Page 48 of Us Defiant Few

Brock nodded firmly, clutching the walkie Jack gave him as if an entire army would have to pry it from his hands.

“All right. This is where I leave you. If everything goes to plan, I’ll see you all in a few weeks.” Spade’s jaw tightened as he scanned the abandoned city.

“Don’t worry about us.” Serene saluted him. “We’ve survived the Death-Zone once. I’m sure we can manage it again.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident,” Spade muttered before unzipping his backpack. “Before you go, here’s some extra for yourself.”

Their faces paled when he pulled out four more handguns. He handed the weapons to Brock, and Khalani’s eyes went wide when he turned to her first.

She felt the pressure of Takeshi’s gaze as she took the gun, testing the metal in her hand. The familiar weight and power sent a thrill through her.

Brock passed the other gun to Adan. For a second, Khalani thought he might give the last gun to Takeshi, undoubtedly the most skilled. But Brock still didn’t trust him, and he shocked them all by offering the weapon to Serene.

“Don’t make me regret this,” was all he said.

A bright spark flared in Serene’s eyes, and for once, she didn’t give a sarcastic retort. She nodded, quietly giving thanks as she accepted the trust and stowed the gun in her bag.

“Are you sure we need more weapons?” Elise asked warily, scanning between each of the shattered buildings in a daze.

“Of course,” Spade remarked, his grim expression worrying even Khalani. “Do you want to know why they called it the Death-Zone?”

“Because of the radiation?” Adan assumed.

“No. The radiation was everywhere on the surface. It’s said that those who cross the desert don’t even see the bodies of the ones who’ve fallen beneath their feet. The sands have completely erased their memory. They call it the Death-Zone because you’re walking over hundreds of people without realizing it.”

Khalani chafed her fingers down her arms. Pressure cascaded down the back of her neck and rolled down her spine, like the souls of the dead were sliding their perusing gazes over her, waiting for Khalani to be swallowed and returned to the earth as well.

“There are no laws out here, only life and death,” Spade said, walking back to the sewer. And before he dropped to the underground city, he gave them one last piece of advice.

“And if it comes down to it, you better not hesitate to pull the trigger.”

13

When the night draws to a close, the words I should’ve said to you grow brighter.

The sun baked against her skin as they trudged along the long barren road, the earth welcoming them in a scalding embrace. Elise kept lifting her gaze to the brightly lit sky, shielding her head with one hand, her mouth open. Khalani remembered what it was like her first time on the surface.

“Do you ever get used to it?” Elise voiced her wonder.

“Not really,” Adan remarked, walking beside her. “The heat’s a real bitch, though. I honestly don’t know how humans handled it before the Great Collapse.”

“They had cool air blowing constantly in their homes. Some even built pools of water in their backyards to cool off in, or so Winnie has read,” Winnie announced with joy.

“Seems like a lot of water to waste,” Serene clipped.

“That’s what happens when you have too much of something, and you think it never goes away,” Winnie said.

Brock snorted in agreement. When they stopped at the first water well, Khalani drank so fast, a huge gulp of liquid sailed down the wrong pipe. She doubled over, heaving and aggressively coughing, when a pair of black boots entered her vision.

A large hand thudded against her back several times until she inhaled roughly, finally able to breathe. She glanced up to say thank you, but the words died on her tongue when it was Takeshi Steele who blocked the sun, his face taut with annoyance.

“I know what you’re doing,” he said.

She slowly straightened, wiping water from her mouth. “What exactly am I doing?”

“You’re trying to die to force these reactions out of me. Putting yourself in danger so I start to care and believe your lies about…us.” He spat the last word like it was a disease.

Her mouth dropped open at the sheer audacity.