by A. P. Madden
Jackson’s jaw clenched, but Caelan spoke before Jackson could do anything.
“What do you want?” Caelan asked.
“My nephew, Seth. We were separated a few weeks ago, before we joined up with this group. He’s my wife’s nephew, really, but she adores him. Personally, I find the boy rather tiresome. Now, I assume you have some men you can send to fetch him? It won’t be difficult to find him, believe me. I know exactly where he is. Your men should have no trouble following simple directions, correct?”
“If you know where he is, why haven’t you already gone to get him?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “I can’t possibly endanger myself like that. What if something happened to me?”
Jackson made a deep noise that was halfway between a laugh and a growl. Luke had never seen him look so much like he wanted to throttle someone. “These are real people you’re talking about. People with lives and loved ones.”
Stanley shrugged. “The choice is yours. Bring me the boy and I will tell you what I know. If you don’t, well...”
Luke glanced at Naomi. “Do you know how to contact the super-city?”
“No,” she said. “But I remember Audrey talking about it. We only met her and Stanley a couple of weeks ago, and there was a lot of other stuff going on. I never asked for the specifics.”
Stanley looked smug. “Information is power, dear. It was no accident that I kept it to myself.”
Naomi shook her head. “I have no idea what Audrey sees in you.”
Stanley frowned. “She-”
“Oh, no, that wasn’t a question,” Naomi said. “I don’t care.” She turned and walked away before Stanley could say anything else.
Stanley turned a light shade of pink, and he turned back to Caelan. “Well, in any case, my offer still stands. If you decide to agree to my terms, you know where to find me.”
“We will discuss it,” Caelan said.
“Yes, you do that. In the meantime, someone needs to find a comfortable chair for me. I presume the doctor will not be finished for hours, but I need her to check on my poor wife, so I will wait right here until she comes out. For some reason, the doctor seems to be avoiding me.”
“I wonder why,” Luke muttered, walking away.
***
Chapter 11 - Promise Me
Later, Luke was standing on the catwalk, watching the crowd below. Naomi was helping to organise her group and suggest different jobs for everyone so they could begin integrating with the factory group.
They had finally heard the news about Audrey. Somehow, Maria managed to save her. Luke couldn't believe that the injured woman he saw in the car had pulled through, but it was true. She was still far from the all-clear, but she was stable, and Maria sounded hopeful that she would recover.
Eric had been with her through all of it, and he seemed to be in awe of Maria. A few times throughout the day, Luke caught Simone giving her jealous glances, and he grinned knowingly at her. Simone just blushed and pretended not to see him.
“Luke, come over here.”
He reluctantly pulled himself away from the railing and went over to Caelan.
“Don’t look so disappointed,” Caelan said. “You can daydream about her later.”
“Very funny.”
Caelan smirked. “I need to talk to you.”
“What’s up?”
Caelan led the way upstairs.
“We can talk freely here,” Caelan said after he shut the door. “Drink?”
“No, thanks.” Luke took a seat on a heavy, ornate chair beside the window. “Who do you think would eavesdrop on our conversation?”
Caelan shrugged and sat on the couch across from him. “No idea, but it’s better to be prepared.”
“Is this about Seth?” Luke asked.
“Right the first time,” Caelan said. “I think we should do it.”
“Then we will.”
“The problem is that we don’t have the men to spare. Morgan’s men attacked Maria and her group on their way here. David thinks they lost them, but it’s possible they followed them to this area. We have to be ready for an attack on the factory.”
“I’m guessing you have a solution,” Luke said.
Caelan nodded. “We send Jackson. He can go alone - he doesn’t care, I already asked him - and he can take care of himself. We can afford to spare one man.”
“We can afford to spare a few,” Luke said. “Even two or three would make more sense.”
“A bigger group is more likely to attract attention. Either we send one, maybe two at the most, or else we send a group big enough to fight off Morgan’s men. The boy’s last known location is dangerously close to Morgan’s territory.”
Luke thought about it for a moment. “I should be the one to go.”
“No,” Caelan said firmly. “I don’t like the idea of you out there by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine. Besides, Jackson isn’t the most... diplomatic person. This is a kid we’re talking about, isn’t it? He might scare Seth off, and then we’ll be screwed.”
“Jackson won’t let a kid get the slip on him.”
“You underestimate how resourceful children can be.”
“The boy is a teenager, I think,” Caelan said. “But I know what you mean.”
“So you agree I should go?”
“Not alone,” Caelan said quickly. “Bring Simone or Myles or Tom.”
“If Seth has been surviving by himself, he could be injured or he could be out of food or water. I think we need someone with medical knowledge.”
Caelan raised an eyebrow. “You don’t mean Eric.”
“No, I don’t,” Luke said. “Naomi can handle any injuries he might have, and she knows Audrey and Stanley better than any of our people. If the kid doesn’t trust us, she can convince him that we’re genuine.”
“It sounds a lot like you’re trying to twist the situation so that you can spend time alone with her.”
“Never,” Luke gasped, feigning insult.
Caelan shook his head. “Fine, you can ask her, but if she says yes, you can’t let her distract you on the road.”
“I won’t.”
***
As it turned out, Naomi volunteered to go as soon as Luke mentioned it. He didn’t even have to ask.
He walked down the hallway, chugging coffee to kickstart his system - it was before dawn, an insane time for anyone to be awake. He was on his way to the infirmary to meet Naomi as they agreed yesterday.
Luke and Naomi would travel together to find the kid. It was early, before sunrise, and the factory was quiet. Most people were still asleep and wouldn’t be up for hours.
A large room at the back of the factory had been designated for medical use. They found beds and a desk for Maria to transform the room into a mini-hospital. She had given them a list of essential medical supplies, and Caelan organised copies of the list to be distributed to the other members of the group. Scouting and supply runs were now going to include trips to locations that potentially held medicine and equipment.
“I have to go!”
Luke slowed down as he neared the door and heard Naomi’s voice.
“They’re getting Seth for us, Mom. They don’t have to do it. Sure, they want us to be here, but it’s not like we have much to offer. Apart from you, and Stanley’s supposedly vital information, we’re not bringing anything to the table.”
“Apart from me? I’m a doctor, Naomi. A surgeon. Do you understand how valuable that is? Do you realise how few of us are left?”
Naomi sighed, and Luke stopped at the door. He was torn between feeling guilty about eavesdropping and wanting to avoid walking into the middle of this argument. He hated being in the middle of other people’s family drama.
“Your father is an architect,” Maria said. “You have medical training and practical, hands-on experience.”
“You showed me what to do in the middle of an apocalypse,” Naomi said. “I don’t think that counts as a formal e
ducation in medicine.”
“You’ve taken to it quickly, and you’re good in a crisis. That’s more than a lot of people can claim. And,” she added quickly, before her daughter could protest. “There are several more of us with various skills. They need us.”
Luke couldn’t see her face, but it sounded like Maria was trying to convince herself as much as Naomi. She didn’t want to admit that her daughter was right. They needed this place.
“I’m going, Mom. Someone has to. And besides, it’s Luke. We survived those tunnels together. I trust him, and I don’t want him to go out there alone for one of our people. It’s not fair.”
“The world isn’t fair.”
Naomi sighed. “Okay, look at it this way. We need this place. What do you think will happen if he dies out there? Caelan is his friend, he won’t just accept it. We could be kicked out of here. All of us.” There was a moment of quiet, and when she spoke again, it was so low that Luke almost couldn’t hear it. “If something happens to him out there because of us, and I’m not there to help him, I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” Maria said.
“I promise.”
Luke decided that he had listened far too long, and he took a breath before walking into the room. “Ready to go?”
Naomi and Maria froze. Both of them looked like deer caught in headlights, wondering how much he had heard.
That’s why you always close the door, he thought, thinking of Caelan’s actions yesterday.
“Yeah,” Naomi finally said. “Ready.”
“Great. See you later, Doc. We’ll be back in no time, don’t worry.”
Maria smiled weakly, and she hugged her daughter tightly. “Come back to me.”
“I will,” Naomi whispered.
Luke averted his gaze until they broke apart, and Naomi gave him a bright smile.
It almost convinced him.
***
Chapter 12 - Birdsong
Luke and Naomi left the factory together.
It was early, just before dawn. The sky was dark. As they walked, it started to grow brighter, the beginning of a sunrise over the horizon. Normally, Luke would have waited for daylight before leaving, but Naomi asked if they could leave early. At first, he thought she was just eager to get on the road. The sooner they left, the sooner they would be home. That kind of thing.
One glance at her face had him rethinking his assumption.
She looked guilty, and it didn’t take him long to figure out why. She had told her family and friends that she was leaving, and as far as Luke knew, they had agreed and understood her decision. It was for the good of the group. But she wasn’t giving them a chance to stop her. Apart from Maria, they were still asleep, probably expecting to see her off and wave her goodbye, and maybe try again to make her stay.
More than that, Luke realised. She wasn’t giving herself a chance to back out - because she was worried she would. A tearful goodbye, a last-minute plea for her to stay behind and let someone else go, anything that could convince her to change her mind.
Luke knew he was guessing, and he could have been wrong, but he could see the answers on her face, and his instincts told him that he was right.
“We’ll take the path ahead,” he said, breaking the silence.
Naomi spotted the dirt road leading into the trees, and she nodded.
“We have some extra vehicles hidden,” he explained. “It’s just a safety precaution. We don't want to have them all by the compound in case we get overrun and we need to relocate.”
“I understand,” she said. “Caelan told me that there would be vehicles nearby.” She gave him a small, amused smile.
He felt himself smiling back. “What’s funny?” he asked.
She shrugged, still smiling. “Did you think I was just following you blindly without knowing where we were going?”
He laughed and ran a hand across the back of his head, rubbing his hair. “I guess I didn't think about it.”
The path to the cars was quiet. It was basically just a dirt road through some trees. Luke was reminded of how much he enjoyed the early mornings, the time when the rest of the world was still sleeping. He wasn’t usually a morning person - or he hadn’t been, back before the world ended. These days, he had come to enjoy the quiet and the tranquillity.
“It’s been too long since I’ve been out here,” he said, mostly to himself.
She glanced at him. “You don’t mean the forest.”
“No, I don’t. I mean outside of the compound.”
Away from the activity and the responsibility and the constant presence of a dozen things that needed his attention. It was peaceful out here. It felt like a different world. He breathed in the scent of morning dew and glanced at the light mist that clung to the trees. Birdsong passed overhead and damp grass crunched beneath their feet.
He always found it strange that birds stayed in the forest. In the darkness, the mutants thrived, and dense, dark forests were one of the first places that humans learned to avoid. But birds didn’t. Maybe they were too high up to be in danger from the monsters that prowled beneath them, or maybe they had some other way to avoid danger. Luke didn’t know. He just knew he was glad that they were still here.
“If I had to pick anywhere to be stuck in for the rest of my life, I’d choose this.” He lifted his gaze higher, to the faint stars still twinkling in the sky. They would be gone soon, blocked out by the rising sun.
“You know,” Naomi said. “Most people would gladly never step foot outside again if they had somewhere safe to stay. With the way the world is, every step outside is a risk. There’s danger everywhere.”
“What’s your point?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe you’re crazy,” she said, but her lips curved up into a smile.
“Or I love danger,” he said.
“Or you’re an adrenaline junkie.”
He grinned. “The adrenaline that comes from long, quiet walks in the woods?”
Naomi laughed. “These days, yes. Look,” she added, pointing ahead. “We’re here.”
The cars were hidden beneath coverings of leaves, branches and brush. It wouldn’t keep them hidden if anyone walked along this particular path, but it concealed them from anyone on the larger road beyond the trees.
“This one,” Luke said, leading her to an SUV. “We might need it if the roads are blocked.”
Naomi slipped into the passenger side and Luke started the engine. It roared to life, disrupting the calm quiet of the forest and scaring off the wildlife.
“It’s almost a week to Seth’s last location,” Naomi said, pulling out a map and unfolding it across the dash.
Luke had already seen the route they planned to take, but he didn’t interrupt her as she walked him through it. Another pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt. She ran through the plan, the backup routes if they had to take any detours, and the rendezvous point if they got separated.
“And then we’ll find him and make the return trip,” she finished.
“If we’re lucky,” Luke said.
“If we’re lucky,” she agreed.
***
Chapter 13 - Seth
The house was in an area that used to be the suburbs of a town, but now it resembled something closer to a wasteland. Empty houses, abandoned cars and an eerie silence that pressed on their eardrums.
They were also dangerously close to Morgan’s territory. With the way that he liked to expand his territories suddenly and without explanation or provocation, Luke was convinced they were going to run into his men sooner or later.
“Number 17,” Naomi said, pointing ahead.
Luke parked outside the house, and they both peered through the window at the large two-storey building.
“It’s quiet,” she said. “Is that good or bad?”
“I have no idea, but we’re going in, anyway.”
They checked the windows first, peering into the house, and then they moved to th
e garage attached to it. The narrow window on the side of the garage showed them a dusty room with a single car parked inside.
And two wolf-sized mutants prowling around it.
Luke nodded to Naomi and went to the door. She raised her gun and he drew his blade.
“I’ll go first,” he told her. “Cover me. We’ll try to do this as quietly as possible if we can.”
She nodded, and he pulled the garage door open.
The mutants spun around at the noise. The closest one lunged at Luke, but he was ready for it, and his blade took its head. The second one came around the car and went for Naomi, but Luke met it halfway and stabbed it in the chest. The creature spasmed weakly and went limp.
Luke glanced at Naomi and moved to the car. The mutants were clearly interested in something inside it, and there was only one reason they would be so focused on a locked car. There was someone or something alive inside it.
The kid sat in the backseat, covered in blood and holding his knees against his chest. At first, Luke thought he was asleep, but he stepped closer and realised the kid was staring at the back of the headrest in front of him.
“He must have locked himself in there to get away from the mutants,” Luke whispered. He scanned the rest of the car. Empty.
“Is he okay?” Naomi asked.
Luke was tempted to say something sarcastic - the kid obviously wasn’t okay - but he knew what she meant. Being covered in blood was pretty normal for the apocalypse. Sitting motionless in an empty car without bothering to clean off the blood? That was a different story.
Luke checked his holster before tapping gently on the glass.
The kid jolted and looked around wildly, flicking from Luke to Naomi to the empty garage around them. Luke decided he looked about fourteen, but he couldn’t be sure. He took a quick look through the window - the kid had no weapons - and then he opened the door.
