Terror By Night

Chapter 27

I snatch the walkie off the shelf and radio to Zoe. "Zoe, come in." I wait through white noise for a few seconds until I hear the staticky sound of her voice.

"Layken, I'm here. You alright?"

"Yes. Just checking in. What's your status?" Xavier listens in with curiosity.

Zoe comes back on the radio. "Sarah and I are with Nolan. We're heading back. Should be there in about ten minutes. Traffic."

I nod my head even though I know she can't see me. "Copy that. See you soon. Be careful."

Traffic is code. It alerts the people waiting at base camp the streets are skewing more towards rough crowds and the outing party is taking the long and cautious way around. When Zoe says 'traffic', she's basically telling us the gangs and loiters are out combing the streets looking for easy prey. It puts my mind at ease knowing Nolan is with her and Sarah.  

I place the radio back on the shelf and pace around the small front room. Xavier waits a few beats then feels compelled to speak. "They aren't going to take your announcement lightly. I'm betting Nolan might seriously consider locking you in your room."

I huff. "It's already crossed my mind. But it doesn't matter. You all have to hear me out. There's more going on than has been discussed."

He raises a quizzical brow. "Really? How so?"

I shoot him a sideways glance and say, "Just hold your horses Ross. All shall be revealed shortly."

He chortles a little and sits back into his seat, but I can tell there's a nervous edge to his posture. Xavier hasn't responded well to my proposal. He thinks he knows how my friends are going to react, but what if they're on my side? He'll be outnumbered. Then, he'll have to take serious the idea of venturing beyond our protective enclosure. He's working hard at not squirming in his seat, once again slipping into his careless façade. Ha. I can see through his charade. The mystery that was once Xavier Ross has been uncovered, if only the top layer. But it's enough for me to get a truer picture of who he really is underneath. The corner of my mouth pulls minutely. For the first time in years, I feel like we're finally on the same footing. It feels pretty good.

We wait in silence for the others. Well, mostly silent. Xavier's foot taps unceasingly on the floor while my pen makes scratching sounds on the paper in my notebook. I'm jotting out a rough plot for our escape, a list of supplies and any questions I think of that I'll need to ask Grit. She's going to be instrumental in our escape and there's so much I don't know about the challenges we'll be facing. I try to not focus on those so much. The more I can gleam from Grit, the more detailed we'll be able to plan. For now, I'm looking at the larger picture.

From the moment Nolan had burst out the door followed closely by Sarah and Zoe, until the time they quietly step back through, a grand total of 5,400 seconds has passed. Not in any of those seconds have I come up with a good way of telling the others what I have in mind. There have been plenty of seconds during which Xavier cast long incredulous looks my way. Not helpful. Neither are the questioning gazes the other three have pinned on me now.

I scratch behind my ear. "How was your trip?" I ask, stalling for more time. 

The three have returned from their excursion surprisingly not empty-handed. If there were supplies at the trough, procedure is to radio back to camp for the others to come down. I wonder briefly why Zoe didn't say anything. Each hold a bag with goodies. Sarah is first to fill me and Xavier in on their finds. "They've taken to handing out MRE's. No fresh food. And, sorry, we were only allowed one each. You and Xavier will have to go get your own."

"That's fine," I tell her, trying to sound nonplussed. I make a mental note to question Zoe in private about her breach in protocol. "We'll all go later for lunch. Anything else?"