Page 23 of Rising

“Private Collins and Sergeant Amin were the first casualties.” I heard Amaia’s breath catch as Seth continued on.

Mohammed Amin was one of the few people aside from Amaia thattrulygot close to Riley. “They perished in defense of the North Gate as they prepared Private Smith and Sergeant Greene on the details of their shift. Private Smith also succumbed to his injuries as medics worked to stabilize him for transpo at the gate. Sergeant Greene is in Unit A, critical condition. Officer Sullivan, Officer McCormack, and Private Washington went down while transporting the daycare children and their teacher on their evening walk out of the area. They managed to save all but one teacher and one of twelve students. The other two civilian casualties were from those who deserve to be honored. They heard the commotion and gave their lives to ensure every other civilian in the immediate area made it away.”

All I could hear was my family around me, breathing near hyperventilation at such losses, each awaiting the next to speak. Yet Amaia said nothing. The next thing I heard was the screech of a wooden chair against the floor, and Reina offering it to Amaia. Had my friend gone into shock? I fought hard again, willing my eyes to open, but they refused to listen.

“How many?” she finally inquired.

“How many—”

“How many Pansies breached the wall?” Amaia interrupted Seth before he could ask for clarification.

“Fifty-one.”

Reina gasped. Impossible. The sons of bitches couldn’t be quiet if theywantedto.

“Fifty-one.” Amaia mumbled, “Fifty-one, Seth and not a single person saw nor heard them coming? That doesn’t make any sense.” She pushed, half-baiting him towards a fight she could win. A win she probably needed to stay motivated to come back to her job after such a loss. A loss I knew she blamed herself for.

My eyes finally gave in to my fight as I squinted them open and watched the scene at hand unfold. For once, instead of giving in, Seth took us all by surprise, as he simply moved forward and extended his arms, offering her a hug. My sister looked towards him, skeptical and confused at his display of affection, one he didn’t offer too many and even not often to those that he did. After a few tense seconds, she took it.

Reina, not one to miss the opportunity to hug the two people she cared for who were typically affection-retardant, joined in.

“We’ll make it through this, guys. I know we can.” And for a few sweet and peaceful moments, my family united.

A loud thud a room away had my eyes shooting wide open on defense as my family jumped apart. Amaia’s gaze fixated fiercely on the door, listening before she told Seth and Reina to stand down. Seth with his hand on his holster, ready to draw, and Reina with her elemental magic swelling in her hands.

“Stay here,” she said, game face on and full of command as she headed out her room with both fear and determination in her eyes.

Amaia

“Oh, good, you’re here. Glad I was able to catch you at a good time,” Prescott bit off angrily, noticing me slipping from my bedroom as he stopped to pat Harley on the head in greeting.

His dark gray shirt pressed tightly against his body under the weight of his sweat. I took in his drop leg holster as well as the weapon holstered at the waist of his pants. He must have been outside the walls.

“I’ve already been briefed. I don’t need an accompanying lecture.”

He frowned sarcastically and clasped his hands, making me jump at the noise before he spit out, “Don’t need a lecture? Hmm, okay. How about some facts? Someone this close to our territory, right after an attack and we didn’t know about it because myGeneralhas been wasting away, just as dead as her dead boyfriend. Can’t focus on Compound first. Ten dead, Amaia! Ten!”

As soon as the words left his lips, an expression of shock took over his usually kind features. I chose not to acknowledge it, knowing the words hurt him more to say than they did hearing them. I stepped closer towards him, wanting to comfort him and knowing we had a lot to catch up on from the last few months. I had hurt the people around me in more ways than I could imagine, but now wasn’t the time. Stopping short, I looked at him, confused. No lurker had been in Seth’s brief, but I refused to let myself appear caught off guard.

“And who would that be?” I questioned.

I tried to read Prescott’s face, but it showed nothing as it morphed its way back towards nothing but disappointment. He didn’t answer as he turned his back to me to stare out the window. His sleek, peppered hair sat perfectly against his tan cheeks and perfectly cut facial hair.

“Caleb?” I gulped, regretting not putting in an execution order.

He chose to see past the potential fight at the mention of his name, and pushed forward with the immediate threat.

“There should have been an immediate sweep of the area following the attack to secure both the border and the wall. Troops should have been deployed, and then maybe I wouldn’t have stumbled upon someone peeking between the trees trying to peer into The Compound while doing myownrounds.”

If this had been a different situation, I would have laughed. Leave it to Prescott to notice a face in the trees that stood over three hundred yards away. I knew he had taken up bird watching as a pre-retirement hobby in The Before, but something about taking in that small of a detail made a shiver go up my spine. Nothing truly went unnoticed around here. There was always someone watching whether you knew it or not.

“I’m-I’m sorry. Seth and I hadn’t yet spoken about me transferring back my duties yet. Riley and Moe are hurt, and I was tending to their wounds. By the time he debriefed me, I guess I just assumed he had done his due diligence on that end, too.”

I tried to explain myself, though saying it out loud sounded ten times more irresponsible than it did in my mind. Hating that I felt like I was becoming the man I was brought in to replace.

“Assumptions get people killed,” he stated simply.

I grimaced, knowing he was right. As my eyes wandered across the room, Prescott added, “It’s time to move on, my sweet girl. Time to push forward. There is no luxury in dwelling on the past, trust me. Every day is a gift, even during a time of grief and loss. It’s bigger than you now. You have the responsibility to live for not just you, but them too.”

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