The Girl who Saved the World (Death Fields 6)

Chapter Ten

Wyatt gives Roger the rundown of the past two years, skipping the meatier parts about Jane and my relationship to her. He leaves out the betrayals and Cole and the choices we’ve all had to make—the emotional pain and sacrifices. He doesn’t talk about the two of us, the way we’ve fallen in love or the kids he tucked away on the coast of Georgia, praying they’d be safe with a family that was willing to take them in like their own. He does describe the armies, the genetic alterations, and how after finally eliminating Chloe, Hamilton’s rash actions pushed the Hybrids into the Death Fields. Wyatt avoids looking at Zoe but I know he’s aware of how intently she’s listening, absorbing everything, until she grows too tired to stay awake and falls asleep on a cushion on the floor. Rooster sleeps next to the door, his small brown eyebrows moving restlessly.

Our eggs and cheese are long gone and the plates cold by the time Wyatt finishes answering Roger’s questions. The old man listens quietly while stroking his beard. “I knew it was bad, I just didn’t know it was that bad. Genetic stuff? That actually explains a lot about what I’ve seen lately.”

“It’s pretty crazy out there,” I admit.

“And now you’re on clean-up duty.”

“I guess so.”

“Do you know anything about the other Safe Cities?” Wyatt asks him. “We spent most of our time in the dead zone between them. Until we got to New Hope, we had no idea they existed.”

“Me either,” Roger says but hesitates. “Well, a couple of travelers through here were going south, over the mountains, said they heard about a place down there.”

“Into Virginia?” I ask.

“Carolina. Somewhere in tobacco country.” I feel Wyatt’s eyes before I look up. His fist coils into a tight ball. Roger notices. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” I reply in an unsteady voice. “I grew up in Raleigh. It’s where Wyatt and I met.”

“Oh, well maybe that means you can head back home again.”

I feel Wyatt’s other hand on my knee and he squeezes it. Neither of us want to go back home, but we do want to find a way out of this. Another city may be the answer.

*

There’s a hint of sadness in Roger’s eyes when we say goodbye. Wyatt tells him to stay off the roads for now. The Hybrids, as he now knows, are merciless.

“You want us to send word if we find something?” I ask. ’Something’ means an actual safe city—not the manufactured one we just left.

“Nah.” He rubs Rooster’s backside with his foot. “We’ve got everything we need up here. My daddy knew I’d need it one day. He was a smart man, even though he had a need for drink.”

I leave the mountain hideout a little lighter than before, our bellies full of fresh food. If everything goes on schedule we should meet up with Walker and Jude later in the day. I had a feeling Wyatt needed to settle a few things with Walker.

We’d found our meeting spot, a small suburban neighborhood in the town of Bluefield, Kentucky, on the edge of the Appalachians. After talking to Roger, the trajectory makes me a little uncomfortable. I grew up on the opposite side of those mountains and figured I’d never get back home. It’s still a long way off, but knowing my mom and I may have been that close to a Safe City brings out feelings I’m not ready to deal with.

We’re the last to get to the house, coming in long after dark. Zoe begged to stop but Wyatt wanted a bed and apparently, a confrontation.

I’ve barely dropped my bag in the two-story, split-level ranch when he tells Zoe and Mary Ellen to go upstairs.

“Turn on the TV or something,” he says, without the slightest trace of humor.

Mary Ellen opens to mouth to argue but I give her a small headshake. It’s not worth it and Wyatt is on the warpath. There’s no need to be in the blast zone.

Walker hasn’t moved from her spot at the large dining room table, visible from the front door. She’s eating pudding from a plastic cup. The kitchen cabinets behind her are open and there’s a surprising amount of supplies inside. Wyatt sits at the table across from her and pulls off the foil lid, licking the foil off the top. Jackson, Jude, and I watch warily as the two square off.

“You seem agitated,” Walker finally says, discarding her cup.

“Do you care to explain what Hamilton’s daughter is doing with us? And why no one told me?”

“Hamilton’s what?” Jude asks, looking at me. I mouth back “Zoe” and he nods, processing it slowly. Jackson doesn’t seem remotely surprised so I assume he already knew.

“Honestly? I don’t.” Walker stands and pushes her chair back under the table. She grabs her gun off the couch and shoves it in her belt. We watch as she walks away from Wyatt and storms out the door. The rest of us wait—the room completely quiet—as Wyatt gathers his anger and follows her outside. The door closes with a slam, rattling the windows. It only takes a few seconds for the screaming to start.

Walker and Wyatt had worked together from the beginning. I didn’t know they were both Fighters tasked with making sure I safely arrived with the original vaccine data at PharmaCorp. They’d always had a professional relationship but something has set them on edge. I move past Jackson and Jude to listen.

“We don’t keep secrets,” Wyatt says. “You know that’s how someone gets killed and I’m pretty sure none of us want Zoe’s death on our shoulders.”