Trish squats down and starts tying her boots with vicious energy. "We're not even supposed to be chasing any stash, Garth. That wasn't our mission. Lucas's group's hidey-hole was just a shortcut. Remember that? A little side quest, not a big mission. We had a final fallback location. That city is east of the ridge. That's where we're meant to go if all else fails."
The cave narrows. Not physically, but in my chest. Like the walls are inching closer and pressing my ribs in.
I talk slowly now. "I hear you. But we can't ignore the fact that Benji is the most resourceful bastard we know. If anyone knows how to stay alive, it's him. Hell, he's probably playing house with those cannibal kids in some underground subway, roasting rat meat and naming the bones."
"Garth." Trish stands and faces me. "I get it. You want to go back. You want to hug your daughter and pretend the world still spins normally. I want that too. But we already lost two of us. I'm not losing another. Not today."
