Waveland

Chapter 29

Rose pulled back on the handlebars, revving the motorcycle's engine and approaching the crafted ten-foot wall. Tyler had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. They were silent the whole way. Only the sound of the wind was heard between them. Rose spent the twenty-minute ride, cursing through the woods. She ignored the branches that pricked her face as she prepared what to say to the people of Waveland. 

Rose two men peek through heads, from the brick watchtowers. Built on both sides of the walls. They were wise enough to take note that crawlers are incapable of driving a two-wheel vehicle and immediately opened up the gates. Rose drove the gate and turned breaking abruptly to the right. Parking the bike sideways. Smoke and Dirt rise up from the tires. 

"Where is David?" She hollered. Jumping off the bike, throwing the beaten helmet to the dirt gravel ground. A couple of guards stood in front of her. Lucky for them, they were smart and didn't attempt to go for their weapons. She wasn't in the mood. 

"Rose." A warning from Tyler. Taking note of the surroundings. He followed suit, standing behind her. 

"Where is David." She practically growled at the men.

Someone broke through the wall of guards, but it wasn't the man she was accepting. A hand gripped the back of her wrist. Another soft warning. Rose could feel the body heat of Tyler standing directly behind her. Too close. She couldn't focus on that right now. 

She needed to find the captain. She is not the one in charge of his people. She is not a leader. 

Rose drawled her eyes to Xavier. Now standing in front of the guards. His expression caused her to take a step back. His pupils dilated, they were full of anger. 

"Xavier." She rasped. She had to tell him. There wasn't time. She wasted enough time getting here. Her leg still wrapped in the white cloth, with her blood seeping through from her wound.

"I need to talk to David." Rose's expression softened. The closest she would ever come to begging.

"Where is my brother?" Xavier demanded instead. A crossbow, Rose finally acknowledged lay in his arms. She didn't have time for this. 

"I am sorry." Tears started clouding her eyes. Her own body betraying her. A weakness she hadn't allowed herself to feel since the first nights surviving on her own. When she was a weak little girl, after being abandoning by her family. The look in Xavier's eyes, she could feel it happening again. No. No. No. 

"I told you Xavier, the girl can't be trusted." The familiar rough voice stalked from the right. Rose glossy eyes turned finding the man she never thought she would be so thrilled to see. He was the leader, in charge of his people. He has the army, he can save Christian. That is why she find Xavier in the first place, so she can be among their people. Rose no longer needed to do everything on her own. David would help, he had to. Everything would be right. They would find Christian alive, Xavier wouldn't look at her like she was the last person he wanted to see. 

Tyler gently tugged her arms back, Rose ripped her arm out of his grip. Enough of his warnings. She marched toward David, the soldiers raised their Military M16 weapons aiming at her. She ignored them. Ignored the red dots, pointing at her chest. They wouldn't stand a chance against her.  

"Don't you dare shoot her! I will murder every single one of you!" Tyler yelled, glaring at men he used to stand side by side in combat. Rose was taken aback by his sudden burst of anger. A complete selfless act. The guns were aimed at her, not him. Tyler's face turned hot red, like he truly was infuriate with them aiming their weapons at her. She shoved down her confusion and faced the leader. 

"David. The aliens took Christian, but there is time we can still track them." 

"You are responsible for my brother being taken and you will be responsible for his death." Xavier spoke with ruthless rage. A threat edging on in his voice. 

"Christian is alive." Rose tried to show through her soft eyes, that she did care. Xavier wasn't getting the message. Too lost in his own rage. She turned back to the leader, "There is still time, but we need to go now." Rose forced her body to go stiff. Claiming the confidence in her demands. He had to listen to her. Leaders don't leave their men behind. Christian was essential, Xavier was like his son. Christian must fall into the list of high risk worthy civilians. He had to.

David looked over her head. At his soldiers, a nod of his head. He was giving them permission to assist. Rose sagged with relief, but then a blood curling scream. Her name. Someone screamed her name like they were horrified. Rose felt the world slow down around her, everything in a daze. David didn't nod at his soldiers, he nodded at Xavier. Who still held that cross bow. She had time to move. She had time to anticipate the strike. Her body froze, a millisecond. Her one weakness. Xavier. 

"Ugh." Rose collapsed. Her left knee hit the ground with a impact and both hands braced on the dirt ground. No more soft expression lingered in her expression. She peered up at David who held at devilish smirk on his face thinking he won. Pain, not physical. Emotional. She glanced at the arrow lodged in her thigh. With one motion she snapped the arrow in two. Viciously she peered over her shoulder, she didn't break eye contact with Xavier as she tossed the bow and arrow covered in her blood on the ground. The one person she felt safe with. The one person she though she could trust, betrayed her. He was the first person to teach her how to want to live and not just survive in this world. And he would be the last. 

She stalked toward the bike. Alone, she hopped on the bike. Glaring at the people around her, she thought she would consider family. She knew it was always a fools dream. No one can be trusted, everyone is capable of betraying you. Especially the ones you find slowly sneaking through way into your heart. 

She brutally turned the ignition, its loud motor engine vibrating through their sad little camp. She pulled tight on her ponytail, releasing her long braid. Her hair untangling into its long free hair. Her cold exterior locked into place, before she said the last thing she would ever say to this people. 

"I will find Christian myself. Not for anyone but myself. We have a truce. The moment that the second in command Christian enters his second step into this camp, the truce is over. We are not allies, you are my enemy. If anyone gets in my way I will murder in cold blood." David crossed his arms, trying to cool his features but he was just as speechless as the rest of them. 

Rose turned her viscous features onto Xavier. The boy who was starting to mean everything. She wasn't sure if it was a friend or if they could have been something. He ruined everything the second he released the string. Even his daunt expression didn't excuse him for the one thing Rose couldn't forgive. Betrayal. "I will not hesitate. You should know how much of monster I can really be." Then Rose kicked the bike into gear, and took off. She followed the endless trials in the woods. Wind and branches hitting her face. The rough intense wind smacking her face distracting her from her raging thoughts. She was abandoned. Again. She revved the handles again, and took off into the night. She built the cold exterior up again, locking down the weakness that got her in this situation in the first place. The only person she can ever trust is herself. She didn't even think about the only potential ally she just left behind. Tyler never even crossed her mind. The one person she did anticipated betraying her, but never did.