“I can’t go back there.”
“I won’t let that happen. As bad as it was, it’s even worse now. Sutton said Wilson executed pretty much all of the revolt members who didn’t make it out and kept a few hundred people around to make examples out of for anyone thinking about joining. He shut down hospital access and medical care for everyone except his men.”
“What’s left? Some of those people were just like me, falsely accused. They don’t deserve to be there. Wilson sounds as bad as the Commander. Maybe even worse,” I say.
“And on top of that, he’s still branding Sinners and sending them to the Hole. Nothing has changed.”
I suck in a breath and keep moving forward, feeling pity for those we didn’t free. I don’t bother to mention how I really feel. Keegan died for nothing. My dad died for nothing. Every time I see Sutton, I can tell he also carries the burden of those deaths.
Cole grips my hand tighter. “It can’t stay this way forever. There are too many people fighting. I refuse to believe this is how we’re going to spend the rest of our lives.”
I cringe knowing I may never see my mom again, never be able to give Keegan a proper burial. “What if it is? We never thought anyone could be as bad as the Commander, right? What if things never get better?”
Cole stops abruptly. He stoops low to the ground and pulls me next to him. I look from left to right and crouch beside him. I wipe my face and force myself to focus, even as my nerve endings scream.
He motions to me with two fingers, pointing at his eyes and then forward. I follow his fingers through the tall reeds to the faded pinks, whites, and yellows of the beach houses on stilts. Wooden slats are missing in some places, and the windows are all boarded up. The only potential sign of life is a food wrapper wafting in the breeze, caught on some reeds near a rusted car that looks like it hasn’t been touched in years.
Slate-gray waves crash against the beach, capped in white foam, making the bay look angry and forcing the water almost to the front steps of the houses. We need to get inside.
Just as I begin to stand, I see them, two figures in dark uniforms patrolling up the beach. They comb the perimeter, looking for trouble. Looking for us.
I point at one of the guards. Cole nods, and we both slink back from the edge. I press myself flat against the sand, pulling my gun out and struggling to hold it steady. Sand grinds against my arms. I grit my teeth in pain. Particles of sand crunch in my mouth. If I could somehow melt into the ground, I would.
The dark figures come closer as my shoulders tighten, and my breaths burst in and out. The rain stops, and they begin walking toward the edge, where the beach meets the dunes. One of them is short and stocky with tanned skin. The other, almost his polar opposite. I’m guessing he’s just over six foot. The tall one’s mouth is caught in a sneer as he trudges, barely lifting his feet from the beach. The closer they get, the more I resist the urge to run. Instead, I press my face into the sand, willing myself to disappear.
“Man, talk about a waste of time,” the short one says. His voice comes out like a low growl. “Today makes it, what? Three days since we found a Sinner—I’m about to start shooting trees.”
“Shut the hell up, and stop your bitching. Four more checkpoints. Then we’ll head back,” the tall one says, an M16 hanging over his shoulder. He looks up at the sky, which has grown ever darker. “Let’s split up. I want out of here before this storm hits.” His feet stop at the edge where the beach meets the reeds, and it becomes quiet.
“You really think we’ll find anything?” the short one asks.
“Doubtful, but I don’t want to be the one answering to Clayton when he asks,” the tall one says with a snort. “That’s all you.”
“That guy’s a real dick sometimes,” the short one says. He shuffles from one foot to the other. “And nothing exciting’s happened around here in fifty years … at least not since the last war.” He kicks the sand with his boot.
“Oh right, like when they bombed the shit out of everything,” the tall one says with a laugh. His partner chuckles, but then they both turn silent.
“All right, well, I’ll comb that end of the beach, and you can take this area.” Their feet move in different directions. “Let’s get this over with.”
When I lock eyes with Cole, his jaw twitches. He mouths to me, “Don’t move.”
My body freezes in place. I swear the beating of my heart can be heard for miles. I close my eyes and pull in cool, salty air as I wait for the guards to discover us. My finger tenses beside the trigger of my handgun.