What Little Remains (The Fallout Trilogy Book 1) (24 page)

July
13

Four weeks down, two weeks to go.
I don’t have full range in my shoulder. I can’t lift my arm above my head, but
it keeps improving every day. John has taught me what is safe to eat once I
leave the fort and how to test water to make sure it’s drinkable. We’ve started
pulling items that I’ll need to take with me. Alec has started sneaking
weapons, both for the rebellion and for me.

When Ricky isn’t here, I’ve been
working out with John. Somehow we have managed to hide how well I’ve been
recovering. Working out is difficult because there isn’t a lot of space in the
house where I can do it. I’ve only been able to walk outside a couple of times,
and I’ve had to do it under the cover of night when Ricky wasn’t home. John
didn’t like how hard I was pushing myself, but I am on a deadline. He’s not
exactly a physical therapist, but I could have done a lot worse.
 

John and Alec have been teaching
me how to fight. I have been defenseless in too many situations. I am decent
with a bow, but I can’t manage it with my shoulder. Alec is teaching me how to
use my size to my advantage and how to fight dirty. John is teaching me how to
use a knife, both in hand-to-hand combat and how to throw it.

Being around Ricky is more
exhausting than retraining my arm how to move. Trying not to flinch whenever
his skin touches mine and keeping a smile plastered on my face is wearing me
down.

A knock on my bedroom door
startles me, and I walk over and open it.

“We have a problem,” John says,
coming in and shutting my door behind him. His face is flushed and his hands
clenched at his sides. I haven’t seen him this angry in a long time.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I sit
back down on the bed.

“Alec just found out that Ricky
has been looking for Danny,” John says, sitting down on my bed for only a
second before getting up again and pacing around my room. “He’s been keeping it
between Jack, Daren, and himself.”

“Why is that a problem?” I ask,
pulling my legs up to my chest.

John looks at me. “If he was
looking for Danny to bring him here, don’t you think he’d have told you?”

My insides freeze. Everything
seems to pause. My heart thumps loudly in my ears, like a battle drum calling
me to war. “What do I do?”

“I hate to say this, but
everything is happening tonight,” John says, looking back at the door. His
hands clench into fists again, the skin over his knuckles white. “He’s going
out again tomorrow and we have no idea how close he is to finding your
brother.”

“John, the plan. We had
everything planned out. What are we going to do?”

“We are going to do everything
exactly the way that we planned it. We have everything that we need already. My
only concern is you.”

“Me?”

“I don’t like the idea of you
being on your own.”

I sigh, not knowing what else to
say about it. We’ve been having this disagreement for a while. John and Alec
both want to help me find my brother. Tonight, when this all goes down, I don’t
want Ricky to die. I know he won’t give up his position of power willingly.
John doesn’t want any other blood to be split either. It will end up with Ricky
having a choice: to stay and live as a civilian or leave. I know that Ricky
will continue to fight for me no matter where I am. My only chance to find my
brother and to keep the people that I love here safe is to leave. I will find
Danny first, and then I will come back.

As much as John and Alec want to
come with me, the reality is that they are needed here. The people here need
them much more than I do. When all of this goes down, the people are going to
need stable leaders. John and Alec provide that.

“I know you don’t. There is no
point in arguing anymore.”

“I know,” John stands up. “I need
to go.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” I say.

He nods, leaving quickly.

I don’t want to leave my home,
but I have to find Danny. He’s out there, and he’s
all alone
.
I have to find him.

I get up, breathing deeply. I
have to get things ready for tonight.

“Wow,” Ricky says, shutting the
door behind him. “I didn’t expect this.”

I didn’t either
, I think to myself and smile. He had no idea what
was in store for tonight. With Nicole and John’s help, I was able to put
together a dinner for the two of us tonight. Daren scored me a bottle of wine
when I told him that I was planning a date night. He seemed relieved that Ricky
and I are finally on good terms. Nicole made bread, cheese, and chicken for
dinner tonight. Everything is set out on the table, two candles burning.

I walk over to him. “I know that
things have been rough between us, and I just wanted a kind of date night for
the two of us.”

“This is perfect,” he says,
leaning down and kissing me gently on the lips.

I smile sweetly up at him. “Come
on, let’s eat.”

Ricky pulls out my chair for me,
helping me scoot it back up to the table. He sits down, pouring the already
open bottle of wine. When he reaches for my glass, I stop him.

“I’m still not allowed to drink,”
I say, covering my glass with my hand. “The alcohol will dehydrate me.”

“Are you sure?” he asks, his
eyebrows coming together. “Maybe I shouldn’t drink either.”

“No,” I smile, doing my best to
hide my nervousness. “Please, enjoy it. Tonight is a celebration.”

He takes a big drink out of it
before starting on his dinner. I do my best not to smile. He’s so predictable.

I tear off a piece of bread,
eating a small bite of it. I watch him carefully. John said it wouldn’t take
much, but the more he would drink, the longer he would be out.

Ricky sips the wine at first, but
as we start talking, he finishes his first glass and starts on his second,
drinking instead of eating. He didn’t eat a lot of food, which is good. In the
morning, it means he won’t vomit all of it back up. After his first glass, I
can already see the drugs starting to take effect. I can’t remember what John
said the name of those drugs are, only that they wouldn’t do any permanent
damage, and I should try to get Ricky to bed before he passes out.

John and Alec believed that
tonight would go more smoothly if Ricky weren’t in the picture. His men are
trained to fight against strangers. Fighting against their own might make them
hesitate just long enough for John and Alec to talk to them. If Ricky is
involved, many people will die on both sides. The only hope is to take away his
army peacefully and force surrender from him.

“You know,” he says, his eyes
going hazy. “This was really nice of you. I know things have been tense, but I
just know things will get better.”

“Things are definitely going to
change,” I say. “Do you want anything more to drink?”

“I thought you didn’t like it
when I drank,” he says, his words starting to slur.

“I don’t,” I say. “You don’t look
so good.”

Ricky burps loudly, frowning like
he can’t believe he just burped in front of me. “Maybe I should lay down.”

He gets to his feet, swaying. I
walk with him, gripping his arm, bringing him to my bedroom. Each step is a
challenge as he puts more weight on me. I get him to the bed, pushing him
towards it. He falls face first, rolling over.

“What was in that wine?” he asks,
looking at me.

“You’ll have to ask John,” I say,
leaning out of his reach.

“You drugged me,” he accuses, his
words falling awkwardly out of his mouth. He tries to get up, but he just
flops. His face turns red as he struggles, but his body can’t make it off the
bed. “W-why?”

“Danny,” I say, reaching behind
the door and pulling on a black sweatshirt that I’m going to borrow from him. I
put on Danny’s baseball hat and pull the hood up over my head, watching him
fall unconscious. I rip the key off his neck, tucking into my sweatshirt
pocket. I grab my backpack, closing the door behind me.

I only have to wait a couple of
minutes before I hear the soft knock on my door. I open it slowly until I see
John’s face.

“Everything went as planned,” I
say, glancing back at my door. “He’s out. I don’t know for how long though.”

“Don’t worry, this will happen
quickly,” John says, closing the door behind him. “You should leave before the
fighting starts.”

He pulls me into a tight hug.
Hugging him back, it takes everything I have not to cry. The logical part of my
brain doubts that I will ever make it back here. This is probably the last time
that I see him. I don’t plan to wait for anyone to catch up with me. If Ricky
does come after me, he knows exactly what my goal is. I need all the head start
that I can get.

“I’ll see you when I see you,”
John says, smiling through his tears.

“This is not the last time we
meet,” I say. “I can’t make any promises, but I think this isn’t the last you
will see of me.”

John nods and opens the door for me. “Good luck, kid. You’ll
do great.”

I give him one parting look before walking out the door and
closing it behind me. Part of my heart is stuck behind that door, and I feel
like I’m dying without it. Heading towards the smaller gate, knowing I only
have a short window of time to make it through without being seen.

I see a figure coming towards me in the night and recognize
it immediately.

“Nicole, you shouldn’t have come,” I say, but I don’t mean
it. I wrap her in a tight hug, wishing that she could come with me. I move
faster and quieter alone. But it’s too dangerous. Ricky would kill her if he
caught us. Her place is here, keeping the people here safe.

“Come on, I’m walking out with you,” she insists. “We need
to hurry.”

I nod my head, and we walk together towards the front gate.

We hide behind a house, waiting for the guards to leave
their shift. We don’t have to wait long before they amble off away from their
posts. The next part of the plan is the part that worries me even more than
having to drug Ricky. I need to get out unseen. He can’t know which way I went.

Nicole and I walk confidently towards the gate, my heart
pounding loudly in my ears as they strain to pick up any sound that would warn
me of a visitor. This is where we are the most vulnerable. Anyone could see
us.
 
Daren and Jack can’t realize
what’s going on. If they knew what was about to happen minutes from now, it
would change everything.

I hold my breath as we pass through the gate, waiting for
someone to jump out and catch me in the act of leaving. They would drag me back
to Ricky, kicking and screaming. The entire plan will be ruined once someone
figures out that I drugged Ricky. He would kill Alec, Nicole, and anyone else
responsible for this rebellion. If he were angry enough, he’d probably even
kill John.

I cringe every time I hear a leaf crunch under my shoe.
Every time I hear voices, my hands jump. With my heart beating so loudly, I can
scarcely hear anything over the pounding in my ears.

Once we made it through the gate, I take a couple steady
breaths, my heartbeat slowing down. I chance a victorious grin at Nicole after
we are a safe distance away.

I made it.

“I’m sorry, but this is where we need to part. If you come
any further, I don’t know if I will be able to let you go back,” I say, my eyes
burning with tears.

I hug
Nic
, pulling her close. “Do
whatever you have to do to stay safe.”

She pulls back so I can see her face. “Come back as soon as
you can.”

“Wow,” a voice calls from behind us.

I look over Nicole’s shoulder to see Daren standing there.
He is looking at me, his face full of regret. For the first time, his eyes
don’t have that mischievous smile. My heart begins to sink into my stomach.

He knows.

“I didn’t think you would actually try to leave,” Daren
admits. “But when you asked for the wine, I got suspicious. We both know you
don’t drink, and you hate it when Ricky does.”

“Daren,” I start, but Nicole pushes me behind her.

“You’re going to let her go,” she says defiantly.

Daren pulls a gun out of his holster and aims it at Nicole.
“You don’t get to call the shots here. I can’t let Charlie go. Ricky isn’t
going to be happy when he hears about this.”

Panic spreads through my body. My pounding heart beats
adrenaline through to my fingertips. I can’t stop my hands from shaking.
 
After all of this, all of the lying, all
of the pain I’ve gone through, I’ve been caught in only a matter of minutes.

Daren’s threat makes me shake deep in my core. Ricky will be
furious when he wakes up and realizes what I’ve done. He won’t be able to stop
at putting his first through the wall. When he puts together that I’ve been
lying to him for these last weeks, he’ll never trust me again.

Living with him after this would be worse than dying.

My hands are trembling visibly when I put my hand on
Nic’s
arm and step in front of her. My legs protest the
step, but I make myself move.

Daren swears, but doesn’t move the gun. “Get out of the way
Charlie.”

“I can’t do that. I won’t let you kill her, and I’m not
going back.” I take a deep breath, and play the only card I have. “Daren, you
were a big brother,” I say, watching as his hand tightens around the gun. “You
know what it’s like to lose someone you love. Ricky
lied
to me. He told me my brother was dead, but he isn’t is he?”

Daren doesn’t answer immediately. Instead he lowers the gun,
not taking his finger off the trigger. “No.”

“I need to find him. I need to find my brother. He’s the
only family I have left. And he’s out there, scared and alone.” Daren closes
his eyes as I talk, as if he can block out the words, but I continue. “I can’t
live like this Daren. I won’t live like this. I’m leaving. The only way you are
going to stop me is by putting a bullet through my heart.”

“Charlie,” Daren gasps, opening his eyes.

“I would like to think that in the time we’ve spent together,
we’ve become friends. As my friend, I’m asking that you let me go,” I say,
keeping my tone even. I can tell that I’m not getting through to him yet. I
panic, trying to find the words to make him understand. “Daren, I know that you
have gone out of your way to protect me. You won’t be there the next time he
snaps. And I know that he’s going after Danny. He is going to kill him. Let me
protect my brother. Please, Daren.”

Silence follows my plea.
My hands treble
and my heart pounds.
My brother’s life is resting solely upon Daren’s
good heart.

Daren stares at me for a long time before holstering his
gun. “I can’t stop him from coming after you.”

I do my best to hide my relief. “I know. I don’t expect you
to.”

“Charlie, you do whatever you have to do,” Daren says,
starting to back away. “I never saw you here. As far as I know, you are in your
cabin, sleeping. I don’t know what you did to Ricky, but I won’t check on him
until tomorrow afternoon. Make that time count.”

“I’m not the only one that has had enough,” I say.

“Charlie,” Nicole says from behind me, grabbing my arm.

Daren looks between us. “I understand.”

“No one else needs to die,” I say.

“I agree,” he says. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Why did you tell him?” Nicole says as Daren walks back the
way we came.

“He wants this to stop as much as anyone. Go, you need to be
there for everyone.”

She hugs me again quickly before turning away. She walks
quickly, and I don’t have to see her face to know there are tears falling down
it.

I stand there for a minute before walking. The desire to go
back and just lie in bed is hard to ignore. The pain of leaving John and Nicole
brings a wave of tears that I can’t stop. My chest heaves painfully as air
rushes harshly down my throat. Tears and snot coat my face as I struggle to
control myself. My body stops, sinking to the ground. I hit the dirt with my
fist, a rush of pain shooting up my arm.

I want to scream, but instead I focus on the pain.
 
I wipe my face off on my shirt and get
to my feet. I push my emotions away. I have a goal, which is to put as much
distance between Fort Lee and myself as I can manage before morning comes.

I won’t cry anymore. I will not get sucked back into the
hole of depression that I fell into after I lost my brother.

Pulling out the compass, I check my direction. John told me
that there are more people up north, but I’m going to head south first. John
doesn’t know if those people up north are friendly or not.

I won’t bother with a map until morning. The most important
thing is distance.

I slide the compass into one of the compartments in my pants
and start walking. Right now, if everything went as planned, Ricky’s men have
already surrendered their weapons. John, Alec, and two others now share the
power. In the morning, Ricky will wake up to a whole new camp.