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He shot a glance at Rhiannon, who was pale but composed, her mind clearly racing through possible solutions.
Alan turned toward the others who had begun to gather around the commotion. “Did you hear that? Pierce is responsible for the quake! Hebuilt a weaponthat caused it! Dean’s dead because of him. How many more of us are we going to let him kill before we get out of here?”
The panic was already starting to spread among the survivors, their anxious murmurs growing louder.
Pierce tensed, ready to intervene, but Rhiannon stepped forward first, her expression a mix of determination and outrage. “Alan, this isn’t black and white. Yes, Pierce was part of something when he was in the military, but he’s not the monster you think?—”
Alan sneered. “You’re still defending him? After everything?”
“I’m not defending what happened in the past,” she snapped. “But blaming Pierce for the earthquake without understanding the facts won’t help anyone. He didn’tcauseit. The weapon he worked on was stolen, and others are after him because he’s the only one who knows how to stop it.”
Lori’s face twisted with disbelief. “And you expect us to believe that? That he’s the hero now? After all these lies?”
A ripple of uncertainty ran through the group, and Pierce could see the growing mistrust in their eyes. Alan was feeding on their fear, manipulating it, and there was little he could do to stop it without making things worse.
He lifted his hands and signed, his movements sharp and deliberate.“I didn’t cause the quake. I’ve been trying to prevent more destruction. That’s why I’ve kept quiet. It was to protect all of you.”
Rhiannon translated his signs as he spoke, her voice steady even though he could see the worry blazing in her eyes.
Alan barked out a laugh. “Protect us? You let Dean die! You’re protecting yourself, not us.”
“Enough!” Rhiannon shouted, her voice cutting through the rising noise. “You don’t understand what’s really going on here. Pierce was involved in something dangerous, yes, but right now,weare the ones in danger. Turning on each other won’t get us out of here.”
Alan stepped forward, pointing a finger at her. “You’ve been in on this from the start. Of course, you’re going to defend him—you’ve been cozying up to him since day one.”
Rhiannon flinched, her face flushing with anger. “This isn’t about me and Pierce. It’s about keeping all of us alive.”
But Alan wasn’t listening anymore. He turned back to the crowd, his voice carrying through the small, claustrophobic space. “If we follow him, we’re all going to end up dead like Dean. We can’t trust him. We can’t trustanyof them.”
Pierce’s hands itched with the urge to defend himself, to tell them everything. But would it even matter? The group’s fear was palpable, and Alan was using it to stir them up into a frenzy. He could feel the noose tightening around him, the isolation creeping in. They were on the verge of turning against him, and he wasn’t sure how to stop it.
But then Rhiannon stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the group, her voice calm and measured. “Listen to me. We are trapped in here with limited supplies, no rescue, and the possibility of more aftershocks. If we start fighting each other now, it’s over. Pierce might have made mistakes, but we need each other to survive this.”
The group hesitated, uncertainty flickering across their faces.
“I know you’re scared,” she continued, her voice softening. “But we can’t let fear control us. We have to stay focused on whatmatters—getting out of here alive. That means sticking together, trusting each other.”
For a moment, Pierce thought it might work. He could see the doubt in Alan’s eyes, the hesitation in Lori’s stance. But just as it seemed like Rhiannon was getting through to them, Alan shook his head, his voice rising in a final, defiant shout.
“No. I’m not risking my family’s lives for this. We’re done listening to you, and we’re done trusting him. We’ll find our own way out.”
With that, he turned and stalked away, Lori and their sons following close behind. Several others exchanged uneasy glances, then slowly began to drift after Alan, leaving Pierce and Rhiannon standing alone in the center of the room.
The tension in the air was thick, and Pierce felt its weight settle heavily on his shoulders. He knew that the group’s fracture was only going to get worse from here, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Rhiannon turned to him, her expression a mixture of sadness and determination. “We need a plan,” she said quietly.
Pierce nodded, his mind already working through the possibilities. The rift between them and the others had deepened, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He had to protect Rhiannon, no matter what.
And if that meant taking drastic measures, so be it.
chapter
fourteen
Dottie and Brooke walked over,Michael between them, holding each of their hands, looking back and forth between the adults with wide eyes. Even though he couldn’t hear, he knew something scary was happening, and tears brimmed.
“This is bad,” Dottie whispered.
