Page 1

Chapter 1

Reno Thiers

I’m on foraging duties today. Just my fucking luck. That means I have to leave the safety of our fortified village with a group of assholes who couldn’t care less if I dropped dead in front of them.

See, I’m not very popular here in Elign. Yeah, I’ve never responded well to authority since I was a kid, and I got in a couple of fights. So what? I was a fucking kid. I was lost, and I didn’t like to be told what to do. I still don’t. Then, there was this time some bigger kids made me steal food for them. I got caught, and of course no one believed me when I said it was them. Why would they? I was the resident problem child after all. So yeah, I’ve never managed to get rid of my bad reputation since then.

And of course, the first time I went foraging didn’t help. We got attacked, and I ran away without a thought for the rest of the group. What can I say? I’m not a guard. Why should I risk my ass and play goddamn hero for a bunch of jerks who catalogued me as a no-good cockroach? They say I only care about my own survival, and why shouldn't I? Why should I put the lives of people who couldn’t care less about me before my own?

Anyway, no one died, so who cares? That was ten years ago. I was only twenty at the time, but somehow they’re still not over it. I haven’t been on many foraging missions since. I’m mostly stuck with cleaning and maintenance and a bit of farming when it’s the right season, but I have to do it every now and then. That’s just how it goes. We have to do what the council assigns us to do.

I put down the piece of wood I was carving to look like a wolf, sling my old green backpack over my shoulder, and leave the comforting quiet of my quarters to make my way through the village. I’ll take care of the flecks when I come back. Maybe.

Elign used to be a proper city in the Old World before the fires. Now, there’s dirt where the roads used to be, and the buildings that were repaired long ago are all covered with vegetation.

“Hi, Reno!” a cheerful voice calls next to me.

I turn to see Nasir smiling at me. “Hey, Nasir!” I smile back, a warm feeling settling in my chest. Nasir is the only person in the village who’s friendly with me. Not that everyone else treats me like shit. Some are polite or just ignore me, but Nasir is the only one to be truly, genuinely kind. It feels good. Not to mention, he looks pretty darn cute.

I mentally scold myself for allowing these kinds of thoughts. Nasir is kind to everyone. He was like that as a kid too, always helping, always encouraging others. I remember once I was crying because I got punished for getting in a fight with some other kid who said my shirt was ugly. Nasir told me he thought my shirt was very nice, but then he went to comfort the other kid too. I’m not special. Plus, he’s a doctor now; being kind is part of his job. If I’m not careful, I’ll grow attached, then I’ll fall in love, and then I’ll get my heart crushed because how could someone like him love someone like me? He’s nice to me, and that’s enough. It has to be.

When I reach the village's main gate, the rest of the foraging group is already waiting for me. Two women and three men I barely know. I think that the blond guy might be a guard named Wilson, and the girl with the long skirt could be Joy or Joyce or something like that.

Probably-Joy and a guy with a brown beard greet me with a polite smile. Wilson casts me an annoyed glance, and the others ignore me.

“Now that everyone’s finally here,” Wilson says, looking me up and down, “I suggest we go and don’t waste any more time.”

Another asshole who thinks he’s better than everyone. Great.

“Sorry, guys, I was busy sucking dicks.” I open my mouth wide and mimic the motion with my hand. “Besides, I’m what? Five minutes late. It’s not like the mushrooms are gonna run away.”

This earns me disgusted glances and groans. Good, let them be uncomfortable. And would you look at that. Looks like I’m not invisible anymore.

So, we leave camp. Guards close the gate behind us, making me feel trapped. Ironic, I know, since it's quite the opposite. What can I say? I’d rather be locked somewhere safe than free and surrounded by danger. No one speaks to me as we make our way deeper into the forest, and I don’t try to talk to them either. What’s the point? Of course, I would have enjoyed continuing to get on their nerves, but I don’t want to give them a reason to push me down a ravine and make it look like an accident.

I take out my knife, kneel down in the damp earth, and begin to cut a root. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home, and I can go back to wood carving. I throw the root in my bag and move on to the next one when I hear the sound of footsteps coming close. A cold shiver runs down my spine. It’s exactly like ten years ago. I look up to see a group of Raiders surrounding us. I jump to my feet and prepare to run toward the camp when I feel hands on my back. Someone shoves me. I drop my knife and stumble forward, right into the arms of the closest Raider. I turn my head just in time to see Wilson, his arms still extended. The fucker pushed me. And he’s supposed to be keeping us safe? I try to jerk away, but the Raider presses a sharp knife against my neck. As soon as the cold blade touches my skin, I freeze. If he wanted me dead, he would have slit it immediately. That he doesn’t means I still have a chance to survive this, so I’ll do everything to take it.

Joy and Wilson take out their guns and start shooting. The Raiders do the same, but the rest of our team is quick to disappear among the trees, Joy and Wilson covering them. A bullet buries itself in one of our assailants’ heads. The other Raiders don’t seem to care. Joy and Wilson follow the others without so much as a glance at me. Soon, I’m left alone with the Raiders.

“Do we go after them?” one of the Raiders asks.

“Nah,” another answers. “We’re too close to their camp. And look at that.” He points at me. “They gave us a little gift. Grab the bags they left behind and let's go home.”

My heart hammers in my chest, and I feel nauseous. Wilson fucking threw me to the wolves, and no one gives a shit. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they just left me behind. Wouldn’t even really blame them since I did the same, but fuck! Was that really necessary? It gave them what? Two seconds and half, maybe?

The man holding a blade to my throat starts walking, and I follow him, eager to keep my blood inside my body. If I keep a low profile and obey them, they'll eventually let their guard down. Then, I can escape.

Nasir Ahmad

The gates open back up much faster than they should have. Are the foragers back already? I look up and see them coming in, guns in hand, looking out of breath. The gates close behind them, and I frown. I could have sworn Reno left with them, but he's nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Joy,” I call out. “What happened? Where’s Reno?”

“We…” she shares a look with Wilson before continuing. “We got attacked by Raiders. They caught him.”

My heart misses a beat. Not him. Not Reno. Please. “Caught him? Is he…”

“He’s not dead,” she adds quickly. “At least, I don’t think he is.”