The Corded Saga

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “We give trust when it is earned.” And even then, it remained limited. Sometimes, especially when it came to Quinn and Bolton, it was hard to even trust each other.

  “Think of those children. The longer you argue with me, the longer it will be before they can get some proper rest.

  “They are resting fine right now. They will not move to a bedroom unless we are all allowed to stay together.” Quinn’s arm brushed against mine.

  “Fine. You want to continue with your stubborn behavior?” Darla frowned. “I am tired and done with this. Stay together.” She threw open the door to a darkened room. “You will find what you need in here. But just because you are allowed to stay together tonight, doesn’t mean you will be allowed to do it moving forward.”

  I said nothing and neither did the others. None of us were going to give in. We each exchanged glances before stepping inside the door. Within seconds the door slammed closed behind us, and a lock clicked into place.

  I tried the knob, already knowing it wouldn’t budge.

  “They locked us in here.” Kayla sat down on one of the cots that were spaced equidistantly in the room. “There is no good reason for that.”

  “There is no good reason for anything they’ve done since we arrived here.” I stood with my back to the door surveying the dark room. A small candelabra set on a table was the only illumination. At least we had that.

  Quinn sat on the bed closest to Kayla, carefully laying Bailey out. “Even the whole contamination thing is a joke. Diseases go far beyond the clothes we are wearing.”

  “Exactly. They wanted to separate us.” Bolton paced the room. “And the reason for that can’t be good.”

  “No. We can’t let them succeed.” Kayla stretched out beside Faith, curling her body around her small daughter. Kayla often worried that she was failing Faith, that she wasn’t living up to the expectations of motherhood, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. The girl, much like Bailey, was lucky to have the mother she did. Not that I knew much about mothers. I’d never known mine.

  “Absolutely not.” I may have failed in keeping everyone safe so far, but that didn’t mean I was going to let things get worse.

  “What do you think their end game is?” Bolton paused his pacing. “What do they want us for?”

  “You mean what do they want them for?” I nodded toward the women and girls. I was far past mincing words. Quinn and Kayla knew the realities better than anyone.

  “I’m sticking with we because we are one unit. If we insist on that we will be safer.” Bolton made a good point. At times his impulsiveness drove me crazy, but he was a good one to have on our side.

  “Agreed.” Quinn leaned back on her hands. “No more fighting.”

  “No more fighting.” Bolton echoed her.

  Bailey stirred beside Quinn.

  “You should get some sleep.” I nodded in her direction. “We have no idea what the morning will bring.”

  “We have no idea what tonight will bring. Or any day.” It was always disarming when Quinn talked in a defeatist tone. I’d grown used to her optimism, and it was often contagious. I missed it now.

  “True, but sleep is helpful.” And there was no reason for all of us to forego it.

  “I can do first watch.” Kayla sat up. “Even the few minutes of lying down has been helpful.”

  “Faith is sleeping. Stay with her.” I spoke gently, hoping she’d just accept it and get some rest. She’d been carrying her daughter all day. I couldn’t imagine how tired she was. “You can take over later. We don’t even have many hours left before morning.”

  “We have no idea what time it is.” Bolton walked along the back wall of the room. “It’s unnerving.”

  “No. We don’t. But night can only last so long. We all know that.” Kayla ran her hand over the stiff grey bedspread.

  “Although this night has lasted forever.” Quinn wasn’t talking about the actual evening. She was talking about life as we knew it.

  “We need to make a plan.” Kayla remained sitting up. “We can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen.”

  “We need more information to make a plan.” Bolton ran his hand along the wall as if searching for something. “What are our exit options? How many people do they have living here?”

  “What kind of weapons they have?” I added to his list. It was going to become a rather long list. We knew so little.

  “I can’t believe they didn’t search your bag.” Kayla pointed to the bag Bolton still carried. “That’s what so weird. They were so worried about some things and not others.”

  “That tells me they have weapons that would put anything I have to shame.” Bolton turned toward us, abandoning his search of the wall. “Otherwise they would have been concerned. I can’t come up with another possibility.”

  “Which is frightening.” Quinn barely whispered.

  “What about this isn’t frightening?” Kayla lay back down. “Every part of this place feels off and uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t believe this room has no windows,” Bolton turned back toward the wall. He was no digging his fingers into the dark siding.

  “Why not?” I asked. I didn’t doubt him, but I wasn’t sure what made him so sure.

  “Because this building is old. It was built long before things changed. People built windows back then.”

  He was speaking of a time long before I was born. It was hard to even picture it. “They must have done a really good job covering the windows up. Or the light is too faint to give us a real view of things.” I wanted to check out the wall myself, but it felt safer to remain by the door. I wanted to stay between the girls and the unknown people in this place.

  “You need to sleep.” I glanced over at Bolton. “You too. We can take turns with watch.”

  “Are you sure? You can stay awake?” There was no accusation in his voice.

  “I will.” There was no way I was letting them down again.

  I stayed right where I was for the first while, finally allowing myself to lean back against the wall. I was exhausted, and I knew an attempt to sit down would likely end up with me sleeping. That couldn’t happen. If it became too much for me I’d wake up Bolton.

  Having no sense of time made things much more difficult. I didn’t know how many hours had passed, nor how many more hours we had before morning. I needed sleep. I could pretend otherwise, but I wasn’t going to be at my best if I didn’t do something soon. I headed over to where Bolton slept. I’d just pushed on his shoulder when I heard the lock click.

  Bolton bolted up and grabbed his bag. He blinked a few times but didn’t say a word.

  The door opened and two men walked in. Both were dressed in the same grey clothing as the others.

  “What do you want?” Bolton stood up.

  “Hello? Is that a way to welcome your hosts?” One of the men smiled. His dark hair was cut short, but he wore a heavy beard.

  “Hosts? You mean wardens?” Bolton had woken up revving to go.

  “You think you’re prisoners?” The first man frowned. So far the other man had not said or done anything aside from rubbing his bald head. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “What’s ridiculous is you thinking you can treat us this way.” Bolton wasn’t the only one who was annoyed. Anger had been stirring inside me since we arrived, and my growing exhaustion was only making it worse.

  Both Kayla and Quinn were sitting up by now, looking between their daughters and the men at the door.

  “But I am treating you this way, aren’t I?” The man’s smile grew.

  “What do you want? There has to be a reason you barged in here at this hour.” And it was time we found out what it was. There was no reason to put off the inevitable.

  “Do you even know what hour it is?” The second man finally spoke. He had an accent, one I’d never heard before.

  “No. I don’t. But what does that matter?” Bolton scowled.

  “It is morning. We are here to wake you up.�
�� The first man’s smile had disappeared.

  “Wake us up?” Kayla snapped. “Right.”

  “Yes. And to welcome you. I was regrettably sleeping when you arrived.” He walked over to where Quinn and Bailey sat. “Hello. I hope your stay has been pleasant so far.”

  I felt a growl develop deep inside me.

  “Pleasant? Not exactly.” She pulled Bailey into her arms. Bailey blinked a few times before closing her eyes and snuggling into Quinn’s chest.

  “Is there a problem?” The first man softened his voice as he addressed her. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “We will not be separated.” Quinn’s eyes were dark and cold.

  “We have no interest in separating a mother from her child.” He held out his hand. “Here let me start this over. My name is Clayton, and this is Michael.” He nodded toward the other man. “You are safe here, and we promise not to separate you from your children.”

  “None of us want to be separated.” She stared him down.

  “And you will still see one another, but women and men must live separately here in the Glen.”

  “Why? Why do they have to live separately?” Kayla asked.

  He walked over to Kayla. “It’s good to ask questions. I like that.”

  “I ask the questions that need to be asked.” Her blond hair was rumpled from sleep, and it gave her an almost wild look.

  “Which is a good thing.” He nodded.

  “Yes. What is the answer? Why do you make men and women live separately?”

  “Just because you ask questions doesn’t mean you will get answers.” Clayton’s eyes twinkled in the low light. Was he enjoying this? My anger grew. I was tired of feeling out of control. I was tired of having to answer to others. I felt weak, and it was the worst feeling possible.

  “Why won’t you answer that question?” Her hand balled into a fist on the mattress. “How hard could that be?”

  “I thought there were no leaders here.” Bolton leaned back against the far wall.

  “What makes you think I’m a leader?” Clayton turned his attention to Bolton.

  “It’s easy to spot a leader if you know what to look for.” Bolton straightened up.

  “There are no leaders here.” Clayton clenched his jaw.

  “Keep saying that. It doesn’t change anything.” Bolton adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

  “Why are you fixated on leaders?” Michael strode further into the room.

  “Because it shows the holes in your argument.” I was exhausted, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t do my part to figure out what the hell was going on.

  “Or so you think.” Pleasure cross Clayton’s face.

  If I wasn’t careful my anger was going to get the best of me. As much as I wanted to let loose on this man, I knew it would expose us all to greater danger, and I couldn’t risk that.

  “Either you have leaders here or you don’t. It shouldn’t be a difficult question to answer.” Kayla sighed. “But evidently you don’t believe in answering anything.”

  “The question is why you care. How does it change anything?” Clayton crossed his arms.

  “Because it lets us know how deep the lies go.” Her words were sharp.

  “Who says there are lies?” He raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think we’ve misled you at all?”

  “There is no such thing as a place without leaders. It doesn’t exist.”

  “What do you know of where you are?” Clayton sat on the edge of one of the bare beds. “You arrived in the dark and you have had no time to explore or learn.”

  “It’s called the Glen, and you guys are crazy about rules.” Quinn stroked Bailey’s hair.

  He laughed. “You are right about both of those things.”

  “You admit to being crazy about rules?” Her eyes widened.

  “Rules are for the good of everyone involved.” He clasped his hands together, letting his fingers slip between each other. They looked like snakes to me. Snakes that might be the end to us all.

  “Says who? Those who make the rules to benefit themselves.” Kayla put a hand on Faith’s back. Faith had so far managed to sleep through the visit. I hoped one day the girls would know peace and security. There were so many horrors in our world, but they deserved better. They deserved hope.

  “You are a sharp one, eh?” He smiled at Kayla.

  “I’m not naïve. None of us are.”

  “And neither am I.” Clayton crossed his legs at the ankles. “Neither am I.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean?” She met his intense gaze.

  “It means what it sounds like.”

  She closed her eyes. “This is getting old. Very. Very old.”

  “Did you all get enough sleep?” Clayton rose to his feet.

  “No.” Kayla looked at me. “We had to sleep in shifts.”

  “Then we will leave you for another few hours.” Without another word, he walked out the door. Michael followed. The lock clicked again.

  Kayla

  I didn’t like him. Clayton. I didn’t like the other one either, but Clayton was dangerous. I knew it from the moment he’d opened his mouth. He was trying to appear nice, but that only made it more vital that I stay alert. His comment about not being naive unnerved me. Did he know that our companions weren’t the fathers of our girls? Or was he implying something else entirely? There were so many horrible possibilities it made my head spin. Where was the good in the world? Where was the safety? The end of this nightmare? And where was Mason? Had he reached the wall? Was he ever coming back—although coming back to where he’d left from wouldn’t bring him to me.

  “Get some more sleep.” Bolton stood in front of the door. Maverick had fallen asleep within minutes of Clayton and Michael leaving. I appreciated Maverick’s willingness to take first watch. As short as our rest was, it had helped. I was at least functioning now. My arms still ached from the hours of carrying Faith, but physical exhaustion was an easier state for me to handle.

  “I’m not tired.” Everyone else was sleeping. Quinn and the girls were all fast asleep. I was grateful for that. I hoped Faith would never remember any of this.

  “You can let go once in a while. I can handle this.” Bolton didn’t move from his spot by the doors, but his intense impression made it feel like he was much closer.

  “This isn’t the matter of who can handle what. This is about me having a lot on my mind.”

  “You miss him.” Bolton leaned back against the door.

  This was the first time anyone had mentioned Mason since we’d left the camp. I’d kept my thoughts and feelings to myself. Like I always did until Bolton or Quinn pressed me and I let some of it out.

  “Of course, I do.” I missed him all the time, but I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on those feelings. In the beginning, I’d given myself permission to think of him only at night. To remember the feel of his skin. To reflect on how safe and protected I felt in his arms. But that was then. This was now. Things were even more dangerous, and I couldn’t take the chance of distracting myself for a second.

  “If he’s alive he’ll find you.” Bolton’s expression was unreadable. Serious and pensive.

  “He’s alive.” I wouldn’t give up that hope. Faith deserved to meet her father. I gave her so little, surely I would be able to give her that.

  “Okay. He’ll find you.” Bolton shifted his weight from foot to foot.

  “You’re not going to argue with me about being realistic?” I expected it. I needed it. His pushback kept me grounded and even more determined.

  “What would be the point of that? Arguing is a waste of time.”

  “Even when it comes to arguing with Quinn?” I was only half teasing. Their arguing was so natural it was almost strange without it.

  “Yes.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “We can’t afford that. We are all on the same team, and it needs to stay that way.”

  Everything had changed the moment we were pulled out of the water. We were
in uncharted territory, and trusting each other while working together was the only hope we had. “When they open the doors next time, they are going to try to separate us.”

  “Of course, they will. That doesn’t mean we’ll let them.” His right hand balled into a fist at his side.

  “So, you’ve come up with a plan?” I hoped he had. We knew so little about this place that getting out seemed hopeless. I couldn’t feel hopeless. There was always a way.

  “The plan is to fight it. They won’t hurt you or the girls.”

  “Or so you think.” I could think of plenty of ways they could hurt us. I thought of little Bailey in Central. Quinn still didn’t know what had happened to her, and it was likely we never would.

  “They need you.” Bolton’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.

  “Don’t be naïve. You know exactly what they need Quinn and me for.”

  “I’m not going to let that happen.” His voice was strong. Determined. He had grown up so much since we’d first met. It was hard to believe he was the same boy who’d helped me escape the traders. He’d always had that inner strength; he’d just needed to push to bring him out. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing. Sometimes I wondered how much happier he’d have been if he’d been able to spend his life tending a peach orchard. But that life was no longer a possibility. For any of us.

  “Can I ask you something?” It was easier to ask questions in the near dark. Somehow it made me feel less exposed even though the same words would be heard.

  “Sure.” He leaned back against the wall.

  “Why are you here?”

  “The same reasons you are.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I mean—well, you could be doing so many different things. Why stay with us? We put a target on your back.” Maybe he couldn’t have his family and the peach orchard, but he could be doing so many different things.

  “You know the answer to that.” His eyes were heavy with exhaustion. I’d take over as next watch soon.

  I sat up more, careful not to wake up Faith. “I don’t.”

  “What do you want me to say, Kayla? That I love you? That I’d do anything to be with you? What’s the point of admitting that when you are still in love with Mason? Why hurt you when I don’t have to?” Maybe the darkness was making him more honest too.