Chapter 2
A few hours later, Sam and Zeph returned—their faces a shade darker from exposure. I’d skipped eating, my stomach too nervous from fretting over the morning’s events. I’d never killed anyone before, though I knew that with our secret, the time would likely come. Zeph’s words came back to me. It was him or us. The hollow, sick sensation in my stomach told me that no matter how necessary my actions had been, living with the guilt of taking a life would be a high price to pay for our survival.
“What did you do with the body?” I set bowls of venison stew in front of Sam and Zeph.
Sam released a long, slow breath, the exertion and stress of the day showing on his face. The whirring of the generator filled the silence, reminding me of all that Sam had accomplished. He’d added solar panels to the house and barn, created several small vertical wind turbines that fed us electricity when we needed it, and built a huge greenhouse with environmental controls that provided us with a year round food supply. To protect it all, he’d devised a holographic image around the property that made it appear to be a continuation of the surrounding woods. I plunked the warm pot onto the table and waited for his answer.
“We buried him at the bottom of the ravine. No one will find him; don’t worry.”
I poured them both some spiced tea and shifted my gaze between the two people I loved and trusted most in the world. Worry was all I’d done since I’d seen the man in the market, his eyes cold and determined, his tone threatening. “What about the vehicle?” I asked.
A grin spread across Zeph’s face. “We camouflaged it so we can go back later and strip what’s left of it for parts.” Sam nodded in acknowledgement and dug into the stew.
I trusted their ability to make just about anything blend into the surrounding landscape, but my nerves remained on edge. Sam’s engineering and mechanical expertise had allowed us to survive in the hills in relative comfort for a long time. He’d even managed to keep an old Land Rover running in case of emergencies, a tank of biofuel at the ready. We had an escape plan in place if we ever had to make a fast getaway, but the thought of being driven from our home made my knees feel weak and my chest ache. Life outside of Stanton would be vastly different, and likely dangerous. I set butter and a half a loaf of bread on the table.
I sank into a hard wooden chair as Sam dipped a thick slice of bread into his gravy. We still had plenty of potatoes, carrots, and onions, but we were running low on meat unless there was some animal caught in one of Zeph’s traps. I glanced at the door. The crack of sunlight peeking through the blind let me know that my window of opportunity to be outside was fading fast with the sun.
“Don’t look so worried, Lily. We have it under control. Nobody is going to know what happened and it’ll be a while before the Industry people come this way again.”
“What do we do then?” I searched Sam’s face and then turned to Zeph who was slurping gravy from his bowl like it was any other day. “What happens when they send someone else?” I demanded.
Sam set down his fork and rested his elbows on the table. “I’ve got a plan; trust me. But for today, you and your brother are safe. We can’t go worrying about what-ifs. Your mom used to say, ‘Let’s not borrow trouble’.” He picked up his fork and stabbed another piece of meat.
I sighed. At least we all had the same philosophy about not looking too far forward into the future. If I was charged with murder, falling into the hands of the Industry would only be the beginning. I rested my chin on my hands, exhausted from the tension that had my shoulders strung tight.
