The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 46

- Late April, 2046 - (Three weeks ago)

It had been a long ten days.

If there was one thing that Jamie appreciated about Pat, it was that he didn't ask too many questions. Still, he knew that he couldn't fully trust him with the information of what he was actually crafting, even if Pat was extremely curious.

He was grateful for the help and the extra information, such as the days where the lab they worked in wasn't being used by students who attend Kunross University. He also knew where to hide everything when he was done for the day so Pat could safely conceal it.

Each morning, he left the wooded area that concealed the railyard to go work on his new project, not returning until the evening. The hardest part wasn't working; it was remaining hidden from the eyes of Daija and Simon's henchmen now that they were right in the city.

Meanwhile, the others worked on fixing up the train cars at the railyard so everyone was comfortable. Amaya had been using her compulsion to its max lately at various stores around the area to get supplies. Desmond, Layla and Victor rotated tasks; one day someone would help out Amaya while the other two kept a close eye on the railyard and the entire area surrounding it.

Even though Jamie wasn't a big fan of temporarily staying in a train car, he was thankful for his own space in the evenings. The old box car that he stayed in had a small desk that he mainly used for writing. He also kept a clock there, and a portable charger to make sure the phone they used to contact CJ wouldn't run out of power.

Each night, he wrote in a stolen notebook. At first, he wrote back-up plans for worst-case scenarios, or found himself writing different formulas in case his new one didn't work. Then, he found himself writing about the people he hurt and the people who hurt him. Eventually, he started writing out letters. He wrote one to almost everyone he knew, even though he had little to no intention of letting anyone see them.

The hardest one to write was the one to his moms. He found himself starting and restarting too many times, ripping the pages out, crumbling them up and tossing them into the corner of the boxcar near his bed.

He missed them terribly, but he understood why they left Kunross. He would've too if he were them.

On the eleventh day, after a mostly-sleepless night, each of them spent a lot of time alone. Jamie could tell that the reality of the situation was sinking in and weighing heavily, and though they were anxious, they remained hopeful. But Jamie knew that this wouldn't last forever. They wouldn't be able to hide for much longer, and he hoped that he could be finished before Daija found him.

"I'll be honest with you guys," Desmond started as he walked out of his boxcar to meet the rest of the group. "It could be so much worse."

"He's right," Amaya said with a soft shrug as she buried her hands into her hoodie pockets. "I was homeless before. This isn't bad at all."

Immediately, Jamie thought of Justin, and how shocked he was when he revealed that he was homeless shortly after Jamie moved out. To this day, the way his brain blocked out so much of that week gives him chills.

"So, how far are you?" Amaya asked Jamie.

"I want to say I'm about seventy-five percent of the way done."

She stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded once. He knew that she and the others wanted a bit more than short, clipped responses, but it was the best he could do until his project was completed.

"Jason," Victor called, and Jamie turned his head to see him approaching. "CJ sent another package. We need to go."

"Same location?"