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“More prints, but no sign of anything else. Whatever it was isn’t close by, at least not anymore. We’ll just have to keep our eye out.”
He nods before frowning. “What did you find?”
“Your cell phone. It’s dead, obviously, but it might work when we get out of here. I thought you might want it.”
He shrugs but doesn’t say anything else. I put it on the log beside us and kick back, listening to the crackle of the fire.
“Think things have calmed down at home yet?”
He shakes his head. “Not a chance. Not if Luna has anything to say about it. It just depends on how in the loop she is.”
I laugh at that. “It doesn’t matter how in the loop she is. She’ll never give up on us.”
“Yeah.” He sighs, and we both lapse into silence.
It doesn’t matter that we’re doing this for the right reason. It’s still hurting Luna, and that eats away at us both, especially when we’re happy here with Salem. And that’s the kicker, isn’t it? We’re here building something with a woman we’re both falling in love with at the expense of our family back home who mourns us.
“Hey, guys, little help here,” Salem’s voice calls out from the end of the plane.
I jump up and jog over as she peers down at me. “Couldn’t sleep?” I open my arms to her and catch her as she falls into my arms.
“I had a little nap, but the smell of food woke me up. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
I carry her to the fire and sit her on the log beside Zig and take the seat on the ground beside her. She reaches up and starts playing with my hair.
“Hey, little one. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Tired still, but better. Is it weird that I’m okay? I feel like this whole thing is supposed to be some kind of traumatic experience, and yet, for the first time in months, I feel at peace.”
“It’s not weird at all. I was just thinking something similar myself. I feel like shit knowing what everyone back home is going through, but it’s easy to forget when we’re here in our own little world.”
“Right?!. It’s not exactly perfect out here, but now that we have the water situation figured out and a constant source of food, we’re not worried as much. Plus, not looking over my shoulder all the time feels nice. I miss some things for sure, like showers and coffee, but I can honestly say I haven’t thought about my cell phone once. Hell, I don’t even know where it ended up after Gerardo took me.”
“Speaking of cell phones, I found Zig’s.” I point beside her. She looks and picks it up, turning it over in her hands.
“It’s crazy when you think about how much these tiny devices have taken over our lives, but the one time we could have really used them, they were useless,” she jokes.
“Funny how things work out. We’ll keep it, though. I’m not sure if it will work if it’s been out in the elements for so long, but if we find somewhere to charge it, then it will be worth it just to have the option of using the SOS function.”
“Huh?”
I take the phone from her and show her the button on the side. “When the phone is charged, you hold this button down until an SOS message pops up on the screen. You just have to follow the prompts. Since this is an Apex-issued phone, the SOS will go out to all team members. Every one of our men is hooked up the same.”
“Handy. Shame they haven’t invented solar-powered cell phones yet.”
“I think they did. They just weren’t as good as people had hoped. The tech is there. It just needs developing,” Zig says before pulling the spit from the flames.
She sighs, taking the food from Zig when he offers it to her. “As much as I’m disappointed, a part of me is relieved too. I know we can’t stay forever. But right now, I’m happy where we are,” she admits.
I take the skewer Zig offers me and keep my mouth shut. I’m happy too, but as our supplies slowly dwindle, I know our happiness will be short-lived.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Zig
Despite the odds stacked against us, we fell into a routine. We adjusted to the rain and even managed to rig up a poor man’s version of a shower, but most days we hiked to the waterfall. By the time six months had passed, it felt like the rest of the world had disappeared, and we were the only three people left. Of course, letting our guard down was always going to bite us in the ass.
I stretch the kinks out of my back and stand tall, rubbing a hand over the nape of my neck. The sun has been brutal today. Though my skin is now a warm shade of brown, I know I need a rest from it for a little while. A quick look at my watch lets me know that Salem and Oz should be back from the waterfall soon. We keep pretty strict hours, not wanting Salem being away from camp near nightfall.
