“Henri’s.”
“I mean after. You heard Trevor. If Fort Caroline shows up to theKeys and we aren’t there, they might tell them where we’re going. We came down to get Amy to help reunite their family, not bring a militia to their doorstep. Also, Henri didn’t exactly ask for seven orphans.” Nine if we count Jamie and me, but let’s not right now.
“Maybe we’ll find somewhere on the way. People followed the rumors to Reagan Airport looking for help; they had to end up somewhere in the Maryland-Virginia area, right?”
The family of siblings we met at Reagan on our way south were going to Chicago in hopes of finding an aunt. Maybe that’s what people would do: scatter and try to find whatever family might be left.
“For all we know,” Jamie continues, “Henri has met others since we’ve been gone. There could be a whole settlement up there.”
I glance over my shoulder and call out, “You doing okay, Kid?”
“Yeah.”
Jamie snaps his fingers. “Cara said she was missing her hometown, that she might want to go back. Easton, Maryland, isn’t far from Bethesda; maybe everyone could go there. Not permanently, but just to hide out until they know Fort Caroline isn’t coming.”
“That could work.” In fact, it might be a great idea. But Jamie and I wouldn’t be able to go. If Fort Caroline ended up traveling through Easton by chance and found us there—despite how low the odds might be—everyone would still be in danger. Without us, they could hide easily and pretend they never even met us.
As if he’s reading my mind, Jamie reaches out and touches my good arm. “Then we go to the cabin like we always planned.”
My chest tightens at the thought of leaving everyone.
“All done.” I turn to see the Kid holding his wet clothes. I take them and we head back to the fire, where I lay out the clothes to dryoff. We’ll wash them next time we stop for water.
“You can use my sleeping bag tonight,” I tell the Kid. “I’ll share Jamie’s.” He gives me a quiet thank-you as I ask Jamie with a look if that’s okay. He nods. We get the Kid settled—most of the other kids have already lain back down and are half-asleep or snoozing away.
Jamie fully unzips his sleeping bag, and we lie on top of the yoga mat he uses to pad the ground. “Should we get closer to the fire?” he asks me quietly.
“With your furnace body? I’d rather not die of heatstroke in the middle of the night, thank you.” I lie on the side of my body that doesn’t feel like it’s been through a meat grinder and Jamie nuzzles up behind me, being very careful not to touch my arm or any part of my body that might hurt. But I reach over and take his arm, wrapping it around my middle to pull him closer.
Within seconds I start to laugh quietly.
“What?” he asks.
“You knowexactlywhat.”
“Shut up. I can’t help it.”
But I still shuffle back against him a bit more. This forced proximity is nice.
I’ve missed being this close. Even with imaginary monsters lurking in the dark, I can shut my eyes, feel my boyfriend’s arm around me—and something else, of course—and I feel safe.
The next day we need to get on the highway again for a few miles, but before we do, Rocky Horror goes ahead to check for any signs of Hickey and the others.
We stay back about a mile from the on-ramp, and Jamie and I take the time to change my bandages. It isn’t looking great, and I keep lying, saying it doesn’t hurt. But of course it fucking hurts, I got attacked by an alligator.
The wounds aren’t bleeding anymore, but there’s a lot of gross pus that seeps through the gauze pads.
“We need to find antibiotics,” Jamie says. “Maybe tonight we can stop early. I’ll ask Cara to get us to a neighborhood and we can go door-to-door.”
I nod. “Only if it’s off the highway.” I don’t want to be the reason they catch up to us again. Jamie finishes wrapping my arm and by the time we rejoin the others, Rocky Horror is walking up. But he doesn’t look relieved.
“Did you see something?” Cara asks.
He nods. “I think we should find another way. Remember the caravan that drove past after Hickey found us?”
The beige-and-maroon RV. I almost forgot in all the chaos. Hickey sent people after them, but they hadn’t come back by the time we escaped. I remind the others about that and Rocky Horror nods.
“Which means they could be helping Hickey,” he says.
