Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Lara had spent countless nights huddled beside Tabitha in their drafty shelter, desperate for warmth and comfort.
They’d suffered through frigid winters and blistering summers, ravaged by hunger, exhaustion, and pain.
Together, they’d survived the worst Cheyenne could throw at them for more years than should’ve been possible.
Those years, those hardships, had not prepared Lara for her first glimpse of her old home after months away.
The morning sun had not yet crested the horizon, leaving the sky a dull, dreary gray.
The hobbled shacks were dark shapes against that sky, grave markers for the not-yet dead.
Even the people who weren’t sick or starving here were dying.
She’d never forget the despair that had gripped her during her time here.
Only Tabitha had kept Lara from succumbing to it…
but she’d been claimed by this place, too.
For all her strength and toughness, Tabitha had ended up as another body atop the growing heap.
Newton and handful of men had broken off to wait on the outskirts of the slums while Lara guided Cooper and his team along the narrow dirt paths between the shacks. Before leading her group to the water pump at the center of town, she had a stop to make.
The metal of Lara’s ring, back on the twine dangling around her neck, brushed against her skin beneath her shirt.
It was a reminder of what she stood to lose—everything.
She and Ronin hadn’t said goodbye this morning.
They’d expressed it all to one another last night, through both their words and their bodies.
She adjusted her hood and dropped her hand to the pistol on her thigh, focusing on the texture of its grip rather than the stenches of rot and human waste.
People were just beginning to emerge from their homes. Even in the dim light, Lara noted the recognition in some of their eyes. What did they see? The thin, desperate waif she’d been, or the healthy, well-fed woman she’d become?
Or did some of them see a walking corpse?
Lara forced her gaze ahead as she neared her destination. She had a clear mission, and it required her full attention. Gary and Kate had always been kind to Lara, and they were well liked within the community. If she could convince them to join her, it’d be a damn good start.
Her steps faltered as their shack came into view.
“No…” she breathed.
Warlord’s symbol, the fusion of a skull and a gear, was on their door in red paint that had dripped like blood.
Heart pounding in her ears, Lara rushed across the remaining distance and fumbled to shove the door aside.
The foul odor of old blood assaulted her nostrils when she entered. Behind her, the bootsteps of her escort were frantic as they hurried to catch up.
A faint light came from the small secondary room. A dark, masculine figure stepped in front of it, a metal blade glinting in his hand as he approached her.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
The man stopped abruptly. “Lara?”
Her eyes flared as she recognized Gary’s voice, though it brought little relief. “What happened?”
He moved past her, toward the entryway. She gestured for the soldiers to hang back before Gary slid the door into back place.
He turned to her. The faint light caught upon his features. He was haggard, with dark circles beneath his eyes. His gaze shimmered with sorrow, but there was something deeper, something fiery, within it.
“They’re gone,” he grated.
Lara’s heart stuttered. “Maggie?”
Dropping his eyes, he nodded.
Sweet-faced Maggie, who’d always offered Lara a kiss and a gap-toothed smile? A child who was one of the few sources of light and joy in Cheyenne, an innocent life who hadn’t yet been touched by hardship?
Lara’s throat was tight and raw when she asked, “Kate, too?”
Gary ran a shaky hand over his face. “I don’t… I don’t know. She’s…not well.”
“She’s alive?”
He nodded.
Lara hesitated, nearly silenced by the horror of her next question. “The…baby?”
“They found out.” He squeezed his eyes shut, and tears spilled from their corners. “Somehow, they found out. We were so careful, Lara, but those fuckers still found out. He wanted to make an example of us, and he…”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Lara said, stepping closer. She stopped when he shook his head again.
A quiet sob spilled past Gary’s lips. “They killed my little girl. My beautiful little girl.” He turned away and leaned against the wall, his body quaking.
“They held us down and forced us to watch. Forced us to listen to Maggie crying for help, to her screams, my God her screams…and when she wasn’t moving anymore… ”
Eyes burning and tears falling, Lara shook her head frantically. “No…”
“There was so much blood. But…but he wasn’t done. They dragged Kate away from Maggie, and…and they beat her.” Gary slammed his fists against the wall. The shack rattled. “Hit her again, and again, until she bled. Until she…lost the baby.”
No, no, no…
Breaths coming quick and shallow, Lara glanced down at her hands. She recalled the pain of Warlord’s fists all too well. Her stomach clenched, threatening to empty itself. How much suffering would be forced upon these people?
No more. We’ll rid the world of this monster.
“Is…is Kate here, Gary?”
He nodded again, wiped at his face, and led her into the back room.
Kate lay upon the bed, pale and sunken-eyed, her hair damp with sweat. Lara knelt beside her and lifted Kate’s hand. It was cold and limp, as though the life had been sapped from her.
Lara closed her hands around the woman’s, holding it. “Kate?”
The woman turned her head. Her eyes were unfocused, staring through Lara, until she blinked and something dawned in her gaze. Her face crumpled as she shook with sobs. “My babies…”
“Shh, I know.” Lara pressed Kate's hand to her cheek. “We will stop him.”
“How?” Gary demanded.
Lara lowered Kate’s hand but didn’t release it. “I’m here with people who plan to end Warlord and take this city back. To help us.”
Kate stared up at Lara with watery eyes, silent as Gary knelt beside her. Lara met his gaze.
He scrutinized her as though he was seeing her for the first time. As though he was finally noticing the changes. “People said you were either dead…or with one of them.”
“I’m with a bot, but he’s not one of them,” she said. “He took care of me. Protected me.”
Gary's expression darkened. “He forced—”
“No! No. He didn't force me. He's never forced me. I love him, Gary, and as crazy as it sounds, he loves me. We’ve both suffered because of Warlord. Without Ronin, I’d be dead.” Lara glanced at Kate.
“I can’t explain everything now, there isn’t time, but there are people here, humans and bots, who are going to put an end to all this.
There’s a place not far away, underground, where they’ve thrived.
They have gardens, animals, children in school, housing.
An army. They’re here to help, but they need our help, too. ”
“How?” Kate’s hold on Lara’s hand tightened. “How?”
“Another group is heading for the bot district right now. They might even be there already. They’re going to take over the hospital and make a distraction. I’m here to gather up anyone who’s willing to fight. Anyone willing to stand up to Warlord.”
“I will,” Gary said. “I want him torn apart.”
Hope leapt within her chest. “Can you help me talk to the others? I know…I know there doesn’t seem to be much hope, but we can make a better life for all of us.”
He looked down at Kate, his eyes determined but soft as he lovingly brushed his fingers through her hair. “Anything. She’s all I have left.”
Kate released Lara’s hand to take Gary’s, closing her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I’ll be back,” Lara said as she rose to her feet.
She nudged the front door aside and stepped out. The soldiers had dispersed, but she quickly picked out their shadowy forms in the gloom. Lara waved one of them over.
The soldier tugged down the scarf from his mouth as he approached. He held the butt of his rifle against his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a woman inside who needs to be taken to the forward camp so Nancy can help her. She was beaten severely and had a miscarriage. I don’t think she can make it on her own.”
“Who’s he?” Gary asked from the doorway.
“Private Peterson,” the soldier replied. “Where’s the woman?”
“In the back room.” Lara pointed beyond Gary. “Her name’s Kate.”
Peterson nodded, leaning over to peer inside the shack. “All right. We’ll make sure to bring her when we move out.”
“Bring her where?” Gary asked.
Lara faced him. “Some of the soldiers are going to escort the children, elderly, and anyone too sick to fight to a safe place before anything starts. After I do what I need to here, I’ll be heading there, too.” She took gentle hold of his arm. “They’ll take care of her. I promise.”
Gary stared at her for a long while before finally nodding. “I trust you, Lara.”
“Help me convince the others. The more people who stand against Warlord, the better. We can’t allow him to do this anymore.”
“Let me talk to Kate. Make sure she knows what’s happening.”
“We’ll be at the water pump.” Lara met Peterson’s gaze after Gary went inside.
“She’ll be in good hands,” the soldier said.
“I know. Thank you.”
The soldiers followed Lara as she wound through the slums, knocking on doors and calling to people through tent flaps. She roused some from their sleep, but many were already awake, preparing for the long, unforgiving day ahead.
She doubted any of them could’ve guessed how different this day would be.
Lara told everyone to gather at the water pump. The strengthening light made the red hair tucked beneath her hood more visible, and more than one person swore at her when they noticed it. A few even called her a traitor and spit at her feet.
Lara didn’t let them faze her. This was their one and only chance, and she would see it through.