by Mary Ting
Our perseverance and determination were just the beginning. Scientists had discovered a unique compound from the meteors, and a new world emerged. What destroyed us had also given us the ability to build flying cars and medicines to heal almost all diseases. Technology advanced faster than we’d ever imagined.
Unfortunately, the destruction would not clear itself.
The lonely road gave no mercy. Broken cement, smashed cars, fallen streetlamps, and chunks of collapsed buildings stood in our way.
This being the closest road to Zen’s hideout, we had managed to clear most of the debris during previous travels, but sometimes things got blown around and moved during storms. Sometimes, drifters stood in our way.
“Watch out!” Reyna pointed at something out the window.
A man wrapped in a dirty cloth leaped in front of the truck. I lurched into Ozzie when Cleo jerked the wheel and slammed on the brakes.
“Shit.” Cleo socked the dashboard, panting. “I almost crashed the truck.”
The front of the truck was mere inches from hitting a wrecked vehicle. When Cleo honked, the drifter didn’t move. He swayed like a drunk.
She shoved the truck into reverse and punched the gas. Dust rose from under the skidding tires.
As the drifter staggered forward, another came stumbling, face shrouded in a similar worn cloth. Cleo got out of the car before I could stop her, Taser at her side.
“Move out of the way.” She raised her arm and aimed.
Ignoring her, the drifters grumbled nonsense words and paced idly.
I sighed through my nose and shut my eyes. She could have asked me to take care of the situation, but she was still pissed at me. When I’d helped Cleo load the truck earlier, she’d told me which crates to pack but avoided eye contact.
Perhaps she was hurt I hadn’t given her the full attention she wanted. Maybe she’d accepted my heart belonged to Ava only.
A visceral warning coiled and pinpricked along my arm. Something felt wrong. Something ... something. But what? They were merely drifters, but the drifters I had encountered many times before didn’t ...
I rushed out of the car, Ozzie and Reyna hot on my heels.
Cleo shoved the first drifter back toward the debris. He stumbled but kept coming toward her. When she shoved the second, he swung her around into a choke hold and put a gun to her head.
“Rhett,” Reyna gasped.
“Don’t move.” The first drifter pointed a gun at us.
I halted with my hands in the air, saying every curse word under my breath. I should have known they were more than drifters. Their jeans looked too clean.
Where the hell was my mind? Not here, for sure.
My pulse raced, but I remained outwardly calm. Fear was a useless emotion, one that would only get in the way. Managing it was a useful tool I’d learned in ISAN.
“We have food and water in the truck.” I calculated the steps between us. How fast could I run and punch the assholes in their throats before they shot Cleo or hurt one of us?
Hopefully, they would take my offer and leave.
They didn’t respond. I tried again.
“We’re just passing through. We’re not here to hurt you. Let her go and you can take the crates. You can take all of it.”
Silence.
Take the offer, damn it.
Feet shuffled. People popped out of the shadows from the crumbled building, guns pointing at us.
What the hell?
The one in the middle unwound the cloth over his head, revealing his eyes. “Bring them in.”
One of the men snatched my Taser and smacked my back with it. I jerked forward and growled.
I imagined swiping my leg, knocking the guy behind me to his knees, and taking his gun and my Taser back. Then I would shoot the nearest man, grab his gun, and toss it to Ozzie. Though I hadn’t been handcuffed, five more men escorted me into a fallen building. Too many men. Too many risks.
My pessimism created a bunch of mental scenarios. I wouldn’t make it out alive or ever see Ava again. She’d never find out what had happened to me and think I had abandoned her. Worse, we all died.
Stop. Focus. Think of a plan.
Though it seemed impossible with that many men, I had been trained by the best. Ozzie and Reyna had too.
The first drifter held Cleo next to the man I assumed was the leader. He uncoiled the rest of the cloth to reveal dark curls and a young, clean-shaven face. He seemed to be about my age.
His jaw clenched as he pressed his lips tightly. Not a drifter. Only dressed like one. Why?
Broad shoulders, muscular build. No uniform, at least not one I recognized. It was hard to tell with him wrapped like a mummy. When a hint of something black showed underneath the fabric, I sucked in a breath.
If they were ISAN, they would have already made themselves known. Right? Organizing in small groups was one way people survived out here. Who knew how many networks there were.
“I have food and water in the truck.” I gestured behind me, stalling so I could count their weapons.
Not all held guns. Some had Tasers tucked into their waistbands. If I could get close enough to the leader, I could bring him down and take control of the situation.
As soon as I took action, Ozzie and Reyna would follow suit. With my hands free, nothing would get in my way. Stupid of them not to tie my wrists.
I inched closer. More guns cocked from behind piles of debris. Cleo released a harsh grunt when her captor dug the gun harder into her temple. A warning meant for me.
I swallowed. Glancing over my shoulder, I winked to give Ozzie and Reyna a heads-up.
Ozzie shook his head, as if to say don’t do it. Reyna blanched but gave a curt nod.
“We don’t want your food.” The leader removed the rest of the dirt-caked fabric to reveal a black uniform underneath.
Not any black uniform. ISAN.
The stakes were higher now, and I would definitely need to shoot to kill.
Reyna hissed.
Ozzie swore.
Cleo shifted and yanked, but the man held her firm.
“Then what do you want?” I marked the position of each man. I needed a distraction so I could grab the unwrapped fabric the guy had dropped to the ground. “Like I said before, we don’t want any trouble. We’re just passing through.”
The leader began to pace around me.
Good. Easier to strike.
He stopped in front of me but kept his distance. “Who are you taking the crates to?”
Don’t show fear, Sniper. Keep calm. And don’t look at the fabric. You’ll give away your ruse.
I rolled back my shoulders and slowly met him face-to-face. “It’s none of your business, but since you’ve put my friends and me in a tight spot, I have no choice but to tell you. It’s for the drifters. Have you heard of them? You certainly dress and look like them.”
The leader glared. I thought for a second he was going to punch me, but he continued with a barrage of questions.
“Are you aware of any rebel group? Is the name Zen familiar to you?”
I stiffened. He was surely trained to read my physical response. Had Ava told ISAN about Zen?
She didn’t know what role he played, but she knew his name. I didn’t want to believe she had double-crossed us, but I had to face the fact she might have.
“Nope. Like I said before, we’re just passing through to the drifters. I said it like two times. Do you need to clean your ears?”
Something hard hit the back of my leg. I grunted and slammed down to one knee. I supposed I deserved that. No doubt I would get an earful from Reyna if we made it out alive.
The leader gripped my shirt and jabbed a gun to my forehead. “You’re lying. Tell me before I blow your brains out.”
“Rhett,” Reyna whimpered.
The leader darted a venomous glare at her.
“He’s telling the truth.” Cleo let out a soft yelp when her captor squeezed her arm. “Don’t hurt him.”<
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Ava’s beautiful face and her killer smile flashed before me. Thinking of Ava, I made eye contact, one way to indicate when someone wasn’t hiding something. With my shoulders slumped, I grinned.
He presented a perfect opportunity.
Thanks, prick.
Down on the ground like a submissive dog, I winked at my team again. Ozzie nodded with fierce determination while Reyna’s chest rose and fell rapidly.
They knew we had no choice. It would be either ISAN or us, and Hell would freeze before I let anything happen to my friends.
“You know, smartass, yes, that’s me.”
I dropped farther to the ground, rolled, and picked up two fabric shrouds. Then I tossed them upward. Like idiots, their eyes followed as if they had been hypnotized.
After knocking a man down with a swipe of my leg, I stole his gun and pointed the weapon at the leader’s back. At the same time, Cleo jammed her head back and flipped her captor over. Ozzie and Reyna elbowed their captors in the gut, whirled, and seized their guns.
Good work.
It went exactly as I had planned it.
“Tell your men to put their guns down,” I said through gritted teeth.
When the leader didn’t respond, I rapped the weapon on the back of his skull. His head jerked forward.
“Don’t forget to raise your hands.” I mimicked his cruel tone.
His head bobbed forward a bit, his fists hardened. Then he lifted his hands in the air.
“Put your guns down. That’s an order.” Indignation and frustration roughened his voice.
“Careful.” I narrowed my eyes. “Slowly.”
The weapons thumped on the ground.
“Now, where were we? Oh, yeah. You asked if we knew Zen. I have no idea who you’re talking about. Since no harm was done, I’m going to let you and your men live. I’m going to let you walk out of here as long as I don’t see your ugly faces again. Do we have a deal?”
“You’re Rhett?” The leader craned his neck toward me. “She called you Rhett.”
Reyna had forgotten to never say our names in the presence of enemies.
“Nah-uh-uh.” I moved the gun higher against his skull and gave a little shove. “What do you want with Rhett?”
“I was told he would know Zen.”
“Who told you?” When he didn’t answer, I pressed the gun harder into his flesh and cocked it. “Which ISAN facility are you from?”
“We’re not ISAN agents.”
“Liar.” Reyna pointed at him, glaring. “You’re wearing an ISAN guard uniform.”
I stepped in front of him, dragging the gun to a point between his eyes. His mouth widened into a grin, looking too happy for a hostage. What did he have up his sleeve? More guards? Instinct tore at me to get the hell out.
“My name is Frank. I was originally at ISAN’s northern facility. I deserted a while back.”
The hair on my arms rose, but I listened.
“I’m not here to bring you in. I’m here to join forces with Zen. Zen told me to find him. He only told me he was located in the Abandoned City in the East. That’s a lot of ground to cover in one week.” He crinkled his green eyes at the corners, still looking too damn happy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sniper. I’ve heard so much about you. Your reputation precedes you.”
Join forces? Pleasure to meet me? Sniper?
He extended his hand, but I didn’t take it.
Cleo lowered her gun.
No, Cleo. Don’t trust him.
“Frank? My father has mentioned your name before.”
His eyes lit up. “Then you must be Cleo. I see the resemblance.”
Cleo tossed me an everything-is-fine look. That’s all it took? She believed him since he knew her name? I needed to have a talk with her.
Frank shifted his outstretched arm to her. Ozzie, Reyna, and I exchanged glances, and we slowly backed away, though I had the gun ready.
The rest of his team, mostly males, picked up their weapons cautiously, keeping an eye on us, especially me. Then they peeled off the dirty fabric around their torsos. No one else besides the leader wore an ISAN uniform.
“We ran into a group of ISAN guards yesterday, and they were out of uniform. We thought you were with them. I needed to know if they had captured Zen. We were being careful. Sorry.” Frank scratched his forehead, his apology sounded genuine.
“Do we look like ISAN guards to you?” Ozzie rubbed the back of his neck and scoffed.
“Let me reiterate. The ISAN guards wore street clothes.” Frank pressed his eyebrows together. “We didn’t recognize them. A few of my men died.”
“I’m sorry.” I eased my grip on the weapon and lowered it.
It sucked to see people you cared about die in front of you. The faces of those I had left behind the day of the escape haunted me still. I would never get over that loss.
He nodded, his lips paper thin. “They were good men.”
I crossed my arms and spread my feet farther apart. “How did you get here?”
Frank dusted off his uniform. “ISAN found our rebel base. Our team had to split up. Some are still in the North hiding. Some have escaped to the West. I knew Zen personally, and knowing he would take us in, I decided it was best for my team to come here. It wasn’t an easy journey. I’ve lost men and women along the way. The drifters, you call them, actually took us in for a couple of days and directed us this way. And like I said earlier, we ran into ISAN guards yesterday. I assume they’re looking for Zen.”
As I weighed his words, I scanned his men. I hadn’t picked up any signs of nervousness from them. In fact, they all stood at ease. Some even sat, a sign Frank was telling the truth. Still, I knew better than to take his word easily. Throwing a couple of names around didn’t mean crap.
“Everyone is looking for Zen.” I heard a creak and flashed a glance behind me in search of anything unusual.
Giving his attention to Cleo, Frank grinned. “Will you take me to see your father?”
“Of course.” She met my vexed stare and turned back to Frank. “We were headed there until you stopped us.”
I scowled.
She was too trusting. But that was Cleo. She only saw the best in people. Not everyone is bad, Rhett, she had said. You just have to give people a chance.
Fine. I’ll trust your instincts this time, seeing I have no choice.
“We can’t all fit in the truck. We can only take two, at most we can squeeze a couple more.” I headed to the vehicle and stopped. “They won’t be comfortable.”
Ozzie stepped over wooden beams and kicked some broken cement off to the side to stand beside me. “Your team wouldn’t have to wait long. It takes about thirty minutes to get to Zen’s location. If we send a few trucks back, they can bring everyone in one trip. Meanwhile, if they’re hungry or thirsty, we have food and water to offer.”
I raised my eyebrows. Leave it to Oz to give them details.
“What?” His eyes rounded, innocent.
I chuckled. “Thanks for the info, Einstein.”
He flipped me a vulgar gesture, flashed a dorky grin, and headed toward the truck with Cleo and Reyna to get the supplies.
Frank grinned at the good-humored exchange and picked up the fabric he’d dropped. “Thank you for the offer. My team could use some food and water. If possible, I would like to take Hansh, Miguel, and Owen in first.”
Three men stepped closer when Frank said their names.
“I’ll leave the rest behind for now. I hate to separate the team, but it seems like we have no choice.”
I glanced around the damaged structure. “They should be fine as long as they stay hidden. They’ll have weapons, food, water, and”—I extended my arms—“a lovely home.”
Frank nodded with a light throaty sound but showed his reluctance by tightening his mouth. After he held a brief meeting with his team, we headed to Zen’s.
Rhett
The axles grated and squeaked. Occasionally, the truck teetered like
a seesaw. When we went over unavoidable potholes, the crates scraped and thumped.
“The destruction is worse over here than in the North.” Frank gripped the back of my headrest when the truck took a violent dip. “I suppose you kind of get used to the view after seeing it so many times.”
“I suppose.” Reyna gave a quick glance to Frank then looked out the window.
Reyna avoided physical contact by holding her spine straight. However, to the right of her, Cleo slouched with ease as she too gazed out the window.
I wondered what Cleo was thinking and if she was still mad at me. If she was, she showed no sign of it.
“I wouldn’t know. I can’t see a thing,” one of Frank’s men griped from the back.
Frank’s three men had no choice but to lie between the opening of the trunk and the back seat.
“Just be grateful I picked you three.” Frank laughed, light and jovial. Then he looked at the rearview mirror to meet my gaze. “We’re lucky we ran into you. I would have never thought to take this wretched road.”
“Nope, you wouldn’t. It’s why Zen built his home past the destruction.” I relaxed my tight grip on the steering wheel when the road became smoother.
It wouldn’t be much longer before we would see ruins again. For now, I soaked in the peace of being the only vehicle on the desert-dry road. Aside from the plume of dust behind us, nothing but thick, pink and violet clouds stretched for miles.
Occasionally, I spotted a shrub or tree taking root, sprouting from crevices and under piles of damaged structures. It was a reminder that no matter the disaster, no matter how hard life shoved a person down, persistence and preservation would win.
Ozzie angled his body sideways from the front passenger seat. “Hey, Frank. Why do you have an ISAN guard’s uniform and your men don’t?”
Ozzie caught me gawking at him and shrugged. Though I had wondered the same thing, I was amused by Ozzie’s delayed question.
Frank cleared his throat, the leather underneath him making a farting sound when he shifted. He stiffened his shoulders and then relaxed.
