“Why? Because they dropped us off in the middle of nowhere with little training and all the sudden we’re supposed to fight those things?” She finally moves, but it’s just to pace the small space. Her hands shake. “I don’t think I can do this.”
I don’t tell her that I’m terrified. Truly panicked. I’m worried sick about Wyatt and the others out there. I can’t even think about what happens if they breach the fence. I simply say, in a fake, hard voice, “We can do this.”
Jude jumps out of his seat and stands in front of her. I don’t know what I expect him to say, but it’s not, “Tell me how you got to the Fort?”
“What?”
He shrugs. “How did you get to the Fort? Alex and the patrol team picked me up at a house with a bunch of other survivors. We’d been in there for months. From what she told me, she traveled from Raleigh. On foot.” He glances at me, eyebrow raised, impressed.
“I fought with Wyatt and Walker to get out of a tight spot.” I add. “They’re good soldiers.”
“They may be, but I’m not.” She exhales. “You know what I did before this? I was a first-year kindergarten teacher. I worked with five-year-olds on how to share and stand in a line.”
“So you have some experience with chaos, then,” Jude deadpans.
She turns to yell at him, but he winks, and despite her rolling eyes I can see her features soften.
“So you taught five-year-olds. How did you end up at the Fort?”
“When everyone first got sick, the school where I taught turned into an evacuation center in Augusta. It was during the first wave—back when it was an option—not a requirement.” She pauses, taking a second to steady herself. Her dark eyes fill with a familiar sadness and I feel my own chest seize. “My family is from Virginia, and after college I decided to stay down here by myself. With the travel ban I couldn’t get back home, so when they made the announcement that people could go the school, I decided to go and volunteer.”
“Smart.”
“I was there for a couple of weeks. We set out cots and had the cafeteria running. It wasn’t so bad. No one was sick, and the perimeter was protected by the National Guard. One night there was a scuffle outside—an Eater got through the gate and attacked some of the workers behind the cafeteria. We stayed inside, separated from the violence, but for most of us it was the first real attack we’d been exposed to other than what we’d seen on TV. The next day, some people from PharmaCorp showed up with a medical team and brought supplies. I started talking to the liaison and he asked me if I wanted a job. Obviously, I said yes. It was the most normal offer I’d had in weeks. I’ve lived behind the walls ever since.”
“So this is your first time really out here,” I say, understanding her panic a little better.
“Yep. I was assigned to work with the kids at the Fort, but I also started the cardio and training classes. I played basketball in high school. I think they liked my speed and accuracy. I wanted something more, and Jane felt like I could be useful out here—especially if any of the survivors were kids.”
Parker has settled down substantially while speaking. Her hands no longer shake and her voice sounds even. I glance at Jude and he gives me a quick nod. Needing a break from the drama, I excuse myself. “I’m going to go check the back just to make sure everyone is okay.”
Past the reception area, I travel down a non-descript hallway with several open doors. The walls are thin and pre-fabricated and the first rooms I pass are empty. I come to one and spot the nurse from intake back at the Fort. Blonde. Pretty. Interested in Wyatt.
“Are you hurt?” she asks, pointing to my face. I reach up and feel the sticky pieces of flesh from the explosion earlier.
“No. Just dirty.” She reaches for a cloth and dips it in a small bowl. Meeting me in the hallway, she hands it to me. “Thanks.”
“What’s happening out there?” she asks as I wipe the goo off my cheek. She has on a similar uniform as mine, but with the medical symbol on the arm and an apron covering her waist. The name patch on her chest says Baxter, but I know her first name is Amanda. I’m about to answer when a loud explosion rocks the whole building, and we both reach for the walls to steady ourselves.
“Eaters surrounded the backside of the compound. The Fighters are taking care of it. You guys are safe.” We’re safe, I promise myself. Wyatt and the others, too.
She doesn’t look sure, either, and worriedly glances at the occupant of the room. I see in the shadowy, lantern-lit room that a woman covered by a thin, blue blanket is asleep on the cot. Her hair is thin but clean. She looks frail and incredibly underweight. “We’ve got three others in here, in the back with Dr. Green. They’re all exhausted.”
“I can imagine.” The road is a hard place to be. Unimaginable before you have to do it on your own. That may be part of what’s freaking Parker out. Harsh reality. “Will they be okay?”
“They’re mostly dehydrated and sleep-deprived.”
I step closer and notice a blistered area on the woman’s neck. “What’s that?”
“A burn, actually. She’s lucky. It will most likely scar but it could have been a lot worse.”
“And they’ll get the vaccine once they get the doctor’s approval?”
“Yes. Probably tomorrow. Jane, the Director, asked us not to hesitate.”
I lean against the wall, ignoring the ridiculous title given my sister. “What then?”
“I think they all get shipped back to the Fort for training and job placement. Or I guess they can leave if they want, although I have no idea why anyone would want to live out there.”