Beyond The Walls (NOW ON AMAZON!!!)

The Campsite

It was one of those picturesque spring days that held boundless promises. The weather was quite fresh, and the cold still nipped at them, but without the bite from the last few days. Birds were singing, the sun was streaming through the tree canopy in gorgeous ribbons of sparkly light, no cloud in the sky... it was perfect. Hadley wasn't leading the group today. That was Josal's job. He and Teroi were at the front. Hadley slunk to the middle of the pack. It was here that she realised how much she'd been missing from the front while stressing over landmarks and checkpoints on a twenty-year-old map in a secret diary written without consideration of what could have changed in all that time.

Without the responsibility of trying to figure out where they were going, Hadley could observe what went on in the background while they hiked. Jamila held the most of her attention. Hadley watched two of the Compound children run up to her, one of them crying. They didn't go to their mothers. They went to Jamila. And she had them shaking hands and laughing together in less than five minutes. Drew walked up to Jamila next, Brownie the dog faithfully following alongside him. He asked her about some berries he'd seen on the trail and picked up.

Then it was one of the Compound mothers coming to consult with Jamila. The mothers were generally in charge of the young children, the three girls from the Compound and the four boys they'd found at the Master vampire's mansion with Teroi. Jael had made a makeshift sled from strips of tables clothes and fallen branches. When the young ones got tired of keeping pace with the adults, they could get on the sleds and rest, the mothers pulling them along. Hadley watched Jamila laugh with the mother who'd come up to her before taking over her sled to let the mother rest.

Jamila made this work.

She was the glue that kept them together.

Not Hadley.

Hadley just made everything worse.

"Are you okay?"

Hadley turned to face Ruqwik. Her chest felt restrictive. Like she couldn't catch her breath. What was she even thinking being out here? With children? And what about the vampire dogs?! She'd led them into the Compound! It was her fault. Her fault that everyone was dead! Aunt Zee. Her mother. Her Compound. Everyone.

Her fault.

"I'm fine." Hadley lied.

Ruqwik let them walk a few paces in silence before she responded.

"You know how you can feel... what did you call it?... 'my power' in the air sometimes?" Ruqwik said. Hadley didn't respond, but Ruqwik continued. "Whatever is happening between us... well, let's just say that it goes both ways now, just so you know."

The trees leaned in close, further darkening Hadley's vision. Her chest squeezed tighter. It was almost impossible to get air into her lungs. She was about to explode.

"We shouldn't be out here in this jungle, Ruq! Jamila... these children... I've doomed them all. And for what? We haven't found the Wildlings and now we're headed to a vampire's camp without knowing what we'll find there and..."

"Hey," Ruq assured her, taking Hadley's hand in hers. The vampire's hand was warm and comforting, pulling Hadley out of her mind for a moment. "Trisca was Lujeo's ally. And she's a friend. You and your people will be safe with her. As for the Wildlings? We'll figure it out, together. I promise."

Hadley's vision blurred from unshed tears. She looked up at the forest canopy to keep them from spilling.

"Hadley, can I try something?" Ruqwik asked, in the gentlest of voices.

Hadley had never heard her sound like that. She looked at the vampire and slowly nodded, her tears escaping down her cheeks.

The effect was instant.