Prepare for the Worst

CHAPTER 1 CHARLIE

CHAPTER 1CHARLIE

November 22, 2090

Four days. I hadn’t found a trace of Rochelle or a clue to her whereabouts in ninety-six hours. After leaving her with Molly on that gravel road outside of town, I had foregone sleep to aid with every phase of the search. Too tired to stay awake while sitting down, I paced from Alexander’s kitchen into his living room and back again. Each time I passed, I stopped at the window above the big kitchen sink, slid aside the thin curtain, and scanned the front yard lit only by the porch light and the moon.

“The Defiance has taken control of Dallas and continue their southward march to Austin. Militias have formed to stop their progress, but they’re outnumbered and disorganized in comparison to The Defiance.” I switched off the radio before the reporter could deliver any more bad news about the country’s gradual fall to Defiance rule.

“You have to eat something, Charlie.” Alexander, twenty years old and mayor of the small Nebraska town of Maibe, poked at the contents of an open Styrofoam container on the kitchen table. A closed one sat in front of my empty chair. On his way home from the weekly council meeting, he stopped at the diner and picked up two hamburgers with fries. Although he’d tried to convince me to take my usual notes to write the meeting report for the newspaper, I couldn’t imagine attending without Rochelle. And I dreaded the questions the remaining three council members would ask.

“I’m not that hungry.” The response had become automatic whenever food was offered. For the first forty-eight hours after I’d lost Rochelle, Alexander and I had driven up and down miles of gravel roads north of town. We stopped at every farm to talk to the people living there and walked around the abandoned ones but came up empty in our search for a red truck. For the last two days, I’d been unable to shake the sickening realization I would never see Rochelle again and it was all my fault.

“Please.” Alexander sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m going to see Kinley in a little while and she always asks how you are. You should really call her—or better yet, stop by the house with me.”

Walking over to the table, I flipped open my container and shoved two fries into my mouth. “Tell her I’m alive, and I won’t rest until I find Rochelle. I don’t expect her to forgive me.”

“She’s not mad. Just worried. About you, about Rochelle, about Todd.” The dark shadows under his eyes and the way he leaned heavily against the table indicated I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept in days.

The only good news we’d received was that Todd was slowly improving. If he hadn’t been in such bad shape, I never would have left without Rochelle, but I couldn’t have convinced her to choose her life over her best friend’s. Molly had created a situation that could only work in her favor.

For a moment, I imagined the safety of the library at the Aumont house, the kitchen smelling like coffee and freshly baked bread, the warm comfort of my bed. Alexander lived in an old farmhouse big enough for a family of ten. It was clean, warm, and gave me plenty of space, but it wasn’t the same. As much as I wanted to go home, the memory of disappointment in Kinley’s eyes and the anger on Kat’s face when I told them I’d failed to protect Rochelle twisted my stomach into a knot.

“I can’t face them without Rochelle.”

“We’ll find her.” Alexander stood and clapped my shoulder. “If you change your mind, I’m leaving after I change into a clean shirt.” I didn’t respond and he didn’t push further on his way out of the room.

Alone, I looked down at two uneaten meals, then carried them to the refrigerator, trying to decide whether it had been yesterday or the day before when I’d last changed my shirt. The phone rang with an ear-piercing peal, and I banged my head on the edge of the freezer door.

“Can you get that, Charlie?” Alexander shouted from upstairs.

Rubbing the back of my head and hoping it wasn’t Kinley, I pulled the ringing phone from its cradle and pressed it to my ear. “Alexander Brewster’s house. Can I take a message?”

“Keppler? Why are you at Alexander’s?”

“Aumont?” I gripped the phone so tight I thought it might snap in half. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital. I need Alexander to come and get me.” Her voice shook and she cleared her throat. “I don’t want to upset Kinley and if she sees me . . .” She took a sharp breath and I heard another voice, softly comforting her.

“We’ll be there in ten minutes.” I looked up as Alexander hurried into the room, still sliding one of his arms into his button-down. “Just stay right there, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.” The phone crackled and clicked on the other end.

“Charlie, what’s going on? Who was that?”

“Rochelle. Hospital.” It was all I could manage to string together as I pushed Alexander toward the door, stuffing my feet into my shoes on the way out. We ran to the truck, and Alexander started it up and pressed the pedal to the floorboards. I willed him to drive faster.

When we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I jumped out before we stopped moving and sprinted through the door to the emergency department.

Ahead, a thin figure lay on a cushioned bench, knees curled to her chest, face tucked into her arms. I ran to her. “Aumont?”

Slowly, Rochelle lifted her head and sat up, squinting against the fluorescent lights.

“Aumont, you got away.” I collapsed onto the seat next to her, careful not to touch her as I registered the purple and black bruises spread over the left side of her face. Her eye was so swollen she couldn’t open it. She was filthy from head to toe, hair a tangled mess around her face, and the blue jacket she wore didn’t belong to her. “I never should have left you. I’m so sorry.”

“You had to.” She gripped my shoulders. “Todd? Is he . . .”

“He’s safe. Recovering here in the hospital.”

Her eyes teared up and her shoulders relaxed as she released mine. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And the pendant?”

“I have it.” I wished Rochelle had never learned it existed. The wedge-shaped plastic pendant, if united with the other seven, created a key that could unlock research leading to a miracle vaccine or the world’s next pandemic. Molly and The Defiance wanted the one left to Rochelle by her father, which led to Rochelle’s kidnapping.

She took a deep breath and lunged forward, squeezing me so tightly I couldn’t breathe. “Molly knows about your connection to The Defiance and Griff. She figured it out. But I won’t let them hurt you. I promise I’ll fix this.”

Her words slithered through my veins like ice. “It’ll be okay, Aumont. Just catch your breath.”

“Be careful, you’ll hurt her,” an unfamiliar female voice scolded me.

Two teenagers approached. The girl had short dark hair and a pretty face, wore jeans and a light jacket, and carried a wad of wet paper towels in her hand. A boy with curly blond hair sauntered beside her.

“It’s okay, Lareina.” Rochelle forced a smile. “Keppler is a friend.” She squeezed my hand. “Keppler, this is Lareina. She picked the lock and we stole a truck to get away from Molly . . .” Her voice trailed off as she watched my face contort in confusion. “I’m sorry. My head hurts and it’s hard to explain.”

Lareina nodded and put her hand on Rochelle’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Keppler. I’m a little on edge right now.” She turned her attention to Rochelle and sat down beside her. “I called Kinley and she’ll be here any minute.”

“No,” Rochelle protested in a sudden gasp. “If she sees me, she’ll flip her lid. She’s going to . . .”

“She’ll be so relieved.” Lareina gently pressed the paper towels to Rochelle’s face. “We can’t let her worry a minute longer.”

Lareina? The girl Max had a crush on in second grade? How did Rochelle run into an old friend while she was being held hostage? I glanced at the boy, who shrugged as if to say he was just as lost as I was.

A loud commotion came from the entrance and then Alexander, Kinley, and Kat rushed toward us. At the sound of Kinley’s voice, I sprang to my feet, prepared to be scolded or questioned, but she rushed past me.

“Oh, Rochelle.” Gently, she cupped her cousin’s face in her hands. “What happened?”

“I was . . . I just . . . I thought I would never see you again.” Any feigned bravery vanished and Rochelle’s voice dissolved into sobs.

“You’re okay.” Kinley sank into my recently vacated seat and cradled her cousin in her arms. “You’re safe now. We’ll get you to the doctor and then we’ll go home and get you cleaned up.”

“No, you have to stay away from me.” Rochelle didn’t lift her face from Kinley’s shoulder. “Molly said she’ll hurt you to make me help her.”

Kat stood next to Alexander, gripping his arm, eyebrows furrowed as she studied her sister.

Lareina squeezed Rochelle’s shoulder as she made eye contact with Kinley. “I told her Molly wouldn’t dare follow us back here. She wouldn’t risk it.”

“That’s right.” Kinley tried to smooth Rochelle’s tangled hair. “Alexander’s here, and he won’t let Molly get anywhere near us ever again.” She looked up at Lareina and gave her an understanding nod. “I have no idea how you managed to find Rochelle, but thank you for bringing her home. We owe you so much. Whatever you need.”

Lareina’s stiff shoulders relaxed a little. “It’s just good to finally be home.”

I took a step toward Kat, but she gave me the same angry scowl as the last time we stood in the hospital. Before I could try another apology, a nurse I recognized as one of Kinley’s friends walked over.

“Kinley, you can bring Rochelle to the exam room. Dr. Brooks will be right in.”

“Thank you.” Kinley stood and held her hands out to her cousin. Rochelle pulled herself up, but her knees buckled. I dove forward to catch her elbow.

“I’m sorry.” She leaned heavily against me, failing to regain her balance. “I get dizzy sometimes.”

“She hit her head and I don’t think she’s had anything to eat or drink in a while.” Lareina hovered nearby. I didn’t know her, but the suspicion in her eyes mirrored my own distrust of her.

“Here, I’ve got her. Ready?” Alexander slipped an arm behind Rochelle and hoisted her into his arms as easily as if she were a feather pillow.

Kinley patted my arm. “Wait right here. You and I need to talk.” She glanced over at Lareina. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you have a place to stay and everything you need.” Taking Rochelle’s hand, she led Alexander to a hallway at the other end of the waiting room.

Kat folded her arms over her chest and scowled at me. “I can’t believe you just abandoned us. I’ve been awake for days, worrying about Rochelle, trying to comfort Kinley every time she argues with Audrie over the phone, and taking care of everyone all by myself.” The forceful anger drained from her voice and tears sprang to her eyes. “I thought you cared about us. If you’re part of our family, why weren’t you there when we needed you?”

“I just . . .” My mouth went dry and my stomach hurt. No matter what I did, it was always the wrong thing. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. “I’m going to fix all of this.” My feet sidestepped her and took a backward step toward the door.

Kat watched me through betrayed eyes. “If you leave here, don’t even bother coming home.” She turned on her heel and strode after Kinley and Rochelle.

I sank to the cushion of a waiting room chair. People like me weren’t meant to have a family. The best thing I could do for the family I didn’t deserve would be to find Molly and trade my life for Rochelle’s. If she wanted the pendant, I had it. If Griff wanted me dead, I deserved it.

“She’ll be okay.” The blond boy held his arms open to Lareina, who blinked away tears. “And Aaron will be okay too. Everything will be okay.”

Lareina nodded and leaned into his embrace. “This isn’t how I imagined we’d find her, Nick. But now . . .”

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. “You’re home and we’re safe. For real this time.”

I watched the relief and the uncertainty wash over them as they considered the possibility of a new life and a fresh start in Maibe. I’d had that once, but I fought it every step of the way and never let myself appreciate everything I had until it was too late. I believed my own lies that I could escape my past and hide from my mistakes. The Aumonts had given me everything, and I’d repaid them by dragging them into the darkness with me.

Nick and Lareina sat huddled together a few seats down. It didn’t matter how they’d found Rochelle, only that they’d done the one thing I couldn’t and brought her home. They belonged in Maibe more than I did. I didn’t belong anywhere.

Leaving Nick and Lareina lost in their own world, I stood and made my way to the exit. Molly thought she was in control, but I wouldn’t let her hurt my family again. I would go back to The Defiance camp and turn myself into Griff along with the pendant. Before he killed me, I would assure him Rochelle knew nothing about any of it, and then Molly would be useless to him.