The Offering

by E. R. Arroyo

  “It’s okay,” he says, taking the papers and placing them back inside his book.

  “I didn’t know you could draw.” I sit on the edge of his bed.

  “Pardon?”

  “That drawing—it’s really good.”

  He grins. The heart-melting kind. “No, I don’t draw. Your father drew that before he died. Karen gave it to me after you left. She said I was moping.”

  “You moped?” I can’t help but smile.

  He shrugs. “Okay, I guess that’s everything.” He zips up the bag.

  “You’re packing like you’re never coming back.”

  “That’s because we’re not.”

  I stand up, grab his hands. “Why? You love it here.”

  “I’m not sure we’re welcome here anymore, for one. And they still plan to evacuate. We have a war to finish, then I need to get this data over to Wisdom and pull in the doctors from Delilah to see what we can do. After that, we’ll go wherever you want. If you want to live in The City, we’ll live in The City. Or a tree house for that matter.”

  In the back of my head somewhere it registers that if we destroy Antius they are no longer a threat to Mercy and all these people won’t have to abandon their homes. Not just recover the people Antius kidnapped, but actually destroy them.

  “You’d live in The City for me?”

  “Absolutely. If they’d let me.” Dylan kisses my cheek, then leaves the room like it means nothing to him, as if me punching Henry hasn’t cost him the place he now considers home. I shake my head briefly then sigh.

  “Dylan, wait.” I catch up to him in the hall and grab his forearm. “I’m sorry for always making things worse. Everything I do backfires.”

  “I’ll smooth things over with Henry. Don’t worry about it. You need to get your mind on what we’re going to do about Antius.”

  I purse my lips, considering his suggestion. He’s right. I need to get focused on the task ahead. I can worry about the rest when it’s over.

  When Dylan and I reach the lawn shouting gets my attention and I spot Max and Henry arguing. I don’t even have a chance to make out what’s being said before Henry storms off.

  I cross my hands behind my back, fighting off shame for this Henry situation. “Everything okay?” I ask Max.

  “He refuses to consider military involvement, so I’m going to have to do it without his blessing. I’ve been stripped of my command and will be recruiting volunteers. I’ll talk to some guys before we leave. Let’s head out in two hours.”

  “Max, I’m so sorry.” A wave of guilt rushes in afresh.

  “We all have our own choices to make, Cori. This is mine.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently.

  “I need to find Karen,” I sigh.

  Dylan tosses his bag in the back of Max’s truck.

  “Did I hear my name?” Karen asks, heading our direction. I jog to meet her halfway. “Heading out?”

  “Yeah, soon. I need to get my stuff from your room.”

  She locks elbows with me and we walk inside together. “C’mon then, I’ll join you.”

  “You know what we’re going to do, right?” I don’t know why I’m compelled to gain her approval, but I am.

  “Yep. Wouldn’t expect anything less. Max is a good man, hun. He’ll look out for you but you need to be careful, all right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I’d never tell her so but I love when she mothers me. It reminds me of Ginny, whom I miss dearly.

  While I pack my bag, Karen digs around in her closet. “Aha,” she says. “Here it is.” I look up and she comes out with a box of ammunition. “This should fit your father’s gun. I assume you still have it?”

  “I do.”

  She glances at the blade on my hip. I would normally have the Glock there but my time in The City has altered my preference.

  “I’ll put the gun on,” I reassure her.

  “One more thing.” She reaches into a drawer on her nightstand and pulls out a knife. “Couldn’t hurt to have a backup.”

  I take the knife, my mouth gaping. “I never took you for the violent type, Karen.”

  “Oh, me? Not violent, just safe. Try this,” she tells me, holding out something black and strappy.

  I lift a brow. “Okay?”

  She grins. “Here. Take off your sheath.”

  I shrug and lay the belt and sheath on her bed while she fits the new strap around my waist, and a second strap goes around my right leg just above the knee. On my thigh, there’s a holster/sheath combo where my knife and gun can sit side by side. I slide them into place. They don’t fit perfectly, but there are two small straps that button closed to hold them in.

  Now they are both equally easy to access. Not only is it perfect, it has to be the coolest thing ever.

  “Karen, you might be the most surprising and interesting person I’ve ever met.”

  She grins at that then wraps her arms around me as we head back outside. “You come see me soon as it’s over. And you get that little girl back to her daddy, all right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The military commander in the Smyrna colony is gruff, unshaven, and honestly a little smelly but his smile is wide as he greets us. He throws his heavy hand into Max’s then slaps the other on Max’s shoulder.

  “Old friend!” Greg beams. “Great to see ya.”

  We’re still standing at the colony’s gates—Max, Dylan, Tyce, and I. Greg turns to me. “Young lady, good to see you again.” He shakes my hand, gentler than he had Max’s. “Shame about your old man, rest his soul.”

  “Thank you,” I say. I point to the boys, introducing them, “Dylan. Tyce.” He shakes their hands as well then invites us in. He leads us through his colony which resembles the neighborhood where Tyce found Dylan and me, with houses side by side. Except this place is fortified—surrounded by stone walls and guarded by a half dozen rooftop lookout stations with big guns. The gun closest to me looks like a Thirty-Aught-Six, an old hunting rifle. Some of the perimeter guards at Antius use those.

  From the colony that specializes in weapons and ammunition, I’m not the least bit surprised to see guns everywhere I look. Many of the people in Mercy are armed, but most of them conceal their weapons. Here, no one does. A passing man tips his head at me—he’s wearing a double shoulder holster with pistols on each side of his chest. The one on his left I recognize immediately because I used one in training and it’s similar to the model Titus carried, a Taurus 809.

  Near the center of the community, we approach a small and inconspicuous brick house. It may have seemed perfectly normal from the outside, but as soon as we walk through the doors everything changes. The windows are reinforced with thick panes of glass that I assume are bulletproof and the main room looks nothing like a home at all. It’s completely empty save two flat desks on both sides of the room. There’s a man at each table with parts of dismantled guns in hand and their eyes haven’t left us since we walked in.

  “Easy boys,” Greg reassures with a grin. He nods toward the next room and we follow him there. This room has dark walls and no windows. There’s a black metal trap door in the floor in front of a fireplace holding stacks of ammo on the mantle.

  Greg takes a seat at his dark-stained wooden desk. Max and I sit across from him while Dylan and Tyce lean against opposite walls from one another, both with arms crossed over their chests. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

  It’s Greg who breaks the ice. “Not surprised you’re here, friends.”

  I raise a brow at Max.

  “I been sayin’ it,” Greg says, hiking up the sleeves on his red and blue plaid button-up shirt. He adjusts his weapons so he can lean forward on the desk. “That the war isn’t over.”

  I noticed when we arrived that he has a Smith & Wesson on each hip, a small folding knife attached to his belt, and a protrusion where his pant leg lays over his boot which I take to be from a third gun. Yes, we are definitely in Smyrna.


  Max nods. “What say we finish it then?”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice. I’m in. My men’ll fight. And we’ll bring guns.” He grins as if the thought of war brings him some kind of joy the rest of us can’t possibly appreciate.

  Max slaps his fingertips on the edge of the desk, his breath whooshing from his lungs. He’s relieved. “Thank y—”

  “What do you know about explosives?” Dylan interrupts.

  Greg cracks his neck. “What’d you say your name was again?”

  “Dylan.”

  “Dylan what? Do I know your old man can ask aroun can ask aroun?”

  “Just Dylan.”

  Almost unconsciously, Greg’s eyes flicker to the scar on Dylan’s neck, right below his ear. Mercy removed his Antius access chip while they were tending to his gunshot wound. Greg cracks his neck and clears his throat. “I’d say I know a little. I’ve got a guy though…”

  “We found a prototype for an explosive engineered by the Burkes before the war. It was hidden in an underground building in The City. The technology is sufficient for breaching the borders of Antius but it’s a twenty year old bomb, sir. So I’d like an expert to take a look at it with me to help determine stability and clear it for transport and use.”

  “What a mouthful,” Tyce grumbles.

  “I’d love to take a look.” A man stands by the door, arms across his chest. I can see a girl behind him with long, straight blonde hair. I recognize her. She fought with us. The brown-headed man uncrosses his arms and steps into the room.

  “This is Wayne. He knows quite a bit about bombs actually. I’m sure he’d be happy to tag along and take a little look-see.”

  “Good to meet you,” Wayne says. “This is my daughter, Amy. She’ll come too if that’s all right.” He steps farther into the room. “We lost her sisters back in Antius,” he says, keeping his voice low. From the sore expression on her face, she heard him anyway.

  “Sorry to hear that,” I say. I saw her lookalike being shot, but I never saw what happened to the third blonde. They both nod to acknowledge my sympathies, but neither speaks. I turn back to Greg. “Do you want to talk with Simon and Rosalind first?” I’m used to Mercy, where the commander can’t make this sort of call on his own. There’s a small hierarchy, which is essentially why Max is no longer Mercy’s commander—something I’m both grateful and sorry for.

  Greg laughs. “They are already on board, friends. We’ve been waiting for the call to action since we got back.”

  Max sucks in a breath, puts his hand on my shoulder. He smiles then turns back to Greg. “Thank you my friend,” he exhales.

  We stay the night in Smyrna. They load us up with a handful of refurbished AR-15’s, some twenty gauge shotguns, and several other rifles in addition to plenty of ammunition. Then they send us on our way with Wayne and Amy in tow. Before we leave we agree to split up, but that split leaves me with Max while the other four head to The City. I sure hope Dylan and Tyce can get along while Max and I continue our journey to find more to join the militia.

  Dannah is quite hospitable but not much help. They manufacture clothing and other linens. They feed us a great meal, give us a comfortable place to sleep, and in the morning they send us away with clothes we don’t need and three soldiers who volunteered to help us.

  Only three.

  * * *

  After Dannah, Max decides to take us toward The City and drop us off as close as he is able to drive. When he first tells me his plan, I try to argue that I want to continue on with him to the colonies but he assures me he will do fine on his own and the soldiers from Dannah will need a guide into the Pitt.

  He parks the truck, hopping out. The soldiers climb out and we load up the weapons we acquired in Smyrna—as many as we can carry in what few bags we have between us, even stuffing a few into pockets and belts.

  Max shifts his weight with his hands on his hips. “You all can start working with the City boys.”

  I sit on the tailgate, crossing my arms. “Should we move The City’s women and children so all the men can fight with us? Maybe one of the colonies could make room for them temporarily. So we know they’re safe.”

  “I don’t know who would take them in. Definitely not Mercy. I can ask around though. In the meantime, why don’t you see if you can teach those boys to fight with an army.”

  I agree to do it, but in light of the times I’ve seen them work as a unit, I think they could honestly teach us a thing or two about teamwork.

  “So I’ll wait in The City until I hear from you?” I ask Max.

  “You bet. Be safe,” he tells me as he shuts the door on his truck. I wave to him as he pulls away, hoping this is for the best.

  “Lead the way,” Phillip says. He’s the youngest of the three, maybe a few years my senior with mocha brown skin that’s a bit darker than Max’s, thick black eyebrows and scruff on his chin.

  I smile, glancing at William and Dan. “This way.” I cock my head and start toward the Pitt.

  The men talk quite a lot, and of the three I like Phillip the best. Mostly because he doesn’t ramble as much as the other two. When he does speak it’s usually sarcastic and I’m the only one who thinks it’s funny.

  We rest overnight under an old bridge then finish the trek the next day.

  It’s almost dark when we arrive. I stay ahead of the pack so the lookouts see me and don’t become alarmed. We cross the river where it’s shallow and climb the barrier. “Welcome to the Pitt, boys.”

  Their eyes are wide and I can tell they’ve never been here before. Why would they? The City isn’t notorious for its hospitality.

  “Are you from here?” Phillip asks.

  “Yes,” I say, because it’s true. I was born here. I notice Dan and William are lagging behind. “Hustle up, boys. It gets scary at night.”

  They must have heard stories about the animals here because they all reach for their guns, ready to draw, their eyes big.

  We head over to the closest lookout, and I have the Dannah guys wait downstairs while I climb to the rooftop.

  “Hey, Noah,” I say after clanking on the ladder to get his attention.

  Noah’s hair falls into his eyes when he startles and turns my direction. He smiles a little, tucking the strands behind his ear. “Hey, sis.”

  “Didn’t you see me coming?”

  His cheeks blush. “I think I fell asleep. Dunno what I was thinkin’.” He cups his head with both hands, cursing under his breath.

  “I won’t tell.”

  He relaxes, letting out a sigh. “Thanks, Cori.”

  “Do you know where Tyce is? And the visitors he brought?”

  “Yeah, I think they’re at your place. The guests, not Tyce. He’s on Fifth.”

  I scratch my head. “Hey, why are you up here alone?”

  “Nash was taking a break. He was supposed to be right back.”

  “Okay….” I shrug. “If you see Tyce before I do, will you tell him I’m back?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Stay awake,” I tease, mussing his curls.

  “Yep.”

  Once I’m down, I take the guys from Dannah to my apartment on Penn. It’s dark by the time we get there. Not used to people being inside, I’m compelled to knock, but I don’t until I’m up the stairs and even when I tap the door lightly I don’t wait before I walk in.

  Amy’s asleep on the bed while Dylan is sitting in a corner and Amy’s father, Wayne is in my chair. Dylan stands when I arrive. We take a few minutes introducing everybody and Amy wakes up long enough to be included before crashing again.

  We all unload our weapons from Smyrna onto the kitchen counter, pulling them out of our pockets and bags. When everybody settles into spots on the floor, Dylan grabs my hand and leads me outside.

  “Any progress?” I ask. “With the bomb—”

  Dylan’s lips cut me off. He grabs my hips and shifts me until my back is pressed against the wall, his hands on either side of me. I reach fo
r his neck, arching toward him, but his hand moves to my lower belly, holding me back. He pauses to flash me a grin. “Sorry, I seem to have interrupted you. What were you saying?”

  “Don’t remember.” I remove the hand holding me at bay and pull him close. On tiptoes, I press my lips to his, not letting him put even an inch of space between us. His arms stay tight around my back while he spends the next several minutes—I have no idea how long, really—showing me just how much he missed me. My breaths are ragged when he breaks the kiss. And I can’t get enough of the brilliant smile that follows.

  “Was that rude of me?” he teases.

  I blush. “Maybe a little.”

  He winks, still holding me close. “Not that I’m complaining, but why are you back so soon? Where’s Max?”

  “He’s still out there. He’ll send the volunteers our way as he gets them. So … the bomb?”

  “I think it’s going to work. We want to dismantle it before transport.” He strokes my arm.

  “That’s great.”

  He takes both my hands in his. “If anything happens to me, I just want you to know that I love you. Very much.” He kisses my cheek.

  “I think something’s far more likely to happen to me than to you.”

  He smiles. “Normally I would agree with you, but I’m going to be handling twenty year old explosives so I think I’ve got the upper hand in the risk department.”

  For the first time, apprehension begins to build inside me. Something really could happen to him. I dread the possibility. My throat dry, I whisper, “I love you too.”

  Hand in hand, we head back inside and find our guests sprawled across the floor, a single candle lighting the room enough to see their shapes. Dylan settles into a corner and I snuggle up close and we fall asleep.

  In the morning, I head over to Fifth to find Tyce. He’s in the process of disposing of carcasses from last night’s kill. He covers the opening of the large plastic bin on wheels and secures the covering with a rope.

  “I think we should move the women and kids out of The City until it’s over” I tell him.

  He scratches his chin. “And where exactly do you think we should put them, doll?”