Chapter 33

Charleston was a big fat bust.

In this twisted, nightmarish world, Charleston was the Holy Grail. They'd travelled hundreds of miles, gone to hell and back to be here, and for what? A pile of rubble?

Grace sat outside the bus, her head in her hands and Jimmy's compass pressed in her palm. They double backed a few miles down the road so they could reassess the plan. She scoffed inwardly - there was no were freaking out. She blocked out everything and everyone around her, ignoring the cries and arguments of her allies, the orders of her leader, the meltdown she knew her dad was having on the bus with Anne. He'd held it together pretty well in front of them, but she knew he was close to breaking point when he asked to be alone. Grace took Matt away and Anne offered to speak to Tom. Grace was relieved. She had no reassurance to give. She had no hope left. All she had was Matt and her dad and this old compass.

The night Jimmy died was the night she found out about Charleston. About this safe haven with food and warm water and protection. In a way, the dream of Charleston kept Jimmy alive for her, it kept her going. She made a promise to him that she would keep fighting. But

now it was like he was dying all over again. How much longer could she fight for?

She sensed a presence set down next to her. At first she thought it was Matt who had been sitting a few feet away from her, but to her surprise it was Lourdes. The girl didn't say anything or even look at her. She just sat silently for a moment next to her, until Grace finally gathered the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"Don't be. I deserved it."

"No you didn't. You were hurting and I lashed out at you."

Lourdes looked at her sympathetically. "Only because you were hurting too. We've all lost people. We've all lost hope. Especially now…" She sniffed. "All those people who died to get us here. They died for nothing. Jamil died for nothing."

Grace felt a lump in her throat. It hurt to swallow. It hurt to breathe. "Jamil died saving my life," she admitted softly. "So many people have died so the rest of us could live. Maybe it was for nothing." She sighed. "Charleston was my last glimpse of hope after Jimmy…it kept me going this long." She choked back a sob. "I want him and Jamil and Uncle Scott and all those other people who saved me to have done it for a reason. I want that reason to be winning this war."

Lourdes looked over at her for a moment, studying her. "Then you shouldn't leave."

"What?"

"I overheard you talking with your dad earlier. You said you thought you should leave so we'd all be safe. But the truth is, we're safer with you here. Even if the aliens did do something to you…we're better off with you than without you."

Grace could have hugged her. She instantly felt better, even with the rubble of Charleston smoking away a few miles behind them. She appreciated her dad's words earlier, but it felt different coming from Lourdes. It was the reassurance she needed.

"And if you're worried, I'm sure Anne and I can check you over again if you want. But I think you'll be fine, Grace."

Lourdes gave her the sweet smile she'd been missing. "Thanks," she whispered, her eyes welling up gratefully.

Suddenly, the sound of a shot firing made them both jump. A few cars down the convoy, Captain Weaver had fired off his gun to grab the attention of the muddled, demoralised people around him, ordering them to gather around. Good, Grace thought. They all needed a classic Weaver pep talk - now more than ever. She, Matt and Lourdes got to their feet to hear what he had to say.

At first their captain looked unsure. Lost, even, as he looked around at the dozens of people he still had left to lead, all murmuring and staring expectantly at him. Then, thankfully, he pulled himself up onto the bed of a truck, cleared his throat and began to speak.

"So, Charleston was a bust." He shrugged. "We thought we were gonna have paradise on Earth delivered to us right here on a silver platter."

A few people chuckled, but Grace felt ashamed at her naivety. She shouldn't have let herself believe even for a second. They were only setting themselves up for disappointment. She glanced behind her to see Anne and her dad had emerged from the bus, hand in hand, listening and looking up at Weaver.

"We should have known better," Weaver continued solemnly. "I should have known better. It doesn't mean that the dream was bad. It just means that we are gonna have to work harder to make it happen. Now, the choice is simple. You can lie down and quit, curse God at the unfairness of it all, or you can come with me...find another place to live, a place where we can build the community that we hoped to find here."

The man was a natural speaker. The crowd had already perked up, nervous mumblings turning to determined cheers and nods.

"So, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna get back in those vehicles! And we're gonna go on!"

"Yeah!" the crowd exclaimed cheerfully.

"Even if it means we have to carry the damn things on our backs!"

Applause erupted around Grace and she couldn't help but smile. Inspired again, the Second Mass seemed raring to go. Moments ago, they were all crumbling apart, ready to give up. Now they were smiling and cheering. The power of hope. At least this time, the hope was for something more achievable. Maybe they wouldn't find their safe haven, but they could certainly try to build one themselves.

As soon as Weaver jumped back down, Tom clapped him on the back in celebration. Grace smiled at Lourdes, about to grab her brother's hand when they heard the sound of twigs snapping in the forest next to them.

"Who goes there?" Dai demanded, as a chorus of guns cocked towards the noise.

Instinctively, Grace did the same. She couldn't deal with any more aggro today. All she wanted was to wrap herself up in a sleeping bag for a few hours before the next ordeal.

"Identify yourself!" ordered Weaver, pointing his weapon towards the thick foliage.

"Hold your fire," a calm, human voice responded. Grace knew that voice. Confusion and relief came flooding through her as Colonel Porter emerged from the trees with several soldiers by his side. "Colonel Porter," he confirmed to Weaver, smiling at him. "First Continental Army."

Grace could practically hear the sound of every Second Mass member's jaw dropping at the sight. Porter was here, in a shiny new uniform, and with an entourage of smart, clean, healthy-looking soldiers. They all looked in good shape, which is more than could be said for the exhausted, starving and dishevelled Second Mass. What did this mean? Where had they come from?

She stared in disbelief as Porter whipped out a juicy bunch of delicious-looking strawberries and placed them in Captain Weaver's palm.

"Those came from the new capital of the United States of America – Charleston, South Carolina."

"We were just in Charleston," Tom admitted, confused. "There was nothing there."

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving, as you people from the Second Mass are about to find out."

Grace's heart started racing. It was like a dream. She felt the hope come flooding back all at once. Beside her, she felt a hand squeeze hers. Lourdes. They were going to be just fine. All she needed was –

Before she could finish her thought, Hal, Maggie and Pope emerged from behind the soldiers, safe and sound. She could scarcely believe it.

"Hal!" she squealed, racing into his arms as Maggie chuckled beside them. Matt promptly joined them, squeezing in between them. Pope rolled his eyes and slinked away but Grace ignored him, silently disappointed the ex con hadn't stayed lost.

"You had us worried," Tom told Hal, patting him on the shoulder as he finally let go of Grace.

"Colonel Porter's patrol found us," Hal explained with a grin. "He wanted to bring us back with him. I said, 'Hell no. The 2nd Mass is out there.'"

Grace chuckled, thrilled at being reunited again.

"There's only one missing," Matt lamented out loud, still sandwiched in between his two older siblings.

Hal stooped down to meet his eye. "I have a strong feeling we're gonna see Ben again."

He sounded so confident, even Tom was surprised. "Really?"

"Of course," Hal smiled. "I figured out sometimes fate throws you a favour. We just got to make sure that we're around to catch it."

He looked over at Maggie when he said that last part and Grace raised an eyebrow like she'd clearly missed something. But if this was the effect Maggie was having on Hal, then she welcomed it. She missed seeing him so upbeat.

Tom lifted Matt up to his hip, groaning in the process: "You're getting big!" he complained, though he had a wide smile on his face. Anne laughed as she put an arm around Tom and Hal patted Matt's back.

Grace cheerfully bumped arms with Maggie as they followed everyone back to the bus, feeling that small glimpse of faith return to her. Maybe Charleston wasn't going to be quite what they expected, but it was the start of something they so desperately needed. It was the start of rebuilding their planet, their home. And well, that was better than nothing.