I shook the thoughts from my head and followed the four of them outside. The rain instantly soaked them, and myself too.
I watched them until I couldn’t see them any longer. Weston from next door was walking over toward me.
Weston was tall with shoulders as broad as his smile. I remembered his name because he managed the other house. I’d talked to him several times, at least once a day.
“Hey,” I said with a small wave.
“What’s that all about?” Weston asked.
I told Weston everything I knew. His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t invite any of us to participate?”
“I will,” I said. “I just wanted to see how this goes first. Everyone in the main house has been here for a long time.”
“I guess it’s fair,” Weston said. “Just don’t forget about us and leave us here.”
I shook my head. “Never.”
“What do we do now?” Weston asked.
“Nothing. Wait, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “Go back to normal. It sounds like the transfer is going to be a time-consuming process if they’re only going to take two of us at a time.”
“Breakfast ready?” Weston asked.
I smiled. “Should be soon.”
“I’ll let the others know,” he said with a nod.
Things were back to normal before the end of the day. The others whispered about Becki and Winter. Some were jealous. Some just wondering how far they’d gotten.
Everyone wondered the same thing, including me… when Henry and Clara would be back.
It was three days later when we had more visitors. Gage introduced me to Miles, Ollie, and Iris, survivors that found us from the south. They quickly informed us that there wasn’t much left. Buildings were collapsing from the rain, the ground was so saturated it was hard to walk, and food and water were scarce.
They still couldn’t believe they’d found the houses and with actual people inside. If there are any other survivors to the south, they’ll come this way because it’s the only real safe route. But they didn’t think it was possible that anyone else besides them could still be out there… at least not from the south.
The group couldn’t remember the last time they’d seen anyone else. I didn’t hold back the information about the base we were told about. I told the new group everything.
“Wow,” Ollie said. His dirt-coated blonde curls bobbing as he spoke. “That would be great.”
“Hope it’s real,” Iris said tucking her straight hair behind her ears.
“We do too,” I said. “In the meantime, you’re more than welcome to stay here.”
Miles pressed his fingertips together. “This is all yours?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Thank you,” Iris said taking my hands into hers. She squeezed and shook as she stared into my eyes. “Thank you for saving us.”
“We all save each other,” I said.
Gage offered them some water and snack bars. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying. That is if you want to stay.”
“Hell yes, we do,” Ollie said.
It was pitch black outside when I finally made my way up the stairs to my room. Shawn was at the window peeling off his shirt.
“Maybe we should just stay here,” Shawn said.
“What?” I asked my mouth hanging open as I stared at him.
He half-shrugged before climbing into the bed. “The only thing we don’t have that they do is an army.”
“I think you’re forgetting how important that might be. Remember Jake Quinn telling us about the people who overtook the town to the north?” I said. “Not to mention, I don’t know if I can do this forever.”
“Stevie,” Shawn said sharply. “You don’t have to do this alone. You’re not doing this alone. Gage helps. I help. We’re all here. Like you said to those who just came today, we save each other.”
I waved my hand in the air. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
Shawn rolled his eyes and I pretended not to notice. He leaned back and watched me as I walked around to the other side of the room.
I kept my back to him as I shimmied out of my wet clothes. There wasn’t anything better than the feeling of clean, dry clothes against my skin. At least for now. I could think of a hundred things that would be better but some of those weren’t possible… like a hot shower. Or sunlight.
I wiggled into a t-shirt and slipped into bed. Shawn leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“I’d do anything for you,” he whispered. “Anything.”
I shifted my legs around, trying to find a comfortable position for them. His words warmed my insides but they made my skin itch. I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to be comfortable with his feelings toward me.
Of course, I cared about him immensely. I just wasn’t anywhere near as good at saying it or even showing it.
“I love you, Stevie,” Shawn said. “I really do.”
It felt like my mouth was full of the richest chocolate pudding. I knew what I should say but I couldn’t make my mouth form the words.
“Jesus, Stevie,” Shawn said pushing himself out of bed. “I don’t know what to say to you anymore.”
My lips felt sticky but I forced them apart. “Shawn, wait.”
“What? What can you say that’s going to change how things are?” Shawn asked. “Are you embarrassed of me?”
“Of course not,” I groaned.
Shawn crossed his arms over his muscular chest. “Then what is it? I put my heart on the line with you constantly and I all I get back is a busy signal.”
“I can’t let my guard down,” I said. “Those people out there depend on me to keep them safe. Whenever I’m with you, I feel like I’m failing them and that’s not good for any of us.”
“Are you kidding me?” Shawn said. “You make it sound like everyone else is more important than me.”
I rested my palms down on the blanket. “That’s not what I’m saying at all but I do have to think of them too.”
“Seems like that’s all you really think about,” Shawn said. “Why can’t you just be okay with me? No one cares that we’re together. We’re all working toward the same goal here. You’re allowed to be a person too and not just a leader.”
“I know that,” I said. “But with everything going on, I just have to be at the top of my game.”
“Is there a time you won’t have to be at the top of your game? What’s it going to take to get you to open up to me? To be with me like… like a normal person,” Shawn said.
My jaw stiffened. “So, I’m not a normal person?”
It angered me but he wasn’t wrong. I’d never been like all the other girls my age and surely that wasn’t going to change any time soon. Especially now that I had so many people to look out for.
“Maybe this was a mistake,” Shawn said grabbing his shirt.
“What was a mistake?”
“All of it. Thinking that this could be something great,” Shawn said pointing at the space between us. “You know what? I need to go.”
My spine straightened. “Go? Go where?”
“I feel like keeping watch,” Shawn said slamming the door closed behind him.
“Shawn,” I said. “Wait.”
I started to get up but I stopped before my feet even touched the ground. I didn’t like that he’d left angry but I needed a break. Fighting with Shawn was not at the top of my to-do list.
Was he right about me? I cared about him so much but was I putting the others ahead of him?
It didn’t matter. He was gone. And I wasn’t going after him.
16
Joss
I looked through the peephole. There was a young woman on the other side of the door.
Robby waved me away from the door. The bedsprings squeaked as I sat down and held absolutely still.
He didn’t open the door until there was nothing in the room but silence.
“Good morning,” the young woman said.
“
Good morning,” Robby said. There was a short pause. “Can I help you with something?”
“I’m here for Joss,” she said her voice squeaking slightly. “Rex would like to see her.”
Robby cleared his throat. “Do you know what this is about?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I have no idea. My job is to bring her to him.”
“Okay,” Robby said. “I’ll get her.”
“Thanks,” she said plainly. She had no idea what the meeting was about but I did.
Robby took my hand and looked into my eyes. “Ready?”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked. I shook my head, answering my own question. “You’re coming with me, right?”
“Of course I am,” Robby replied. “Won’t leave your side. Not even for a second.”
My head bobbed. I bit down on my cheek to feel the pain and to stop myself from letting a single tear roll down my cheek. I didn’t want Robby to see how worried… and scared I was.
The walk to Rex’s building seemed to take forever. The rain soaking my clothing was exceptionally torturous.
Rex was sitting down behind a desk when we arrived. There were notebooks and papers strewn all over the top of the desk. He looked busy. It felt like we were interrupting.
“Hey there, you two,” Rex said smiling. He stretched out his hand to shake. I took it, hoping he didn’t notice how sweaty my palm was. “Please, have a seat.”
“I prefer to stand,” Robby said.
“Whatever you like,” Rex said gesturing toward the chair across from him. “Joss, will you take a seat?”
My mouth dried and my lips felt numb. It felt awkward to form words. “Sure. I guess.”
“Good. Go on, get comfortable,” Rex said steepling his fingers. “I called you here so I could hear your side of the story.”
“What did he tell you?” I asked. There was no point in playing dumb or beating around the bush.
We both knew what we were talking about.
“It doesn’t matter. I just want to see if the stories line up,” Rex said. “You gave him quite a shiner.”
“I didn’t mean to. At least not exactly,” I said twisting my fingers together. “I just reacted.”
Rex nodded, waiting for me to continue. So, I did. I told him everything that had happened.
“I see,” Rex said. “What were you doing wandering around on your own again? I thought you preferred to stay inside, helping your friend.”
“I did… I do but Robby wasn’t feeling well and I was going to tell you. I also wanted to find him some medicine,” I explained.
Rex leaned forward. “It’s just that it’s not really safe for anyone to wander around on their own. That’s what Ashton said he was trying to tell you.”
“But that’s not true,” I said. “He dragged me into an alley.”
Rex held up his hand. “We caught someone wandering around. They’ve been questioned and it’s not safe for anyone to wander around without a guard.”
“So, you’re just going to let him get away with what he did to me?” I asked.
Robby placed his hand on my shoulder. “There has to be something you can do.”
“And maybe one day I can but we’re being spied on,” Rex said. “We need all the soldiers we can get and Ashton is one of my best men.”
I tried to swallow but the lump in the back of my throat felt stuck. “He could be doing the same to others.”
“Come with me,” Rex said as he got to his feet.
“Where are we going?” Robby asked.
“I want to show you something,” Rex said.
Robby held my hand as we left the building and walked down the street. The rain felt cold. I welcomed it because I’d felt so hot sitting there with Rex staring at me as I had told him what happened. His expression had been unreadable.
Rex gestured at the man in front of the building. He took out his set of keys and opened the gate in front of the door. It looked as though it was an addition that had been added to the house sometime after The Reset.
“Follow me,” Rex said stepping inside.
The house smelled musty. It reminded me of how my grandparent’s house used to smell — mold and mildew with a hint of frankincense and burned hamburger meat. My stomach twisted as I unintentionally inhaled the scent.
Rex led us down a short hallway in the home that had been gutted and rebuilt into something that resembled more of a prison. All of the doors were closed and numbered. If there was anyone inside the rooms, they were silent.
He took out his own set of keys from his pocket and opened the door. Rex glanced at us over his shoulder. “Stay back.”
Robby took a step forward, blocking me from whatever was inside the room. My body shook as the door was closed behind me.
I was squeezing Robby’s hand so hard I couldn’t feel my fingertips.
The room was empty except for a small cot, a chair, and a bucket. An off-white paint sloppily coated the walls.
There was a thin man with his hands tied together, sitting on the chair. He kept his head down even when Robby started to talk.
“Here’s the spy I was telling you about,” Rex said.
A small scab at the corner of his mouth cracked with his slight grin at the word. There were black and blue spots all over his skin. It felt as though I was looking at a man who was already dead. A broken man who no longer had a single care in the already devastating world.
“You’re probably wondering why I’ve brought you here,” Rex said.
He was right. I was.
“This is what happens to people we can’t trust. People who aren’t with us,” Rex explained. “Those of us in town must work together because if we don’t, we’ll fall. We’ll all fall down. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes,” I said.
I got his message loud and clear. If I didn’t forget what Ashton had done, I’d end up in the room.
“Okay,” Rex said opening the door.
In the hallway, Rex locked the door and checked it before he turned to me. He pushed his shoulders back and locked eyes with me.
“Think of everyone in the town as your family. We protect each other. We keep each other safe.” Rex placed his hand on my shoulder. I held still so I didn’t flinch at his touch. “I’m sorry about what happened. I had a talk with him and it won’t happen again.”
“To just me or anyone?” I asked sharply as tears stung my eyes.
Rex blinked several times. It seemed he hadn’t liked the question and was searching for a way to answer it that would satisfy me.
“We have your word?” Robby asked breaking the tension.
“You have my word,” Rex said with a bob of his head. “If he crosses any line with you, let me know immediately. I’ll handle it. But in return, I need to know you’re on our side here. We’re a team… rather more like family. Everyone here is like your brother or sister. We work together and you would do anything for your brothers and sisters, right?”
“Yes, of course,” I said replying with what I knew he wanted to hear. But for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself. “As long as I’m safe. I shouldn’t have to worry about what will happen to me, my brothers, or sisters as we walk down the streets of our town.”
Rex nodded with each word. “Exactly. I’m glad we see eye to eye.” He reached out for Robby’s hand and shook it. “You two can head back on home. I’ll see you later this morning, right, Robby?”
“Indeed,” Robby said.
“Have a great day,” Rex said giving me a little wave.
“Thank you,” I replied. “You too.”
Robby didn’t talk until we were back inside the hotel and even then, he kept his voice down. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said swallowing down the hard lump that had formed at the back of my throat. “Pledging my loyalty to a stranger is very awkward, though. I’m afraid I did the wrong thing.”
“You did what you had to do,” Robby said. “I would have done the s
ame if he would have asked.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Jenna needs this place. Maybe once the baby is born, we can figure out something else.”
“Shh!” Robby said tapping his finger to his lip.
“Right,” I said with a sigh.
Once we reached our floor, Caleb popped out of his room. He ran his fingers through his hair. His skin was pale and his shoulders rounded.
“Caleb!” I said running to him. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Caleb said patting my back. “It’s Jenna. I had to rush her to the doctor.”
“Oh, my God,” I said placing my arm around him.
I turned him back toward his room and led him inside. I was doing it more for me than I was for him.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked after Robby closed the door.
“Where were you guys?” Caleb asked. “I’ve been waiting up here for like two hours.”
“Rex wanted to see me,” I said.
Caleb shook his head. “Is everything okay with all that? I hope they told you that they decided to lock that guy up.”
“We can talk about this later,” I said. “Tell me what happened to Jenna.”
Caleb exhaled slowly. “We were just sitting here relaxing and she suddenly grabbed her stomach. She was in so much pain tears rolled down her cheeks. It looked like she didn’t even know where she was.”
“I should get to work,” Robby said. “Will you two be okay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll stay with Caleb.”
Robby nodded and aggressively patted Caleb’s shoulder. “I’ll stop by and check on Jenna every chance I get, okay?”
“If there is any news, update us,” I said.
“Yeah, of course,” Robby said giving me a quick kiss. He held my gaze for a moment to make sure I was listening. “Lock the door.”
“Always,” I said.
After the door was closed, I told Caleb what happened with Rex. He was concerned.
“Rex says his army is ready for the war,” Caleb said. “It’s almost like he’s anxious for it.”
“When did you talk to him?” I asked.
The Reset Series | Book 5 | Torrent Page 8
