Ariel’s POV
After a few minutes, the girl suddenly went limp.
James immediately looked worried.
“Is she dead?”
“I don’t know.”
Luther crouched beside her.
“Someone should check her pulse.”
I immediately stepped forward.
I placed two fingers against her neck.
Then I checked her wrist.
A faint pulse.
“She’s alive.”
I looked at them.
“She’s just unconscious.”
James let out a breath of relief.
“Thank God.”
For a moment, none of us spoke.
Then James asked the question that had probably been on everyone’s mind.
“What are we going to do with her?”
I looked down at the girl.
I wondered the same thing.
Bringing her with us meant another mouth to feed.
More medical supplies.
More clothes.
And most importantly…
She would slow us down.
But leaving her alone in a world filled with Echoes and Raiders didn’t exactly feel right either.
Luther answered before I could say anything.
“What do you mean?”
James looked at him.
“The obvious.”
“What?”
James shook his head.
“Bro, she’ll be a liability.”
“We’re already risking our lives trying to get to NEXUS.”
“We can’t drag a kid across the country with us.”
Luther’s expression hardened.
“So what?”
“We leave her here?”
James pointed toward the unconscious girl.
“We leave supplies.”
“Food, water, maybe some medicine.”
“When she wakes up, we give her a location she can travel to.”
Luther stared at him.
“Are you listening to yourself?”
“She’s a little girl, James.”
“We don’t even know what is waiting for us out there.”
James sighed.
“And we don’t know what is waiting for her either.”
The argument continued.
Neither of them seemed willing to back down.
Their voices grew louder.
I sat beside the girl, watching them argue.
I wanted to say something…
But what?
James had a point.
Luther had a point.
And honestly…
I wasn’t exactly known for making the best decisions under pressure.
So I remained silent.
Then Luther walked over.
Without another word…
He carefully picked her up.
James stared at him.
“Luther…”
“Get in the vehicle.”
“What?”
“We’re moving.”
James looked at him for several seconds.
“You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
Luther didn’t answer.
He simply carried the girl toward the vehicle.
James sighed.
“…Fine.”
He reluctantly climbed into the back seat.
I followed.
Luther gently placed the girl beside me before taking the driver’s seat.
The engine roared to life.
James looked through the window at the unconscious girl.
Then at Luther.
“You know…”
“You’ve got a serious problem with helping people.”
Luther smiled.
“Maybe.”
He stepped on the accelerator.
The vehicle began moving again.
Behind us…
Four defeated Raiders remained tied beside the road.
Ahead…
An unknown journey awaited us.
And now…
We had one more passenger.