Morningside Fall(69)

“No, that’s alright. Just keep an eye out.”

“Check.” Finn was the cautious type, so it might very well have been nothing. But that didn’t really make Sky feel any better.





They had reconvened in the main room, and laid out supplies in a few meticulous piles across several of the tables. It’d taken them longer than Gamble had anticipated, mostly because Mister Sun’s storage room wasn’t arranged with efficiency in mind. It was clear she was becoming increasingly anxious to get moving.



Cass had dumped the contents of her go-bag out to see what she could contribute. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud when Gamble had complimented her on her preparedness. Cass didn’t mention how much she’d learned from her first flight into the open.

“Alright, I think we’re good enough,” Gamble said. She was doing one final survey of the supplies. “Anything we don’t have, we’ll just have to make do without. Let’s get all this loaded up and get moving.”

Cass quickly repacked her go-bag and reorganized it so she could fit as many of the new additions as it could carry. Mister Sun had provided them with a couple of large storage sacks as a temporary solution until they could meet up with the others and redistribute everything more evenly. Painter and Wren were loading one, while Gamble worked on another.

“Wick,” Gamble said, “we’re out of time.” Then to the others, “Don’t worry about trying to keep it organized. The piles were just to make sure we had enough for everyone. Wick?”

“Yeah, I heard you,” he answered from the back of the room. Cass noticed Kit had joined him at the table. She was sitting across from him, resting her head on her folded arms. “I don’t have a full route worked out yet, G. It’s a tricky run.”

“You got us a place to stay for the night?”

“I think I found a spot, yeah, but–”

“Then figure out the rest on the way, we need to move.”

“You know I hate that.”

“You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it.” Gamble switched over to the team’s channel. “Sky. Finn. We’re wrapping it up in here, make ready to move.”

Wick exhaled in obvious frustration, but he bounced up out of his chair and helped the boys finish stuffing the supplies in their storage sacks. Neither Wren nor Painter had spoken much since Cass had brought them downstairs. They both looked exhausted, though neither of them had complained at all throughout the entire process. The boys slipped their coats on, and Mister Sun buzzed around making last-minute gestures of good will, trying to be helpful and reassuring any way he could. Wick grabbed one of the supply sacks, and Gamble took the other, and with Painter they started towards the back door. Mister Sun lingered by the entrance to the back room, half in and half out, seemingly at a loss for what more he could do.

Wren came over to Cass and stood waiting for her. She saw him check something in his belt, realized it was his knife. He zipped his coat up over it.

Cass tossed her coat on, and made a final check on her pack. Everything seemed to be in order. She slung the single strap up over her head, onto her right shoulder, and then adjusted it tight across her body. She bounced up and down a couple of times to check it for weight and balance.

“We’re really going to do it, aren’t we?” Wren said. His smile was gone, but he didn’t seem afraid.

“Yeah, baby,” Cass answered. She put a hand on his shoulder, and then bent down and kissed the top of his head. “Like old times.”

He reached up and placed his hand in hers. “Not too much like, I hope.”

“Not too much.”

They joined the others at the back door. Gamble lined them up against the wall, and stood in front of them, quickly scanning each of them head to toe, like she was taking inventory. Cass felt a surge of nervous energy. It’d been lingering in the background ever since they’d started making preparations. But now that everything that could be done had been done, now that they were standing at a door, ready to cross the threshold, it was like she’d given herself permission to actually feel the strange mix of emotions. Anxiety certainly, maybe some fear, but also an underlying sense of exhilaration. Maybe life inside the compound had taken more of a toll on her than she’d realized.

“Alright, listen up,” Gamble said from the front of the line. “We need to stay light and fast out there. Wick’s going to lead the way, then I want Cass, Wren, Painter, in that order. That clear?”

They all nodded.

“Just keep your eyes on Wick, go where he goes, don’t worry about the people behind you. Whatever else happens, your job is always to stay with Wick. What’s your job?”