"You alright?" Carlos asked me right as Ray joined us. Neveah couldn't hear us from her where she stood on the opposite side of the Judge's group, but the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. Their plan had worked.
"I'm okay," I answered, taking a deep breath. I was still in too much shock to be anything but elated.
"You sure?" Ray asked as he looked between me and the Judge's group. "You look like shit."
"Thanks, Ray." My smile tightened. "I missed you too."
Ray shrugged. "You don't have a coat." He began to unzip his own but I shook my head. There wasn't time.
We only had the upper hand so long as we moved quickly. They'd only be intimidated by two guns for so long before they'd come to the conclusion that it'd be worth it to challenge us.
"You six," I called to the captives. They had been nervously glancing at Carlos and Neveah, but their attention snapped to me the instant I raised my voice. "Come to me."
The atmosphere shifted and I could sense that the fear was melting away. In its place was aggression. Different people in the Judge's group shifted on their feet not bothering to hide their sour expressions as they looked for their own openings to act. Their hostility was palpable and I began to realize that they clearly weren't used to being outmaneuvered.
We have to move faster.
"Where are the others?" I whispered to Ray.
Ray opened his mouth then closed it again, taking a moment to think before answering. "Some are safe, some are coming. They should be here soon."
I blinked trying to understand him as I watched the six whisper amongst each other. They were taking their sweet time to move, seemingly having a hard time trusting the shift in power. It was Marcy who finally got the group moving. She started to walk to me and the others slowly followed. Anton refused to look at any of us during the process.
The six shuffled to stand by Carlos's side and I motioned to Neveah to start coming over as well. She walked with careful and calculated steps, never taking her eyes or her gun off of the Judge's group.
"They're coming," Ray whispered to me. My heart jolted in my chest from his statement and it took me a second to realize that he hadn't meant it in an ominous way. I looked at him and he tilted his chin down to the street where the fire still burned. Through the smoke, two figures had come into view, running as fast as they could in our direction.
I was able to make out Prisha first. She carried a red gas canister in her hands as she sprinted through the snow. Her stance was sloppier than I'd ever seen it and even from a distance, I could tell she was tired. Even still, she carried on, looking behind her every once in a while to make sure she wasn't alone.
My stomach swooped when I finally saw Ian. He was doing his best to catch up to Prisha, but I could tell he wasn't focused on her. He was focused on our group – on me.
It gave me the courage to push further. I turned back to the Judge's group. "And you. You're coming with us too," I told Anton.
He wasn't facing me, but he knew I was talking to him. His back stiffened almost impossibly straighter. As if it physically hurt him to do so, he made himself turn to face me. I could see it in his eyes that he was waging an internal war. He didn't say a word, but he took a few steps in my direction.
"If anyone tries to follow us, we'll kill him on the spot. Understood?" It was a warning I wasn't sure I could actually follow through with, but that only made me put more surety and force into my voice as I spoke.
Prisha and Ian reached us then. I felt more than saw Ian move to stand next to me. "You broke your promise," I told him quietly, not looking away from the Judge's group.
"That's a funny way of saying thanks, but you're welcome." I could almost feel his smile and it made me want to roll my eyes, but it was hardly the time.
"She doesn't look so good." I heard Ray whisper to Ian. Ian started to whisper back so I took a step away from the group to refocus on the task at hand.
"Start walking," I ordered Anton. "The rest of you stay here. If we see even an inch of movement while you're still in our sights, we'll open fire. Understood?" No one in the Judge's group answered, but this time I had to demand it. "Am I understood?" I snapped.
I was met with grumbling and while it was hardly the resounding concession I'd hoped for, it had to be enough. We needed to make our escape.
"Don't take your eyes off them," I warned my group as we began to walk. It was unbelievably tempting to run but running would only give the Judge's people a chance to act. Every step we made had to be smart.
I pushed Anton to stand in front of Carlos, letting Neveah keep her gun on the group behind us. Anton shot me a sharp look but I ignored it as I kept pace with him.
"They're going to follow us, aren't they?" My question was rhetorical. I knew that they would. They'd get more people and more weapons and hunt us until we were all dead.
"Yes. They'll come quickly." Anton didn't hesitate to answer.
"Is there anything we can do to get them to stop?" I'd caught the attention of Ray whose head was on a swivel between Anton and me.
"No."
Shit.
"Ray, I need you to take Prisha and find the courthouse." It wasn't so much of a plan that I was making but an act of desperation.
We have to do something.
"A courthouse?" Ray repeated, sounding confused.
Anton slightly quirked his brow at Ray in what I could only interpret as annoyance. "Yes, trust me, you can't miss it. It stands out – just look for the dome roof."
"Alright? And what do you want us to do?" Ray ignored Anton almost purposefully.
I caught Prisha's eye and smiled. "Burn it."
For a second, I could have sworn Anton almost smiled. He covered it by shaking his head. "Won't work."
"He's right," Ray added. "We've used up all the alcohol and gas we could find already."
A shiver ran through me, but I was sweating heavily. I swallowed down my nausea and hugged my arms around myself. "It doesn't matter. We just need to divert their focus long enough for us to regroup and –" I was cut off by a coat being wrapped around my shoulders. Ian had taken his off and had wordlessly draped it over me. "I don't need it," I hissed.
"You can continue your plotting in a second," Ian said with a smirk. "Just put it on. We're about to turn at the next corner and we're going to have to run."
I pursed my lips at him but did what he asked. As if I needed more to burn my already hot skin, I could feel numerous eyes watching us, making me flush with embarrassment. As soon as the coat was zipped up, I caught Prisha by the elbow and repeated my idea to her.
"I just need the two of you to get in and out. Make a small distraction and disappear. Do you think you guys can do that?"
"We'll do it," Prisha said instantly. She shook her gas canister, letting us hear the soft sound of sloshing liquid. "We'll be quick and meet up with you at the edge of town. Ian knows where."
I nodded. "Stay safe. If it looks too risky, then leave it. Okay?"
"We can handle it," Ray cut in. "We'll see you soon."
He already began marching in the direction I'd given him, needing no other encouragement. Prisha, on the other hand, took a moment to smile at me. "I'm glad you're okay," she said quietly, almost privately.
"Thank you for being okay, too," I answered earnestly.
She gave me a smile that lit up her dark eyes before she turned on her heel and chased after Ray. They were moving to head through a neighborhood and we only had to pass two more houses before we'd be forced to turn right.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Anton turn his head to watch the pair leave. Something about his stance had shifted and it set off alarm bells in my head.
"What is it?" I asked, drawing his attention back to me. Once again, I could see he was battling with himself.
He took in a harsh breath before answering. "They'll be caught."
I lost the air in my lungs. "What? How? But –"
"I can help." His eyes bore into mine. "Let me help."
Taken aback, I tried to get a read on Anton's thoughts. I knew he had to have been considering turning against his group. His willingness to help me showed me that much.
But can I trust him?
"They're moving!" Neveah suddenly shouted.
The Judge's group hadn't waited. They'd scattered, darting in different directions before we even had the chance to even take the corner. Neveah fired off two shots, making my ears ring, but it did nothing except waste bullets.
"We need to run," Ian said, already putting a hand on my lower back to get me moving.
I turned back to Anton. He'd kept pace with me, waiting for my answer.
"Tell me I can trust you." It was a hollow demand. Nothing he said would satisfy my doubts.
Anton's gaze held mine and for the first time, I felt like I was getting a glimpse at the real him. "They killed my sister. They won't kill your friends."
"We have to go!" One of the six yelled, almost begging.
I felt the urgency to my bones. Every second wasted was putting us all in more danger. Balling my hands into fists, I dug my nails into my palms. "Keep them safe. Please."
Anton gave me a single nod before he took off, sprinting after Ray and Prisha. I watched them go even as I picked up my own pace to go in a different direction.
Please.
Please let them all be safe.
"Zombies ahead," Carlos snapped. He worked his jaw in frustration as he tried to aim his gun at the trio heading to cut us off.
"Don't," the man with his arm in a sling said, breaking away from the rest of the six. His face was pinched in discomfort as we ran, but he had clearly been keeping a careful watch on all of us. "We need to stay low and get the zombies to go for the other group."
He's right.
I stated as much to Carlos, who unhappily lowered his rifle. We managed to skirt around the zombies, barely staying out of their grasps as they lunged for us.
Ian ran ahead to take the lead and guide us. I pushed myself to match his pace, though it made hot bile rise up in my throat. I watched Ian for a moment after I finally caught up and saw that his expression was grim and determined. He was going to get us to safety.
"Jamie? Ollie? Carter?" I asked between heaving breaths.
"They're safe," Ian stated confidently. "They're going to be waiting for us at the edge of town."
"You're sure?" He wouldn't have had the time to help get them there and come for me. It meant that they had to have ventured there on their own.
Ian smirked. "At some point, you're going to have to start trusting us. They're more capable than you think. They're safe."
"It's not that I don't..." The bile turned into real vomit and I managed to come to a halt just in time before I retched all down my front.
I heaved and spat into the snow. Almost nothing came up but sour, clear liquid. Ian came to a stop with me but I wave him off. "Keep." I gagged again. "Keep going!"
Ian let out a long string of curses but he did as I asked. He knew we couldn't stop for anything. The group needed him to guide them. My stomach heaved again and my eyes blurred with hot tears as I tried to breathe through it.
A hand came down on my back and began to pat it. "Let it out. Let it all out," Carlos said in a soothing voice. He'd waited for me.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I straightened myself back up. My whole body was shaking as I did. Carlos stood by patiently as if hell wasn't right at our heels.
"How bad is it?" he asked, clearly knowing more was wrong with me than a simple sick stomach.
I didn't know exactly what was wrong, but the pain that radiated out from where I'd been stabbed was so intense that I felt it in the tips of my fingers. It was getting worse but there was nothing I could do about it except to keep going.
"I can handle it." I smiled through my grimace.
Carlos gave me a single nod. "Then let's go."
"Works for me." I just need to push for this one last stretch. One last run. Only a little more left and we'd be free.