Mag-log inAt six the next morning, Clara knocked on Liana’s bedroom door.
Liana was already awake. “Emily’s fever dropped,” Clara said as soon as the door opened. “Thirty-seven point nine. She’s drinking water and responding normally.”
“That’s good news.”
“It is. But I don’t want us to celebrate too early. Her condition could change.”
Liana no
“How did you get this frequency?”Liana’s question hung in the air. For several seconds, only static answered. Adrian stood beside her, silent but alert. Samuel had already begun tracing the signal strength on the secondary receiver.Then Sophia’s voice returned, quieter than before.“I… I got it from someone in our group. He said it was a private channel used by a few settlements.”“Who?”“A man named Roland. He traded information with our leader.”Liana’s grip tightened on the radio. Roland again. The same man who had sold her a photograph and claimed to know about Meridian’s interest in Sophia’s group.“Where are you right now?” Liana asked.“We’re near the old provincial hospital. We’ve been moving south for the past two weeks. Supplies are low. Some of our people are sick.”“How many of you?”“Seventeen. Including me and… Mom.”Liana closed her eyes for a brief moment. Their
For several seconds, Liana didn’t move.The radio sat in her hand, its speaker producing nothing but faint static. Someone knew what had happened to her family after she left the evacuation center. That alone wasn’t surprising. Thousands of people had passed through the evacuation center. Information traveled quickly between survivors. But Roland had deliberately mentioned her family. He wanted her attention. And he had succeeded.“Don’t respond yet,” Adrian said.Liana looked at him. “He’s trying to provoke me.”“Exactly. If he knows something useful, he’ll tell us eventually. But if he’s simply trying to manipulate you, we shouldn’t give him what he wants.”Liana placed the radio on the table. “Samuel, keep the frequency open. Don’t reveal our location or anything about our residents.&rdqu
“Peter?”Liana repeated the name, making sure she had heard Samuel correctly.“Yes. He’s near the southern perimeter. Victor spotted him on the camera.”“What is he doing?”“Standing beside the old maintenance shed. He’s holding something.”Liana grabbed her jacket. “Don’t approach him yet. Keep the cameras on him. I’ll be there shortly.”Adrian was already standing. “I’ll come with you.”They hurried outside. The settlement was unusually quiet. Most residents were inside their assigned buildings, unaware that something was happening near the southern fence.When Liana reached the security room, Victor was staring at the monitor. “There,” he said.The screen showed Peter standing besid
The next morning, Liana was already awake when Adrian entered the kitchen.She had barely slept. Rachel’s final radio message kept replaying in her mind: two men, a transport vehicle, a brother who refused to leave, and a medical group that had promised to respect consent.“You’re going?” Adrian asked.Liana nodded, placing a map on the table. “Riverside is less than an hour away if the road is clear. I want to speak with Rachel and her brother before making assumptions.”“I’ll go with you.”“Samuel should stay here. We don’t know if anyone has been watching our settlement.”Adrian studied the map. “I’ll drive. You can contact Clara on the radio if we find something urgent.”Liana agreed. Before leaving, she visited the storage room. She checked her
“Who told you my name?”Liana’s question hung in the communications room. For several seconds, Dr. Mercer didn’t answer. Then his voice came through the radio. “You introduced yourself during our previous exchange, Miss Liana.”She frowned. “That was the first time I contacted you directly.”“Correct. I was referring to our earlier broadcast.”Liana glanced at Adrian. Something about his explanation still bothered her. “Then let’s keep this conversation simple. I represent an independent settlement. We have medical observations that may be relevant to your research, but we will not disclose patient identities or locations.”“That’s understandable.”“Before discussing an exchange, I want to know exactly what you’re offering.”M
The radio remained silent after Dr. Mercer’s transmission ended.Nobody moved for several seconds. Samuel was the first to speak. “Should we report this to Dr. Collins?”“We already know he hasn’t confirmed Meridian’s current activities,” Liana replied. “We’ll contact him tomorrow after reviewing what Mercer actually said.”Victor leaned against the table. “He offered supplies and laboratory equipment. That’s exactly what we need.”“And he also suggested that settlements are withholding information,” Adrian pointed out.Victor shrugged. “Maybe they are.”“Maybe,” Liana said. “But we don’t know what he intends to do with that information.”She looked at Samuel. “Record the transmission. Keep the original







