When We Shed Civilization

Chapter 42

A long table of dark wood ran the length of the meeting room, big enough to seat at least ten on each side. But the place was empty when they led Leo inside.

Dan gestured at a chair on one side. "Sit!" Then he opened the letter he still held in his hand and read it aloud. "Dear Grandpa. Burt and I are being held in the city. We are treated well, but we will be killed unless the items on the enclosed list are brought to the city bridge by the next full moon. Thank you for saving our lives."

Leo felt himself blushing as the man read out the words. They had sounded like a good idea at the time he wrote them down, but the reader's mocking tone made them weak and flimsy.

Next, Dan checked the list that came with the letter. "10 guns, and working ammunition, at least a thousand bullets." His laugh was dry and short. A muscle under his left eye was twitching as he scowled at Leo. "You must be kidding, man."

A second man entered. He looked first at Leo, then at Dan. "What's going on?"

He had to be Carl, the one that the woman had called for—younger and stouter than wiry Dan.

"Read." Dan handed him the letter.

As Carl read it, Dan sat down on the chair opposite Leo. "Tell me one good reason not to keep you here and trade your skin for our Beth and Burt."

"It's..." Leo hesitated. He didn't want to provoke Dan even more, and what he was about to say was nothing if not a provocation. "If I'm not back in two days, safe and sound, they have orders to... assume there's no deal." He left the consequences unsaid.

And it wasn't a lie. He had told Spike he'd either be back by then, or they'd have to assume he was dead. He had also told Hammer not to hurt Burt, but he wasn't sure if the man would take that advice.

At least, if Leo died a hero, Hammer would probably be generous to Hope and Grace, so his daughter and mother would be safe.

Dan hissed, but the woman squeezed his arm before he could say anything.

"I'm Corinna," she said, her gaze on Leo. "I've raised Beth like my own. How is she?"

This was the question Leo had dreaded most. On his way through the Wastelands, he had deliberated how to deal with it.

He took a deep breath and looked first at Corinna and then into Dan's blue eyes—eyes that matched Beth's.

"I don't know," Leo said. "She ran. We've only got Burt right now."

"She ran?" Dan frowned.

"Yes. She escaped and ran off on her own. That was two days ago. We're tracking her, but we haven't found her yet. But we will."

Leo had decided to stay as close to the truth as possible. Once they got Burt back, he'd tell them the whole story anyway. Outright lies would just lead to further conflict.

"Two days ago?" Dan rolled his eyes. "And you think she's still... alive?"

"She's smart." Leo knew that to be true. But even if she had survived and crossed the river, that alone wouldn't keep her safe in the Wastelands.

"Smart?" Dan slapped his hand on the table. "Sure, she's smart. She's my granddaughter. But being smart isn't enough in that wilderness out there. In that place where violence rules and humanity is nothing but a memory." He got up, walked to one of the windows, and stared at the garden outside, saying nothing.

Corinna retrieved a cup from a shelf, filled it from a jar, and returned to place it in front of Leo. "Drink."

"We have to make the deal, Dan," Carl said. "It's the only way."

Leo drank. The water was warm, but it tasted fine, soothing his parched throat.

Dan made a fist and hit the frame of the window. "They killed Theodore, dammit. And now Beth is somewhere out there, trying to find her way home."

It took Leo a moment to place the first name. Theodore was Beth's uncle. They had placed an arrow through his neck when they had stopped the car. The Seasiders must have found the vehicle and the body with their chopper.

"He shot at us," Leo said. "I'm sorry."

He was sorry. There had been too much death. The whole ambush had been a mistake. The driver of the car of theirs had died, and Flora might die, too. Most of the Bikers were dead. And Beth also—probably.

But he was committed now. There was no way back. Only the Gaters' weapons would appease Hammer and keep Hope and Grace fed.

"Let's talk outside," Carl said, looking at Dan.

Dan sighed and followed Carl. They both left the room.

"Have you talked to them?" Corinna asked. "To Burt and Beth?"

Leo just nodded.

"Beth may come across as arrogant, at times, but she knows what matters. She's a good girl." She smiled, studying her hands. "She's born into the wrong age. She's so good with words, and she adores the old writers."

"She knows some fancy words, right." Leo couldn't help but share the woman's smile.

"I hope she didn't get on your nerves with that."

"No, not at all."

A glass stood on the window sill, with flowers stuck into it, their stems in water. Outside, someone laughed.

Beth belonged here, in a place where people had time for beauty. She had no place in the city.

"Your people will find her, won't they?" She had lost her smile.

He nodded, then he looked at his fingers. There was so much hope in that woman's gaze.

The door opened, and Dan strode in, followed by Carl.

"When's the next full moon?" Dan asked.

His thoughts were still with Beth. She had said something about the moon, back then when she had written the letter. About the moon's orb hallowing every place.

Dan was frowning at him, still waiting for a reply.

The next full moon—Leo had tried to sum up the days on his way here. He wasn't quite sure, but it didn't matter, they just had to agree on a day. "Five days from now. That's when we'll expect the weapons."

Dan nodded. "That's when we get Burt. And make sure you find Beth, too."