The Forgotten Light

25. Usain

He felt worse and worse, and was afraid that everyone already knew about it. He tried very hard to look normal, but it was getting harder and harder to keep up appearances.

Carter had almost finished the flying ship, so they could get away from there soon. He just hoped they would make it in time.

They should have escaped from Florence without regard to the time. He made a terrible mistake, made a bad decision for which his charges paid with their lives.

Usain believed from the beginning that his camp in Florence, in one of the Silent Cities, was small and inconspicuous enough that it wouldn't be noticed. After all, that's why he was assigned this particular town, so that the children, a large group of whom he was fostering, would grow up feeling safe, away from Invicta.

It turned out that they were never a bit as safe as they thought. They knew that the situation in Florence wasn't as bad as in Phoenix or Tucson, but it certainly wasn't the best.

He never expected such an end.

Somehow Usain managed to tune out the events of the previous night. All that remained were his swollen eyes, a terrible headache and bitterness.

He had survived the shock. He had survived a huge loss. But he could not lose even more.

That's why he decided to be strong, because he knew that if he gave up, the hope of others would also languish.

He felt bad that he didn't have the strength to help Reyn finish the ship, but he knew that Harlyn would help his old friend better than he could, for which he was extremely grateful to the boy.

So as not to be useless, he took care of those who weren't in the hall with Carter. He went one by one to the youngest, to those who patrolled the area, and finally to Kailah, who had just buried her sister.

"Hey, Kailah, how are you?" Usain sat down beside her in a corner, which she didn't want to leave.

The girl only raised her head from above her shoulders, looking at him with eyes filled with tears. Her face twisted into a grimace and she hid it in his chest.

"I am so very sorry, pumpkin." He wrapped his arm around her. "I wish I could have done more. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down," he said.

In response, the girl clenched her fists on his shirt, and Usain let her cry in silence.

They only got to their feet when the door opened abruptly and a breathless Lola rushed in.

"Someone is coming!"

Usain ran outside and saw the alarmed rebels.

"A RAM is coming from the east," Tom informed him.

The man stopped and looked at him. "What type of RAM?"

"Our RAM," interjected Ace, and Usain saw it at the same moment.

Their old brown RAM. Who took it? After all, they left it in the wilderness of Florence.

Campers began to shout at each other.

"Do you think this is Invicta?"

"They wouldn't lay their mitts on such a beater."

"Maybe they want us to think so, and as soon as we get close to the car, they attack us."

"Right, it could be a trap."

"Silence!" Usain outshouted them. "Take cover, have your weapons at the ready. We'll find out who it is when they get off."

The rebels took cover, carefully watching the approaching RAM. Usain stood wide-legged, with his arms crossed over his chest.