Resist

31

"We're raiding tomorrow," Tucker announced as I sat for breakfast. Everyone not in the infirmary was at the table this morning. Nods met his words; everyone knowing Gavin would be sending us out again soon. It had been several days since Will and James had been injured, the mystery attack still a mystery. Meals had been getting more simple, containing less options and the food more poorly. We needed supplies again.

"Everyone who is well is going, it’ll barely be enough people for a raid anyway” Tucker continued, taking a sip from his water glass. "So train today and rest up tonight.”

That's exactly what we did, my focus being on using the scimitar as I still did not have arrows. Jack helped me, hurriedly teaching me basic moves for attack and defense in just one day. As we left for dinner at the end of training, sweaty and exhausted, Jack and I walked beside each other. As he had the time we had talked in the hallway upstairs, he asked me to air on the side of caution.

"I know you're highly capable and I know you don't exactly take kindly to people looking out for you, but please be careful," Jack asked me, his eyes earnest.

"I'll be fine," I assured him. Under normal circumstances, I would have not been going on his raid, as Bower hadn't on my first, due not being trained. I didn't know the scimitar well enough yet but we also had two people down, making everyone necessary to bring back the supplies successfully. I knew my inexperience with the new weapon was what made Jack nervous. 

“Just try to stay away from the thick of things maybe,” Jack suggested. He sounded nonchalant but the intensity in his sunlit green eyes made me think differently, he desperately wanted me to concede to him.

“Sure, yah I’ll be careful,” I agreed to give him piece of mind. He nodded simply, happy with my words. 

The next morning, I woke before my normal time and carefully rolled out of bed, trying to   not disturb Sicily sharing the bed. As with the other raid I had participated in, we had to rise very early in order to be in place when the supply wagon came along. 

I slipped into clothes without lighting a lamp, using the gentle light of dawn from the window to see what I was doing. Then the door clicked shut behind me and I was in the hall, Bower and Tucker exiting their room further down, leaving the door open for what I presumed to be a soon-to-depart Jack. 

“Good morning Essie!” Bower whisper-yelled down the hall. I waved a small greeting back, giving a smile to him and Tucker. They waited for me to catch up and then we headed down together. Jack came out a minute later and jogged to catch up to us as we entered the stairwell. 

The rising sun shone down on a group of people moving stealthily through the dilapidated city. Tucker led the group, per usual. It was either Jack or him, always; they knew what they were doing more so than the rest of us. Tucker suddenly held up a finger for silence, craning his head around the next corner where we would be turning. 

We waited a full minute, standing without making noise as Tucker surveyed. We did not know what was going on as we could not see around the corner and did not want to make noise to ask. My patience was being tested and just as I was carefully readjusting my feet to relieve my screaming muscles, he waved for us to move on. 

“Tuck, what happened?” Brody called quietly to the front of the group.

“Xaves,” he called back in a low tone, trying to not let his words carry beyond our group. “But they’re gone now, they flew off.” I suppose that was the only good thing about The X being the only ones allowed to fly in the city; they could leave quicker and get out of our hair.