Caleb shrugged. “Our paths cross sometimes. I’ve had to fix things for him and such. He’s very open about everything.”
“He’s not worried?” I asked.
“No,” Caleb said. “At least it doesn’t seem that way. He says we’re ready and his people will be safe.”
“I hope he’s right,” I said resting my head on his shoulder.
Caleb’s head touched mine. “I hope so too.”
17
Adam
I took frequent looks out of the bedroom door. My dad stood near the front window, tapping his foot as he waited for us.
“Did he say what this is about?” Leah whispered.
“No,” I said pulling on my socks.
“Why didn’t you ask?”
I grimaced. Hadn’t I? “He just said to get dressed. I guess I got worried it might be something serious and I wanted us dressed.”
“Believe it or not, I’m a little scared right now,” Leah said.
I gave her a thin-lipped smile. “I don’t believe it.”
We stepped out into the living room. My eyes stayed on my dad as I pulled on my shoes.
“Can you tell us what this is all about?” I asked.
“There’s a mandatory meeting. I tried to keep you two out of it completely but everyone in town must attend. They’ll know if you aren’t there,” my dad said. “They’re going to attack sooner rather than later.”
My eyes flicked upward. “I can’t fight, dad.” My lips pressed together so tightly it was hard to squeeze the words out. “Leah won’t be involved in this.”
“I know. I talked with Donovan about it this morning,” my dad said. “Our children, wives, and families won’t be involved.”
“How is that fair?” Leah snapped.
“It’s not,” my dad responded instantly. “Is the world fair? Never has been. But I can’t have you two out there. I don't know about you, Leah, but my son is not trained. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”
I swallowed hard. He wasn’t wrong but what he didn’t know was that I figured it out. And I’d used one. I could definitely do it again… not that I wanted to. In fact, fighting was about the last thing I wanted to do.
“Try not to worry,” my dad said. “Everyone has to go to the meeting. Donovan and his daughter will be there too. The shopkeepers, the cleaning crew, even the maintenance team will be there. It’s simply to explain what’s going on to everyone at the same time.”
That also meant that Eva would be there. Eva wasn’t family and she wasn’t my dad’s wife. Would she have to fight?
Everything that was happening was probably her idea. She probably forced my dad to escort us there to make sure we’d go.
“It won’t be long,” he said forcing a smile. “I’ll have you both back in no time. Grab your umbrellas.”
Leah pulled on her coat and grabbed both umbrellas. She handed me one, trying to hide the fact that her hand was shaking.
My dad stepped between us and cocked his head to the side. He was staring at the cut on her forehead.
“Where did you get that?” he asked.
“Oh,” Leah said as if she’d forgotten about it. She lightly touched the cut on her forehead. “I slipped on my way back from the store yesterday. The paths can get slippery with all the rain.”
“Dammit,” my dad said with a frown. “I knew that I should have walked you back.”
Leah placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. “Really, I’m fine. It’s not a big deal. Adam already scolded me about it, so I don’t need anymore.”
“Glad he did,” my dad said. “Must have been quite a spill.”
“I’m quite clumsy,” Leah said gesturing toward the door. It was painfully obvious she didn’t want to discuss it further. “Should we go then?”
We walked into a large room inside of the main resort building. It had likely been used for wedding receptions or large conferences. There were folding chairs lined up, leaving only a small aisle on either side. The room was nearly full and almost every chair was taken.
At the front, there was a man with a mustache behind a podium. His eyes kept moving over the crowd.
It wasn’t until the doors behind us closed and two armed guards stepped in front of them that the room quieted. The man at the front was suddenly smiling. He reminded me of the ringleader of a circus.
“Let’s take a seat,” my dad said gesturing at two empty chairs.
I eyed him and he looked toward the front of the room. Eva was in a chair facing the crowd. There was an empty chair next to her.
“Right,” I muttered.
“When this is over, wait right here. I’ll join you, okay?” my dad said quietly.
“Sure, Dad,” I said.
We sat down and I took Leah’s hand into mine. She kept her eyes forward but I was unable to stop myself from glancing toward Eva.
Eva wore a blazer with a pristine white shirt underneath and a shirt that rested just above her knee. Her legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap. It looked like she was running for some kind of office.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as my dad sat down next to her. She patted his knee and then acted as if he wasn’t there.
Eva wore a serious expression as the man behind the podium held up his hands, ready to make his announcement. Her eyes pinched slightly but the corner of her mouth curled slightly as if she knew I was looking at her.
“As most of us know, the hostile group to our east has been stealing from our supplies and spying on us. We are all at risk. As long as we allow this to continue, we won’t be safe,” the guy shouted. “Our guards have agreed to take care of our problem. We’ve worked too hard to lose everything. We must work together to protect what is ours. No cost is too high.”
“I don’t like where this is going,” I whispered. Leah squeezed my hand. It wasn’t for comfort… it was a warning to keep my mouth closed.
“We will go to their town and put this to an end. Everyone will be required to enlist in our army, excluding those who are over the age of fifty, those who are ill or have a disability, and only a few who have been excused to stay to care for those who must stay behind.” Mister Mustache cleared his throat. “Those who are excused from joining the fight will receive handwritten notification within the next twelve hours from the kind, generous man who opened his heart and home to allow us all to stay here.”
My leg bounced up and down vigorously, shaking the entire row of chairs. There was a sickening sourness bubbling inside my stomach.
“If you do not receive notification, you must report to the town center for your first training session bright and early at six in the morning,” Mister Mustache said. “So, to most of you, I say welcome to the strongest army on the damn planet!”
People cheered. Other hooted. Servers carrying trays of food and clear plastic cups filled with pale bubbly drinks were let into the room.
“They’re celebrating going to war?” Leah asked in a soft voice.
My dad popped up next to us, wearing a big smile. “You guys want to stick around or head back to your room? Looks like they prepared a lot of delicious food for all of us.”
“I don’t much feel like celebrating,” I said.
“I told you that neither of you have anything to worry about,” my dad whispered.
“Didn’t really sound that way to me,” I said. “He didn’t say anything about family getting to stay behind.”
My dad shook his head. “Well, he’s not going to say that in front of everyone. I have Donovan’s word that you will both receive your notifications. They’ll deliver it to you sometime today.”
“How did this all come to be?” I asked looking around the room. Everyone was in good spirits about going off to fight in some war I wasn’t entirely sure was even necessary. It didn’t make sense.
The girl I’d seen that day I’d been out helping Leo seemed perfectly normal. It seemed as though she was just trying to survive, like everyone else ou
t there. She didn’t deserve to die. None of them did.
“The council voted on it,” my dad said. His brow wrinkled as he stared at me. He could tell I was judging him and he didn’t like it. “Not that it’s any of your business but the vote was unanimous.”
“Jesus, dad,” I said.
Eva was making her way through the room, shaking hands and giving out smiles. I hated that I spotted her in the massive crowd.
“Did Eva get a vote?” I asked.
My dad pressed his lips together. “Why does that matter?” He lowered his voice. “It was unanimous. We’re going through with the plans. It’s to keep everyone safe. To keep you safe. I thought I lost you once already, I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“Let’s go home,” Leah said pulling on my arm.
My shoulders fell with my slow exhale. I didn’t take in a full breath of air until I was back inside my cabin with the door locked.
Leah didn’t say anything. But after my dad left us, she hugged me. I instantly knew she was nervous.
I leaned back, looking into her eyes. “Are the bags packed?”
18
Stevie
The next few days went by like any other day, except Shawn avoided me almost completely. He hadn’t come back to our room.
Gage noticed. They all probably could feel the tension.
“Trouble in paradise?” Gage asked one morning when no one was else was around. He was on watch but didn’t seem even a little tired.
“Paradise doesn’t exist.”
“Ouch,” Gage said squinting one eye.
I let out a heavy sigh and blinked repeatedly. “Look around. This isn’t paradise. It’s nowhere near here.”
“Yeah, well, he really likes you so it’s a bit weird,” Gage said.
My blinking stopped and I stared at him.
“Right. Okay. Sorry, I’ll mind my own business,” Gage said holding up his hands. “But if you do want to talk about it—”
“I don’t,” I said sucking in a quick breath when someone banged a fist against the front door. My eyes narrowed as they met Gage’s.
Concern filled his eyes and wrinkled his brow. He grabbed the shotgun and stood at my side as I peered out between the curtains.
“It’s them,” I whispered.
“Who’s them?” Gage whispered back.
“Henry and Clara. The ones who came to rescue us,” I said before yanking open the door. “You’re back already?”
Maybe the base wasn’t as far off as they initially thought. After all, they had come from the east and said they’d gotten a bit off course as they searched for survivors.
I wasn’t met with smiles. Clara kept her eyes down. Something was wrong. Not only could I see it… I could feel it too.
“We need to talk,” Henry said flatly. “May we enter?”
I stepped to the side. “Sure. Where’s Winter and Becki?”
“That’s what we need to talk to you about,” Henry said. Henry always seemed to do most of the talking. The few times Clara had spoken, Henry stared at her. “There has been an accident.”
“What kind of accident?” I asked feeling a chill move through my body.
“It was a crazy freak accident,” Henry said. “One of the girls slipped and fell into the river. The other went after her. There wasn’t anything Clara or I could do for them. The waters were raging and flowing so quickly.”
Clara pressed her lips together, barely flicking me a glance. “They were pulled away from us. I tried but… they were pulled under.”
“Holy crap,” Gage said.
“We ran along with the water. Clara screamed their names for hours,” Henry said.
“Maybe they’re still out there,” Gage said locking his eyes with mine. I knew what he was thinking. He wanted to see if there was anything we could do.
Henry twisted his fingers together. “I’m afraid they didn’t survive. We came upon their bodies in some brush. Neither was breathing.”
“White as ghosts,” Clara said. She looked up for a second. “Sorry. My condolences. They seemed like very sweet girls.”
Lucy couldn’t hold back her cries from around the corner. Seconds later, her feet pounded the floor as she bolted through the living room and up the stairs.
“Sorry,” Henry mouthed. He cleared his throat. “With how quickly the water is moving, I think we should get moving with the next group as soon as possible.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Very serious.” Henry pressed his palms together and laced his fingers. “The longer we wait, the harder it will be to pass. We’re going to have to take a longer route now due to this section being impassable.”
My mouth dried. I couldn’t send another pair of people out there if things were so dangerous. It would be irresponsible.
“No drawing straws this time,” I said. “I’ll go. If this isn’t safe, I’m not going to send my people out there.”
“Stevie,” Gage said lightly touching my arm. “You need to be here.”
I shook my head. “You and Shawn can manage while I’m gone.” I looked at Henry. “I will come back here. Hopefully, that won’t be a problem.”
“Not a problem at all. The more people that know the route, the better,” Henry said. “Maybe we’ll be able to work twice as fast. But of course, we’ll still want two. Who will join you?”
“I’ll go,” Shawn said from the top of the stairs.
I didn’t know what to say. Part of me was glad it was Shawn that would join me but the other part of me wanted him to stay behind and watch the others.
Shawn should stay with Gage to help keep everyone safe… to keep each other safe.
“Perfect,” Henry said. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“You don’t want more rest than that?” I asked.
“We don’t need it,” Henry said. “We’re used to this life. Right, Clara?”
She didn’t bother to look up. Clara simply offered a nod with a tight-lipped grin.
“Should be just head back to the same room as before?” Henry asked.
“Sure,” I said. “You remember the way I assume.”
“This place isn’t that big,” Henry smirked.
After they were gone and the living room was empty, I sat with Gage and Shawn. Gage’s fingers were weaved together, his elbows resting on his knees.
“You’re sure about this?” Gage asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“I don’t know,” Gage said. “I’m getting a weird vibe about all of this.”
Shawn’s head bobbed.
“Winter and Becki carried away in a river but both Henry and Clara survive. It just seems bizarre,” Gage said.
I wasn’t sure if it was or not. It wasn’t that long ago that Brooklyn had suffered in much the same way. Of course, I wasn’t going to mention that to Gage. I knew the event still weighed on him.
“It just seems like the best option,” I said. “If I know where they’re going, maybe it’ll help. Maybe I’ll be able to help.”
“Just know, it makes me uneasy,” Gage said.
“Stevie can take care of herself,” Shawn said. “You know that.”
Gage chuckled. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m not putting up a bigger fight.”
He pressed his palm against his mouth and leaned back with a heavy sigh.
“It’ll be fine,” I said as I stood. I took a step closer and placed my hand on Gage’s shoulder. “And I know you’ll do a great job taking care of everyone.”
“I’ll do my best,” Gage said.
“I’m going to pack a few things and get some extra rest,” I said. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to get me.”
Gage smiled. “We’ll be fine.”
Morning came quickly. Before I knew I was hugging Gage good bye.
It felt like I was still asleep… inside my dream. Even with Shawn at my side, it felt insane to be walking away from our home.
I turned and Gage wa
ved. Everyone was out there watching us leave. Even Kieran had left her post to say good bye.
It was absolutely awful to be walking in the rain and mud again. There were several times I wondered what the hell I was thinking.
We had it good. Would all this really be worth it?
My calves ached before we stopped for the night. We were tucked inside a small shed with metal walls and a door that creaked with even the slightest breeze.
The night got cold. Each of us sat with our back against one of the sides as if we were holding the shed together.
“We have all these little locations where we know it’s safe to stop,” Henry said rubbing his hands together.
“How do you know it’s safe?” I asked. “There are others out there.”
“Of course,” Henry said. “But they’ll want to be saved too. We all want the same thing.”
I huffed. “Are you sure about that? I mean, sure we all want to survive but some might want things to go a different way.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to follow the laws laid out by the Government of the United States?” Henry asked.
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying others out there may not want to. What makes you think you’ll be able to convince them to come with you before they blow our brains out?” I asked.
“Gruesome,” Henry said. He pulled out two pistols. “This is how I know.”
My eyes narrowed. Not because they hadn’t bothered to tell us they were armed but because Henry thought that somehow that would protect him from others.
“I’m quite skilled with these little things,” Henry said gazing at the guns with a nearly lustful look. “Clara too. Although she’s not as good as me.”
“I guess that’s why they picked you two to go out and find survivors,” I said.
Henry grinned proudly. “That’s right. Much better to have a position you actually want rather than one you're forced into. Makes everything so much easier.”
“You two should get some rest,” Clara said. “Traveling is so much easier when you’re not exhausted.”
Henry cleared his throat as his eyes moved from Clara to me. “My dear friend, Clara, is one hundred percent correct. Go on, get some rest.”
The Reset Series | Book 5 | Torrent Page 9
