Chapter 207: Discussion With Maribel [2]

After resting for a few more minutes, I pushed myself upright and we left together. Maribel walked beside me in silence as we made our way back toward the Boardwalk, retracing the path we’d taken in pursuit of Emily what felt like hours ago but had probably been less than one.

We had nothing more to accomplish out here. The immediate crisis had passed, even if it left more questions than answers in its wake.

Hopefully, Emily wouldn’t appear again anytime soon at least the Boardwalk and get shot. I needed time to think, to process what I’d seen, to figure out what those metal bracelets meant and why my Time Freeze had failed against her.

At least one mystery had been solved—she was definitely the monster Theo had spotted moving through the city with inhuman speed. What I’d initially feared might be Starakian technology turned out to be something else entirely. Thank god for that, at least. If the Starakians had shown up here with their advanced equipment, it would have meant they’d chosen to continue hunting us down—Wanda and me specifically. That would have escalated everything to an entirely different level of danger.

Still, a thread of worry nagged at me. I should check on Wanda as soon as possible, just to be safe. Make sure she hadn’t encountered anything unusual, hadn’t noticed any signs of surveillance or tracking.

"So, are you leaving with that woman now?" Maribel’s question broke through my thoughts, her tone carefully neutral.

"Yeah, since you guys don’t like us being around," I replied, keeping my own voice equally measured.

"That’s not—" She stopped herself, then started again more carefully. "It’s not like we don’t like you being around. You know that. There are... more complicated reasons."

I glanced at her as we walked. "So you do like us being around here?"

I genuinely wanted to know the answer. If there was a chance—even a small one—that our two communities could coexist in the same city by simply respecting boundaries and staying out of each other’s way, that would change everything. It would mean we wouldn’t have to abandon Atlantic City, wouldn’t have to keep searching and settle there and I could leave peacefully to look for Elena.

"I never said that," Maribel replied quickly—too quickly, her words tumbling out with defensive haste. "Don’t twist what I’m saying."

"So you don’t like us being around here," I countered, pushing just a little harder.

She let out an exasperated sound. "You’re annoying. I didn’t think you were someone who talked this much."

I hadn’t thought so either, honestly. But I needed to understand where she stood, how the Boardwalk community would react if we chose to settle nearby. Maribel clearly held significant influence among her people. If she had a favorable impression of me, if we could maintain some kind of positive relationship, then she might serve as a bridge between our groups if tensions ever arose. An intermediary who could help us talk through problems before they escalated into violence.

"I think we’ll be staying here," I said suddenly, the decision crystallizing as I spoke the words aloud.

She turned toward me sharply, her eyes widening slightly. "Staying? In Atlantic City?"

I nodded. "Not in a way that would bother you. We’d clear our own area of Infected, establish our own territory. Keep to ourselves."

Maribel stopped walking entirely, her body going still as she processed what I’d just said. "Why?" The single word carried layers of confusion and suspicion.

"Why do I need a reason?" I asked back.

"You were agreeing to leave at first," she said slowly, her eyes searching my face for something. "And now suddenly you’ve changed your mind. Is it because of Emily?" Her voice dropped, taking on a colder edge as she continued. "Because she’s around here... likely with Callighan?"

"Emily isn’t the kind of person who would be with someone like Callighan," I said immediately.

It wasn’t like I’d known her intimately—we’d barely spoken during our time as classmates, existing in completely different social orbits. The only time we’d truly been close was during those few hours in the storage room when everything had fallen apart, when we’d clung to each other as the world ended outside. Just a handful of hours, really, punctuated by fear and desperation and sex that had been more about survival than romance.

But even that brief window of closeness had been enough. I’d seen something in her during those moments—her kindness, her quiet strength, the way she’d tried to maintain her humanity even when everything was falling apart. I couldn’t imagine her willingly joining forces with someone like Callighan, someone who apparently trafficked in kidnapping and restraints. It contradicted everything I’d observed about her character.

If anything, I could see her striking out on her own, choosing to survive alone rather than compromise her principles. And in that scenario, Tommy might have followed her out of loyalty or affection or whatever complicated feelings he harbored. So what had happened? How had they all ended up working for Callighan?

"So you’re choosing to stay here because... you want to see what’s going on with her?" Maribel asked, her tone careful. "Maybe save her?"

I considered the question for a moment before answering honestly. "That wasn’t the reason at first, no. But yeah, it’s become another significant reason, I guess."

Maribel’s expression shifted, concern replacing suspicion. "Do you understand what you’re saying? I thought you didn’t want to get involved with Callighan, but what you’re planning will definitely make you involved with him. Even more so if you actually stay in this city."

She wasn’t wrong. The contradiction in my position was glaringly obvious even to me. I’d told them that I wanted nothing to do with Callighan’s business, that we should avoid that entire mess.

"I won’t involve the others," I said, meeting her eyes. "I’ll look into it myself. This is my problem to deal with."

"Your problem?" Maribel’s voice rose with disbelief. "You’re planning to jump in alone to save your girlfriend just because you’re slightly stronger than normal humans?"

The way she said ’slightl’ made it clear she was downplaying what she’d witnessed, probably trying to get a rise out of me or gauge just how powerful I actually was.

"Well, as you’d expect, it won’t be that simple," I said, running a hand through my hair. "I don’t have a concrete plan yet, but I need to find a way."

"So what, you’re going to fight him? Kill him?" The question came out quickly, and I caught something in her tone—something that sounded almost like hope.

I stopped walking and turned to face her fully. "You want me to kill him? Because I have these abilities, you think it’ll be easier for me? Is that it?"

"N...No, that’s not—" She faltered a bit. "I mean... maybe yes. He’s taken so many lives. I thought maybe..."

Her honesty, brutal as it was, deserved an honest answer in return.

"I generally avoid killing the living," I said, my voice dropping lower. "But if someone leaves me no choice..."

My expression must have darkened because Maribel’s eyes widened slightly. The memory of Jason flashed through my mind—someone I’d cared about, someone who’d been important to me. In the end, he’d given me no alternative, even though by that point he wasn’t really human anymore.

Still...

"If you help us..." Maribel said suddenly, pulling me back from my brooding thoughts. "Then maybe we can come to an agreement. Between our groups."

"I’m not sure how you’re looking at me exactly. What kind of help are we talking about?"

She scratched her cheek, a gesture that seemed almost nervous. "I saw you running at inhuman speeds, showing impossible strength. You literally ran through a hail of bullets without flinching. So I think... I think you could help us. Or rather, we could help each other."

A small smile tugged at my lips despite the seriousness of the conversation. "You wouldn’t be offering this if I was just an ordinary human, would you?"

"Obviously not," she said with a shrug, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

At least she was honest. I appreciated that more than false flattery or manipulation.

"Then can I count on you to convince Marlon and the others to accept that we’re going to settle in the same city?" I asked, seizing the opening she’d presented. "Or at least somewhere nearby?"

Her expression turned serious, almost severe. "I’ll do it, but you need to promise me something first. Promise that you won’t turn against us."

I met her eyes seriously, letting her see the sincerity in mine. "I won’t turn against anyone who doesn’t hurt or harm us in any way. That’s a promise I can make."

She held my gaze for a long moment, searching for deception or hidden meaning. Whatever she found must have satisfied her because she eventually nodded.

"Fine. I’ll speak to them," she said, crossing her arms. "But it’s better if you don’t open your mouth during the discussion. Let me do all the talking."

"You can do all the talking you want," I agreed readily. "Just do it after Clara and I have left."

"W...What?" Her arms dropped, confusion replacing confidence. "But you need to be there! How am I supposed to convince them without you?"

"No, first try talking to them without me present," I insisted. "Only if you need some kind of direct agreement or confrontation—especially with Marlon—then I’ll come. But start without me."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you acting like a coward now? Are you scared of Marlon? Or Rico?"

The question almost made me laugh. "Believe me, they’re the last things I’d be scared of..."

After everything I’d faced—the monstrous Infected variants, Frost Walker, and other things I might or rather will definitely see in the future.

"Like what then?" Maribel pressed, curiosity lighting up her features.

Did she really think I was going to elaborate after refusing to tell her about the bigger picture earlier?

"Like you trying to mummify me alive with bandages," I said with perfect seriousness.

I saw her leg swing toward mine a split second before it would have connected. With a powerful push, I launched myself backward in a massive leap that carried me several yards away, far beyond her reach.

Maribel stood frozen for a moment, her mouth slightly open as she stared at where I’d landed. The sheer distance of that casual jump seemed to drive home just how different I was from a normal human. Then her expression shifted to a glare.

"I’m heading out ahead," I called back, already turning to sprint forward. "We’re already running late. They might start worrying."

"Wait!" Maribel’s voice rang out behind me as she broke into a run, hurrying to catch up. "Don’t just leave me behind just because you are faster!"

"That’s the point."