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The solo bathroom of the home was almost entirely unusable. These trips always made Nik realize how lucky he was to be born in Rysburg. They had everything they needed and extra. Of course, most of it was taken from towns just like this one, but he still felt very fortunate. He didn’t know what it was like to go hungry, and he never would. His home was furnished and much more comforting than the ones he sorted through on missions. These felt like half empty boxes with nothing but the essentials.
He left the first home and carried on, plundering three more homes before his rucksack was bursting at the seams. He heaved it back to their meeting point at the entrance of town and tossed it into the cart.
“I’ll need a hand grabbing some wood,” he said to the other men who were sitting and chatting, already finished with their sections. A few stood and followed him back to the homes to break down the furniture and bundle the wooden pieces.
It took no time at all to finish with the help of several men. Nik sat down by the cart and opened his small backpack to pull out his lunch. It was late afternoon, and he hadn’t realized how hungry he was. Despite the freezing cold, sweat formed on his brow from all the heavy lifting.
“Didn’t really get much here, did we?” one man asked.
Nik turned to look into the cart and it did look less full than usual. He’d been on four or five similar missions, and this was the lightest he’d seen the cart.
“They’re practically barbarians out here. Have you seen how scrawny they all are?” A second man laughed at their expense.
A vision of Ali’s tiny, bony frame came to mind.
Nik bit his cheek and focused on his lunch. He didn’t appreciate their comments, but he had no interest in getting into an argument. Let them think whatever they want.
“The epitome of poverty,” snorted the first man. Apparently seeing people less fortunate than them was comical.
Nik finished the remainder of his sandwich and stood; he needed to go for a walk and put distance between them before he lashed out.
He rounded the front of the horse and cart when he spotted their mission leader marching in their direction with two other men struggling to keep up.
“What’s wrong?” Nik asked.
He leaned in close, shaking his head with irritation. He spoke softly but furiously. “Someone else has been here.”
“What do you mean? How do you know that?”
“There were weapons…or tools, I suppose. They had farming equipment that they used against us when we were here before. We saw it all. Axes, knives, scythes. We left them, knowing that we would be back to collect, but they’re all gone now.”
“Weapons?” Nik tried to wrap his head around it. They had weapons. That would’ve been the most valuable thing they could’ve salvaged, but they were gone. Who would’ve taken them? Who would’ve been here before them? Who the hell knew there was a deserted town here? Or did they stumble on it by accident?
“This isn’t good. Colin won’t be happy. Neither will Jameson.” Nik’s leader ran his hands through his hair. No, Colin would not be happy, and Colin was scary when he was unhappy. Just ask Eli.
Once the rest of the men had returned to their meeting point, the mission leader filled them in on what he’d found, or rather what he didn’t find. Everyone shifted uneasily, knowing this would be seen as a mission failure.
They argued about whether to stay in Andus for the night. There was no way they could make it back to Rysburg in the daylight; the sun already hung low in the sky. And while none of them were keen to sleep out in the open, they were even less enthused to stay and meet the people who had beaten them to the weapons. In the end, they agreed to head home immediately.
The journey back was even more quiet than the one there, if that was possible. No one wanted to vocalize what they were all thinking. They were all curious about who had been there before them. Who had beaten them to the weapons, of all things? Just what exactly did they intend to do with them?
For so long, Rysburg had been at the top of the food chain. No one wanted to think about an unknown predator. A monster waiting in the dark. They were all skittish. A rustle of leaves, a bird chirping, branches cracking under ice and snow. They jumped at every sound.
If it weren’t for the darkness limiting their visibility, they would’ve walked all night. No one would sleep tonight.
When Nik returned to Rysburg, it was almost dawn. The sun was just beginning to peak out from the east. He headed straight toward the prison, desperate to see Ali’s face again. He couldn’t let it go.
He grabbed the keys from the security room, not even bothering to greet the guard there. It wouldn’t have mattered. The guard had fallen asleep on duty. Whoever showed up to relieve him would ream him for it.
He darted toward Ali’s cell and made no attempt to muffle his footsteps. He hoped she was awake. He needed to talk to her now, before everything was lost.
“Ali,” he said through the bars of her cell.
She stirred, turning to face the door. “What time is it?” The sunlight was a muted blue through her solo window. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.
He unlocked the door as quickly as he could. He just needed to be near her, to hold her. To make promises he wasn’t sure he could keep. What could he possibly tell her to make her believe he was on her side?
“Come with me,” he said as the door sprang open. He intended to take her back to the prison roof where they could talk in peace.
