Days had gone by since that small camp had suffered, and it seemed as though the community forgot about it. JJ and Hailey, along with the rest had gone back to work like nothing had occurred. Avery, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about it. It was constantly running through her mind. Finally she felt strongly enough to speak to her father over the matter.
"Avery, come in." Her father spoke calmly, looking over the rim of his glasses, "What seems to be the problem?"
Avery took a seat at her father's desk and made sure to lock on his eyes, "I think we should have extra lookouts. Ever since we found that camp attacked, it gives an uneasy feeling. They were attacked, and they were RIGHT there. We should be preparing in case they come here."
Kurt sighed and leaned back in his chair, "It has been days since the fire, Avery. If the people wanted to attack again, then they would have."
"How do you know that? What if they are out there right now just watching us?"
"Enough." He warned, giving Avery a cold stare, "Our people feel safe and I will not jeopardize that. You're far too young to understand what it is we are doing."
"I'm 25." Avery scoffed, "Just send me! Hell, I bet JJ would even go with me. We could scout ourselves and no one else would need to know."
"I said enough!" He slammed his hands on the table causing Avery to flinch. "We will not be discussing this any further. You are not to go looking for these people. Do you understand?"
Avery nodded with a clenched jaw, "Yes sir." She paused at the door as she was fighting a sick feeling in her gut when she turned to him, "We know the people that started the fire, don't we?"
"You're late for your shift." He sighed, looking back down to his papers.
Avery made her way back into the streets and looked around at the people. They were smiling and laughing, unaware of how bad the outside world actually was. She found herself in Med Bay, watching her mother and Hailey help those in the room. She found herself to be smiling at the scene. Hailey caught Avery's eye and sent her a smile and made her way beside her.
"What brings you here? Are you hurt?" Hailey questioned, overlooking her body for wounds.
Avery let out a chuckle, "No, no I'm okay! Do you have a minute? Can we talk?"
Hailey nodded and guided Avery into a nearby hallway where there were no lingering ears in the area. Avery's body language gave Hailey clear signs that she was really struggling within herself. In an effort to calm her, Hailey placed a gentle hand on Avery's arm.
"What is it?"
"I think my dad knows who started the fire at that camp." Avery blurted without any hesitation, "I went to him asking us to up the security and he basically said it wasn't needed."
Hailey's face grew concerned, "Are you sure he just isn't worried about it? Maybe it has already been handled."
"I'm a captain, Hailey. My crew wouldn't have gone out without me knowing... at least I don't think they would."
"Okay, so what's the play? What do we do?" Hailey added, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"Do you remember any of OUR people coming back that day with burns? Something out of the ordinary?"
Hailey pondered her thoughts, trying to remember any detail she could from that day. Her face instantly changed when she did remember one detail from that day, but the information would hurt Avery. If it didn't hurt her, then it would definitely make her feel some type of way. Hailey wanted to protect Avery, but she wouldn't be able to from this.
"You remember something, don't you?" Avery pleaded, "Hailey whatever it is, you have to tell me. We have to know who started that fire. What is it."
Hailey let out a breath, "People come in and out throughout the days, Avery. It is impossible to remember every detail of every shift. I'm also not ALWAYS here believe it or not..."
"I know... I know." Avery sighed, pushing her back against the wall.
"But," Hailey continued, getting Avery's attention once again, "All of us have to keep records of who we treat. That's how we relay the information to your dad about supplies. He keeps all of the records in his office."
"So, you're saying I should go snooping." Avery smirked, "That's something I can do."
"I can buy you sometime. I can call him in for a checkup! He won't fight me on it because it was his idea that we start doing it anyway." Hailey stated.
Avery agreed and smiled wide as they made their way back to her father's office. Avery took a hidden spot in a nearby hallway while she listened to Hailey convince Kurt to join her in Med Bay. At first, he was standoffish and disapproving but Hailey was persuasive enough to get him to follow. Hailey snuck a wink to Avery just as they left the building. Avery acted fast, picking the lock on her father's office door.
Avery's heart was pounding as she frantically searched through her father's office. She had been looking for hours, and was starting to feel like she would never find the hidden medical records she so desperately needed. She was about to give up when she spotted a locked drawer in the corner of the room. She quickly tried the code, her birthday, and to her relief, it opened.
As she started to go through the documents, she heard footsteps in the hallway. They were getting closer, and she knew she had to act fast. Her hands were shaking as she quickly scanned the papers, trying to find anything that would explain what was going on. Finally her eyes landed on what she needed... but her eyes had to be deceiving her. This couldn't be right.
The papers read:
Patient name: Kurtis Collins treated for burns.
Patient name: JJ Collins treated for burns.
Avery continued to look over the papers and noticed the date and time in which these were recorded. It was BEFORE the fire was noticed by the community. Which means they would have had to have been there before the town was destroyed,
This also means... It was them. They set the fire. They killed those people.
The footsteps grew louder and she knew that whoever it was would be in the room any moment. She grabbed as many papers as she could and stuffed them back into the drawer and locked it back up. She was about to leave when she heard the door handle turn. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she had to hide.
Avery quickly slipped behind the desk and held her breath as the door opened. She could hear someone walking around the room, searching for something. She knew it was only a matter of time before they found her. She closed her eyes and prayed that they would leave soon. But the footsteps grew louder and she knew they were getting closer. She had to act fast.
With a burst of adrenaline, Avery jumped out from behind the desk and ran to the door. She could hear the person behind her, but she didn't look back. She didn't stop until she was out of the building and safe. She had the information she needed, but at what cost? What can she do with this information?
Her mind was running a mile a minute trying to search for all of the answers even though she knew she wouldn't get them by standing here. Avery took in a deep breath as she began to run home. Avery's blood boiled more when she saw JJ standing outside with a friend of his. Without saying any words to him, she sent a strong shove into his chest which forced him to the ground.
"What the hell was that?" JJ scoffed, getting back to his feet, "Is it your time of the month or something?"
"What did you do to those people, JJ?" Avery shouted, "We help people! We don't burn them!"
The two continued to shout at one another, unaware of the crowd that was forming around them. Avery was too blinded by anger to stop. She wanted to know what changed. JJ had followed her to the camp, he helped the wounded. How could he have done this? How did she not see this?
"Avery, you need to take a breath, okay?" Hailey spoke softly, getting Avery to lock eyes with her, "People are listening."
Avery whispered her reply, "They should be listening." She took a few steps backwards and turned to face the people that had formed, "You guys are playing house. That smoke the other day? That was a fire from a camp!"
JJ took a spot beside his sister, "Avery, you need to stop this."
"I would've said that to you had I been there." She scoffed, ignoring him, "We set the fire! YOUR leaders started it. And for what?"
Instantly the crowd began to murmur amongst one another and you could see the fear in some of their eyes. Avery took breaths in an attempt to calm herself, but anytime she locked eyes with JJ she got angry all over again. He was just a teenager, how could he do this? She wasn't going to let this be hidden. The people deserved to know. It wasn't until she saw her brother's eyes that she knew it was true. They had murdered those people. That's what this world had become, but that didn't mean they had to follow.
The whispers in the crowd slowly faded as a larger group joined. However, this group was led by Kurt. He locked eyes with his children and nodded. He turned to his people and outstretched his arms. He was smiling. Laughing, even. Avery watched him closely, unsure what he was going to do. How he was going to get out of this.
"People!" He began, "I know you all may be confused right now on what you just heard. I would be too, I get that." He paused, looking at Avery, "My daughter leads with emotions! We all know that. She saves people. In fact, she saves all of you anytime she goes outside these walls. Yet, she doesn't understand."
At this time, Bethany and Hailey came into view within the gathering. Beth made eye contact with her children and then with her husband last. Avery wondered if her mother knew as well? If she was the only one that wasn't included in this.
"Makes me wonder if outside the walls is where she needs to be! Starting accusations like this is dangerous. Creating this fear you all have is dangerous." He stated, coming face to face with Avery, "Pack your things, gather some ammo and food. You will be outside of these gates by nightfall."
"Kurt..." Bethany stepped forward, getting a silencing hand from him.
Avery clenched her jaw and nodded, heading into her home to get her bag ready. She could tell that someone was standing behind her, refusing to speak. Avery finished packing a few clothes and turned to see her mother with stained and red eyes. Bethany was so choked up she could hardly speak, so she pulled her first born into a tight hug.
Avery's muffled voice broke the silence, "You have to find a way to stop them."
"I know, baby, I know." Bethany cried, placing a kiss on Avery's forehead. "Just come back to us."
Avery nodded and headed downstairs, passing her father and brother along the way. They tried to speak to her but she chose to ignore them and continue on. She chose not to look back. If she did, she may not have had the strength to continue leaving. Avery finally made her way to the front gate and a few members of her scouting crew were there to say bye and she gave them a small smile as the doors opened.
As she made her way to the door, once again she heard footsteps approaching her. Avery turned to see Hailey with a backpack and gun wrapped on her shoulder. Hailey gave Avery a smirk and followed her the rest of the way out of the gate. The two stood and watched as the gate closed behind them, and they were officially outcasts.
"Why did you come?" Avery finally questioned, "They're punishing me, not you."
Hailey smirked, "Someone had to keep an eye on you."