The Risks

July: Chapter 58

"The Zoners found me about a month after the virus really took off," Spencer began, staring out the front windshield and into the black night. His hands stayed locked on the wheel, like I might attack him if he made even the slightest move. "That was something they did in the beginning. They'd bring in recruits, give us the most dangerous jobs like going out on raids. They didn't want to risk the lives of their precious chosen ones.

"But I was alive. I had food, I had shelter, and the man who had brought me in taught me how things worked. He might have been... a little rough around the edges, but I was thankful for him. He was my friend. When he got banished, I almost followed after him and Tilda."

"Francis," I breathed, barely believing the coincidence.

"So when you and Parker showed up at the Zone, and I found out you had killed him, I wanted you both dead."

"He murdered my sister," I said, the words spilling between my teeth like acid. "She was six. He shot her in the throat with a sniper rifle. If Parker wouldn't have killed him, then George would have hunted him down and done the job himself."

"They didn't tell me any details," he told me. My explanation seemed to have no visible effect on him; he hadn't even flinched. "I thought you were as good as dead when I heard that George took you. But then Parker crashed Deacon's party and threw the whole Zone into chaos. I couldn't believe you two made it out. That they'd let you go so easily.

"It wasn't long after you guys disappeared that our people found signs of a community. Usually we'd go in and wipe it out, quick and easy, but this was big community. The biggest we'd come across. And it was well defended.

"The head honchos decided they wanted to send someone in, to gather intel, and they sent me. Charlotte let me in so easily, almost without question. And I thought, how in the hell have they made it this long? And so I gathered my information, took my notes for Deacon. Then," he paused, chuckling under his breath in disbelief, "you guys showed up, and it was like it was... meant to be.

"I knew Deacon wanted Parker, but I didn't care. I didn't send news that you were there. I thought I could kill you both myself." He shot me a fleeting look. "That didn't go as planned."

I smirked.

"So then I told them that you were there," he continued. "They didn't even warn me. Didn't give me a chance to get out before they showed up. They herded me in to be gunned down with the rest of the group. That was when I knew that I'd been on the wrong side. And then... you handed yourself over to Deacon to try to save us. I told myself right then that if I made it out, I was done with the Zoners."

Look how well that turned out, I thought, rolling my eyes.

"When you guys took down the Zone, I thought for sure it was over. But then I heard from Lyons. I had this little portable radio that we'd used to stay in touch in the beginning, and he contacted me. I agreed to meet up with him because I wanted to tell him I was done, but when we met... he didn't give me a choice. He asked me –no, he ordered me to kill you. I didn't want to, but he said he'd kill me if I didn't."

"What about Parker?"

It made no sense. All this time they'd wanted Parker dead and I was just an afterthought. I was thankful he no longer had a target painted on his back, but I still needed to know: why the change? Why had George switched targets? What had I done to make him... basically assign me a hit man?

"I wondered the same thing," he answered. "But I think he just didn't care. That was more of Deacon's deal than Lyons'."

Okay. So it seemed George didn't make every decision in the Zone. Deacon just had a personal vendetta against Parker. That made sense in my mind –after Parker had made a fool of him over and over. How childish of him to mark someone for death over his wounded pride.