Amira’s putting on her thick, army-green pants. “No, that one’s more of awhoop-whoopsound. I think this one means lockdown. Shelter in place if you can, or get to the Sub.”
The radio on the other side of the room crackles to life. “This is Ares. Command Team One to Rendezvous Point One.”
My stomach drops. I can tell from the clip in his voice that whatever’s going on, it’s serious.
“We need to stay together,” I tell Amira.
I don’t have a gun. We keep them locked up in the Sub and only get them out in emergencies. Amira is the best archer on this island, but a bow and arrow won’t save her from every situation. I’ve already lost what I had with Marcus. I can’t lose my best friend.
The only weapon I have with me now is a hunting knife. Instead of putting it in a sheath and wearing it around my waist, I carry it, keeping it pointed at the ground. Amira has her bow and a quiver full of arrows.
“Ready?” she asks me, her hand on the sliding lock securing our door.
“Yeah.”
My heart races, every cell in my body on high alert as I step into the wood-planked hallway of our housing unit. A shelter-in-place order doesn’t apply to the command teams, but we can hear people running and yelling nearby, trying to reach shelter.
When we step outside, a bead of sweat slides down my spine. It’s going to be brutally hot on the island today.
People are racing in all directions, their expressions panicked.
“What’s going on?” a woman asks me, holding a toddler against her chest.
“I don’t know. Let’s get you to the Sub.”
It’s the most secure place to be in an emergency. Amira and I scan the camp for threats as we jog toward the Sub with the woman and child. Rendezvous Point One is outside the front of the Sub.
When we get there, Marcus, Olin, and Wyatt are waiting. Olin’s gaze locks onto mine, concern etched into his features. Nova comes flying out of the Sub’s main door, her eyes wild and frantic. A hunting knife and a handgun are holstered around her waist, and she has a rifle in hand.
“Don’t you dare try to stop me,” she says to Marcus, her tone menacing.
My heart pounds with worry. I’ve never seen Nova look the slightest bit out of control, but right now she’s unhinged.
“Give me five minutes,” Marcus says. “I know?—”
“Fuck you,” she snaps. “I’m going after my wife.”
“What happened?” I ask.
Nova gives me a dark look. “They took Ellison.”
My stomach drops to the ground. “No. The Tiders?”
Marcus’s eyes find mine, the swirl of emotions I see throwing me off balance. He looks like Nova sounds, but he’s outwardly keeping calm.
Adele runs up to us, her eyes wide with alarm.
“What’s going on?”
“Ellison’s been kidnapped,” Olin says.
Marcus narrows his eyes at Olin. “Who the fuck said you’re on this team? You’re supposed to be sheltering.”
“I can help.”
Olin shocked me when we brought him to our camp and discovered by accident that not only can he talk despite convincing people he’s mute, but he was sent here by the Idaho Liberation Front to gather intelligence. He’s only twenty-one, his chaotic red hair and lanky frame making him look like a college student who overslept for an exam.
“Go.” Marcus points at the Sub.
