Page 93 of Dawn of Hope
It is dangerous. It is unkind and possibly unforgiving.
It makes me wonder, has anyone died here? I want to ask Dane. I still haven’t decided how long I will go without finding the cure. Maybe knowing what I am risking will help me better decide the point of surrender.
I dress and pull my hair up into a high knot, letting the wet strands continue to cool me down, then make my way to the tavern. Dane is sitting at a table alongside Fin and Mara, who look over at me when I enter.
“Gods, that looks like a nasty gash.”
I reach up to touch my forehead where Mara is staring. It had been burning during the shower, so I knew I had something else that needed treating. I must have gotten cut by some of the falling debris.
“It’s not so bad,” I say as I slide onto the bench next to her.
Fin filled the table with plates of food, so I grab something and started nibbling.
“Good thing you have such a hard head,” Mara says with a laugh before turning back to Dane. “Anyway, I swear I saw someone. It was really quick, but it couldn’t have been one of us.”
“Where did you see them?” He looks serious, and I wonder if he is worried.
“Down by the cliffs. It was a quick flash, and then they were gone. I ran over to look. Obviously, I was armed, but there was nothing.”
“Male? Female?”
She shakes her head. “Couldn’t tell. It was too quick. There were boot prints, but I lost them in the rocks.”
“Damn.” He leans back in his chair with a sigh.
“One of the Castaways?” I chime in, looking between Dane and Mara.
“I think so,” she answers. “This could be a lead. Maybe their camp is close by.”
“Maybe. I will have to go take a look.”
Mara swings her leg over the bench and stands up behind it. “I’m heading back right now while it is still light out. Maybe they are getting lazy.”
“Alright. I’ll be down there in a little bit.” He nods at me. “I’m going to make sure everything is good with Lennox first.”
She nods at him. “Want to come Fin?”
“Yeah!” He bolts up out of his seat. “Let’s find some Castaways!”
“Be careful!” I call after him as he sprints out of the tavern. Mara gives us a wave and strides after him, disappearing around the corner.
“So,” Dane starts as I turned back toward him. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I almost died today.” His face drops at my words, but I continue. “It just got me thinking. Everyone that is here, have they been here the whole time? Has anyone gone back without it?”
He shakes his head. “No, no one has gone back. Everyone has stayed here on the island, at least since I’ve been Guardian.”
No one has been compelled enough to give up, to return to their loved ones without a cure. Is it because too much time has passed? Is it because they have been here so long, they’d forgotten about their home? Is it because this place and this way of living just gradually became their new home?
“Has anyone…not made it?”
He looks solemn, his jaw ticking slightly before he speaks. “I don’t know about everyone. Some have become Castaways, and I don’t know what happened to them. But no, some have not made it.” Hestands and rounds the table, reaching for my hand. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”
We make our way down to the clearing and wind through the path that leads towards the cage I was kept in on my first day here. It seems like so long ago now. So much has changed.
We turn off down a less trodden path and weave through the trees. A small clearing opens up ahead, and as I look past Dane at the space before me, I let out a small gasp.
It is beautiful.