15
Even when I’m awake, my nightmares still smile.
“Can we take a break?” Elise asked, briefly slipping off her sneakers. Khalani flinched at the amount of blood seeping through her socks.
She had no desire to look at her own feet. She’d grown so used to the stinging ache from open blisters, the pain almost felt normal.
“The Cof is close by. We’ll rest there,” Brock said, taking a big swig of water before powering forward.
“What the hell’s a Cof?” Serene panted, trailing after him.
“It’s one of the landmarks the Death-Zoners found. You’ll understand the name when you see it.”
Sure enough, when they reached the top of a hill, a small building rested in the valley below. Their steps quickened, desperate to find shade from the sweltering sun.
The one-story structure had all its windows blown out. It may have been a vision of gleaming gray stone in the past, but the building was now covered in dust and sand. Her gaze lifted to a large half-torn sign dangling from the front.
COF
The rest of the letters were missing, long erased by history.
“Are you sure this building’s stable?” Elise asked warily.
“Yes. Most Death-Zoners stop here at some point. Let’s go.” Brock led the way, walking through the open doorway marked by eerie scorch marks around the frame.
The knot in Khalani’s throat tightened as she followed, wondering how the burn marks got there.
Were people inside the building when it happened?
She took a quick sip of water, the air growing warmer when they all gathered inside.
The space was a chaotic mess. Wooden tables and chairs were haphazardly overturned in every direction.
A large counter stood at the far end of the room, reaching Khalani’s hip, with a broken cash register laying on top, completely empty.
Takeshi’s predatory gaze scanned the room, his large muscles taut, like he was preparing for bloodshed.
But Spade was right. Nothing alive remained in the Death-Zone.
“Cozy,” Winnie remarked, and they all gave her an incredulous look.
Elise slowly approached a fallen chair, staring at it like it was God’s greatest gift on earth. She propped it upright and sat with a heavy sigh, a genuine smile brightening her face.
“That good?” Adan asked with a grin.
“Better than sex.”
“I’m with you there.” Serene pulled up another chair, releasing a deep exhale as she plopped down.
“Your past experiences must’ve been terrible,” Brock chimed from the corner.
“I never said that.”
“You practically did.”
“You probably don’t even know where it is.” Serene crossed her arms.
“Bet I know how to play with it better than you do.” Brock’s lips tilted devilishly.
Serene flushed scarlet, looking one breath away from throwing her chair at him.
Khalani glanced at Takeshi, who’d quietly stationed himself by the broken window. His lip quirked ever so slightly, a rare, beautiful smile that forced her to look away before she was caught staring.
“How long should we stay here?” Adan asked as Brock studied the fading light outside.
“Maybe a half hour before we—”
Clink.
The unmistakable sound of metal hitting the floor filtered through the building. But none of them had moved.
They stiffened, eyes darting to the closed door on the far side of the room. Something else clattered, followed by a curse.
Someone else was in the building.
“What the…” Serene’s face went white.
Takeshi and Brock stalked forward, moving as one.
Brock drew his pistol, and Takeshi pulled out a long knife. Even though they didn’t fully trust each other, Takeshi gave him a single nod.
Brock kicked the door open.
Lying before them was a man in a storage unit, half upright on the tiled floor. He had a scruffy black beard and deeply tanned skin. He wore a tattered white shirt that was slashed in several places, and looked like he’d been wandering the treacherous road for weeks.
The man peered up, eyes widening. Suddenly, a relieved smile stretched across his face, showing several missing teeth.
“Wasn’t expecting to see this many travelers.”
“Who are you?” Brock asked, but the strange man didn’t seem bothered by the gun staring at him.
“Name’s Gentry.” He tried sitting up but flinched. “If you don’t mind, can you hand me those bandages over there?”
He pointed to a roll of white tape on the bottom plastic shelf.
Brock’s glare hardened. “Why do you need them?”
“Broke my ankle on the road. Knew there’d be some supplies here.” Gentry shrugged, reaching for the bandages, but when he had to shift his ankle, he groaned and wilted farther against the wall.
“Doesn’t look broken.” Takeshi’s suspicious gaze narrowed.
“My pants are hiding the worst of it,” Gentry insisted, wincing as he tried moving his leg again.
“Were you going to Desert Spring?” Adan asked, unable to mask the sympathy in his voice.
The man’s eyes turned eager. “Yes. Are you all headed there too?”
Adan opened his mouth to answer, but Brock cut him off.
“No. We’re just passing through and are leaving now.” Brock nodded to the group to make their way out.
“Wait!” Gentry begged, reaching out. “Can you please help me?”
Something inside her twisted at the sight of the broken man on the floor. She made eye contact with Winnie, who held the same torn expression.
Khalani stepped forward, but Takeshi instantly blocked her path.
“No.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“Please,” the man continued to beg just beyond the door. “You can’t leave me like this.”
“He’s right,” Khalani said. “We can’t leave him.”
“You’re not going near him, Kanes.” His black gaze tore into her.
She debated kneeing him between the legs, but something in his crazy eyes said that he’d drop her to the floor if she tried.
“I’m with Takeshi,” Brock interjected. “He could be lying.”
“I’m not lying! You have to believe me!” the man cried, beginning to tremble. “If you leave me here, I’ll die.”
“If we leave, he doesn’t have a chance. What if he’s telling the truth?” she countered, but their unsympathetic expressions told her they didn’t care.
The world indeed had changed them.
But she refused to let it break her.
She tried shoving past Takeshi, but he stood in front of her like an impenetrable wall.
“If I have to carry you out of here, I will,” he growled.
“Why does it matter? I mean nothing to you. Isn’t that what you told me before?” She hurled the dangerous words like a weapon.
He seethed, a muscle in his jaw jumping, but he didn’t deny it.
“Well?” she pressed. “Make it make sense and tell me you don’t care.”
Takeshi lightly shook his head, his angry eyes begging her to stop. But she was nowhere near finished.
“Don’t be scared now,” she goaded. “Tell me you don’t fucking care, Takeshi.”
“I don’t!” he finally roared.
“Then prove it!”
He gnashed his teeth, muttering something unintelligible under his breath before stomping away. He bumped into her side, his hand briefly brushing her pocket as he vanished from sight.
Khalani released a heavy breath, her stomach sinking, but she kept her feet cemented to the ground.
The best choices weren’t always the safest. And if he despised her for making them, that was something she was willing to live with.
She wasn’t going to compromise her character.
Not even for someone she loved.
She lifted her chin and marched forward. Brock’s lips pulled down in disapproval, but he let her walk past him.
Gentry’s eyes swept up and down her frame, his smile resurfacing. She swallowed, not liking the way his gaze lingered over certain areas of her body.
But he’d probably been out in the desert for so long—who knew how long he’d been alone?
“Thank you,” the man breathed. “What’s your name?”
She crouched, keeping herself an arm’s length away. Her first instinct was to give him a fake name, but it was an innocent question.
“Kanes,” she answered in a low voice, grabbing the bandages.
But when he reached out for them, she noticed black ink on the underside of his arm.
A tattoo.
She pulled back the bandages, and the man frowned, irritation slipping through.
“Where did you get that tattoo?” she asked.
He hitched a breath. “I got it five years ago when I used to live in Desert Spring.”
“I’ve seen one just like it in Desert Spring.”
“That so?”
“Yes.” She stiffened. “But it wasn’t from anyone who lived there. Someone who attacked the town had it. The Sinners.”
The man locked eyes with her, neither of them flinching or smiling. They were in a silent standoff, waiting for the other to move first.
Quick as a flash, Gentry lunged for her.
Khalani reached for her gun, but her fingers closed around a knife handle instead. Without thinking, she pulled the blade from her pocket and slashed at him. The man screamed when she severed one of his fingers.
Bright-red blood dripped to the floor like an offering. He snarled, reaching for her with his other palm.
“You move another inch”—a gun cocked—“and I’ll blow your fucking brains out,” Brock growled.
Khalani held still as if the command held power over her too. Movement rustled behind her, but she didn’t dare remove her gaze from Gentry.
He wasn’t the helpless man from before. He no longer begged or smiled. Only a deep-seated fury flickered in his eyes.
“Who are you?” Brock asked.
The man didn’t answer.
“Are you part of the Sinners?” Brock pressed.
Gentry stayed stubbornly silent, staring at the gun as if it was merely a pen pointed in his direction.
“You must be,” she said. “You were one of the men who tried to kill the people in Desert Spring for no reason.”
At that, his deadly gaze snapped to her. Gentry began to laugh, nearly choking as he cackled. “No reason?” he wheezed. “You really have no idea, do you?”
“No idea about what?”
He shook his head, still smirking.
“Tell me!” Khalani demanded.
“I’ll make you a deal. You come back with me to the Sinners, and I’ll tell you everything there is to know about Desert Spring. I’ll even tell you their little secret.”
“Why would I ever do that?”
His upper lip curled in a vile grin. “You could join my bed for a few nights. And if you’re really good, I might even share—”
Bang!
Khalani jumped when a bullet tore through the man’s head.
But Brock’s gun never fired.
She turned to see Takeshi clutching a pistol, a murderous expression carved into his face.
The man’s dead body slumped to the ground.
“Are you crazy? We could’ve tortured him for information!” Brock exploded.
“He would’ve told you nothing,” Takeshi said in a chilling voice as he lowered the gun.
“You can’t know that.”
“I know when a man doesn’t fear death.”
“We should’ve discussed it first,” Brock snapped, helping Khalani to her feet. Takeshi’s heavy gaze lingered on Brock’s hand before she subtly stepped away.
“I don’t need to discuss anything with you,” Takeshi uttered in a tone so cold it was unsettling. “He was a stain on this earth and didn’t deserve to breathe air for one more second.”
He glanced at the corpse like he wanted to shoot it again.
“And where’d you get the gun?” Brock hissed. “I don’t remember giving you one.”
Takeshi pocketed the weapon.
“You didn’t.”