Who We Were | Book One

37. Better Than Bloodshed

The early morning sun was well risen as we stepped outside and upon the blades of grass sat a hundred beads of water, each one a perfect sphere glistening against orange rays. The glow was deceptive in its warmth, the air was cool and crisp and pinched at my skin making the hairs on my arms stand on end. I crossed my arms and wrapped them tightly around my body, trying to hold onto any warmth.

Ben looked over as I clenched my jaw and dug my fingers into the creases of my arms. He shrugged the jacket from his shoulders and handed it to me with a smirk.

"Take it," he said, forcing it into my hands.

"Thank you," I replied, pulling the jacket over my arms and relishing in the warmth. I felt my body relax almost instantly. We slowed to a stop as we reached Will's house.

"I guess I'll see you later then?" I mumbled, gesturing with a limp hand towards the building in front of us.

"Yeah," Ben confirmed, "of course," he added taking a few steps up the driveway. "Oh, one last thing..."

"What?"

"Don't go outside the fence," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes and tried to stifle the smile that lifted my lips from its harsh line. "Get out of here," I said, turning my head.

The morning was quiet as I made my way through the centre of the camp. I'd decided on the word camp because there was no other word that described it better. Once a town but not anymore, maybe a refuge but not a home. None of them felt right because still none of it felt real. I balled my hands into tight fists and shoved them into the pockets of Ben's jacket. Everything seemed to move faster in this new world like we weren't given any time to stop and understand what was happening.

A ladder was placed underneath a platform which sat atop the camp's surrounding fence. Tom stood on top with a large gun slung across his body which he held firmly in both hands. His head turned when he heard my footsteps approaching the gate. He tried to be discreet as his eyes flickered to my arm and then to my bruised face.

"You alright?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm just looking around."

He seemed to smile. "Not much to explore around here, I'm afraid-"

"Hey!" Tom's words were interrupted by a voice from behind the fence and our heads spun towards the sound in unison, the gun in his hands lifted and poised. His face scowled; pressed confusion as deep lines wove into his forehead.

"The fuck are you?" Tom spat. "What do you want?"

"I need to come inside," the voice said.

"What's your business here?"

"Josh and Em," he said between breaths, "I need to speak to them." My stomach dropped at the sound of my name and Tom snapped his head towards me. "Are they there?" He questioned, noticing Tom's shifted gaze. "Em is that you?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, taking the smallest step forward. "Who are you?"

"It's Zach!" The voice replied. "There's not much time, Em. Please."

My eyes widened and I looked at Tom. "Let him in."

"Are you mad?" Tom exclaimed; his expression wide. "Not a chance."

"Will," Zach stated. "That's your leader, right? Let me speak to him."

*

I thrashed on the door of Will's home, interrupting the calm silence of the town but unwilling to stop until one of them opened.

"Will!" I shouted through the cracked wood.