Ghosts

Chapter 12

A few hours later

Mai was grateful to her Uncles for telling them the location of the boat that they kept along the lake but from the way the motor sound, she was frightful if they'd even make it halfway to their destination. Thomas seemed confident that they would be fine as he piloted the boat across the crisp blue water. Mai however was left feeling perturbed. One, she could not swim, and two, she had no intention of being a sitting duck for the demon fish that lurked about these waters. Thomas seemed to be relishing the open air however, his face beaming as he took in the sights. Honestly, it almost looked unnatural seeing him so relaxed. Mai could not help but feel the corner of her lip twitch up as she looked at him in such bliss.

"You must miss the ocean, huh?"

Thomas broke off his sight from the surroundings to look down at her, sitting along the front of the boat. He smiled solemnly and nodded his head.

"My pops used to take me down to the Marina as a kid. I loved seeing the open water and watching the boats sail by. I had hoped to do perhaps do the same with my own kid but seems the universe had other plans."

Don't fucking ask, don't fucking ask she told herself as she listened intently, a question burning to be freed from the back of her throat. Putting Mai in any sort of social interaction, even with the closest of friends, was like putting a rabid wolf in a cage with a defenseless animal: it did not go well.

"If Mila is with her aunt and uncle, where's her mother?" she piqued, genuinely interested but quickly began berating herself.

In the whole time that she knew Rush, he had never once mentioned Mila's mother. She obviously was not present in Mila's life considering she was staying with her aunt and uncle, and she obviously did not join Rush in his quest to rebuild America, so where was she?

"Just admit that you want to know if he's single." Faith's voice rang in her ear.

Mai turned ever so subtly to the side, glaring at Faith who had her back turned towards Mai, her hand reaching over the boat as it glided across the cold water. For whatever reason, there seemed to be a shift in Faith's presence today. Almost like she had a dark cloud lingering over her making her less pronounced and talkative than usual. Whatever the reason, Mai hoped it stayed that way. She turned back to Thomas awaiting his response. His eyes seemed distant while still maintaining a clear visual of the direction they were going in.

"She left shortly after Mila was born about four years ago. Couldn't stand the thought of raising a kid in the post-apocalypse. She'd come around once in a while to check on her but she never stayed for long."

Thomas looked down at Mai, sighing, "She had joined a raider group. But I never told anyone. The same people who took you. Said it was the only way to protect Mila was by having the forces to do so."

He paused, letting that sink in for a moment.

"Since the convoy was headed up north anyway I thought maybe I could finally talk some sense into her but she wouldn't go quietly. That's when the shooting started."

Mai's eyes widened with each twist and then of his story, her heart aching for him, for his loss. Imagine the latent of your child turning their back on the both of you...for what? Monetary gain? At the same time her throat filled up with bile, full of disgust and bitterness. How could she claim to want to protect her own daughter if the raiders she associated with sent children to their deaths in their makeshift battle arena. Mai would have gladly put those raiders in the position they had forced her and those children into.just thinking about the arena brought back images of Scorch and Bee. Scotch's throat cut to the bone. Bee's lovelies body in her arms. Rush's wife or not, she'd be in there as well.