Grace couldn't imagine how Cameron knew where they were going. They traveled through pitch black forest, and it was all Grace could do to not fall or twist her ankle on the uneven terrain. The rest of her water supply sloshed in its container. Grace estimated that she had only drunk about half of it over the course of the three days, and she was definitely feeling the effects of both dehydration and malnourishment. She forced her legs to keep going.

Hunter didn't seem much better off than she was, and Grace guessed that he was just as grateful that Cameron wasn't pushing the pace that hard.

Their guide stopped suddenly. It was all Grace could do to not trip over him. They waited, frozen in place, for a few minutes. All Grace could hear was the wind rustling and their own breathing.

"What is it?" she finally whispered.

Cameron glanced back as if he was just remembering that they were there, too. "We're waiting for a signal," he whispered back. "It's best not to sneak up on these people."

Just as he spoke, Grace could see something reflecting at them from deep in the trees ahead. Cameron pulled out a small mirror and flashlight and reflected back. After another signal from in front of them, he nodded. "Let's go."

They continued at a slower pace, Cameron keeping his head on a swivel as they approached, but Grace couldn't say what he was looking for exactly.

That is, she couldn't say until what he was looking for materialized right in front of them.

A man practically melted out of the shadows. He held his own mirror and flashlight in his hand. "Cameron, good to see you."

Cameron nodded. "You as well, Paul."

Paul's eyes focused on Grace and Hunter. "Who are they?"

"They're with me. They're good, Paul."

Paul looked back at Cameron and then nodded. "Then let's go."

Grace and Hunter looked at each other. In Grace's mind, that was far too easy. But she had no other choice but to follow.

Paul guided them to an entrance not unlike Grace and Hunter had gone through to get into Underground 106. They dropped down into a similar hallway.

"You," Paul pointed at Hunter. "Go in here." He opened a door off of the hallway. Grace could see a desk sat inside, with chairs on either side. Memories of interrogation scenes in procedural cop shows flashed through her mind.

Hunter glanced back at Grace, who gave a small nod. They had no negotiating power here, and they wanted to be trusted.

Paul shut the door after Hunter and took a few more steps down the hallway. He opened another door for Grace, but this time, as she entered, he followed her in and shut the door behind them both. Cameron, clearly, did not have to go through the questioning process.

"Take a seat," he told her.

Grace did as he said.

"May I see your bags?"

Grace handed over her pack but held on to her water. "It's just water," she told him. "And I could use some."

Paul briefly inspected the water pack and then looked Grace up and down. "Yes, you may keep it."

Grace sucked on the straw, trying not to take the liquid down too fast, as Paul dumped out everything from her pack onto the table.

Grace decided she didn't like Paul.

He poked through what was left of her rations, medical supplies, and crumpled up maps, clearly fascinated by the now almost completely crushed bag of Oreos. "Where did you get these?"

Grace shrugged. "Someone I worked with."

He let out a short laugh. "It's amazing what you'll find if you look hard enough." Apparently satisfied, he shoved everything back in Grace's pack, dropping it on the floor.

"What, you're not going to search me for weapons or anything?" Grace asked sarcastically as Paul sat down in front of her.

Paul raised his eyebrows. "What, do you want me to?" he shot back.

"No. Just seems like something you would do." Grace spoke more bravely than she felt. In reality, her hands trembled and her vision kept going slightly cloudy. She was hungry and thirsty and wanted to sleep.

But Paul just leaned back in his chair and observed her. He clearly had no intention of letter her out of the room any time soon. "I want to know who you are," he said. "And then we can make a decision about if you can stay."

Grace nodded and launched into the same story she had told Madeline a few days prior. Paul kept a stony expression throughout, and Grace couldn't judge whether he believed her or not.

When Grace finished, Paul got up and slowly paced the room. More procedural cop show interrogation scene memories ran through Grace's head, and she had to suppress the strange urge to laugh.

"So, you expect me to believe that you're helping this guy find his sister, a journey that takes you into the most dangerous part of the state, for what? A swiss army knife? You don't even know this guy."

"It's a nice knife." In reality, the payment Hunter owed her had been out of Grace's mind for a while now.

Paul clearly didn't appreciate her sarcasm.

Grace took a deep breath. "Look," she said. "It's not like I thought we would end up here when we started. And, well, I'm more well versed than most outside of this place on what things can be like here."

"What do you mean?"

Grace shifted in her seat. She really didn't want to talk about her first venture into the central valley, but Paul sat stock still, his arms crossed, staring at her. He clearly wanted to know everything and wouldn't let her leave until she gave him what he wanted.

"I came here once before, looking for someone." Grace stared down at the table. "But it was a trap. I was a prisoner for weeks before I got a chance to escape. I managed to get out and haven't been back since." She didn't feel the need to go into the more horrific details.

She looked back up at Paul. He looked skeptical. "I've heard of those types of traps," he said. "I've never heard of anyone escaping from one."

"Do you honestly think militants would be super eager to publicize that they let 15 people escape from them? And everyone who was a prisoner with me would have either gotten out or recaptured, so it's not like you would have heard it from them."

Paul got up. "So, not only did you agree to come here for some guy you hardly know to find someone you've never met, but you also knew exactly what you would be walking into?"

"Like I said," Grace said through gritted teeth. "I agreed to come because I knew what conditions could be like here, and I didn't think Hunter's sister deserved to go through that if I could help her. So here I am. And it hasn't been a basket of roses."

But Paul still seemed to not believe her. He glanced toward the wall that connected the room to the one Hunter was in. "What, are you two fucking or something?"

Grace rolled her eyes and threw up her hands, letting them fall with a bang back on the table. "Do you get off on being a jackass or something?"

"I just don't think you're telling me the truth."

"What? You think it's so impossible that someone would want to help someone else? How sociopathic of you."

Paul approached the table and put both his hands flat on the surface, leaning over Grace. "Listen here—"

"Paul."

Grace and Paul both turned toward the door. An older woman stood there, glaring at Grace's interrogator. "That's enough. Wait outside."

"But Yesenia—"

"Now."

Clearly, Yesenia was not someone to be messed with. Paul threw a dirty look at Grace, but left the room. To Grace's surprise, Yesenia followed him out.

Grace sat in her chair, seething. She gulped down some water and ate the last of her crackers, trying in vain to make herself feel better. She just wanted out of this room.

Finally, the door reopened and Yesenia came back in. She looked as calm as when she had interrupted Paul, and sat down across from Grace, folding her hands on the table in front of her.

"I apologize for Paul," she said. "He's very good at surface duty, but is a shit interrogator."

"Then why was he in here?" Grace quipped. In her current state, she couldn't find it in her to be charitable toward anyone, not even someone trying to help her.

But Yesenia didn't get angry. "You came in the middle of the night," she explained. "Most of our interrogators are asleep."

"Do you get a lot of new people during the day?"

Yesenia laughed. "You'd be surprised. But, now about you."

"Please don't ask me if I'm sleeping with Hunter."

Yesenia laughed again. "No, no, I was not planning on it," she said. "Not that it would matter if you were. I'm more concerned about the stories both of you told us."

Grace remained silent at that. It was make or break time to see if Underground 109 would believe them or not.

"And because they match, you have references from Underground 106 and Jackson and Carrie, yes we're well acquainted," Yesenia explained at Grace's surprise, "we have no reason not to trust you."

"Tell that to Paul," Grace grumbled.

"Paul will welcome you just as anyone here," Yesenia said firmly. "We have no place for fighting with each other here. He won't give you any more trouble." Something about her tone made Grace believe her.

"So what happens now?" Grace asked. "Since, I'm guessing we pass?"

"Yes, you pass," Yesenia said. "And I know both of you are probably keen to go look for Anna DiAngelo, but I do need to run you through a few things, just basic information. But I already have someone checking our rosters for her name, so we'll be able to confirm soon if she's here."

"Thank you."

"Come with me." Yesenia led Grace out of the interrogation room; thankfully, Paul was long gone. "I already brought Hunter to where we're going now," she said. "And then we can get started."

Grace nodded in thanks. Her legs were shaky as she followed Yesenia down a hallway, but then she almost collapsed with relief when Yesenia opened a door to a room with a plate of bread, dried meat, and vegetables on it. Hunter was there, too.

"We occasionally get people here who have been on journeys like yours," Yesenia said. "So, please, help yourself."

Grace gave Hunter a reassuring smile as she sat down next to him, but then grabbed some bread and tried not to eat too fast. The last thing she needed was to throw up in front of everyone.

"So, you are both very welcome here," Yesenia said. "But we have some non-negotiable rules here that you need to agree to."

Grace and Hunter both nodded.

"Fortunately, they're simple. No stealing. Anything. But especially food."

Fair enough. Most places had similar rules.

"You do the job assigned to you. We put people where they need to be and in jobs that match their capabilities. Sorry if you think it's boring, but that's how it is."

Grace nodded, but she couldn't help but think about how she and Hunter didn't really plan on staying long term. But they would get to that later.

"And last is no one leaves here without express purpose and permission. If you leave without those two things, you're not getting back inside."

Also potentially problematic with Grace and Hunter's plans of getting back down south, but Grace nodded one more time. They would figure things out.

"Eat," Yesenia said. "I'll be back with any information we have about your sister." And then she was gone.

"She's the one who questioned you?" Grace asked.

Hunter nodded. "She's really not the type of person you'd cross," he said. "But I guess that's why she's a good interrogator."

Grace nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

"And Paul?"

Grace scowled. "A piece of shit." Hunter raised his eyebrow, but Grace didn't want to get into the details. Even thinking about his comment about her and Hunter together made her cheeks grow warm. "But Yesenia came in at just the right time," she hurried on. "She seems to be the brains around here."

"I'll say."

Grace was already beginning to feel better with her intake of food and water. But that only meant nervous energy came flooding in, and Hunter's constant tapping on the table told Grace he felt the same. Probably even more so.

Grace had just opened her mouth to try and say something encouraging when the door opened again. Both of them stood up as Yesenia reentered the room.

"Well, I have good news."

Grace's breath hitched in her throat.

"According to our records, Anna DiAngelo is in Underground 109."