Hope

Ryan sat by the gates, thinking. He couldn’t help but continuously blame himself for what happened to Jake. If only he had stayed in the enclave; Thoughts like that. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Sam looking at him with a mix of concern and something else—something that looked almost like respect.

“Jake would be proud of you,” Sam said quietly. “He always believed in you.”

Ryan didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. The words were meant to comfort, but they only made the ache in his chest grow stronger. Jake had believed in him, and now Jake was gone. How was he supposed to live up to that?

Sam’s expression softened, and he squeezed Ryan’s shoulder before letting go.

“Get some rest,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

Ryan nodded again, though the idea of sleep seemed impossible. His mind was too full of thoughts, memories, and emotions that refused to be silenced. But he knew that Sam was right—