The Offering

by E. R. Arroyo

  He nods, frantic, as metal screeches from the soldiers inside prying the giant door open. “Cori’s your friend, Em. Stay with her. Hold on tight, baby,” he tells her as he places her on my back and her little arms loop around my neck. He wraps the sheet around my body and hers, molding us together and leaving my one good arm free to shoot. Then he kisses both our heads and yells over the gunshots and commotion, “I’m right behind you. Get out of here.”

  I meet Dylan’s eyes as he catches up to us. “Go,” he says, gripping my elbows. “Go now!”

  I take a step back, eyeing them both, reluctant to leave them. Right before I turn to go, the door finally opens and a soldier slips out, firing on the militia. Soon, others spill out the door shooting as well.

  I fire one shot before I take off toward the gate. Once there I don’t stop, and I don’t look back at the shoot-out until I’m halfway up the hill.

  Tyce and Dylan toil over the bomb, placing cells inside the chamber, preparing it for detonation. Max’s militia surrounds them, warding off the soldiers pouring out of the cave, all of them firing so many shots the sounds all meld together in one long stretched out noise.

  I move farther up the paved road walking backward as I watch them, eager for them to finish, silently willing them to move faster. The soldiers grow closer, taking out too many of Max’s men. I shriek as one breaks through, running straight for Dylan. I scream for someone—anyone—to help him. Boone jumps out at the last minute, tackling the aggressor less than a foot from Dylan.

  Dylan keeps working, oblivious to the threats around him. Tyce wipes his brow. Nods at Dylan. Dylan closes the chamber. Soon, the militia begins to retreat.

  Flex, Gavin and a few men from Smyrna manage to push the steel door closed again, keeping more men from emerging. When the last of Antius’s remaining troops have fallen, the Refuge soldiers fall back.

  I shift my attention to Dylan and Tyce as they rush away from the bomb and head for the gate. On the way out, Dylan grabs an injured soldier, hiking him up over his shoulders.

  Then I see my backpack on the ground where Tyce left it.

  And my breath catches. Oh, no.

  I take a few steps forward, not having gotten as far away as I should have by now. I scream at the top of my lungs, “Tyce the backpack!” But he doesn’t listen because he doesn’t know what’s inside it. I run downhill to meet him and his eyes widen.

  “What are you doing!” he snarls.

  “The detonator is in the backpack.” I hike Emma farther up my back as Tyce realizes what I’m saying. “Take Emma, I’ll get it,” I tell him.

  “There’s no time. Run, Cori. Now!” He breaks away and charges back down the hill as the ground begins to tremble, stunning all of us and causing Tyce to stumble.

  He doesn’t waste a second. He recovers and heads for the backpack. I watch in awe as a platform emerges from the top of the cave, holding rows and rows of Fort Burke soldiers who begin shooting as soon as they’re visible.

  Flex catches up to me, tries to steer me up the hill, but my eyes are glued to the lot, flipping back and forth between the new soldiers and Tyce. His fingers slip around the strap of my bag, heaving it up on his shoulder.

  When the platform locks into place, scores of soldiers pour out and climb down, shooting at our men as they retreat. One after another militia soldiers fall. As I watch in horror, a single shot from a sniper rifle explodes through two City boys’ heads. I gasp as I spot Gavin in time to see his chest riddled with bullets, almost instantly covered in blood. Too many more men fall under fire, grasping for life, helpless targets, unable to escape the superior fire power of Fort Burke.

  Dylan’s voices catches my attention as he shouts to retreat, and I realize the man he’s carrying is Max. I snatch an assault rifle from a retreating soldier, using my bum arm to steady it as I fire at the oncoming force. I fire a shot. Then another, and another. My breathing stutters as I watch the bodies fall but I manage to take down the two soldiers closest to Dylan and clear a way for his escape.

  I search for Tyce again thinking he should be halfway to us by now—but he’s not.

  Because he’s surrounded at gunpoint, on his knees.

  “No!” I cry out, terrified for my friend, a person I’ve grown to love so much.

  Tyce’s hand is inside the backpack. When he slips it out, he’s holding the detonator, the device already open with his finger on the button.

  “No!” I put together what he’s thinking of doing. “No!” I scream again, my voice almost giving out. I stumble forward, crashing to my knees, almost losing my balance from the weight of Emma on my back.

  I follow Tyce’s gaze and he’s looking at Dylan. He says something but I can’t hear him, I’m too far away and there are too many guns firing. Then he finds me in the crowd, his face stoic. Serene, almost, his eyes full of affection. For Emma and for me.

  And I beg, “Don’t do this. Don’t do it!” I’m not sure if I say it aloud or not.

  And then he smiles at me—a resigned smile, though his eyes are dark with fear. Dylan’s arm connects with my body. He hands Max off to someone else, gripping my wrist and forcing me to run. I tear my eyes away from Tyce and I run as fast as I can, tears streaming down my face. Vision blurry, I can’t even see where I’m going but Dylan pulls me forward, holding fast to my wrist.

  He doesn’t let go until we pile into waiting vehicles and drive away as fast as the tires can take the curves. We make it to the turn off leading into the woods, heading out of the mountains.

  I unstrap Emma and peel her off my back. I clutch her to my chest, my face pressed against hers when the loudest explosion imaginable shakes me to the core. I don’t breathe until it sinks in. I dig my fingers into Dylan’s leg, desperate for this to not be real. For this to not be happening.

  Tyce detonated the bomb.

  The earth shakes, rattling the inside of the car. The wheels spin out, slamming the tail end into a massive tree, but the driver slams on the gas harder, pulling us free until we drive out of the woods. We swerve close to the crater and I hold my breath, fearing we’re sliding right toward it.

  Dylan envelops Emma and me with his trembling arms. Or maybe we’re all trembling. He’s breathing just as heavily as me, fearing for our lives.

  The car finally pulls onto the street we came in on and I chance a look back at the cloud of smoke billowing up. The mountainside crumbles, igniting an avalanche that takes out at least three fleeing vehicles, washing them into the massive hole in the earth and covering them in boulders. I gasp as Dylan blocks my view of the devastation, hugging me even tighter still.

  Emma’s screams pierce my ears, her face a heartbreaking show of terror. How do I tell her what her father did? How do I say anything at all? I peer into those eyes, both of us crying. I kiss her forehead and tell her the only thing I can think of, even though it feels like a lie. “It’s going to be okay,” I choke out, unable to keep my voice from shaking.

  She screams endlessly, crying out, “Papa!” and trying to look over my shoulder to find him. She reaches beyond me, leans away, and pushes to get free from my grip. But I hold her tightly. Tears spill down both our cheeks until she’s too exhausted to fight anymore. Panting, she goes limp in my arms, sniffling every few breaths, her eyes wet and half-open.

  We all stay silent until the earth stops rumbling. And when it does, and we’re far enough away, we stop driving.

  Slowly, we trickle out of our vehicles. There’s a solemnness to the atmosphere. Rubble still tumbles down what’s left of the mountainside and smoke billows from the space where Fort Burke existed only minutes ago.

  Emma clings to my torso, wrapping her arms around my neck. Dylan and I drift toward a group where people are looking for others they care about. I spot Boone and Aaron from Mercy. As I make my way toward them, I find Max propped up in the bed of his truck.

  “Hey,” I say as I approach him. He’s banged up pretty badly, bleeding from his lower abdomen and his right shoulde
r. “You hanging in there?”

  “You bet. Don’t worry about me.” He waves a hand at me.

  I look at the ground for a moment shaking my head, then I glance back up at him. “Thank you for coming back. I really thought you…” I shake my head again. I can’t say it. “You know…”

  “I know. You have no idea how hard that was.”

  I glance up at Dylan as he joins us, having just checked on a few others. He’s a bit standoffish. So am I.

  “Dylan was standing behind me,” Max tells me.

  “That’s why I couldn’t find him.” I piece those few moments together, the moments when I thought I was losing everyone I cared about. Thought they were all abandoning me.

  Dylan sets his hand on the truck, close to me, but not touching. “I barely thought it through.” He shakes his head. “I had to do something, and that’s the only thing I could think of that wasn’t suicide for all of us.” He wipes his face. Exhausted. Relieved.

  I wince at the word suicide.

  “How did you know when to come back?” I ask Max.

  He smiles a little. “He said two days, so we waited two days. We stood out there for hours watching the door.”

  It feels weird holding Emma, this little person I don’t even know. I don’t know how to talk to a three-year-old.

  Dylan reaches out and touches her hand and she grabs his index finger, holding it for a second before tucking her hand back under her chin.

  “Are you bashful?” Max coos. She turns her head away in response hiding under her dark hair.

  I hike her up on my hip, my arm getting tired. “Do you want to walk? Hold my hand?” She shakes her head, no. And I smile, leaning my cheek against her head.

  I look at Dylan and Max both, and whisper, “Thank you.”

  We find the City boys off to the side with the elders who are drastically reduced in number. Everyone’s quiet. When I spot Eli I release a breath, relieved to see he’s okay. He rushes over when he notices us. His arms jut out for Emma as he says her name. She leans into him, letting him take her from me, and it’s strange the way it makes me feel protective of her. He pulls me into a group hug with Emma.

  “I didn’t mean what I said,” I tell him. “I didn’t want you to get killed. Thank you for staying behind.”

  He laughs a little. “I was going to go actually. We had a run in with those monsters while you were in there. Got me in the leg.” He shows me the fresh bandage around his knee.

  “Oh.” I glance back at the mountain, cringing at the thought of more savages.

  “Don’t worry. We killed ‘em all.”

  I nod at Eli. If there were still any on that mountain, they’re gone now. Who knows how many are out there, and if they could ever change like the elders did.

  Flex blindsides me, squeezing me tight in an embrace. I well up with tears again, knowing exactly what Flex is feeling. “Sister,” he breathes, but says nothing else. And that’s okay.

  Tears slip down my cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.”

  I pull away and take the opportunity to see everyone else, walking around and taking inventory of who’s left. We lost so many and saved so few. But what happened today was much bigger than a few kids from The City.

  What Tyce offered us was a chance. A chance to thrive without fearing an enemy like Antius. Without wondering when they’ll come or what they’ll do. Who they’ll terrorize and how. We have an opportunity to move forward. Toward a real future.

  Maybe it gives The City a chance to spread out and settle down instead of hopping around like nomads, trying desperately to stay hidden. Maybe they won’t have to keep the girls and kids indoors and locked down all the time.

  Perhaps those days are gone.

  Emma can grow up unafraid that someone will come for her. And I vow that she’ll never know fences, laboratories, or power-crazed dictators.

  I amble to the edge of destruction—the edge of the crater—looking out over the expanse of it, and the shattered rock that has fallen into it. Then I glance up where the mountainside has crumbled into a heap of rubble. It’s a tragic sight, yet it gives me hope.

  Dylan slips his hand into mine and I squeeze it. Together we peer at the distant horizon, and for a moment I think I see a real beam of sunlight. Just a sliver, for the briefest of moments, and then it’s gone. And that gives me hope, too.

  Quick footfalls draw my attention away from my reverie and Emma reaches for my hand, so I let her take it. Looking at Dylan, with little Emma between us, I can’t help but think what a tragic trio we make. She’s an orphan now, just like me and Dylan.

  “What do we do now?” Dylan takes Emma’s other hand.

  “Maybe we can find a place to live. Halfway between Mercy and the Pitt.” That would be nice. A place of our own. A bit of space but still close enough to both places.

  “I’m coming, too,” Eli says, stepping up to my left side. If it’s possible, he seems even younger now. We all do. We’re all just kids, the four of us. So we’ll take care of each other.

  We stand on this hill for a while longer, thinking about Tyce’s sacrifice. And thinking about hope.

  Epilogue

  She is stunning, remarkable, peaceful.

  She’s asleep now, finally, and I can’t look away. It’s the only time I get to see her relax. The candlelight flickers and dances across her face, illuminating her high cheek bones and softly squared jawline. Stunning, yes.

  She has not been the same since Tyce sacrificed himself. And she doesn’t talk about him. Ever. Truthfully, it’s a relief because I don’t have much to say in that regard. I don’t mean to be a jerk about it, but we were not friends and never could have been. He loved her though, and I couldn’t blame him for that.

  I’m not technically a father so I can’t possibly comprehend the weight of his decision, but I saw the way he looked at them both in his final moments—and I get it. I would have done the same thing, father or not. Nevertheless, he gave us a chance. He finished it.

  Cori sighs and her body relaxes against me. Her steady breaths are music to my ears. Getting her to settle down and rest is a feat to say the least. I tell her often there is no one left to fight, but she still keeps a bag packed and sleeps with her shoes and wedding ring on. Ever ready to flee.

  I reach for her left hand, touching the ring with my fingertip. It was the one her father gave Karen. Who knows where he found it. Karen gave it to me a few months after we showed up in Mercy with Emma and Eli. Just like Karen and Anthony had done, Cori and I made our promise privately in the little church in Delilah.

  Cori sighs again and I pull my hand away. I would kiss her but I’m afraid she would wake. She does enough of that on her own.

  A soft tap gets my attention and I glance at the door as Emma slips through. She’s six now, but she hates sleeping alone. And I’m a sucker.

  “C’mon,” I whisper, waving her over. I lift the covers. She crawls over me and nestles in between us, laying her head against Cori’s chest. Cori wakes just enough to kiss Emma’s forehead and I take the opportunity to kiss them both.

  I know Tyce wanted this, but I still often wonder how he would feel about me raising his daughter. In truth I know his problem with me was never about me. It was about Cori.

  I’ll never forget the look in his eyes in those moments before the rest of us got away. We’d locked gazes for what felt like minutes, though it was merely a handful of seconds. I think about his last words every day, every time I wrap my arms around his daughter. Every time I kiss her or encourage her. Every time I teach her something new and her eyes light up. She’s bright. Truly.

  Emma peers up at me with her light blue eyes. “Sleep,” she says, just as bossy as her father was. She reaches up and puts her hand over my eyes. “You have to sleep too.”

  “I will,” I tell her, then close my eyes and pretend to fall fast asleep, even throwing in a few soft snores for good measure. She giggles and I peek through one eye. She covers her s
miling mouth, glancing at Cori, afraid to wake her.

  Emma wraps her hand around my index finger and lays her head back down. She smiles a lot when she’s falling asleep and I always know she’s finally there once her jaw slackens and her mouth hangs open a bit.

  “Take them,” Tyce had yelled at me. Looked me right in the eye and said, “Take them.” Not take care of them, but take them. He wanted them both to be mine. I nodded, and I meant it like a promise. And then I ran away with the girls while he gave his life for them both. For all of us, yeah, but for them. For Emma especially.

  So when Cori refused to give Emma back to The City, I supported her. I was shocked when Flex didn’t argue. I think he liked me a lot more than Tyce did. Turns out the lady who used to care for Em was also one of those taken by Antius and didn’t survive long enough to be rescued. So Emma’s ours now. We’re a family. Eli too.

  In the morning, I’m the last to wake, as usual. I slink into the bathroom where Cori is washing her face and I slip my arms around her, nuzzling her neck.

  “Emma, shoes please,” she says. Then she meets my gaze in the mirror and smiles. “Good morning.”

  “Indeed it is.”

  Emma hops up from where she’s been playing with blocks. She has a couple of ratty old dolls too, but she usually sets them up so they can watch her build. Cori says it’s my influence on her, but I know it’s Cori’s too.

  There’s a knock on the door.

  “Mercy, today?” Eli asks.

  “Yes. You coming?” I ask him.

  “Sure.”

  I notice the book in his hand, igniting joy and pride in me. Teaching him to read was harder than teaching Emma, but they both love reading and we regularly make trips to the library in Wisdom.

  “Meet you outside,” he says louder, so Cori can hear.

  “You’re going down,” she says in a sing-song voice, taunting him.

  When we’re all dressed and bundled for the cold, we head to the backyard where Eli waits. I lift Em up over my head so she can sit on my shoulders while we watch.