Page 3 of The Last of Love

Fleur’s gaze hardened. “I understand that, but I’ve been in contact with them, and trust me, this could change everything.”

“And you’re sure no one followed you here? No one knows where you’ve gone? Trust doesn’t come easy in this world,” Lena pressed, her irritation rising. The last thing she needed was more attention on her community, especially from people chasing down this supposed cure. If someone found out Fleur was here, it could lead to an avalanche of trouble, and that was something her people couldn’t afford. On top of that, Ohio?! It wasn’t that far away, but there were places that cars could no longer pass, so they’d have to risk hiking.

“I didn’t tell them I was coming here,” Fleur said, her voice trembling slightly now, a rare crack in her façade. “I don’t want to put anyone in danger. I just… I want to help. I know I can help. And I know you are the person to help me get there. Justtrust me.” Her voice trailed off, revealing a vulnerability Lena hadn’t expected.

Lena’s jaw tightened. She couldn’t help but be skeptical. She had heard too many stories of people who ventured out in search of something better, something they believed would save them, and never returned. The survival rate for anyone outside the compound was zero to none. She’d seen the look in Fleur’s eyes before. She’d seen it in the faces of those who had lost everything but refused to let go of the fantasy that maybe, just maybe, there was something out there that would fix all this.

But she couldn’t afford to take unnecessary risks. Not for someone she barely knew. Not for a dream that would likely get them all killed.

“Look,” Lena said, her voice low but firm, “I don’t know what you think you’re going to find at that base, but I’m not risking my people for a half-baked plan on some kind of fantasy about a cure to save us all.”

Fleur’s desperation flared again, this time more visibly. “I’m not asking you to risk them. Just me. I can’t do this alone.”

Lena met her gaze, searching for any hint of deceit, but all she saw was exhaustion and a flicker of something dangerously close to hope, and that was what unsettled her the most.

Lena had her doubts, but she knew one thing for sure: she would have to bring Fleur to Ohio. There was no avoiding it now. Fleur had the knowledge that had the potential to change everything, but the logistics of leaving her community weighed heavily on Lena’s mind. Who would she leave in charge? The thought alone brought an uneasy churn to her gut. How could she disappear without anyone realizing she was gone?

Since she was a leader—although she wasn’t the only one—she knew her absence would spark rumors, panic even. This community relied on her presence and her strength to holdthings together. They needed someone to trust implicitly in her stead, and there was only one person she could think of: Gene.

Gene had been thrust into leadership just like her. He was older, seasoned with the kind of hard-earned wisdom that came from years in the military. A former colonel in the army, a full-blooded American. Though Lena didn’t always agree with some of his more hard-lined stances, she couldn’t deny his experience. She knew that if he spoke, people would listen without question. That was what she needed to have some peace of mind. Someone to maintain order, someone people trusted as much as they did her.

But still, a knot tightened in her stomach at the thought. Gene had always struck her as a bit too dismissive, patronizing, almost comfortable in chaos. He seemed to enjoy the control a little too much, but she had no other choice. She knew Fleur was bright and saw potential in her to make a difference.

Lena found Gene. He was sharpening his blade with slow, deliberate strokes. The metallic rasp filled the air, a sound that had become too familiar in this new world. Without wasting time, she brought him to the meeting room that Fleur had been waiting in and told him about the plan.

He looked up with a smirk on his face. "Ohio, huh? Ambitious. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s you." Something about his tone made her feel tense.

"You trust him?" Fleur looked at Gene with skepticism, crossing her arms.

Lena turned to face her. “Yes, I do. He’s the only one who can take over without causing a panic, and we need someone like that if we’re going to leave quietly.”

Gene chuckled, his amusement almost irritating in its confidence. "Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll hold down the fort. Keep everything running smooth. You just focus on getting tothat lab and getting some answers about this infection. I’m kinda tired of it."

There was something in Gene’s tone that didn’t sit right with Lena, something too casual about the way he took control, but this wasn’t the time for second-guessing. She pushed the feeling aside.

"I’ll pack everything we need," Lena said, her voice firm. "We leave at dawn. No one must know my whereabouts unless it’s absolutely necessary."

Gene gave a mock salute. "You got it, Captain."

She nodded once, turning on her heel to leave the room. As she walked away, she couldn’t help but feel the tension between them, lingering like a bad taste in the air.

Lena couldn’t let it bother her. She had bigger problems. The journey to Ohio was going to be dangerous, and the last thing she needed was distractions. Still, as she gathered her gear and prepared to leave the only home she had known for the last three years, the uneasy feeling in her gut refused to fade.

2

FLEUR

Fleur packed her belongings in silence, every move calculated, every breath measured. She couldn’t afford to make a sound. The walls in the lab had ears, and the last thing she needed was someone finding out she was leaving.

Today was the day Fleur had to leave. There was no other choice. The leader of the lab, a man who had once seemed like an ally, had revealed his true intentions. His selfish, manipulative plans that made her stomach turn. He didn’t care about the people, about ending the virus. He wanted control. Power. The cure was just a tool for him, a way to make himself the new dictator of this broken world.

She couldn’t let that happen.

As he outlined his grand vision—how he’d distribute the cure, but only to those who could pay, those who would pledge allegiance to him— Fleur’s blood boiled. He talked about restructuring society, how he could rebuild it in his image, and how her work would ensure his dominance. He’d spoken of her role like it was a gift, a reward. He’d guarantee her safety, her comfort. She would never want for anything, he promised. Nomore worry, no more struggle. A life of privilege, of luxury, while the rest of the world fought for scraps.

But all she could hear was the arrogance, the entitlement. Men like him had always been the problem, using their power to bend the world to their will, to exploit the weak and desperate. Fleur had spent her life fighting against that. Every step of her career had been a battle to make vaccines affordable, to help those who couldn’t help themselves. And now, in the face of the worst crisis humanity had ever seen, she was supposed to stand by and watch as this man hoarded the cure like it was his birthright? No. She couldn’t be a pawn in his scheme.

This was everything she had spent her life standing against.

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