Free Web NovelChapter 109: Moving Out Day (2)
Hannah chimed in. She was chipper, having realized she didn’t have to fight and could stay. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Gertie. Stay with us. Don’t follow crazy people and go out. You’ve been out there. All the hardship you’ve faced to get here, don’t let it be in vain. This place is safe."
Gertie didn’t say anything, but she didn’t act as irrationally as she did last night when they talked about leaving. Instead, she looked at Julian.
Julian pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He turned to Kain, mouth parting slightly as if wanting to say something. He closed it again, then looked at Hayley in Gertie’s arms.
His eyes hardened, as if he had made a decision.
"Can we talk?" He asked Kain. "In private."
Hannah clenched her jaw when she heard this. She couldn’t understand what they were hesitating about. She went over to Gertie, whispering and trying to get information.
Kain nodded. He looked to Amelia, who smiled and told him to go.
Behind him, Kain heard her say, "Clean this up. Since we’re dividing everything three ways, we need to make adjustments."
In an empty room, Kain and Julian sat. One on the bed, the other in a chair.
Kain crossed his legs, posture relaxed. He waited.
"You know, don’t you?" Julian sighed.
"Know what?"
"About Hayley. About our family. Why we came here?"
Kain hummed, a sound of affirmation.
"Then, do you think it’s possible for us to go with you? That woman. She found us. She was one of the barge rescuers. She asked us to refuse rescue. That thing on my daughter..." His shoulders sagged briefly before he straightened.
"Your son was able to take that thing off my daughter. I don’t know how he did it. But that woman is still on the barge. And I don’t know if she will come after our family again.
I want to repay your son’s kindness, but I also don’t want to set foot near that woman."
"So, you’re conflicted," Kain concluded. "If there is a way for you to go and not have contact with her, would you be willing?"
Neither of them used names, but it wasn’t hard to decipher who Julian was referring to. The only people Kain had an issue with on the barge were that couple. He couldn’t understand why they wanted them to stay, however.
Being on the barge would be the best thing if they wanted to harm them. Why force them to stay in the Sanctuary? Is there something on the barge that they want to hide?
If there is, then he definitely has to go.
He didn’t allow himself to sink into contemplation. He only thought os a few things briefly.
In that split second of thought, Julian answered, saying he would want to leave with them. He practically jumped out of his seat.
A touch of incredulity touched Kain’s face, "Why not stay? Haven’t you been getting along well with Hannah and the others since last night?"
Julian waved both hands in denial. "People like them aren’t people to rely on or befriend. I assume all of you have been together for a while?"
Motioning for him to continue, Kain nodded.
"They were willing to fight like this for food I’m almost certain isn’t theirs to collect. They throw their own people aside when it serves their interests, and all they know how to do is complain."
"You’ve seen all of that in one night? What did you use to do before the collapse?" Kain inclined his head.
"Nothing fancy, human resources." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But my wife used to work at a medical lab."
Hearing this, Kain’s interest was piqued. They spoke for a while longer before coming out.
When they did, he realized they had been inside for quite some time.
The people from the barge had already arrived and were placing the items on the boats to be carried onto the barge.
Walking up to him and touching his arm, Amelia asked, "Finished your talk?"
They watched Julian walk over to his partner and begin whispering.
"It was productive." Then he looked over at the people walking around. "Why didn’t you call me when they arrived? We haven’t even talked to Captain Gene yet. Does he think it’s another shipment?"
"Don’t worry, I talked to him for you. I’ve gotten the rooms for everyone sorted. Food is separated as well. We’ve already confirmed that we aren’t refugees."
Kain looked down at Amelia, smiling, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed. "It seems my wife has it all handled."
He looked around as if looking for someone.
"Stop looking, she isn’t here."
More than an hour passed before everything was ready. Finally, the group got on the boat and left with the people from the barge.
Seeing them disappear, the seven people couldn’t help but feel exhilarated. They no longer had to share this place with anyone. They had enough food to last them for a long time.
None of them thought about what they would do when the food ran out.
These seven people couldn’t see past the profit right in front of them, and in the end, they gave up the magnificent future Kain would have given them.
Hannah, seeing they had gone far enough, closed the window. She stretched and let out a long breath.
"I’m going upstairs. I want to see if there’s anything hidden up there. They didn’t take any big bags, so they must have left something."
"Let’s go," Dillon said. He held Hannah by the waist and whispered in her ear. "Maybe we can test out the bed up there. I have a feeling it’s going to be amazing."
As he whispered in Hannah’s ear, he shot a look at the men behind him. Hannah didn’t see the exchange.
They pressed the button for the elevator. It opened.
Pressing the one for Floor Five, the elevator didn’t budge. She pressed multiple times, but nothing happened.
