my attention to Kemper. He was staring out the window as Bowden spoke, and I could sense that he didn't like that we didn't have a plan going into this. He was methodical. Systematic. He looked at every single side of a problem and approached it after examining each and every variable. In some ways, Maverick was the same. He liked knowing everything. He prided himself on being the smartest man in the room. I looked at Mav and smiled when I saw him checking and double checking the first aid kit we’d packed a few hours before leaving. I had given him a crash course in herbs, and he seemed eager to learn. It felt terrific to be able to teach him some of what I’d learned in the deadlands.
Kemper groaned. “I don’t like not having a solid plan. Should we send a couple people in to scout first, that way we aren’t risking all of us in one go?” he asked.
Luckily, Jules and I responded at the same time, “No. Absolutely not.”
There was no way in Ethros I was letting us split up again. I wasn’t about to risk letting my men get captured. We were doing this together. Since my night with Cavil, I learned that we didn’t always need a plan. There was something to be said for a person's instincts. I had faith that I could claw myself out of a situation if necessary—or kill my way out of it.
Cyler squeezed my hand once more in solidarity. I was worried that he and Maverick were too weak still from the death pill to fight, but we didn't have many options. I knew that I needed him with us. No man left behind. We were stronger together.
We parked in the cover of trees and exited the transport. All of us went quiet as we looked around on high alert. I flashed a glance at Tallis and smiled when I saw his familiar fierce expression. He and Jules had disappeared for a few hours earlier, and he reappeared looking more like his old self. "Lead the way, brother," he said to Bowden before grabbing Jules’ hand and walking south. Cyler wrapped his arm around me like this was a casual date and not a rescue mission.
"You look nice, Babe," he said, bumping his hip against mine flirtatiously. I smiled. He was trying to calm my nerves, and it was working.
"Are we on a date right now? I feel like I should have worn a dress," I joked before patting the pocket where Jules' necklace was sitting. I just hoped that it was enough for access to the underground city. Maybe Kemper should bring the bomb. If they were a group of survivalists, maybe they’d appreciate it more than Jules’ necklace. I'd been checking that it was still there all throughout the drive. It was our ticket to Mia—to Payne.
"Romantic stroll through the woods? Why the hell not? I mean, you get hot romps in the deadlands with Huxley, so it seems only fair," Cyler replied with a smirk. I glanced up at his expression, the moonlight and toxic gas in the air illuminating the woods just enough to see his playful smile. He wasn't jealous, well, not completely jealous. He was teasing me.
I opened my mouth to reply, but Jules interrupted. "We're almost there. Pay attention for fuck's sake."
Bowden pushed aside some thick bushes, revealing the abandoned city of Lythe just a little further up a makeshift path. The state of Lythe didn't surprise me. I wasn't sure if it was because I was desensitized to destruction, or if it was because I’d already seen it a couple of days ago when we passed through. Boards covered every window, and some buildings were burned to the ground. Rotting corpses lined the streets, and I had to put my hand over my nose and mouth to cover the stench. To the untrained eye, this looked like an abandoned city.
It was genius, really, hiding the real civilization beneath the surface.
I looked around at our group. No one seemed too distraught by their surroundings. The road was narrow, so we filed down to two at a time, and a gust of wind billowed up, kicking up the stench of death and sand with it. Jacob gagged at the smell. I just kept going.
Bowden led the way and kept looking over his shoulder at us in a way that was a little too suspicious for my liking. "How much farther?" Cyler