Chapter 28
Lucilla
They’d taken turns driving, allowing the others to drift in and out of uneasy sleep as the road stretched ahead of them.
When it was finally Luci’s turn behind the wheel, the others had collapsed into one another in the back.
Alex’s arm draped protectively around Luna, and Cipher slumped beside Jace, whose head leaned against the window.
Myra hadn’t slept all night. Luci had told her she could and even insisted on it, but instead of resting, Myra sat alert in the passenger seat, scanning the road signs like sleep was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
Luci’s knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as she squinted through the morning sun. She didn’t know or trust these roads. One wrong turn could ruin their plan.
“I wanted to thank you,” Luci said, her voice barely above a whisper
Myra turned to her, but said nothing.
“For coming back for us,” Luci continued, stealing a glance at her before her eyes returned to the road. “And…I need to apologize for leaving you behind. I really thought you were dead. If I’d known,” her voice caught as guilt pressed against her ribs. “We wouldn’t have left without you.”
There was a second of silence between them before Myra quietly asked, “What happened to the others?”
Luci’s jaw clenched as the memory pulled at her like barbed wire against her skin. “Paxton and Sable didn’t make it up the stairs,” she explained. “They held them off so I could get through. I didn’t see what happened after that.”
She didn’t mention the shot, how Paxton’s scream had lodged itself in her mind and stayed there.
“And Grayson was bitten,” she continued. “I tried to help him. I thought maybe I could stop it, but the infection was already in his bloodstream.”
“Fuck,” Myra said softly.
Luci didn’t look at her. She couldn’t because if she did, she knew she might break.
The road ahead blurred for just a second before Luci blinked away the tears forming in her eyes.
“Well, I accept your apology,” Myra said. “And maybe it was all supposed to happen this way.”
Luci’s brow furrowed with a touch of confusion.
“If I hadn’t gone back to the hospital,” Myra continued, “I wouldn’t have known about Jace being pulled from the transplant list.” She paused, taking a deep breath.
“And we wouldn’t have known you and Alex were in danger,” she added.
“Doc never would’ve told me to come for you if I hadn’t gone back. ”
Luci didn’t know what to say to that so she just nodded, feeling a small, aching kind of peace bloom in her chest.
Maybe Myra was right. Maybe fate had always been a little cruel, but sometimes it was just cruel enough to push them in the right direction.
“I just…” Luci started. “I just hope this place is really safe, that they can actually help Jace.”
“Yeah,” Myra sighed. “Me too.”
Luci turned to glance at her, and Myra offered a small, tired smile.
“But don’t worry,” she added. “If it’s not, we’ll find a way out of there. We always do.”
A few hours passed in relative silence before Jace stretched and rubbed his eyes.
Luna’s head lifted from Alex’s lap, and Cipher sat up straighter in his seat.
Luci had gotten them off the highway and was now guiding the minivan through an eerily quiet city filled with sun bleached trees and narrow roads.
That was when the first painted sign appeared.
It had been hammered into a post just off the road and bore words painted in bright, uneven strokes.
Los sobrevivientes son bienvenidos.
A few minutes later, another followed.
Bienvenidos a la comunidad de Nueva Esperanza.
Luci squinted at the words, reading them slowly and carefully. “Bien-ve-nidos…”
Alex leaned forward, between the two front seats. “What do the signs say?”
Cipher responded before anyone else could. “The first one says survivors are welcome, and the second one says, ‘Welcome to the community of Nueva Esperanza.’”
“Esperanza,” Luci echoed softly, testing her pronunciation. “That means hope, right?”
“Yeah,” Cipher said, nodding. “Exactly.”
Luci smiled faintly. “I only know a little bit of Spanish. Not enough to hold a conversation or anything, just bits and pieces from when I was a kid.”
It was true. She mostly remembered phrases she’d overheard, lullabies, and her mother’s voice floating through the kitchen with stories she’d only halfway understood at the time.
“Well,” Myra said from the driver’s seat. “That’s more than me.”
“And me,” Alex added.
Between the little Luci knew and Cipher’s fluency, it would have to be enough.
“Just follow the signs,” Cipher said. “I think we’re close.”
Luci nodded and made a right turn at the next painted arrow, then another and another, each new sign leading them deeper into the city. The landscape changed, and soon they saw hand painted murals on crumbling walls and solar panels beaming beneath the sun.
At last, they found it.
The community of Nueva Esperanza was a compound that looked like an old university campus redesigned for survival.
The tall buildings were enclosed by a tall, fortified metal gate and the perimeter was reinforced with sandbags, fencing, and makeshift watchtowers.
Guards stood at the entrance, already waving them down.
Alex shifted forward, wincing slightly from his bruised ribs. “Alright, this is it,” he said. “Let’s stay vigilant but respectful. If anything feels off, don’t ignore it. Say something.”
Luci and the others nodded in agreement, but the truth was that she wasn’t sure whether this place was a sanctuary or something else entirely.
Luci pulled the car up to the gate before easing to a stop. Her fingers trembled around the wheel before she finally turned off the engine. The silence that followed felt fragile.
One by one, they stepped out of the vehicle.
Alex moved first, letting his hand instinctively rest near his waistband even though his weapon was tucked away.
Cipher followed, then Myra, and finally Jace, who shielded his eyes from the early afternoon glare.
Luci climbed out last, scanning the guards as Luna padded around the car and took her place at Alex’s side.
The guards didn’t raise their weapons. No one barked orders or shoved them down.
Instead, one of them stepped forward with a small flashlight and gestured at their eyes.
Luci didn’t flinch, she simply tipped her chin up and let the beam flicker across her pupils. They moved on to Alex next, then the others. One by one checking for discolored veins, dilation, or signs of infection. It was methodical but not cruel.
The second guard who looked younger and wore a bandana around his neck, crouched slightly as Luna sniffed his boots. “Esta preciosa, toda una reyna,” he said with a smile, scratching behind her ears as Luna wagged her tail in approval.
“What did he say?” Alex turned to Luci.
Luci smiled at the guard before responding. “I think he said she’s precious and a queen?”
The lead guard set his attention on Cipher. “De dónde vienen?” he asked.
Luci knew enough to know he was asking where they’d come from.
Cipher stepped forward with a bright smile and explained why they’d been sent there. Luci couldn’t understand the exchange entirely, but she managed to relax just a touch when Cipher smiled again after his last words.
The guard studied him for deceit before giving a nod and tapping at his earpiece. He spoke to someone in Spanish and then raised the signal for the guys at the top to open the gate.
“Buena suerte,” the guard said, offering them a gentle smile before ruffling Jace’s hair as the boy passed. It struck Luci how oddly comforting it was to receive such a simple gesture after everything they’d been through.
Once inside, they were handed off to a second pair of guards — a younger man and a woman.
“My name is Elena, and this is Carlos,” the woman said. Her Spanish accent was soft and melodic, making their names sound more beautiful coming from her lips than Luci could’ve managed on her best day.
“The medical wing is on the west side of the campus,” Elena continued. “Carlos will take the boy there. The rest of you will come with me so we can get you settled and assigned to rooms.”
Myra stepped forward, her expression full of concern. “I’m not leaving him.”
Elena nodded without hesitation. “Of course. If you’re family then you’re welcome to accompany him while he’s evaluated.”
Luci felt the group shift at that. It might have been the first time a request of theirs was fulfilled without any pushback.
“Can we all go with him?” Luci asked before she could stop herself.
Elena’s smile turned a touch apologetic. “I’m afraid we only allow medical personnel or family members into the wing. It’s just a precaution, but you’re welcome to keep your weapons if that makes you feel safer while you’re apart.”
Luci glanced toward Alex then Myra. The plan had been to stick together, but the sincerity in Elena’s voice and the absence of hostility in their demeanor soothed some of the tension between them. For now, at least, they weren’t prisoners, and Jace was being taken somewhere safe.
Somewhere that might actually help.
Alex shifted his weight and took a step closer. “When can we see each other again?”
Carlos, who had been quiet until now, glanced between Jace and Myra before answering.
“The director is currently with patients, but once she’s finished, you’ll all be reunited.
She wants to speak with everyone personally, especially you two,” he added, his gaze flickering to Luci and Alex with a touch of recognition.
The guard seemed to notice the subtle tension threading through their group so he softened his tone.
“And just so you know, you’re not trapped here.
If at any point you want to leave, you’re free to do so.
This isn’t a prison, it’s a community. You’re here because someone thought you were worth protecting. ”
Luci felt Alex’s hand brush against hers, and for the first time since they left the facility, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, they’d found somewhere that wasn’t trying to use them.
After being reassured that there were doctors who spoke English, Myra gave them one last smile before following Carlos and Jace down a different path. Luci, Alex, Cipher, and Luna continued behind Elena. The further they walked, the more surreal it all became.
People roamed freely without weapons in hand or fear in their eyes.
Children played barefoot in the roads, and their laughter spilled into the air as they kicked a soccer ball back and forth.
Strings of paper flowers were hung between buildings and makeshift shops stood open, offering everything from clothing to jars of fruit preserves.
It looked more like a festival than a sanctuary and it made Luci’s chest ache with the realization that peace like this had still been possible somewhere.
Eventually, Elena guided them to a dormitory building. She held the door open long enough for them to pass and then guided them upstairs. “We can only spare two rooms at the moment,” she said. “Split them how you’d like.”
Cipher took one without hesitation, disappearing inside. Elena handed the second key to Luci, who exchanged a look with Alex before accepting it.
“There’s a bathroom in each room,” Elena explained.
“The sheets are clean and filtered water comes straight through the taps. Just try to keep your showers short, we still conserve where we can. Someone will stop by soon with fresh clothes, hygiene kits, and a meal. You’re free to rest, explore, or wait for your meeting with the director. ”
She hesitated. “Carlos was telling the truth — you’re not prisoners here. If you ever feel the need to leave, the gates will open for you.”
“Thank you,” Luci said, knowing that she shouldn’t feel safe but not being able to help herself.
And with that, Elena turned, and the door clicked shut behind her.