“Ezekiel!”
Everyone straightened. We all turned as another human came striding up, dressed in black, his entire frame locked into a sense of determined purpose. Everything about him seemed sharp and hard, from the pinched, angled face to the bony shoulders, to the jagged white scar running from temple to chin. His long hair might’ve been jet-black once, but it was now the color of steel, tied behind him in a neat tail. His eyes, the same color as his hair, took stock of us all in a glance, before turning to Zeke.
“You found him, then.” The clipped voice fit the man. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, sir. Actually—” and Zeke nodded to me “—she found him. I was hoping we could…let her stay with us for a while.”
Those sharp gray eyes raked over me, missing very little. “Another stray?” he asked. “You’ve spoken to her then, Ezekiel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And does she know our situation? What we are searching for?”
“I’ve told her, yes.”
I expected Ruth to pipe up, voicing her suspicions to what was obviously the leader of the group. But Ruth was quiet and still as she stood beside Darren, staring at the ground. Caleb, too, clung to her hand and remained silent. Only Zeke seemed truly at ease, though he stood straight and tall with his hands clasped behind him, like a soldier awaiting orders.
What have you gotten yourself into, Allison?
The human continued to observe me, betraying no emotion. “Your name?” he asked, like a pet barking orders to his underlings. I swallowed a growl and met his piercing stare head-on.
“Allison,” I replied, giving him a smirk. “And you must be Jeb.”
“I am Jebbadiah Crosse,” the man continued with a slightly offended air. “And Ezekiel knows I turn away none in need, so you are welcome here. However, if you choose to stay, there are rules everyone must follow. We travel at night, and we move fast. Those who fall behind will be left. Everyone contributes—there are no free meals here, so you will be expected to work: hunting, gathering, cooking if there is need. Thievery of any sort will not be tolerated. If you think you can follow these rules, then you are welcome to stay.”
“Can I now?” I said as sarcastically as I could. “Thanks so much.” I couldn’t help it. Throwing rules in my face, expecting me to follow just because someone said so, never sat well with me. Ruth and Darren blinked at me, shocked, but Jebbadiah didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
“Ezekiel is my second—any problems you have, you take up with him,” he continued and turned to Zeke, giving him a curt nod. “Good work finding the boy, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
A very faint, proud smile crossed Jebbadiah’s lips before he turned sharply to Ruth, who cringed under his stare. “I expect you to keep a better eye on young Caleb in the future,” he said. “Such carelessness is unforgivable. Had Ezekiel not found him tonight, he would’ve been left behind. Do you understand?” Ruth’s lower lip trembled, and she nodded.
“Good.” Jeb stepped back, nodded at me, his steely eyes unreadable. “Welcome to the family, Allison,” he stated and strode away, hands clasped behind him. I was tempted to make a face at his retreating back, but Zeke was watching me, so I resisted.
Darren slapped Zeke on the shoulder and returned to his post. Caleb beamed at us, but Ruth took his hand and dragged him off. I shot Zeke a sideways look, raising an eyebrow.
“Ezekiel?”
He winced. “Yeah. It’s the name of an archangel, but only Jeb calls me that anymore.” Raking a hand through his hair, he turned away. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
Not long after, I met nearly everyone in the small congregation, though I forgot most of their names as soon as I heard them. Of the dozen or so skinny, half-starved people, about half were adults; the rest were kids my age and younger. I suspected, from the amount of children running around with no parents, that the group had been larger once. I wondered how long they had been wandering, following a fanatical old man, looking for some mythical city that probably didn’t exist. I wondered how many hadn’t made it this far.