Keary Taylor: Eden

“Just a minute, Eve,” a voice came from behind us. I turned to see Gabriel walking toward us, West following two steps behind. “I want you to take him with you.”

“We can handle it, Gabriel,” I said as I turned back to my scouting partners.

“I’m not asking, Eve,” he said sternly as he joined our small circle. “With Tye’s loss we need him. I won’t leave us unprotected because of your pride.”

“Fine,” I said as I stalked into the armory. I grabbed a rifle and walked back out. I raised my eyebrows slightly at him as I handed it over. “Keep up.”

Not waiting for either of them to say anything else, I turned and headed toward the tree line.

Graye headed toward the northern border, Bill to the west. We kept a constant circle around Eden. I was a little disappointed to see that West had not chosen to follow Bill or Graye. Guess that should have been expected considering my warning about Graye.

I kept my eyes trained to the trees, keeping my ears alert. Maybe I could just simply ignore West’s presence. Maybe he’d get the message and go scout on his own.

“What have I done to make you hate me?” West suddenly demanded. His words stopped me in my tracks. “You don’t… you don’t even know me.”

I whipped around, my eyes blazing as I looked into his. “That’s the point. I don’t know you. I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“And how do I know if I can trust you?” he asked, his voice dropping low. “How do I know that you aren’t just going to turn that blade on me out here where no one can see us?”

“You don’t,” I said, my tone softer. “But I wouldn’t do that. We need you.”

“Exactly,” he said, the smugness obvious in his voice.

My eyes hardened as I held his. I wanted to wipe the small little smile off his face.

“Just stay out of my way,” I hissed as I turned and started walking east.

“Why do they treat you different?” he asked as he followed me. “Like you’re some kind of leader. Like you aren’t just some girl?”

“Why don’t you find out?” I said as I stopped suddenly, turning cold eyes on him again. When he didn’t say anything, I started walking again.

“’Cause I know how to survive,” I said simply as my eyes scanned the trees, keeping my ears keen for any misplaced sounds. “Because I keep them alive.”

“Why are you any better than either of those other two guys?”

“Would you just shut up!” I hissed as I glared back at him. “You’re going to get us both killed!”

West threw both hands up in defense, his gun facing up toward the blue skies. “There isn’t anything anywhere near here. We didn’t see anything since the first day we left our camp.”

I stared at him in disbelief for a second. Did he honestly think that meant he could let his guard down? Finally, I just shook my head and kept walking.

The necklace Avian had given me bounced on my chest as I walked, its surface cool and hard. The light reflecting off it blinded my vision for a fraction of a second. At the same time, the memory of seeing this same item jarred my brain.

“ Graye!” I screamed as we headed back into an alley. “Leave it! We’ve got to get out of here!”

“ Hang on! I’ll be right back. I’ve got to grab something!” The helicopters above our heads nearly drowned his voice out.

“ Graye!” I screamed, but it was too late, he had already dashed back out into the street. At the same time, Tye jumped out from behind me, dropping his pack full of supplies beside me.

I was about to dart after them when a strong hand grabbed hold of my arm. I whipped around to see Bill shaking his head at me. “We don’t all need to get caught.”

I stared at him wide-eyed, yet knowing what he said was the truth. I wasn’t thinking clearly. But what was Graye doing? We had everything we needed. What could he possibly be going back for?

A light shone overhead from the circling helicopter. We ducked behind a long unused dumpster, dropping into the shadows. The faint sound of glass breaking was followed by the roar of a Hunter’s ATV.

Twenty seconds later we saw a flash of light from in front of the building as the Hunter exploded and Graye and Tye came running around the corner. The glint of the circling light overhead reflected off an object in Graye’s hand.

An hour later Tye’s eye had hardened and turned metallic.

My breathing came in shallow breaths as I looked back down at the necklace. Avian had asked Graye to grab it for me on the raid. Tye had saved him from being turned but had been infected himself. Tye had died to get Avian’s gift for me.

“Why are we stopping?” I jumped as West’s voice was too close behind me. His eyes scanned the trees for the reason for my hesitation.

“Uh, nothing. Why don’t you take the south trail? You don’t need me to babysit you,” I said as my brow furrowed, my fingers closing around the pair of wings.

West gave me a concerned look but nodded and started walking in the direction I had told him to.

It suddenly felt like my blood was burning with fury. Why would Avian risk so much for something so stupid? Something so unnecessary? Tye’s death was in no way worth the shiny bobble I wasn’t sure I even wanted anymore.

Taking two seconds to collect myself, I started off toward the eastern border. I wouldn’t let myself get distracted on scouting duty. I couldn’t live with myself if a Hunter slipped past me because I was regretting things I had no control over.

The terrain took a steady climb upward as I reached the limits of our boundaries. I took two steps backward before sprinting forward and then launching myself onto a branch of a wide-leafed tree. I pulled myself higher into the branches, twigs and leaves brushing my skin as I ascended. When the branches began to thin and bow under my weight I found one and settled.

Valleys and low mountains spread before me. At one time this was a part of something, belonging to some state or city. None of that mattered anymore. Once the infection got you, nothing mattered anymore, except for turning the rest of us into nothing too.

And beyond where I could see, there was an entire city of Fallen. And more cities full of them beyond that.

A movement below me caught my attention. It could have been nothing, a breeze I hadn’t felt, an animal stalking through the forest. Nonetheless, I was down the tree in less than five seconds and moving through the woods on silent feet.

Something breathed a few yards away, a heavy sound, reverberating through a chest too big to be human. A musky smell floated in my direction, the scent of wet fur.

It saw me at the same time I saw it. A recently woken brown bear.

Adrenaline shot into my system like a geyser erupting from the earth. At the same time that I grabbed for my blade, the bear realized it was in danger and was taking lumbering bounds toward me.

I leapt at my opponent, blade gleaming in the air, and swung. It connected with the bear’s throat, though as I had expected, it wasn’t enough to take it down. The beast gave a ferocious cry and swiped at me with a massive paw. I jumped out of its reach, reaching into my belt for my handgun. At the same time another shot was fired from above my right shoulder.

I shouldn’t have gotten distracted. I was a better hunter than that.

In the half second I glanced over at West where he sat perched in a tree, the bear leapt at me, angry and fearful at the same time. Blood seeped into his fur and that was all I noticed as his gigantic paws swiped at me.

I landed a good four feet from the creature and by the time I rolled over to spring back up, it was on top of me again, it’s teeth bared as it gave a very ticked-off growl in my face.