Ryder nodded.
“Where are they now… the, I forget what you called them?” I asked as I looked up at the ceiling that seemed just as scummy as the walls and floor.
“The Evolved?”
I looked down at my feet. “That’s right. Where are they hiding?”
“They don’t feel the need to hide,” Ryder said turning into a room at the end of the long corridor. “They roam around killing and collecting. Bring what they gather back to their bases.”
“Killing and collecting what?”
Ryder cocked his head to the side and stared at me. “People. Well, and other things they might find useful. You know, supplies and stuff.”
“Oh.”
“That’s one of the reasons I went out after you. You could have walked right into them.” Ryder nodded at a long folding table with several chairs around it. “Have a seat.”
He pulled out a chair for me and sat down in the one just to my right. I brushed off the mostly clean seat and took off my backpack. My fingers gripped the straps tightly as I sat down.
“If you go out there alone, they’ll find you. Your gun isn’t going to do much good against a group of five, ten, sometimes even more.” He glanced down at my hip even though my clothing covered the gun. “How many bullets do you even have left? Where did you get it?”
“It was my dad’s.”
“Sorry,” Ryder said, fully understanding the fact that my dad was no longer with me.
I forced a tight-lipped smile. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.”
“I see. I don’t even know who my dad is,” Ryder blurted. He snickered to himself before shaking his head. “I have no idea why I said that.”
I shrugged. It didn’t matter to me that he didn’t know or that he told me. Everyone had a story, and I was kind of intrigued to hear more of his.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone step into the room. My eyes shifted over, but I kept my head facing Ryder.
The man I assumed was Jacob walked into view, his face completely unreadable. He had a long, bushy beard that almost touched his chest and deep wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. His gray eyes revealed that he’d seen a lot… a lot more than I could even imagine.
He was probably around the same age as my dad would have been if he were still alive.
“This her?” he asked, and Ryder nodded.
“Girl, where you from?” he said, his voice hard and raspy.
I drew in a slow breath. “I’d rather not say exactly. My family hid somewhere safe for years.”
“And where are they now?” he asked looking over my shoulder as if they might just pop out and surprise him.
“They’re both dead.”
“I see. You’re all alone then, that right?”
I nodded once.
“Have any other folks come around and talked to you?” he asked as he sat down and leaned forward. He peered into my eyes as if they would tell him more about me than I could ever reveal about myself. And maybe that was true. “I’m going to assume they haven’t since you’re still alive and roaming about.”
“No. No one else has talked to me.”
The man turned to Ryder. “Have you talked to her about them?”
“Yes, Jacob, I have, but I don’t think she understands the severity of the situation,” Ryder said, glancing down at my bouncing knee. His hand jerked out and pressed down. “No one is going to hurt you here.”
I smiled, but it quickly faded. The second he removed his hand from my leg, it started bobbing up and down again.
“OK, girl, here’s the deal,” Jacob said pressing his palms down against the table. His hands were covered in dirt and his knuckles puffed up like they’d been stuffed with rocks.
I shook my head. “I don’t need to know any kind of deal. I just want to be on my way.”
Jacob looked at Ryder, his eyes filled with confusion. “You’re more than welcome to stay here. No one will lay a hand on you. I swear it to you.”
I looked at Ryder out of the corner of my eyes. Apparently, it hadn’t taken long for word to get to Jacob about what those men had done to me.
“You’ll be safe here… for now.”
“I don’t like the whole ‘for now’ part,” I said, my chair skidding backward slightly as I stood.
Jacob stood up and held out his hand. “Good luck to you then. Show her the way out.”
After we shook hands, Jacob left the room without a second look. It was clear that if a person didn’t want to stay, Jacob wasn’t going to force them to.
I pulled my backpack on and looked up at Ryder. “Thank you for saving me, but I really should get going.”
His head bobbed once. “Yeah, of course.”
I nodded toward the door. “I remember the way. See you around.”
“I doubt that,” Ryder muttered.
My eyebrows shot up toward my hairline, and I walked toward the door. It felt like so much of my day had been lost. I really needed to get out there and move my feet to make some progress.
My feet moved rapidly down the corridor. I tried not to look into the open doors, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
Each room was filled with people who looked back at me before returning to whatever it was they were doing. There had to be at least thirty people gathered in each room I looked in, if not more, and I hadn't looked in them all. Jacob had built himself a nice little army.
At the last doorway on my right, a delicious scent made its way into my nostrils. It was so enticing I stopped in my tracks to look inside the room.
There was a little stove with a thin tube that led up and through the ceiling. Rows of tables made perfect lines, and each chair was filled with a person that didn’t seem to notice the strange girl staring at them.
“Hungry?” Ryder said, stepping up next to me. He was grinning. “Yeah, you look hungry all right.”
I swallowed down the saliva that had started to wet the inside of my mouth. No matter how badly I wanted to hide it from him, my eyes and rumbling stomach gave me away.
“I think we’re having beans, maybe some rice. Every once in a while, they pop up some popcorn. That’s a real treat let me tell you.”
“Maybe I could stay for one meal,” I said softly licking my lower lip. “Jacob wouldn’t like that though I’m sure.”
“Let me worry about Jacob,” Ryder said grabbing my hand and pulling me into the room.
He walked up to the table near the stove and filled up a plate. Ryder started walking away but turned back when he noticed I wasn’t following him. He grabbed my hand and led me to an empty chair.
I watched him as he set down the food and kicked out the chair. “Go on, sit.”
“Don’t you want any?” I asked.
“I’ll get some later. You first.”
I took off my backpack and looked around the room suspiciously. No one seemed to care about me or my backpack.
There wasn’t a single eye in the room on me until I noticed her staring at me. The room was dark except for a few candles placed on the tables and the flame glowing in the stove, but I’d recognize those eyes anywhere. Her glare was unmistakable.
Charlie rolled her eyes and pretended to turn back to her food. She laughed loudly at something one of her dinner companions said.
I sat down and tucked my backpack between my legs. The second the food touched my tongue, I didn’t stop shoveling the warm meal into my mouth. Apparently, I was hungry. All those snack bars and watered-down oats kept me fed, but this was something different. It tasted amazing.
Ryder sat down next to me and watched me eat. I glanced up at him after I was finished and tossed my plastic fork on the empty plate.
“It’s rude to stare at someone while their eating,” I said.
“Only when they eat?” Ryder said with a laugh. “Hell, I didn’t even know anyone was still minding their manners.”
I shrugged. “I guess I was taught to.”
“We weren’t all that l
ucky. I was raised much differently. Fall in line, or get out of the way of the guy that will. Fight for what you want if you want to survive.”
“We shared. We had enough, well, up until the end.” I cocked my head to the side. “I was still taught to fight to survive.”
Ryder stood up and grabbed my plate, tossing it into a black plastic bag inside the tall barrel behind us. “Well, no one out there is going to give two shits about you. Don’t be polite. Don’t be fooled into a false sense of security if you want to survive because if you want to make it, you’re going to have to be rude. Mean, even.” He pointed to the door. “There’s a war going on out there whether you like it or not. Don’t ever forget that.”
“You kind of sound like my dad.”
“Your dad sounds like he was a smart guy.”
I pressed my lips together hard. “He was.”
“Just be tough, and don’t be afraid to use,” he leaned close and whispered, “that gun.”
“I’m not.”
Ryder looked around the room. “Sure, you won’t stay with us?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Sorry.”
Ryder walked me over to the ladder and climbed up, opening the door at the top. The sky was a dark shade of blue, somehow it was almost nighttime.
“Ryder?” I said tapping my fingers against the side of the ladder.
“Yeah?” he said closing the door slightly to look down at me.
I bit my lip, and I could feel the tension in my wrinkled brow. The thought of being out there alone after what happened earlier made me a little nervous. “Maybe just one night.”
Ryder closed the door and hopped down off the ladder. He tried to hide his smile but failed miserably.
“Good,” he said, nodding down the corridor. “I’ll let Jacob know.”
I hugged myself and followed him down the hall.
6
At night everyone broke off into what appeared to be assigned rooms. Jacob had told Ryder to keep an eye on me, but I don’t think anyone really suspected that I was secretly a spy for The Evolved.
I sat next to Ryder with my back against the cool wall. The room we were in had a single glowing candle placed on the floor in the doorway.
Every few minutes a pair of guys would walk past the door completely in sync. They moved up and down the hall, looking into the rooms. Each of them carried a gun with a long barrel that looked like it could do some major damage. Apparently guns weren't all that rare.
I was surrounded by more people than I had ever imagined were still out there, yet I felt incredibly alone. It had been quite some time since my mom had passed away, and even longer since my dad, but God, I missed them.
I needed them. I wasn’t even sure if I could do this alone. It didn’t matter how much training my dad had given me, all if it went out the window when I had to walk away from my home. Or maybe it hadn’t ever been there in the first place, and I only first realized when I left.
I wiped the corner of my eye with the back of my hand.
“You OK?” Ryder asked leaning forward trying to look into my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I forced a smile but kept my head down. If he saw into my eyes, he would have instantly realized that I, in fact, wasn’t fine.
I’d never been good at hiding my emotions. My heart was on my sleeve, and that was probably why I should have stayed home. All it would have taken was one bullet to end it all. Then I could have searched for my parents in the afterlife. If there was an afterlife.
“Maybe you should get some sleep,” Ryder said, nudging me lightly with his elbow. “I’ll stay awake… I mean, if you want me to watch over you.”
“You don’t need to. This is your home.” I frowned, but he couldn’t see it. “I shouldn’t even be here.”
He shook his head. “You’re welcome here. It’s just that you don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t think I want to be anywhere,” I muttered.
Ryder shook his head. I could tell he wanted to say something, but that he didn’t know what to say. How could he? He didn’t know me or what my life had been like.
“You need rest. You’ll feel better after you get some sleep,” he finally said after a long pause. He patted the ratty pillow tucked behind my back. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. Not that anything would here.”
“Nothing has ever gone wrong down here?” I drew in a deep breath and laid my head down on the pillow. My fingers held onto my backpack as if it were the only thing keeping me afloat in a sea of uncertainty.
Ryder crossed his arms and stretched out his legs. He looked down at me and our eyes locked.
I wanted to dislike him, but there was something in his eyes that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Ryder wasn’t as cold as everyone else seemed to be. If he were, he wouldn’t have gone out looking for me.
“Just a few personal fights. Jacob would kick out anyone who even thought of doing anything wrong. He thinks of us as one big family, and we take care of our own.”
A small smile stretched across Ryder’s lips. He picked at a fingernail and pressed the back of his head against the wall.
“One really big family,” I said, yawning loudly. There was no denying I was tired.
“A big, slightly dysfunctional family,” Ryder said taking in a deep breath. “Sleep well.”
I nodded and reluctantly closed my eyes. My first day on my own hadn’t gone at all according to plan. Hopefully, it was just a rocky start, and all the rest of my travels would go much smoother.
I spent another day in the underground town with Ryder and his friends. For some reason, I just hadn’t been able to make myself leave.
They talked freely around me even though I kept quiet most of the time. I wasn’t sure why but they didn’t seem to distrust me. They made me feel included.
Charlie teased me for carrying my pack with me everywhere. She’d told me that no one would steal my ‘little pack of goodies.’ Supposedly, they had more stored up than I could possibly imagine. Little did she know I could imagine a lot.
With all the people living underground, they must have had an entire room filled with supplies. I wondered if they were still finding more out there. If they could, then I could too.
Then again, I could trap animals or catch fish. My dad had even taught me how to forage for certain things, although, that was nearly impossible with the cold air and snow-covered ground. There just wasn’t much of anything growing, but hopefully, that would change as I went further south.
I ate dinner that night with Ryder, Logan, and Eli. Charlie didn’t sit with us. She claimed she had something she needed to do, but when Ryder asked her what it was, she just shook her head and walked away.
“Did you get enough?” Ryder asked as he, Eli and Logan sat down at the table across from me.
The room was dark, but the light danced across their faces. They didn’t really smile much, and Logan quite possibly never smiled at all. They stared at me while they spooned mushy beans into their mouths.
“Yes, I did. Thanks again,” I said as the three of them nodded almost simultaneously. “Have you guys known each other a long time then?”
Ryder nodded. “We all pretty much grew up together. Charlie too.”
Eli chewed while he looked around the room. He swallowed the food down in one big gulp. “A lot of us did in fact. How about you?”
“I’m not from around here,” I said my nerves prickling in my arms. I hated talking about myself and my life. If I talked about it, then I’d remember my parents.
“A mystery,” Logan grunted.
I shrugged. “Not really… just not much to tell.”
“Have you given any more thought to staying with us?” Ryder asked quickly. I was pretty sure he’d noticed the conversation had started to make me feel uncomfortable. Little did he know talking about staying, or where I was going, would also make me feel uncomfortable.
“No need. I really need to be on my way. I’ve spent far too much tim
e here already.” I filled my mouth with a forkful of beans.
“Where are you headed?” Eli asked, his eyes on his plate.
I chewed on my lip for a second. “Further south.”
“I’ve heard it’s not any warmer down there,” Eli said. “Is that why you’re going?”
“Yes,” I answered sharply.
“Warm enough down here,” Ryder said without looking up.
Eli elbowed Logan. “Isn’t that sweet?”
Logan’s eyes quickly darted over at Ryder. “He’s right though.”
“I appreciate the offer guys, I really do, but I can’t stay.”
“There are a lot of bad guys out there. Guys much worse than the three you faced the other day,” Ryder said keeping his voice low.
“I can take care of myself,” I said balling up my fists tightly on my lap. Each nerve twinged and sparked, and it felt like the odd sensation was spreading down toward my legs.
All three of the guys looked up at me. I could see the concern in their eyes.
“I can take care of myself too,” Logan said tossing his white plastic fork onto his empty plate. “But if three or four of The Evolved grabbed me, it’s over for me. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how prepared you are.”
Ryder looked at me as I stood up. It seemed like he wanted to say something to stop me, but he didn’t.
I picked up my plate and walked between the tables toward the trash. Jacob was walking toward me heading in the opposite direction. He kept his eyes on mine as he drew nearer.
When we were just about side by side, he nodded slightly. If he would have been wearing a hat, I imagine he would have tipped it in my direction.
I flashed him a tight-lipped smile. Jacob seemed as though he was very rough around the edges, like every wrinkle on his face had a story to tell, but still, for some reason, I liked him.
As I made my way out of the room, I could feel their eyes on me. It was almost as if I could even hear their whispers. They were probably wondering why I was going. And why it was so damn important.
I could imagine every question that was spinning through their heads, right until I walked out of the room. Inside the hallway it was quiet.
Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3 Page 4
