Fibre Mortem: Rhesus Factor

26

"I think there's a mole."

We're sitting on his bed playing cards when he blurts this out.

I take a card from the pile and collect a pair, "Well, we do live underground. I didn't expect it to be rodent or pest free."

Nate sets his cards down, "No Liv, I mean an informant. There's someone here who isn't who they say they are, it's troublesome."

I look up at him and his blue eyes are serious, he's telling the truth and alarm bells start ringing. I try to play it off, though, "Don't be so paranoid. No one has given us reason to believe that they're planning something diabolical."

"You know I'm being serious. There's talk from the guys, the scavenge team. Drake said that he's seen a group outside before, just hanging about late at night. He's seen them multiples times in any given month. Something's going on." He places a card down and grabs a new one.

My brow creases with what he's said. Is there really someone here that's a traitor? "Drake might also be pranking you. He's been known to say shit like that all time and not mean it. He's from the outside, he gets a little spooked when we go to recruit new members."

"He has a right to be, you don't know what it's like out there, but it's bad. It's not always the dead that you have to be careful of, there are people out there who will want to take what you have and as an outsider looking in, your place looks like a comfortable safe haven."

This unnerves me a bit, he's right. We've pretty much stayed hidden because we didn't want any outside force to overtake it. My dad has been pretty anal about who he allows in here, still, though, would he be oblivious to someone who is capable of taking this place from us?

"Is there anyone else talking about this? Does my father know? Maybe we should go out there and see if Drake is telling the truth," my mind is racing. I drop my cards, the game immediately forgotten and I stand to start pulling my boots on.

Nate reaches out and snags my wrist, "No Liv, we aren't going out there. Not you, I'll check it out on my next run."

I'm a little offended, does he not think I'm capable of taking care of myself. "Nathan..."

"Look, after what happened with Sean I'm not letting you go straight into danger. I don't want you leaving the underground part of the building."

"Nathan, I've been out there before. Can you trust me a little, geez." I whip my hand away from him. Sometimes the whole macho man approach is a huge turn-off.

He stands there shocked, "but--your dad said--"

"Yeah and my dad doesn't know half of the shit I do. Reese started taking me out without his knowledge after my dad shot the idea down. I'm going out there Nate, I know how to do it and I'm not afraid to do it." I jut my chin up defiantly.

Nate remains quiet but he nods like he's annoyed by me or something else. After a few seconds pass and he looks up at me solemnly, "It's not that I don't think you can do it Lively but I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. Please just trust me."

There's that word again. Trust. I had trust with Reese and part of me still does, but can I trust Nate? He apparently doesn't trust me.

I shake my head, "No."

"No? Jesus Liv, just stop for a damn second. Out there it's terrible, there are people who will kill you over nothing. Are you willing to really risk your life just to see if there are people out there? People we don't know and definitely can't trust? Are you?" He's got his hand on his hip and his other his shaking rigorously.