Where We Go | Book Three

51. Nowhere Is Safe

It was an unspoken stand-off between the two groups, and neither of us wanted to be the one to back down first. The men who stood behind remained on high alert, and their fingers twitched against their weapons at every flicker of a sound.

"What are you lot doing out here anyway?" the man at the front pried.

Silence.

Ben adjusted Sophia against his hip, looking at Will.

"We're travelling," Will replied, holstering his knife. "We thought it would be safe to rest up here for a few hours but... apparently not."

The man in front of us smiled, dropping his gun to his side. "Too many herds around here now. Nowhere is safe."

Will nodded. "We're grateful for the help anyway."

"Was that smoke yours?" Tom asked, speaking the question on everyone's mind.

The men mumbled in agreement, nodding their heads but the one at the front spoke. "It was indeed," he said proudly. "Drops those fuckers to the floor before they can even lift a finger."

My stomach twisted and my breath hitched in my throat. I shouldn't be here. Avoiding the smoke was one thing but talking our way out of this was a dangerous line.

"Impressive," Will agreed.

The man cocked his head, slipping the strap of his weapon across his body and folding his arms. His stare landed back to Ben who shifted uncomfortably. "Do I know you?" the man gestured his head.

Ben shrugged. "I doubt it."

The man pointed a bloodstained index finger. "No... Your face. It looks too familiar. Are you famous or something?"

"Depends what you mean by famous," Ben tried to joke.

The man's eyes narrowed. Julia shifted beside the waiting room and his attention switched to the now empty room. We cleared his path as he took three long strides to the door and pushed it open. Nobody followed him inside, nobody dared to move an inch. Ben remained still but it was his hands that began to clench and unclench at his waist. 

Within a few moments, the man returned holding one of the articles in his hand. It was the one with the photo of Ben and Jackie proudly positioned in the centre of the page.

"This is you," the man smirked, holding it up and pressing a dirtied finger to the paper.

Ben squinted. "It's hard to tell-"

The man dropped the page. "It wasn't a question." 

He cast a stare across our group, narrowing his dark eyes. A silence had fallen across the train station. With no more Infected, the brush of the wind through the corridors and every creak of metal was amplified ten times over. 

"Do you mind coming with us?" the man added. "It won't take long at all, I promise."

"Do I have a choice?" Ben cocked a brow.

"You do," the man nodded. "The result might not be as friendly if you decline the offer."

"I'll come too," I spoke. Heads turned and all eyes on the platform landed on me. I shrunk at the attention. "No one in our group goes anywhere alone," I lied.

The man clicked his tongue. "If you must."

*

The more I watched from the window, the more I realised that all the stories we'd heard were true. Their headquarters was an abandoned military base, newly refreshed with tall metal fences that encircled the area. Tall, grey antennas stood from the top of concrete buildings, tilted towards the sky. Beside me, Ben gripped my hand tighter, his expression paling from the sight of it all.