In Brigantine...

Mei woke later than usual that morning. The weak grey light leaking through the boarded window didn’t feel like sunlight anymore—just another sign that another day had come. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep; again, she hadn’t managed more than a few uneasy hours. This place, since they’d brought her here, never let her rest. Every creak in the floorboards, every shift of shadow outside the window made her heart jump.

Sleep? That was a luxury for people who didn’t have a pack of dangerous men camped around them.

Out there was a Symbiote Host, unstable and unpredictable, and other men even worse. Real criminals, the kind who thrived now that law and hope were both dead. One of them had blatantly threatened to rape her, his tone making clear what he meant to do if he ever caught her alone. The memory made her stomach knot and her skin go cold.

It was hard to breathe thinking about it. Harder to pretend it would all somehow be fine.

At least Callighan had been keeping an eye on her, doing what he could to make her feel protected. But even that was hanging by a thread. She knew that if things went bad, if Gaspar or Williams tried something, there might not be much he could do. It felt less like safety and more like a delay before something terrible finally happened.

A small tremor ran through her spine; she rubbed at her arms as if she could scrub the thought away.

There was, however, a way out. Keith had told her so.

She didn’t believe at first but hearing his plans, she thought it could actually work.

It wouldn’t be easy, and it might get them killed, but what other choice did she have? Staying meant being trapped here, surrounded by men who looked at her like she was something to take. She’d rather take her chances outside, with the infected than keep sleeping under the same roof as these people.

Still, she thought about the ones she’d lost, the ones she’d felt safe with. When she let her mind wander, it drifted back to that smaller group which formed at Lexington Charter. Back to Ryan and the others—the ones who hadn’t treated her like property. It was peaceful there. Safe even. She realized she’d taken it all for granted, the quiet, the trust, the odd warmth that came from being around capable, brave, decent people. That kind of good didn’t come often anymore.

Her throat tightened. She needed to leave, and to do that, Keith said they’d have to convince Tommy first. That wouldn’t be easy either.

She didn’t get far in the thought before someone banged on the door.

"Get out, Princess. Time for breakfast."

Liam. Of course.

Mei exhaled through her nose, pushing herself upright and scrubbing her face with both hands. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet as she swung them over the side of the cot. She grabbed the bundle of clothes someone had left her and changed quick, capris, a short‑sleeve blouse, nothing fancy, just whatever fit. She tied up her black hair into a hurried ponytail and took a moment at the cracked mirror.

Her complexion looked a bit exhausted.

Then she opened the door.

Keith was right outside, leaning on the ramp’s railing like he’d been waiting awhile. Arms crossed, head tilted, that dry look in his eyes that said she’d taken too long again.

"Took you long enough," he said.

"You didn’t have to wait for me," she answered, stepping past him.

"I had to," he said.

It seemed she knew about Tommy and knew how to convince him, so he wanted to hear more, and they needed to act fast if they wanted to escape.

Before Mei could respond, a familiar voice came from further ahead.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Liam stood smirking near the stairs, his hair catching the light.

"Looks like little Keith finally found himself a girlfriend, huh?" He chuckled, eyes cutting between the two. "Lucy would be real proud of you."

Keith’s head snapped toward him. "Fuck off, Liam."

A mocking laugh followed. "You’d better watch that mouth, Keith. You don’t got many friends left here."

Most of them in the group already knew Lucy had been taken, but no one had told Keith yet. He was already wound tight enough, pacing at nights, pissed off that his sister had been kept from him for so long. Nobody wanted to see what he’d do when he found she was gone completely.

Mei ignored the exchange, keeping her gaze on the stairs, but as she passed, Liam’s hand shot out. Fingers like a vise clamped down on her arm.

"Hey," he said with that same insufferable smirk. "Don’t you know better than to walk away while I’m talking?"

She glared and tried to pull free, but his grip only tightened.

That was all it took. Keith moved. One sharp step forward and he had Liam by the collar, slamming him backward against the ramp’s railing hard enough to rattle the whole platform.

"Guuh!" Liam grunted, his hold on Mei dropping loose as he flinched.

"Stop acting like trash," Keith growled, eyes burning into him.

Liam’s grin returned, smaller this time but just as poisonous. He reached down, pulled his handgun free, and pressed the muzzle right into Keith’s chest.

"Get off, Keith."

Keith hesitated, jaw tight, then slowly released his grip and stepped back.

As soon as he did, Liam swung his fist and buried it in Keith’s stomach. The sound of it, a dull thud, a breath cut short made Mei flinch.

"Ugh!" Keith folded to his knees, clutching his midsection, wheezing for air.

"Hey!" She snapped, glaring at Liam, but he only laughed and turned toward the stairs.

"Get your asses down," he called over his shoulder before vanishing from sight.

The silence that followed burned, just the sound of Keith breathing hard, one hand braced against the wall. He looked wiped, angry, and humiliated all at once.

Mei crouched beside him giving him a sharp gaze. "Why are you poking your nose in other people’s business?"

Keith let out a rough breath, still staring down the empty stairwell where Liam had disappeared. His hand stayed pressed to his gut, his knuckles white.

"W... What? You liked him touching you?" Keith snapped, his glare cutting through the lingering silence.

Mei’s face twisted with disgust. Her lip curled, eyes narrowing like he’d just said something foul.

"That’s what I thought," he muttered, pushing himself up with a grimace. His voice came out tight, awkward, angry more at himself than at her.

"Don’t you care how many times you get beaten?" Mei asked, her tone sharper now. It wasn’t scolding, exactly, more disbelief.

Keith wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth and straightened. "I won’t cower against these pieces of shit," he said and began limping forward again.

For a moment, Mei just stood there watching him. The stubborn set of his shoulders, that stupid serious stare, it reminded her of someone.

Ryan.

That same reckless bravery. That same maddening tendency to throw himself headfirst into danger for others, like pain was some background noise he could just tune out.

Keith stopped by the door, turning halfway toward her. "You coming or not?"

Mei blinked, then sighed and fell in behind him.

They moved through the narrow hallway; the air smelled of damp wood and reheated soup. Mei glanced briefly at one of the doors as they passed. That was where Penny had been staying. Strange, no one had called for her this morning. Maybe she was being kept apart. Mei shook the thought away and followed Keith down the stairs and outside toward the makeshift dining area behind the main house.

The same routine as every morning, lines of prisoners, dull conversation, the metallic clatter of spoons hitting bowls. The world might’ve ended, but somebody always made sure they still had schedules.

"Look," Keith whispered suddenly, nudging her elbow. "It’s Tommy."

Mei followed his gaze. At the far end of the yard, Tommy stood with a handful of the guards, surveying the group.

"We have to get close and speak to him," Keith said quietly.

"You’ll get yourself beaten again if you try anything weird," she warned under her breath.

"Then do it yourself," he said without missing a beat.

"What?"

"You’re like a precious hostage around here, right? They won’t hurt you. Just get close and talk to him. You’ve got some way to get his attention, don’t you?" Keith’s eyes flicked toward her, steady.

Mei looked down, hesitating. "Even if I did, I can’t just find him alone..."

She could feel eyes on her even now, people always watching. Keith wasn’t wrong: to them, she was valuable, a sort of prestigious prisoner. It all had to do with Ryan, obviously, and the group she had left behind in Atlantic City. The guards treated her carefully, but that didn’t mean kindly.

Then again, if Tommy decided to talk, he might say too much. That was its own danger.

To get his attention, she knew exactly what she’d have to say: that Ryan could help Emily. And to make Tommy actually believe it, she’d have to admit that both she and Ryan carried Dullahan inside them. It was the kind of secret that could shift everything, and the kind she didn’t dare throw around lightly. One wrong word could turn into a weapon against Ryan... or against Emily, whom Ryan clearly still cherished.

"He’s the least asshole around here," Keith said finally, breaking her silence. "You just need to give him a reason to listen. Once you do, he’ll make the time himself."

Mei followed his gaze toward Tommy again. The man stood apart, arms folded, eyes scanning the group like someone counting inventory instead of people. If there was any decency left among these people, it probably lived under that man’s skin.

Still, walking up to him wasn’t exactly an option. Guards clustered near, alert and silent. So she joined the queue with Keith, got her half‑filled bowl of what passed for stew these days, and drifted to the side, away from the noise to eat in relative peace. Keith settled beside her, spooning up his own food without a word.

"Can you stop following me around?" Mei asked, glancing sideways, a faint grimace tugging at her face.

"I’m following you until you speak to Tommy," Keith shot back.

She grumbled under her breath and shifted her attention toward Tommy again. He was still there, pacing slowly near the fence with three others, all armed. From where she stood, she could count the distance, time her approach, twenty seconds tops if she went straight to him. Problem was, that would look suspicious as hell.

Still, what other choice did she have?

Taking a steadying breath, she made up her mind and stepped forward.

But almost immediately, someone blocked her path.

A woman, a tall one, carrying herself like someone used to being obeyed. Mei recognized her face after a second.

Audrey, one of Callighan’s people and clearly one of the scums who escaped that prison with Williams.

"What is it?" Mei asked carefully.

"You’re coming with me," the woman said. Her tone didn’t invite questions.

Mei opened her mouth, ready to protest, but bit it back. Nothing good came from arguing here.

"Wait! Where are you taking her?!" Keith’s voice rang out behind them.

Mei sighed internally. She still didn’t understand how that guy managed to stay in one piece in this place. His attitude alone should’ve gotten him shot weeks ago, sister or not.

The woman turned to face him, an annoyed smile tugging at her lips. "Your girlfriend will be fine, kid. Don’t get worked up." Her sneer stretched slightly as she jerked her chin toward Mei. "C’mon. You’ve eaten enough."

Mei stood still for a second, her hands gripping tightly her bowls, then quietly set her half‑finished bowl on the ground. With every eye in the yard following her, she turned and walked after the woman, her heartbeat picking up in the empty silence that trailed behind them.