asked beside me. I sensed that he was feeling the same unease that I was.
"Not much," Bowden replied, his voice bubbling up with unspoken tension. Huxley surged forward to closer inspect him as I looked at the Scavenger's trembling hands. He then stopped in the middle of the road and turned to face us. I couldn’t tell if the sad expression on his face was because he was nervous about going to the city or if it was something else. I didn't peg Bowden as the type to get anxious. Emotional, maybe. Devoted for sure. But not nervous. My instincts were telling me to run, but my feet remained rooted to the spot. “I’m so sorry, Tallis,” Bowden said while holding his hands up. “I had to.”
Huxley grabbed the back of his neck, causing our group to erupt into chaos. Tallis immediately stalked closer, fists clenched, ready to defend Bowden. That blind devotion was understandable, but the unease in my stomach was making all of this difficult to swallow.
"Get your hands off him, Hux," Jules warned while eying Tallis. "Now isn't the time."
"Not until he tells me why he's sweating so much that his shirt is drenched and his hands are trembling. What do you mean you’re sorry?" Huxley sneered just in time for Tallis' fist to connect with Huxley's jaw. He'd been looking for a way to get out his pent up frustrations over everything, and Huxley gave him the perfect opportunity to feel like he could defend his people.
Cyler let go of my hand to pull Huxley away, and to my surprise, Bowden tackled Tallis, a sob breaking through his pursed lips. "Stop," Bowden growled as Cyler wrapped his arms around Huxley like a bear hug. Jacob, Kemper, Maverick, and Patrick were ready to dive in, all of them standing in front of me with arms flexed. "He's right," Bowden choked out.
All at once, we turned our attention to him. Tallis got out from under him and gave his friend a deep scowl. "What do you mean he's right?"
The moment that question left Tallis' lips, arms circled around me, pinning my arms down and drawing me into a chest and large stomach. "Let go of me!" I screamed just as everyone turned around to see what was happening.
The person holding me smelled like sewage, and I thrashed my body to try and break free of their hold until the barrel of Heat was placed at my temple. "You sure are pretty," a low, raspy voice growled in an accent I knew came from the Southern tip of the empire.
"Let her go," Huxley replied while taking a step closer, holding his hands up like he was approaching a wild infected Walker. I couldn't twist my body enough to see who was behind me, but based on the murderous looks in the guys' eyes, I sensed that this wasn't good. Another voice spoke to my right, and I turned just enough to stare at who it was.
"I wouldn't do anything rash, boys. We've got a deal to complete." I looked at the man approaching. He was wearing all leather and boots with a heel, but it did nothing to help his height. He was probably at my shoulder level. I noticed that he was cradling a blanket in his arms and headed for Bowden. He wore a wide smile, showing off his toothless grin and thin lips. His beard was long, and I noticed a small hand reaching up for the wiry hairs of his beard. "Well done, Scavenger." He handed the bundle to Bowden, and I watched the tall, muscular Scavenger crumble in relief.
Hope. They had Hope. Grateful tears slid down my cheeks, and I nearly sobbed along with him. He looked her over, cupped her cheeks, and I heard the sound of a childish giggle from the blankets. He quickly clutched her to his chest, and with one sad look at me, started running like his life depended on it.
I wasn't even mad. And if in his shoes, I'd give up anyone or anything to get my child back. Tallis and Jules took one second to watch his retreating back before sprinting off after him.
"Jules!" Cyler yelled angrily. He couldn't blame her because she was chasing after her family.
The short man chuckled. "Let them go. I have no need of Scavengers. Got plenty of them in the city." I turned my attention back to the man and nearly fainted when I saw that he was wearing a guard