Andrew

WE’RE DIRECTED TO PULL OVER ON THE side of the road instead of going up the driveway. The other truck is there already, with the rest of the caravan somewhere farther up the road.

We get out, and the men at the entrance usher us up the drive. It looks like the place used to be a campground resort and someone decided to turn it into a settlement. At the end of the drive is an empty parking lot area in front of a lodge. The kids are immediately buzzing with excitement because to our right, past a map of the resort, is a playground where there are plenty of other kids.

“Oh boy,” Kelly whispers. “I better get them over there. You all go ahead.” She turns to the kids and asks if they want to go play. Most don’t answer and instead just run for the playground.

Taylor sighs and turns to Jamar. “Come on.” She drags him away and I hear Niki tell him, sarcastically, to have fun. Taylor calls for the Kid, who gives me a wary glance before following her.

I should go with them, but I want to find Jamie first. I walk up to a woman who’s passing by with a box of canned food. She tells us she saw a group go into the lodge about five minutes ago. Amy, Niki, and I head for the lodge, too.

I can hear Jamie yelling as soon as I open the door.

I bolt toward his voice, and the voices of several others. Including Cara.

“Jamie, stop!” she yells. I push past a doorway into a dining hall area. There’s a man with his back to us and Jamie is pointing a gun at him. Behind him, Cal and the rest of the Nomads have their guns out, but they aren’t pointing them at anyone yet. Cara is standing between Jamie and the man, her hands out toward Jamie, while Hannah has her gun trained on him.

“Hang on!” the man says. His voice is familiar.

“Jamie, what’s going on?” I ask.

Hannah points her gun at me in an instant and the man turns to look in my direction. My blood runs cold but somehow my face burns. The sounds around me get very quiet and my head feels buzzy. This is a nightmare. I’m asleep and this is a nightmare and I’m going to wake up any second. But the steady throb of pain in my arm tells me that’s not true.

Grover Denton holds out his hands and backs away as though he’s trying to soothe a cornered animal.

“Hold up!” Denton shouts. “Everyone just calm down!”

“Jamie, put down the gun!” says Cara.

“What’s happening here?” Amy asks. She’s turned Henri-Two away from everything and wrapped her arms around her, trying to protect her.

“Han, holster the gun!” Denton tells Hannah.

Rocky Horror steps closer to Jamie. “Jamie, what’s going on?”

“Hannah!” Denton is still focused on her instead of me.

“He’s the one who shot me!” Jamie says. That’s enough for Rocky Horror, and he turns, stepping in front of Jamie, but still keeps his weapon on his shoulder. His eyes drift over to me, and I nod.

Denton stands upright and frowns. “I did not shoot you.”

Jamie pulls up his shirt, showing the pink scar on the right side of his stomach. “What’s that, then?”

“No, no.” He shakes his head. “I was not the one who did that.”

“Technicalities aren’t going to settle this, dude,” Rocky Horror says.

“He’s the sheriff of Fort Caroline,” I say. “He and a whole militia came after the three of us. First they sent people out to find and kill us—that was Harvey Rosewood and his friend.”

Jamie jumps in. “But before they could hurt Andrew, I shot them.”

Rocky Horror speaks out of the corner of his mouth. “Okay, saying you shot first isn’t helping here, Han Solo.”

Jamie flicks his head toward the Nomads. “This is a trap. They brought us here.”

Cal’s eyes go wide, and Kevin looks over at him with his good eye, also seemingly confused.

“Jamie, what are you talking about?” I ask.

“Look in my pack,” he says. I slowly step behind him. “There’s a piece of paper in the front pouch. Look at it.”

I unzip the pouch and find the paper he’s talking about. There’s black ink stamped on it, bleeding blue a little around the messy edges from getting wet. But when I unfold it, the words on the front catch my attention more than the little map stamped on the back.

WANTED. ALIVE.And Jamison’s name. My heartbeat quickens.

“Where did you get this?” I ask.

“I found it on a body when we were getting warm clothes for the kids.”

The Dick’s Sporting Goods. He went off somewhere and was quiet for so long. He must have . . . He found this and didn’t tell me.

Why the hell would he keep something like this from me?

I hold it out to Cara, who takes it, her eyes wide. Denton reads it over her shoulder, and he seems just as surprised.

“They brought us here,” Jamie says. “The Nomads. They knew we’d sense something was up when they took us near Fort Caroline, so they set us up to meet somewhere else. Because look who’s here to bring me back and pay their reward.”

“That’s not true,” Cal says. But I’m not sure I believe him.

“There was no universal convergence,” Jamie says. That phrase again. “You were out looking for us. That’s why the Keys haven’t caught up with us. This is your settlement, isn’t it? You let Cara get us this far so you could have Fort Caroline waiting here for us.”

“Jamison, stop!” Denton yells. Cara’s eyes haven’t left the wanted poster in her hands. “This isn’t some big conspiracy.”

“We’re just as confused as you,” Cal says, stepping around so he can see Jamie. He also gives me a look, and I’m starting to believe him. Maybe Jamie is, too, because he looks away from Denton for a second to lock eyes with Cal, who nods slowly. “Just tell us what’s going on. How do you know these people?”

“Just him,” Jamie says. “He’s from a settlement that tried to kill Andrew and me. They said they were going to kill Andrew and make me watch.”

“That was not what we sent them to do,” Denton says. “And, Hannah, I told you already to put the damn gun away.” She looks over at him, then back at Jamie, before putting her gun back in the holster. But she leaves her hand on it.

“Jamie,” Cara says, taking the same tone of voice as Denton. “Put the gun down. I know Grover, he’s telling the truth.” Jamie doesn’t move. Using a voice I’ve never heard her use—and one she probably hasn’t used herself very often based on how shaky it is—Cara addresses everyone else. “Everyone. Guns. Down!”

Cal glances at Jamie one last time, then holsters his gun.

“Jamie!” Cara says. “You’re pointing it at me.”

I step around her and go over to him, gently putting my hand on his wrist. His heart is racing so hard I can feel the blood pumping beneath his burning skin. “Come on,” I say quietly. His hands are shaking. “Put the gun down.”

I move my hand to the weapon, holding my breath and waiting for it to discharge accidentally. Jamie would never forgive himself if he shot Cara.

But then I see it. The safety is still on. Seeing Denton must have scared him so much that he just reacted, not thinking about the safety. Now that I know the gun’s not going to go off on its own, I use a little more force with my good hand to pull it away from him. I hold it out to Niki, who takes it from me and tucks it into the back of her jeans.

Denton takes a careful step forward. “Rosewood said you stole food and snuck out. We sent a few groups to find you and get the food back. They weren’t supposed to do anything else.”

“Well, you sent the wrong people,” Jamie says.

“And we didn’t steal,” I add. “It was our food we left with.”

“And that doesn’t matter anymore because you came after us. All the way to Florida. And you shot me.”

“I—” He stops himself from saying again that he wasn’t the one who shot Jamie, even though he was the sheriff and was the leader of the group sent after us. He takes a moment and then says, “A lot of us didn’t like the way that went.”

I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, we didn’t exactly like the way it went either.”

“I’m sorry,” Denton says. “Our goal was to arrest you and bring you back for a trial.”

“And I’m sure it would have been a fair one,” I say. I see Cal’s eyes darting back and forth between Denton and Jamie, trying to piece everything together.

Denton’s lack of answer is answer enough. His jaw tightens. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re alive, I have no intention of arresting you, all that’s behind us.”

“Then why are you here?” I ask. “Why aren’t you in Fort Caroline? Where is Rosewood?”

Jamie looks terrified all over again, as if he hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Rosewood being here but now he has.

“He’s still in Fort Caroline,” Denton says, fast. “A lot of people are. But me, a few others, we gave up on it.”

“Gave up?”

He gestures to a few tables. “Can we sit down?”

Jamie looks to me and I turn to Cara. She nods and is the first to move. As Denton waits for us, I whisper to Jamie that it’s okay and motion for him to follow her. We all sit, and Denton takes a chair across from us, still giving us space. Rocky Horror and Niki stand beside us while some of the other Nomads decide to continue the tour on their own. Cal stays put, standing by Rocky Horror. Amy remains by the doorway, probably worried that Jamie will go wild again and she might need to make a quick exit with Henri-Two.

“So,” Denton starts, “after we got back from looking for you, Rosewood was pissed. He blamed me for losing you, which I deserved. I didn’t want to go after you anymore. But more than that, it was a waste. He was using a lot of resources on a revenge mission. While we were gone, a few selectmen managed to change some of the laws to benefit themselves. Taking supplies, using labor for their own shelters, stuff like that.”

“Taking advantage of people,” I say. Next to me, Jamie’s left leg is bouncing uncontrollably. I place my hand on it, and he stops. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his shoulders relax a bit.

Denton gestures with his hand as if to say yes, obviously.

“Rosewood still decided to try and blame me, but people liked me. He knew he had to get people to not like me. So—I have no proof of this, obviously, but it reeked of Danny at the time and no other option made sense—there was a bizarre uptick in crime. Bullshit offenses, fights and thefts, vandalism.”

“Psyops,” Cal says. Denton nods, looking impressed. Then Cal turns to the rest of us. “Psychological operations. It’s when a population is manipulated to turn on whoever’s in power. When people start to feel unsafe, they turn on you.”

“Right,” says Denton. “So, with the uptick in crime, Rosewood installed a few more deputies in the sheriff’s department, people Nadine and I didn’t know.”

Denton turns to the Nomads, who weren’t part of our Fort Caroline saga. “Nadine was my second-in-command, and one of my only friends who survived the flu. Anyway, the new deputies didn’t answer to us and decided to make like the selectmen and start taking advantage. They’d blame people they didn’t like for crimes they committed themselves—things I had evidence for. But to answer your previous question, Andrew: No. Jamie’s trial wouldn’t have been fair. Just like the others since haven’t been.”

“It wasn’t a question,” I remind him.

He nods. “Anyway, things went bad quickly. People turning against each other, power struggles among the members of the select committee. Things weren’t ideal.”

“You mean like the white supremacy and their fucked-up registry?” Jamie asks. His leg is bouncing nervously again beneath the table. My hand is still there, but I don’t think he even feels it.

“Registry?” Niki sounds disgusted.

Denton doesn’t even look at me when he says yes. “We—Nadine and me—we thought it would be okay. That we’d be able to live with it and that maybe by being in charge of Fort Caroline’s law enforcement, we could make a difference. We needed a place to feel safe after everything that went down with the flu. Some normalcy.”

I have no sympathy for him. Jamie and I wanted that, too. We all do, even now. But we saw what was wrong with Fort Caroline and we left. Just because Denton eventually caught on doesn’t make me respect him.

“So why did you run away?” Jamie asks. “If you knew all this was happening and other people there saw it, too, why didn’t you do what you wanted and make a difference?”

“We did,” he says. “Or we tried. But we trusted the wrong person and we had to run.”

Cara, who has been quiet most of this time, finally speaks. “Who ran with you?”

“Nadine and six others.”

“Why didn’t you leave earlier?” she asks. “You told me things were getting bad way before I left. You told me to keep my head down, do my work, and just wait. But you could have left before I did.”

I could be wrong, but Cara sounds hurt. Like maybe she had asked Denton to leave with her before and he refused. And maybe that’s why she finally decided to come with us.

Denton reaches out and puts his hand on hers. It’s not a romantic touch, more paternal. “I was worried when you left. But I’m glad you were safe. I had a feeling that was you shooting at us when we caught up to you all.”

Rocky Horror groans. “Okay, show of hands, who here in this room hasn’t shot at someone else?” His hand goes up, and so does Niki’s—probably not realizing Rocky Horror is joking. Trying to cut the tension that has filled the room.

Taylor comes into the doorway holding hands with the Kid. I can tell from the look on her face that she knows something is going on. Or maybe they’ve both been listening. She waves me over. I give Jamie a reassuring squeeze on the leg and go to her while Denton asks if we’ve run into anyone from Fort Caroline on the road.

“The Kid has to go to the bathroom, but he won’t let anyone else take him,” Taylor says.

I look down at him. “I appreciate you, too, Kid, but your timing sucks.” I turn to get Hannah’s attention and she comes over to us.

“The Kid’s been having some stomach issues the last day or so. Do you have any over-the-counter meds that might help? Also, which way to the bathroom?”

She nods. “Head out the front door, right past the cabins; we put in some outhouses. Come find me after and we’ll get him some medicine and Pedialyte.”

I thank her, and the Kid takes my hand. Jamie knows what’s going on, so I turn back to give him another look of reassurance, hoping my telepathic support will be enough while I’m gone. Instead, he stands and walks across the room.

“Let’s go,” he says.

Taylor follows us. “What’s happening in there?”

“Nothing good,” I say.

Jamar is waiting for Taylor outside, and she separates from us as we walk in the direction of the outhouses. The Kid is pulling my hand, trying to get me to go faster.

“Go ahead,” I say once the outhouses are in sight. The Kid runs to the closest one and Jamie and I hang back to give him some privacy.

“Why did you lie to me?” I ask. “About the wanted poster?”

He looks at the ground. “Because Daphne had just died, and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“I’m always worried; that’s a terrible excuse. And you found it before Daphne died, so try again, only this time don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I didn’t want to show you at first because it scared me. I knew it would scare you, too, and I didn’t want to do that. Then Daphne died, and I knew I couldn’t show it to you yet. I’m sorry.”

I sigh, still annoyed that he lied to me, but I can put a pin in that for now because he’s still scared. “Are you okay?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

I hug him and he squeezes me tight, crouching down to put his face against my neck.

“This is just going to keep happening, isn’t it?” he asks.

I rub his back with my good hand while the left one pulses with pain from the pressure of his body against me. But I bite back the agony and hide it from my voice. “This isn’t the same as the Keys. Denton is running from Fort Caroline now, too.”

I still don’t feel bad for them, but better late than never, I guess?

Jamie leans back again but keeps his arm around my waist. “There are probably less than forty million people left alive on this entire continent—and that’s just from the flu, not starvation or accidents or regular illnesses—but we still run into the same ones we’re trying to hide from.”

“They won’t tell anyone. Denton has to know the reward on that poster is bullshit. And I’d bet real postapocalyptic currency they don’t want Fort Caroline to know where they are.”

“And what happens if Fort Caroline finds them?”

My stomach lurches. They wouldn’t do that. Denton and Nadine ran from Fort Caroline, too. They know just how bad they are.

But I can only wallow in delusion for so long before logic brings me back to the real world. If Fort Caroline did find Denton and Nadine here, the two of them could offer information about us in exchange for safety. Because if there was a way to protect everyone here without fighting, they’d do it. I try to hide the realization on my face, but Jamie must see it. Of course he does. He nods.

“So what do we do?” I ask.

“I don’t know.”

The outhouse door opens, and I point at a sink below a water container. “Use your foot on the pedal there,” I tell the Kid.

I watch as he soaps up his hands. Oh God, we really have to leave them all, don’t we? The family we made in the Keys and on the road. Jamie was always right. It’s not safe for them as long as someone is looking for us.

I love Jamie. I love him with all my heart, but I also love everyone else. Cara, Rocky Horror, Amy, Henri-Two, Taylor, the orphans and Kelly, even Niki and Jamar, who feel like part of the family now.

And the Kid.

Shit.

“We go to the cabin,” I say. “Like we always planned. We . . .” My voice breaks as I try to say the words I don’t want to say. “We let Kelly decide what she wants to do with all the kids, maybe stick with the Nomads. Then you, me, and Cara leave and get Amy home, and we let everyone else figure out what they’re going to do on their own. We don’t tell them where we’re going. We just go.”

If we were in the woods again, alone, I’d never know. I could tell myself they all lived happily ever after, couldn’t I? If I was living happily ever after, surely they’d be doing the same.

That’s if it was happily ever after for us.

“What happens to everyone else?” Jamie asks.

“Done.” The Kid stands at my side, looking up at us.

“Come on,” I tell him. “Let’s get something to settle your tummy.”

The Kid takes my hand and Jamie wraps his arm around my shoulders. What happens to everyone else can just be a mystery. But all the tummy medicine in the world won’t make me feel better about it.