Page 126

The whole check took maybe an hour in total, and by the time they were finished, the sun was up in full force.
Beads of sweat dripped down the back of her neck. She definitely needed to track down her backpack at some point that day. She figured if Sylvia trusted her enough to not put her in the cell again, and also to let her outside of the wall, she shouldn't have any problem giving her back her things.
They met the other group halfway around the perimeter and discussed what they had seen.
According to them, there hadn't been any signs of digging or anything else at all. Saff wondered if that was actually true or if they had just missed the signs. She hoped it wasn't the latter.
They turned and went back the way they had come, showing the other half of the group the dirt patches they had found along the wall. But unfortunately, the others didn’t seem to be as concerned as they were.
The older man leading the group, Marcus, she’d found out, dismissed it quickly, chalking it up to animals or some natural occurrence.
When they finally returned to the entrance, Josh and Marcus had begun arguing over the findings and the approach they should take.
Saff quickly pieced together the dynamic that had formed between the people who had lived in the community before, and the new ones who’d just recently arrived. They all had a very different philosophy on raiders and their ability to get through the walls.
And Saff couldn’t exactly blame them.
She also couldn’t blame Josh for having such strong feelings on the topic.
The people who had lived in this community seemed to have never experienced a real raid or time when a group of people really broke through the wall. Josh and Carter, on the other hand, had just recently experienced that exact thing.
There was bound to be some difference in opinion and ideals.
Saff wanted to interject and argue alongside them. But she was careful not to share too many details. The last thing she needed was someone questioning her and piecing together her background.
So she kept quiet.
When they entered through the gates again, each person immediately passed their guns off to a man waiting on the other side, and Saff reluctantly followed suit. She saw Sylvia standing a few feet away, watching with a frown when she saw the gun in her hand.
“How does it look?” Sylvia asked, turning to Marcus.
“Fine,” he said casually. “Nothing to worry about.”
Saff caught the indignant look in Josh’s eyes before he stalked off, leaving Carter to jog after him.
“Saff,” Sylvia called out, nodding her over.
Saff reluctantly approached her.
“We found a scale. Can you come with me to check on Sarah again and tell her the dosage she should be taking?”
“Sure,” Saff muttered, annoyed that Sylvia seemed to mask her commands as questions.
They began walking the now somewhat familiar route to the medical house, and although Saff knew she shouldn’t say anything, she couldn’t stay quiet.
“The wall isn’t as secure as you guys think.”
Sylvia gave her a sidelong look. “Is that so?”
Saff nodded. “There are weak points in every spot near the houses.”
Sylvia pursed her lips but didn’t respond.
“And there were—” Saff paused, unsure if she should mention it. “There were signs that maybe people had been digging around the bottom. The dirt was freshly overturned.”
Sylvia was quiet for a few moments. “Did Marcus see those?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Saff answered.