by ES Richards
“I hope so,” Samuel sighed. “I’d hate to think things are just as bad out there. It’s different on an island, you know? Even though we’ve all stayed closer to home, at least we have the option to leave. Out there they’re sort of stuck.”
“Did you ever go out and visit your sister?”
“No,” Samuel shook his head, “we haven’t been that close in recent years.”
“Oh, how come?”
“I’m not really sure. We were when we were kids, but since we both left home and went off to college, things changed. I was much more comfortable following the path our parents laid out for us – I got my degree, got a job, started from the bottom and began to work my way up. Jessie was always more of a free spirit; she didn’t want to be confined to an office or a certain way of life. I think part of her rebelled just because she could, but part of her certainly wanted to get away. When she met her husband, she flew off to Hawaii and none of us have seen her since.”
“Seriously?” Lin asked with a surprised expression. “You haven’t seen her since she went out there? But I thought you said she has kids now?”
“She does,” Samuel nodded, bowing his head as he spoke. He was ashamed that he hadn’t tried more with Jessie. He should’ve made more of an effort, reached out to her when she went away. Things had been hard between her and their parents, but Samuel should’ve been there for his sister. Now it almost felt like it was too late, like he’d missed too much of her life.
“So, has your father never met his grandchildren?”
Samuel shook his head. “And mom died without ever meeting them either. I wish I could go back and change things. I wish I’d done something differently when she left, said something to our parents to make them see things from her perspective. But I just never tried, I never cared enough to exert my energy anywhere other than my job.” Samuel paused and scoffed at himself. “How much of an idiot was I? I basically threw my relationship with Jessie away, and now it might be too late to get it back.”
“Don’t say that,” Lin replied, reaching forward and placing a hand on Samuel’s knee. The touch felt natural and Samuel didn’t flinch away. He liked the warmth of Lin’s hand there, looking down at her touch and smiling.
“Thanks,” he said, “but it probably is. Who knows when there’ll be power again, or how long it’ll take to set up communications? It could be years before I can even place a call out to Hawaii, let alone travel out there. And then I’d have to find out if she’s even still alive…”
“Hey,” Lin interrupted Samuel quickly, squeezing his knee slightly. “You shouldn’t speak like that. Don’t ever say it’s too late for someone. If all of this has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable. You should never give up on anything if you want it badly enough, what’s the point of throwing in the towel when there’s still a life left to fight for?”
Samuel looked up at Lin and smiled, genuinely pleased to be sharing this moment with her. He’d opened up about so much with her, forming such a close bond with her, it made him a little nervous. As he looked at Lin, he imagined what she might look like in ten or twenty years, only seeing her beauty grow in the future.
Lowering his gaze, Samuel reminded himself how rude it was to stare, but he almost couldn’t help himself. The last thing on his mind kept screaming to be let out – the one truth that he hadn’t yet opened up to Lin about. It was a result of his time spent with Austin, combined with his newfound perspective on life. He didn’t want to spend any more of it alone – he was tired of climbing into a cold bed at night, of hugging his pillow and wondering if that was all he was ever going to have. Of the few relationships Samuel had had, they blurred in his head and amounted to very little. Fleeting lovers who came and went in his youth, replaced by awkward conversations as he grew older and then a preference for his own company ahead of others.
Before everything that had happened with Trident, Samuel had never really thought like he was missing out on much. He didn’t feel like he needed anyone to share his evenings or his thoughts with. Now however, that had changed. When Samuel looked at Lin, he felt something new inside him and he wondered if maybe she could be someone to share his future with.
But it was one thing for Samuel to think it and something else entirely for him to act upon his feelings.
“It’s getting late,” Samuel said. “Do you think we should head to bed?”
“Oh,” Lin’s face fell slightly. “I suppose.”
Looking at Lin again and seeing what he believed was a hint of disappointment in her face, something came over Samuel that he hadn’t felt since he was in his early twenties. In an almost out of body experience, he stood up and instead of turning to head for the door, reached down for Lin’s hands and pulled the woman up to her feet. Then, with his lips almost trembling, he pressed his against hers and kissed her, locking the two of them in that moment together.
The kiss didn’t last more than a couple of seconds and it was far from anything you’d see in a romantic movie scene, but for Samuel, it was perfect. He felt Lin relax into his arms and press her body up against his, her heat mixing with his own and warming him right through from his feet up to his head.
When he pulled away from her, Samuel held onto Lin’s body for another couple of seconds before he finally stepped back, looking into her eyes and then looking away as his usual awkwardness caught up to him.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled without looking at her. “I didn’t mean…”
“Don’t be,” Lin cut him off with a whisper. “I’m not.”
At the sound of her voice, Samuel dared to lift his eyes to hers again and saw Lin smiling at him, her lips slightly rouge from the kiss they’d just shared. In the faint light from the fire that burned in the corner of the room, she looked more beautiful than anyone Samuel had ever seen before. All he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her again, but a voice inside of him told him to take his time.
“Goodnight Samuel,” Lin said with another smile. “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight,” he replied as she stepped away and exited the room, his heart hammering. It took Samuel a couple more seconds before he turned and headed to his own sleeping quarters. His lips tingled as he walked away. Lin was still there as he climbed into bed and closed his eyes.
Samuel was not a romantic man, nor one for big gestures, but as he lay in bed and thought of Lin, he imagined himself doing just that. He pictured the two of them surviving this disaster together, then finding a place to settle down and grow old. Samuel had always figured he was too old now to become a father, but even that thought wavered in his head as he imagined starting a family with Lin. With the right person, anything could happen.
It was strange to find something like this in the middle of such an awful world, but if it was going to happen then Samuel was going to cling onto it with both hands. As he drifted to sleep, he remembered something that Lin had said to him about not giving up.
“Don’t ever say it’s too late for someone. If all of this has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable. You should never give up on anything if you want it badly enough, what’s the point of throwing in the towel when there’s still a life left to fight for?”
Well, Lin was a life and so was he, and as Samuel fell asleep, he vowed to fight for both of them. He didn’t know what was going to happen between the two of them, but he was only ever going to find out if he gave it a chance. It was something that he should’ve done long ago, but he was pleased he’d waited until now. For Lin.
Chapter 19
The buzz in the main hall of the cave was electric. Walter wasn’t sure exactly what had caused it, but he was enjoying it, nonetheless. At last, everyone seemed to share the same energy, the same drive to get things done and win back their city. By now, everyone had heard about the unfortunate negotiation with the Rikers. Instead of growing downhearted at the lack of help, the people of the cave rose up and took things into their own hands. Stories about Austin’s rescue the d
ay before had rippled through the group as well and it gave the people a sense that anything was possible. They were filled with a new confidence and determination to succeed and there was no denying it made the cave a very exciting place to wake up in.
“You know what this reminds me of?” Luc said to Walter, nudging him with his elbow as the two of them stood at one side of the hall, watching the throngs of people going about their various tasks.
“What?”
“That scene right before the big fight in the movies,” Luc explained with a grin. “You know, when everyone is preparing for battle, the men are being armed and the women and children are being taken away to safety.”
“That’s a bit sexist isn’t it?” Taggy pointed out from Luc’s other side, rolling her eyes at her friend’s explanation. “You think I should just be whisked away to safety?”
Luc laughed. “I didn’t mean that,” he replied. “But you know the sort of thing I’m talking about – it’s like everyone is getting amped up for some big thing. Something is going to happen, you can almost taste it.”
“Alright Mystic Meg,” Taggy laughed, teasing Luc and his premonitions. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something is about to happen. It’s not like we’re preparing for nothing.”
“You just don’t get it,” Luc said in an exasperated manner, turning to Walter with a bemused expression. “Tell me you understand what I’m trying to say.”
“I do,” Walter laughed, “but Taggy has got a point too. Though I would like to see her reaction if you tried to sideline her with all the other women and children.”
“Okay, okay,” Luc held his hands up and laughed. “Maybe that comment was a bit sexist. All I was trying to say was that this place is alive, today – it’s ready for something to happen. It’s almost begging for it.”
“Well, it won’t have to wait too long,” Walter checked his watch. “We should probably be heading over to meet Henry. He’s leaving soon, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Luc nodded, “you want to come, Taggy?”
“Leave me out of this one,” she said. “I’ll be a darn sight more useful here, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” Luc nodded, “catch you later, then?”
“Always.”
Walter didn’t blame Taggy for wanting to stay at the cave that day. He wasn’t too excited himself about what he and Luc had planned, but he knew he of all people needed to be there. Henry Packham was about to make one last attempt at peace for all – he was going to meet with the Gov and Walter and Luc were going with him.
They’d already hashed out the details with Henry the night before, so they knew exactly what they were getting into. The only thing Walter was currently unaware of, was how Henry had managed to orchestrate such a meeting – it was one thing connecting with the Rikers, who made no attempt to hide their location or their business – it was something else to set up a tête-à-tête with the Gov. Walter wondered whether they were still operating out of his old precinct, or if they’d upgraded their base to somewhere else. He wondered who exactly would be meeting them, his last interaction with Samantha Rice in particular leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth.
The last thing that Walter really wanted was to come face to face with his old captain again. When Walter thought about Captain Banes now, he was filled with a confusing array of emotions – it was impossible for him to not look back on all the wonderful things he’d seen the man do whilst they’d worked together. Before Trident’s collapse, Walter wouldn’t have had a bad word to say about him. He was loyal, hard-working and dedicated to his work. He did the right thing by his friends and by his city, rising to his position within the police force in a rightful manner, not once stepping on anyone’s toes to get the job he wanted. Since the collapse though, Walter had seen an entirely different side to him. He didn’t really understand what had happened. Captain Banes was acting in a way that Walter could only describe as entirely out of character.
As such, the thought of seeing the man again both intrigued and repulsed Walter. He didn’t know how he could stand there and look the man in the eyes knowing how much he had changed, how he had willingly put innocent people’s lives in danger. But he also wanted to know exactly what had changed to push Captain Banes in that direction. He was curious how it had happened, to figure out the reason behind all the madness.
“Aw yes!” Luc punched the air with excitement as they stepped outside, reacting to the bikes Henry stood beside.
“There you are,” Henry said with a smile, helmet underneath his arm. “We were starting to think you’d bailed on us.”
“Not likely,” Walter replied, “just got a bit caught up back in the hall. Gives a new meaning to the word busy today.”
“I know,” Henry beamed with pride. “Hopefully we won’t need it, but everyone is really ramping things up at the moment. If today doesn’t go as planned, then I have to say I’m starting to like our chances.”
“Let’s not speak too soon, huh?” Vince, Henry’s friend and aid said in his deep voice, handing helmets to Luc and Walter as he spoke. “I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. Let’s just get through today and then see where we go from there.”
Vince was never too far away from Henry, there to offer support both when it came to tactics and also when it came to protection. He stood well over six feet tall and was stacked with muscle so toned you could practically bounce a quarter off his chest. The fact that he was coming along to the meeting made Walter both feel comforted in a way that Vince would be close by, but also wary as it warned him that Henry felt there was something they might need to be protected from.
His words ended the brief discussion as the four of them stood next to the bikes, the end of the conversation signaling time for them to put the helmets on and make their departure. There were only two bikes and so Walter stepped aside to allow Luc to mount one of them first, climbing on behind his friend and grabbing onto the handle behind him. To his right, Henry sat behind Vince, the tall man practically dwarfing Henry’s frame and making their leader look almost like a small child riding with his father.
Luc had the directions and so without any further ado, he flicked the kickstand back with his heel, revved the engine and took off into the city. Walter had never liked motorbikes much. He’d got his license in his early twenties, needing it for the police force so he could use a bike if required, but if the option was there, he always chose a squad car. They just didn’t seem very safe to him, the fact that his body leaned down toward the tarmac whenever they took a corner or that a heavy gust of wind could shift him in his seat made him feel uneasy. He’d also much rather have his arms around Luc’s waist for extra safety rather than on the handle behind him.
The four of them whizzed through the city, stopping several times at roadblocks by particular zones, but waved through once Henry had spoken to the guards on duty. Since the couple of explosions which had gone off around the city, the posting of guards at the roadblocks was becoming a more common thing. In a way it served a good purpose as the bombs were far less likely to go off with someone standing by, but their presence also restricted movement even further, trapping people in areas of the city where they didn’t want to be.
The Gov had clearly passed the word on about the meeting. Their bikes were waved through the roadblocks with little to no argument. The meeting place surprised Walter initially, but the more he thought about it, the more it suited what the Gov were trying to say. They’d moved into a five-star hotel just around the corner from where the Trident building had been on Wall Street. Most of the neighborhood was burned down or in ruins from the fire that had been lit at Trident, but the waterfront hotel had been saved – a sanctuary surrounded by destruction – almost like an omen for what was happening to the rest of the city.
“Oh jeez,” Walter mumbled under his breath as he saw who was approaching them after they’d dismounted from the bikes. “Here we go.”
Philip McManaman strode toward their grou
p with a large grin on his face, his eyes finding Walter’s as his smile widened a little further. He was wearing a finely pressed suit and tie, the crisp white shirt striking quite a contrast with the dirty and well-worn clothes those from the cave had arrived in. Tucked into his belt at the front were a pair of pistols, McManaman not even attempting to conceal them as he threw his arms open in greeting, welcoming the four of them like old friends rather than enemies.
“Walter,” McManaman addressed his old ally first. “What a pleasure to see you again. I trust you’re keeping well?” Before Walter even had the chance to reply, McManaman had moved on, shaking hands with each of them in turn, finishing with Henry. “Come on in,” he ushered them up the outdoor steps. “I’ll show you around – I imagine this is quite different to where the four of you have come from?”
“What the,” Luc mumbled in a low voice to Walter, hanging back as McManaman led them up the stairs. “Who the hell does this guy think he is.”
“I told you,” Walter replied quietly, having given Luc a warning about the people they might meet earlier that morning. “He looks even slimier than I remember.”
“Yeah, don’t turn your back to him,” Luc commented as they neared the entrance to the building. “I bet he’s got a trick or two up his sleeves.”
Walter hummed under his breath in agreement, cautious about what they said around McManaman. He had paraded them into the building like honored guests, pointing out random architectural facts about it like he’d spent his entire life in the place, the man clearly enjoying his position of power.
“I think you’ll forgive us declining the tour,” Henry said simply when it was offered, McManaman eager to continue gloating to the four of them. “We’ve got business to discuss. Is there somewhere we can go?”
“Very well,” McManaman’s pleasant façade dropped immediately, his smile disappearing and his mouth forming a straight line instead. “Through here – let’s get the party started.”
