The Girl who Saved the World (Death Fields 6)

“Jude and Mary Ellen will scout in one direction. Alex and I in the other,” he says, but Walker is already shaking her head. He doesn’t care. “You guys carry the supplies and act as liaison between us and the Safe Cities. We have to be quiet and stealth. They hear everything. Small pairings—no vehicles. We’ll meet back up every few days and plan our next move.”

Walker thinks it over and we pretend like it’s her call. Wyatt’s just proven one thing. We’ve got the upper hand, but to keep the peace with Hamilton we have to play the game. “Fine,” she says. “But one change. Zoe goes with you and Alex.”

The girl looks like she won the apocalypse lottery and she smiles wide for the first time all day. I bite my lip, concerned about protecting her and ourselves but keep quiet as Wyatt makes the agreement and the next step in our plan.

Seriously though, this apocalypse just keeps getting better and better.

Chapter Six

Before we split up the next morning I ask Walker for a minute alone. We huddle in the chilly morning air next to the front barricade. “What’s the deal with Zoe?”

Walker’s face reveals nothing—just a blank expression. “What do you mean?”

I cross my arms. It’s too early and there’s not enough coffee left in this town to deal with passive-aggressiveness. I start flipping fingers into the air with each of my upcoming points. “Who is she? Why is she here? Where did she come from? Can she shoot and kill if she needs to?” I take a breath to keep going but Walker snatches my hand out of the air, nearly crushing my fingers. I flex back and we stare at one another.

“Don’t be obnoxious,” she spats.

“Don’t be obtuse. You know the more information we have, the more likely we all come out of this alive.” I narrow my eyes. “Or is that not the goal?”

Her jaw sets. “Our goal is to rid the Death Fields of Hybrids and Mutts. We’re here to create a future for our country. Nothing more.” I’m thinking of how I want to punch her in stomach, just finally knock her off her high horse, and she must see the intent in my eyes. In a low voice she replies, “Zoe is Hamilton’s daughter.”

“You’re f-ing with me.” I take a sideways glance at the girl in question. Her skin and hair are lighter but her lean frame and confidence reek of her dad.

“No. She was in New Hope when we arrived. She’s never been out of the city until now.”

“She’s been in there this whole time? Since the virus spread?”

“Yes.”

“Then why the hell did he send her out here on a mission like this? It’s suicide!” Walker rewards me with a smirk that she barely contains from full-out laughter. “What?”

“I’m thinking back to how you demanded Jane send you to the Vaccine Center and pitched a fit to your father to make it happen.”

“I did not pitch a fit.”

“Sure you didn’t.” The smirk is still there.

“Fine, maybe I persuaded my family into letting me go, but back then we were just fighting Eaters, something I had experience with. We weren’t tracking down genetically modified super soldiers.”

Walker sighs. “For the record, I tried to talk him out of it, but I only have so much sway. He thinks it will be good for her to get some boots on the ground.”

“The fact he didn’t listen to you says a lot.”

“Hamilton has a way of being persuasive. His arguments were solid.”

“Did he threaten to execute you too? Like Erwin? Like Green?”

Walker never had an allegiance to Erwin but Green was a partner. We all went through a lot together during that first year. She can’t pretend his death doesn’t hurt. Even so she says, “Green wasn’t the same person I knew. He’d made a deadly choice.” Meaning his decision to turn Mutt. “You’ll have to keep her safe. I’m not going to lie and say that sending her with you isn’t an insurance policy. You and Wyatt have had plans before to sneak off and leave this shit-show. That can’t happen. Not yet—not now.”

“Why does everyone think we’re about to bolt?”

“Who else thinks this?”

“Jane mentioned it.” The irony is I don’t even know what I want to do. Run? Stay? Curl up in a fetal position and sleep for three years? “We’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Keep it PG around her, okay? You and Wyatt still vibrate off one another like competing earthquakes.”

I make a face because, no. “Don’t worry about us. Worry about getting yourself to the meeting point in one piece. It’s not going to be easy. The Hybrids may not be here, but they’re out there somewhere and they’re primed to kill.”