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Several hours later, we watch the bodies burn, standing upwind and far enough away from the fire to avoid the smell. It makes my eyes water when I know they should be watering for other reasons. I should feel sad, but all I really feel is strangely proud and deeply honored at the sacrifice they made to come for me and Freya and fight against the undead that defy everything we stand for. They think she’s gone, but I know better. I can feel her presence somewhere nearby, lurking in the woods, watching, waiting.
The bodies burn all night and, when I go back to the place the pyre once was, I see a forest has grown. Elevated and wild, the vegetation boasts things I’ve only seen in my dreams. But I’ve seen all of them in my dreams.
Humungous green beans the size of an arm with beans that are pink like brains and taste like cornbread. Stalks of blossoming bamboo weighted with flowers that hold big red fruits the color of beating hearts. Apple trees — I know what apples are, that’s the only fruit we got in Prayersville — and grape vines. Peach trees above all else.
We have enough to feast without hunting, though some Alphas still do. I’m not able to stop them and Freya doesn’t show her face. Her presence doesn’t fade either. Not sure what to make of it. I have only hope and a feeling to go by.
On the third day, something else delays our departure as well.
A group of scavengers arrives. They don’t even seem nervous about the Alphas surrounding them. Instead, their eyes are orbs, bugging out of their heads, taking in Paradise Hole as I’ve reimagined it. By the Alphas’ best estimates, my little garden stretches about a mile in every direction. And it’s still growing.
Adam is close by — he’s always close by either making plans or making innocuous conversation. He comes to stand beside me, getting up from the moss-covered log we’ve been seated on for the past hour just talking and together, we face the scavengers Balcazar and Vi lead to us. He angles his body slightly in front of mine in a way that hurts my heart. I wish he wouldn’t.I’m elated he does.
“Err, what should we do with ‘em, boss?” Vi says.
Adam strokes his beard but, before answering, looks at me. “Do you think they’re the scavengers who shot me?”
“That was Trash City.”
“No, the other ones.”
“Those were trolls.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The bridges and the backpacks.”
He barks out a laugh and I grin in response, unable to forget our shared adventure. Finally, Adam strokes his collar and says to Vi, “You’re asking the wrong person. We aren’t in Dark City. This is Echo’s garden.”
“Uh…Echo?” Balcazar jerks her thumb at the men. There are three of them, all Betas, of course. Their clothes are rags. They look malnourished. “Y’all need a place to stay? There’s empty rooms in the Dark City castle. You’re welcome there.” Adam balks behind me and Vi chokes on his next breath. That choking devolves into a coughing fit, even after Adam claps him brutally on the back. “Until then, you’re free to eat anything you find here. It’s all up for grabs.”
The youngest man is the one to speak. The others just stare slack-jawed. “We…we don’t want to move into a city. We like it out here. We just…” He sniffles and rubs his nose with his dirty sleeve. “We just left Trash City and are looking for shelter. It’s been wet n’ cold.” He speaks with a slight Dark City accent, leading me to think he might have been a Beta there, once.
I wonder if Adam thinks the same thing I do, because I’m surprised by what he says next. “Why’d you leave Dark City?”
He doesn’t answer, but slinks back behind the two men standing with him. The older one sets his pale hands on the younger man’s shoulders. “Alphas took my other son after he ascended as an Alpha. Later, we found him, but the only role that would allow us to stay close was serving his estate. We chose to leave instead.”
“You had the choice to stay close to him and you rejected it?” Adam’s tone turns sour and I feel my heart pinch on his behalf. He’d have made a different choice if he’d had the option of staying close to his sister. I’m sure he’d have done whatever he had to. “Your pride tore your family apart.”
The third of the scavengers stands the meekest and as he speaks, he stares at his feet. “Yes. Maybe. We just…we wanted more than our status.”
“You’re allowed to want more.” I reach forward. I take his dirty hand in my dirty hands and squeeze until he meets my gaze. “Even if it doesn’t exist, you’re allowed to keep looking. I’m happy to help try to make a shelter for you three out here. Just know that we won’t be staying much longer and when we leave, it might be a dangerous place to stay. More scavengers might come. There could be gangs.”
His blue eyes dim and his face falls. The three scavengers share a look, speaking a language all their own.
Adam clears his throat behind me. “If you’d like, I can arrange new roles for you. Something you might like…better,” he says through gritted teeth, “but that allows you to remain close to your kin.”
Silence. “What kind of roles?”
Adam makes a sound like a horse and when I turn to look at him, he’s rubbing a hand over his face and through his hair until it sticks up in several directions. “I don’t fuckin’ know. What d’you wanna do?”
They’re quiet. Meanwhile, I can’t stop the smile from claiming my face. Judging by the shocked expressions on Balcazar and Vi’s faces, it’s clear I’m not the only one surprised by Berserker Dragnovic.
“Look. I don’t know how they did it in the old days, but I know that it’s possible. Berserker Yaron’s Betas don’t serve. They’re more…integrated. Don’t know how, but I’ll find out. I promised the woman I love that I’d make changes. So, I’ll make changes. Don’t want you lookin’ anymore. Want you in Dark City,” he says to the man — to the three men — even while pink touches his cheeks and his words skewer me. Because I know they’re meant for me.
“It’s not safe out here. Don’t want here to seem like the better option. And you don’t like it after six months, I’ll think a’ somethin’ else. Get you safe passage across the Sea of Zaoul so you can settle in Shadowlands. Or better yet, my Omega’ll build a garden outside a’ Dark City that’s under my protection. A safe space for Betas, just…don’t stay here in Paradise Hole. Alright?” He’s rubbing his face again and everyone’s quiet.
“Damn, Dragnovic.” Balcazar whistles.
