“I propose to stay here,” Grace says at the front of the room. She licks her lips, like she’s nervous. “None of us came to Hope out of our own volition, but like it or not, it’s the safest place we have. We have a roof over our heads. We have food to keep us going. We can sit it out until help comes, instead of becoming fugitives on the run.”

“What about our families?” someone asks.

“I’d imagine your families would want you to be safe too,” Grace says. “You can call home if you want to, but they’ll understand we’re protected here. Besides, there is no easy way to leave now. Not unless you want to risk getting shot.”

Leah coughs again, but the sudden rumble of voices around me drowns out the sound.

I shuffle closer to my sister and squeeze her hand.

At the front of the room, Hunter physically turns away from Grace and addresses the crowd. “You’ve heard her. Those who want to stay here and die can do so. But the truth is, no one will come for you. No one will help you. The world outside might be dangerous, but we know what to look out for now, and at least we’ll be free. We’re leaving as soon as we’ve gathered enough supplies.”

“Where will you go?” someone else from the crowd asks. Josie, probably, but I’m not entirely sure. Too many people stand between us.

Hunter shrugs. “Anywhere but here. If you have parents, you can call them, and we’ll help you find your way back home. It doesn’t have to be simple; we’ll figure it out.”

Past the roadblocks? How?

“Anywhere but here sounds good to me.” Josie pushes past several others toward the rest of the west wing crew. Two of the boys elbow each other and laugh and leer.

“I’ll take my chances here, thanks,” another person calls.

“Can you promise us we won’t get shot on sight?”

“Can you promise us we won’t die of that disease anyway?”

The questions go back and forth.

Anywhere but here sounds terrible to me, but I look at Leah all the same. She wanted to see the world again earlier tonight. “If you still want to leave, I’ll follow you.”

She doesn’t immediately answer. She needs time to add up all the pros and cons. Figure out what’s best.

Meanwhile, all the boys from the west wing band together. Another girl joins them and comes to stand next to Josie. Saoirse Sullivan. The only girl in Hope with flaming-red hair and more freckles than I could possibly count.

Hesitatingly, Joshua Taylor walks over to the group as well. Joshua’s latest tall tale was that he got caught running messages for a mafia boss. Two weeks ago, he told the new kid that he got caught in a sting operation. Leah says she also heard him confess to building a bomb once. Probably none of those are true.

He and Saoirse are kind. Hunter’s crew will protect us. I can easily imagine the pros that Leah is gathering now. I pull at a bit of rough skin around my cuticles until it bleeds.