For a moment, the buzzing in the room stops. I feel all eyes on me. But the only eyes that I meet are Christopher's.

"Are you sure?" he asks, raising a finger to adjust the bridge of his wire-rimmed glasses. "You've already risked your life to save Harry."

"I'm sure." My jaw clenches and unclenches.

He stares at me, assessing. His gray-blue eyes don't blink, and I wonder what he is thinking. What calculations he is doing in his mind.

There's more I could say. That I'm getting used to putting my life on the line. The adrenaline. Having to think on my feet. And that I am getting better at using tech. Manipulating it. Wielding it to meet my objectives.

But that's not the reason I volunteered. And Christopher knows it.

I want to know more. Need to know more. Because that's all that will help me convince Marcy to rejoin us.

"Okay," he says with a nod. "We need to start preparing right away."

Alex takes a last bite of their muffin and stands. "Let's go," they say, a loose crumb flying from their mouth.

I pick up my coffee, gulp down the rest, and then the three of us follow Christopher and Sequoia back to where Harry and Amelia are waiting.

"We need to hit the road by lunch," Christopher says over his shoulder as we walk out of the common area and towards his private room.

"You're coming?" I ask, feeling a measure of relief knowing he's made this trip before.

"Of course," Christopher answers.

Sequoia's hand shoots out, grabbing Christopher's shoulder, stopping him before we've reached his door. "You're not serious, are you?"

He turns on his heel, facing her. "What do you mean? I'm the only one who's been to Solisdad before. Danny knows me."

Alex, Renee, and I freeze, watching this exchange.

Sequoia sucks her teeth and shakes her head. "Christopher, you and I both know–"

"I'm going," he cuts her off. "Danny... that's in the past."

She purses her lips and levels her eyes at him, but doesn't say another word.

The silence between them yawns and gives me a pit in my stomach.

There is so much that I don't know.

After a moment, Christopher turns back around and opens the door to his room.

As we walk in, Harry is standing next to the bed, one hand leaning on the wall for support.

"Good, you're up," Christopher says, walking towards him.

"I am," Harry says through a grimace. Then he groans. "Fuck." He rubs his forehead and sits back down.

Amelia, who had been arranging supplies in her rolling suitcase, turns her head back to Harry. She picks up the device that had been lying on the table and turns a knob.

Harry's face relaxes.

"The quicker we get him away from here, the better." Christopher says and walks over to his desk. He opens the bottom drawer and pulls out a tattered, folded paper. Then he unfolds it and lays it out, revealing a map.

With one hand leaning on the edge of the desk, Christopher traces a route with his finger. I step closer to see what he is doing.

"We'll head south on the old highway that runs next to this compound. It's desolate, but it's our best shot at avoiding any patrols," he says, his voice steady despite the underlying tension.

I stand next to Christopher's shoulder and stare down at the map. It looks ancient. The edges are curled and yellowed with age. And as my eyes scan over the faded blue that marks the coast, they skim over names I've never heard of before. Cities and towns that must no longer exist.

"When is this from?" I ask, voice hushed.

"We found it when we were scavenging," Christopher answers, attention still on the map. "It's from before. But the main highways are the same."

"Before?" Renee asks, stepping next to me and looking down.

"See this red line?" Christopher asks, his finger pointing.

We both nod. "It's a straight shot from here to Solisdad. As long as the road is still passable."

"And if not?" I ask, staring at the criss-crossing streaks of red. The arteries that once flowed between so many living places.

"Good question," Sequoia mutters from somewhere behind us.

Christopher looks up at us, ignoring her. "There are alternatives. But, remember, we can't trust the signs on the roadway. There are groups out there that survive by tricking desperate travelers."

"Groups?" Alex asks, joining us by the desk.

Christopher nods. "Groups," he confirms. "And once we're out there, we're on our own. So we need to be prepared."

Renee, Alex, and I all look at each other, slowly realizing what we volunteered to do.

"We'll have tech, though," I say, more to comfort myself than anything else. "And our com-devices."

"Tech, yes," Christopher says. "Halo masks, scanners, shields, sure... But we can't rely on long-range communication. The further away we get, the less predictable it gets. We'll bring an antenna, but there are factors we can't control when trying to get a signal over distances."

"When he came to power, Olek destroyed the last physical wires connecting Dimstad to other cities," Sequoia adds. "Keeping Dimstad insulated from the outside is one way he's been able to maintain his power."

I turn to look at her, and see that she is sitting on the edge of the bed next to Harry, who is rubbing his temples. Amelia's now on the folding chair, the monitoring device in her hands.

Harry's been on that bed all night. I wonder if Christopher has slept at all. Or has he just been fussing over Harry? Worrying about him? Trying to make him comfortable?

That's what I would do if Marcy was the one hurt. Her brain no longer hers.

Is that how she'll be in a couple of months? After her Choosing Day?

But I doubt she'll even know she's being controlled. She hasn't had the same training as Harry.

Thinking about her, and knowing how far we are about to travel, I need to call her. To let her know what I've learned.

"What about supplies?" Alex asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"We've got food, water, and medical kits packed," Christopher answers. "And Amelia has put together a special first aid kit for Harry, including everything we might need to stabilize him if his condition worsens."

"Amelia, are you coming too?" Alex asks.

She looks up and shakes her head. "No. I'm needed here."

Sequoia's eyebrows rise at that, and she shoots Christopher a pointed look. But she says nothing.

"And the vehicle?" Renee asks.

"We'll take my car. It has a portable solar charger," Christopher answers. "I'm going to mark some safe spots where we can rest and recharge the solar panels."

"Excuse me," I say, patting the com-device in my pocket. "I'm going to let Marcy know that I'll be out of range for awhile."

"Don't tell her too much," Harry calls out from where he is hunched over. "Don't know who's listening."

"Okay," I assure him as I step out of the room and slide the small white device from my pocket.

As I click through the menu options to call Marcy, I pass Jenelle, Tyree, and Mitchell in the common area. They look up at me, eyes expectant.

I give them a nod and bring the device up to my ear, listening to it ring as I push the door to sit in the cool morning air.

After several rings, the line goes quiet. Looking at it, a notification reads, "Call ended."

"Weird," I mutter, and slowly navigate towards our text thread.

But before I start typing, my device begins to buzz. Marcy is initiating a video call. I click to accept and am greeted by her smiling face.

"Sorry, I hit the wrong button," Marcy says with a shrug. "How is everything?"

"Not great," I admit. "Harry's acting very paranoid."

She nods. "What type of stuff is he saying?"

"Are you alone?" I ask, before saying more. "I don't want to get you in trouble."

"I don't have a roommate anymore, remember?" She pans her camera, showing me our old dorm room. My bed is made, and there is still that old framed picture of my parents on my desk. "My old one mysteriously disappeared on their Choosing Day."

The way she says it, I think she expects me to laugh. But all I feel is a chasm of sadness.

She also disappeared mysteriously on my Choosing Day.

Only to return when things got tough.

I swallow. Hard.

"Harry says that they're controlling his mind." I whisper, even though Sequoia had already shared that news with everyone here. "Or, they're trying to, at least."

"What do you mean?" she prompts.

"It has something to do with the Choosing Day procedure, Marcy. I'm worried for you."

"Don't be silly," she says, dismissing me. "My dad won't let anything bad happen to me."

"They've probably done it to him, too." I have to make her understand the seriousness of what we've learned.

Marcy shakes her head. "What are you going to do for Harry?" she steers the conversation back.

"That's why I called, actually," I say, lifting my head to feel the sun on my face. Then I take a deep breath. "We're taking a bit of a road trip. I might be out of touch for a little while."

"Road trip?" she asks, sounding more curious than concerned. "Where to?"

I'm about to answer, but remember that Harry warned me not to say too much. Even if Marcy is alone in her room, could the signal be intercepted?

"How do you know that no one is listening to this conversation?" I ask.

"It's encrypted," she quickly answers.

Too quickly.

Annoyed?

I take a deep breath. Maybe I'm the one being paranoid now, but something feels off all of a sudden. "East," I lie. "Some city to the east. Christopher said the name one, but I'd never heard it before, so I don't remember."

"East?" she repeats my lie.

"I'll try to call you when I'm on the road, but–"

"There are steep mountains to the east," she says.

I'm not surprised that she has a better sense of geography than I do. It makes me wonder if she suspects that I'm not being truthful.

"Good thing I'm not driving," I respond with a dry chuckle.

"You'll be back in a few days?" she confirms.

I nod. "I love you," I say, hoping that I get to tell her again in person. That I have the chance to prove it to her. To win her back.

"Be safe," she says, and then ends the call.

The door behind me opens and in the parking lot Christopher's car beeps, lights blinking twice. I stand and see that Alex and Renee are walking out, each carrying a box of supplies.

"Open the trunk?" Alex asks.

"Everything packed already?" I ask.

"Soon after you left, Christopher and Sequoia disappeared to a back room," Renee says. "But these boxes will cover our basic needs."

"We packed food, water, a change of clothes, and also got halo masks, some other wearables, and, guess what? Amelia had a few NanoPens stashed," Alex adds as they slide their box into the trunk.

A moment later, Amelia walks Harry out to the car, her suitcase rolling behind them.

"Here, Alex. Remember what I told you," Amelia says, handing the device over once they reach the car.

"You know how to work that thing?" I ask, leaning on the car's hood.

"It's pretty simple. Amelia showed me."

Amelia smiles at all of us. "Good luck guys. Be sure to try and keep in touch. Those hand-held com-devices really only have a range of fifty miles, but the car's com system can reach much farther if you raise the antenna. Okay?"

"Yes, we will," I answer. "But, where's Christopher?"

"Chris isn't coming," Harry says as he sits in the front passenger seat, map in hand. "Who knows how to drive?"

"Wh–what do you mean? Why?" I blurt.

"I'll tell you when we're on the road. Come on. Let's go." Harry slams the door.

Alex and Renee look at each other and then to me. Before I can say anything, they get into the back seat, leaving me to drive.