Chapter Eighteen
“You should get somesleep,” Daddy Gage says, pulling back the covers on one of the beds. He gestures for me to come closer, but I don’t budge. Instead, I cast a worried glance at the staircase that leads upward to the danger Daddies Axel and Nash have run straight into.
“No one will be able to open the door,” Daddy Erik says. “You have nothing to fear.”
“Nothing to fear?” I scoff and shake my head. “You’re wrong. I have everything to fear.” Anger flares alongside my growing dread. How can he not understand? Outcasts have attacked the village and two of my daddies have run off to fight them. I recall what happened to my daddies’ parents and a cold shudder runs through me. Something that terrible could easily happen again.
When I imagine Daddies Erik and Gage, as well as their older brothers, hiding in this very bunker as children while their parents were slaughtered on the surface above during an attack such as this, my heart clenches and tears burn in my eyes. How awful it must have been for them.
Daddy Gage approaches me and I wrap my arms around him. I don’t know if he’s thinking about this particular event in his childhood at this moment, or if he even possesses a clear memory of that fateful day, but my arms ache with the need to wrap around him and comfort him.
“It’s going to be all right,” he says.
“You don’t know that.” My voice is thick with emotion. “You can’t promise that.”
“Daddies Axel and Nash are skilled fighters. We all are. They will survive the encounter with the outcasts.”
Loud blasts echo in the night, distant but far too close for comfort.
“What’s that noise?”
“Gunshots.” Daddy Erik walks closer and places a hand upon my shoulder. I withdraw slightly from Daddy Gage and reach one arm out to Daddy Erik, drawing him closer as chaos descends upon the world above.
I hope the outcasts don’t possess rifles, but I can’t bring myself to ask any further questions about our attackers. I allow Daddies Gage and Erik to guide me closer to the bed. With a frustrated sigh, I sit down and prop myself up against the pillows. No way am I getting under the covers and closing my eyes. I won’t sleep a wink until I’m certain Daddies Axel and Nash are safe.
I think back to the first time I saw them and feel a smile tugging at my lips.
“What are you thinking about?” Daddy Gage asks, sitting beside me.
“Just about the first time I saw Daddies Axel and Nash. When they appeared on the hiking trail in front of me, I assumed they were Rangers and asked them to help me find my group. Instead of telling me they were savages, they introduced themselves as Ranger Axel and Ranger Nash.” Despite the gravity of our current situation, I can’t restrain a small chuckle. I marvel now that I’m starting to find happiness with the savages, I can look back on this memory with laughter. “Then they proceeded to lead me off into the forest, claiming we were taking a shortcut home. Little did I know that home was no longer in Emerald. I cussed them out and got into a lot of trouble before they even pushed the boat all the way into the water.”
Daddy Erik sits at the foot of the bed and reaches for my leg, giving it a squeeze as his blue gaze dances with humor. “Our brothers told us of your antics,” he says with a wry grin, “including some of the insults you hurled their way. I would’ve loved to have seen their faces when you told them to eat a...sandwich.”
Our laughter is cut short by the increasing noise of gunshots. It sounds like it’s getting closer and closer to the underground shelter. Daddy Erik glances at the rifles they propped against the nearby wall.
“How-how long do you think the fighting will last?” I ask, my heart in my throat.
“I don’t know, Josie, but we might be down here for a while.” Daddy Gage strokes my hair. “I know you’re worried, but you really should try to get some sleep.”
