Page 93 of Ember Rising

“How did you meet?”

“I wish I had an exciting story about performing a life-saving surgery on him, but it’s pretty boring. He got assigned to this hub and I was already here. I saw him in the gym one morning and forgot every word I knew.”

The warmth in his voice makes me smile. “It’s nice to hear love still exists.”

“If I were in your shoes, I’d be just as pissed off as you must be, but please know that most people in the ILF are like me and Jeff. I believe the world will be a better place when New America, the Deadmen, the Fire Eaters, and every other faction that mistreats people is gone. I’m not willing to sacrifice my humanity for it, though.”

“Who are the Fire Eaters?”

“You saw some of them. They’re psychopaths who drive around on flatbeds at night doing horrible things to people and then cooking their body parts in their bonfires.”

I shake my head. “I hate it here.”

“There are more good people like us than there are of them.”

“I don’t get the impression I’m considered one of you. I think it might be the cage?”

He meets my gaze. “I promise you’ll be out of there soon, and cared for. Van told me you’re good, and I trust him.”

“That makes one of us.”

“He’s a complicated guy. Has he told you he was the only member of his squad who survived after the virus? He lost every one of them, and squads are like family.”

Evander occasionally mentioned people from his squad, like Deb. But it was always trivial details; he didn’t tell me they all died.

“Didn’t most of us lose everyone, though? I did, and I don’t use it as an excuse to lie and deceive people.”

“Look, this is none of my business, so you can tell me to fuck off and I will, but haven’t you done morally questionable things since the virus? I know I have.”

“I haven’t strung along people I cared about and led them to their death.”

I jolt inwardly, realizing I actually did do that—to Donovan.

“Van didn’t lead you to your death, though.”

My laugh is bitter. “How many people are at this hub? All it takes is one person selling intel or letting something slip, and the Deadmen know I’m here. They’ll burn this place to the ground and not care how many people they kill, as long as I’m one of them.”

“They’d need to drop a massive bomb on this place to do that. We have hundreds of people guarding our perimeter.”

I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on them. “Underestimating them is the last mistake people make.”

“We don’t want to put you in danger. We know the basics about how Soren Whitman was able to seize power after the government fell, and how he holds it. We know the Fire Eaters are most likely very ill or disturbed people. But the Deadmen are still a mystery. It’s a small group, and their bloodthirst doesn’t seem logical. Do they kill just because they can? What we desperately need is to know more about them.”

I furrow my brow, studying him. “Is this your attempt at being a good cop? It won’t work.”

“It’s not. Honestly, I wouldn’t say anything either if I’d been treated the way you have. I guess I just want you to understand. The Deadmen opened fire on one of our school buses. Gabriel’s nephew was killed.”

“Oh God.” I have no hope of holding back my tears. “Kids?”

His lips turn down sadly. “They left a message about privilege. I don’t remember what it said. The desperation to get any information about them is rooted in fear about who’s next.”

He looks down at the screen of a small electronic device, then types something out on it. When he looks up at me, he says, “Van saved my life. I was a surgeon in the Army, and I was one of the last few quarantined survivors. We couldn’t move safely. We were out of food and water.” He shakes his head and looks away. “Our building was surrounded because looters knew we had lots of drugs inside. I thought we were dead. Then a helicopter came and a SEAL slid down on a cable. He attached us to the cable, one at a time, and went up with us. He shielded our bodies with his own.” He looks at me. “I figured he had a death wish or something. His foot got grazed by a bullet.”

I don’t know what to say. It sounds just like Evander to do that, but it doesn’t take away the hurt and betrayal I feel.

“Part of the reason I sedated him was because I just couldn’t watch him suffer anymore, as a friend. He was in agony over not being able to reach you.”

He deceived me. I know Evander is a good man, but I don’t trust him. I don’t want to hear his bullshit about the greater good and seeing this operation through.