The Last She

Chapter Two - Kaden

Three years ago, I'd held my little sister, Kia, as she took her final breaths. I'd buried our brothers the day before, beneath a dying Montana sky, and knowing how alone she would leave me carved a fear as deep as the pain. In life, she never stood still. In death, her small body was limp, the only movement a track of blood rolling from her white eyes. Let the horses free, Kaden. The last words I'd heard from a female. Until now.

A cool breeze blew leaves across the street, whistling through broken windows with a high-pitched cry. The eerie sound masked the steady footfalls of our small group. My whole body felt wired, on high alert, and it was impossible not to glance at Ara as often as I looked behind us. An hour ago, I thought my biggest problem was telling Gabriel we'd failed our mission and had lost our team's gun. Now I had to tell him, and the clan, we'd found the first woman I'd seen in three years. A woman who, judging by her stiff-legged walk and angry eyes, wasn't nearly as thrilled to be with us.

"Turn here, Sam," I said softly. Sam nodded and led us off the pavement and onto a game trail that wove through the remains of a community park. Now it resembled more a forest than a clearing, with weeds and trees growing where once there had been only grass. Still, the vine-covered outline of a children's playground stood as a reminder of what this place had once been. I tried to keep my eyes on the surrounding trees and houses, tried to watch for trouble, but everywhere I looked, all I saw were those eyes, high cheekbones, and reddish-brown hair tucked beneath a cap that couldn't completely conceal what she was. It seemed unfair that the last woman on Earth would be beautiful. But I suppose God had already proved Himself a cruel bastard.

Issac caught my eye, tilting his head toward Ara in as clear a message as he'd ever sent. Talk to her. Yet I felt a sudden uncertainty that was as out of character as our group's silent procession.

"Sam, let's stop for water," I said when we'd reached the massive oak at the center of the park, the leaves a riot of coppery oranges and red with the fall. Sam held the trailing rope that secured Ara's hands, happy as a new kid with a puppy. The fresh scent of earth and leaves mashed the rotted scents of the city as I turned to her stiff form. "Would you like some water, Ara?"

Her eyes instantly narrowed—fair—so I drank deeply before I held the bottle out to her. She hesitated, then snatched the bottle from me and did the same. When she was done, she dumped the bottle on the ground instead of handing it back to me. I lifted a brow but didn't say anything.

"Ready?" Sam said, his eyes going back and forth between the two of us.

"After you two," I said. Sam stepped forward, Ara glaring at me until the two of them passed. Issac, the king of silent discourse, glanced down at the water bottle and smiled before he, too, continued down the trail.

"Shut up," I said, and picked up the bottle and followed after them. I thought about what I would have said to him if we had been alone. What else could I have done, Issac? Think about what would have happened if anyone else had found her first. She had an empty gun and one backpack of supplies against a city overrun with warring clans. She was lucky to have been found by us. And then Issac would shrug, or not say anything, which would only make me imagine a million possible answers. Like maybe I was the bad guy here. Maybe I should have helped her instead of taken her captive. Maybe this wasn't the way to treat the last woman left on the planet.

Damn Issac.

It was nearly dark by the time we came to the mall, a huge domed structure that towered over the surrounding buildings. The deepening colors of dusk masked the building's decay, making it almost impressive. An empty parking lot stretched out around it, the only visitors a few shiny airships, rusted cars, overgrown weeds, and an abandoned army tank.