Page 51 of Echos and Empires (After #3)

TWENTY-FOUR

A deep exhaustion settled in Chris’s bones, aching like an old wound.

Twenty-four hours.

It only had been twenty-four hours since they’d saved William and lost everything else.

Each minute was stretched and heavy, like it might tear.

No time to rest. No time to waste. He knew they had to take a risk if they wanted to reach as many people as possible.

Too many of the men might be under the influence of Victor’s “vitamins,” but Chris and his unit couldn’t win with just women and the few men they’d already spoken with.

They couldn’t go slow anymore. For better or worse, the rebellion was now a revolution.

Twenty-seven people. That was the size of their entire revolution. Against a security force of at least fifty.

A trained force.

He turned to his team, gathered around in a tight circle in the mouth of the cave now strewn with sleeping bags and pillows. Emma’s hazel eyes caught his, searching for reassurance he wasn’t sure he could give. Chris wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling the grit of dust on his skin.

“We need to walk back to where we buried the phones and left the truck last night,” he said, keeping his voice steady, authoritative.

He saw Bash glance at the horizon, a scowl of impatience on his rugged face.

“We’ll text every number we have, then burn the phones.

That’s the only way we reach people fast enough.

Our timeline has stepped up again and we either go with it or fail. ”

Bash folded his arms. “Even the bastards who might work for Victor?”

“Even them if there’s even a shred of doubt about their loyalty to him,” Chris replied. He met Bash’s piercing green eyes, challenging him to argue. “We have to take the risk now because we’re out of time.”

Liam rubbed his jaw, blue eyes thoughtful behind his glasses. “But what if they don’t come? Or come and work against us? We’re not talking about small stakes here, Chris.”

“I know,” Chris said, trying to keep the fatigue out of his voice. It felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “But we need people. We need men. We don’t have time to build slowly anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, glancing over at William, whose blond hair caught the sun like a halo. “It’s only been a day since.”

“I’m sure,” Chris interrupted, the words cutting like a blade. “This is the only way we have a chance.”

The others looked at him, waiting, weighing his resolve. He saw them nod, saw the grudging acceptance settle over them like dust.

Chris exhaled.

“Come on then, the sooner the better. We’ll all go because I want those phones left there and we all have contacts. Emma, I hate to ask you to make the walk, but we have no other safe way.”

“I’m just at the start of this trimester, and aside from eating like a monster, I’m handling the second trimester far better than the first.”

He nodded. “Then leash up the pup and let’s head out. Myself and Liam with Ranger up front. Alex and William take the middle with Emma, Bash, as usual, bring up the rear.”

He heard the chorus of nods but didn’t wait for them to get moving, just started heading out, his mind a whirlwind of fatigue and fear.

The path ahead was rough and jagged, matching the churn of thoughts in Chris’s mind.

They had little time before Victor’s men found the truck and phones if they weren’t there waiting, or worse, found the cave.

He glanced back at Emma. She was walking like it was no big deal as she kept pace beside William and Alex.

They walked with silence by their sides, broken only by the sound of their heavy breaths and the occasional distant call of seabirds.

Chris trudged forward, his feet heavy as if weighed down by lead.

Each step seemed to sink into the earth, slowing his pace.

His heart pounded in his chest, a frantic rhythm fueled by the pressing need to reach his destination.

Desperation gnawed at his mind, urging him onward even as his legs burned with exhaustion.

“We have to reach the truck before they do,” he said, though he knew they were all thinking the same thing.

“We will,” Emma replied, her voice stronger than it should have been. “We have to.”

He nodded, though doubts gnawed at him like hungry rats. What if they didn’t reach it in time? What if the phones were already found? He tried to push the thoughts away, to focus on the rhythm of his feet, the plan ahead.

They needed people. A wave of them. An army to fight back before Victor closed his grip on this island and the others now that he knew his control was threatened.

But how many would come? How many would fight?

Chris pushed forward, fueled by a mix of hope and dread.

It had to be fast. They were a revolution now.

He cast another look at William, remembering the way he’d looked on the floor just yesterday, lifeless, and broken but thankfully with nothing more than surface injuries for reasons he didn’t understand. Chris watched him walking steadily, face set with determination.

Only twenty-four hours.

It was madness to trust he was ready to be out here, to expect him to scout, but they had no choice, they needed his eyes and his contacts the rest didn’t have. They’d made their lives together, but separate once coming to the island.

Aside from checking on William, he kept peeking back at Emma as they walked, his thoughts circling like vultures.

Was she really okay with being part of the fight now?

Could she handle it? They couldn’t afford for her to be anything less than ready.

He wouldn’t let her on the front lines, but he needed her experience, her voice, to prove that it wasn’t just an angry soldier looking for a win.

“Alex, swap with me.”

Alex moved to walk beside Liam without a word, leaving Chris to fall into step beside Emma and William.

The more he worried about her being here, the more certain he was that she should have stayed behind with the other women, away from this danger.

He shouldn’t have let Liam, Alex, and Emma come.

He should have insisted they split up. The thought gnawed at him.

He couldn’t shake it. He needed her story to be a part of this. To be their voice.

“You okay?” Emma asked, and the softness of her voice cut through his thoughts like a knife through fog.

He hesitated, words tangled in his mind. “Are you?” he said finally, looking at her with an intensity that bordered on desperation. “Are you really okay being part of this fight now?”

She held his gaze, unwavering. He could see the question reflected in her eyes. Was he?

“I mean it,” Chris continued. “I won’t let you on the front lines, but I need your experiences. I need your voice.” The words poured out in a rush, as if he’d been holding them back too long.

Emma stopped walking, forcing everyone to stop too.

She looked at him, determination etched into every line of her face.

“I’ve been part of this since he tried to intimidate me.

Fuck, since he tried to kill me on the ship.

I’m more than ready,” she said, and there was a fierce conviction in her voice that he hadn’t expected.

Relief washed over him, but anxiety pulled at its edges, fraying it like an old rope.

Was she really ready? Could he risk believing it?

His mind flashed back to the day they found her in the bunker, how fragile she seemed, how quickly she’d become their everything.

It felt like another life. It felt like yesterday.

Chris let out a breath, ran a hand through his hair. “Emma,” he began, but she cut him off.

“We have to fight,” she said, and her words were a mix of urgency and promise. “I want to be part of it. We’re saving the future, Chris. Of the island. Of humanity.” She spoke with a certainty that made him question all his doubts, that made him almost ready to believe her.

Her hand brushed against his, a small touch that carried the weight of the world. “We’ve already done the impossible,” she said. “We can do this, too.”

Chris felt something shift inside him, a growing resolve that wrapped around his fears and tightened like a fist. She was strong. Maybe strong enough for both of them. He felt his own strength growing with hers, felt his resolve cement into something unbreakable.

“Okay,” he said, nodding, more to himself than to her. “Okay.”

She started walking again, triggering the group to start again. This time he stayed back with her, his hand still clasping hers tightly. He knew he had to take this risk. It was a revolution now. It had to be fast. For better or worse, they were in it together.

He could see the truck just ahead, half buried in the low hanging foliage exactly as he’d wanted it.

Chris scanned the area, apprehension dragging his pulse into a relentless rhythm. No one was around, but the absence of threats only increased his tension. Where were Victor’s men? Was it a trap? “William?—”

“I know,” William replied before Chris finished, already climbing up a grassy incline for a better view.

He paused, eyes narrowing as they surveyed the landscape like a hawk searching for prey.

The moment stretched, taut with worry, until he slid back down.

“All clear,” he said, voice steady but cautious.

Chris sucked in a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Then let’s move.”

They moved through the remaining space quickly, and he was surprised to find the truck untouched.

Which meant the powered down phones were as well.

It was entirely possible they got away with powering the devices off before anyone realized what had happened—the building had been an abandoned lookout after all.

Only the men who worked for Victor knew, and Bash killed at least half of them.

“Or they’ve been, and this is a trap.” He looked away from the truck. “William, Bash, go scout to see if there’s anything on the other side of the truck. Bash, watch his six. William, do what you do best.”

Chris exhaled, letting himself feel the relief, if only for a second. The rest of the group gathered around him, and he looked at Liam. “Where should we meet everyone? Your damn mapping idea has paid off. Again.”

“The shoreline,” Liam replied without hesitation. “On the far side of the island. It’s a long walk, but safer than being close to the caves.”

They’d need every advantage they could muster.

He sat at the edge of his desk, the glow of the computer screen casting an anxious light on his furrowed brow.

Each choice felt like a balancing act on a tightrope, the potential missteps looming like dark shadows ready to pull him down.

The weight of it all pressed against his shoulders, heavy and unrelenting, as if he carried a backpack filled with lead.

He looked at Liam, grateful for his steadiness, his calm in the storm.

“Thanks,” Chris said. “For your level head.”

“Someone’s got to have one,” Liam replied with a grin, the familiar glint in his bright blue eyes. “Can’t say mine’s always that way now thanks to Emma, but I’ll always do my best to be what you need.”

A momentary lightness settled over him, the memory of their first meeting flickering through his mind. How long ago had it been? A lifetime. An instant. He relied on Liam, maybe more than he realized. Maybe more than he’d ever admit.

“All right,” Chris said, his voice cutting through the salty air. “Texts only, no calls, there’s no time for that. Burn the phones when you’re done, and by that I mean destroy them by whatever means necessary. It needs to be fast. We have to risk it now.”

Alex pushed a hand through his spiky hair, skeptical. “You sure about this?” he asked, hazel eyes searching Chris’s face. “We don’t know what we’ll be up against.”

Chris met his gaze, unwavering. “I’m sure,” he said. Maybe more sure than ever. “It’s all or nothing now.”

Alex gave a quick nod, his cocky smirk reappearing. “Just wanted to hear you say it,” he said, and turned to start texting.

Chris watched the group split up, and watched the way they worked together.

Liam and Alex, sending texts with grim efficiency.

Emma, beside them, focused and intent, her determination lighting her up from within.

The sight filled Chris with a mix of pride and fear, a potent cocktail that burned through his veins.

They were really doing this. There was no turning back.

Bash and William returned, silent but without a shred of concern on their faces..

“Nothing. Whatever Alex did, the truck’s computer plus powering the phones off seems to have protected us. For now.” Bash growled.

Chris caught William’s eye and felt a surge of gratitude. Twenty-four hours ago, he hadn’t been sure they’d get him back.

“No other tracks?” Liam asked.

“Nothing suspicious,” Bash reported, with a sharp nod. “No one around, just some animal trails.”

“Good,” Chris replied, feeling the tightness in his chest ease a fraction. “Help the others send texts.”

He watched Bash and William join the others, watched the way they all moved with purpose. It made him feel the depth of his trust in them, in what they were doing. It made him feel the weight of it, the urgency, the need to make this work.

He knelt down, grabbed a phone from the stash. It felt heavy in his hand, a lifeline or a death sentence. It was impossible to tell which. He started typing, each word feeling like it carried a thousand tons. Meet us. Join us. It’s a revolution now.

Chris could hear Victor’s voice in his head, cold and calculating, a sinister echo that sent a chill through him despite the heat.

This was the hardest part—the waiting, the not knowing.

But they were beyond doubt, beyond fear.

He glanced at Emma, then at the rest of the group, a fierce determination blazing in his dark eyes.

They had to do this fast. They had to win this.

He ran a hand through his hair and took a breath. “We text every number we have,” he repeated. “Every single one unless we know they’re completely loyal to Victor.”

Chris crouched down and started digging for the phones. There were too many numbers to send texts one at a time. They each had to take a couple. It had to be fast.

“Burn them when you’re done,” he reminded the group, tossing each man and Emma a phone.