Driven by Revenge

The Real Betrayal

Cam connected with a sister group about a state over. Zak occasionally updated him on the old group, but Cam just tried to stay busy. He took any and all missions that were handed out, though he refused to take a partner and while he wasn't mean, he also didn't allow anyone to get close to him. He'd also taken to wearing long sleeves and gloves so no one in this group had seen his arm.

He sat outside the old firehouse they were staying in and dug into a dented can of kidney beans. A Slender, but strong looking woman approached him, her long brown hair moving with the wind. Cam looked up at her, Taryn, this groups leader.

She looked at him sympatheticly, "I know why you joined our cell." she sat near him, " I imagine it was hard."

"Yeah." He scrapped the bottom of his can.

"I mean I understand why you guys did it, but I couldn't sell one of my team."

Cam looked at her confused, "What?"

Taryn held up her hands, "I'm not judging."

He turned so they were eye to eye, "Start making sense, please."

It was her turn to look confused, "Captain told us that you guys had to give up Ren in exchange for letting the rest of you go and that you were also given a fortunes worth of fuel, ammo, and food. I mean your old group in basically the billionaires of the apocalypse."

Cam remembered Zak said they had found an abandoned caravan from New Haven, brimming with goods, but he hadn't cared. He felt his head throb.

"Ren was a sacrifice?"

Taryn nodded, "She said the whole group voted. I thought that's why you left?"

Cam shook his head, "No, but that sounds like a damn good reason to go back." He looked at Taryn, "I'm going to need your help."

She nodded, "Sure, as long as you fill me in."

He explained everything that had happened with Ren while they gathered supplies. Taryn looked horrified as they peiced together that Captain was definitely hiding something. Taryn promised not to say anything about his return and sent him on his way.

Since Zak was hoping Cam would return, he knew where the current group was roughly. He started his bike and headed off. The ride would be a couple days and then he'd need to find Saber.

He refused to sleep on the way there and only stopped to eat, gas up, or releave himself. He arrived at the new town the sunrise of the second day. The groups usually started scavaging around 9am so he had time to get in a quick power nap, though he was worried with their new wealth that they may not need to scavenge anymore. He'd have to cross that bridge when he got to it.

He found a garage and laid down against his bike, setting his watch to go off at 8:30.

He awoke to Saber cooking some breakfast on a hot plate nearby. Her brown eyes held him in place, "Have you figured everything out?"

Anger boiled inside of him, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?! I wasted 7 months just..."

She arched an eyebrow, "Is Ren a traitor?"

He hesitated, "I...I know Captain is hiding alot of information from he group, at the very least she isn't innocent in all this."

Saber looked disappointed, "There's a lot you don't know." she slid over a plate of eggs and hash browns as well as a bottle of water, "Captain is dating Nick. Ren was her ticket to get close to him. She turned over his prize experiment in exchange for a taste of power."

Cam's eyes widened with horror, "How do you know that?"

A car clinked by and Cam's hand flew to his gun. Saber didn't flinch, "Joey's watching us. He won't let anything happen to me."

"How do you know all this?"

Saber locked eyes with him, "Because I work for Nick as well."

Cam lifted Saber to her feet by her shirt, "The f**k did you just say?!"

Saber lightly touched the com on her neck, "I'm alright, babe."

Cam glanced over and saw a red dot on his shoulder. He let go of her and stepped back, "Is he in on it too?"

"No, but he's my reason for staying connected." She sat down and motioned for him too, "this is a long story. you'll want to sit."

Cam obliged and looked a her.

Saber took a deep breath, "I was also an experiment under Nick. My tests were injections, while hers were splicing. When my experiments yielded no profitable results, I was dumped. Most people ignored me, wrote me off as crazy or some sort of druggy. So, I decided to live my life for me. I didn't know where the lab was so it's not like I could go back for anyone anyway. I went to medical school and became a DR. I wanted to find and help any of the other discarded experiments, but we didn't exactly have a f*******: page. Then the world went to s**t. When I was on the streets helping people with injuries, I saw her and I instantly knew who she was. I told her who I was and we stayed together ever since. However, Joey and I were dating before the calamity. He was hurt badly when a building collapsed on him and we didn't have the means to save him. I went to New Haven and Nick recognized me by my experiment tattoo. I made a deal. I'd be his personal doctor if he saved Joey, not to brag but I was praised as a prodigy so he eagerly accepted. He got to live and I am at his beck and call, but I wouldn't change any part of that choice." She rubbed her neck, "He brought Ren over at least once a week. He wants to, for lack of better words, breed her."

Cam's jaw tightened.

Saber continued, "She's was about seven months pregnant, though it didn't show much. I think she was trying to hide it for as long as possible."

"Was?" His voice cracked.

She watched him carefully, "Yeah, Captain was jealous of all the attention Nick lavished on her while she felt like a play thing. She got in an argument with Ren and punched her in the gut, not knowing about the baby. She started bleeding heavily."

"And the baby?!"

"Why are you worried? If Nick knew the baby was yours, do you know what he'd do to Ren, you, or the baby? He's a possessive and jealous man."

Cam felt his world falling apart all over again, "it was mine..."

Saber shrugged, "She told me it was a high possibility so I was making preparations in case, but I know it didn't match his DNA and as far as I know she has only ever been with two people. Besides, he had light brown curls."

Cam didn't even realize he had started crying, "I was a fool... I spent 7 months hating her and she was protecting me..."

Saber's expression finally softened, "About time, you i***t. For what it's worth, she genuinely broke losing that baby. She hasn't left the hospital room and barely eats. I think the Captain is locked away. Nick is losing his s**t, but that won't last long."

"I have to see her."

"Do you want to die?"

He pulled her hat out of his pocket, "Saber, please."

She glanced at her hat then back at his face, "yeah, I was hoping you'd grow a pair, a little later than I hoped, but better late than never."

Cam glared at her for a second, "We should contact Taryn's group to run ours now that Captain is missing."

Saber chuckled, now there's a good idea."