Tensions Boiling

The morning air was thick with unspoken tension, the kind that curled around the edges of conversation like smoke from a dying fire. In the dim meeting hall—a converted storage space deep within the compound—Leila stood at the head of a scarred wooden table, facing representatives from three neighboring enclaves. The room smelled of damp wood and burning oil from the lamps strung along the walls, casting flickering shadows that made the already tense gathering feel even more ominous.

Darren had arranged the meeting in hopes of forging a unified front against Jace and Ellie's growing threat, but it was clear from the start that unity was a fragile thing.

"These are desperate times, Leila." The man speaking was Hadrian, a grizzled leader from the Maple Hollow Enclave, a mid-sized settlement two days' travel north. His fingers drummed against the table, his hard eyes scanning the room with practiced suspicion. "Desperate times require careful allies."

Leila's jaw tightened, but she forced her voice to remain measured. "That's why we're here. If Jace's band is as organized as we think, none of us stand a chance alone. We need to pool resources, coordinate defenses—"

"And let your problems become ours?" Hadrian cut in, his lips curling in something that wasn't quite a sneer but wasn't far from it. "Word spreads fast, you know. People say your group harbored traitors before. Some say you still might."

A cold fury sparked in Leila's chest, but she buried it beneath a layer of calculated restraint. She folded her arms, fixing Hadrian with an impassive stare. "If we had a mole, we wouldn't be standing here. My people would already be dead."

Hadrian shrugged, unimpressed. "Yet somehow, Jace and Ellie know exactly which settlements are vulnerable. Which supply lines are worth raiding."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathered leaders. From the Willow Creek faction, Marla—a wiry woman with sharp eyes and sharper instincts—tilted her head as she spoke. "How can we be sure none of your people are passing information along? It's convenient that your compound has been holding steady while others burn."

A sharp breath hissed through Leila's teeth. It was an insult, barely veiled, one she wanted to counter with biting retorts, but this wasn't about pride. It was about survival.

Darren, seated to her right, leaned forward, his hands braced against the table. "We haven't been spared, Marla. We've had attacks, betrayals—" his voice faltered slightly before pressing on, "—losses. But we've managed because we plan ahead. We think strategically, and we don't waste resources fighting each other when the real threat is out there." He gestured toward the boarded-up windows, beyond which lay the wasteland of fractured civilization.

Silence stretched between them.

Marla tapped her fingers against her arm, weighing his words. "That may be true, but it doesn't erase the risk. If Jace's band has a line into your people, even a weak one, that makes an alliance a liability."

Kai, who had remained silent throughout most of the discussion, finally spoke. His voice was steady, even, but it carried a quiet intensity. "Then test us." He leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes moving between the enclave leaders. "Put safeguards in place. Monitor our supply movements, patrols. If we were compromised, don't you think we'd be the first ones to suffer for it?"

His calm logic should have reassured them, but Hadrian merely exhaled sharply through his nose. "Or you're just better at covering your tracks than the rest of us."

Leila felt her patience wearing dangerously thin. "Enough," she said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. She locked eyes with Hadrian. "We're not the enemy here. If you want to keep playing this game of distrust, fine—walk out of here and handle Jace's war band on your own. See how well that works out."

That made them pause. Even Hadrian's expression flickered with uncertainty.

Darren seized the moment, his voice firm but not unkind. "The truth is, none of us have guarantees. But if we don't work together, we're handing Jace and Ellie a victory without them ever firing a shot."

Marla exchanged glances with her second-in-command, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running from his brow to his cheek. After a long moment, she exhaled, rubbing her temple. "Damn it. I hate when you make sense."

The tension didn't evaporate entirely, but it shifted. The leaders looked at one another, the weight of reality settling in. Hadrian still seemed unconvinced, but even he knew the danger of standing alone.

Kai leaned back slightly, though his posture remained alert, as if waiting for the next verbal attack. Leila stole a glance at him, noting the way his hand rested near his belt—not on a weapon, but close. Just in case. He always thought ahead.

Finally, Hadrian muttered, "We'll discuss terms for cooperation. But know this—if I get any sign that Jace's people are inside your walls, this alliance is over."

Leila's spine stiffened, but she inclined her head in measured agreement. "Fair enough."

The meeting didn't end on a note of camaraderie, but it ended. That was enough for now.

As the enclave representatives filed out, the weight on Leila's chest remained heavy.

When they were gone, Kai lingered behind with her. He leaned against the table, crossing his arms as he studied her. "They don't trust us."

"They don't trust me," Leila corrected, rubbing a hand over her face.

Kai's voice softened just enough to be noticeable. "Maybe not yet."

Leila wanted to believe that, but deep down, she wondered if she'd ever earn trust again. Betrayal had stained her past so thoroughly, she wasn't sure if people would ever see her as anything but a liability waiting to happen.

She sighed, shoving those thoughts down before they could take root. "We should prepare for the worst. Just in case they decide we're more trouble than we're worth."

Kai studied her for a moment longer before nodding. "Then we'll be ready."

She wished she had his certainty.

As they stepped out of the meeting hall and into the cold, shifting daylight, Leila couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to break. Whether it was the enclave's fragile trust, the growing storm of Jace and Ellie's vengeance, or the last pieces of her own carefully controlled defenses—she didn't know.

But she did know one thing:

They were running out of time.