Page 29 of Blue Arrow Island (Blue Arrow Island #1)

– Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain

I’m clawing at Vance’s face when light appears. The door to the room opens, a spotlight shining in on us.

“Move away from her.”

It’s Nova, her voice level and lethal as she points a handgun in our direction. Vance puts his hands in the air and moves off me, standing.

“She’s the one who attacked me when I tried to stop her from escaping.”

Tears of relief cloud my vision as I get to my knees, breathing hard.

“Briar, on the cot,” she says. “Vance, don’t move a muscle.”

I back my way to my cot. She switches on the room’s light, keeping the weapon trained on Vance, then presses a button on a radio that’s mounted to her shoulder.

“This is Athena, I need command team one in underground housing block two right now.”

There’s a crackle over the radio and a male voice answers. “Copy that, Athena. Stand by.”

My left eye is swollen, and I have aches and pains all over, but I’m not seriously injured. I pick up my blanket and wrap it around myself.

Vance’s hand is dripping blood where I bit him, a small red pool by his feet.

“Nova, you have to listen to me,” he says, sounding calm and rational. “I was restraining her because she was trying to escape. She’s going to come up with a story.”

“Sit your ass on the cot,” Nova says.

“You know me.”

“Did I fucking stutter? Not. Another. Word.”

I scratched the shit out of his face. It’s covered with jagged, bloody lines. Even now, I stare at him, keeping the blanket bundled tightly around me. I don’t trust that he won’t try something, even with a gun pointed at him.

A minute later, Marcus calls out to Nova as he approaches, his deep voice reigniting my fury. Standing in the doorway, she steps into the room and he enters behind her.

He’s shirtless, wearing only shorts. He doesn’t even have shoes on and his hair is a mess. He’s also carrying a handgun, a rifle slung over his back with the strap resting across his chest.

Marcus looks from me to Vance, and then back to Vance again. Niran walks into the room next, wearing shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops. He’s carrying a gun, too.

“Niran, keep your weapon on Vance while I talk to Marcus,” Nova says. “If he moves, shoot him in the head.”

Vance balks. “Marcus, she thinks I’m the one who did something! What the hell is going on? She was trying to escape!”

Marcus doesn’t respond. Once Niran has his gun pointed at Vance, Marcus leads Nova from the room.

“Niran, man, help me out here,” Vance pleads. “You know I’m a good guy.”

“Yeah, I know. Just be cool and wait while they talk.”

The exchange makes my stomach turn. Just a guy asking another guy to have his back. Even in the apocalypse, some things never change.

Soon, Marcus walks back into the room. His expression is different now, a dark storm in his eyes. He’s still holding the handgun.

“Vance,” he says. “Come with me.”

I’m shaking. Not just from what just happened, but from what’s going to happen next. Do I even have a chance of them believing me? Should I even bother telling them the truth?

“Niran, you can wait outside,” Nova says.

He nods and goes, pulling the door closed behind him. Once it’s closed, Nova puts the safety on her gun, putting her back against the door.

“I won’t come any closer,” she says softly. “Would you rather change your clothes with me in here or out in the hall?”

“He looked at me in the shower,” I blurt.

Her shoulders sink slightly. “I’m sorry. Do you want to change clothes, or would you rather keep the blanket?”

Hot tears spill onto my cheeks, and I swipe them away. I have to get ahold of myself. I can cry later, when I’m alone.

“I’ll change.” I slide off the cot, keeping the blanket secured. “Can you just turn around?”

Nova complies, and I walk over to the small dresser where I keep my clean clothes.

The Dust Walkers often wear the same canvas pants and T-shirts the Tiders do.

I dress in one of the familiar uniforms, feeling more comfortable than I would in casual clothes.

Then I add socks and my boots, because I’m not sure I’ll be staying here anymore.

My hair is wild from being wet when I went to bed. I brush my hands through the slightly damp strands.

“I’m dressed,” I tell Nova.

She turns around and meets my eyes, then opens the door. Marcus, Niran and Vance are standing there. Nova clicks off her gun’s safety and walks into the hallway.

Marcus comes into the room, closing the door. I sit down on the edge of my cot, my heart hammering with worry.

“What happened?” he asks.

I sigh softly, my gaze on the floor. “I was showering tonight, and I was alone in the bathroom. He came in just to...” My throat tightens.

“Just to look at me. He said he thought I yelled, but I didn’t.

I tried not to fall asleep, but I did. And I woke up to him”—I tuck my hair behind my ear, holding myself together—“pulling on my blanket, grabbing me. I fought back.”

“Are those the clothes you were wearing?” He nods at the pile I left on the dresser.

“Yeah.”

“Can I take a look?”

I shrug. “You can do anything you want.”

I hear him walk over and pick something up.

“Christ,” he mutters.

He turns to face me, still standing in front of the dresser. “Will you look at me?”

I raise my face and turn, locking my gaze on his.

“Did he sexually assault you?”

“He was trying. But no.”

He winces. “Briar ... I’m so goddamn sorry. This is my fault.”

I nod. “It is. He could’ve killed me and gotten away with it.”

Shame clouds his expression and he looks away. “Ellison is on her way.”

“I don’t need her. I’m fine.”

“I want her to at least look you over.”

“No.” It comes out more forcefully than I intended. “It’s my body and I know what my injuries are. I said I’m fine.”

He nods.

“So you believe me?” I ask, still not sure I trust it.

“Yeah. No one pounds on a door screaming for help when they’re trying to escape. I’m very fucking disgusted with myself for trusting Vance.”

“Locking a woman in a room with a man against her will seemed like a good idea?” My voice shakes with emotion and I clear my throat. “I did nothing to earn your suspicion. He was armed, Marcus. I fought him off with a fucking shelf.”

He pinches his brows together and looks away. “I’m very sorry. This is on me.”

“Either let me have a weapon, or I’m leaving.”

He jerks his gaze back onto me. “Leaving?”

“I deserve to be able to protect myself. This place is a literal fucking prison, and in this camp, you’re the warden. What gives you the right?”

“We’ll talk about this more. But right now I have to go.”

“Why?”

“To deal with Vance.”

“What are you going to do?”

He puts his hands on his hips. “You can come see, if you’ve got the stomach for it.”

My single note of laughter is bitter. “That won’t be a problem.”

He opens the door and I follow him into the hallway. Vance looks between us.

“Hey, I’m willing to let this go. It was a misunderstanding.”

Marcus ignores him, looking at Nova instead. “Tell teams two and three to meet us at the oak tree. Bring shovels.”

“No!” The color drains from Vance’s face. “You can’t. Marcus?—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Marcus says.

The door of another room opens nearby, someone peeking into the hallway.

“Close it and lock it,” Nova orders.

The door is instantly closed. Niran and Nova each stand on one side of Vance, who’s still yelling about me trying to escape. He refuses to move, so they pick him up.

We leave the tunnel, Marcus in the lead, Nova, Vance and Niran next and me last. Ellison comes up to me, a medical bag in hand. She’s wearing a long white nightshirt, pants and work boots, her long hair braided.

“I’m not going with you,” I say. “I’m going with them.”

She looks me up and down. “You’re okay?”

I nod, and she falls into step beside me.

The camp is engulfed in inky darkness, the only glow coming from a few lights mounted on tall posts.

We walk past the Hub, an outdoor housing block, and two other buildings, and then we’re walking on ground that’s been cleared but doesn’t have anything built on it.

After about ten minutes, we reach a big, old oak tree.

There are about a dozen people here already, some of them holding bright flashlights like the one Nova had. This reminds me of the circle at Rising Tide, spectators gathering to watch something big go down.

“Don’t do this!” Vance yells. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

When the people gathered see Marcus, they group up in a semi-circle around him. Some of them look like they got out of bed to come here.

Marcus gestures to the ground on his right side and says, “Start digging.”

My chin drops and I look over at Ellison. She presses her lips together and takes my hand in hers.

Vance is frantic now, his eyes wide. “No! You guys know me! He’s setting me up!”

“Anybody bring a stick?” Nova calls out.

Someone brings her one of the long metal poles I first saw when Pax and I encountered the group of Dust Walkers at the waterfall. At its tip, it has a bundle of wires that crackle and buzz with electricity.

Vance shuts up immediately, switching to crying softly instead.

Ellison and I look on, stoic as Marcus and five other men quickly dig. Marcus’s bare feet are muddy, but he doesn’t seem to notice. His muscles cord as he buries a shovel in the soil and hauls a shovelful of dirt into a pile.

Other people jump in to dig, too, and it takes them about twenty minutes to complete a hole that comes up to Marcus’s shoulders. He digs a foothold into one side of the hole, steps into it and reaches up, two large men each taking a hand to help pull him out of the hole.

He’s breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face as he looks at Vance and says, “Get in.”

Vance weeps. He’s on his knees, his forehead on the ground. “Please. Cast me out. Just don’t do this.”

Shaking his head, Marcus looks at Nova and Niran. They each grab an arm and drag him over to the hole, dumping him inside it.

I’m taken back to the hole Virginia put me in, my skin crawling as the sense of total helplessness returns. I have to take a few deep breaths and remind myself I’m not going in there. Vance brought this on himself.

Ellison squeezes my hand as Vance screams, begging someone to intervene. Marcus walks over to the edge and looks down at him. Then he lifts his chin and speaks to the group.

“Tonight, Nova and I found Vance guilty of disrespecting a camp member and lying. I have no doubt this is the right call. Justice here is swift and brutal because it has to be.”

The faces I can see in the faint glow of the flashlights are all resigned. There are both men and women, some of them glancing over at me and Ellison.

“Nova?” Marcus says.

“I agree with this decision.” She says it without hesitation.

Marcus looks down at Vance. “You get one more chance to be honest with me.”

One more chance? Was this all just a game to scare him? I look over at Ellison, who stares straight ahead.

“Thank you,” Vance sobs. “Marcus, thank you. I’ll never let you down again. I was wrong. She made me mad and I was trying to get back at her. I’ll never?—”

Marcus switches the safety off on his gun, pointing it at Vance.

“No!” Vance cries. “You said I had a chance to be honest and I was!”

Marcus narrows his eyes, his face impassive as he says, “In this case, honesty earns you a bullet before we bury you.”

The shot rings out and I jump. Ellison releases my hand and puts an arm around my shoulders.

“I’m okay,” I whisper, both to her and to myself.

Marcus tucks the gun into the waistband of his shorts, turning around.

“This is what happens when power is abused here.”

No one breathes. It’s eerily silent until the trill of a monkey sounds in the jungle. Marcus looks at Nova and says, “Finish it.”

Then his gaze locks onto me, the sorrow I saw in his expression back in my room replaced with stern authority.

“Let’s go.”