Page 31 of The General's Captive
Six people made up the council, including Riley and myself. And despite how mercenary it sounded, when one died, another took their place, based on the level of training and how long they had been here. Although there were some, like Rodriguez, who wanted no part in the decision making and, honestly, I hadn’t blamed him. Had I not been the one to gather all the information I knew would help, then I wouldn’t have wanted to take a place around this table, either. In fact, the only reason I did wasbecause Riley asked me. He convinced me I would be an asset and, well, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for him.
“Officer Brooks, I understand you are in distress, but I must remind you who you are talking to.” Commander Taylor said, her gray eyebrows pulled in tight. It wasn’t a secret between Riley and I that we didn’t like the bitch.
At first, I had been surprised coming here and seeing there was a female on the council, but also happy that it wasn’t all men like I had half expected. But not so much now, especially after realizing she was more about power than anything else. Which, unfortunately, meant she had only grown more power hungry over the years. Even more so after she took over the position of Commander after Harris had died during an attack. These days, she fought in those attacks less and less, and everyone had noticed.
Riley gritted his teeth at her tone, but he kept quiet… although it didn’t last long.
“What you have just told us is concerning, yes, but I believe in our defenses, and I have faith in…”
“No offence, Commander, but it’s been a long time since you have been beyond these walls and seen for yourself how powerful the General is,” Riley bit back, and we all knew it was a low blow but even still, he wasn’t wrong.
Which was why she flinched like she had received his words physically before her face hardened. Her short gray bob cut jerking back from her slim face.
“Careful, Officer Brooks, as that is the last time you will interrupt me,” She threatened before trying to defend herself. “Besides, I know enough that should we leave this place we are all dead and, here, we have strength in numbers. But you are asking us to divide those numbers to escort civilians away from here, which will put us at a disadvantage, one that could tipthe scales of victory. So, the answer is no, and as the appointed commander of this base, I outrank you.”
Riley’s jaw clenched in response.
Commander Taylor was known for her short temper, and even though I could understand the burden of running this place, this wasn’t solely her choice to make, and I was in no mood to allow her to dismiss Riley’s plan so quickly. His fingers began to clench around mine, which was a clear sign that Riley was not in the mood either.
“You didn’t see it out there, Commander. The creatures are too smart, too powerful, even against trained people like us. If we stay and fight, we will have no hope.” Riley’s voice broke at the end, and I could see the emotion on his face like exposed scars.
I had never seen Riley this way, so open and raw. It broke me a little inside to see him this vulnerable and I wanted to do all I could to protect him. Because he was usually such a closed book when it came to his emotions, but I knew what happened with Rodriguez had broken something inside of him.
“Commander, if I may,” I said, giving Riley’s hand a quick reassuring squeeze before letting go.
“I ask that we vote on it, as I have to agree with Officer Brooks here.”
The Commander’s gaze shot through me like Chimera fire. She was the queen of intimidation, but I wasn’t about to put up with it. I’d fought worse things than this battle of wills.
“We know the General is on the way, with his own personal army. Like you said, it gives us an advantage and that is to …”
“An advantage we can use to better defend the base,” the Commander’s voice interrupted, its definitive hard tone damn near echoing off the walls.
“Commander Taylor, you asked Riley not to interrupt, I would expect you to abide by your own standard and ask you dothe same in return,” I stated firmly, holding her icy blue gaze, proving that she couldn’t just bully me into submission. No, instead, I would fight this battle by the standards she herself had voiced. I could practically feel Riley’s approval beaming at me.
“I was going to say that the only advantage we have at this point is to evacuate.”
At this she scoffed and snapped, “To run away like cowards, you mean.”
“I mean to save as many as we can instead of letting everyone be slaughtered within these walls!” I shouted back, losing my temper.
The other councilors, whom I had completely forgotten were even still in the room, thanks to their lack of input, gasped loudly. Riley was even surprised enough that he choked on his breath. As for the commander, she stood, bending forward so her hands were flat to the table. I was quick to mirror her stance. The tension was palpable as we continued to stare each other down.
“Officer Clavis, you forget yourself. It looks like Officer Brooks’ outspokenness is rubbing off on you. I advise you tread carefully,” she threatened, making me close to sneering at her. All I wanted to snap back was,‘I advise you stop being a stubborn pain in the ass and listen to us, you stupid old cow, before you let everyone die!’
I refrained, of course, and despite knowing this was most likely going nowhere, I continued regardless.
“Riley has seen the General and his army clearly heading this way. We don’t know exactly how long we have, but we suspect if we act now, that it’s enough time to get everyone at risk out of here. We could use the second base…”
Once again, she interrupted me, this time with a scoff.
“You really expect us to move everyone to Twin Falls? It’s a thirty-minute drive or a five hour walk, and what about all theprovisions we have accumulated, what are you suggesting, we just leave it all behind…? It’s outrageous,” she muttered, but just as I was about to open my mouth, Riley got in there first, now standing next to me,
“We pack up what we can and hide the rest. Once it’s safe, we come back and rebuild, or we focus our attention on the next base. Either way, our rate of survival goes up.”
“Yes, and once we are there, what then? How do we survive? The Railway Station isn’t even nearly complete.”
I wanted to roll my eyes and ask her how her nice, comfortable bed was, or how convenient her private sitting room and bathroom were, because it seemed like she was more worried about losing her own comforts than us all actually surviving this shit. It was like she had become completely detached from the nightmare that was still happening beyond these walls.
