"They're gone? Did Jacob or Maverick say anything?" I asked as the tears freely flowed down my cheeks. How could this happen?
"Jacob was with me, we got separated," Patrick answered. He grabbed my hand and squeezed, but there was a delay in my brain being able to feel it.
"Where are we? What is wrong with my body? I can't feel anything."
"We're in the deadlands. You were in a lot of pain. The woman here said she could help you..." Huxley explained.
"The deadlands?" I asked incredulously. That meant we were at least three days from Ethros. Three days from Cyler, Maverick, Jules and Jacob. There was still a numb pain in my head, something dull but dark. It wanted out. It wanted to make its presence known.
"Sweetie," Kemper began while looking between Hux and Patrick. "Do you remember what else happened?" For a moment I just gave them a blank stare, unsure of what to think or say. There was something important on the tip of my tongue. Something I knew would break me .
"Josiah," I finally cried out. His name was like a damn breaking. The numb barriers I built up while asleep broke, and all that was left was pain.
“I was prepared for his death, I wasn’t prepared for him to die saving me,” I sobbed. “He really did love me.”
Kemper grabbed my hand and squeezed, but the supportive gesture was hollow because my body couldn’t quite feel it.
“Linda?” I asked.
Huxley shuddered. Never before had I seen him so...bothered. “That woman is a right piece of work. One of the Scavengers put a sedative in her soup last night so we could all have a fucking break. How did you ever live with her?!”
Linda was mourning her son and lover. I didn’t want to imagine the sort of chaos she had been causing while I was recovering.
Just then, I thought about the last time I saw them all, just before Cavil’s party. “Tell me, Kemper. Were you always planning on leaving Cyler and Mav behind? When we left, did you know it would be the last time I saw them?”
Kemper avoided my gaze as more tears tumbled out of my eyes.
It was Huxley who responded.
“Yeah. And you can hate us later. But you’re okay, and that’s all that matters.” Huxley’s words were straightforward and unashamed. He was completely calm in the decision they made.
I opened my mouth to fight. They allowed me to leave without saying goodbye. It hurt to know that I wasn’t allowed to choose my own fate. I would have stayed.
I was livid. These men chose for me, and all that was left of my relationship with Cyler, Maverick, and even Jules was a letter laced with regret. Before I could voice the frustrations building up within me, a timid voice broke the tension, "Is she awake?"
I turned to look at the little boy entering my room. He looked like the Josiah I knew, but it wasn't him. It was the boy from the transport.
"Hello," I greeted while wiping my tears. "What's your name?" I asked while trying to force my voice to sound sweet. Snot rolled down my face, and I assumed that the young boy would be scared off by my splotchy face.
"Payne," he replied. "Momma said you'd take care of me."
My eyebrows shot up as I looked around at the guys. They each avoided my gaze. "And who is your Momma, Payne?" I asked. The blond boy jutted out his lip before sucking in a breath, as if forcing his emotions down. I wondered if it was something he did regularly.
“He’s Dominique’s boy,” Patrick explained.
Payne ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous tick that reminded me of…
Josiah.
Payne was Josiah’s half brother.
He walked closer to me, and there was a casual playfulness about his walk that reminded me of Lackley.
“We went to the signal station, and she told me to stay with that man,” Payne said while pointing at Kemper. “She said the lady with crazy hair like a lion was nice. I promised to stay with you, like a big boy. Then she went to go get you, but she never came back. Do you know where my momma is?”
I looked to Kemper who lightly shook his head. “She cut the lights. She saved you,” he whispered as Payne distractedly climbed up into bed and settled beside me.
It was strange seeing how comfortable he was with a complete stranger. Was he so starved for love that he’d take it wherever he could?