Broken

Chapter 24

Someone shoved me awake. I woke up, startled. Charles was standing over me.

"Ready to go?"

I nodded groggily and he helped me up. I saw Mary Grace waking Dexter and Benjamin as the rest of us packed up. Everyone was about to leave when Seth said,

"I have a request."

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"I want to stop by Clayton. I want to go to my old home."

Charles and Hank glanced at each other. I could see the silent conversation. Mary Grace answered Seth.

"Of course we can."

Charles and Hank snapped their heads over to look at Mary Grace. Charles said,

"Mary Grace, it could be dangerous."

"Oh everywhere is dangerous, Charles! We aren't safe anywhere."

"Yes, but I heard that-"

"That Clayton had an extremely large and dangerous outbreak," Seth interrupted. "Yeah it did. It was so dangerous, my entire family died. But that was a long time ago. All I'm asking is that we go to my house then leave. We had supplies there. If no one's taken them, we can get them. It would be a win-win situation."

I saw Charles start to break, but Hank was still not with him.

"I don't want to lose any more people, kid," Hank said.

I saw Seth's face contort. "Then I'll go alone."

Charles gave a heartless laugh. "I don't think that's a good idea..."

"I'll go with him," I said. Hank looked at me with pain in his eyes.

He said, "Beth... I can't let you go on a suicide mission!"

"It won't be!" I argued. "We'll go through Clayton. It's a shortcut, so we'll meet you at exit fifteen tomorrow night. If we aren't there by the morning after, leave. Don't look for us. Deal?"

Charles and Hank had another silent discussion. Charles said,

"Alright. Deal."

I nodded and looked at Seth, who gave me a grateful look. The group was about to leave, when Dexter and Benjamin came running up to me. I squatted so I could be eye to eye with them.

"What's up, boys?"

Dexter reached in his pocket and pulled out his rubix cube, the one he had been working on for as long as I had known him. He smiled up at me and said,

"Will you finish this for me? I can't get it."

"Sure thing!" I said sweetly as I took his precious rubix cube from him.

Benjamin pushed Dexter to the side and said,

"Here's my lucky penny! I want you to keep it until we meet at exit fifteen so you'll have good luck and won't die."

He shoved the penny into my empty hand and ran back to the group with Dexter. They began their journey on the highway, while Seth and I plunge into the woods, on our way to Clayton.