by Coralee June
I didn’t wake until mid-afternoon, and it wasn’t by choice. Nikketa grabbed my ankles and dragged me out of the tent and splashed me with water before saying, “Get yourself together, baby.” She waddled off towards her own tent and I stretched in the dirt.
I got ready for the day and debated on whether or not I wanted to work in the Gardens. No one was here to force me to do anything. I actually had the freedom to do as I pleased, yet I didn't know what it was I wanted to do.
I looked around and an emptiness filled me. It was a crushing realization. Tallis was who I wanted to spend my time with. Tallis was who I wanted to run to.
I heard the ringing of my Tablet and I answered.
“Jules, can you hear me?” Tallis shouted, I peered at him and noticed a swipe of blood covering his pale cheek.
“Tallis, what happened, are you ok?!” I asked worriedly while pacing in the dirt. His eyes were shifty, and he leaned against sheet metal in a dark alley.
“You need to come, now. I’m not sure I can do this alone,” Tallis said. I peered at his stoic eyes through the screen and sucked in a deep breath.
“Alone? What happened?”
“They’ve been taken. All of them. I’m all that's left," Tallis said. A horn sounded nearby over the Tablet’s speakers, and he flattened himself against the wall while holding his breath.
“Send me your coordinates,” I said in a low tone while making my way towards Nikketa’s tent.
"I'm going to go to a safehouse outside of Dasos. We can regroup there," Tallis began. "Jules. I need you to promise me something."
I stopped walking and looked at him with wide eyes. He leaned back so that the shadow of the building covered his face, but I still felt his stare through the screen of my Tablet.
"If I don't make it, I need you to go back to Dormas. I need you to protect my people," he pleaded.
My heart sank as I took in the danger we faced. I wanted to leap through the Tablet and pull him through. I shook as nausea gripped me.
"I refuse to make such a ridiculous promise," I replied. “You’ll be fine.” I expected him to reassure me, but he didn’t.
“I just sent the coordinates. I’ll meet you at the safe house, be safe Agapimenos.”
I wanted to keep him on the line to reassure myself that he was ok. My mouth went dry with uncertainty and I cursed that I didn’t fight to go with them, that I didn’t trust my gut.
“Nikketa!” I yelled throughout the camp as I stomped through the maze of tents. With tears streaming down my face, I tried to make a plan. The fear that gripped me was nothing like what I felt when I learned of Cyler and Patrick's disappearance. This was a debilitating fear.
They’ve been taken. All of them.
His words circled over and over in my head. I wanted to crumble and scream. I couldn't think. Couldn't speak. I needed my Scavenger Chief with his riddles and kisses. I needed to feel the rumble of his voice. I needed to hold him.
A man with long white and teal hair stopped me.
“Are you okay Mistress?” he asked. I recognized him as the Scavenger that was Tallis’ sparring partner, Thurst.
I swallowed down the bile that threatened to snake up my throat. I placed a shaky hand on my forehead before speaking. “Can you show me where Mia’s tent is?”
“Sure,” he offered while pointing towards a tent to the left of us.
I briefly thanked him before running inside and finding her trunk of clothes. There was nothing but weapons and leather. If I was going on a rescue mission, then I’d dress the part.
I was going to wear trousers. Mother fucking trousers.
Chapter Seventeen
I left camp without talking to anyone. I was on a mission and refused to let anyone stop me. No longer would I be the woman that hid away in a safe place. Today, I was the hero. A terrified, panic-prone hero. But a hero nevertheless.
Many Dormas citizens crowded around me on my way to Black Manor. Angry chatter filled the town’s center, and Mark Caverly blocked my path with a grim look on his face. "Where is the leadership council, Jules?" he demanded but I didn't respond. I wasn’t in charge here. I was on a mission.
People flooded out of their buildings and homes, bombarding me with questions and concerns.
"Where is Cyler?!" a man asked with a frown.
"Where are you going?" another asked.
I wanted to keep moving, but they blocked my path. Irritation hit me, and in a moment of frustration, I let loose a screech which caused the mob to stop and stare.
“No need to burn the town down. I’ve got this under control,” I yelled with a nonchalant wave of my hand.
I hoped my reassurance would placate them, but instead, more questions were thrown my way. This time with much more anger.
"Where are you going?"
"Who’s in charge?"
I looked up to the sky and sighed deeply. I didn't envy my brother's job at this moment.
“Look, I don’t have time to answer your questions, I’ve got places to be,” I complained as someone pushed closer. I took a step back but was pushed into a thick chest. I screeched again.
"BACK OFF!"
The crowds pushed as more complaints were thrown my way.
"She was kicked out of their home, she probably doesn’t even know where they are!” a man who I recognized as being a mine worker yelled before pushing into me. Someone pulled my hair, and I fell to my knees as chaos broke out. The normally calm people of Dormas were crumbling under their fear, and I was their unwitting victim.
A loud shot pierced through the sky. The bang reverberated throughout the town's center like a firework. Dormas citizens dispersed and moved away from me while I stood dusting off my pants.
Once my eyes focused through the dirt and crowds, I saw a group of Scavengers, some of them I remembered from my classes, some from the mines. In the middle stood Nikketa who held a shiny, black metal object angled with a handle.
"You all back off that poor woman this instant!" Nikketa yelled out over everyone. People immediately stepped away as the stern Scavengers walked towards me. Their eyes were fierce and penetrating, daring anyone to question their authority or bother me. After making sure no one else would try anything funny, Nikketa approached.
"What’s wrong?" she asked in a low voice, keeping her eyes on everyone else.
"Tallis needs me."
Nikketa nodded and lifted her loud object in the air again. I saw some of the older citizens flinch in fear, like she was holding a deadly weapon.
"Citizens of Dormas, you are now under Martial Law. I’m your temporary leader. Everyone get back into their homes until we can sort this out. I don't want any funny business!"
Nikketa stepped near Lois Caverly who held her mouth open in shock. Her cheeks stormed with red fury as they stared one another down. Just as Lois was about to speak, Nikketa made a barking noise, causing the nosy woman to flinch.
With a nod towards Nikketa, I straightened my shoulders and made my way through the parted crowd towards Black Manor.
I didn’t consider the consequences of stealing Cyler’s precious motorcycle. I filled it up with what gasoline he had and prayed it was enough to get me to the safe house, while thanking God for those driving lessons as a kid.
Normally, traveling alone across rocky terrain on an ancient mode of transportation would cause me to break out into a fit of anxiety, but my mind was driven by one singular purpose:
Get to Tallis.
The rumble of the motorcycle was loud, and I zoomed past a few infected Walkers and abandoned cities. Transports headed to the Capital looked on in amusement as a trouser-wearing member of the elite passed by on a rudimentary mode of transportation. I didn’t have time to care, nor time to worry about my reputation. I rode. I didn’t stop until I arrived at an abandoned building in a town seventy-miles outside of Dasos. My teeth chattered from the prolonged vibrations of the bike long after I dismounted.
When I walked through the battered front
door with chipped paint and rusty hinges, I screamed his name. I looked around the abandoned house with sharp attention. I took in the dust on the covered furniture. The mice scurrying across the floor. The light shining in through the fractured window.
“Tallis?!” I yelled once more, praying that he was here, that he was safe, that we would somehow figure this out. When he turned the corner and waltzed into the entryway, I lost all composure and threw myself at him. Our lips crashed onto one another. Our teeth colliding painfully, but the passion dulled the ache.
“I’m here,” he reassured through muffled and preoccupied lips. My hands reached for his shirt and I pulled it over his head before roaming my eager fingers across his chest. Across his back.
“You stupid ass, you scared me!” I exclaimed before snaking my hands through his hair and grabbing him. Hard. He opened his mouth to me, our tongues dancing together in a delicious reunion. With a slight jump, I wrapped my legs around his waist and my breathing became heavy and burdensome. I couldn’t get enough air. My thoughts were dizzy and drunk. My blood pulsing with lust.
He pushed me against the unsteady wall and dust billowed around us. I clenched my thighs tighter around him and arched my back, wordlessly demanding that he press against me harder. His hands roamed the curve of my butt as I tore my shirt from my body. The feel of his scarred skin on mine made me shudder with pleasure.
Everything slipped away. I wasn’t of the Elite class. He wasn’t a Scavenger Chief. I wasn’t an accumulation of my faults and failures. We just were.
He slid the straps of my lace bra down, the soft material tickled my arms, and I shivered when his hot breath swarmed my exposed skin. As we kissed, his large hands roamed over me, exploring each curve, each nerve. He abandoned my lips to suck a deliriously sensitive spot on my neck and I gasped at the pleasure of it. The flick of his wet tongue against me made me squirm. He put my feet on the ground and lowered to his knees. “Tallis,” I moaned out as his sharp teeth lightly nipped my hip bone, the sting quickly soothed by his skilled tongue and lips.
We moved towards a couch covered with linen, and the lights flickered overhead. I didn’t care that we were in danger or in a dirty home. I didn’t care that the world was hanging by a thread, he was my salvation.
“What are you doing, beautiful girl?” he asked as I fumbled with the button of his pants.
“What do you think I’m doing? I need to feel you, Tallis. I need to know you’re here,” I whispered. Tallis tenderly brushed my hair out of my eyes as he stared down at me with openness and love.
“Is this what you want?” I knew he wasn’t just asking about the physical implications of my desires. He was asking about us.
“Yes,” I whispered as my hands roamed his abs. His back. He sighed, my touch and admission combining into an all-encompassing pleasure that spurred him further.
“Finally,” Tallis groaned, before slowly trailing his lips down my neck and torso. After pausing at my hips, he slid the too-tight leather off my thighs in a slow, teasing rhythm.
“I love you, Agapimenos,” he said. His voice sounded certain and adoring. His penetrating gaze looked to me as if asking one last time if I was ready. If this was what I wanted. If he was what I wanted.
“I want you,” I assured.
That night he carried me to a place of love and adoration. He made me feel treasured, again, and again, and again. We forgot about the world. Forgot about the fears, the abandonment, the future. We settled into the dim, dirty imperfections of our surroundings and brought it to life. He illuminated my soul and I burned brighter than I’ve ever been.
Once he was fast asleep, I nuzzled closer to his chest and I watched his steady breaths. I reveled in the comfort of his arms. Then, once I was sure he couldn’t hear, I said in the faintest of whispers, “I love you too, Scavenger.”
Chapter Eighteen
There was no awkwardness when I woke. I wouldn't shy from his touch or worried about the inevitable downfall. Because when my eyes opened, I knew he would be there.
Except he wasn’t.
I sat up on the dirty couch alone and looked around the room in confusion. Where was Tallis? The sunlight filtered through a cracked window, illuminating the hazy air filled with dust.
“Hey, I didn’t want to wake you, but I got word from Maverick,” Tallis said. His lips were firmly set in a grim line as he handed me water. I gulped it down and adjusted the linen sheet around me while peering up at him. His hair was messy in a sexy way, his neck covered in the remnants of my passionate kisses.
“I’m trying to figure this out, but he sent a one-way signal. I don’t think he wants us to reply and compromise our location,” Tallis said while looking over at me. I patted my messy hair and licked my chapped lips which were bruised and sensitive.
I pulled the Tablet from his hands and read the message.
Dasos Lab. Third Floor. Get Ashleigh out. Lackley created X.
I gasped at the last part. Lackley is responsible for X? For our parent's death? For the collapse of the Empire?
“I’ve spent the morning trying to reach out to Scavengers we have alliances with. Things are going to get messy, fast,” Tallis said while pacing the floor. For a brief moment, I wondered what our morning would be like if we were back in the Scavenger camp. Would he make me breakfast? Would we cuddle in bed together?
“There’s no way we’re going to get them out of there,” I mumbled while finding my pants and slinking them on.
“Maverick doesn’t want us to get them out. He wants us to rescue Agrio,” Tallis said. I froze at the nickname then scowled, the bliss from our night faded into annoyance as I looked at him.
“I’m not risking my life for that Walker.” My tone was short and clipped. I started looking for the rest of my clothes, which were scattered along the uneven floor covered in dust and dirt.
“Why not?” Tallis asked. His blue eyes followed my movements as I searched the safe house.
“Because…” I began while trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for why I had no desire to help her. “…Because she’s not family. Why do I have to help her?”
“She’s important to your brothers,” Tallis replied in a matter-of-fact tone. He crossed his arms over his chest and shuffled his feet.
“Why is she so important to you?” I asked with a frown. I didn’t like the way he picked apart my motives. I didn’t like that he could see me for the person I was. “Aren’t you supposed to agree with me? Aren’t you supposed to say it’s dangerous and I should stay here?”
“If you want someone that keeps you locked up in an ivory tower, that's not me.” He walked towards me while brushing his hands across a dusty wooden piece of furniture that was warped and scuffed. Once in front of me, he planted a tender kiss on the corner of my mouth. “I’m the one that's going to challenge you.” He kissed me again, this time on the lips, and I responded eagerly as I wrapped my arms around him.
Another message came in on his Tablet with a ping and we broke apart. I grabbed it, reading the new message.
Air Vent.
“He wants us to go through the air vents?” I asked incredulously. Maverick just couldn’t make it easy.
“I’m not going,” Tallis replied with a frown.
“What? So you want me to risk my life while you sit here relaxing? Yea right!” I exclaimed while continuing my search for my shoes. Tallis was crazy if he thought I was doing this alone.
“No, I want you to save Ashleigh and come back to me so we can figure this out. I’ll take care of everything. You’ll be safe, Agapimenos.”
“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you so adamant about this? Is there something going on between you and Ashleigh?” I asked before stomping my foot.
The smile that broke out on Tallis’ face was ornery and pleased. He stalked towards me and placed a hand on my lower back pulling me close. I felt his attraction to me, hard as steel. “Does this feel like there's anything going on between me and Ashlei
gh?”
I gulped. This was nothing like our sweet night, this was harsh. Demanding. “No,” I replied. “I just don’t get why you want me to do this.”
“I’m not like your brothers, Jules. I see you as the strong capable woman you are,” Tallis whispered before placing his lips on the sensitive skin below my ear. I sucked in a deep breath as he kissed me. “Will I be worried? Fuck yes. I’ll probably go crazy waiting. But I want a future with the best version of yourself, and she’s waiting for me at the end of this mission.”
Another ping made him pull away. Once again, I checked the tablet for a final message from Maverick.
Please. I’ll do anything.
Anything? Maverick must be desperate. There was a time when I would have enjoyed this and taken pleasure in the power of his desperation, but it was only sadness that filled me now. I didn’t want to bargain or take. I wanted a future. A family.
Tallis began shifting through blueprints and news clippings on his Tablet, already preparing for my trip even though I hadn’t agreed to go.
I walked towards a cracked window and peered at the wasteland outside. Tall buildings with broken windows and crumbled hope towered empty in the distance. “I’m not a good person, Tallis,” I said with a slow exhale.
“So?”
I whirled around to face him. “So you seem to have a lot of faith in me, and I just wanted to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”
Tallis let out a quick laugh. “I’m a murderer, Jules. You’re in good company,” he said with a shrug and I rolled my eyes.
“You were saving your people,” I argued.
“…and you weren’t the same person you are now,” Tallis snapped back.
He started packing my tote bag with the Tablet and pulled the hairband from his hair before walking towards me. He stood behind me as his nimble fingers gathered my hair up and off my sweaty neck into a bun.
“But what if I’m caught? What if I can’t make it?”