“We’re going on one of the supply runs.”
My stomach lurched.
“Adam, you have a concussion. Let’s wait a day.”
“I’m not going to watch you starve, even for a day. Besides, it makes sense to get the lay of the land and figure out how honest that guy was being about the supply division.”
“His name is Matt.”
“I don’t care what his name is. He’s the one responsible for this place and these people, and I mean to find out why our food needed to be doled out in the first place.”
The determination in his tone and gaze left no room for protest or reason. But I still tried.
“It’s dangerous out there. You’ve told me that repeatedly. How many times did we wait out snow or ice on the solar panels just so we wouldn’t have to go out? You hated having to leave the bunker.”
He exhaled heavily and tweaked my chin.
“I hated you going out there. This is different. The wall will keep us safe enough while we check out what this supply run is about. And if the supply run is what I think it is, we’ll be safe enough to leave.”
I finished eating and passed him the cup.
“And what do you think it is?” I asked, tugging on my pants.
“You said the fey had that barn cleared in the time it took us to kill three infected. I think those big grey guys are exactly what you speculated. Inhumanly strong and fast. Matt says they’re here to keep us safe, and I believe him. Why else would there be so many humans alive in one loud, lit-up place?”
The shirt cleared my head, and I gave Adam a long look.
“And if it’s not safe?” I asked.
“You don’t go.”
I sighed, having already guessed that would be his answer.
The sky was just lightening when we stepped outside, fully dressed and equipped with our knives. The neighborhood was eerily quiet.
“This gives me the creeps,” I whispered.
“Me too. I need to find out who has my guns.”
That was one of the many questions he’d asked me last night after I’d gone through everything that happened since running out to clear the solars. He remembered most of the events between that point and hitting his head, but there were some foggy areas.
“Any headache this morning?” I asked.
“A mild one and general soreness in my neck and the back of my head. I’ve been stretching it. If we find some pain relievers while we’re out there, I’m keeping them.”
When we reached the wall, Matt was already talking to a few other people. He excused himself and headed our way when he saw us.
“Are you sure you should be going out?” he asked.
“We don’t have a choice when we were only given enough food for two meals from our supplies that would have fed us for a year.”
A few of the gathered people shot Adam a look. I wasn’t sure if it was due to his volume or the insinuation that they were thieves.
“These are the people who will be helping bring back more supplies to feed everyone,” Matt said. “They’re trying to pull their weight.”
Adam’s flat glance at the group conveyed his disregard.
“How much of what we find do we keep?” he asked.