Chapter 4: First time in forever.

Waking up the next morning, I stare at the ceiling, cursing myself for being such an utter fool. Reza played me, and I fell for it. Now I'm entangled in her mess, and there's no way out. I throw off the cover and sit up, the chilly air cutting at my skin.

I can't stop thinking about what happened yesterday. I was taken off guard and let the stress get to me. That is how they get you. They identify your weak points and probe them until you're too exhausted to fight back. I should've seen it coming. Instead, I'm left with no choice, and I have no idea what I'm getting into.

I get up and try to shake off my frustration. My boots landed on the floor with a dull thud, and I'm still seething as I pull on my jacket. The cloth is rough, worn from days of use, and it's exactly how I feel right now—frayed at the edges, ready to fall apart.

The broken mirror shard by the door reveals a face I barely recognize. My beard has grown thick, and my eyes have a tired expression that I can't shake. Great. Just what I needed before heading out into the middle of nowhere with a group of individuals.

But I've made my bed, and now I must lie in it. I've already done my part, updating the mission logs. There's no solid reason to back out now, no matter how badly I want to. Backing out would just make matters worse. Besides, what am I going to do? Stay here and wait for Selene to complete what she started?

No. Better to be out there with Reza and her crew, where I can see problems coming.

I grab my pack and rush out the door, but I can't shake the sense that I'm being drawn further into something I'll regret. I've seen what happens when people become too involved in the camp's politics. They begin making deals and trading favors, and before they know it, they are as terrible as the people they vowed they would never become.

I will not let that happen to me.

But when I step outside into the morning air, I realize I'm already in too deep. The saddest part is that I have no one to blame except myself.

I hurriedly wipe my spectacles clean with the shawl before wrapping it around my nose and mouth. A quick ion shower later, I move towards the gate, passing by the regular sights: guards on patrol, a few scavengers coming from the night, their faces pale and exhausted. People are wandering around, getting ready for another day, while others are as unresponsive as ever. Some give me a glance, but the majority don't. Just as well, I'd rather not be recognized right now.

Reza and her crew are already at the gates when I arrive. They're prepared, with weapons and packs, for whatever lunacy awaits us in Sector 74. I approach them cautiously and try to read their emotions. Reza has the same confident expression on her face, as if she is in control and everything is going as planned. It grates on me.

“Morning, Dev,” Reza greets me with a nod, her tone neutral. It’s like nothing happened yesterday, like she didn’t just twist my arm into a mission that could get us all killed.

“Morning.”

Through his mask, I can see Milo giving me a grin, a lopsided one that might be friendly or mocking—I can't tell with him. “Ready for a little adventure?”

I don't bother with a fake smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Kana is inspecting her gear, her gaze flickering up to meet mine. She says nothing, but her expression is one of curiosity mixed with something else. Perhaps there is some distrust? Whatever it is, I can see she isn't delighted to have me here.

Jax, on the other hand, appears more relaxed, reclining against the gate with his enormous arms folded. He nods at me, but it is more out of habit than anything else.

Rina, meanwhile, is absent and likely away scouting around us.

“Let’s get moving,” Reza says, her voice snapping everyone into action. “We’ve got to walk to Sector 2 before the sun’s full up.”

As we set off, my mind is already gnawing at the first of many questions that have been nagging me since I woke up. “Why are we walking toward Sector 2?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual. “Isn’t Sector 74 in the opposite direction?”

Reza glances over her shoulder at me, not breaking her stride. “We’ve got some equipment stashed there. Stuff we can’t carry around inside the camp without attracting unwanted attention.”

Milo chimes in with a chuckle. “Yeah, you didn’t think we’d just stroll into Sector 74 without the right gear, did you?”

I eye the old gun that he carries that shoots real, kinetic bullets. Yeah, I am gonna call bullshit on that. It’s not like I have a choice now, but their secrecy grates on me. So I just shrug and adjust my backpack.

We set out through the broken streets, skirting between the towering relics of the old world.

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Each sector revolves around a large mega-building, a hulking edifice that towers over the smaller skyscrapers and disintegrating apartments like a dying giant. Each of those behemoths used to house tens of thousands of people. Often for a specific corporation. The bottom floors used to be a big mall with housing that anyone could buy. Then, the higher you go, the more exclusive the floors will become. The top 30–40 floors used to be just for corporate employees and had the best features, the most security, and all the benefits. With the top few floors being massive apartments for the top members of the company.

The more you get to the city's center, the more these buildings cling to life, with fires still blazing in the depths, blasting out heat and pollutants that require a mask but it has greatly reduced since the Collapse.

In the outer sectors, the fires must have nearly all gone out, given the general newer and improved construction. Which explains why Reza is not bothering to wear her customary mask, not expecting to be in the city center and its smoke laden air for long.

As we travel, I try to stay in the center of the group, not trusting any of them, even with Reza's ‘protection’. In front of me are Jax and Reza, while Milo and Kana walk behind us. I have seen no hint of Rena’s presence, which is worrying.

The only sound we hear is the crunch of our boots on the debris-strewn streets. The others appear to be at ease, leaving me to mull over the events of the day before.

As we continue through the narrow streets, I fall back a little, listening to the murmurs behind me. Milo’s deep voice carries a low tone as he tries to keep the conversation private.

“Dev’s got a knack for finding trouble,” Milo says. “First, he saves a girl; now he’s here, thinking he’s playing with the big leagues.”

Kana's response is sharper, colored with frustration that she isn't trying to hide. “Yeah, and now we're pulling him along with our necks on the line. Reza should called in a favor from someone who knows what they're doing, rather than some greenhorn with too much to lose. She has more than enough favors to spend on an important operation like this.”

Milo chuckles, but it’s not a warm sound. “Greenhorn’s got spunk, though. Surviving this long without knowing the rules? Gotta respect that. Or maybe pity him.”

“Pity? Please. He is a liability. Reza's fondness for strays is going to end up with us dead. I'm not sure why she bothers helping him when he has plenty of coupons to make things easy. She's wasting time with him.”

I grit my teeth and maintain my gaze forward, trying not to react. They are correct that I am new to this, but they are mistaken if they believe I am here due to Reza's misdirected generosity. She's not wasting anything on me. I'm here because I can help in some manner, even if I don't fully grasp it yet.

Milo is not done, “Maybe Reza sees something in him. Or maybe she’s just hedging her bets. The camp’s a mess, and having someone who’s not part of the usual politics could be an advantage.”

Kana scoffs. “Or a disaster. We’ll see which one it is soon enough. But don’t expect me to play nursemaid. If he screws up, he’s on his own.”

Their comments linger in the air, a chilling reminder that I'm on a tightrope here. One mistake, and I'll be left to cope with the consequences alone.

We weave through the ruins of a collapsed structure, its interior a jumbled tangle of shattered glass and broken furniture. The once-grand lobby is now a shambles, with the remains of grandeur transformed into something ugly. The walls, which were once covered in sparkling tiles, are now cracked and soiled, with the occasional plant trying to grow through the rubble.

A heavy layer of dust covers everything, making it difficult to believe that this place was once inhabited. We take careful steps around the debris, the silence broken only by the occasional crack of moving rubble beneath us.

As we exit the building, we find ourselves in a narrow alleyway, hemmed in by crumbling walls. The path is strewn with bits of metal and broken bricks, and the air is stale, thick with the scent of decay. We pass by a small courtyard, its center dominated by a dry fountain that might have once been a place of beauty. Now, it’s a ghostly reminder of what was lost; the stone is cracked and has been weathered by time.

The sun's rays begin to shine through the fractures in the buildings, spreading lengthy shadows across the debris-strewn streets. After what feels like hours of trekking through the maze of disintegrating structures, we discover an alleyway between two buildings. It's tighter than all the other alleyways we have crossed paths with so far and sit in an awkward spot between the shadows of two buildings, hidden from the view of a casual passerby.

We emerge into a little clearing where the sun shines through, filling the space with light. It's a dramatic contrast to the darkness we've been walking through, and the brightness is almost overwhelming.

In the center of this clearing lies a solar panel array, oriented towards the sky and soaking in as much sunlight as possible. The panels are connected to a battery, which is then connected to something I haven't seen in good condition in several months now: a car. Not one of those elegant, flying machines that used to roam the sky before the Collapse, but a traditional, ground-bound vehicle with wheels and everything. I believe it was called a limousine, a long car for the rich to take to parties but now it's a rusting antique, more of a historical artifact than a mode of transportation.

Standing next to the car is a man I’ve never seen before. He's tall and wiry, his face partially obscured by a cowl, but what truly stands out is the old-school rifle slung over his shoulder. It is a relic, like the car, but it has been carefully kept, with every part polished and functional.

Jax walks over to the man, and they exchange nods. They chat in low tones, and I catch a glimpse of something passing between their hands—possibly a pack of something, but it's too fast to tell.

Reza watches the conversation with a satisfied smile before turning to face the rest of us. “Meet our new ride. It isn't much to look at, but it will get us to our destination.”

I look at the automobile and then back at Reza. “You have got to be kidding me. We’re taking this?”

Milo laughs, slapping the hood of the car. “Trust me, Dev. This baby might not be able to fly, but it’ll get us where we need to go quickly.”

“Plus, it’s not about the ride; it’s about the journey.” A sweet voice whispers into my ear, scaring the life out of me as Rina finally shows herself.

“Ughhh, you actually did it. Fine, you can drive.” Kana says in an annoyed voice that seems to be the default for her. “Go be introverted and sit all alone in the cabin.”

Rina, her cheeks all red, hops into the driver's seat, and we see her quickly shut the partition. It creates a barrier between her and us as we settle into the back of the cabin.