock painted houses. Lily went to school. She was a normal, happy young woman. There was a time when I thought I’d lost them. I won’t let that happen again.”
I swallowed hard. “I can’t lose her. But I can’t give up on my sister either. Maddie, my daughter, won’t let me. It’s just as important to her as it is to me.”
“I wish there was a way for me to prove to you that this is the place you want to be. We are the people you want to be with,” Twyla said. “Usually, it isn’t that hard to convince people. They usually agree when we tell them about our supplies.”
“There are supplies still out there,” I said.
“But they’re diminishing, faster each and every day. It’s not like I didn’t see the pillowcases your guy is carrying. They’re light.” Twyla’s expression was unreadable. “You have a daughter to take care of.”
I sighed. “Stop talking to me like I’m stupid. I don’t want her to go to the base. The only reason we’re out here this far is because of how desperate she is to get to her aunt. Family is important to us. Polly is important to me.”
Twyla pressed her hand to her mouth. “I understand. I don’t mean to sound so callous and bossy. It’s just that I’m positive you’ll regret it if you bring her there.”
“I’ve been thinking for a while now that I wouldn’t bring her there,” I said.
Twyla’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been trying to think of a way that it would just be me going inside there. With the info from Dillon, I can get inside and I can get out again.” My stomach felt like it was filled with a balloon that was expanding. “The thing is it’ll be easier if it’s just me.”
The words that had left my mouth had surprised me but I didn’t let it show. I’d known for some time it would be a mistake to bring Maddie to the base but it wasn’t until now I knew how I’d manage to go without her.
My eyes landed on Maddie. I exhaled and looked away from her. “Can she stay here?”
Chapter Fifteen
Twyla scratched the hair near her temple. “It would just be your daughter staying here?”
“No,” I said firmly as I shook my head. “All of them.”
“Good, because I don’t want to be responsible for her. I’m quite busy here most of the time and I’d worry I couldn’t keep an eye on her. What if you can’t find your sister?”
“I’ll come back,” I said firmly. “Either way, no matter what, I’ll come back. I wouldn’t ever leave Maddie forever.”
Twyla inhaled and her eyebrows squeezed together. “You might not have a choice in the matter. What if you can’t escape the base like your friend supposedly did? You’re just going to risk losing your daughter forever for all of this?”
“I’ll get out,” I said. “Nothing will stop me from getting back to her. But if we stay here with you without trying to get my sister back, I’ll lose Maddie forever. She wouldn’t ever forgive me for giving up and abandoning my sister.”
“I think it’s risky and utterly foolish but I’m not entirely sure I can blame you,” Twyla said. “I was an only child so I don’t understand exactly but if it were Brock out there or Lily, nothing would stop me from getting to them.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Nothing will stop me from getting back to Maddie.”
Twyla’s shoulders straightened. “There could be one thing that stops you.”
“What’s that?”
“If you don’t get back to us before we leave this place, you’ll be out there alone,” Twyla said. “I can give you directions to where we’re headed but I won’t wait here for you when I have all these other people I need to worry about.”
“I understand and I didn’t ask you to wait. I wouldn’t ask that of you,” I said. “How long before you leave here?”
Twyla looked around as if our surroundings would give her the answers. “At least a week yet.” Twyla exhaled. “What’s she going to do when she finds out you’ve left her here?”
My spine rolled forward. “Freak out but Blake will be able to manage it. How far away from here is the base?”
“Six miles give or take,” Twyla said. “You were so close. The reason we initially planted ourselves here was because of all the people heading north.”
“Lucky they didn’t find you,” I said.
“We’re pretty well hidden back here. And we’re rather efficient at defending ourselves.” Twyla grinned with a raised, proud eyebrow.
I nodded. “The people in the jumpsuits seemed rather afraid of you.”
“It’s taken us a bit to get to this point but this is how we like it,” Twyla said. There was a long pause before she spoke again. She looked around at the people gathered in the cafeteria. “So, what exactly are you planning to do?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” I said swallowing down a sour taste at the back of my throat. “I think I’ll just tell them we’re staying. Maddie will throw a fit and tonight, after she falls asleep, I’ll leave.”
Twyla studied me. “You’re sure about this?”
“No, but I have to do it. I don’t feel like I have a choice.”
“All right, let me tell you how to get to the new place before you break the news to your friends,” Twyla said reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a detailed, hand-drawn map.
Blake stared nervously at us from across the room. His eyes narrowed as Twyla told me the directions at least six times, even though it felt like a lot more. She could tell I was struggling to memorize them.
Twyla was unwilling to give me my own map considering where I was going. The last thing she wanted was for the people at the base to confiscate my map and discover where they would be located.
Honestly, I didn’t blame her. Then again, I wouldn’t have given the directions to a complete stranger either.
“Do you think you can remember all that?” Twyla asked. Her questioning expression seemed to indicate that she didn’t think I knew them, at least not well enough.
“I don’t know but I sure as hell hope so,” I said.
“Repeat everything back to me,” Twyla said tilting the map away from me. It was time to be tested. I never liked tests.
I quickly recited them back, only making one mistake which was kind of impressive although Twyla frowned. I’d said to take a left when the correct choice was making a right.
“Dammit,” I said clenching my fist.
“Are you really sure about this?” Twyla asked.
“Yes,” I said crossing my arms. “It’s just a lot to remember right now. Everything in my brain is kind of a mess.”
“It’s a large place a hundred miles away,” Twyla said. “The bad news is the place we’re going is underground so it’ll be easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. You have to know these directions like the back of your hand. Maybe even better than the back of your hand.”
I looked down at my hand. “Maybe I should get it all tattooed on my arm.”
“No,” Twyla
replied. At first, I thought she was joking but there was nothing but seriousness in her eyes. “They’ll look there.”
“They’ll look where?” I asked stretching out each word.
“Everywhere.”
“How do you know so much about the place? You said no one had escaped but yet you seem to have information.”
Twyla looked around as if making sure no one was nearby. “My father worked for the company that built the place. He called me the day everything went down.” Twyla exhaled a long breath between her lips. “And then he blew his brains out… while I was still on the phone.”
“Oh, my God. I am so sorry,” I said.
Twyla forced a smile that barely curled at the ends. “It’s okay. He always struggled with depression. In a way, I was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. Also, I’m pretty sure he thought he’d hung up. Anyway, I promised him I’d do what I could to stop people from going there.”
I twisted my fingers as I looked over at Blake and Maddie. They both were wearing the same annoyed expression, likely wondering what we were talking about this whole time.
“Looks like you’re having second thoughts,” Twyla said.
“No,” I lied. “What is going to happen to me there?”
“They’ll take everything from you. Put you through decontamination, give you a hideous jumpsuit that will be quite uncomfortable and then they’ll start to brainwash you along with the others.” Twyla crossed her arms and widened her stance. “They’ll try to break you down and make you feel like they’re all you need. If you don’t have them, you’ll die. Just keep your daughter in your mind. Ha! Maybe you should get her name tattooed on your arm. There’s a guy here that would do that for you.”
I looked down at my arm. Yet again, I wasn’t sure if she was serious. “Is there anything else I should know about the base?”
“Probably tons of things but the problem is my father didn’t have a lot of time to get into the details,” Twyla said with a sigh. “Just enough to convince me to do what I could to help people.”
“Ugh,” I said scratching my elbow. My shoulders had softened and my body felt weak. “I should probably go and break the news. Well, the part about us staying here. She’s not going to take it well. Is there any chance you can convince your mechanic to slow down on the repairs so I can have something to blame it on?”
What Remains Series (Book 4): Evasion Page 8