“Congratulations,” the other said sounding somewhat disappointed.
Becki was less excited than Winter. Her eyes met mine as she swallowed hard.
“I want to go but I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to go back out there,” Becki said. “It sounds like such a long journey.”
“It’ll be fine,” Winter said taking her hands. “We’ll be there in no time and we’ll be safe and it’ll be great.”
“We’ll take good care of you,” Clara said.
Henry shot her a glance. His brow wrinkled like the skin of a piece of old fruit. “Clara’s right. You’ll be taken care of.”
“When do we go?” Becki asked hugging herself.
“First thing in the morning,” Henry said. “Pack your things.”
“We don’t have a lot of things to pack,” Winter said.
I clapped my hands together and stood. “We’ll give you some food and water.” I turned to Henry. “How many days do you think you’ll be out there?”
“Hmm.” Henry blew out a puff of air between his lips. “Anywhere from five days to a week. I think we’re a bit further east than usual but we like to travel fast. Hope you girls are ready to move your feet.”
“So ready,” Winter said.
Becki offered a tight-lipped smile.
“We have more than enough in our packs to make it to the base but it never hurts to have more,” Henry said.
Time flew.
It wasn’t long before I was back in the living room and it was a brand new day. This day, however, had a much different feel.
There was a mix of sadness, excitement, worry, and joy circulating through the air. Everyone was saying their goodbyes. Kieran ignored Winter but wished Becki well. Kieran wouldn’t ever get over what Winter was doing with her husband and I honestly couldn’t say I blamed her. What I was concerned about was what Kieran may or may not have done to her husband.
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
