Page 10 of Genesis
“That’s Genesis,” Sully said.
Up ahead, a single-lane highway led to a city with a downtown core. Half the skyscrapers had been damaged or blown up, but enough of them stood out like jagged teeth against the darkening sky. The border of the city was still open, but I could see tall walls being built surrounding the perimeter.
“They’re reinforcing one section of the city. Trying to make it a safe haven in the grey area, but it’ll take time, and there are people coming to threaten that every day. The groups are getting smaller and smaller each day, and it honestly seems like people are just trying to settle wherever they can. People are sick of running. Bunch of smaller camps out there, and even some people who just holed up in a farmhouse or something. I’m sureeverything will settle at some point, and then we’ll start fighting with each other if we can’t make an alliance of some sort.” Sully shrugged.
“Why here? Why’d you pick this city?”
“Because on the day we found it, someone was trying to overtake it. This fucking crazy ass lunatic just… single-handedly killed them all. He was… fuck, he was crazy, but he had knives and guns and he killed like thirty people all by himself. We just stood there watching, and then Dante, the guy who runs this place, said that’s the kind of protection we’d get if we could help out around here.”
“Who was the guy?” Jesus, kind of wish I saw that.
“No idea. But Dante gained a bunch of new weapons from those dead bodies, and then he kind of hired our crew to find their stronghold. We found it to the east and brought back all their supplies, weapons, and vehicles. It’s been alright ever since. How long has it been since we saw you?”
I shrugged. “A month or a month and a half, maybe. I don’t know. My dad went crazy and I needed to stick with my sister.”
I looked behind us and saw a vehicle approaching. I pulled a gun, but Sully made me lower it. “That’s Dante.”
This guy pulled up and stopped, getting out of the SUV to talk to us. He greeted Sully by name and then looked at me. Sizing me up. Bet he saw all my pain and drank in all my heartbreak because I knew for a fact I wasn’t emitting anything else.
“Who’s this?”
“Zade. He runs our crew. I told you about him.” Sully looked at me. “He’s here now.”
“Been through some shit?” Dante asked me. I nodded. “You’ve got a good crew. They've been helping me a lot. You’ve got a place here if you want it, Zade.”
“Thanks.” I looked down the road—one direction led to a safe place and the other led to the unknown.
“Want a ride the rest of the way?” Dante asked.
Night was creeping in, but something didn’t feel right. It had nothing to do with Dante or Genesis. It had everything to do with the heart in my chest that was dying and reviving, depending on the minute.
Amelia, gone.
Dad, gone.
Zan, gone.
Cadoc… still out there.
“Zade?” Sully asked.
I tightened the straps on my pack and met Sully’s eyes. “You go.”
“Zade, come on. You’re barely hanging on. You need a break.”
“I know where you are now. I need to find Dire. When I find him, I’ll come back. I promise.” I looked at Dante. “If that’s okay with you.”
Dante nodded and handed me a map from the front of the SUV. “Here. Come back when you find him.”
“Zade, are you sure?” Sully asked. “You don’t even like him.”
I handed him Amelia’s bag, asking him to keep it safe. “He’s all I’ve got left.” And I made a promise to my dead twin.
CHAPTER 5
FINALLY HOME
ZADE
