All That's Left Behind - ronance

chapter 14

Hellfire camp looks desolate and sad on the surface.

From the car Nancy thinks, with a wild urge to laugh, that it seems like the poster town for a zombie apocalypse movie. Nothing but gray empty buildings, greenish trees, smashed windows. A tall fence borders it all, unmanned as far as she can see, but Max tells Robin to stop the car a ways away from it anyway. The short, silent girl that was with Max—she calls her El—gets out. El walks in front of the car, calls something unintelligible to what seems like empty air. But then shadows appear, call something back, pull the fence open.

“Home sweet home,” says Max with a grin. She has one hand clamped over Robin’s tightly in the passenger’s seat. They don’t seem to be able to let go of each other, as if each needs assurances that the other is real.

Max in real life is a sharp contrast to the picture they’ve all been studying for the past couple of weeks. She’s as small and beautiful as Nancy thought, but she doesn’t look young or innocent or whatever. Like her sister, she seems oddly suited to the brave new world around them. No sooner did she finish hugging Robin than she called off on the two men, mask man (Steve) and Eddie. (Robin realised with relief that it was her Steve, and apparently they'd devised that plan to scrape together food and supplies from passers by, Steve was accompanied with his apparent new boyfriend Eddie. Robin had apologised for hitting Eddie repeatedly in the face.)

Max actually kicked Eddie in the ass while she did it—like literally picked up her foot and kicked him, so he stumbled and went sprawling. She told him to not start scavenging anything before she got there to make sure the people were safe to scavenge from. Obviously Eddie hasn't listened.

Either way Nancy likes Max instantly.

“Yeah, downright cozy,” Eden says, with a hint of sarcasm.

Eden, Eddie, Steve, Robin, Max, El and Nancy all stand in a small group.

The people who greet them are just as silent as El. They look at Max with amiableness, with something close to smiles, but at the rest of them with wariness. Nancy feels the weight of several pairs of eyes as they head into one of the buildings and down, into old tunnels that reek. Nancy almost trips on the last stair, but catches herself. Nonetheless, Robin reaches out to clasp her hand in her own. Nancy’s inclined to think it’s more for Robin than for her.

“They don’t like outsiders,” Max explains. If she sees their intertwined hands she doesn’t react. She’s obviously comfortable here; her steps are synced with El’s even though El's legs are slightly longer than Max's own. “The only reason they let me in was because El vouched for me.”

Nancy watches Robin send a cautious glance El’s way. “Why would she do that?”

El turns to look at her unblinkingly. “Because I wanted to,” she says. Her voice is solid and unwavering. It is the only thing she’s said between meeting them and bringing them home.

Nancy watches Robin’s brow wrinkle. But all she says in reply is, “Thank you.” Max smiles at Robin with half her mouth.

The tunnels are full of people, all with purpose in their steps. Large tents line the walls. Children are doing laundry. Women are skinning animals. Men are stitching clothing together. Life down here seems unusually…normal. 

The woman that El and Max lead them to is clearly some kind of leader. It's all in her posture, in her ramrod-straight spine. She’s long and thin, intimidating with serious cheekbones and dark eyes. She’s backed by two men, one with a big beard and one with tired eyes, both middle-aged. “Welcome,” the one with the beard says says. “My name is Murray.”