“You shouldn’t say that,” he whispered. “I’m not worth it.”
“That’s not true.”
I wanted to throw myself into his arms, but I’d made him flinch from a kiss. I had to take this slow; it was enough he was talking to me again. As Tegan said, I couldn’t make him believe how important, how valuable he was, no matter what the Freaks had done. He had to come to that conclusion himself, and I’d be waiting when he did. No matter how long it took.
In a moment of whimsy, I blew Fade a kiss, as I’d seen other girls do with their sweethearts, and his hand came up slowly to catch it. Hope winged through me like a bird. I strode away, smiling, careful to avoid any zealots who might be lying in wait. A few minutes later, I arrived at the Bigwater home and found Zach watching for me in the front yard. He guided me through the house, so I gathered his father had taken the boy into his confidence. I didn’t speak until we reached the cellar, a dry room with a dirt floor and baskets of vegetables.
Then I said, “I have three friends on the way, if you wouldn’t mind meeting them out front.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He hesitated, visibly torn. “I wish I could go with you. I hear Tegan’s one of your companions … and I really like her.”
I applauded his valor and his desire to prove himself to my friend, but he didn’t have the skill or experience to serve as an asset. So I discouraged him politely. His face fell, but the easy way he accepted my refusal told me even more about his character. He wouldn’t make it where we were going, and I didn’t need to give Caroline another reason to hate me. Plus, Tegan had never mentioned him, and she might not be happy for Zach to tag along.
Elder Bigwater soon joined me, laden with the promised provisions. “I heard you’ve assembled a team for your mission. Most enterprising. I had to make a second trip to the mercantile.”
I let him praise me, even though I hadn’t asked anyone, except Stalker, and I wouldn’t have in his case if he hadn’t rattled me with that kiss. But it seemed better to let the elder believe the best about my motivational abilities.
To my relief, he didn’t talk. In my view we had already said everything that mattered. I was doing what he’d asked. What more was there?
The others arrived before much longer, Stalker first, then Fade, and finally Tegan. It was night, the perfect time to slip out unseen. The Freaks would be sleeping, out of rifle range, and if we ran into any hunting patrols outside the tunnel, we could handle them. By morning, we should have put considerable distance behind us.
“I’ll spare you any ceremony,” Bigwater said, “as you already know our fate rests in your hands. So I’ll merely wish you well.”
“Good hunting,” I corrected.
He gave me a puzzled look, but repeated the words nonetheless. “Good hunting, then, all of you.” The elder stepped over to a rough wood shelf, currently full of canned fruit. “Help me move this, lads.”
They accomplished the task in short order, revealing the dark tunnel beyond. Cool air blew in and stirred the veil of cobwebs that clung to the opening. It smelled of earth and freedom. Odd I should think that, but the very darkness beckoned, reminded me of my life down below. That made it easy for me to step in.
Bigwater offered a lamp, but I shook my head. It might give us away as we emerged at the other end. Better to make our way without. In the field, we all knew how to fashion torches as needed.
I took the lead, because once my eyes adjusted, I could make out the rough dirt walls and the occasional timber, now half rotten from neglect, wedged in for support. It was a narrow shaft, much shorter than the ones I’d lived in down below, so I moved in a crouch, constantly scanning for trouble. In a space this size, combat would prove all but impossible. Fortunately, I encountered nothing scarier than rats and spiders, who scuttled as I pressed forward.
“This is awful,” Tegan whispered. “We could die down here.”
Stalker’s careless answer drifted up to me: “We could die anywhere.”
So true. Good people had been lost this summer. And more would perish if we failed to bring help. A deep empathy for that poor blind brat down below settled in my stomach; I hoped I fared better than he. Fade held his silence, but I wondered if he shared my thought.
Countless moments later, a chill breeze blew down. Loose dirt lent it a gritty flavor. I scrambled up the gentle incline, using my hands for purchase. Beyond, the unknown lay before us once more, and another impossible task. The four of us emerged from the earth and turned our steps west, toward the last hope for Salvation.