A Heartfelt Talk
55Please respect copyright.PENANAnlOrVE0qMP
Cohen had come over to visit them, leading him to talk shop in the garage with Aqil. Eventually, Cohen headed inside to find Ezra lying on the couch, listening to some music. Cohen’s eyes wandered over the large baby bump.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA07JylUxsF3
“I’m glad I’m not the one responsible for a kid in this world.” He spoke as he sat down in one of the armchairs.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAjnVUpPiqUS
“It won’t be easy.” Ezra struggled to sit up. “I’m…nervous about it all.” She admitted to him, not usually one to talk about her feelings.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA6viw9hfnsW
“I would be too if I was you.” He spoke softly. “But you and Aqil’ll figure it out. I’m sure of that. You two are strong.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAa3D5qPQCPt
“Is that why you picked me out so long ago?”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8HOzxnz23
“One of them.” He nodded.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAUgt82t3x3v
“Cohen, I’ve never really properly thanked you for getting us out of the quarantine zone. I’m pretty sure you saved our lives.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAIr9K8oQ8aC
“I owed it to you after all you did for me, kid.” Cohen chuckled quietly. “Aqil, on the other hand…” He trailed off with a smile. “I only brought him 'cause you asked so nicely.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAMECwhMqgRY
“He’s grown on you, though; you can admit it.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANApI5UqKtsvT
“He has, he has.” He smiled a toothy smile.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA6DImavKsDr
“I just wish Aqil’s dad would’ve gone with us.” Ezra shook her head regretfully. “He was so stubborn. I know Aqil won’t talk about it, but…I can’t help but think he died there.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAxhDWrobTFL
Cohen took a deep breath. “No idea what happened to him, but there’s a good chance.” He nodded slowly. “Sorry, kid. I know they were the closest thing you had to parents.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAcNmafRQnJ3
“Just wish they were here to celebrate the baby. Even if they were yelling at Aqil and me for not getting married.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAuerU9UT2YA
Cohen smiled slightly. “They would be happy for you two, I’m sure.” He stood up and squeezed her shoulder gently.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAcWnsvGG821
The Man in Charge
55Please respect copyright.PENANAqnfRwB8unn
Ezra was dragged into the room and roughly sat on the chair. In front of her sat the head of the quarantine zone, the closest thing they had to a leader: Jason Cadwell.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAIN5m4O0m3n
“You were caught smuggling, Ms. Amar. Things from outside the wall. Tell me how you acquired these items.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAc3BZrd9tJQ
“Ways.” She shrugged, not looking him in the eyes.
55Please respect copyright.PENANADAwCLSybpr
“Things will go a lot quicker if you’re honest, Ms. Amar.” He spread her file out over her desk. “No parents to come rescue you; perhaps that’s why you got yourself into this kind of trouble.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAGqdG8iH4Er
“Leave my parents out of this.” She glared up at him darkly.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAwgG4dmWhFJ
“A sensitive topic?” He cocked an eyebrow up.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAWgnLApLrCt
“None. Of. Your. Business. Just let me leave.” Ezra crossed her arms over her chest.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA2OqlUgVQYm
“I can’t just let you leave without repercussions or you will continue to act out.” He stood up from his chair and walked around the desk. “I will be telling your guardian to keep a better eye on you from here out.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAPHGjiSU2w0
She rolled eyes, knowing full well Karim was too busy to keep an eye on her.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA2nT9MuQhDV
“Not enough of a punishment, I can make it worse, Ms. Amar.” He leaned against the desk, towering over her.
55Please respect copyright.PENANANuDbnv2tXo
“Bite me.” She growled up at him.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAWJ6tg9AiFU
“Quite the little rebel you are.” Cadwell laughed, shaking his head. “Fine, if you are going to be difficult we will do things a different way. Guards!” The door opened and the guards that had brought her in returned. “Take her to processing. Have her spend the night in a cell to see how she likes it.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAGmdYjSvFuG
Ezra was curled up in a ball sitting on the bench hanging in the cell. It was cold and leaky in the jail and smelled of mold. He had told her this was her first strike and she doubted it would be her last, as she had no intentions of quitting now. Not until Cohen got them out of this place. She planned to dye her hair as soon as she got home so she could less easily recognized by the guards. She wasn’t giving up on working with Cohen that easily.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAe2NUqfCr1L
Gone Fishing
55Please respect copyright.PENANAYL0XQjaxzU
Ezra, now heavily pregnant, spends most of her time laying in bed or sitting on the couch. Aqil, wanting to get her some exercise came up with a plan to get them out of the house.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAePpLT3zOjm
“How much farther?” Ezra nearly waddled as she walked, trying to carefully walk over the rocky path without being able to see her feet. Their tiger companion followed after them, occasionally going into the long grass after a butterfly or grasshopper, but always returning to their sides in time.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA389EudxIrD
“Not much longer.” Aqil looked back at her, a large smile on his face. They walked a while longer before arriving at their destination, a lake.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAQPkNZDYSvE
“Can’t believe you convinced me to come with you.” Ezra spoke, mostly under her breath.
55Please respect copyright.PENANADi1zePLzNI
“It’ll be fun, Ez. I promise.” Aqil began setting the things out. Two chairs and their two fishing rods.
55Please respect copyright.PENANALrWNqS64IH
Ezra plopped down in the chair. “I don’t know about fishing, but I do look forward to the fresh fish.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAMYCyEzbo5b
“There’s the spirit.” Aqil smiled at her, setting the pole up before casting it and sitting down next to her. He reached over and squeezed her hand gently. “I love you, Ezra Amar.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAxGnKaXdlvl
Ezra blushed. Aqil liked it when she got like this. “I love you too, Aqil.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANA5WJvXQXzyM
“Good.” He laughed, smiling widely. “You better.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAqRwZsDfKJC
New World Authority
55Please respect copyright.PENANARkZDCNPEsW
“I told you the fishing was worth it, Ez.” Aqil smiled back at her as she lay on the couch, and he cleaned the dishes.
55Please respect copyright.PENANABgI6o8bBPp
“You were right, like usual.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAVD1T7gxjeZ
“Damn right.” He chuckled. There was a loud bang, but before either could react, there was another bang as the door flung open. Men rushed inside, pointing guns at the two of them. Aqil dropped the plate he was cleaning.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAtDAaYK8eTm
“Hands up! Hands up!” The men in riot gear commanded.
55Please respect copyright.PENANALQizSxXpZH
Aqil and Ezra are forced into an armored truck and told they’re heading to a New World Authority camp. A growing organization in No Man’s Land originated in the same quarantine zone Ezra and Aqil escaped from before the zone collapsed.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAZ0fcYuGTwv
A New Chapter
55Please respect copyright.PENANAiXXkEoX67J
Aqil handed Ezra a bowl of food. She pokes at it and asks what it is. Aqil tells her to just eat it, saying it’s best if she doesn’t know, knowing full well she wouldn’t want to eat the cockroaches if she knew.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAdv8Qk8aJJP
“It’s better than starving now that they’re barely giving out ration.” Aqil sat down at the table, setting a bowl in front of his place.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAWbx4WAgK7X
“I suppose.” She sighed before taking a bite and tasting it before making a face.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAt6Ut4xtGNd
“Just eat it, Ez. We don’t have a choice.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAtmeMWHH3B7
She swallowed, before nodding. “I guess. Thanks, Aqil.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAC9015ZW0cG
“‘Course.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAVdqQ3F5ScK
“Aqil. We should leave. Soon.” She poked her fork into the meat, staring intently at it.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAM53Kqac2Wz
“Yeah. We--we probably should.” He nodded slowly.
55Please respect copyright.PENANACmEMXhGWQ4
“Cohen will help us get out.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAaZmfElAsbh
“We need to try to get dad to come with us.” Aqil looked up at her hopefully.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAChNCT0vsM9
“He’s so consumed in the politics now. He may not come, Aqil.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAW5iYEjNlR3
“I know.” His face dropped.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAld6sMBVynh
“We’ll go and find your mom when we leave.” Ezra reached out and touched his hand.
55Please respect copyright.PENANACdXFhYLIeW
An Eye For An Eye
55Please respect copyright.PENANAN4jV351d8X
Ezra and Aqil are taken into a large office, behind the desk: an aged Jason Cadwell, as well as Karim by his side. Both of them were surprised to see Karim alive, glad to see he made it out, but the reunion is bittersweet as there are still men pointing guns at them.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAEE6k7KDty2
“It’s good to see both of you alive. And you seem to be carrying a passenger, Ezra.” Karim warmly smiled at them.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAjTPYz0IqUH
“I--I’m surprised you made it out, dad.” Aqil quietly speaks up.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAe8Q58FmBTj
“Cadwell saved me.” Karim motioned toward him. “Many of us, in fact.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAtH3Wyn5XTX
“So, what are you now?” Ezra scowled at him. “Lapdog for Cadwell?”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAFbWmZC3nC2
“Ez.” Aqil looked over at her, reading the anger all over her face. He knew of her many poor run-ins with Cadwell but never knew the full extent of them.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAIY2W7fODeT
“Ezra.” Karim took a deep breath.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAqAH1x3B4wl
“We have business with the two of you.” Cadwell spoke up, commanding their attention. Ezra shifted her glare to him. She hated him with every fiber of her being. “Your friend Cohen has been fucking up our operations and selling information to Biotech.” Cadwell folded his hands over the desk. “Bring him to me, and you will leave unharmed.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAzAEBrF5CQJ
“Fuck off.” Ezra growled.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAr175XRDAR3
Cadwell stood up and walked around the desk like he always did when speaking to Ezra. A way to intimidate and get that much closer to her. “Or we can just keep you here until you have that baby and use it as leverage to find his location.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANApoCMwxqvGA
Ezra barred her teeth at him. “Fuck. Off.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAjjd0Df4EAV
“I’ll tell you.” Aqil spoke up. “Just don’t hurt Ezra, okay?”
55Please respect copyright.PENANA0e42m1bxOg
“What the fuck?” Ezra looked over at him.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAILqqCjCWsC
“Guards! Take Aqil away and get what information you can from him.” Men came back into the room and pulled Aqil up, taking him out of the room. Karim followed, both eager for the information and eager to see his son again.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAUnua5MXR4L
Cadwell waited until everyone left before speaking to Ezra again. “Seems your friend is more than willing to sell anyone out to protect you. Is he the one who knocked you up?”
55Please respect copyright.PENANACUngEFHtrX
“Like I’m going to answer you.” She scoffed.
55Please respect copyright.PENANALPQAT3CeJa
“You know, Ezra. I’m surprised to see nothing has changed in this last decade. You’re still getting yourself into trouble for someone else’s sake and taking the fall.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAHSIbaGMGaU
“Maybe I enjoy it.” She scowled up at him.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAx6BjIMyjG4
“Maybe you did.” He reached out and touched her cheek, which she jerked away from.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAkGTBt3Lh0M
“Take me to the holding cell. I have nothing more to say.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANALe3BOGFWsf
“Your little boyfriend is likely telling us all we need to anyways, so I will let you go.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAT56rNAC3SS
Ezra sat uncomfortably on the bench, counting the seconds that went by. She dreaded what would happen if they found Cohen and what they were going to do to Aqil to get the information. She didn’t have to wait much longer as the guards pulled her out of the cell and back into the office. Fear spread on her face as she saw a slumped over Cohen in the chair.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAgoS7jpIDfP
“What--what did you do?” She pushed past the guards to find him lifeless, but still warm.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAPvjTxNQRQ2
“I punished him.” Cadwell spoke simply. “He turned himself in to save you, and he had to pay for what he has done.” He shrugged, polishing the pistol he had used to kill him.
55Please respect copyright.PENANALx4DsqkZ8P
“You sick fucking bastard. I’ll fucking kill you!” She lounged at him but was held back by the guards.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA4UFyRFR2E3
“Get the two of them out of here and get someone to clean up the body.” Cadwell waved them off.
55Please respect copyright.PENANA2RVdTdZbnT
They began to pull her out of the room.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAGvG5jYUItA
“Know the only reason you’re still alive, Ezra is because of that child.” He warned. “Otherwise you would’ve followed after him.”
55Please respect copyright.PENANAtqm5FIeUk7
“I’ll hunt you down, you fucking bastard.” She spat, looking back at him the best that she could.
55Please respect copyright.PENANAuCpYr7SmEe
55Please respect copyright.PENANACrohkTylOw