She shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to be back with my family.”
Anger momentarily surges inside me. We’re back here, risking our lives, in part to save her family.
“You know, Daisy, the world isn’t black and white. A lot of the teachings the Prophet shares are plain wrong. He simplifies things and makes rights and wrongs out to be so much more straightforward than they are. There are times where he’s been blasphemous himself.”
She gasps at that. “The Prophet is not blasphemous.”
I’m starting to wonder whose side she’s on.
I read the Bible once I was free and back home with my parents, and it’s safe to say the Prophet twisted the words in there to suit his own agenda. I’m not sure I can persuade her of that, though, so instead, I bite my lip and consider my next words carefully.
“You can’t truly believe in everything he says, not if you want to stop the ascension and save your family.”
The truth hangs uneasily between us, filling the space like dark smoke. Her gaze meets mine, and I can see the conflicting emotions mirrored there, but she doesn’t answer. Instead, she turns to the rudimentary food I have on the counter.
“Shall I chop some vegetables?”
I sigh. “Yes, thanks. That would be helpful.”
We could dine on reheated military food packs, but there are some fresh supplies, and there’s enough for me to make a vegetable sauce, which mixed with some canned tomatoes and dried herbs will be nice with pasta.
The least I can do is cook these men a nutritious meal when they’ve come to help us.
Once all the vegetables are sauteed and reduced, I sprinkle over some dried Italian herbs and add the canned tomatoes. It would be better with fresh garlic, and some wine too, but the supplies these guys had are limited. They do have an awful lot of beer and a bottle of whiskey, but no wine.
“Something smells good.” Felix pops his head into the RV. Both feet are on the bottom step, and he grins when he sees the large pan on the small stovetop.
“I thought the least I could do is make you guys something to eat when you’ve helped us so much.”
A flicker of something I can’t quite read crosses his features, but it’s gone in an instant. Does he think this is a waste of his time being here? He’s paid to work for Cain’s father, not Cain himself, and perhaps he’s annoyed by this mission.
“Yes, thank you,” Daisy whispers. “I really appreciate it, too. My family will die if we don’t save them.”
He smiles at her softly and opens his mouth, but the roar of the dirtbikes has his head whipping around to watch them drive up.
I wipe my hands on the kitchen towel and turn the heat down, leaving the food to simmer. I follow Felix outside to where the bikes are parking.
Cain jogs over. He’s been setting up the small, two-man shelters, and I wonder where we’ll all sleep.
“So, what’s the place look like?” he asks the arrivals. “Heavily guarded?”
“No. Really not well guarded at all.” Mal climbs off the bike and removes his helmet. He hands it to the guard still straddling the bike at the front and shakes out his dark hair. “There are some fences, but there’s no guards patrolling at that section of the land, and no dogs from what we could see.”
Daisy’s voice is small. “They don’t need dogs and guards. People choose to stay. And it’s always been too well secluded for the Prophet to ever worry about outsiders finding it.”
Still, I’m concerned that the Prophet will know Daisy is missing and, in anticipation of the ascension in the morning, will have taken extra precautions.
“Don’t you have drones you can send over?” I ask of Cain’s father’s men.
“We do,” Felix answers. “But the issue with that is if they’re spotted, they’ll know immediately someone is watching them. I doubt they get anyone recreationally flying drones out here.”
“I’ve never seen a drone,” Daisy says.
“Do you know what they are?” one of the guards asks.
He looks to be around twenty-five, and he’s pretty damn good looking. Rugged, but chiseled features. Tall, muscular, with wavy brown hair and green eyes.
“Of course I know what they are. I’ve seen them since I’ve been at the college with Ophelia.” Daisy rolls her eyes.
