"Do you want something to eat?" Keenan gestured towards what Elias assumed to be the kitchen. "Martha does wonders with a can of beans."

Elias marvelled at the man in front of him, who clearly had so little and was willing to share it with a stranger. As opposed to the Pride who carefully rationed out every single thing. "No, thank you."

Keenan nodded once before heading down the hall and turning into the first doorway on the right, with Elias and Jae trailing behind him. They entered into a room with soft lilac walls, the dining room table and chairs seemingly out of place in the confined space.

"So, your people are killing survivors." Keenan's voice was filled with such distaste that Elias shrank back in the hard wooden chair he had just lowered himself onto. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"I had no idea what Lorenzo was doing until I spoke to Jaelynn," Elias defended himself. "I didn't realise that they were attempting chip removals on survivors. I thought it was The Risen."

"You've been very sheltered," Keenan pointed out the same thing that Jaelynn had. "I don't know whether to be jealous of you, or feel bad for you. Tell me more about this Lorenzo."

"There's not much to say." Elias glanced at Jaelynn for guidance but she just shrugged. "I used to think he was removing the chip to try and turn the Risen back to people. Now that I know the truth, I believe he's doing it as more of a preventative measure."

"If he was indeed removing the chip from the Risen, it would be pointless. The chips are what keep the Risen alive and what stops their bodies from deteriorating. Removing them would either result in them turning straight back to corpses, or it would cause their body functions to shut down slowly," Keenan explained. "Either way, the outcome would be the same."

Elias had never thought about the fact that the Risen's bodies were mostly intact, but Keenan's explanation made sense. Some corpses had been wandering around for almost a year and if it weren't for the chips, their flesh would have decayed and their organs stopped working.

The only way to tell them apart is by their smell.

Jae had told him that when they'd first met, and he assumed she was right since he hadn't come close enough to one to test her theory. Now he wondered how the scent of death could cling to them when their body was, for the most part, still functioning. Was that because the chip revived them after they had died but before their bodies could rot?

"I didn't think of it like that," Elias admitted, his cheeks turning a soft pink. "Otherwise I would have done something about it a long time ago."

Keenan eyed Elias for a long time, seeming to search his face for the truth. Elias hoped that he would absolve him, reassure him that he couldn't have known. Instead, Keenan changed the subject. "Is he working alone?"

Elias immediately thought of his father, whose face was as familiar as his own. The man who had become a stranger to him. "No. There's a woman there, Delta. She used to be a doctor before the Rise. She helps him." Elias was almost scared to say the next words aloud, worried that Keenan would judge him. "I think my father has been in on it too."

"We have to kill him," Jaelynn said, speaking for the first time since they entered the room. "Not your father," she added quickly, though judging by the hard glint in her eye and the tightness in her jaw, Elias could see she would if she had to. "Lorenzo. From my understanding, he's the ring leader."

"No." Keenan shook his head vehemently. "We are not killers, Jae. We don't want to stoop to their level."

"But-"

"Too much blood has been shed as it is," Keenan cut her off, his voice stern.

"And it will continue unless we stop him!" Jae's voice rose and she slammed a hand against the table. "We can't let him get away with this!"

"Jae." Keenan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Despite what you think, you are not capable of this. There's a very big difference between an accident and intentionally setting out to kill someone. This is the kind of thing you don't come back from."

"I'm already lost anyway," she argued. "I might as well do some good."

"You're not lost." Keenan said softly and Elias felt like an intruder on what should have been a private moment. "And I appreciate that you want to help people, but this is not your weight to carry. Your load is already full."

For the first time since he had met her, Elias sensed weakness from Jaelynn. She sniffled loudly, her shoulders slumping as a lone tear made its way down her cheek. When she spoke, her voice was considerably softer. "What if this is the only way to make things right?"

"If anything, this would make things worse, Jae," Keenan answered, his tone gentle. "Killing Lorenzo won't bring the man back. All it will do is cause you more pain, and you've already suffered enough."

Jae's red-rimmed eyes met Elias', as though she had only just remembered he was still there. He watched in fascination as she pulled herself together, hastily wiping her cheeks and building her walls back up so fast he might have imagined her little breakdown. "So what do we do now?" she asked Keenan.

"I think it's time we move on, get away from them and go to the next town over. Elias." Keenan looked up at him for the first time in ages, as though he too had only just remembered that they had company. "You're welcome to join us. You can start afresh with a new group."

The offer was tempting and Elias would have taken him up on it if it weren't for Eden. "I can't. I can't leave my sister with those people. She's too young for this."

Deep down he truly believed that joining The Lost was the safest option for them, but he wasn't sure how Keenan would feel about having a child tag along with his group. Elias hoped that he would be okay with it, as Keenan seemed like a wise and fair leader, but he would probably decide based on what was best for his people, not the stranger he had just met.

Sympathy fluttered across Keenan's face and he ran his hand over his bald head. "Bring her with," he said, after a moment of contemplation, during which Elias sat on the edge of his seat. "I suggest you stay here tonight and go to fetch her in the morning."

"I'll go with you," Jae volunteered.

Elias nodded once, still unsure how he was going to get Eden out without Emmanuel or Lorenzo stopping him. But, with Jae's help, he knew that he would find a way. Somehow in the short time that he had known her, she had become his closest ally. It was scary to think how much he trusted her, especially considering how little he knew about her.

He could only hope that his trust was well placed.

+

The next morning, Elias was awakened by someone rudely tapping on his forehead. He groggily opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with an irate looking Jaelynn.

"Come on," she urged. "Wake up. We should get going."

Eli sat up and stretched, doing his best to move quickly. He folded up the blanket that he had been given last night and placed it on the arm of the couch he had slept on. He wished that he had thought to bring a change of clothes so that he wouldn't have to wear the same ones as yesterday, but he hadn't expected to stay the night.

"You're wasting daylight!" Jaelynn yelled from the front door, clearly not giving a damn that some of the others were still sleeping.

Elias ignored her and made his way into the kitchen where Martha was already stirring something in a pot. True to Keenan's word, the beans she had made last night had been delicious and Elias wanted to say goodbye before he left.

"See you soon, Martha."

She smiled widely, the sunlight that filtered through the windows lighting up her face and illuminating her freckles. "Take care, Elias."

Elias had enjoyed his night with the Lost after his meeting with Keenan. Martha and Kenji made a lovely couple, Jonah was full of laughter and jokes and Tyrell was stiff and silent, preferring to sit alone in the corner of the room. They were certainly a different group than the Pride and Elias couldn't wait to spend more time with them.

Eden would especially love Martha.

He followed a grumbling Jae out the door, leaving her to her irritation and enjoying the early morning sunshine. For the first time in a long time, Elias felt good, his steps light and his chest free of tension. He finally had a plan and a way to keep his little sister safe.

There was only one thing still bothering him; the man he was sure Jae had killed. He did his best to keep his curiosity at bay, walking in silence next to Jaelynn, until eventually it got the best of him. "Who were they?"

"What?"

"The person that you..." He paused, unsure how to phrase it without offending her. "Hurt. The reason you think you have blood on your hands."

Jae stopped walking, throwing him a look similar to that of finding a slug on her shoe. When she spoke, her voice was laced with so much venom, he regretted his question immediately. "If you value your perfect little button nose the way it is, I wouldn't bring that up ever again."

He stepped back, shocked by the sheer amount of hatred that she'd directed at him. He had expected that she would be mad at his nosiness, but the extent of it reminded him of the first time he had brought it up and she had called him a 'self-righteous prick.' He cursed his big mouth, knowing that, yet again, he had overstepped.

With guilt swirling in his stomach, he attempted to lighten the situation. "You think my nose is perfect?"

She scoffed, continuing to walk as though he hadn't spoken.

"Jae, I'm-,"

"I told you not to call me that," she snapped. "We're not friends, Elias. Don't mistake this rescue mission for something it's not. I'm only here to help your sister. And because I don't want your death on my shoulders."

"You're incredibly rude, has anyone ever told you that?" He quickened his pace to catch up to her.

"Multiple people. Including you," she reminded him.

"You know you don't have to go through life so angry all the time. Just because you let yourself care about someone, doesn't make you weak."

"Caring about people destroys you, Elias," she countered. "The sooner you learn that the better."

He wrinkled his nose, sad that she felt that way and wondering what had happened to make her so cold. "You're wrong."

"You have your opinions and I have mine." She shrugged.

"If you don't care about anything or anyone, then what's the point of even living?" he asked, slightly breathless from trying to keep up with her fast pace. "This world is messed up enough at it is. We all need something to live for."

"What we're doing isn't living, Elias. It's surviving."

"Well, I want to do more than just survive," he insisted.

"Your opinion."

He couldn't help the short bark of laughter that burst out of him. The girl was the most infuriating, yet interesting person he had ever met. "You're very stubborn."

"And you're very naïve," she pointed out. "We all have our faults. At least mine won't get me killed."

"Actually, it might," he argued, finally reaching his boiling point. "But I will die knowing there's some good in the world. You'll die alone and sad, hating everyone and everything. I feel sorry for you."

She stopped again, looking almost impressed at his outburst. A soft smile graced her lips and if he wasn't mistaken, he could see the respect shining in her eyes as they met his. "Feel better now?" she asked. "I bet you've been wanting to tell me how you really feel for some time."

Elias let out a deep breath, shaking his head and not wanting to admit that he did actually feel better after telling her off. "I don't understand you."

"I don't understand you either," she admitted. "But I'm not going to make it my life's mission to try and figure you out."

With that she carried on in front of him, making sure to stay a couple of paces ahead. Elias refused to close the distance between them, giving her the space he assumed she needed. He occasionally called out directions, but other than that, he kept silent the whole way.

By the time they arrived at the warehouse, Elias was covered in sweat. His feet were sore and he was tired of swatting flies away from his face. Jae had insisted on taking a longer route, telling him that she had run into one of the Risen the day before on her way to meet him.

He was so exhausted, that when he first entered the warehouse that the Pride called home, he didn't notice what was wrong. It was only when the echo of his and Jae's footsteps reached his ears that he realised what it was.

It was quiet. Too quiet. The eerie silence pervaded every corner of the large room. The space seemed too big. Too empty.

Gone were the soft mattresses, and the small kitchen set up in the corner. The piles of clothing each of them had were missing, as well as the stacked dishes that sat to the left of Tobias' makeshift stove top. The floor was bare, empty of clutter and every single thing that used to be there.

Unable to believe it, he raced towards the office, flinging open the door with his pulse racing. His heart dropped as he noticed the absence of the maps on the walls. The desk had been cleared and the chair knocked over as though someone had left the room in haste.

"No," he whispered, his chest tightening with every breath. "NO!"

He picked up the chair and threw it out the door, the resulting clatter doing nothing to calm his racing heart. Anger filled his body, coursing through his veins as though it had a life of its own. His breathing came out in rapid gasps as he turned to look at the girl who had accompanied him on this fool's errand.

"They're gone, Jae."

It spoke volumes that for the first time, she didn't correct him.