Keeping the redhead's right wrist locked behind her back, Bryan studied the girl who'd appeared before him — tense, bow drawn, eyes blazing with caution.
He noted her similarly wavy red hair and asked with a hint of amusement, "Sisters?"
Hannah gripped her bow tighter. She didn't answer, her mind racing through rescue scenarios.
She hadn't expected this soldier to be so formidable. They'd laid the trap for him, and somehow he'd turned the tables completely.
Nervous sweat beaded on Hannah's cheeks. Andrea had always been the one to think their way out of tight spots. A situation like this — it was a first for her.
Andrea knew her sister's state of mind better than anyone and was frantically searching for options herself. She'd even considered catching Bryan off guard while his attention was on Hannah — some sudden move to break free.
But the memory of his terrifying reflexes, combined with the knife at her throat, killed that idea. He didn't seem intent on hurting them. Provoking him would be foolish — and even if she broke free, she and Hannah together were no match for him. Not with Leo still unconscious.
Better to try talking first.
"We don't mean any harm," Andrea said carefully. "We just wanted to talk."
"No harm?" Bryan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the two arrows embedded in the nearby shop door. "You sure about that?"
Andrea's face flushed at the implied sarcasm. She hadn't expected things to go this way. They'd only planned to follow him and confirm his identity, but when they realized he was onto them, they'd tried to turn his own game against him — capture first, ask questions later. Who could have predicted—
Before she could formulate a response, Bryan continued as if talking to himself. "If you really mean no harm, how about you have the young lady over there put down her bow first? Then we can talk."
His tone was conversational, but the pressure in his voice and the knife tilting slightly upward made the threat unmistakable.
When you're the one on the chopping block, you don't get to negotiate terms. Andrea had no choice. "Hannah, put the bow down."
Hannah's jaw tightened with reluctance, but her sister's life was at stake. After only a moment's hesitation, she eased the tension on her bowstring and lowered the weapon.
"Toss the bow over here."
Bryan had read Hannah instantly — still coiled, still looking for an opening. He wasn't going to waste words.
Hannah's body went rigid. Her knuckles whitened on the bow's grip, trembling faintly. But she threw it.
Clatter. The bow landed a good distance away.
Bryan glanced over to confirm, then slowly lowered the knife and gave Andrea a gentle push forward, releasing her.
He stepped back and settled into a chair outside one of the shops, studying the two women before him. "Alright, let's hear it. You were following me because—"
He stopped mid-sentence. Between the fighting and the hostage situation, he hadn't gotten a good look at anyone except the archer. But now, seeing the woman he'd just released, something clicked. He ventured a guess. "...Andrea?"
Andrea was rubbing her aching wrist when the soldier spoke her name. She froze. Quickly replaying the last few minutes in her head, she was certain no one had said it. "You... know me?"
"Well, I'll be damned. It really is you."
Bryan realized this was the woman from the sketch pad he'd found in the shopping center. Remembering the name written in that sketchbook, he asked, "Your boyfriend — his name is Ed, right?"
"E-Ed!"
The name hit Andrea like a thunderbolt. Emotion surged through her, her composure cracking before she could force it back into place. Her voice trembled despite her efforts. "You — have you seen him? Where is he?"
"He's at the shopping center." Bryan watched her expression without a trace of pity. Scenes of loss and separation had long since stopped moving him. "But he's just a body now."
"Wh... what?"
The words struck Andrea like lightning. She went rigid, then seemed to deflate entirely — legs buckling as if all the air had been knocked out of her. Hannah caught her just before she collapsed.
The truth was, after so long without word, Andrea had already suspected the worst. But she'd refused to accept it, clinging to that last shred of hope.
Now even that was shattered. Tears burst free, and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly.
Bryan glanced at her grief-stricken form, then silently looked away, sitting there and waiting for her to finish. Meanwhile, he silently cursed himself for bringing up something so unnecessary.
Hannah held her weeping sister close, murmuring comfort, though her watchful gaze kept returning to Bryan.
At that moment, Leo groaned from the ground, clutching his throbbing head as he slowly sat up, his expression twisted in pain.
"Andrea, Hannah, what happened to—"
"Wait — where is he? Did that bastard hurt you?!"
As his eyes focused, Leo registered Andrea's tears and Hannah's consoling posture. Confusion gave way to memory, and he shot to his feet, scanning the area.
The instant he spotted Bryan sitting calmly nearby, Leo shouted and lunged.
"Stop!"
Andrea's voice cut through her grief, snapping Leo to a halt. He turned, bewildered, but something in her eyes made him back down, moving to stand behind her.
Ignoring Leo entirely, Andrea wiped her tears, took a deep breath to steady herself, and met Bryan's gaze. "Thank you for telling me about Ed."
Her eyes moved to the assault rifle slung on his pack and the pistol at his hip. "And thank you for not killing us."
"The reason I didn't kill you is because you didn't try to kill me."
Bryan held Andrea's gaze, then glanced at the rifle on Leo's back. Even Hannah's arrows had been aimed to stop his movement, not to wound him.
He brought the conversation back on track. "Let's not waste time. Why were you following me?"
"Because of that uniform."
Andrea pointed at Bryan's military fatigues. "We needed to know if you're a QZ soldier or just a civilian who got his hands on one."
Bryan recalled the note he'd found at the shopping center. "You're trying to reach the Atlanta Quarantine Zone?"
"Exactly!"
Leo jumped in before Andrea could respond, excitement overriding everything. "That's why we had to figure out who you are. But from the way you move, you've obviously had professional training, and you know about the QZ — you have to be a QZ soldier, right?"
Bryan offered a noncommittal smile and continued, "Judging by your situation, you've been lingering around here for a while. Why haven't you left? Aren't you afraid the local survivors will catch you?"
The question dropped a blanket of silence over the group. Andrea stared at Bryan in surprise. "You... know there are other survivors here?"
"Of course. And I know there are a lot of them."
Andrea studied Bryan with new eyes. She'd underestimated QZ soldiers. She'd assumed someone who'd only been here a day couldn't possibly know much, but this man seemed to know everything.
After a pause, she stopped holding back. She told him everything — where they'd come from, why they were here, why they'd stayed, where they were currently camped. All of it, laid bare.
Even without his confirmation, Andrea could sense he was from the QZ. If she wanted his help, she had to earn his trust first. It might be their only chance to rescue their captured companions.
...
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