Page 46 of Citadel

And maybe I’ll never see him again.

That last thought makes my gut clench, but I purposefully clear my mind until I’m relaxed again. Things are fine. Things are good.

They’re as good as this brutal world will ever allow.

Breanna isn’t chatty this morning, but that works for my mood. I’m not the kind of person who needs constant conversation, and my sister and I have always understood each other without speaking.

She’s on a mission right now. It might not be a life-and-death one, but it’s a job that’s hers to do. Her blue eyes gleam, and her cheeks are pink. She’s having a good time.

She needs the freedom and autonomy we’ve had lately even more than I do.

A few hours pass before we stop to rest, drink some water, and pee. We sit on large tree roots, leaning against the trunks, and smile at each other.

“We’re almost there,” Breanna says eventually. “Got another half hour. We’ll come out on what used to be a town. It’s been totally trashed now since it’s on what used to be a major road. We’ll skirt around the edge of it. There’s an old gas station that’s used as a message drop. We occasionally get folks passing through who check for messages and pass them on.”

“What’s this one asking for?”

She pulls out a note and reads it. “Medication. We’re always asking for that. And seeds or fruit tree saplings. They want to grow orchards, and all we’ve got are the cherry trees.”

“Oh. Okay. So someone somewhere will have apple or pear trees and send something our way?”

“That’s the hope. We’re on the outskirts here, so this message drop doesn’t get checked as often as the ones more inland. But they’ve been broadening that network more every year, so we might eventually get some help.”

“It sure would be nice to have apples.”

“I know.” She shakes out her arms and shoulders before she pushes up to her feet. “All right. Let’s get moving. Passing by that town is the most dangerous part of this trip, so keep quiet and follow my lead.”

I nod, unbothered by her older-sister bossiness because she actually knows what she’s doing in this while I don’t.

Of course I’ll do what she says.

We walk for a short while before we break out of the cover of the trees. Just as she said, we end up on what used to be a four-lane highway. Breanna glances from side to side before she gestures for us to cross it.

The pavement is torn up from use and weather and disrepair. I try to move as quickly as Breanna, but I have to watch every place I set my feet so I don’t step in a pothole or land on crumbling blacktop.

When we make it over the highway, we’re in what clearly used to be a town. As my sister said, it’s been leveled into broken ruins. There’s no way the destruction is only from time and climate. It looks like someone came through with tanks and trucks.

It was probably hit by a drove, back when the mobs of violent people roamed the roadways. They’ve all broken up by now into smaller gangs and packs—still dangerous but not so completely unstoppable.

Breanna moves as swiftly and silently as a shadow. It’s really quite impressive. I do my best to keep up and not trip on rubble or my own feet.

When we get to the gas station, she pulls up some heavy boards to uncover a hole. Inside, there’s a large packet, which she picks up and leaves the note in its place along with her own packet of what I’m guessing is vegetable seeds.

We have plenty of those, but somebody somewhere might need them.

It’s only fair to offer something in exchange for what we’re asking for.

“Okay,” she says, straightening up after replacing the boards. “We’re good. Let’s head back.”

“What did they give us?”

She shakes the package. “Sounds like pills. Will they fit in your bag?”

“Yeah, of course.” I unzip my bag and let her put the package in before I close it again and hook the straps over my shoulders.

“Let’s get back into the woods. Then we can take our time.”

I nod. We haven’t seen or heard a sign of another person out this morning, but that could change at any moment, so there’s no reason to take the risk.

---