Page 12

CALE

Time had become a vacuum.

Sticky skin.

Sweat.

Heat.

Too warm.

The smell of smoke.

Pop… pop… pop.

My eyes blinked open, a loud shout jarring me awake.

“Go, go, go,” a deep voice boomed somewhere in the distance.

Another rapid, pop, pop, pop, and Eben sat up with a gasp, “Shit… was that—”

“Gunfire,” I answered, and we both moved.

Stumbling over our blankets and each other, we hurried to stand and get dressed. Shouts and more gunfire rattled the night outside our tent.

“What’s happening?” Fear soured inside my stomach as I zipped up my pants.

“I don’t know,” he said, pulling on his jacket. He’d gotten dressed so much faster than I had, which made me wonder how many times he’d had to wake up like this—in shock and ready for a fight. “But it sounds like they’ve breached the—”

“Eben! Cale!” Sammie called for us, her voice shaking.

“In here.” Eben unzipped the tent door as I pushed my socked feet into my new pair of boots. “What’s going on?”

She had Megs with her. The little girl’s big gray eyes filled tears.

“Another unit…” she said, out of breath and shook her head. “We didn’t know… the squad—” Her voice broke.

“Sammie,” Eben’s tone, a soft command. “Take a breath, okay. Easy…” She did as he asked, taking slow swallows of air into her lungs. “Just like that.”

I turned as more gunfire erupted somewhere in the dark, my eyes widening as I realized some of the settlement’s structures were on fire. The early morning sun was barely spilling over the mountains as smoke billowed up toward the sky. Panic gripped my heart.

They were here.

“Sammie…” Eben took my hand, stilling my trembling fingers. “Can you tell us what happened? What can we do?”

“The militia… They sent two units, one at the pass and one we didn’t know about. They breached the gates. You have to take her. Please take her… take her with you… I can’t leave Thomas. I have to help. I have orders I have to—”

“We’re not leaving you like this,” I said, my dread leaking into my words. “We can’t abandon—”

“She needs you, please. ” Sammie knelt down to her daughter’s height. “Megs… you go with these nice men, okay, like you did yesterday.” She thumbed away her daughter’s tears from her cheeks. “Mommy will meet you at the safe place in a little while.”

“I’m scared.” The terror in the little girl’s voice wrecked me.

“I know, baby, but you have to be brave for me, just for a little while longer, okay?”

Megs sniffled. “I don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” Eben said. “We’ll make sure she’s safe.”

The shouting and gunfire seemed to be fading farther from the residents’ tents.

“Where do we go?” I asked, barely able to mask my own terror as I spoke.

“Head straight for the mess hall,” Sammie ordered. “Colton is there. He’s heading the evacuation.”

“I thought he was with Thomas?” Eben asked, and Sammie shook her head as she stood.

“The squad came back. The militia… the unit they sent through the pass retreated. They were a distraction.” She swallowed hard and rolled her shoulders. “Stop asking questions and do as you’re told. Find Colton and head out.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eben said with a respectful nod of his head as he let go of my hand and held the girl’s instead. “We’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“Stay with them,” she said, and Megs nodded. Her red curls falling in her face. “When you get to the safe place, honey, Mrs. Bree will already be there. She’ll watch you too.” She gave her daughter a hug and Megs started to cry. More gunfire rang out and we all turned our eyes to the gate. “There’s no time…” Sammie whispered and took a step backward. “There’s no one else. They’re all evacuating as fast as they can, I’m trusting you,” she said, and the weight of her words bore down onto my shoulders.

“I promise you,” I said. “We’ll protect her with our lives.”

Megs started to cry full force, every fractured sob shaking her small body as her mother turned and ran toward the gate. “It’s okay, baby girl,” Eben whispered and picked her up. “Can you be brave like your mom said? We have to find Mr. Colton and he’ll take us to Bree, okay?”

Megs gulped the air like it was water, big shuddering breaths, and wiped her fists across her eyes. She burrowed down deeper into her winter coat. “O-o-okay.”

“I’ll grab my jacket,” I said, and Eben’s throat bobbed, the only sign of the alarm under the surface of his calm facade.

“Grab the bag we packed yesterday; we’re going to need it.”

My heart bounded, banging against my sternum like a bass drum, my hands shaking as I pushed my arms through my jacket and grabbed the evacuation rucksack we’d made yesterday “just in case.” The fire in our stove was almost out, but I doused it with a little bit of water anyway. Quickly tying my boots, I stole a glance at the tangled blankets on our bed roll. The burn on my lips and the ache in my muscles—the only evidence it hadn’t all been a dream.

“Tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was the real dream, something hiding on the horizon. Unreachable.

I zipped up the tent behind me and we took off toward the mess hall in silence. Our fear was palpable, every corner we rounded was a threat, every step we took a possible trap. But Eben kept moving, Megs wrapped up tightly in his arms. Anxiety thrummed through my veins as we got closer to the center of the settlement. It was easier to see the fires once we’d made it through the residential area. To my relief, none of the tents had been targeted. There was one guard tower still burning, and off in the distance, a few NEA soldiers scrambled to put out a fire that had started in one of the supply yurts. Everything was chaos up the hill as well, with most of the residents running with their families toward the lake. Gunfire crackled constantly somewhere outside the gates in the valley. A small pang of guilt twisted through me. Who was out there fighting? Who wouldn’t we see if we made it to the evacuation shelter?

“Wait.” Eben stopped abruptly, darting his free arm out to push my back into the wall of one of the bath houses. “Shit.” His chest heaved as his back hit the wall too. Megs whimpered and he gave her a forced half smile. “Shh, baby girl. We’re going to play hide and seek, okay? And right now, we’re hiding.” She nodded slowly. “And we don’t want anyone to hear us, so I need you to be extra quiet. Can you do that?” She nodded again, her bottom lip quivering. “Good girl.”

Eben met my gaze, and the fear I saw in his dark brown eyes fell into my gut like a sledgehammer. He shook his head and started to hand Megs to me. “If I tell you to run,” he whispered to me. “You run.”

“What?” I hissed. “Eben, no. Absolutely not.”

“Shh.” He shook his head again, and I took Megs into my arms. “Please, Cale.”

I swallowed past the growing panic lodging itself inside my throat. “Okay.”

Eben reached into his pocket and pulled out the small pocketknife he’d gotten back from Thomas yesterday before the unit had left to fight off the militia.

“You two,” a deep voice rumbled, and my heart froze. Was it NEA? Militia? “Leave it, let’em fight the fire, find the CO. She’s gotta be here somewhere.”

Oh God.

Militia.

“Yes, sir,” two male voices answered in unison.

Footsteps sounded in the opposite direction from our hiding spot, and that glimmer of hope persuaded me to take a deep breath. But Eben stayed motionless. Megs started to say something, and my hand darted to cover her mouth, my pulse like a runaway train. Two deep furrows formed on Eben’s forehead, his hand shaking as he gripped the knife harder.

Footsteps.

Headed in our direction.

Slow.

One… two…

One… two…

“I can see yer shadow,” the deep voice shouted. “Show yerself, you fuckin’ cowards.”

Eben’s eyes slammed shut and a scream trapped itself inside my chest. Megs let out a soft cry that vibrated against the palm of my hand where I’d tried to silence her.

This was it.

Our promise was broken.

Tomorrow would never come, and last night had only been a dream.

“Come on now,” the man said, his deep southern drawl curling around his words. “I ain’t got all fuckin’ day.”

The smoke in the air had grown thicker as the men doused the fire with more water, and it filled my lungs, making a home alongside the panic and dread.

Eben shifted on his feet, and I barked out a raspy, “No.”

But it was too late.

“When I tell you to… run,” he said and stepped out of the shadows.

EBEN

I wouldn’t let it happen. I wouldn’t let them cage Cale again or take Megs to the west camp. I would do the right thing this time.

The guy was an officer. His rank displayed proudly on his sleeve.

His smirk turned into a cruel smile when he saw me, his cold eyes falling to my small pocketknife.

“Whatch’a gonna do with that, boy?” He laughed and lifted his pistol. “I’ll shoot yer ass dead, you understand?” He kept his gun steady. “Anyone else with you?” His keen, dark eyes trailed toward the bath house.

“No.”

“No?” He took a step, and I stood taller, gripping the small handle of the knife as hard as I could. I had to protect Cale. Megs.

“Take another step and I’ll—”

He lowered his gun and shot near my feet, and I stumbled back, almost falling onto my ass. “You’ll what, boy?”

Sweat dripped down my temple, my muscles seizing with shock. I didn’t dare look over at the bath house, hoping like hell Cale would stay put until I could distract this guy long enough for them to run.

“I-I’m just trying to—”

He shot again, this time spitting dirt onto the tips of my boots. The knife fell from my hand.

“Try’in to what?” He waved his gun. “Help yer little friends put out our fires?” He took another step and then another. I held my ground. He was close enough I could try and charge him. He wasn’t much taller than me. He was older too; his muscles less lean. He reminded me of Lux. The way his stomach hung over his belt buckle. I could knock him down, tell Cale to run. If I was lucky, I could disarm him, if I wasn’t, at least Cale and Megs would have the distraction they needed to get away and get to the mess hall unharmed.

“You hear that?” he asked and looked up at the sky. “All that gunfire… we’ve got you cornered.”

“You don’t know that,” I argued needlessly, buying myself time.

“Don’t I? Why do ya think this place is deserted… everyone runnin’ like cockroaches.” He pointed his gun at my chest. So close. I could reach out and touch the barrel. “Looks like we missed one.”

“ Run ,” I roared at the same time I bolted forward, my fist connecting with his arm.

Or maybe it was his chest? I couldn’t tell. All of my focus was geared to getting him to the ground. The fabric of the man’s fatigues cut into my knuckles as a loud crack sounded through the air. Two words on a timeless loop inside my head, keep swinging . Heat bloomed in my shoulder, piercing pain ripping through my left arm. I threw my fist again, meeting the air as I tripped. Another crack, not as loud, more like a snap, and more agony rippled through me, my jaw, my cheek bone exploding with fire. Hands in the dirt and copper on my lips and another crack, bone deep, my ribs giving in, stealing my breath, the air sharp in my throat and blood in the sand. Keep swinging . Knees bent, fabric in fingers, pulling at my nails. Keep swinging. The pain was a rapid, swelling with the rain, drowning me, battering me against the rocks at the bottom of the river. Keep swinging.

Another crack.

Silence.

Through gritty eyes, I stared at the sky, like blue eyes, Cale, as the river bubbled next to me. I felt the water on my fingertips, thick and warm. And Cale calling me home.

***

“How long till he wakes up?” Cale’s voice was thin like gauze as I opened my eyes. Bright sunlight streamed through the room and made my head hurt.

“I’m not sure,” Thomas said, and I thought I was still asleep, dreaming. I closed my eyes, the light too bright. “We’ll know more once the doctor comes back.”

A warm hand on my forehead had me opening my eyes again. “Eben?”

“Hey,” I croaked and tried to smile, his eyes were too sad. My lips cracked and I winced.

All at once, the memories flooded me. The fires. The gun shots. The smoke. The gun pointed at my chest. I tried to sit up and the room started spinning. “Megs?”

“She’s safe,” Thomas said and gave me a lopsided smile.

I inhaled a deep breath, but a sharp, searing pain threatened to split me in half.

“Fuck.”

“Fuck, indeed,” Thomas chuckled. “You tried to get yourself killed and nearly succeeded.” He looked at Cale and my eyes followed.

Cale.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared down at me. “The doctor will be back soon,” he said.

“Back?” I asked, confused about what had happened and where we were. “What happened?”

Cale choked on a sob as he sat next to me. I was on a mattress. A bed? And the room was round with a tall ceiling, the smell of rubbing alcohol stung my nose and I tried another breath. “Eben…” He touched my forehead again and my eyes wanted to flutter shut and sleep for an eternity. My body, heavy with exhaustion, I did my best to stay awake.

“I’m sorry,” I said and my eyes stung.

“Shh,” he whispered and left a tender kiss on my lips. “You’re in the medical yurt. That militia pig shot you in the shoulder. You… God, you fought so hard, I thought…I thought you were d-dead.”

“Doc said the bullet went straight through,” Thomas said with what sounded like pride.

“Jesus.”

“Got a concussion too, and some bruised ribs. You really got the shit kicked out of you, kid.” Thomas’s gray gaze fell to the floor. “Thank you… for keeping my daughter… for risking your life to—”

“Thomas, I… Of course,” I said and, despite the pain and the roiling nausea in my gut, I attempted to sit up again.

“Don’t,” Cale ordered and stood. “Here.” He took a few blankets from somewhere and tucked them under my pillow, propping my head up so I could see my surroundings better.

The room had several beds, all empty.

My shoulder screamed with pain, but I fought it. “The militia officer is he… dead?”

“Yes,” Cale said. The word trembled in the air. “I thought you were… He was hurting you, kicking you and…” His lips trembled. “I didn’t know where you’d been shot. There was so much blood. You were on the ground, Eben, and I… I had to do something, I couldn’t leave you like that.” More tears spilled from his eyes and down his cheeks as he sat next to me again. “I’m sorry.”

I reached up with my right hand and held his face. “Why?”

“I didn’t think. I shouldn’t have let you stand on your own. I should have helped you sooner, but I was scared, and I had to hide Megs in one of the residents’ tents. When I came back, you were on the ground. H-He had his gun to your head, and oh God—” A sob wracked through him, and I started to cry too. “I saw your pocketknife in the dirt. And I did what I needed to do. He was going to kill you. He didn’t know I was there; he never saw me coming… I grabbed it, t-the knife, I fucking grabbed it and stabbed him in the neck.”

“Cale…”

He leaned down and rested his forehead to the center of my chest. His fingers gripping the side of my shirt.

“I’m glad I did it,” he said. “I’m glad he’s dead. I’d do it again and again if I had to. We made a promise to Sammie, and I… Eben, I… I needed there to be another tomorrow. I need you. I can’t lose you.” His shoulders shook as he cried into my shirt, his tears pooling into the fabric and onto my skin.

I ignored the gnawing pain in my head and the sharp twinge in my ribs. I ran my fingers up and down his back and told him everything would be okay.

***

Over the next few days, a storm blew in and the militia’s forces had been pushed back. Their lack of manpower and inexperience in the snow had led them to defeat. The NEA had been able to secure the settlement, allowing the residents to return from the evacuation location. Cale had barely left my side, and when he had, it was only long enough to shower and get us our meals. The doctor had told me I’d lost a lot of blood, but my shoulder should make a full recovery. After the medical yurt had started to fill with more patients, I thought I’d get to leave, but he’d made me stay for three full days because of my concussion.

“I’m serious,” the doctor had said. “You’re not to leave this room for seventy-two hours.”

I had been given orders to take it easy. Drink lots of water. And to use my pain meds sparingly as they weren’t sure when the next shipment would arrive since our trade routes had been compromised thanks to the militia.

“Are you sure you’re feeling better?” Cale asked as he helped me tie my boots. “You can stay longer if—”

“I’m okay. I’m alive, and that’s better than some can say,” I whispered and stared around the room.

Cale’s sad eyes found mine. Eleven NEA soldiers had been killed, including Dexter. Landon had gone missing along with two female soldiers. Guilt stabbed at my already tender ribs. I was here with Cale, and I would fight for that, for that tomorrow we’d promised each other. I would fight for those we’d lost, but it didn’t make surviving feel any more deserving.

“Don’t do that,” he said as he stood to his full height. He was stronger, sure of himself in a way he hadn’t been before the battle. “I can see it in your eyes. The guilt. You deserve to be here, just as much as everyone else.

“Do I?”

“Yes,” he said in a tone I’d gotten to know well over the last few days. It was a loving slap to the back of my head. “A life is a life.”

“But Landon, and the other hostages, and those soldiers that died, some of them were fathers, and maybe sisters or brothers, and Christ, maybe moms. Why… Why do I matter in all of this?”

“You matter to me.” He gave me his soft smile. “You saved me. You saved Megs. A daughter .” Cale didn’t back down. “Thomas said they’re making a plan to look for Landon and the two other soldiers. The Captain thinks they’re taking them to the west camp. Once we’re back to full health, we get to train. This isn’t over. We get to help make things right, Eben.”

“I want that.”

“I know you do.” He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. “The other night, I didn’t think anyone would find us, and you needed help, and I had that officer’s blood on my hands, and yours, and all I cared about was you. I thought you were going to die, Eben. I was terrified. And then, Thomas found us, and he got help and we got you to this freaking tent. And while the doctor was working on you, all I could do was think about what ifs… what if you didn’t make it. What if I lost you?” His eyes were glassy, blue pools as he raised his hands to my cheeks. “Thomas saw me. Saw through me and he told me... He said, “ The sun is rising, and every day is a new breath, each step we take means something .” He said, “We’ve come too far for everything to fall apart now.” Maybe he was talking about the war, or you, or his wife… But he was right. The steps you’ve taken, they’ve led you to me, and to this… I don’t think we’re lucky, or that we’ve been spared, Eben. I don’t think luck deserves that much credit. We earned this.”

He lowered his hands and rubbed his neck, a few pieces of his hair on the side of his head were sticking up in different directions. It was odd, but I couldn’t stop staring at the dark strands. It was such a regular, everyday thing. Bed head. It wasn’t bullet wounds or lost friends or split lips. It was real. He was here and safe and he’d saved my life.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” I said.

That soft smile that belonged to me spread across his lips. “I guess that means were even,” he said and kissed me as my fingers curled around his messy strands of hair.