before we went and killed someone. What if they were innocent and had killed in self-defense? I wanted to believe it but the body had been hacked to pieces and would likely give me nightmares. “Shouldn't we make sure he hasn't told anyone else about our town?”
Cate laughed. “So we torture and then kill him, I'm game for that.”
Maya shot Cate a look to shut up. “We will survey the scene first and make sure he's alone. Olivia's right, we need to know we're safe and the only way to do that is to gather information before we kill him.”
Aidan shook his head no in obvious disagreement. “The minute you show up carrying a weapon and threatening his life, he's going to tell you whatever story he thinks you want to hear. Outlaws may be criminals but they're not all stupid.”
Cate slowly nodded. “Aidan makes a good point. The guy made it as far as Shadow, he can't be a complete idiot to survive the Gravelands this long. We interrogate him, then kill him.”
“We're not killing anyone!” I interrupted them, louder than I should have.
Aidan clamped a hand over my mouth to shut me up. “You're going to get us all killed. Be quiet,” he hissed. I nodded once to tell him I understood as he removed his hand from my mouth. “Collins’ word is law. He wants the guy dead. We can bring him back but he'll be burned alive in Shadow. Wouldn't it be kinder if we did it for him?” Aidan stared at me.
I don't know why I wanted this outlaw to be innocent. Maybe because in some strange way, wasn't I an outlaw? I was cast out of society and the Governor in Genesis would have me dead if he could. I wasn't a killer or a thief. I'd never hurt anyone and didn't have it in me to kill, even if I wanted to protect Adelaide and Joshua. I wasn't a murderer. “I don't have an answer, Aidan,” I whispered, “I don't know.” I was at a loss for words.
Maya shot me a look. “Good,” she said, happy I was keeping quiet. “We're going to surround his camp. He's about one klick north,” she explained. “Aidan, I want you to go around the camp, set up north. Cate, head east and keep an eye on him. If he so much as heads for any one of us, I need you to use that bow and arrow for more than just target practice.”
“I got it.” Cate grinned. She seemed as if she'd waited her whole life for this moment.
“I'm going to head west, which means you,” she stared at me, “stay on this path but don't make any noise. You're going to have to find a position to take cover. The last thing you need is to be the first one arriving. It's going to take time for each of us to get ready.” Again, she stared at me. “Give us ten minutes: that will be plenty of time. I'll run the risk of being seen first. Aidan, you sweep down from the north when he sees me and attack him. Cate, you're in charge of shooting the outlaw if things go sour.”
The others jogged off as quietly as they could. I approached the camp, keeping my distance, careful not to be seen. I unsheathed my dagger, gripping the handle tightly, prepared at any moment for an attack. I hoped beyond anything the outlaw hadn't spotted me, but I couldn't be sure. I needed to be cautious and wait for their signal. The further north we traveled away from Shadow, the more stray trees had rooted into the ground. Most were scraggily in size, but I managed to hide behind one, careful not to be seen as I saw the glow of the campfire in the distance.
I wasn't sure how much time passed. It definitely didn't feel like ten minutes when I heard the first shot ring out, my body freezing in position. I'd heard that sound before, a gunshot like the one in Haven when the government murdered Scarlet. My grip tightened on the dagger. I couldn't be afraid to move, to fight. Maya was the first to show herself. The bullet whizzed right past her. I blinked twice, unsure if the shot had been off or she'd dodged it. I knew we were capable of things most couldn't achieve. I couldn't be scared or afraid. I was trained for this moment: I needed to act out of bravery, not fear. I moved away from behind the tree, my eyes widening in shock as the man with the gun came barreling towards me.
“Stop right there!” I screamed, my voice echoing into the large expanse of open land. “Don't come any closer!” I tried again but he kept moving. He wasn't running anymore, as he turned in all directions, seeing the others surrounding him. They were closing in fast.
“I won't miss the next time,” the outlaw threatened, showing me his pistol.
“I'm sure you won't,” I answered. “Neither will we.” I nodded towards Cate as she held the bow in perfect position.
“I never miss a shot,” Cate chimed. “I definitely won't miss your head,” she boasted.
He held his hands up in surrender, then slowly lowered his gun to the ground. Cate stepped closer, keeping the perfect aim while Aidan walked up behind the stranger, kicking the gun out of the way, letting Maya pick it up. Aidan swept his foot beneath the outlaw's legs, causing them to buckle and to force the man face down into the grass. “Tell us who else you're in contact with,” Aidan seethed, his mouth low beside the stranger’s ear. I wasn't sure if he was going to bite his ear or just make him eat dirt. Either way, Aidan looked pissed. I kept my dagger positioned and ready, should the need arise.
The outlaw sneered, grunting as he tried to wrestle Aidan off him. “I'm not telling you anything.” He bucked his hips, forcing Aidan's body to smash against the ground as he unintentionally let go. The outlaw rushed for Maya as she pulled the trigger on the gun and Cate released the arrow, both hitting the stranger before his body shuddered and he collapsed to the ground. “It's not over,” he rasped, blood bubbling in his mouth as he wheezed.
“Oh, I'd say it's over,” Cate quipped. “You're done killing people, that's for sure.” She secured another arrow while I helped Aidan up off the ground.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching as he slowly stood up.
Aidan dusted the dirt off himself. “Yeah, just had the wind knocked out of me.” He glanced at Maya. “Let's carry him back to Collins.”
“Dead man walking.” Cate smiled, clearly in a good mood. I couldn't quite tell why.
The corners of Aidan's lips turned upwards into a smile. Cate had managed to coax it out of him, though I didn't quite understand their fascination with death. “More like carrying. Dead man carrying, soon to be dead man burning,” he quipped.
I rolled my eyes, not understanding their humor at all. Maya noticed and said, “What's to get?” She shrugged. “They're trying to find a way to cope with what we had to do. No one's happy about killing an outlaw, but we have to protect our town and its people.” Maya secured the gun to the back of her pants. “We look out for one another. We're the closest thing to family anyone in this world has,” Maya reminded me, as Cate and Aidan carried the dead outlaw back to town.
CHAPTER 11
After the outlaw had been killed and brought into Shadow, Collins ordered a burning just past the border. I didn't attend. I had no need to. I stayed back with Adelaide, making sure she was all right. During the day, she seemed upbeat and her usual cheerful self. Nighttime was difficult. The first few nights were plagued with nightmares. I'd wake up to the sound of screams from her bedroom and dry her tears. I'd sing to her, cuddle with her and even tell her stories of make believe princes and princesses until she finally fell back to sleep.
With time, it got easier. Adelaide was resilient. She would show me the pages of a book and ask me to read it to her, pointing to the letters, wanting to learn to read. The nightmares eased but I wasn't sure if they would ever completely disappear. Adelaide sat in the living room, reading a book, when there was a knock at the door. “I'll get it!” she offered, jumping off the couch. She ran for the door, pulling it back as I came down the stairs with laundry, trying to see who it was. “Auntie Maddie!” She squealed with delight. I put down the laundry basket and descended the stairs as I saw Adelaide's arms around the woman and her face buried in her neck.
Seeing the woman more closely, I realized she was one of the women we'd rescued from Thena. By Collins’ gesture, I had sworn she'd died the day after we brought her to Shadow, but perhaps I'd been wrong. When we brought her in, she was barely conscious but breathing. It seemed Shadow's technology was far superior to anything I'd ever witnessed. Perhaps it just took time for such a recovery.
“Hi.” The older woman smiled, still holding Adelaide in her arms. She hadn't moved to get down. “I'm Madeline.” She offered me her free hand.
I shook it with a brief nod. “I'm Olivia,” I offered, smiling weakly in return.
“I remember,” Madeline nodded. “You saved us back in Thena. I wanted to come here and thank you
