“We need to get the other supplies here while we can,” Gage said. “It’s not like we’d want anyone else approaching to take it.”
“We have enough for a long time,” Kieran said.
“It isn’t ever going to be enough,” Gage said.
Kieran crossed her arms and turned. “Well, my family won’t do that.”
“That’s fine,” Gage said. “Shawn and I can manage. There is plenty to do around here without leaving the house.”
I pressed my heels into the carpet. “No one takes any unnecessary risks. Not for any reason. Are we all on the same page?”
“Yeah, of course,” Gage replied instantly.
“That means if you and Shawn go out, you take a gun to scare off the lions. And you’re always aware of your surroundings. No exceptions,” I said.
“Maybe we need rules or laws or something,” Josh said.
I shook my head. “There is just one rule and that is everyone in this room is like your family. We take care of each other. That rule will keep us all safe. If you can’t agree to it, speak now.”
“I agree,” Gage said.
“Me too,” Shawn said.
Josh, Kieran, and Lucy all offered me a nod. Ella and Noah were slightly more apprehensive, which was completely understandable since they were new. They didn’t know us.
“We can leave at any time, is that right?” Ella asked.
“Where will we go, Ella?” Noah asked. “This is by far the best place we’ve found since the catastrophe.”
“What if they ask us to do something we don’t agree with?” Ella asked her voice fading with each word as she remembered we were all in the same room.
I took a step forward. “We wouldn’t ever do that.”
“If you ever feel uncomfortable with anything, bring it to Stevie,” Gage said.
Ella picked at a fingernail. “Well, what if I have a problem with Stevie?”
“Then you can talk to Gage or Shawn,” I said.
“Sorry,” Ella said. “I don’t have a problem with you. I’m just worried because in my experience, people don’t always get along. Families don’t always get along.”
Noah smacked her lightly on the side of her arm. “She’s referring to me.”
Ella shrugged.
“Before all this, we argued about everything,” Noah explained.
“We may not always agree on everything but look how your brother was there for you when everything fell apart,” I said poking my palm with my fingertip. “That’s what I want for us. When it comes down to it, we’re there for each other. We have each other’s backs.”
“Give it some thought,” Gage said.
Noah shook his head. “We don’t need to. We’re totally on board.”
“If you ever want to leave, there’s the door,” I said pulling in a quick breath. “We’d wish you well. Of course, I hope that you stay.”
The room was silent. It felt humid and the thickness in the air made it hard to breathe.
The floorboards creaked as I walked over to the window. I pulled back the curtain with my fingertip.
“Dammit,” I said with a sigh.
“What is it?” Shawn asked.
I turned slowly, locking eyes with Gage. “Someone new.”
16
Joss
As we drew closer, we spotted the armed men patrolling the perimeter of a medium-sized town. It had probably once been a larger city but it appeared as though the outskirts had been erased.
The guards stopped their patrol and focused on us. One of them held up a two-way radio. I couldn’t hear what he’d said but I’d heard the static.
Their guns were across their chests aimed at the sky but my muscles were still tensed. Robby’s gun didn’t bother me the same way it did when others had them.
My eyes darted from one tall building to the next. I didn’t see anything but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had us in their crosshairs.
“Please wait here,” the closest guard said holding up his palm.
After a short moment, a man carrying a similar umbrella to the one I was holding approached. He was smiling. It almost seemed authentic.
“What do we have here? Friends or foes?” he asked. His huge grin didn’t waver as he stuck out his hand toward Robby, who was closest to him.
“Friends, I suppose,” Robby said.
“Well, I hope so,” he said shaking my hand firmly. “Hi there, Rex, Rex Taylor.” He shook Jenna’s hand and then Caleb’s before stepping back to study us more carefully. His finger tapped his freshly shaved chin. “Survivors, I presume.”
Robby pushed his shoulders back. “Indeed. What else would we be?”
“Good point. We’re all survivors, aren’t we? Even before all this. All of you were together since the beginning?” Rex asked.
“Together for quite some time now,” Robby said.
“I’d ask how you heard about the place but I see how,” Rex said.
Robby’s eyes narrowed with confusion.
“You have Liam’s things,” Rex said gesturing toward the umbrella. “I probably don’t need to ask. I think I already know the answer but is he okay? He wouldn’t give up that backpack unless he were dead.”
“The truth is, he’s not okay,” Robby said. “Well, at least we don’t think he is. He found us… told us about this place but while we were waiting for the storm to pass—”
“Nasty storm, wasn’t it?” Rex asked.
Robby nodded. He hesitated for a second to get back on track with his thoughts. “Um, while we were waiting, he ran out of the place we were staying and went to talk to someone. I’m sorry to say he didn’t return.”
“That’s unusual,” Rex said. “He was very attached to that notebook. Did you see anything else?”
“No, sir, but we did hear a gunshot,” Robby said. “When I went to check on him, he was gone.”
“Peculiar,” Rex said his eyes on the notebook.
I felt like dropping it, although I wasn’t exactly sure why. It somehow felt wrong to just have his things. It made me feel guilty, even though I knew I wasn’t.
“His traveling companion returned last night,” Rex said.
My nose wrinkled. “Traveling companion?”
“That’s right,” Rex said. “Our scouts always travel in pairs. Liam and Bill were like oil and water. I mean, they got along well enough but they were like siblings. Always something they disagreed about. But they were good at what they did. It didn’t matter how many times I warned them to stop splitting up, they just kept doing it to cover more ground.”
Robby and I exchanged a quick glance. Rex caught the look.
“Our scouts didn’t carry guns. It’s not what you’re thinking,” Rex said. “Nonetheless, I’ll talk with Bill. But you four need food, water, and rest. I’ll have Penny show you around, set you up with a room. All the good stuff.”
He gestured at the guard and he pressed a button on his radio. His voice was deep and raspy. “Send Penny.”
“It won’t be more than a minute.” Rex clasped his hands and let them fall heavily in front of him.
He was right. It was only thirty-seven seconds before she came jogging toward us. I counted.
Penny’s black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her cheeks were rosy and she wore black eyeliner that wasn’t even a little runny.
“Hello!” she said with a smile that showed a beautiful set of perfectly white teeth. “Sorry that took so long, I was helping one of our citizens move.”
Penny placed her hand on Rex’s shoulder. He placed his hand on top of hers and smiled back.
“She’ll take good care of you,” Rex said. “If you should need me, my office is the blue building on Main Street.”
“Four-Four-Four Main Street,” Penny said pulling her hand away from Rex so she could clap them together sharply. “I got it from here. Someone, take their bags. They’ve carried them long enough. If you all will just follow me.”
And
we did… without question. We blindly followed the woman we’d only just met into the heart of the town.
She bounced and smiled as she walked in front of us, pointing out the various locations. I wouldn’t remember any of the buildings or what was in them.
My hands were shaking. It must have been noticeable because Robby grabbed my hand and held it tightly.
They hadn’t taken his weapon. Why was he trusted with it?
“I’ll try to remember your names,” Penny said. “But I’ll probably have to ask you at least thirty times. Sometimes I wish folks wore name tags around here.”
There was a tall hotel in front of us. Penny held out both hands.
“Your new home,” she said. “Time for the bad news. You’ll be several floors up and the elevators don’t work. We’ll have someone bring you up food.”
“That’s not necessary,” Robby said.
“It’s standard practice.” Penny gave us a big, perfect smile. “To help you feel at home.”
I couldn’t tell her that there wasn’t a single place that would ever feel like home again and that included this town.
“We are a community here,” she said as she pulled open the glass door to the hotel. “Everyone works together. Everyone is given a job.”
My stomach twisted into a knot. “What kind of job?”
“Oh, honey, don’t worry. The guards have the hard job,” Penny said touching my shoulder. “Everyone else just chips in where necessary, you know, like cooking, cleaning, gathering. That kind of stuff. Sound okay with everyone?”
Penny stopped halfway up the first flight of stairs to look at us. She was waiting for us to accept her terms.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Robby said. “We don’t mind helping.”
“That’s great,” Penny said. “We’ll worry about it later. For now, just get used to the place. Settle in. Rest!”
“Excuse me,” Jenna said she squeezed her thumb with her other hand. Her knuckles were white.
Penny turned to her, pressing her palms together. “Yes, dear?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be of much help,” Jenna said.
“Why not, honey? Are you hurt?” Penny asked looking Jenna up and down. She didn’t notice the slight roundness of her stomach.
Jenna shook her head. “No, not hurt. But I do need to see a doctor. Liam told us there was a doctor her.”
“What’s wrong?” Penny crossed her arms. Her forehead wrinkled with concern.
Jenna dragged a shaky finger over her bottom lip. It looked as though she was tempted to pinch her mouth shut. “I’m pregnant. I’ve been having these pai—”
“Oh, dear! Of course, I’ll get you an appointment pronto,” Penny said leaning closer. “I’ll even see what I can do about getting you transferred to a room on one of the lower levels.”
“I don’t want special treatment,” Jenna said.
“We want to take care of you,” Penny said. “Everyone in town will be excited about the new addition.”
Jenna gave her a weak smile. She looked uncomfortable but I wasn’t sure if Penny noticed. It wasn’t like I knew Jenna well but I knew her well enough to read her expressions.
“Why would they care?” Jenna asked.
“Everyone here wants the town to grow and thrive. We are focused on rebuilding,” Penny said with strength and determination powering her voice. “Nothing will stop us from getting back what we once had. It might take time but we’ll get there. Come,” she said placing her hand on Jenna’s back to guide her forward. “Let’s get you to your room.”
We stopped climbing up the stairs when we reached the fourth floor. Penny didn’t turn until she reached the ninth door on the right.
“I forgot to ask how many rooms you’ll be requiring,” Penny said. “I always do this. It’s really not something I should do but I assumed you’d only need two rooms.”
“Good guess,” Caleb said beaming as he wrapped his arm proudly around Jenna’s shoulders.
“I knew it,” Penny said slapping her thigh. “A proud father. I love it.”
Neither Jenna nor Caleb corrected her but their smiles faded ever so slightly.
“And what about you two?” Penny asked reaching out to touch my stomach. I flinched and she yanked her hand back. “Not yet, okay. No problem. You’ll have your day.” Her head tilted. “So, one room or two?”
“One,” Robby answered quickly.
“Good,” Penny said with a bob of her head. She opened the door. “You two, sorry, Jen and….”
“Caleb.” Caleb raised his brow. “And Jenna.”
Penny smiled. “I was close! You two take this one and your friends can have the one across the hall.”
It felt like part of my body was separating. I didn’t like being so far away from Caleb.
“Someone will bring you supplies and set you up with your work detail,” Penny said giving a little wave. “Pay me a visit if you need anything, okay?”
“Sure,” Robby said reaching out to shake her hand.
Penny took it but then pulled him in for a quick hug. “So, glad you’re here.”
“Thanks,” Robby said. He closed the door and leaned back as he took in a breath.
The hotel room was quaint. There was a tub and a toilet inside the bathroom, which likely didn’t work. On the outside was the sink and mirror that was showing us our sad, disheveled reflections. I quickly looked away and crossed my arms.
There was a king-sized bed and a nightstand on each side with a lamp perched on top. In front of each lamp was a thick pillar candle and a pack of matches.
The TV was still in the room but of course, it wouldn’t work. At the window was a table and two chairs.
It wasn’t long before I could hear someone in the hallway. Seconds after I heard the soft steps, there was a knock at the door.
17
Adam
I marched to my dad’s building. I blazed through the lobby, ignoring the eyes on me. Apparently, the lobby was where a lot of people gathered to just hang out so it felt like there were far too many people staring.
I turned and pounded on my dad’s door. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see the guards chasing after to me to stop me from talking to my dad.
My fist felt numb after I pounded again. I shook my hand, attempting to bring life back to my fingers.
The door opened. My dad’s forehead was wrinkled and his brows squished together.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he stepped aside to let me into the room. There was no doubt in my mind that he could tell I was upset.
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to stop them from shaking. How the hell was I going to get his help when he was under Eva’s spell. I realized how lucky I was that she wasn’t there.
“Calm down,” my dad said concern slathering his words. “Talk to me.”
“They took Leah, dad!”
“What do you mean they took her?”
I pressed my palms to the top of my head as if it would help me think faster. All I wanted to do was tell him what Eva did but I worried that wouldn’t get Leah the help she needed.
“The guards came into the cottage and hauled her away to a building halfway between here and the cottage,” I said letting the words pour out.
“They wouldn’t just take her for no reason,” my dad said.
“Eva accused her of something she didn’t do,” I said. “Dad, I’m begging you to help Leah. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
“This girl means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”
I swallowed hard. “Everything, dad. Everything.”
“I’ll see what I can do, okay?” he said patting me on the shoulder. “You mean everything to me, so I get it. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said stuffing my hands into my pockets. Nothing would stop them from shaking.
He nodded. “As one of the founders of our community, they’ll listen to me.”
“I hope so.”
“They will. Wait here,” my dad said grabbing his keys off the table near the door.
He disappeared before I could say anything. I would have preferred to wait back at the cottage where Eva wasn’t likely to return. I didn’t want to be in her room when she came back. I didn’t ever want to see her again.
It felt like it was taking forever. I was thankful there wasn’t a clock because it would have slowed things down even further.
The sound of a key sliding into the lock caused my pulse to jump. I got to my feet, clasping my hands together. I said a silent prayer asking that Eva wasn’t on the other side of the door.
The door popped open. I let out a breath when I saw her.
“Jesus,” I said rushing to her. I wrapped my arms around Leah, giving her a quick squeeze before cupping her face. I kissed her, forgetting that my dad was in the room until the door closed. My exhale was sharp as I pulled back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “They just kept asking me over and over to repeat what happened as if they expected my story to change.”
I shook my head. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Positive. They didn’t do anything to me,” Leah said.
Her eyes were red as though she’d been crying, which was unusual. It made me want to throw my fist into the wall.
She grabbed my arm and shook it lightly. “Adam, I’m fine. I promise. I just want to go back to the cottage.”
“Okay,” I said turning to my dad. “Are we free to go?”
“Yeah, but they want the girls to stay away from each other,” my dad said. “Like a restraining order.”
My shoulders rose as I drew in a breath. “She didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s okay, Adam. Let’s just go back to the cottage, okay?” Leah asked pleading with her eyes.
“Okay,” I said. I met my dad’s eyes for a long moment. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Of course, son,” he said before closing the door behind us.
Leah and I walked quickly back to our cottage. I locked the door and she dropped down on the sofa, burying her face in her hands.
The Reset Series | Book 4 | Swamp Page 8
