Chapter 80: 80

NADINE’S P.O.V

Amy took my advice and shoved a sock in my mouth. Thank goodness she did because the pain was excruciating, like nothing I’d ever felt before. My arm throbbed. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it but I was grateful for it because it distracted me from the pain on my inside.

I knew that what happened wasn’t my fault, it was Trent’s and the longer I thought about it, the more pissed I got. He was hiding something in that lab, something he didn’t want us to know about and I wanted to find out what it was.

I stayed up all night thinking about it. I stared at the stars mapping out every plan in my head.

“You should be asleep,” a soft voice spoke. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Joshua.

It was his turn to keep watch. He’d swapped with Rowan a while back. Rowan was lying on his back next to me, his hand gripping his knife that was sheathed by his side.

“I can’t sleep,” I said finally as I sat up slowly.

He turned to face me, his hands folded in front of him. “I never thought we’d end up here. On the run. Traitors.”

“We’re not the traitors, Joshua, they are. They wanted to kill me.”

He sighed. “I know, I just- my father fought so hard for the General. He trusted him and now, I can’t help but wonder if the General had always been like this. I don’t want to believe that-”

“That your father would support someone so cruel?” I asked sand he gave me a wry smile.

If there was anyone who knew how he felt, it was me. Rowan told me what happened in the dining area. He told me about my father and how he was at Trent’s side and all I’ve been able to think about is if he knew I was out here or if he’d been lied to.

“Your dad loves you, Nadine.”

I smiled sadly. “Your dad loved you too, but love makes people do stupid things.”

“If your father knew you were out here, he would’ve come for you himself. He was scared, Nadine, I’ve never seen him that way before.”

I wanted to believe that, I truly did, but after being left in the old bunker and now this, I couldn’t believe that they were both coincidences. He was either a part of it, or he didn’t care enough to look out for me, I wasn’t sure which was worse.

“I better go to sleep.”

Joshua didn’t try to fight me, he just nodded. “How’s your arm?”

“It hurts like a mother fucker.”

“I’m sorry about the baby. You’d have been a great mum.”

I fought back tears. “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Goodnight, Joshua.”

I lay down and closed my eyes but I couldn’t sleep, so I listened to the woods. I listened to the birds and the rustling of leaves. I allowed it to sing to me and lull me into a sense of security.

I wasn’t sure when I managed to fall asleep, but I woke up to the smell of burnt flesh. I sat up straight, fear gripping at my heart when I realized that everyone was safe and accounted for.

“What’s that smell?”

“Breakfast.”

Rowan handed me a small stick with… something on it. it was obviously meat and my stomach rumbled in response. I hesitated before taking it from him. I had no idea what kind of meat it was, but I had a feeling that if I asked, I wouldn’t eat so I forced my reservations aside and bit into it.

It surprisingly didn’t taste so bad.

“I thought we couldn’t start fires in the forest. It brings attention.”

“We didn’t start it here,” Rowan explained. “We walked about ten minutes before setting the fire.”

“That’s still dangerous, isn’t it?”

He just shrugged. “It was worth it. Eat up, we have to keep going. We’re close to town now.”’

That was all the motivation I needed to keep eating. I drank some water after and we were on the move again. Amy filled the air with small talk. At first, it annoyed me, but I quickly realized that I preferred it to the silence.

She spoke about her life before the epidemic. She’d lived a wild life had a lot of stories to tell. Even though she wasn’t proud of some of those stories, she still told them.

“Where do we go after we get to town?” she asked after a particularly embarrassing story. “Do we just live out there?”

“We could,” Joshua shrugged. “We don’t really have anywhere else to go. There are other bunkers around but I doubt they’d be willing to take us.”

“Why not?”

“Because all they all communicate with each other. The General has a lot of reach. He’s probably told them about us by now.”

“Communicate?” I asked and he nodded. “How?”

“Radio. They have a frequency they tune to and get all the information they need. If we ever find a radio, I’ll show you.”

I hummed, letting his words marinate as I debated my next words. It could go one of two ways, they’d either agree with me or call me stupid. Either way, I had a plan and I was going along with it.

“What is it?” Rowan asked, grabbing my arm softly. “You want to say something.”

I just shrugged. I wasn’t ready yet. I’d planned to speak up at night when we were all resting and in a better frame of mind to think about it. It was also the best time because if they didn’t agree, I could always slip away easily.

“Nadine,” he probed and I sighed.

“The General was doing something in that lab,” I announced and everyone stopped walking. “The monster, they were experimenting on it.”

“You said so already.” Joshua crossed his arms over his chest. “They’ve been trying to find a curse for the scratch.”

“You don’t get it. It was in pain. They were torturing it. He was doing something he shouldn’t be doing and I want to know what.”

“You want to go back?” Rowan asked but I shook my head.

“My father told me that the General was a scientist. He had his own massive lab. There might be something there.”

“His lab is most likely destroyed by now.” Joshua frowned. “It wouldn’t yield anything.”

“I still want to do it. He is hiding something and even if I can’t find out what it is then maybe there will be something at the lab that can point me in the right direction.”

Rowan ran his hands through his hair. “Do you even know where the lab is?”

I nodded. “I’ve been there once. I think I can find my way back.”

’We could die,” Amy said, her voice small.

“We’ll die if we remain sitting ducks. At least this way, we’re doing something. You all don’t have to come. I can do it alone-”

“Like hell,” Rowan snorted. “I’m coming with you.”

Amy hesitated for only a second before nodding. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

I turned to Joshua who was suspiciously quiet. “You don’t have to come with us.”

“It’s not like I can go back. I gave up everything when I helped him. Of course I’m coming.”

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