“Wake up!” Banging accompanied the yell and the force shook the door to Tish’s room. For a moment she ignored, turning over in the sheets, but another solid thud snapped her eyes open.

“We meet in ten,” Eric said through the door. From the sound of his heavy footfalls on the tiled stairs, he moved on.

Don’t know why he had to bang the door so damn hard… Tish pushed off the layers of blankets, all moth-eaten and worn. She dressed quickly with small huffs, sifting through unkempt piles of clothes. But there was a barren spot on the floor by the door. Tish frowned and stared at it a moment before it clicked into place.

Shannon’s gear. It’s gone. She’d woken alone and still groggy enough not to notice his absence until the lack of gear stood out. Her tired mind flooded with reasons, questions, and frustrated excuses of why he’d not woken her up before leaving. But instead of indulging that part of herself, she finished packing and made for the door.

Tish entered the quad and the brisk air of the fogged morning stung her face. She squinted at the bright dull haze that settled low and hid the sky from view. That kind of diffused light that hurt her eyes more than the direct sun. She hiked up her pack and the request from the night before distilled in her mind.

“Got a package to deliver beyond the walls. Meet by the side gate. Early. Before breakfast. Pack for a few days,” Eric had told her and Shannon.

She didn’t mind Eric all that much. A direct kind of guy, not really descriptive or subtle. Kind of quiet but reliable. Though each one of those conclusions came on the back of whispers and the briefest of encounters. That, and apparently he liked smacking doors a whole hell of a lot.

She let her steps drag as she made for the meeting point. Though Tish had insisted on getting more information, Eric was the sort to shrug and let the people planning shit do the talking.

But thinking back to the moment, the quick words boiled down to “pack or leave for good”. Not his threat, but maybe his towering figure was meant to make it clearer. But it wasn’t the order that stuck in her mind so much as Shannon’s reaction. Or, rather, non-reaction. He’d been quiet which was not like him. Plus he left before I got up, so something is up.

Tish rounded the corner where a small group had formed, the only other souls she’d yet seen awake in the college. Brendan and Gabriel stood under the archway’s shadow, talking to a third with their back to Tish. Across from them, Shannon leaned against the brick wall. A smirk lit his lips, a subtle one, and he nodded Tish’s way.

She huffed out a breath and moved to stand beside Shannon. When she opened her mouth to speak, a curse dripped from behind her.

“Didn’t know you were coming,” Monte said. She knew it was him from the sneer in his words before she even turned. She didn’t like Monte before, even less so now. The memory of Viola and Peter gurgled like bile, and as her eyes levelled on the man, her fist tightened around the strap of her pack.

Don’t hit him. Don’t hit him. She repeated it to herself, nearly muttering the words while Monte rolled his eyes and went back to talking to his friends.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Why the hell are we going out again?” Tish whispered to Shannon.

He shrugged and avoided her eyes.

Bullshit. Tish wanted to say it but ground her lips together tight. His reaction to Eric’s order had been telling enough. The fucker knows something but won’t tell me.

Taking a deep breath and stretching out her neck, Tish fixed her eyes elsewhere. Don’t hit him. Don’t hit him.

While the five of them killed time in awkward silence, Greg sauntered up. He shot a glare Tish and Shannon’s way. The fuck is that for? she wondered but didn’t get to ask as he met up with Monte. When the group of them congealed together they acted like idiots, got all tribalistic, and Tish wasn’t looking forward to getting stuck beyond the walls with the idiots.

Never did she think she’d miss Laurence.

“Not exactly a small group,” she started to complain. Not directly to Shannon, no she was still pissed. But her voice dropped off as Evelyn approached with Eric, Helena and-

Ashley walked easily, even with Eric’s hand on her arm. She looked good for a prisoner. Clean clothes, a pack on her back. A pair of handcuffs circled her wrists, even the bandaged one, but looked pretty loose.

A rifle dangled from Eric’s other shoulder, another on Helena’s back. Even Evelyn came armed.

Oh god, she’s not coming, is she? Tish looked to Shannon, expecting the same thought to cross him, but he was looking ahead past her.

“Thank you all for volunteering,” Evelyn announced with a tight smile.

Tish’s lips parted, ready to shout at Eric when a smirk lit his lips for a fleeting moment.

Evelyn cleared her throat. “There is a long explanation that a few have been briefed on, for the rest of you here's the short. Lancaster has radio parts we need, but he won't give them up unless he sees Miss Cazalla.”

Monte spat at her name but it earned him a sneer from Evelyn before she continued.

“Take her there. Make the trade with Lancaster. If the parts are no good, we use his radio to make the call. No stupid ideas,” she said looking to Helena and then Eric. “And no thinking for yourself.” Her levelled on Monte. “Our package is to arrive without further harm.”

Tish flashed her eyes to Ashley and the bandage around her hand. It trailed up under her sweater and Tish couldn’t help but wonder what happened. But despite it, her skin had lost its pallor, even looked rosy. Good food and sleep will do that.

“I don't need to remind you that all our lives depend on this,” Evelyn said.

Eric let go of Ashley and Helena took his place at Ashley’s side. She led her forward and Tish watched Ashley’s eyes lock on Monte with an unrivaled glare.

“Helena is in charge.” Evelyn walked past Monte and his boys, right up to Shannon, and placed her rifle in his hand. He took it like it was some important gift, and all Tish could do was wonder where her rifle was.

Then, with a dancer’s grace, Evelyn spun on her heels and walked right up to Monte. Her face stood but a few inches from his, though in part because of her short stature. “Helena and Ashley are more important than the rest of you. They are not to be harmed. If I so much as hear a whisper that any of you were involved in their injury or death, get comfortable out there because you won’t be welcome back.”

Monte flinched. Just barely, but it passed. Can’t argue with a Jekyll, Tish thought before swallowing her own small measure of fear.

“Get going then.” Evelyn motioned to the gate.

Like a goddamn ghost, Finn materialized from around the corner, a few of his lackeys in tow. “A partying gift,” he said with a wink Evelyn’s way. He motioned with his index finger, and the men brought out firearms, handguns by the looks of it. One each to Eric, Shannon, Brendan, Gabriel, and Tish. Stopping in front of Monte and Greg, Finn chuckled to himself. “You're both in time out, boys. Maybe if you're nice, the others will share.”

Curses danced back and forth, but Evelyn silenced it with a wave of her hand. As the gate opened with a creak the group stepped over the threshold, leaving the safety of the college.