MAD

chvpter 30

The sky burns with the dying sun. Scor and I stand atop the boot, while Thai sits on the ground next to Elias a few strides away. In the distance, near the water front, Trent, Sax and Blu discuss something quietly, but Scor and I keep an eye on them.

"What is this place?" Thai asks in total awe.

"Was a campsite before the war," I answer. "We found it ages ago when we paid Tixits to ferry us through the REDZONE, but that crew died off last year and everyone forgot about their holdover cites so we use it here and there." He off-roaded the ute down a small stream that leads to the river which serves as perfect protection from Zeroes.

The only potential threat is the KillTag tribe that farms these parts. They, harvest, Zeroes, then put them through the slave-trade markets that are south of here. They wouldn't come this close to water, but they might wait for us on the main road.

But we're not their specialty. They trade Zeroes.

"What's a Tixit?" Elias mutters, glaring at the river like he don' wanna look at something so pretty. Not now that Gisselle is gone... Ibis still missing.

The hidden alcove is surrounded by trees. The sandy riverbank meets a serene aqua-green expanse of water that shimmers with golden light. The fresh spring breeze is cool and sublime.

"Tixit's will take you through the REDZONE for a shit tonne of money," Scorpius answers, hoisting a pack over the edge before he drops it on the ground for someone to collect later. I raise the next one up, favouring my bad arm before I lower it down and let it drop.

"What's an expert like you paying an escort for?" Thai quips, shading her eyes from the sun as she turns to look up at Scorpius from her seat on the sand.

He grins, "Viper and I were on her first ever job. Had to steal something off them, figured, we'd pay for their services then..." He looks to me playfully, "ask nicely for a refund?"

Thai chuckles slightly, turning back to the water as she collects a stick from the dirt, playing with it absently.

Teacup would've been so excited to see this place, she would've asked me all sorts of annoying questions about how we found it. I can hear her asking why people before the war went camping if they had houses? Maybe she would've asked to swim even though she didn't know how. The Reservoir went bad years ago, what with the fish worms.

Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them away. What'd I expect? She'd be safe and sound, grow to be like some kid sister of mine?

She would be safe if I had just shot Wilkes for real. What the fuck was I doing?

The surface reflects the pink sky like a mirror—the view is too pretty. It's jarring.

"We don' got a lot of light to set up, you wan' carry some shīt to the fire pit?" I ask Elias with a gentle voice, hoping he'll understand that I'm trying to help him take his mind off it.

After a moment he glances around, nodding distantly, so I continue unloading, "You's need help?" Saxon offers, jogging over to the ute while E and Thai hoist themselves up. I use my good arm to lower a pack down to Elias, my bad arm strapped to my chest with one of Scor's t-shirts.

"Yeah mate, carry what you can to the pit over there." Scor tosses the pack to Sax.

Trent and Blu lag, but Sax arrives at the side of the boot and jerks another two bags over his shoulders, plodding off. He gives Blu a bag as he passes, so she follows him away.

Trent scratches his cheek with a bad attitude painted on his face, craning his head up to Scorpius with a stand-offish glare, "You got an axe, for wood?"