When All is Lost

Chapter 44

Gertie might have been able to hide her worry, on the other hand, Tory was far easier to read. Her lips were pressed into a thin, harsh line as she rushed me out of the house, urging me on at nearly a running speed.

Despite her best efforts to get me back to the barn before any events unfolded, the moment we stepped outside, I became privy to what looked like quite a show.

Nearly fifteen members of Gertie's group held up five haggard-looking teenagers. The youngest was a girl around Jamie's age. She wore a dirty, torn, long-sleeved shirt and jeans – no jacket or gloves in sight. I was sure if I could have seen her shoes past the snow, they wouldn't have been any better than sneakers.

I watched her shiver, but I was sure it was in cold rather than fear because her eyes glared daggers straight ahead, even as she held her hands up high above her head in surrender. A young woman pushed the girl to stand slightly behind her and I quickly noted their resemblance.

Sisters.

They both had the same smooth, dark complexion, the same almond-shaped eyes, and the same heart-shaped lips. The only real difference between the two besides their age was that the younger had her hair in braids, whereas the elder's head was shaved.

As I was observing their lack of gear and weapons, I saw the elder girl tug at a boy's shirt, almost yanking him behind her as well. The boy had to be around sixteen or seventeen, but he towered over the girl, making her gesture to protect him somewhat impractical. He could have been their sibling as well, but his expression held the fear that the other two lacked.

The other two teen boys looked around apprehensively, but their gazes kept going to the siblings as if they were looking to them for direction.

"That doesn't mean anything to us," the elder girl said, answering a question I had missed. "Let us go."

"Hurry up," Tory hissed in my ear, grabbing me by the elbow to drag me on.

I kept watching the group even as I let Tory guide me. Eventually, my interest caught the elder girl's attention and our eyes met. She looked at me with a mixture of confusion and worry and I had to imagine she thought I was some kind of prisoner. While our stay wasn't exactly under ideal conditions, I didn't want the girl to panic and act out when her group had everything to lose and nothing to gain. I did the only thing I could do – I gave her a nod of reassurance, hoping she could interpret my intent.

"Move it." Tory pushed at my back, not even noticing my gesture. Her focus was between the barn and the house. Gertie had finally emerged and was about to make her presence known.

I made it to the barn far quicker than I would have liked and Tory had to practically shove me inside as I tried to catch more of the happenings. It wasn't concern I felt but curiosity. The teens were hardly a threat so I doubted Gertie would treat them poorly, but I wanted to know exactly how she would handle the situation.

Are they going to stay here too?

It wouldn't be out of the question, but it did make me wonder how Gertie managed everything. Logistically, she could only really watch over a certain number of people at a time and it would have made sense to urge another group to move on if one was already staying. However, it was Gertie after all, and with all her moral uppishness, I suspected nothing was ever that clear cut.

We need to be prepared for anything.

Big Al waved happily at me as I approached the stall. I gave him a half-hearted smile in return, too deep in thought to manage more. My group greeted me as I entered but I went right to my knitting. My exhaustion made everything harder, but I needed to get more done in case we were kicked out prematurely.