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Yet even after all he’d seen and heard, he still didn’t understand. “Why do you stay? There might be rescue teams assembled, looking for—”
Her brow furrowed. “It’s been over ten years. No rescue team has ever ventured this way, and I’ve never heard of such a thing. All that’s out there now is more settlements, built on the last remaining viable land. We live to survive now, that’s all there is.”
He nodded. “Like Stone Haven—the Becks.”
She flinched. “No. They’re not like us. The Becks are no better than the Others. We nearly starved our first winter on the hills from their overuse of our lands. Killing females before they’ve had their offspring and leaving whole carcasses.”
He leaned back against the tires. “Maybe they just hunt differently—”
She shifted uncomfortably and shook her head. “There’s only one way to hunt, to make the last remaining gifts given to us by the land last. We use every last bit of an animal, and we respect the cycle of life. Nothing goes to waste. If they continue down this path, the hills and mountains will look like this area in no time. There is not much fruitful property left. If we let them destroy what is remaining, then how will we feed our people?” She looked to the ground. “Everwood and all the creatures in it are sacred. We need to preserve and grow what little we have. Our home is the only life raft we have. How would we survive without it? Where would we go?”
“True. So, the Becks started the war?”
She looked to him now as she recalled the past. “My father met with Mr. Beck that first spring after the apocalypse. He tried to tell him they couldn’t use the lands in such a way... One thing led to another—a shot was fired and all hell broke loose. I was high in the trees, trying to watch from above. It was a miracle my father made it out alive, but this I know for a fact, my father did not fire the first shot.”
“I see.” He did see—that each side fought for the survival of their people, and each side was willing to die to see it happen.
Had he known about the feud when he decided to travel to Everwood? Had he wanted to join the fight?
The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle and then to a fine mist.
He thought over what she said and asked, “But why does your father send you on these missions? You’re all so young.”
She laughed. “Because he knows I’m capable, that we’re capable. Besides, most of us grew up in this area. We know the land. We’ve been training for these types of missions for years. The older soldiers, they stay behind and protect Everwood. How easy would it be for another settlement to take it from us without a defense in place? The men that stay to protect Everwood, they don’t know the land like we do. They were already adults when Mother Earth turned the world upside down, and a lot of them traveled to Everwood as survivors. They are not from here. Us”—she looked back at the bus, to the crew inside—”we grew up in the apocalypse, we adapted.”
She stood and shook the tarp of water, then folded the plastic into a neat square. “We better get some rest, we have another long day tomorrow.” She walked over to the bus, and he wondered if it was Derek’s watch already.
He followed her to the vehicle, where she woke Derek. After he made a quick exit, she positioned herself in his leather seat. Luke lay flat on a bench, his legs and feet hanging in the aisle. John sat upright with his eyes closed, wrapped in a blanket, and Sarah would have been invisible, covered with a blanket from head to toe, if she wasn’t snoring like a freight train.
It was a good thing he still held the blanket she’d given him; the temperature had dropped, and his lids were heavy. He covered her with it and then took a seat across from her.
After she adjusted the blanket on her lap, she leaned her head against the window glass and closed her eyes. He did the same, not wanting to be a liability to her in the morning. He needed his rest, but so did she.
She’d been through so much, but... had he?
He couldn’t remember his past, his name, where he was the day the earth went haywire, or even if he had a family. Doubtful.
Not if he joined the caravan of people coming this way. Who were the other men he traveled with that died? What he would give to regain his memory. To share with her pieces of himself... He had nothing to offer her but his compassion and loyalty.
And after what she’d done for him, saved his very life, she deserved it and more. Angel.
He could feel his mind drifting... the voice of an angel singing a familiar tune...
Hours later, Krieger felt a pressure on his leg. His eyes expanded to take in the pack that now rested on his thighs and Luke’s large frame.
“It’s time to move out,” Luke said.
The sun was peeking through the window, but no birds chirped to welcome the day. The air in the bus was frigid; his breath crystalized as he exhaled, and Jack Frost had painted almost every window while they slept.
Sitting up, he noticed Eva was nowhere to be seen. He grabbed his bag and made his way off the bus.
When he got to the fire, everyone had mugs in hand.
“Here.” Luke handed him a piping hot cup of clear water. “It will warm you.”
Wrapping his hands around the cup and letting it warm him, he took a generous gulp. The heat spread through his gut and expanded into his limbs.
Luke turned once more and handed him a handful of smoked meats. “Eat up, we don’t have much time.”
