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His lips pressed together in a hard line across his face.
"But what's our alternative?" Erin asked. "We go out there," she waved her hand in the air, "and risk running into a horde of infected people? Or worse, we run right into whatever group attacked us?"
"That's better than sitting here and waiting to be killed," Josh spat, hatred curling around his words.
Everyone at the table went quiet, dropping their gazes to the floor. Then, finally, after a few moments, James spoke up.
"What about the military safe zone on the island?"
Erin shook her head. "Getting there would be too dangerous. That's just as bad as staying here and waiting to get attacked again."
James let out a sigh that said it wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.
“At least we’d be trying something,” Josh said. “Better than being slaughtered like cattle behind these walls.”
Saff watched as the argument went on, with each person talking over the next, arguing their point.
Her eyes shifted to Maddie, who just sat there silently listening. Saff wondered what she was thinking—what she wanted. Although she could probably guess. Maddie wasn’tnearly as afraid of the world as she should’ve been. Saff’s eyes flicked to the burns on her arm—an exact reminder of her fearlessness, or rather, her stupidity.
“You haven’t even been able to get them on the radio since we got here,” Erin continued. “For all we know, they could’ve been overrun, too.”
James shook his head. “I don’t think it’s on their end. The radio I have isn’t getting a good enough signal here. I’m not getting through to them.”
Saff wasn’t surprised. They’d lost elevation most of the way there, and they had either rolling hills or mountains on almost every side. It was probably one of the reasons that this settlement had lasted as long as it did. It was more or less hidden from the rest of the world.
Erin shook her head, looking back down at the table. “It’s too risky. I agree that we can’t stay here, but it makes no sense to risk traveling there and not even know if they’ll be there at the end.”
James opened his mouth, as if to argue, but then closed it with a sigh and shake of his head. “Fine. We’ll wait a little longer and see how things go here.”
Saff looked between them all.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing—the sheer idiocy of it all. There was no waiting and seeing. If they waited, they might all end up dead—Maddie might end up—
“You can’t stay here.” The words rushed out of her mouth before it even registered in her mind that she’d spoken.
All of them immediately looked up at her, a hint of surprise on their faces. Even Maddie tilted her head towards her.
She cleared her throat, almost embarrassed by the unplanned outburst.
“They won’t wait longer than three days to come back.” She cleared her throat again. “So there isn’t time to wait and see.”
James eyed her suspiciously, like he wanted to ask how she knew that, but also didn’t want to know the answer. She knew then for certain that Maddie hadn’t filled them in on her real background—yet.
Erin looked at her with a mixture of disappointment, but also defeat. Then, after a few moments, she looked back at James.
“How are we supposed to get there when I can’t even walk?” She waved her hand at her foot, which was elevated on the chair beside her. “And shouldn’t Maddie be resting and letting the burns heal?” She looked back at Saff, but Saff got the feeling she wasn’t looking for an actual answer.
James looked at her with guilt in his eyes. “If this is what we need to do, then we’ll find a way to make it happen. No matter what.”
Erin looked down, shaking her head again, but even Saff could tell the argument was over.
Chapter thirty-six
Maddie leaned her hip against the cold countertop in the kitchen as she took another bite of the flavorless power bar in her hand.
The last day and a half had been a rush of preparation, most of which left her bored at the house, organizing their things while the rest of them traded and gathered throughout the community. Even her mother, with Josh’s help, had gone to the dining hall to see what food she could get for them.
They were all out doing things, which was why she’d been especially surprised when Saff had chosen to stay there at the house instead.