ALIVE: The Aftermath Chronicles (Book 1)

Chapter 19 - DELIBERATIONS

"Noon, tomorra'." Nick talks from the doorway, leaning into the frame. His arms, crossed over and appearing far more relaxed than he should be.

Dalton, at Hannah's side when she woke again, felt these couple days passed far too quickly. They are pieces in Russell's game. If the guard could have gotten past Nick and Fisher, Dalton imagined Hannah would be at the mercy of those who had every intention to see her dead. 

The colony under distress and attacked from forces within, from the forces with crumbling power. It had been what Dalton wanted all along, their goal here to set in chaos, to cause distrust in Russell, but with the lives here at stake, Dalton felt a pang of guilt in his deceptions.

"I know, Nick." Dalton replies in irritation as Hannah looks between the two men and adjusts to sit up on the bed. Dalton adds, "How are we going to stop all this? All these people are going to get killed when they go to trial, too..."

"And it's our fault," Dalton added in a guilty passing glare, one Nick heard louder than the spoken word.

"They arrested that nurse that was helpin' ya too. E'ryone's talking' about it. They took in the soldier, too. Tha sniper from tha tower that I sent tha signal from." He replies, knowing damn well who Sophie was since their awkward encounter in the medical center, and admittedly, having noticed her before with her assistance to Dalton's injuries. She made the house calls and Dr. Martin stayed stuck in that hospital doing God knew what for Russell.

If Nick didn't think Sophie to be rude and a touch too paranoid, he might have actually sought her out to help them in this. As it were, Dr. Martin was nowhere to be found.

"The soldier?" Dalton asks, trying to place who Nick's talking about.

Hannah pipes in, "Sergeant Doyle. He's a sniper. Really, the only one with a license to kill in this damn place. Russell's hated him since day one. I'm guessing the feeling' is pretty mutual by how he's probably second to me in making snide comments 'round here..."

"You know him?" Dalton asks.

Hannah replies, "No. Not really. I've just seen him around a lot. Noticed him. A lot of people have. A lot of people who hate Russell even talked about Doyle possibly taking a bigger role here when it came to protecting the wall and pretty much giving The Guard a friendlier makeover. He's a threat to Russell. Been a threat. Russell's been lookin' for excuses to take him out, to kick him out, to do whatever. That, I know for a fact. I've heard things from the horse's mouth."

"But he's just one person...?" Dalton asks, but it's more of a comment then anything.

"Yeah, a person people automatically looked to. A lot like how they looked to Russell, at first back on Tybee island....where we first came from...." Hannah looks to both men with questioning stares on the island, an island that fell, an island she'd rather not talk about. She continues,  "A guy like Doyle gets attention by his presence alone. He's the person that walks in a room and ya can't stop staring at him. Almost like, he walks around with us, lives with us, but somehow, he's not one of us. There's just something about him...and he has the experience to back it up. Experience that Russell lacks."

"He's no good to us naw," Nick replies, straightening and taking a step toward them. "We gotta make a plan and make one quick."

"This trial..." Dalton starts, "How do they come to a verdict?"

Hannah rolls her eyes, stabbing at the mush on her plate that doesn't need stabbing. "Russell and a few members of his guard decide. And then there's Kate..."

"Who's Kate?" Nick asks.

"The pale, redhead vampire that sucks the life out of everyone. She talks a lot, but just to Russell. She won't even look at anyone else. Woman thinks she walks on water. They sent her here from the District in Atlanta. The new capital."