Page 27 of The Girl Who Kissed the Sun (Death Fields 4)

“Would you like some breakfast?” Jane asks. A loaf of homemade bread is on the table, along with a cheese spread.

I’ve learned to never decline food, so I grab a slice and slather a thin layer over the top. Through a mouthful I ask, “Have you seen Walker?”

“Michelle went out about thirty minutes ago.” Avi really likes us to use first names. I didn’t even know Walker had a first name until we got here. I mean, I knew, but I guess I didn’t care. Places like Catlettsburg are dangerous like that. Caring is a liability post-Crisis. They haven’t figured that out yet. “Not sure where—everything should be closed. It’s too cold to stay out long.”

He’s right, but I grab my

scarf and the heavy winter coat I found in Veronica’s closet. I slip on the fleece-lined, water resistant boots and grab my gloves. The boots are a size too big but I just wear triple socks. “See you later,” I say, escaping out the back door.

Even though I suspect I know where she went, I follow Walker’s footprints in the snow. I walk down the middle of the road, taking careful steps not to bust my ass on the frozen cement. Without cars and man-made movement the snow and ice are slow to melt. I pass the little shops and the antique store, both open two days a week, but not today. I head out of town, noticing the arched, carved church doors are shut—keeping out the cold.

Avi reopened the school once the walls were secure. The school, along with most everything else, moved closer to town. Two hundred children, ages five to sixteen, attend every other day in a massive house off Oak Street. It has the most fireplaces and the biggest porch. Members of the town built a playground on the lawn out back. As I walk by, I see the school is closed, too. We don’t have the wood and supplies to keep the building heated on a day like this.

Everything is very efficient. I like it. I mean, what’s not to like?

I pass my favorite building—the library. I spend a couple hours there every week, picking through the biographies and history books. Something one of Erwin’s commanders said to me before the battle at the Vaccine Center stuck in my head. He mentioned that today’s wars will be fought like those in the past—the ones before modern society. I needed to learn about those battles. The ancient ones and then others fought on American soil. The Civil and Revolutionary Wars.

Walker’s footprints veer to the right, down toward the waterfront. The wind picks up when I get on the road headed that direction. The crunch of footsteps catches my attention and I turn, spotting a bundled-up body running my way. The short, stocky build tips me off that it’s Green, even covered head to toe—with only a small slit between his scarf and hat for his eyes.

“Hey,” he says, slipping on the ice and scrambling for balance. He manages not to fall and I can’t help but laugh. “Not funny. I could break my neck out here.”

“Then maybe don’t run on the ice, dummy.”

We walk the rest of the way in silence, focusing on getting to the looming building ahead. Jackson found this spot after his recovery in the Catlettsburg infirmary. His nurse told him he should get some fresh air. He combed the streets and found an abandoned gym away from the town. It’s rustic—old school. Nothing but barbells, punching bags and a boxing ring in the middle. It’s perfect.

Two sets of footsteps lead up to the building. With this wind they’ll be gone by the time we leave, covered like we were never here. Green bangs on the metal door and we wait, shaking in our boots until Jackson unbolts it from the inside.

“Morning,” he says with a smile.

“Hey man,” Green says once we’re inside. “Thought you were waiting on me.”

“I didn’t know you planned on taking an hour to get ready.”

“It wasn’t an hour. And you know how long it takes to boil water.”

While they bicker, I start the process of removing all these layers. The men shared an attic apartment a few doors down from our house. From what I’ve gathered, their living situation is very Odd Couple-y. I hang my coat and scarf. I swap my boots for a pair of sneakers I leave in the gym so they’ll stay dry. I carry them over to where Walker is in the middle of a set of push-ups on a faded red mat on the floor.

“Hey,” I say, sitting next to her.

“Ug.” She grunts.

“I would have been here earlier but I got cornered by Jane and Avi in the kitchen.”

She counts off four more push-ups and takes a break, shifting from her palms to her knees. She pushes her damp red hair off her forehead. “Yeah, I heard them and went out the front door.”

“Smart move.”

She nods at the guys who are still going back and forth by the room. “What’s that about?”

“Same old stuff. They fight more than any two men I’ve ever seen.”

She snorts and shakes her head.

“What do you want to work on today?” she asks.

“Cardio,” I tell her. “With a little jiu-jitsu, don’t you think?”

She nods. “Sounds perfect.”

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