A Candle in the Dark

It was almost too much to take in at once. She’d just gotten used to talking to Maddie when Monroe broke out into a run. Astrid had known that they were close to the camp for a while, she could see the trees thin out into a clearing up ahead. Suddenly they were standing in said clearing, watching as Monroe bounded up to two men. Astrid’s keen eyes picked up another man, stationed on the roof of a truck, pointing a rifle directly at them. Her grip tightened on her crossbow.

As the two men drew closer, Astrid was able to make out their features. Her first thought was that they were both handsome, although the taller one in a more classic sense. His jaw was strong and he had broad shoulders, and his eyes, which seemed blue at first, had a hint of green to them. Men like him had never had any impact on her; they were good looking, and that was it.

She could feel the other man’s eyes on her, but when she looked at him as they got closer he’d shifted his gaze to Maddie. Astrid took the opportunity to observe his features. His hair was the color of hazelnuts, sort of a multifaceted honey brown. It looked soft to the touch, and Astrid mentally chastised herself for thinking such thoughts about a man she didn’t even know. Her eyes traveled past his chocolate brown ones to his mouth and down his lanky frame. She could make out muscles through the fabric of his worn out shirt, but they were nowhere near as pronounced as the taller man’s.

“Found this one in Snatcher territory,” said Maddie.

The man looked back at Astrid and she immediately looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. He kept his gaze on her, and she made sure that her’s stayed on the taller man.

“She’s a Solitary. Told her she could stay with us,” Maddie was saying.

“Of course,” said the tall man, and stuck his hand out for Astrid. “I’m Jack.”

Astrid realized that she would inevitably have to look at the other man again, and did so through her lashes. He stared back at her for a long moment, almost as though he’d forgotten what to say. Then, “Ezra.”

Ezra. It wasn’t a name one heard often. Astrid had met plenty of Jacks and Maddies in her life, but he was the first Ezra. Unlike Jack, Ezra didn’t offer his hand for her to shake. She felt a pang of disappointment in her heart — perhaps he didn’t like newcomers.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, trying to move past it. “You’re the first people I’ve seen in three weeks, sorry if I’m a bit frazzled.”

Astrid couldn’t believe what she was saying. Frazzled? What was somebody supposed to expect in this hell? Perfect hair and clean skin were a thing of the past.

But Ezra was smiling. It was a genuine smile that made her insides melt, and she wanted to smack herself across the face. This was not the time to develop a crush; not when there were monsters lurking in the darkness searching for a taste of human flesh.

“We’re all a bit frazzled,” he said. Astrid couldn’t help it, she let out a weak laugh.

“Come on, I’ll show you where you can drop your things,” the tall man, Jack, said. He put his hand on Astrid’s elbow and guided her towards the circle of tents.

Monroe quickly followed, sticking close to Astrid’s heels. She knew that the dog just wanted to explore, but she would keep by her master out of concern. Jack was saying something about having a tent, and Astrid admitted that she did not own one. Apparently she would be sharing with Maddie, and Jack told her to drop her backpack and crossbow in front of a blue tent in fairly good condition.

While they went around the camp Astrid was introduced to a dozen new faces, all of them eating a familiar neon orange pasta dish with vegetables. Her stomach made a noise and Astrid clapped her hand over it, frowning.

Jack seemed to have noticed. “Let’s get some food. You must be starving.”

Astrid nodded, and they went up to two women beside the fire. On their way they passed by Ezra, who was seated next to an annoyed looking girl with the same colour as him. Their features were so similar, Astrid decided in the fleeting glance she’d managed to get that they must be related. The women in charge of the food, whose names Astrid learned were Emily and Cora, welcomed her to the camp with warm smiles and offered her a battered metal mug filled with Kraft Dinner.

“Thank you,” she said, and went to sit on one of the logs next to Jack. Monroe followed, watching Astrid’s food with eager eyes. She planted herself on the dirt next to Astrid’s feet and looked up, tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth.

“Fine, here you go,” Astrid said, and lifted a spoonful of pasta out of her cup, dropping it onto the ground in front of her dog.

“We’ll try to find some dog food on the supply run,” said Jack, who seemed to have eaten already. “Ezra and Maddie will go on one as soon as they’ve eaten.”

Astrid ate her food, and a satisfied warmth filled her body. “I’d like to join them, if that’s okay. I’m not really used to sitting around all day.”

“Ezra’s in charge of that sort of thing. If you ask him first, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Okay,” Astrid said, lifting her eyes to search the camp for Ezra. She spotted him by a Jeep, tucking a machete into his belt. Maddie stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the vehicle, her mouth uttering words Astrid couldn’t hear. “It looks like they’re leaving soon. I’ll do that now.”

She handed the cup to the woman named Emily and crossed the camp to the Jeep, feeling Monroe hot on her heels. When she got close both Ezra and Maddie looked at her, as though they were surprised she wanted to speak to them.

“Jack told me you’re going on a supply run. I was wondering if I could come along.”

Ezra just stared at her with an expression she didn’t entirely understand. Maddie hit his arm and he flinched, then smiled at her. “Yeah, sure,” he said.

“I’ll just get my…” her voice trailed off, and she motioned to the blue tent. Ezra nodded and Astrid left them, but not before catching Maddie begin to call him an idiot.

She tried not to focus on the fact that perhaps Maddie thought she would be a liability. Astrid unhooked her quiver from her backpack and slung it over her head, letting the leather strap press against skin like an embrace. She held her crossbow loosely in one hand as she returned to Maddie and Ezra.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.”