Chapter One
The apartment buildings towered over them, the decaying city quiet except for the odd squawk of a bird or rustle of a hedge. Nature had started to reclaim Vancouver, but that was hardly different from most of North America, possibly the world. Their parents had clarified that they were to avoid the old metropolitan areas, as there was no telling if gangs lurked in the ruins. If Gabriel had to choose between fighting gangs or dealing with the Republic, he would gladly face the gangs.
He clenched his jaw as he peered at the stub of his right pinkie finger. The skin had already grown over the bone, sealing the wound, but from how it had healed, the flesh would be scarred. It would serve as a constant reminder about what they endured at the hands of the Republic, not that he would forget anytime soon.
Gabriel shoved his hand into his pocket. They were free, and that’s all that should matter, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until they put more ground between them and that prison. He wasn’t going back there, and neither were his siblings.
Nadia had taken the lead, Adam at her side, with Isaac and Samantha hanging from his arms. Both Nadia and Adam appeared to have healed from their flogging at the hands of the Overseer. Gabriel was glad that old bitch was dead. He only wished he could have ended her himself.
Arleen and Lawrence lingered close to their siblings. Arleen had been abnormally quiet, still upset over her twin’s disappearance. Nadia and Adam had made the right call not to track April. She had made it clear that her loyalty belonged to the Republic; she had abandoned her five siblings to run back into the arms of her captors. Gabriel had no issue bringing others along, but his sister and brothers were his priority.
Elijah sipped at the thirty-year-old can of soda as they walked, remaining at the centre of the group. Dante wasn’t far from his side, Meryl holding tightly onto his hand. Meryl hadn’t strayed from Dante’s since their escape, and while it was apparent she was uncomfortable around the Gordons, they weren’t her primary concern.
Meryl kept glancing over her shoulder, past Gabriel, at the one person behind him. Charlotte hadn’t spoken a word, and Gabriel kept checking to ensure the older Dufort sister hadn’t fallen behind or wandered off. Most of their group would have been happy if Charlotte had disappeared, but Gabriel held no such malice towards her. If she became separated, she would either spend the last of her days alone or end up back in the hands of the Republic.
The Republic would torture her for information if they caught her, and then she would end up back with the other Reds, assuming they were alive. Gabriel would have slept better at night if he knew for sure Collin had died during the attack on the facility, but the slimy little bastard was probably still alive.
They changed their course after spotting an old faded sign pointing towards a shopping district. The only time they spoke was when Isaac needed to go to the toilet. They had been walking for over two hours when they finally reached their destination. Gabriel had seen too many towns destroyed by fire or flooding to be surprised when they encountered the first smoke-stained structure. The building next to it was half standing as if it had burnt out or been extinguished by rain. Regardless of how the fire had ended, it had caused massive damage in its wake, leaving nothing but steel frames and rubble.
The mall, or at least what he presumed to be the mall from the shape and size of the remains, was a lost cause. The parking lot was the only structure that looked as though it wasn’t ready to crumble. They changed course heading straight north. It was almost midday when Nadia ordered them to stop at a café. The shutters had been pulled down over the windows, but the lock had rusted away. Adam forced a shutter open with one hand, metal screeching against metal.
Nadia drew her handgun as she stopped at the door, ‘We’ll take a break, see if we can find anything to eat and drink before we continue. Stay close, and don’t wander off.’
Gabriel waited by the door as everyone filed in, his hand clutched around the lever-action shotgun. The only person to linger behind was Charlotte, her messy, uneven hair plastered to her face. From how she smelt, she had made no attempt to clean herself at the hotel.
‘Come on. It’s too dangerous to hang around outside,’ Gabriel said.
Charlotte eyed him with suspicion. She dashed past him, keeping her distance. Gabriel entered the café and had to resist the urge to cough. Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust; each step they made kicked more into the air. The place looked as though it had been shut for the night, its staff most likely still lying in their beds or on the couch in front of the television.
Lawrence pulled out a chair and flopped down, sending up a cloud of dust, ‘So now what do we do? That place was burnt down.’
‘In a city this size, there will be other stores and shopping districts,’ Nadia said as she opened the refrigerator. ‘We can always search through houses if we have no luck.’
‘I thought you said finding food would be simple,’ Lawrence snapped.
‘We’ve barely looked,’ Nadia said; it was clear from the look on her face that she wasn’t interested in a fight.
‘There will be plenty of shops to raid, and if there isn’t, we’ll hunt,’ Gabriel interjected before Lawrence could reply. ‘You’re quite welcome to return to the Republic if you prefer.’
The blood rushed to Lawrence’s face as he glowered at Gabriel. If Lawrence wanted a fight, Gabriel would happily oblige if it meant he left his sister alone.
‘This isn’t going to get us anywhere,’ Adam said as he ushered his younger siblings to the nearest table. ‘The Republic could be on our tail, and we’re wasting our time and energy fighting amongst ourselves.’
Nadia scooped several bottles of water into her hands, ‘Vancouver was a metropolis; there were bound to be supermarkets all over the place, and all we need is one. A mall would be better because we would also be able to find other supplies such as clothing and bags to carry stuff in.’
Dante squeezed Meryl’s hand as he sat, ‘Without any humans around, the wildlife population has expanded, and there are animals everywhere. Gabriel knows how to hunt, and we wouldn’t be far from the beach. I know how to fish.’
Nadia placed a bottle before Dante and Meryl, ‘We’ll find food. We just have to be prepared to search for it.’
Lawrence folded his arms and slumped further into his chair but remained silent. If any of them were going to cause them trouble in the coming days, it would be him.
Adam leaned against the counter, ‘We need to think about what we will do if the adults come after us. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and they won’t have the manpower.’
‘There’s plenty of places for us to hide in the city, but April could tell them where we’ve been, so the further away we are from that hotel, the better,’ Gabriel said.
Arleen wrapped her arms around herself, ‘You don’t think she would go that far? If the adults catch us now, they’ll punish us. She should know that.’
‘They have to catch us first,’ Nadia offered a bottle out to Charlotte as she sat in the corner, as far away from everyone else as possible. ‘They might have us outnumbered, but we have the advantage. We can hear and see better than them, and we’re armed.’
Elijah opened the refrigerator and took a soda can, ‘What about the alarm? How do we know they don’t have some kind of portable thing so they can take it with them?’
‘It’s possible, but it’s just as likely such a device was destroyed in the attack. If it even existed.’ Nadia said.
‘They didn’t use one at Haven. It would have made their job much easier,’ Dante added.
Gabriel laid his shotgun in his lap as he played with the nub of his pinkie. ‘Maybe it would be worth heading north, at least for a while. The Republic will probably think we’ll head straight back to Haven.’
Gabriel wasn’t in a rush to see his father. Luke had hid the truth of their own existence from them. He was also the only person who could fill in any missing information, assuming the old bastard didn’t play coy with them once they found him.
‘Gabe’s right. It will also take us further away from the Republic’s lands. The Republic won’t have any patrols up in the Northwest Territories, especially as there are so few settlements to raid,’ Nadia said.
Dante’s blue eyes widened, ‘Are you serious? That could add another thousand kilometres to our journey, and we have to travel by foot. How much of it is wilderness? What if we spend days on end wondering around the forest.’
‘Dad trained us well enough to manage,’ Nadia said.
Adam’s brow tightened as he glanced at his youngest siblings, ‘Which way would be easier on the children?’
‘Either way, it’s going to be a long walk, but the further north we are, the less likely we are to stumble across the Republic, machines or any gangs,’ Nadia said.
‘It doesn’t hurt that we’re at the start of June,’ Gabriel added. ‘The weather won’t be a problem.’
Adam nodded, ‘Then we’ll go north. Better to be safe than sorry.’
Elijah’s jaw dropped, ‘Wait. I thought we were going to find Dad.’
‘We will, but we can’t afford to take any risks, not while we’re so close to the Republic’s borders and we have children to look after. Keeping everyone safe is our first priority,’ Nadia said.
Dante glanced over his shoulder towards Charlotte, ‘We probably won’t find any settlements out that way.’
‘We’ll worry about that later,’ Nadia replied sternly.
Dante frowned as he glanced down at his boots. He wouldn’t cause any trouble with Charlotte. Dante had never picked a fight in his life, but Gabriel didn’t want to listen to him complain for days on end. From how Charlotte had crawled into the corner, not even making a sound, Gabriel had little concern about her.
‘Finish your drinks, and then we’ll get moving,’ Nadia said.
‘Are we going to have to walk all day?’ Samantha said.
‘We’ll stop when we find a safe place,’ Nadia said softly.
Gabriel turned as there was a low, muffled hum off in the distance, ‘Do you hear that?’ He knocked the chair down as he rushed to the door, ‘I think it’s a truck.’
Nadia and Adam came to his side as everyone remained silent. The hum grew louder, but with how much noise the patrol was making, it would be easy to avoid.
‘What should we do?’ Gabriel asked.
Nadia drew her handgun from her thigh holster, ‘Keep leading everyone north and try to find somewhere to gather supplies. I’ll go check it out.’
‘You’re not going alone,’ Adam said, taking the words right out of Gabriel’s mouth.
‘Yeah, I’m coming with you,’ Gabriel stated.
Nadia peered back and forth between them before her gaze rested on Gabriel, ‘Adam will come with me. You’ll lead everyone else.’
‘But—’
‘Adam has never been outside the facility before, so you’ll be able to navigate your way around the city better than him,’ Nadia said. ‘Adam and I will investigate the patrol and catch up with you afterwards.’
Gabriel reached out and took her wrist, ‘Nadia…’
‘We’ll be fine. Just keep your eyes open,’ Nadia lowered her voice. ‘And make sure no one gets left behind.’
Gabriel didn’t need her to elaborate, ‘I… I will.’
Adam drew his own weapon as he turned back to his siblings, ‘Sam, Isaac, stay close to Lawrence. I’ll be back soon.’
‘Don’t go,’ Isaac said as he jumped from his chair, but Lawrence scooped him up.
‘We won’t be long,’ Adam said.
Nadia gently squeezed Gabriel’s hand before she bolted out the door, Adam on her heels. Maybe he should have stopped her, but they didn’t have time to argue.
Gabriel released a sigh, ‘Let’s get moving. Stay close, and don’t make a sound.’
