The girl ran toward Nolan and wrapped her arms around him. Adam half-expected Nolan to push her away, but to his surprise, he didn’t. He simply stood there for a moment before gently stepping back.
“I told you not to wait for me,” Nolan said as the girl reluctantly released her grip.
“But I was excited,” the girl exclaimed, grinning.
Then she noticed Adam, along with Kate and Kiel, who was just getting off the bike. Tilting her head curiously, she asked,
“Who are they?”
“Someone here to help us with the car,” Nolan answered simply.
The young girl immediately rushed toward Kiel and offered her hand enthusiastically.
“Hi, I’m Beth,” she said with a bright smile.
She was just about Kiel’s height and wore a pink blouse paired with jeans. Her brown eyes sparkled with curiosity, and her short black hair framed her face neatly.
Kiel shook her hand and introduced himself in return.
“Sister?” Kate asked Nolan, glancing between him and the girl.
“No, we’re not related,” Nolan replied.
“Then how di—” Kate began, but Nolan cut her off sharply.
“That would be none of your business.”
Adam, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less about the exchange. His attention was completely focused on the car. He ran his hand along its shiny exterior, impressed by how well maintained it was despite everything. Suddenly, realization struck him, and he cursed under his breath.
Nolan heard him and turned. “What’s wrong?”
“The car,” Adam said. “It’s too strong to be used for LPG conversion.”
“So it can’t be done?”
“It’s possible,” Adam explained, “but it won’t reach its top speed. Worse, it could burn the fuel lines.”
Nolan paused, then nodded.
“Hmm. That’s fine.”
“Enough about the car,” Nolan continued.
“Spend the night here. The boy can use my room.”
He gestured as Kate, Kiel, and Beth stepped closer.
“As for the two of you,” he added, “there’s a ladder on the side of the house. It’s pretty cozy up there.” He opened the car door as he spoke.
“They can share with me,” Kiel pointed out.
“No. The room’s too small. Deal with it,” Nolan replied flatly.
He slid into the car and leaned back in the seat.
“And you?” Adam asked.
Nolan stared at him, then at the car, as if the answer should have been obvious.
“I don’t like that guy,” Kate muttered as she picked up their bags and headed toward the house.
“Maybe that’s why you shot him,” Adam whispered quietly, making sure Beth couldn’t hear, as he followed her with his bag slung over his shoulder.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
…
The place wasn’t bad at all. From the rooftop, they had a clear view of the night sky, stars shining brightly above them. It would have been the perfect place to sleep if not for the cold breeze that sent shivers down their spines. Thankfully, the rooftop had been fully covered with thick mats, sparing them from lying directly on the cold steel.
Adam and Kate lay atop the modular house, a few feet apart. They used their bags as makeshift pillows, trying to find some comfort. Adam still had his jacket and offered it to Kate when he noticed her trembling slightly, but she refused.
Suddenly, Adam heard the clatter of metal. Someone was climbing the ladder.
It was Beth. She struggled up with one hand while balancing two pillows and a folded blanket with the other.
Adam immediately stood and helped her up, taking the items from her.
“I’m sorry, this is all I could find,” she said, handing one of the pillows to Kate.
“No, this is more than enough. Thank you,” Kate replied warmly.
Beth smiled and carefully climbed back down the ladder, returning to her room.
“She’s kind,” Adam said softly.
“Yes,” Kate replied,
“unlike a certain someone.”
Adam chuckled but didn’t respond. He gave Kate the blanket and kept only one pillow for himself. He adjusted the plants and scattered boxes around him until he found a more comfortable position. Content, he lay down with his arms folded behind his head and stared up at the sky.
Just then, a single white shooting star streaked across the darkness, painting a straight line of light overhead.
“Do you think we should wish?” Kate asked, making Adam turn his head toward her.
A wish? Adam thought.
“Granted, the last time we saw one of those, it really wasn’t somethi—” Adam felt Kate’s voice slowly fade, as if it were drifting farther away.
I wish…
people around me
show what they truly are.
Adam suddenly sat up, his fingers pressing against his temple as he slowly shook his head.
“Hey, are you alright?” Kate sat up as well, leaning closer.
“Yeah,” Adam said, forcing a small smile. “Just a headache.”
Hearing his reassurance, Kate shrugged it off and lay back down. Adam blinked a few times, realizing the headache had vanished. He lay back down too, sleep eventually taking him as he replayed the strange words he had heard in his mind.
The night passed without incident.
Adam woke to the warmth of the morning sun. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, noticing that Kate was already gone. After climbing down the ladder, he saw a foldable wooden table set with bowls of vegetable soup. Kate, Kiel, and Beth sat around it on wooden stools.
Beth noticed him and immediately grabbed another bowl, handing it to him with a smile.
Adam nodded gratefully and joined them, asking where Nolan was.
Kate pointed to the right with her spoon. Adam followed her gesture and saw the car raised on a metallic ramp, Nolan underneath it, likely working on the fuel lines. Adam quickly finished his soup, eager to help.
After placing the bowl down and thanking Beth, he headed over.
“How is it?” Adam asked.
Nolan slid out from under the car, his expression unreadable.
“Nothing. I changed the fuel lines, but it still won’t start,” he said, wiping oil from his hands with a small cloth.
“Let me see.”
Adam removed his jacket and placed it on the hood. Nolan stepped aside as Adam slid beneath the car. Less than a minute later, Adam emerged and looked at Nolan.
“Everything looks fine.”
“Then why isn’t it starting?”
“Most LPG-converted cars need a bit of petrol to warm the engine before switching.”
“But there’s no gasoline left,” Nolan said, crossing his arms.
“There’s a workaround.”
Adam jogged to the bike, retrieved a small box from the sidecar, and brought it back.
“This,” he said proudly.
Nolan tilted his head. Seeing his confusion, Adam opened the box with his knife. Inside was a small, slightly curved metallic cylinder.
“This is a custom heater,” Adam explained. “It helps burn LPG without needing petrol.”
“And you had that all along?”
“I suspected this was the issue, but I wasn’t sure.”
“How do we attach it?”
“I’ll handle it. It shouldn’t be difficult.”
Nolan nodded and went to get another bowl of soup while Adam worked. To Nolan’s surprise, Adam finished in less than half an hour.
“That should do it,” Adam said, slipping his jacket back on.
“Really?” Beth asked excitedly.
“I think so,” Adam replied cautiously.
“You think so?” Kate raised an eyebrow.
“We won’t know until we try.”
Nolan tossed Adam the keys. “Then try it.”
Adam climbed into the driver’s seat. The others gathered nearby as he turned the key. The engine hummed, then stalled. He tried again.
This time, the engine roared to life.
Adam gripped the steering wheel, feeling the vibration surge through him. He smiled—he never thought he’d drive again after their last car exploded.
“Now I’m sure,” he said as he stepped out, looking at Kate.
Nolan allowed Adam to test-run the car with Kiel and Beth riding along, warning him not to go too far and to return Beth safely—something Adam suspected was more threat than joke.
The kids were thrilled. Kate understood why; they had been young when everything happened, likely never riding in a car since.
An idea crossed Kate’s mind.
“Was it for Beth?” she asked Nolan, who sat on a stool.
“What?”
“The car. Did you fix it for her?”
Nolan didn’t respond.
“You don’t need it,” Kate continued. “You’re safe here. You have food, water, shelter.”
“stop asking stupid questions” Nolan said, standing and heading inside.
“Call me when they’re back,” he added before shutting the door.
…
The car returned half an hour later. The kids jumped out, beaming.
“That was amazing!” Beth exclaimed.
“Too bad we couldn’t go faster,” Kiel added.
“Told you it would break,” Adam said lightly.
Kate tapped the steel wall with her gun to call Nolan.
“Should we look for panels?” Adam asked, tossing the keys. “I already asked Nolan if we could borrow the car.”
“Yes… about that,” Kate said. “We might have a problem.”
Adam frowned. “What kind?”
“There’s only one place left nearby.”
“that isn't too big of a problem who knows it might be the one with the panels” explained Adam.
"There's another problem"
"And that is?"
Kate sighed.
“It’s in the red zone.”
Almost as if signalled, Nolan opened the door of the modular house seeing both Kate and Adam's serious face.
"What about the red zone?" He asked.
Kate explained their situation and that they were looking for panels.
"Goodluck with that, just bring the the car back in one piece"
"Can't you join them?" Beth asked looking up to Nolan
"No," he replied sharply.
"But they could use your help" said the girl while crossing her arms.
Nolan sighed.
"Fine"
Beth smiled and shortly hugged Nolan.
"But in one condition"
Kate tilted her head and asked.
"And that is?"
"No guns" Nolan said.
"I want you to leave all your guns here"
"Wouldn't we be safer with them?" Asked Adam.
"Have you ever been in the red zone?" Asked Nolan while slightly shaking his head.
"Even if you used the gun to save yourself, the gunshot would probably awaken the alpha and we would all be dead regardless"
Adam wasn't sure about Nolan's explanation. Sure the alpha could be stronger than the rest of the greys but was it really that frightening?.
Surely not right? He thought.
Adam didn't know it then but he would eventually find out how wrong he was.
