We The Forlorn (Book #2) (Completed)

6. A Night Meeting

The static from the radio filled the room, and Bo felt her heart hammering as she thought of how she might hear his voice again. Khan limped up to her side, his eyes glued where all of theirs were. On the radio in Helga's hand.

Finally, an answer broke through the static. "Hello, Forlorn. I hope you're having a wonderful evening."

It wasn't a voice that Bo recognized. Her shoulders sagged. It wasn't Adam. She half turned, heading back to her chair while the others talked with their teammate, until she caught a glance of Khan's face. He stared at the radio with round eyes, his mouth a straight line and his eyebrows drawn together. Something was wrong. Bo's eyes swiveled to Helga, whose hand shook as she held the radio.

"Who is this?" Helga asked.

Bo took a step forward. They didn't know the voice? If this was a radio channel that only Adam was supposed to have access to, then did that mean...?

"Just your friendly neighborhood militia," the voice responded.

"Clayton," Khan grunted. He stalked over to Helga and snatched the radio away. He raised it to his mouth. "How did you get ahold of this communication line?"

"Well, that's why I'm calling you," Clayton responded. "I wanted to invite you out to see me and my pals. We can have a little chat. Tell some stories. Maybe you'll learn the answers to some of your questions."

"I'm going to kill you," Khan growled.

"Oh, good, then you'll come meet us," Clayton said. "We'll be waiting at the clock tower for you. You can bring whoever you want. We won't mind a little extra company."

"Clayton," Khan barked, but the static had already died. He turned slowly to look at Helga, whose jaw was so tightly clenched that Bo saw the muscles jump.

"Do you think he somehow got a hold of Adam and the others?" Helga said.

Khan tossed the radio onto a chair and clenched his fists. "I guess we'll have to go and meet him if we want to find out any time soon."

Bo couldn't bring herself to ask any questions. If she talked to them it might delay them, and she had to find out as soon as possible if Adam was all right. So she kept silent and followed Helga as she grabbed some pistols from a locker near the kitchen. She handed one to Bo without a word, and carried the other to Khan, who was strapping on his brace again. He took it, tucking it into his belt. Bo had mostly seen his lively personality up until now, but suddenly she saw glimpses of the beast that Adam had tamed so long ago. His eyes glinted like coals and she was suddenly aware of just how tall and muscular he was. There was a good reason Khan was in the Forlorn.

Helga and Khan led the way out of the base and toward the hidden entrance.

"We're not taking the hoppers?" Bo asked, as the ducked through the fake wall and emerged onto the streets.

"The clock tower is only a few blocks that way," Khan said, jutting his chin in the direction. "It's not the worth the trouble of wasting gas and alerting everyone to our presence with the sound of the engine."

They walked down the abandoned roads. No one stayed out longer than they had to. They city may have offered some protection against bandits and wild animals, but it still boasted criminals and the dropping temperatures that plagued the night. Helga and Khan walked next to each other, their pistols out and a confidence in their gait that would dissuade any potential criminals that might be tempted to pick on the only prey walking around at this hour. Bo kept close to them, though she knew how to look intimidating herself. She may have been small, but she knew how to flash her gun and keep her eyes scanning the roads.