Chapter 35: The Unwinding Truth

The room was silent, save for the quiet rustling of the group settling down. Evelyn could feel the weight of the man's words heavy in the air. Not for people like you. What did he mean by that? She couldn’t help but wonder if their arrival at this “safe haven” was part of a much larger and far more complicated picture than they had anticipated.Jack stood near the wall, his gaze fixed on the door, eyes alert as if he were expecting trouble at any moment. Harris sat close to him, his fingers drumming lightly on his knee, a clear sign that he wasn’t at ease. He’d been quieter than usual since their escape from the compound, and Evelyn knew that the feeling of uncertainty was gnawing at him.Mara, on the other hand, was inspecting the room, her eyes darting across every detail. Her hand never strayed far from the gun at her hip, ready for anything. Evelyn had come to trust Mara's instincts, which were sharp as ever, but even Mara seemed more on edge than usual.“Do you trust him?” Liam asked quietly from where he sat across the room, his eyes flicking between the door and Evelyn. He spoke in a low voice, but his question carried the weight of everyone’s thoughts.Evelyn took a deep breath, trying to focus her thoughts. "I don’t trust anyone right now," she said softly, her gaze fixed on the doorway. "But we don’t have a choice. We need to stay until we figure out what’s really going on here."Jack spoke up from his corner. "That guy... he’s ex-military. I can tell by his stance. The way he moved, the look in his eyes. He's been through too much to be just some random survivor."“Ex-military?” Harris repeated, his voice skeptical. “What makes you so sure?”“I’ve seen that before,” Jack said simply. “It’s instinct. He’s trained, and he’s been running this place—whatever this place is—for a while now. The way he controls the room, the way he sized us up. This isn’t a group of random survivors trying to make it.”Evelyn nodded slowly, considering his words. If Jack was right, then this was more than just a shelter for refugees. Whoever ran this place—whoever this man was—had experience. And that made Evelyn all the more cautious. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the man had been watching them for longer than they realized.A soft noise at the door broke the stillness. The man—who hadn’t given them his name yet—reappeared, his eyes cold but measured. He had his arms crossed and stood in the doorway, a silent figure waiting for them to acknowledge his presence.Evelyn stood first, her hand still resting on her sidearm. "You said we have one night," she said, her voice calm but firm. "What exactly does that mean?"The man didn't immediately respond, his gaze flickering over the group, but his expression softened just a fraction. "I said what I meant. You’re not from around here, and I don’t know what your intentions are. So I’ll give you tonight to figure it out. If you’re not gone by morning... we’ll deal with it.""Deal with it?" Mara’s voice was sharp, her patience clearly running thin.He met her gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You’re not in charge here, but I’ll give you this: I’m not your enemy, not yet. But I can’t risk letting you all stay if you’re a threat."Evelyn exhaled slowly, sensing the tension in the room rising once again. "We’re just trying to survive," she said quietly, hoping to defuse the situation. "Like everyone else."He nodded slowly, as though weighing her words. "If that’s the truth, then you’ll stay the night and leave before the sun rises. If you can’t do that... then we’ll see what happens."With that, he turned and disappeared into the hallway, leaving the group in tense silence once again. No one spoke for several long moments. Evelyn glanced around the room, meeting the eyes of each of her companions."Looks like we’ve got our hands full," Jack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "But at least we know one thing—this place is still being run by someone who knows what they’re doing.""I’m not so sure that’s a good thing," Harris replied, his eyes flicking to the door, clearly unsettled.Mara gave him a pointed look. "You’re starting to sound paranoid, Harris. We don’t have time to be picky."“I’m not paranoid," Harris shot back, his voice low but edged with frustration. "We’ve been burned before, and I don’t trust anyone we haven’t vetted properly."Evelyn held up a hand, signaling for quiet. "We need to stick together," she said, her voice firm. "We’re not getting anything done if we start turning on each other. I don’t trust this place either, but right now, it’s the best option we have. Let’s not waste tonight arguing."The group fell into silence once more, each of them lost in their thoughts. Evelyn could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on her. They had survived so much—raiders, starvation, betrayal—but this was different. Whoever ran this place, whatever it was, held the power to either give them the safety they’d been desperately searching for, or destroy them entirely.She felt the creeping doubt settle into her stomach. They had come this far. Could they afford to trust this place? Could they afford not to?Later that night, as the group huddled together, trying to sleep in the small, uncomfortable room, Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that they were waiting for something. It was as if the whole world had been holding its breath, and now they were teetering on the edge of something—something that could either bring them the salvation they had longed for or pull them deeper into the chaos.Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps outside the door. Someone was coming. Evelyn immediately sat up, her hand instinctively going to the grip of her sidearm.The door creaked open slowly, and the man from earlier stepped inside, his silhouette framed by the dim light from the hallway.“I told you we’d be watching,” he said, his voice a little more measured now, though still tinged with an undeniable edge. "And we’ve made a decision."Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. "What kind of decision?"He stepped further into the room, his eyes hard. "It’s up to you. You can stay and join us... or you can leave, and we’ll pretend we never saw you."