In front of me lay the smoldering remains of a campfire and a man curled up in a blanket fast asleep. A pile of supplies lay a few feet away. I pulled my sword and tapped him with it as Fawke joined me. “Looks like we found the scouts’ camp.”
“Yep.” Fawke kicked the man’s foot. “He isn’t much of a guard.”
The man’s eyes sprang open, and he fought to untangle himself from his bedding. “What?” Once free, he sprang to his feet and reached for a dagger.
“Hold it right there.” I kept my sword at the ready. “That little thing is no match for my sword. Where are your comrades?”
“Out scouting. You must be the people that shot Rob.” He paled and held up his hands. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“What are you scouting for?” Fawke asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Threats and supplies.” He stepped in front of what he should have been guarding. “Don’t take this. It’s ours.”
By now the others had joined us. With curious glances at the stranger, Dante and Jolt set to work fixing the wagon wheel.
“You folks seemed headed somewhere,” the man said. “Mind telling me where?”
“Out of the city.” He didn’t need to know more than that.
He nodded. “Wanting to get away from those things, I guess.” He sat on a pack lying on the ground. “Fix your wagon and get out of here before my friends return.”
“I’m pretty sure we can handle them,” Fawke said. “How many of you are there?”
He looked reluctant to answer, but after a minute shrugged. “You’d find out soon enough if you stick around long enough. There’s only five now. Scavengers and monsters finished off the others. You scavengers?”
“Stalkers.” I sheathed my sword. “It’s our job to clear the city of Malignants. Since that is an impossible task, we’re looking for a career change.”
His eyes widened. “Soriah will kill you.”
“If they find us.” I glanced at Ezra whose mouth fell open and gave a slight shake of my head, hoping he’d play along. If we could convince the scouts we meant them no harm, we might find out the location of their home on the mountain. This lone scout didn’t seem very bright, but he was talkative.
“Want me to go through the packs?” Ezra glared at the man who paled.
“No. We only take what we find left behind. We aren’t thieves.” Might not be my brightest idea, but these scouts should not be our enemies. I had a feeling we might need each other in the future. This group of people had escaped Soriah for years. I wanted to know their secret.
Suddenly feeling many years older than my eighteen years, I sat on the edge of the supply wagon. On the other side of the building came the shrieks of Malignants. The sound had become so familiar I no longer jerked or grabbed for my weapons. Not until I actually lay eyes on one.
The radio crackled.
“No one mention this man.” I got to my feet and stood in front of the monitor as Sharon’s face appeared.
“The Wheel did not land on black today.”
“Okay.” Why did she call to tell me something I’d figure out myself when no one arrived? “The president has decided to up your rations each week in order to give you the strength to continue hunting for survivors.”
I fought the urge to glance at the man off to my side. “That’s very nice of our president.”
“President Cane is hoping for a quick end to this mission, Miss Dayholt. I hope you can oblige.”
“We’re doing our best. Pulling these wagons is slow going. The city is blocked every way we turn.”
“I cannot send you more people.” The screen went black.
“I’ve never known Soriah to contact us about people not hitting the black square.” Ezra shook his head. “For some reason, they want on your good side.”
“Could they be suspicious that we’re veering off their original plan for us?” I glanced at him.
“I don’t know how. Not with these trackers in our arms. They know where we are at every turn.”
“You have trackers?” The scout’s brows disappeared under his cap.
“Yeah, so?” I stared.
“Nothing.” He looked worried.
Fawke motioned his head for me to step away from the others. “The closer we get to finding this mountain community, the greater the risk to them. Soriah will know their location by our trackers. Until we know whether these people are actually a threat to the city, we can’t lead them there.”
“I know that. Any ideas how to prevent it from happening?”
“Short of cutting the chips from our arms, no.” He exhaled heavily. “We’ve a lot of thinking to do. I’m so close to my release date. Ridding myself of my tracker means I never go back.”
“We won’t let that happen. I’ll think of something. A story you can tell. Make it look as if the rest of us have died at the hands of Malignants.”
His gaze locked on mine. “You’d do that for me?”
“If that’s what I decide, yes.” Without hesitation. Fawke had almost served his term. He’d be a huge asset to Soriah in some way.
I paced away from the others, deep in my thoughts. Kira and Ezra would jump at the chance of freedom. Anyone who wanted to join the mountain people…I’d find a way to make that happen. As for me, well, I hadn’t totally decided my fate. Perhaps I’d continue to hole up and wait out my time.
The city would continue to send me rations. Others would spin the wheel and land on black. I’d learned to fight, and if I ventured out only at night, then perhaps I’d survive. Yes. When we got close to finding the mountain community, I’d let each of my group make their own decision.
“Wagons fixed.”
