The Strays

Chapter Sixteen

I broke free and made my way over to the kitchen where Jeremiah had laid out a map.

"If this is what I think it is, then I guess you're good to go now."

"Don't be like that, Cae." Jeremiah sighed as he leaned in the doorway.

"You have absolutely no right to tell me how I should be, or how I should react. This was something you were supposed to help me with, I can handle things in the city because I know the city, but I know nothing about your refuge, for all I know this could be a trap and I made a mistake saving you."

"It isn't a trap, I swear. Why would I go to the effort of saving your friends from Ratchet if it were? Why would I continue protecting your friends by messing with their tags on the system?"

"I haven't made contact with my friends. You and Ratchet could be in this together for all I know. I have to be careful, it's not just my life on the line anymore."

I heard Tali and Ty walk into the kitchen.

"You two need to keep the noise down. Half the city can hear your domestic." Ty sighed as he wiped his tired eyes.

"Are mum and dad fighting again?" Colt teased as he groggily followed Tali.

"Both of you can go and fuck yourselves because this isn't a game."

"What's wrong with her and where's Ace?" Tali queried, redirecting the conversation.

"Ace is gone. He's not ready to leave the city because he has some unfinished business. As for Cae, her paranoia is currently getting the better of her and she thinks I'm setting you guys up." Jeremiah explained with a condescending sigh.

"And why does she think that?" Ty defensively stated as he squared off with Jeremiah

"Why don't you ask her!?" Jeremiah bitterly replied.

Ty looked over at me and rolled his eyes. "Well? You going to say something or what?"

"Jeremiah isn't going with us, and this map doesn't outline E.A.D patrol routes. If Haven is where Jeremiah says it is, then our only route is through the forest, which is due North of Ratchet's base of operations." I took a pen and drew a line through one of the hiking trails just off the road. "This whole perimeter is heavily patrolled. If we don't know shift changes or exact routes, we'll be going into enemy territory blind."

Ty stormed past me and grabbed Jeremiah by the throat. With ease, he lifted the weaker boy up and slammed him onto the table. "Are you seriously trying to set us up after Cae and Leo saved your sorry ass?"

"There's a pig trail that runs parallel to the hiker’s path, the terrain’s tougher and it's not really all that safe as a single slip could be fatal." Jeremiah informed us as he winced in pain, blood slowly seeping through his shirt from the bullet wound that hadn't fully healed.

"Then why isn't it on the map!" Ty aggressively persisted.

"Because it's not been in use since the nineties, so this OS map won't show it." Colt interrupted as he pulled Ty off of Jeremiah and took the pen from me.

He circled two points on the map and drew a line between them. "That should get us past Ratchet's patrols."

"How did you know where that was?"

"I used it a few times to sneak out into the city whilst training." He admitted with a grin.

"And you're sure nobody else knows about it." I looked at both Jeremiah and Colt for confirmation.