Page 63 of Sawyer’s Mistake

“How can we help?” Eva asked, stepping in.

“Just sit down and relax,” Ray answered. “I’ll open a few cans, and it’ll be ready in no time. There’s fresh water in that corner, if you’re thirsty,” he said, pointing to a tower of five-gallon water containers. Kopf brought one back.

“It’s sealed,” he said quietly. He started serving the water in the incongruously tiny cups Alix brought down from a shelf.

Within minutes, the smell of baked beans and real bread filled the air. What might have been considered a simple meal before the invasion now seemed like the most incredible luxury.

Sawyer watched Saoirse eat with obvious enjoyment. The warm meal made her cheeks blush prettily.

They shared with Ray part of their story, how they’d been traveling north around the European Space, looking for a group of survivors who were organizing themselves to fight the Remur.

“We hoped the Pangea Colony might be such a group,” Storme said.

Ray nodded enigmatically but didn’t say anything. Finally, when they’d all eaten their fill, Storme brought the Remur voice box out of its bag and placed it on the table in front of Ray.

“We’re carrying something important. This device translates Remur speak into English,” he said.

Ray picked it up greedily and turned it around in his hands. “Never seen such a thing.”

“Do you have a way to contact them, Ray?” Storme insisted.

Ray shook his head, looking thoughtful. “I’m sorry. It’s safer for me not to know exactly where they are. I can tell you where they were going, though. They headed up to a place called Rømø.”

“Rømø?” Eva asked. “That’s a Danish island …”

“That’s … that’s really far away,” Saoirse said, her voice a thin thread of sound. Her eyes filled with tears. She made no attempt to stop them as they rolled down her cheeks.

Sawyer stood behind her, his front touching her back. “It’s going to be okay, little one,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise.”

“We’ll find a way to get to Rømø,” Storme said.

The feeling around the room had gone somber, but Ray didn’t seem to realize. He stood up slowly. “Well, I’m tired after all the excitement. Sleep here tonight then tomorrow your quest begins.”

Chapter 25

Javier

“We should take turns keeping watch tonight,” Storme said to the men at the table. The women had gone to take a shower, and Ray had sauntered off into the living room, as he called it, with a cup of tea.

“Can we trust him?” Prado asked,

“He’s not all there,” Kopf added.

“But it doesn’t seem like he’s hiding anything,” Storme said, thoughtful.

“You look worried, Storme,” Meir noted.

“I think Ray is telling the truth, but Rømø is a long way away.”

“He doesn’t have anything to gain from leading us to the wrong place,” Sawyer added. He sat down heavily at the kitchen table, holding his arm stiffly in front of him.

“Would you like a painkiller, Sawyer?” Zander asked.

The word painkiller made Prado’s hands shake. He didn’t even hear Sawyer’s answer.

I’m salivating like a fucking dog.

He stood up abruptly, only just managing to stop the chair from clattering to the floor.