The Steel Harvest (4 page)

Was that all an act?

Following his newfound companion, Carter made his way up the stairs and down the hall. Then, using his key to unlock the room, he let the door swing open. Silvia pushed under his arm and entered the room.

“It’s…so small.”

Carter stepped into the room. It had been constructed in the shape of a small rectangle, barely long enough to fit two beds on either side of the door. Aside from the shelf just under the window, the room stood undeniably barren.

“Better get used to it,” Carter said. “We don’t have wood for the fireplace, either, so it’ll get rather chilly at night, too.”

Silvia swiveled around, eyes wide. In the relative darkness, Carter could see her arms trembling underneath the oversized hoodie. Raising his hands, he met her panic head on.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a spare set of clothes in my bag and a spare blanket you can use. You will keep plenty warm with those, as long as you use them.”

Silvia’s shoulders fell, the storm in her eyes calming. Apparently satisfied, she let herself flop back onto one of the beds, her hair sprawling out behind her. Carter smiled. For someone who could be incredibly polite, Silvia really didn’t have much of a filter. Overall, it made her seem charming, though Carter feared the day he met her angry side.

As Silvia curled up on the bed, Carter took out the spare clothes and the blanket, setting them on the straw-stuffed mattress.

“I have to go talk to Ramus,” he said. “Are you okay on your own?”

Silvia nodded, though she appeared very meek in the dark. “I’ll be fine. If I need anything, I should come find you, yes?” Her voice came out quiet, no more than a whisper.

“Yeah. I’ll be just downstairs.”

Carter turned to leave, but without warning, Silvia’s hand shot out, grabbing hold of his shirt.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you back at the car. I am truly grateful for everything you’ve done for me, even though I am but a stranger to you. I’m just not used to-to playing the damsel in distress.”

Carter stood at the door, speechless.

God, I really am too soft.

“It’s okay.” He smiled.

Wordlessly, Silvia accepted the smile. Her hand curled up against her chest as she nestled herself into the bed covers. Closing the door behind him, Carter couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

She’s just like me. Back then…

The dinner rush threatened to vanquish the bar as Carter stepped down into the foyer. Ramus’s apprentice manned the counter while several hired hands rushed to and fro, dishes filling their hands. Ramus sat lounging in a booth near the entrance of the bar, alone. He waved Carter over.

Carter slid into the seat across from the innkeeper, a tired sigh escaping. As Carter rubbed his forehead, Ramus pushed a bottle into Carter’s hand. He stared down incredulously, scanning the label.

This is one hell of an expensive import!

“This one’s on the house. You look like hell.”

Carter stared at Ramus, but he merely grinned.

Screw it.

Taking a large gulp of the whiskey, Carter felt his insides burn, then warm. Ramus smirked from across the table.

“Better?” the innkeeper asked.

“Yes, much.” Carter breathed. “I thought I was going to freeze out there.”

“Probably, considering you gave all your clothing away.”

Ramus still spoke with a smile, but the tone in the air felt thicker, more serious.

Shifting the drink in his hand, Carter cleared his throat and continued. “She’s a survivor from the wreck we were working.”

“From The Shell?”

“Yeah, and there’s more; she’s a Royal.”

“Damn! Does she have the mark?”

“Unfortunately.”

Ramus stretched in his seat, his smile wavering slightly. “Better keep that covered up. Don’t want some of our more…conservative neighbors dusting off their pitchforks.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I don’t know which is worse, the slavers or the straight up racists.”

“I still don’t understand, though.” Ramus breathed, taking a swig from his own drink. “Why did you break ranks to run off with her?”

“They were taking her to Benton, Ramus.”

“Oh, the slave depot, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“So what’s the plan now?”

Carter looked up from his drink, meeting Ramus’s pointed stare.

It’s a fair question.

“I need to lie low here for a day or two,” Carter said. “Then I’m going to get some gear and get her out of here. If she can make it to Montar, she can hitch a ride home with one of The Shell Reps there.”

Ramus raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite adventurous of you. Won’t that take you pretty far off your route?”

“I doubt I’ll go all the way to Montar with her,” Carter clarified. “But I can give her a good head start at least. I figure if I can get her out of New Port territory, she should at least be safe from the Covenant and their slaver buddies.”

Ramus nodded, his face ashen. “So what will you do if the Covenant comes looking for you while you’re still here?”

“Well, between restocking and refueling, I don’t think they’ll be able to make it back for a couple of days.”

“But if they do make it back?”

Carter grew silent.

Can I really ask this of him again?

“If that does happen, I’m afraid I’ll be relying on you once again.”

Ramus rubbed the back of his head, glancing back toward the bar. Carter ground his teeth together.

Success is fragile. Ramus isn’t a fool, he knows that. This is just as dangerous for him as it is for me.

“All right, fine, you can count on me.”

Carter’s shoulders quivered slightly as the built-up tension in his chest diffused. “I’ll gladly pay you double for your efforts.”

“Oh? That’s some big talk coming from the guy who looks dirt broke.”

“I’ve got some sheet metal waiting for me at the car rental just outside town. If you send someone to retrieve it, it’s all yours. That should more than cover a double payment.”

Ramus let loose a low whistle. “I’ll send someone first thing in the morning.”

Carter stood, shaking his friend’s hand vigorously.

Ramus grinned slightly, eyeing Carter mischievously. “Need any help gathering supplies? I mean, you’ve never left the east coast, right?”

“Yeah, traveling west was always your thing. I’d be grateful for your assistance.”

Ramus’s grin widened. He’d settled down years ago, but Carter knew Ramus secretly wanted to return to the road. Staying in one place for too long could easily become tedious.

Still, at least he has a home.

“Anyway, I’ve got a bar to run,” Ramus said, breaking Carter away from his thoughts. “I’ll let you get back to your new companion.”

“Okay. I’ll catch you in the morning then.”

“Right. Hey, Carter?”

“Hmm?” Carter turned back to face his friend.

Ramus glanced sideways, grinning embarrassedly. “She’s lucky she found you.”

“Thanks, Ramus.”

Carter turned and headed up the stairs, hiding his flustered expression. When he reached the landing, he felt his way down the dark corridor until he came to the end of the hall. Slipping his key into the lock, he pushed the door open, entering his room.

Inside, the warm glow of a lamp penetrated the darkness. Carter blinked, covering his eyes with his hand.

She must have found the lamp in my pack.

Silvia wore Carter’s extra clothes; his oversized tank top draped over her almost like a dress. Sitting up in bed, she looked out the window, her bottom half nestled underneath the covers. Her gaze pierced the heavens, and she didn’t seem to notice Carter’s entrance.

She’s looking at The Shell.

Carter coughed, breaking his companion’s trance. As her eyes darted to him, he sat down at the edge of his bed, kicking off his boots.

“Well?” she scoffed.

“Well, what?”

“How did it go? You went downstairs to negotiate the price of the room, did you not? Did you win?”

Carter scoffed. “You can’t win in negotiations. It’s not a game.”

“So you lost, is that it?”

Carter began to retort but stopped dead in his tracks.

She has me there.

Sighing, he raised his hands in defeat.

Silvia’s eyes lit up immediately as she shot him a grin. “You should have taken me with you,” she joked. “Your friend seemed quite taken with me when we met downstairs. I could have distracted him while you whittled him down to nothing.”

“You make a valid point. Any other day, I might have considered something similar.”

Silvia’s smile drooped, her eyes pinning Carter questioningly. “Why would tonight be any different?”

“Well, like I said earlier, I’ve known Ramus for a long time. He’s a good friend, so I try not to cheat him too much.”

“Oh.” Silvia nodded, looking back out the window.

Carter glanced at her. The moonlight illuminated her pale, slender features. Carter couldn’t help but notice the red marks under her eyes.

Has-has she been crying?

“Silvia?” Carter said. His voice felt foreign to him.

“Wh-what will we…what will I do now?” Silvia glanced back at Carter. Her red eyes burned bright, piercing through him like a bullet.

“Well, Marcus wasn’t lying about Montar. There are representatives from The Shell who come down to the surface to bargain for scrap and tech. You would probably be able to bum a ride back home from one of them, right?”

Silvia nodded. “Is it far? Montar, I mean.”

“It’s no easy trip,” Carter admitted. “But my traveling route gets pretty close. I can escort you most of the way, if you’d like.”

Silvia smiled at Carter, but he couldn’t help notice her lips quivering as he emphasized
most
.

I don’t have a choice.

Carter couldn’t just take off gallivanting with some girl he barely knew. Once they escaped slaver territory, Silvia’s chances would increase dramatically. She didn’t need him.

“Thank you, Carter. I would gladly accept the company. Besides, I will need you to teach me a thing or two before I go off on my own.”

Carter nodded. Pulling his bag next to his bed, he searched for his blanket. He needed sleep. However, after he pulled the weathered cloth over himself, his eyes fell on his companion.

Silvia sat propped up against the wall, her blankets pulled up over her mouth, her eyes quivering in the dark.

“Hey, you okay—”

A quiet sob cut him off, echoing through the small room.

Damn.

Before he knew it, Carter stood, stepping across the small distance between the beds. Reaching forward, he tried to put his hand on Silvia’s shoulder, but she quickly pulled away, refusing to meet his gaze. As she sat facing away from him, Carter tried again. Silvia stiffened, but this time she didn’t retaliate. Slowly, she leaned on his side, her sobs lessening.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be crying, I just…”

“No, it’s fine. You’ve been through a lot today.”

“Yeah, thanks…”

Wiping her eyes, Silvia pulled herself away. Carter stayed glued to his spot. He watched as she stood and cracked open the window, breathing in the night air.

“Hey, is this your first time on the surface?”

“Yeah, why?”

Carter smiled. Standing, he grabbed his hoodie from the bed and tossed it to Silvia. She caught it, studying Carter quizzically.

“What are you—”

“Come on, let’s go get some food before we turn in for the night. As long as you’re stuck here, you might as well soak in the sights and sounds of the surface world, right? That way, you’ll have one hell of a story to tell when you get home.”

Silvia’s face immediately brightened as a truly childish grin broke out. Slipping on the hoodie, she nodded furiously. Carter held back a chuckle. In that moment, she resembled a puppy more than she did a girl from The Shell.

“Will there still be anywhere open? It looked like everyone was closing up when we walked into town.”

“Those were just the goods vendors. Food stands and pubs stay open until curfew starts. We still have an hour or so before we need to be inside for the night.”

Silvia didn’t argue. Grabbing Carter’s arm, she practically dragged him down the stairs.

Once out on the street, Silvia slowed. Seizing the opportunity, Carter pulled her hood up over her head. Silvia promptly shot him a glare. Carter returned the look as solemnly as he could.

“Listen, I know you may not like it, but it’s best if we keep that mark of yours hidden in public, okay? Your eyes, too. They’ll attract the wrong kind of attention, trust me.”

Silvia looked up at him in surprise but nodded. For a moment, they walked in silence. Then Silvia sighed.

“What’s wrong?”