of the door and Avian stood in front of the window.
“We could start with some names,” Royce said, bracing his hands on the table, staring them down with his steely eyes.
“Margaret,” the woman said, leaning forward as if to prove Royce didn’t intimidate her.
“Alistar,” the man beside her said.
“Good,” Royce said with a cocky smile. “That’s better. Because when you walk into our town, you answer our questions. You heard our radio message.”
“Yes,” Margaret replied, folding her hands over one another on the table. “Your message did promise food, shelter, a home.”
“Somehow I don’t get the feeling that’s what you’re really looking for here,” Royce growled. “You don’t go begging for a bed armed like this.”
“We’ve never heard of another group surviving in such large numbers,” Gabriel butted in. I sensed his attempt to smooth things over. Gabriel was always the peacekeeper but knew when to not let things get out of hand. “We’re just surprised at your numbers.”
“Where are you from?” Royce asked. I could tell this wasn’t the first time he’d asked these two this question.
“Where are any of us from?” Margaret said back. “Like you, we’re from everywhere. Just trying to survive in an impossible world.”
“That isn’t an answer,” Royce said, leaning forward again, his voice icy.
This game was tiring me very quickly and I was having a very bad week. The distrust and anger inside of me quickly flooded my veins.
I crossed the room and nestled the barrel of my rifle between her ribs. “Where are you from?” I said.
She jumped, much to my satisfaction, and her face blanched all the more white.
Good. She was still capable of feeling fear.
“North,” she said, her voice a little too loud. “We’ve been in the forests up north. We’ve been hiding there for the past year.”
“The Redwoods?” Avian asked, studying them.
Margaret nodded.
“We heard the message,” Margaret said, now fixing me with hard eyes. I stepped back to the door now that she was talking. “We were curious to talk to other survivors, so we came. We weren’t exactly expecting to be held hostage.”
“One can never be too careful these days,” Royce said, standing straight again. He was still tense, but I felt him backing down now that they had answered some of his questions.
“We’re not looking to join you permanently,” Alistar said, looking around at each of us. “We just wanted to talk, share information. We thought it could be valuable.”
Royce glanced over at Gabriel who shrugged and shook his head as if to say it was Royce’s call.
“Everyone will be heading to bed right now,” Royce said. I glanced out the window that overlooked the buildings around us. The sun had dipped below the skyline and darkness was settling. “We’ll talk in the morning. Avian, Gabriel, will you take their group to the fourth floor?”
They both nodded and directed Margaret and Alistar back toward the elevator.
I almost smiled when Royce said the fourth floor. It was the former mental unit. Very secure. Easy to lock down.
Royce didn’t trust these people any more than I did.
When they were out in the hall, Royce shut the door and turned to me.
“I’m shutting down all the elevators when they’re settled,” he said, meeting my eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. “I want you guarding the blue floor. All the scientists will be sleeping on that floor tonight. We’re not saying anything about the Pulse, the Extractor, you, or West until we know more about these people. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” I said with a nod.
“Don’t shoot me, Eve,” he said as I turned to leave. “But I think it’s best if West stays up there tonight as well. It’s a little obvious just looking at him that he’s had some major work.”
I gave him a hard stare for a long moment. But in the end logic won out,
“We could start with some names,” Royce said, bracing his hands on the table, staring them down with his steely eyes.
“Margaret,” the woman said, leaning forward as if to prove Royce didn’t intimidate her.
“Alistar,” the man beside her said.
“Good,” Royce said with a cocky smile. “That’s better. Because when you walk into our town, you answer our questions. You heard our radio message.”
“Yes,” Margaret replied, folding her hands over one another on the table. “Your message did promise food, shelter, a home.”
“Somehow I don’t get the feeling that’s what you’re really looking for here,” Royce growled. “You don’t go begging for a bed armed like this.”
“We’ve never heard of another group surviving in such large numbers,” Gabriel butted in. I sensed his attempt to smooth things over. Gabriel was always the peacekeeper but knew when to not let things get out of hand. “We’re just surprised at your numbers.”
“Where are you from?” Royce asked. I could tell this wasn’t the first time he’d asked these two this question.
“Where are any of us from?” Margaret said back. “Like you, we’re from everywhere. Just trying to survive in an impossible world.”
“That isn’t an answer,” Royce said, leaning forward again, his voice icy.
This game was tiring me very quickly and I was having a very bad week. The distrust and anger inside of me quickly flooded my veins.
I crossed the room and nestled the barrel of my rifle between her ribs. “Where are you from?” I said.
She jumped, much to my satisfaction, and her face blanched all the more white.
Good. She was still capable of feeling fear.
“North,” she said, her voice a little too loud. “We’ve been in the forests up north. We’ve been hiding there for the past year.”
“The Redwoods?” Avian asked, studying them.
Margaret nodded.
“We heard the message,” Margaret said, now fixing me with hard eyes. I stepped back to the door now that she was talking. “We were curious to talk to other survivors, so we came. We weren’t exactly expecting to be held hostage.”
“One can never be too careful these days,” Royce said, standing straight again. He was still tense, but I felt him backing down now that they had answered some of his questions.
“We’re not looking to join you permanently,” Alistar said, looking around at each of us. “We just wanted to talk, share information. We thought it could be valuable.”
Royce glanced over at Gabriel who shrugged and shook his head as if to say it was Royce’s call.
“Everyone will be heading to bed right now,” Royce said. I glanced out the window that overlooked the buildings around us. The sun had dipped below the skyline and darkness was settling. “We’ll talk in the morning. Avian, Gabriel, will you take their group to the fourth floor?”
They both nodded and directed Margaret and Alistar back toward the elevator.
I almost smiled when Royce said the fourth floor. It was the former mental unit. Very secure. Easy to lock down.
Royce didn’t trust these people any more than I did.
When they were out in the hall, Royce shut the door and turned to me.
“I’m shutting down all the elevators when they’re settled,” he said, meeting my eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. “I want you guarding the blue floor. All the scientists will be sleeping on that floor tonight. We’re not saying anything about the Pulse, the Extractor, you, or West until we know more about these people. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” I said with a nod.
“Don’t shoot me, Eve,” he said as I turned to leave. “But I think it’s best if West stays up there tonight as well. It’s a little obvious just looking at him that he’s had some major work.”
I gave him a hard stare for a long moment. But in the end logic won out,
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