Page 18 of Semi-Human

We ride fast the following day, though I’m deeply tired. Finn’s sleep was indeed a mess, riddled with what were clearly vivid nightmares. I didn’t have the heart to wake him up, and shaking him only helped partly.

He claims we should meet up with Caden in an old outpost along Highway 50. It’s getting close to dusk when I finally notice lights in the distance, at the foot of a mountain. We ride ahead until we can see a watchtower with someone keeping watch.

“How can we make sure they won’t shoot us?”

Finn asks once we halt the horses.

“We climb down and continue on foot, hoping for the best.”

“That hasn’t quite worked out for me before, but you can hope for the both of us.”

We climb down and lead the horses on the concrete road.

“Halt!”

We stop and raise our hands. A minute later, there’s movement from the outpost. Two people begin to approach, and when they’re close enough to identify us, they lower their weapons. Caden waves for us to walk ahead, with Ace standing next to him.

We lead the horses forward, and when I reach Caden, he pulls me in for a hug, kissing the top of my head. “You okay, Joshy?”

“Better now. Thank you for doing this.”

“I reckoned you were worth the drama.”

When he lets go, Ace says, “Good to have you back, Josh. Again.”

“Told you I could find him,”

Finn tells Caden. “You doubted me.”

“I didn’t.”

“You called me incapable.”

“I implied you were.”

He rests his arm around my shoulders. “We were just about to have dinner.”

When we reach the small outpost, I grow tense at seeing faces I don’t recognize. “Who are they?”

I ask Caden quietly.

“A few you know from Unity, and there’s a small group from Mercy and one from High Hope. Everybody wants intel, and we need to gather enough to make the higher-ups shit their pants and start working together.”

I would have thought thousands of refugees and horror stories of an army of giants might be enough.

“Does General McCoy know you’re doing this?”

I ask. Just thinking of the man sets a fire beneath my skin.

“He knows. Even that fart wants more intel, but he doesn’t know we’ve been waiting for you to join us.”

People sit around two campfires, talking and eating. The ones I don’t know say a polite hello, while those from Unity, like Dara, come over for a warmer greeting. I search their eyes for any hint of accusation for bringing Rowan to Unity, but find none.

I sit with Caden and Finn next to a group from Mercy, eating while listening to stories about the growing number of refugees. As dire as these stories are, I can’t help but be hopeful that more people are realizing we can’t sit idly and let the enemy determine our fate.

The moment I’m done eating, Caden signals me to follow him. We leave the outpost and find a flat rock to sit on.

“You’ve missed all the action,”

Caden says tiredly.

“How bad was it?”

“Very. The general and Dino went at it like wild bears. I tried talking sense to the general, but when he insisted on a trial, I fucking had enough.”

I squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Rowan’s intentions.”

“I know you didn’t, but those Semis should never have been given so much freedom.”

“River is not like Rowan.”

“Maybe.”

I let go of his hand. “I know what I’m talking about.”

“You would’ve told me the same thing before Rowan’s attack, wouldn’t you?”

I bite my tongue, hating that he’s right.

“You can’t possibly know everything about these people, Josh. Put on your Defender’s hat.”

“Like the ones who butchered the Semis after they purified our air?”

I’m aware of the dangerous weight of my words, but as an exile, I don’t give a fuck.

Caden sighs and shakes his head as if I’ve disappointed him. “I’ll be the first to say we shouldn’t trust everything we’re told, especially about events that happened before our time, but it goes both ways. You can’t know for sure what happened back then.”

“I can. River’s people share memories. Not stories—memories. He knows what happened like he was there.”

Caden doesn’t try to debunk my claim, and I appreciate it. He’s a Defender through and through, but he’s not the kind of man who’d blindly follow anyone or anything.

I break the silence by saying, “Finn told me you agreed to go find River.”

He bends one knee on the rock, and I don’t like how he avoids my eyes. “Black Canyon is not easy to reach, and most are worried about working with a Semi after what happened with Rowan. I’m technically the leader here, but most aren’t from Unity, and I can’t expect them to blindly follow my orders.”

I take measured breaths, feeling betrayed. “If I knew you didn’t want to find him, I would’ve gone straight to him.”

“Funny. I thought you’d want to see me after all this time.”

“You know I do, but there’s something else.”

I’m hesitant about sharing what is not mine to share, but I need to make Caden understand that we have to find River. His refusal will lead to our separation, and nothing will be the same between us after that.

“When we faced Rowan next to the reactor, he said something to River that felt important,” I say.

“What was it? I could barely hear anything with that siren.”

“Rowan talked about the purifiers. He said that Mother has some sort of code that Father wants. It sounded like River also knows that code, or part of it.”

“A code for what? The purifiers are no longer working. The air is clean.”

“I’m not sure what it means, but the way Rowan reacted made it clear it was important. Hell, he was willing to spare the Hive for that information. If River has something our enemies want so badly, don’t you think we should keep him away from them? He might have a plan, and we’ll be better off helping instead of collecting intel like we have all the time in the world.”

“Well, does he have a plan? Did he mention anything about it?”

“No, but Mother did when I spoke with her.”

“You spoke with her?”

I tell him about the hidden place beneath the little island and the helmet that transferred my mind into a different place and time to meet with Helena. “She said that River has a mission and that he’d need my help. I asked if she meant helping him reach our Hive, and she said it wasn’t about that. River has another mission, Caden, and it’s directly connected to this war. Can we really ignore it?”

He doesn’t speak for a long time, but at least he doesn’t dismiss my words. The thought of separating from him again is gut-wrenching, but what other choice do I have?

“Come on.”

He rises to his feet.

“Where are we going?”

“To make some people unhappy.

*

Over thirty men and women stand at the heart of the camp, waiting for Caden to speak. I stand aside with Finn and Dara, nervous with anticipation. The campfires cast dancing shadows across the ground.

“First, let me start by welcoming Private Josh Bennett to our force,”

Caden says and nods at me. “Josh is the best sniper I know, and we’re damn lucky to have him. Also, there’s Finn.”

Finn waves but quickly lowers his hand when no one responds.

“Is that the sniper who let that crazy Semi into your Hive?”

someone asks, and my muscles tighten as if I’m about to get into a fight.

“Letting anyone into Unity isn’t a decision made by a private, so the fault wasn’t his,”

Caden says, an edge to his voice. “As you all know, there’s a Semi-Human we’re meant to rendezvous with, and some of you have raised valid concerns.” He glances at me and takes a breath. “It has come to my attention that this Semi has valuable information I’d rather get my hands on before anyone else. Black Canyon is about three days from here, and although it’s not an easy journey, we’re unlikely to come across any Raiders. It will also take us closer to Utah.”

“What information does he have that’s worth the trouble?”

someone asks.

Caden remains still, but I can sense his discomfort. “Something to do with those AIs; I don’t know any more.”

People begin to murmur, and I can’t blame their skepticism. I’m racking my brain trying to think of what to say to convince them, but before I can make up my mind, Finn steps forward and faces the crowd, his hands on his hips.

“Listen up!”

His voice carries, and the murmurs die down. “That Semi-Human is my best friend, and he helped keep Unity’s reactor from exploding. If he wanted more people to die, he had his chance. What we’re dealing with is clearly bigger than any of us can understand, and taking some photos in Utah ain’t gonna change much. I say we cut the crap and go find the one who knows more than any of us.”

Silence follows Finn’s words until it’s replaced with booming laughter. Finn seems offended as he returns to stand next to me, muttering, “Assholes.”

Someone calls, “Didn’t he used to be a Raider?”

Dozens of eyes aim at us, and Finn tenses next to me.

“Hey!”

Caden’s voice draws all eyes to him. “He’s as much a Raider as I am. Last time I checked, there aren’t any doors keeping you here. If anyone has a problem—off the fuck you go.”

When no one argues, Caden says, “First watch starts now. The rest of you, catch some sleep. We leave to Black Canyon at sunset.”

Once everybody spreads, Caden comes over, shaking his head at Finn. “You’ve got a big mouth on you, that’s for damn sure.”

“It seemed like you were struggling.”

“I wasn’t. Joshy, we have tents set up. I’ll show you where we sleep.”

“Can I get my own tent?”

Finn asks, giving Caden a look. I’m reminded the two of them have spent some time together between the fiasco on the hill and their return to the Hive, so Caden must have experienced Finn’s sleeping habits.

Caden nods. “I have a private tent set up for you. If anyone tries to give you a hard time—”

“I’ll stab them.”

“You tell me.”

“Yeah, that I stabbed them.”

He walks away to pick up the gear from his horse.

“He’s a handful,”

Caden mutters.

“I’m glad he’s on our side.”

“Yeah, true. Go grab your gear from that monster of a horse.”

Once Finn and I have our things, we follow Caden to the tent area, though some people stay in the two cabins nearby. Finn wishes us good night and enters his small tent. I take a shower and change my clothes in the bathroom. When I’m back, Caden is lying with his hands behind his head, his face barely visible in the dimness of the tent. I slip inside and zip the entrance shut, then lie next to him, covering myself in a blanket. We turn to face one another. We haven’t been this close in ages, but unlike before, it doesn’t feel right to touch him.

“Are you and River together?”

Caden asks.

I appreciate him using River’s name. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

“The hell you’re sorry for? It was a matter of time before you found someone. I didn’t count on it being a Semi-Human, though, but that’s what I get for letting you out of my sight.”

I slide closer, enjoying his warmth and familiar scent. “It’s all your fault.”

He strokes my cheek. “You need to keep in mind it’s been weeks since they kicked him out. He might no longer be where he said, especially if he has a secret mission.”

I know. “I don’t want to think about it. You said it yourself—Black Canyon is on the way to Utah.”

“Okay. Then we best address the elephant in the room. Is he bigger than me?”

I laugh. “You’re horrible! Don’t ask me that.”

“I’ll take it as a no. You visited his village, right? How was it?”

In the quiet of our tent, I tell him about a hidden magical island, where people don’t need to use their voices to share stories and thoughts. A community that wants to exist in solitude, carrying the scars of their past.

Caden falls asleep before me. For once, it’s me who lies behind him with my arm wrapped around his chest. It feels appropriate considering all that he has put on the line for me.

Before I fall asleep, I hear Finn’s restless murmurs from the nearby tent. Unable to offer him comfort, I slip into the black.