Page 40 of Marked for Execution
“Yeah, I’m well aware, Samuel. As we all are. Look, I don’t make the rules here.”
“Pfft, the governor sits on his ass in his house all day. He doesn’t do shit either. Crazy Otis got more sway in this community than Sergio.”
Gunner’s not wrong. Our makeshift governor only came out when he thought it was necessary to improve his position within the community. How? I had no clue, since there was really nothing higher than that here. We were all pretty self-sufficient in Ashborne, with competent men who maintained the turbines and solar panels to keep the place running.
“Hannah is going to sever my balls. This trip is going to take more than a week at best.” Samuel had his hands behind his head in a relaxed position despite talking about his balls getting cut off.
“What will it be, gentlemen?” I asked again.
“Fuck. If the world’s going to shit, we might as well go down fighting. Let’s find this decayed flesh and get home.” Gunner had his arms crossed with a look of determination.
“Where is it located? Do we know? Or are we wandering until rumors get louder and things get warmer?”
“It’s in a human camp. We just need to keep our eyes peeled around Clan territory and not disturb any hordes around us on the way.”
“That’s easier said than done. A few of them versus us might mean life or death with extra abilities like that.”
My eyes burned when I noticed Reed leaning in towardsSili, the tips of his fingers dancing at the back of her neck. She looked uncomfortable. My hand shot out and knocked him away. We both threatened each other silently untilSilispoke up and broke our trance.
“People die every day. Let’s just get this and go home. I ran across a few human flocks on my way to this community. We can start there and see where it leads us. Most of them were located towards the east and northeast.”
“Where did you come from, Fitri?” Reed asked.
Her spine tensed, and I waited anxiously for her answer. Maybe this would help piece some of her scattered memories together.
“I-I have memories. Flashes. Fragmented at best.”
“You got amnesia or something?” Gunner asked bluntly.
“I-I guess you can say that. The farthest back I can remember is my travel here. The rest comes to me in nightmares or during my waking hours and inopportune times.”
“PTSD. It happens to me too. Feels like you’re living that shit again in a constant loop,” Samuel interjected. He didn’t talk about his past much, and I never asked. Most of us in the group had gone through some shit, living this life.
“Fuck it. Fitri’s right. Let’s do this shit and come home. Might as well rest up before we head out tonight.” My eyes burned as I watched Reed place his hand overSili’s.
She didn’t push him away.
I jumped up, and so did Reed. We stood toe to toe untilSilisqueezed in between us. “Can you assholes just go to a different room or something? Damn. Cock fight another time, alright? We have shit to do.”
I watched as she left us and headed to the kitchen. The other men were shaking their heads, but I ignored them.
“You’re sleeping your ass on the floor,” I snarled at Reed.
He didn’t say anything, instead walked away to another room.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you fools would have just dipped your dick to get rid of your tension.” Samuel laughed, and I kicked his crossed feet before walking over it toward the kitchen afterSili.
I found her chewing on some vegetables, staring out the window over the sink.
“What kind of welcome did you get when you came across these human flocks you speak of?”
She looked over her shoulder with a dreaded look on her face.
“I remember them burning me alive.”
Chapter 8
Fitri