EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
[ chapter ten—family line ]

Weeks had passed since the pantry, they'd passed through the stadium, met with an angry Daniel who threatened to kill Adaline, and invited her back to his settlement all in the same day.

Lee and Nadia sat in the cafeteria surrounded by dam workers. Lee shoveled his cereal into his mouth so quickly that he scared the surrounding tables.

Nadia kicked the boy, shaking her head with wide eyes. Lee sat up straight smiling at the table across from them. "So, I kind of overheard something," Nadia admitted, leaning toward the boy as she spoke.

Lee looked up at the girl confused, sinking his spoon back into his bowl. "I overheard her talking with Strand.." Lee's eyebrows furrowed, pulling the spoon out from between his lips. "She said she was hoping for some grandkids at the ranch."

Lee stared at the opposite girl, wide eyes and an open mouth revealing his half-chewed breakfast. "I- was not expecting that." Nick sighed, scratching his head. "Who was she expecting us to—oh god." He gagged, looking at the door as it burst open, Nadia turned to see Mikaela stood with a worried expression as she looked around the cafeteria.

On spotting Nadia and Lee, Mikaela rushed to the table, "Nick's here." She hissed, in a hushed tone as she glanced over at the other tables. Nadia's brows furrowed, her stomach sunk, not feeling any kind of excitement with the news of Nicks returning. As she looked up at Lee whos expression hadn't changed, she knew he felt the same. Instead of having any kind of reaction to the news Lee continued to shove his heaped spoon of cereal into his mouth.

Nadia stuttered as she tried to find the words. "I..." she exhaled looking up at Mikaela who's fingers had wrapped around hers. Lees spoon rung out as he dropped it back into his bowl, and reluctantly stood, shrugging as Nadia looked back at him puzzled by the news. It hadn't been that long since Nick and Troy decided to stay back at the stadium, and now they were at the dam, and probably not with good reason. 

The three had walked in silence though they all feared whatever it was Nick was bringing with him. Lee sighed as they approached Lola's office, his gazed met his brother as he stood with his hands on his hips, he looked worried. They'd entered the room halfway through their conversation. Nick paused as they entered the room, watching Lee walk straight past him and beelining for Adaline. "—Troy found their staging area." he continued, his gazed flickering away from his brother and sister.

Troy, whose gaze had been set on Adaline up until this point where he'd taken a moment to look at Nick. "They have weapons." Troy cut it, glancing around the room as all eyes fell on him. Lee took the opportunity to glare at his brother, taking a seat at Adaline's side. "Boats, like, uh— boats." Adaline's brows furrowed at his spanish, glancing at Nadia who stood leant against door frame.

"Boats?" Lola repeated, looking to Daniel as though to ask if they'd heard the same thing. Troy nodded, almost proud of himself, "Yes. I speak a little Spanish." Troy continued, Efraín spoke over the boy directing his words to Lola and Daniel. as he could barely trust anyone else in the room. "LosProctors we're in business with narcos before the infection. They have no regard for human life."

Mikaela glanced at the squirming strand that had taken Nadia's place and leaned against the door frame. "They'll turn the water off. Starve the people and demand tribute." Adaline looked to Lola as she shook her head, "We can't allow it."

"I wish we had the weapons you promised," Daniel spoke up, Nadia sighed leaning forward against the back of Lee's seat. "We may not need them if we can withstand a siege," Strand spoke, gaining the group's attention.

Daniel narrowed his eyes at the man, leaning off the file cabinet beside him. "There are three entryways, the gate, the lower gate, and the bridge. We can post guards and weapons there."

"What if they attack from the water?" Lola asked,  Troy's brows furrowed slightly, throwing his hands up from against his hips, "Why don't we just pick them off on the bridge?" He asked.

"Daniel," Efraín began, continuing over Troy, "there's C-4 in storage. Leftover from when the dam was built." Troy crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the ground as he listened on. "We could wire it to blow."

Nick shook his head as he began to voice his concern with that plan. "There's a drought already man. And it's only getting worse." Nick spoke up, glancing around the room for any kind of support.

"Release the river to the people." Efraín offered, looking to Lola. "Better to take our chances with Mother Nature than to die of thirst under the proctors" Adaline nodded slightly, she didn't see the use in fighting over something they had no entitlement to.

"We can't jeopardize the water." Strand argued.

Daniel scoffed lowly, "No, that's a good idea, Efraín. We defend." Lee glanced at his mother who was clearly under Strand's influence. "But if they breach, we have a final bargaining chip." Daniel glanced around the room, "anyone who wants leave, should, now."

Lee watched as Daniel directed his words to the older Otto boy. "Anyone who stays, defends." Adaline watched as Strand began to make his way towards Madison, grasping her arm softly as he leant toward her ear. "You should go, with your kids." The man stepped closer to the woman.

Madison lifted her gaze to the man, angry almost at his advice. The woman shook her head, furrowing her brows as she looked back at Lola,  "After all Lola and Daniel have done, it wouldn't be right." Madison looked back at her son, "But Adaline, Lee, Nadia. You should go find Alicia."

Lee shook his head, eyebrows knitting together. "What- no, Mom, I'm not leaving you here," he argued, Nadia's hand emerging from the chair behind him to his shoulder, something Adaline had mentioned to her friend a long time ago.

When Lee gets worked up so much, he forgets to breathe and passes out, sometimes ending in him seizing in his family's arms, Adaline learned the hard way what could and couldn't pull him out of it.

"No, Lee your going," Madison argued, ending the discussion there as she turned to Efraín. "Show me how to set the C-4." Lee stood abruptly, shrugging Adaline off as she went to speak.

Adaline's eyes met Troy's worried ones, he began to stutter as he spoke, raising his hand like this was first grade. "No, I can-- I can do it." He spoke, looking over at Madison and back at Adaline.

"You have a lot to say for a college student." Nick's body tensed, clearing his throat awkwardly as Troy defended himself.

"I'm not a college student." Troy shrugged, looking between Daniel and  Lola. "Are you military?" Adaline's jaw tightened, seating herself in the warm seat left by Lee. "Yeah, in a way, I am," Troy admitted.

"What way? What branch?" Daniel interrogated, Nadia rolled her eyes playfully as this meeting began to go into overtime. "Daniel, you need all hands on deck," Nadia spoke up, a confused glare from a particular Hispanic girl shot across the room catching the redhead's eye.

"She's right, Daniel." Madison defended, a sly scoff from the man beside the file cabinets brought Nadia back to the boat and all the chaos that brewed on deck.

"Mr. Yo Hablo Un Poco De Espanol wants to get his hands on explosives." Nadia sighed, burying her head into the palms of her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Troy raked his fingers through his oliy messy hair, shaking his head as he sneered at the man. "I'm a good guy here, all right? I'm-- im the one who brought you intel, hermano, All right, just remember that."

"I'm not your brother, asshole" Daniel spoke, a smirk lining Mikaela's lips. "did you understand that?"

Troy's eyes searched Adalines for help with the man accusing him of something he hadn't even done yet. "Daniel I trust him and that's saying a lot... considering our past." Adaline vouched,  Daniel clicked his tongue, looking at the eldest Clark.

Troy gave the blonde a thankful grin before making his way out of the room, Madison and Nick followed close behind.

Nadia quickened her pace to keep up with Madison as she sped away from Nick and toward Lee. Nick called out to his mother as she hurried away, A glance from Nadia was the most he had gotten from the pair.

"Tell me you're using clean works at least." Nadia clenched her jaw to keep her from saying anything that she may regret in the hours that would pass. "I'm not shooting." Nick Chided.

Madison threw her hands up. "Yeah, well, whatever you're taking I hope you include food in your diet." Nadia looked over at the woman, checking for any signs of her begging to crack.

Nadia's childhood consisted of dinners with the neighbors to keep her from starving and pity gifts from them on holidays she should've been spending with her incompetent parents.

Madison loved her like she was her own, she'd raised Nadia since she was eight. She was in almost every family photo, she had her room in their small suburban home.

Legally she was a Carpenter but everyone knew she was a Clark.

"Look, that is the least of your worries right now." Nadia's movements came to a halt as Madison had. "Oh, yeah, you're right. That should be the least of my worries. Adaline's leaving the dam whenever she dams well pleases, Alicia's god-knows-where, and Lees had three seizures in the past forty-eight hours, we have another fight on our hands, and your "not shooting up". Christ, Nick. You gotta keep piling shit on."

"You need to get out of here before the Proctors show up." Nadia put her foot between Nick as he stepped toward his mom. "Okay, they are worse than anything we've ever seen."

Nadia placed her hand on Nick shaking her head as he stood a little too close to Madison. The boy shook his head stepping back. "Eat something. Then help prepare the dam. I'll decide what we do after you've had a meal." Madison tapped the redhead's hand, the girl following after her.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Nadia sighed, "What's going on in your head?" She asked, seating herself across from Adaline on her bed.

The blonde shrugged, "I... I don't think— I think I want to go off on my own." She admitted, "You know, I've been looking after my family for years and everyone else is leaving, why shouldn't I?"

Nadia smiled brightly. "How about you and me? We could go anywhere in the world." Nadia's brightness had always brought clouds back into Adaline's otherwise black-and-white world.

"Paris... Italy— hell, we could go to Australia if we wanted to." Adaline smiled, "Italy, sounds..." The girls broke into light laughter.

Nadia's laughter faded as she recognized the tears that lined her friend's eyes. "You don't want me to come with you?"

"No, it's not that. I just..." the girl paused taking her friend's hand. "This is your family. I can't ask you to walk from that." Nadia squeezed her friend's hand smiling through the warm tears that fell down her cheek.

"You're my family," Nadia assured. "You were the only one who saw me as more than just my parent's mistakes. Jesus, you're the sole reason I lived to see the world fall apart. Where you go, I go."

Adaline smiled, pulling the girl into her arms. "Just don't leave without me," Nadia spoke softly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "Promise me you won't leave without me."

The blonde laughed, joining her pinky with her friends. "I promise."

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Daniel stood over Adaline looking down at her curiously. "We need to talk." Adaline jumped out of her skin when her eyes met the men. "Jesus, Daniel."

"Nick says you were with my Ofelia when she got bit," Daniel asked, continuing to stand over the girl as she sat up leaning against the brick half-wall behind her, sipping away at her glass of water.

"Yeah.." Adaline replied, holding the glass in her hands trying to hide her shaky hands. Her eyes met the padlock on the door to the room and back at Daniel.

"You know my background. You know who I am?" Daniel walked around the bed standing opposite the girl. "I know you were a man who interrogated people." She answered, pressing her nails into her skin.

Daniel nodded, chuckling slyly as he scraped a metal chair to the side of the bed. "That's good. My hope is that will make this go easier. We can have a conversation, not an interrogation."

Adaline furrowed her eyebrows at the man, a low scoff from the girl. "Are you threatening me, Daniel?"

The man crossed his hands over his thighs, tilting his head at the girl. "No, Adaline... Not unless you lie to me."

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Shattered glass and water puddled at the end of Adaline's bed, Adaline sat with her legs crossed and her head in her hands.  "Why hadn't he slept?" Daniel repeated.

The girl threw her hands up, groaning loudly into her palms. "I told you, he was scouting, Daniel, and the wilderness is a dangerous place."

Daniel chuckled, lowering his head. "Yes, it is. It's very dangerous. And you are lying." Adaline groaned lifting her head from her hands. "Why are you lying." As the girl remained quiet, just staring at the man confused, he continued. "Okay, let's go from the top.. again."

Adaline shook her head, throwing her legs over the bed, "Let me out of here, Daniel."

Daniel shook his head. "Tell me about Troy."

"I didn't kill Ofelia!" Adaline exclaimed, pushing the contents of her bedside table across the floor. "She was my friend, I loved her like a sister!"

"Listen, that I believe," Daniel assured. "That's about the only—" Adaline scoffed, interrupting the man. "So, what do you want me to say?" She exclaimed.

"I want you to tell me the truth!" Daniel shouted. "That horde did not materialize out of thin air. Every herd needs a shepherd. Someone had to lead it. And you know who that was. And you're gonna tell me. And Adaline, please, please. Don't force me."

Adaline's mind flashed back to the night Ofelia died, Daniel aiming his gun at the girl's head. Adaline stared at the man as he stood, taking his jacket off and placing it over the back of his seat.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Troy glanced around as he stepped inside the cafeteria his gaze set on Nadia and Mikaela who were quick to look away as they met their gaze. The cafeteria went quiet when he stepped in but was quick to spark up again, conversations going in another direction.

Nadia looked back at him Mikaela's hand quick to forcefully turn her away. The boy sighed as he walked over to the buffet, taking a plate from the stack earning the eyes of the dam workers to be fixed on him.

A younger boy stepped up beside Troy moving down the line, decorating their plates. "Do you still cheat at hide and seek?" The younger, shorter boy asked.

Troy glanced to his right grinning as he turned back to the buffet table. "We've been over this, Miles. There is literally no way to do that." He scoffed, glancing behind him at the two women at the lunch table.

Miles chuckled setting his plate down. "That's a yes, then." Troy shook his head setting his plate down after him. Miles grunted as Troy embraced the boy. "C'mon, tell me how you did it."

Troy shook his head against his brother's shoulder as he stood up straight again. "Didn't have to cheat, you suck at hide and seek." Miles rolled his eyes nudging his brother. "Yeah, whatever, Troy."

The older boy chuckled turning back to his plate, his face softened as he lifted his gaze looking around them again for Miles's mother. "Lilith?" Miles cleared his throat looking down at his plate. "When?"

"A couple of months back," Miles answered, his voice cold and low. Troy placed his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Im sorry," Miles raised his brows, lifting his gaze. "Dad, Jake?"

Troy sniffled as he clicked his tongue. "Theyre gone. Everything is." Miles nodded, following after his brother up the line. "How'd you get here?"

Miles shrugged, "Lola, she promised Mom she'd look out for me." Troy clenched his jaw as he set the serving spoon back in the serving tray. "Well, im here now."

The pair continued to dish themselves some food, eventually making it to a table near the back of the cafeteria out of Mikeala and Nadia's eyeline.

Miles pulled a potato off his fork. "Did you, uh-- open that dive shop on the coast?" Troy asked, looking up from his fork as he shoveled the end of a tamale into his mouth.

Miles scoffed lightly as he finished chewing. "You mean with Jeremiah's hush money?" Troy cleared his mouth glancing around them, Miles sighed shaking his head. "No, she got sick. Needed the money to pay hospital bills."

Troy shook his head as his fork clattered out of his hand onto his plate. "You should've come to me or Jake. We could've--" Miles scoffed and cut the boy off. "What? You never wanted anything to do with us then." Miles stood glancing around. "Let's just keep it that way. You should go."

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

"From all the bullshit you've said, only four people could've done it. You, Nick, Jake, or Troy." Adaline screwed her face up, rolling her eyes back.

Before the girl spoke she thought of everything the man said, he'd already spoken to Nick, and anything she said she was in jeopardy of it not lining up with his story.

The girl looked up at the high windows of the room her younger brother's sweaty face emerging in and out of sight. He pulled himself up to the window mouthing the answers to all of the questions Daniel had for them.

"It was Jake." She hated herself for even saying his name for disrespecting his memory. Disrespecting Alicia in extension.

"It was Troy!" Daniel exclaimed, throwing something nearby at the wall behind the girl. "He stinks of it. Just say it. Say it so I can get justice. For my dead daughter. For your sister."

She shook her head. "Troys a prick. He's a bigot and he's a killer, but he loved that ranch. Jake was never the same after his father. After. I killed his father. When he found out he tried to kill me." The girl pointed to the scar beneath her eye. "He gave me this."

"You killed Jake's father?" Daniel questioned, Adaline nodded. "It was Jake?"

"It was Jake." The girl agreed, nodding slowly, trying to make sure the man believed her or whether he was about to kill her for lying to him. "A dead man?" The girl nodded.

"The horde he led killed him. Troy put him down." Daniel stared at the girl and slowly reached into his jacket pocket, the keys to the padlock jingled beneath his fingers. "You're mother will be happy to see you."

Adaline nodded, climbing over the bed. "I am sorry—that you can't get your revenge." The man glanced at her and back at the wall before him.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Nick dragged his sister down the stairwell and toward the room their mother and Troy resided in. Lee and Nadia had been preparing escape boats since his plan B at the ranch was such a win for him.

Adaline stood in the doorway watching from afar. "We gotta get out of here." Nick interrupted their mother and Troy's conversation. Climbing awkwardly through the small doorway and down the rusty ladder. "Strand—"

Adaline furrowed her eyebrows as her brother struggled to climb down the ladder. "—he sold out Daniel and Lola to the Proctors." Adaline's eyes met Troy's, though she was quick to look away when he met hers.

"We have to warn them." Madison began, Adaline's eyes met the hammer in her mother's hand. "No," Nick argued, helping his sister down the ladder to join them in the dirt. "No? Victor bought this for himself. He should've bought this for me."

Adaline sighed, a low croak from the back of her throat. "We can't because if Daniel sees Troy he'll kill him." Madison looked at her son confused. "Why would Daniel want to kill Troy?" She asked.

The siblings remained quiet unsure of what to say, Madison's attention moved to Troy as her son shrugged. "I led the horde to the ranch." Troy admitted, "It wasn't right that the Indians had it."

Adaline like her mother cringed at the boy's words. "Indians?" Her mother repeated, knitting her eyebrows together. "We all had it, Troy, we all had it."

Troy disagreed, shaking his head and avoiding Adaline's gaze. "No. Not all of us. You exiled me."

"I let you live." Madison shrugged. "I convinced Walker to spare you. I let you live." As their mother gained on Troy Adaline emerged from her brother's side to just behind her brother. "After all I did? All we did was to keep the peace. To make it work. You took everything from me."

Adaline glanced at her brother who looked like he was regretting his entire life right about now. "What about what you took from me?" Adaline tensed, sighing awkwardly as she knew this wouldn't end well.

"My husband," Madison mumbled, Troy's voice overtaking hers. "My father."

"My children."

"My brother."

Madison raised an eyebrow. "You got Jake killed. You got 'em all killed. You had no right."

Troy pointed at himself. "I had every right. I had every, every right. That was my home. And you gave me that right. You allowed me to run, I'd do it all again."

The older siblings' eyes widened, glancing at one another and the scene unfolding before them. Nick pressed his eyes shut spinning around as Troy continued to defend his actions.

"All of it, Madison. And you would too, you know you would." Adaline's stomach turned, thinking back to the lady by the stand. "Because you understand and you—"

Her chest sunk, the room began to spin and with it, everything went quiet. Just the sound of blood dripping from the hammer in Madison's hand and the thumping of Adaline's heart.

"She's no builder, but when you cross her she'll bring it down on you."

Without a second thought, Adaline stepped between her mother and Troy as he fell to his knees, welcoming her final blow.

Her mother gasped, holding herself back from hitting her eldest, "Move." With tears in her eyes, Adaline shook her head, unable to look her mother in the eye.

Her hand snaked around her back, holding out for Troy to take. "No, mom." Nick stood still gazing at the bloody scene before him.

The room had begun to fall back into place, though her heart thumping hadn't stopped. Her mother's eye twitched. "He took everything from us."

Adaline shook her head, "No, Mom. We're still here, he took everything from himself. We're not gone." Troy's hand met hers, snaking up her arm for support. "Just go. Get Lee and Nadia out of here, please."

Her pleas went without question, Nick grabbed his mother's shoulders pulling her away from her daughter. "It's time I went on my path." She mumbled, looking down at her mother's hand.

"Not for him," Madison argued. "I won't let him take you from me." Adaline shook her head, "your not. I'm choosing to go."

"Just let him die, Addy." Her mother begged, Adaline shook her head, tears flooding her cheeks and clouding her vision. "I can't."

Her hand slowly wrapped itself around the handle of the hammer, taking it from her mother's grip. "Go." She whispered, looking in her mother's eye. "Please."

The woman turned to her son, shaking his hands off her. Nick nodded to his sister before he followed their mother out of the room.

I am all you could have been and you are all I might be.

Adaline stood in shock, bloody hammer in hand and Troy's hand slipping down her arm. "Troy?" Miles asked his words echoing in her head.

What did she do?

She let the hammer fall into the dirt, taking Troy's hand in hers. Miles knelt beside Troy, cupping his face. "What happened?" He pressed the girl for answers.

Adaline stared at Troy's head wound, Miles's voice faded as she tried to recall everything she'd learned about head wounds.

Miles's raised voice made the girl's skin crawl. "What did you do?" Adaline grabbed Troy's arm, ignoring Miles's questions. "Grab his arm." She finally spoke, attempting to help Troy to his feet as Miles continued to stare.

"Grab his arm," she spoke again with a firm voice. Miles nodded, kneeling beside him and throwing his arm over his shoulder.

"Three.." he mumbled. "Two-" Adaline stood, the two on either side grunted at the unevenness of the dirt beneath them. "I figured we'd stand on one but two works."

Adaline ignored the boy too full of emotion to speak or even process what had happened. four hours ago she was dreaming of a life she couldn't have now she was here, back in the hell she was stuck in.

Miles looked at the small doorway ahead, and he grunted trying to get the words out. "How do we get him out?" he muttered trying not to think about how heavy his brother was.

Adaline groaned looking up at the small doorway and the rusty ladder beneath it. "Bloody hell." she scoffed, anger rising within her, wishing she could scream till her voice gave out.

Miles looked over at the girl, gently reaching for her arm as her breathing heavied. "We can do this."

The pair sat Troy beside the Ladder, and Adaline sat beside him looking over the wound as Miles ran back to their room for medical supplies.

"Here!" he exclaimed, dropping a first aid bag into the dirt. He then threw a sheet over the edge of the doorway, Adaline tore into the bag, rummaging through it for a quick fix till they were out of the dam.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Adaline grunted as she pulled Troy over the edge of the doorway, The boy had opened his eyes and been in a sense- very verbal about how much pain he was in.

The pair panted loudly as they'd got the boy into the doorway, Adaline leaned back looking to the left and right outside the door checking for Proctors before they pulled an unconscious traitor to the proctors out of the doorway.

Adaline pulled herself out of the doorway cursing as she grazed her back against the rough concrete of the doorway. Miles climbed over his unconscious brother. "Should he be lying down?" he asked as he climbed out and stood up straight beside the girl.

The blonde shrugged. "No, but I didn't see any other way of getting him out." Miles nodded, leaning back into the doorway.

Adaline followed his actions, holding Troy's head up as Miles pulled on his shoulders, grunting between his clenched jaw.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

The pair hid on the other side of the room behind two of the large tanks, Adaline did her best on Troy's head wound, while Miles searched the room for the guns  Adaline claimed to have hidden although Miles was sure she'd lost them when she changed where she hid them twice.

"They're not here," Miles repeated, and the girl groaned standing abruptly. "Did you even look?" she asked, climbing over the rails into their makeshift bedroom.

The girl bent down beside her bed reaching beneath the mattress with no luck She turned to Nadia's bed doing the same. "Is he going to be okay?" Miles asked, looking anxiously over at Troy.

"I think so," she mumbled, standing angrily as Miles was right. "I don't know." she admitted, "I can't think straight right now."

Miles nodded, looking around the room confused. Adaline's gaze fell on the younger boy, "how do you know him?" She asked, looking around the room. "He's my--" Miles began, pausing.

Adaline met his gaze. "He's my brother. I haven't seen him for years." The blonde's eyes fell as she thought over his words carefully.

"Where else could they be?" Miles asked, diverting the conversation. Adaline shrugged, looking around the room confused. The girl went to speak when three gunshots went off within rage of them.

Miles grabbed the girl's arm pulling her towards the rails, The girl climbed over the railing taking the pairs to get out-of-town bags and hiding them between the tanks.

As Miles climbed over the railing the gunshots outside drew closer.

The door swung open, muffled conversation made the young Otto boy jump, his body fell back against the tank loudly alerting the Proctor men that they were in the room.

Adaline grabbed the boy pulling him behind the tank. The door to the room slammed shut, heavy footsteps flooded their ears echoing through the room.

"I know you're in here." the man expressed, throwing a bedside table at the wall and shattering the contents. "Come on out, I won't hurt you."

Adaline pressed her eyelids shut, jumping as their pull-out beds were slammed against the wall. The man lay unconscious beside her began to wake, groaning softly.

The girl cursed under her breath, covering the boy's mouth as he groaned loudly. Adaline pressed her head hard against the tank, thinking her possibility through.

Adaline grabbed a pen and pulled Troy's forearm to her lap, the girl scribbled something along his arm shouting out to the man who had been too busy throwing things to notice Troy's painful sounds.

"I need to see the Proctor." Adaline began, and the man's temper tantrum ceased. "I'll only come out if you take me to him."

Miles looked over at the girl as if she were mad, Adaline pressed her finger to her lips leaning over to take her pistol from beneath her shirt. "I can't ensure that." the man answered.

"That's not good enough. I have information your boss needs to take this dam." the man scoffed. "Like what?"

the girl chuckled, slowly handing the gun to Miles as she attempted to find the man. "Take me to the Proctor, and I'll tell him." The man caved and agreed to the girl's terms.

Miles handed the girl his pocket knife, slipping it up her sleeve as she stepped out from behind the tanks.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Adaline glanced at her sister, biting her bottom lip as they waited for Proctor to return. "How's freedom?" Adaline asked, deciding awkward small talk was the way to go when randomly reuniting with a sibling who was also with a man who wanted to kill you.

Alicia nodded, shrugging lightly. "Not as free as it sounds. It was nice though, while it lasted." Adaline took her sister's hand squeezing gently as the door handle opened the girl stepped back against the wall.

"I am mystified." The proctor finally spoke after standing in the middle of the room for quite some time. "I can explain."

"I'm sure you can but I don't want to hear it." Adaline placed a bet that Strand would explain anyway, which she'd have won if anyone could read her mind.

"I was going to kill them myself." A big man stepped up to Strand backhanding him across the face, the man grunted falling on his face as his hands were tied up behind his back failing to catch his fall.

Adaline leaned against the wall behind her, struggling to hold in her laughter. "John," Alicia muttered. "Shut up, Darling."

Adaline's eyes widened, her lips agape. Nick looked down at his sister with almost the same expression. The blonde's eyebrows knitted together, her eyes dashing between Alicia and "John" as the scene continued to unfold.

"I'm told the woman I dispatched was the water Queen." Nick attempted to muffle his laugh, though his older sister beside him had heard him and too had to struggle with hiding her laughter. "Whom, you were supposed to kill and here she springs up like a goddamn whack-a-mole."

Again with the muffled laughter from the eldest siblings with broken humor. "Do I need to separate you two? What is this preschool?" The man questioned, in fear of being slapped across the room by the hulk who stood behind "John" Adaline spoke before her brother could say something stupid.

"No, we're good. Please, continue."

The man looked at the siblings shaking and rolling his eyes. "One wonders is Soldado alive and waiting to assassinate me?"

"He's dead, I swear." Strand attempted to assure the man, but he was met with the Hulk's foot in his abdomen. "He's telling the truth," Madison spoke, in defense of the man as he remained collapsed on the ground. "He confessed to me. And I believe him."

Adaline shook her head, looking over at her older brother. The siblings figured their mother might be struck by the Hulk but instead "John" began introductions.

"You're Madison." The women nodded. "I am. I'm Madison Clark." Adaline watched the man closely as he turned to Alicia. "Go to your mother, dear."

the blonde turned to her brother who had already been looking down at her, both confused and honestly disgusted with the man and his pet names.

"Let's see a joyful family reunion." "John" welcomed. Alicia slowly began to emerge to her mother. "Please."

Madison embraced her daughter, staring at Proctor John as he watched in awe, his eyes drifted to the two siblings who were creeped out by the scene Proctor John had created.

the man closed his eyes as he stood, clearly in some sort of pain, he turned to Adaline and Nick. "And what role do you play in this internecine family drama?" perfect way to describe their family, to be honest.

"They're my children,"  Madison answered, Adaline stood present though she remained silent during the interaction with the Proctor.

The hulk with curls stepped forward. "This one was with another white boy at the Bazaar, asking questions," he explained, Questions on the white boy would start to surface, and as long as Adaline answered them before her mother he'd live to see another day in the apocalypse.

"Is your friend here, Nick?" Nick glanced at his sister and back at the man shrugging. "No, he's dead. my mom killed him."

Nick and Adaline looked back at their mother, who turned away when their eyes met hers. "Wow. Really? you killed your son friend?"

"he was more threat than a friend." Nick scoffed loudly, "Because you get to make that call." Nick spoke lowly rolling his eyes.

John snickered, "What a perverse family you have, Alicia from Los Angeles. you've been a good nurse to me. "

"Wait, listen to me," Madison interjected although John was quick to shut her down. "Shut up, Mother. I have to kill her because I have to kill her brother and her sister in extension." The man looked to Alicia,  "I'll kill you first so you don't have to witness what follows."

Adaline and her brother looked at one another, his older sister wrapped her hand in his. John turned to their mother. "But you, mother-killer, you bear witness."

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

The family (despite Adaline's refusal) linked hands as they walked along the bridge.

"Say your goodbyes if you have them." Madison turned her three children into her arms. Just as Adaline had begun

Nick separated from his family, turning to Strand, and Adaline was taken into the Hulk's grip. the girl looked over the water searching for boats on the water, She cursed under her breath as Miles had done the opposite of what she had told him to.

"There's an endgame here, Proctor." Adaline looked back at Strand as he spoke, Nick pressed himself against the wired fence behind him. "One on which you did not plan."

The Proctor rolled his eyes, scoffing beneath the cover of his breath. "You to talk too much."

Adaline turned to her brother who could only smirk at her. "Lola and Daniel didn't have enough guns to defend the dam, so they wired it with explosives."

"bullshit." The Hulk spoke. "top to bottom." Strand continued. "C-4 to build the dam, C-4 to take it down." The Proctor tilted his head slightly toward the man by his side. "Take his tongue already."

Strand backed away slowly, hands raised. "No more lies, Proctor." Strand searched his pockets for the remote, Nick watched closely, enjoying watching Strand begin to stress.

"You got a hole in your pocket?" the man in charge of taking Strand's tongue asked as he gained on the man. Strand bumped into another of Proctor's men, panting as his plan came to an end. 

Nick pulled the bomb remote from behind his back. He gained Strand's attention as he tried to fight off the men on each arm.

Nick raised the remote into the air to show it off, PProctor'smen loaded their guns, aiming them at the boy. Nick looked down at the remote, reading the words across the top. "Says it's armed." he shrugged.

Proctor glanced at the Hulk behind the eldest Clark, a gun was vastly raised to the back of her head.

Nick gulped looking at his sister who remained calm. "Nick, don't touch the other button," Strand begged, Adaline assured her brother with her eyes, and Nick looked back at Strand.

Nick flicked the cover for the other button-up and looked down at the switch curiously. "What, the one that says detonate?" he asked, a light chuckle left the blonde girl's lips.

Nick stood considering his options, "What's your play, Nick?" Proctor asked, Nick glanced back at Adaline pointing the detonator at the man behind her.

Nick stepped off the fence, stepping toward the man. "Tell him to put his gun down," Nick spoke, looking his sister in the eye. "Put your gun down," Proctor ordered.

The group watched as Nick walked to the other side of the bridge looking over the edge, he turned back to the crowd looking up the left side and then the right.

Nick sighed as he walked back through the group, Adaline raised her hand to shield her eyes from the beaming sun, following her brother as he made his plan.

He stood back onto the wire fence, "My mom and sisters are gonna take a zodiac across the lake." he spoke, pointing out at the dock. "Nick, don't do this., Madison begged.

Nick turned back to his mother. "Just go as far upriver as you can." Proctor shrugged. "We'll pursue them."

They'll have a head start," Nick spoke, blowing the man's comment off. Alicia stepped toward their brother, "Nick, just come with us. please." she pressed.

"he can't do that, Nurse." Proctor began. "The detonator has a range. if you go with them, lose your leverage, right?"

Nick glared at the man as he spoke. "We're not negotiating, John." he looked at the remote in his hand, and his face fell. "This is my suicide note."

Adaline's eyes fell on her brother, looking down at the remote in hand. Their mother covered her eyes tears flooding her eyes. "Certainly seems to be."

Nick looked back at his family, smiling softly. he approached his family slowly urging them to go. "Go. 'cause you have no choice. if you don't go, we all die, so just go. Mom... mom, please. go." Madison took Alicia's hand pulling her after her.

Adaline stayed put, taking the remote from her brother's hand. "You my little brother, I'm supposed to protect you. not the other way around."

Madison stopped looking back at her eldest confused. Nick shook his head tugging on the remote. "Well. I'm not leaving you." he turned to Victor, cutting his sister's refusal short.

"Victor, Get in the boat. did you want mercy? Here it is." Adaline stood behind her brother taking the pistol from beneath his shirt. "Just take care of them, all right?"

Proctor shrugged. "It's all right. There'll be time to find them later." Adaline pressed the gun to the back of her thigh as the surrounding men were distracted.

"You live through this. You don't deserve this." Adaline finally spoke, finding her voice. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. many a slip between cup and lip." Nick stepped back against the fence, trapping his sister's arm between him and the concrete wall behind her. "I'm interested to see how it all plays out, though. Not gonna end well for either one of you I'm afraid."

"I'm not afraid to die." the siblings spoke in fusion.

"the bravado of the Junkie Christ." his men chuckled at his dry joke. Nick glared at his sister. "That detonator real?"

Adaline looked up at her brother, recognizing the tear stains on his checks. The Proctor's men stepped closer to the pair, Nick sucked air between his teeth.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

"This dam could be the center of a brand new civilization, right here, a modern Euphrates, but it needs managing, parceling. We can't just give it away, Nick." Adaline rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time during John's big rant.

the man turned to the Clark girl. "You're smart. you understand. and you could help." the girl groaned leaning back against the fence. "it's bullshit." Nick cut in.

"It's just one more thing that a cruel few want to control." Adaline looked over at the dock groaning as the boat hadn't moved an inch during all of John's bullshit.

Another boat incoming hot and fast drew the group's attention, Lee, Mikaela, and Nadia onboard, stopped at the end of the dock urging their family to get in.

"If you blow the dam and the river flows. Do you think folks won't fight over what they bottle? Come on, Nick. Civilizations born of violence." Adaline wiped her eyes as they grew heavy, the hot sun beating down on them didn't help the girl after being in a dimly lit room for a week.

Adaline chuckled. "What's so amusing?" Proctor asked, "I heard someone else say that. I killed the last man who spoke that truth."

"So you do understand this world. like mother like daughter." Adaline's eyes met the men as he continued to approach them. "Harness the fury or get stampeded."

the girl shrugged. "I'm looking for a third way."

"There is no third way!" the man exclaimed, making the blonde raise her chin. "There isn't one. War was waiting to be realized by us. and here we are." The girl looked back over the edge, the boat had come to a stop putting a plug in the sibling's plan. "A quandary."

"You blow the dam too soon, your family won't make it." his men continued toward the siblings, and Adaline's hand met the grip of the gun. "Didn't consider that quite, did you? End of the road, Nick. Give me that device." Nick pressed himself against the fence, holding the device up as his men continued toward him.

Nick flipped the cover of the switch as the men got a little too close for comfort. The Hulk came toward the pair when a bullet soared through his head into the gut of another man beside him.

Sniper. she thought as no figures owned up to the kill shot. A kill Adaline wished she could claim.

"New wrinkle no matter." Proctor shrugged, stepping over his dead henchman. "It's not a game changer. As for you, young Nick..." The boy tugged on his sister's arm pulling her away from the wall as John approached.

"... You're bluffing. I can see it in your eyes. You're not a killer." The man leaned over the concrete, peering through the wire fence at the boat that wasn't far enough away. "And your families are not far enough away yet."

Adaline raised the gun at the man, and Nick placed his finger on the switch. "Let's find out shall we?" Despite the crowd of men spread out along the bridge Adaline was feeling brave and picked up the dead Hulk's pistol and knife from his belt.

As she stood she handed her brother the gun who, too raised it at the man. John shrugged, "Fine. I'm bored. Kill them."

bullets soared through the air into two men who loaded their guns at the siblings.

Adaline squinted at the incoming figure, Daniel.

The girl raised her gun, shooting the men closest to her. Her clip ran dry and Nick (the one with the pistol training from Jeremiah) missed almost every shot.

Proctor John barked orders at his men, calling them out on their incompetence in finding the sniper. Adaline adjusted her grip on the hunting knife, lunging at John.

The girl raised her chin at the man as she pushed the blade deeper into his throat. "I'll kill you first so you don't have to witness what follows." The girl muttered, twisting the blade upward to hit his brain.

Nick pulled his sister off the man and toward a gap in the fence. "You need to go," he exclaimed over the gunfire around them. "Go and keep going."

The girl looked at her brother confused, "No, I'm not leaving you." she argued, Nick looked around them. "We don't have time for this, you need to go."

Adaline looked over the edge, a speedboat emerged from within the dam. "I can't leave you!"

Nick grabbed his sister's shoulders pulling her to face him. "I love you, but I can't do this right now. You need to go." Adaline pulled her brother into her arms. "I love you too." Nick nodded, kissing the side of the girl's head.

Adaline climbed onto the concrete part of the fence, bracing herself for what was to come. "Hey!" Nick exclaimed, handing the girl her knife. The blonde nodded at her brother taking the knife as she climbed through the wired fence. Before she could think for herself Nicks's hands met her back and pushed her over the bridge.

The dam blew up moments later.

_______________________________

Word count — 7766

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ₊˚ପ⊹ *:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ