“Oh, you're awake.”

I squinted my eyes and sat up, where I was greeted with a familiar scene. The tent was fairly clean, and a few of my clothes were on the ground. Beneath my sleeping bag, I grabbed the miniature water jug beside me and took a few much-needed sips. The dryness on my tongue faded.

“Here.” He handed me a towel, which I used to wipe my mouth.

It was the face I saw before losing consciousness.

“About everything—”

“Don’t. If I had something against you, I would’ve snitched to Ruby.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I saw what they did to you. They got what they deserved, though their punishment was kinda overboard. Nevertheless, the people in my squad should know better. It was an eye-opener moment for me. It may seem crazy how I’m justifying the deaths of my fellow squad mates, but those good-for-nothing shits deserve it for taking advantage of a lone girl, though that lone girl may be a killer with enough thirst for revenge.”

He got up with a tired groan, saying he would call for Harley. I didn’t argue and allowed him to do as he pleased.

They were still here. How long was I out for? I forgot to ask. It must not have been long, considering they were leaving soon.

The tent’s zipper sliced open. “Jill!” She jumped in and dove straight at me. “Are you ok? Is your head aching? Body? Is everything fine? Do you need more water? Food?

“I’m—I’m fine.”

“Jeez, right before we were gonna leave. Don't you ever scare me like that ever again.” Her sharp nail, shaped like a knife, pointed right at my face. She could seriously injure someone with those claws.

Right before they were going to leave?

“How long was I out for?”

“A solid five minutes.”

“All that fuss for just five minutes?”

“Yep. And we’re gonna leave soon, so get ya shoes on and wave us good luck.”

I got out of my sleeping bag, only for her words to finally hit me.

“Wait a second, wave you good luck? Meaning?”

Harley was halfway out of the tent as she peeked her head out. “Ruby decided it’s better if you stay.”

“What?” I shoved my way through Harley, who wouldn’t budge without force. “Where’s Ruby?”

“By the tent. And there’s no reason to trample me.”

Trample was an overstatement. I moved her out of place. I jogged to Ruby’s tent, where the entirety of Lex’s group resided. I guess Alexious’ group evacuated to the village.

I shoved myself through the dense crowd, bumping off bodies like a ball bouncing off the wall.

When I finally caught a glance, I called her name. She turned with a smile as I shoved through the final people.

“Am I not coming?” I asked.

“You’re ok, thank goodness. Lex told me you hyperventilated and passed out.” She touched my forehead with the back of her hand. “You are okay, right?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be good to go.”

“Jill, Lex suggested that the camp could use someone to lead the charge in case of an emergency. Us two and Nadia agreed it should be you.”

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I groaned with a hint of frustration. “Why me?”

Her soft smile never left. “The squad leaders are accompanying me. Harley isn’t going to stay back because she thinks Jermry will do something ‘heroically stupid.’ That leaves you to be in charge. With your experience, the doubts in my mind vanished. I trust you with the fate of our home.”

How could I refuse if she says that? The wording, her smile, the tone of her voice—I couldn’t defy her.

“Ugh—uh—fine. Who am I staying behind with?”

She smiled with gratitude, expressing her white teeth. “Twelve from Lex’s squad are staying here. The others either retreated to the village or are coming with me.”

Only twelve? Wasn’t half of Lex’s squad staying behind? When did they make this change? Oh well, either way, it didn’t affect me. I doubt a counterattack would even happen.

If their goal were to get Ruby, they wouldn’t come here. I could’ve said something, but I decided to stay quiet.

I laid all my trust in Harley and Nadia to protect Ruby. As long as they were both standing, Ruby was untouchable.

“‘Cuse me, coming through—ow, don’t step on my foot.”

“Don’t shove your way through.”

“Hey, remember who’s in charge.”

“Harley,” Ruby said, “Are you me?”

Harley placed Jermry in a headlock with his back parallel to the ground. “No, but I’m in charge of this show-off. I’m tellin’ you, he’s gonna do something heroically stupid.”

“You can let go of me now.”

“Fine. Just stay close and don’t stray. Oh, Ruby, Ruby, I checked on the food situation.”

“Oh, how do we look?”

“Good. We both double-checked. We should be fine for three days if it’s equally spread.”

Ruby looked pleased. “Great. We should probably head out. The sun should sink in an hour or two. We’ll march through the night till we need rest.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Harley said, snapping her hand up to her forehead in a loose salute.

Ruby hopped on her horse, facing the crowd. The group was eager to march into uncertainty. The air crackled with anticipation as their eyes shined with determination. They were mentally prepared for this. The test of courage and will was up ahead. Their faces were etched with a desire to get Quinn back. They weren’t going to let someone strip him away from them. Everyone double-checked gear and weapons, conversing in fantasies such as wagering how many heads they could slice off. Not one person seemed nervous. They all smiled as if this was the norm. The only explanation was that they drew strength from the presence of each other. Nods of encouragement were exchanged, and the voices of resolve echoed with a shared purpose: to bring Quinn back home.

Ruby held her sword straight into the gentle air.

“My fellow comrades. It’s been a haunting night. It wasn't easy to rest after receiving a notice on Quinn’s state. My brain only thought of my son. We all care and love Quinn, which is why we will push our best foot forward and get him back! We will not buckle and yield to any adversity. We’ll plow through and come back alive—all of us. As the leader of the Baraic Cult, Ruby and I promise everyone we will come back alive. I will not leave anyone to die!”

The crowd roared with mixed emotions. They were either eager to march or angered that Quinn was kidnapped. Maybe a mix of both.

“May we bleed together,” said Ruby.

Everyone repeated those words back to her. Ruby took the lead and started heading into the woods. Everyone else followed.

Everyone besides one person.

“Well, I’ll see you later.”

“I guess.”

She glanced at the talkative crowd. “They sure are lively.”

“Ya.”

“Jill?”

“What?”

“When I come back, want to go to Clueknicks? Maybe even Walisburg or Ulm? Your choice.”

“What for?” I asked while looking at the crowd that slowly vanished through the trees.

“Why not? It’s been forever since we’ve gone out. It’ll be fun.”

“I guess.”

Harley stared at the ground as if trying to hide an embarrassing pimple on her face. “Jill?” She asked while rubbing her fingers.

“What?”

She showed an unforgettable smile. It was genuine with a gentle curve, but that was only a mask that concealed her genuine emotion. It was a frail smile, so feeble that it disguised her genuine emotions. Her eyes revealed a flicker of sadness. They were full of raw emotion. It was clear she was in some sort of pain, but it wasn’t something I understood.

“I’ll come to Ionia with you.”

“Huh?”

“I thought about it for a really long time. I’ve been considering it since we had our talk a while back. I don’t want to leave your side, so I’ll accompany you.”

I couldn’t help but return a smile of my own. “That’ll be pretty cool.”

She glanced back at the crowd, who were no longer in sight.

“Shit, I got some catching up to do. Alright, I gotta head out.” She gave me a quick hug. “Stay safe, please.” She ran towards the woods, her body slightly turned to me. “I’ll be back soon! Let’s smash that blue box and get to Ionia!”

She vanished from my sight before I came up with a response.

My hand came down after waving, ‘See you later.’

I mumbled to myself with a smile.

“Ya, let’s go to Ionia.”