frowned. “What’s the matter with him?”
“I don’t know,” I said quickly before hurrying after him. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness in the next tunnel. I walked toward Joshua and half expected him to turn away but he didn’t. I touched his shoulder and felt him trembling.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered. Fear shot through me; he was shaking.
I wrapped my arms around him. He pressed himself against me and his trembling ebbed away.
“Talk to me,” I said against his chest.
His breath pushed against my forehead. “One of the men in the photos.” He swallowed.
I waited.
“He was my dad.”
“I’m scared,” Izzie whispered.
“Me too,” I said, though admitting it even to my best friend made the fear even more real.
From the deck chairs in the Smith’s backyard, we watched our dads carry boxes of powdered soup, batteries, glow sticks and first aid equipment into the bunker where Izzie’s family would spend the quarantine.
Mr. Smith had already helped my dad get our family bunker ready yesterday.
“It’s so much food. It doesn’t look like it’s meant to last for only a few weeks. More like months.”
I’d noticed it too. “They’re being careful. You know how they are. They want to make sure we don’t run out of food.”
Izzie gave me a doubtful look. I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy the feel of sunrays on my skin and the smell of grass but the queasy feeling in my stomach didn’t cease.
Izzie slipped her hand in mine and we linked our pinkies. “I’ll miss you,” I whispered. We’d never been apart for more than a few days.
“Don’t worry, my dad says it’ll be over before we know it.”
Chapter 8
“I thought your dad was dead.”
“So did I,” Joshua said, his expression turning hard.
“May — maybe it wasn’t him? Maybe you made a mistake.”
“It was him, Sherry.” His voice died. Silence settled around us. His chest heaved against my cheek like he was trying hard not to cry.
“But how is that possible?”
Joshua pulled away. “He lied. He betrayed us, left us for dead. That’s how.”
It had been more than three years since Joshua’s father had left him with his mom and sister in a public bunker promising to return. But he never did. Joshua’d thought his father had died. What other reason could there have been for abandoning his wife and children?
“Maybe the military told him you were dead.”
“He should’ve checked!” His words echoed in the drain. Like I should check on Bobby, even if everyone said he was dead.
A head peeked out of the neighbour tunnel. It was Alexis. “What’s going on?”
“We’re just talking,” I said hastily. Why did she have to barge in now?
Joshua exhaled. “I need a moment to myself,” he whispered, so only I could hear him.
I hesitated. “Are you su —”
“Please.”
Disappointment washed over me, but I tried not to let it show. I stumbled toward Alexis, squinting as I followed her to the table.
“Coffee?”
I nodded. A pot of steaming black liquid appeared in front of me. It was bitter and strong.
“What were you and your boyfriend fighting about?”
I looked up. “We weren’t fighting. He was —” My eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. I moved toward them and it didn’t take me long to find Joshua’s father. They shared the same strong cheekbones and blue eyes. His photo was one of the headshots. But there were other, blurrier ones, that must have been taken from a distance, or secretly. “How did you get those photos?”
Alexis followed my eyes. “We found them on the internet a few months ago before the labs upped their security. Quentin is a fantastic hacker.”
A hacker? My mind was working overtime. It looked like Quentin had been investigating the government for some time. He could be in possession of all kinds of useful information. And not just that. Once we’d collected footage of life on both sides of the fence, Quentin might be able to
“I don’t know,” I said quickly before hurrying after him. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness in the next tunnel. I walked toward Joshua and half expected him to turn away but he didn’t. I touched his shoulder and felt him trembling.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered. Fear shot through me; he was shaking.
I wrapped my arms around him. He pressed himself against me and his trembling ebbed away.
“Talk to me,” I said against his chest.
His breath pushed against my forehead. “One of the men in the photos.” He swallowed.
I waited.
“He was my dad.”
“I’m scared,” Izzie whispered.
“Me too,” I said, though admitting it even to my best friend made the fear even more real.
From the deck chairs in the Smith’s backyard, we watched our dads carry boxes of powdered soup, batteries, glow sticks and first aid equipment into the bunker where Izzie’s family would spend the quarantine.
Mr. Smith had already helped my dad get our family bunker ready yesterday.
“It’s so much food. It doesn’t look like it’s meant to last for only a few weeks. More like months.”
I’d noticed it too. “They’re being careful. You know how they are. They want to make sure we don’t run out of food.”
Izzie gave me a doubtful look. I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy the feel of sunrays on my skin and the smell of grass but the queasy feeling in my stomach didn’t cease.
Izzie slipped her hand in mine and we linked our pinkies. “I’ll miss you,” I whispered. We’d never been apart for more than a few days.
“Don’t worry, my dad says it’ll be over before we know it.”
Chapter 8
“I thought your dad was dead.”
“So did I,” Joshua said, his expression turning hard.
“May — maybe it wasn’t him? Maybe you made a mistake.”
“It was him, Sherry.” His voice died. Silence settled around us. His chest heaved against my cheek like he was trying hard not to cry.
“But how is that possible?”
Joshua pulled away. “He lied. He betrayed us, left us for dead. That’s how.”
It had been more than three years since Joshua’s father had left him with his mom and sister in a public bunker promising to return. But he never did. Joshua’d thought his father had died. What other reason could there have been for abandoning his wife and children?
“Maybe the military told him you were dead.”
“He should’ve checked!” His words echoed in the drain. Like I should check on Bobby, even if everyone said he was dead.
A head peeked out of the neighbour tunnel. It was Alexis. “What’s going on?”
“We’re just talking,” I said hastily. Why did she have to barge in now?
Joshua exhaled. “I need a moment to myself,” he whispered, so only I could hear him.
I hesitated. “Are you su —”
“Please.”
Disappointment washed over me, but I tried not to let it show. I stumbled toward Alexis, squinting as I followed her to the table.
“Coffee?”
I nodded. A pot of steaming black liquid appeared in front of me. It was bitter and strong.
“What were you and your boyfriend fighting about?”
I looked up. “We weren’t fighting. He was —” My eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. I moved toward them and it didn’t take me long to find Joshua’s father. They shared the same strong cheekbones and blue eyes. His photo was one of the headshots. But there were other, blurrier ones, that must have been taken from a distance, or secretly. “How did you get those photos?”
Alexis followed my eyes. “We found them on the internet a few months ago before the labs upped their security. Quentin is a fantastic hacker.”
A hacker? My mind was working overtime. It looked like Quentin had been investigating the government for some time. He could be in possession of all kinds of useful information. And not just that. Once we’d collected footage of life on both sides of the fence, Quentin might be able to
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