by Bella Street
Chapter Twenty-Three
Trent stifled a snort as he watched Seffy hurry across the room. While he knew there was some wisdom in keeping their relationship under wraps, but he didn't have to like it. But at what point would she stop being ashamed of him?
She peeked at him, her expression rueful as she tucked her hair behind her ear and straightened her shoulders.
Malone popped up from behind the bar, his eyes sleepy. “Hey, when are you coming down? Or are you staying up here to keep watch?”
“Just making sure the place is secure,” Trent said, watching as Seffy nipped around the bar, past Malone, and down the stairs. He followed after a moment, waiting for the bald man to precede him, then locked the trap door above him.
Down in the safe room, lit by a single battery-operated lantern, he saw most everyone stretched out on sleeping bags, asleep. Malone went over to a bag next to Lani, lay down, and promptly began to snore. Seffy had put her sleeping bag between Addison and the wall. Should he shock her by muscling his way into her space?
She sat down and leaned against the wall, her movements awkward. Trent made a show of shaking out a sleeping bag and dropping it onto the floor across the room. When he was settled, her sent her a hard look letting her know he did not approve of the sleeping arrangements. When he saw her cheeks darken, he knew she got the message.
Trent continued to watch her until she averted her eyes. He knew he should go easy on her, but he couldn't help it. She was like a slippery fish—he never really knew if he had a hold on her. The fact that they'd spent the last few weeks all over each other might not mean as much to her as it did to him. Trent feared that one intimate look from Gareth and she'd forget he ever existed.
Gareth. Would she ever get that guy out of her system? Granted, he'd served a purpose over the years. For that Trent was thankful. But understanding their strange relationship didn't make it any easier to swallow. And what would it take for him to garner the same absolute trust she had in Gareth? How could he convince her he was better? That he wouldn't turn on her ever?
And then there was Fenn. Trent had almost forgotten about the compound leader's strange fascination for Seffy. In addition to the many times he'd caught him staring at her, he remembered Fenn's reaction when he informed him they were all leaving. The word that came to mind was devastated. His blue eyes had gone from shocked, to bleak, to pleading as he'd interrogated him on their reasons. In the end, Fenn had almost begged them to stay. Trent hadn't had the guts to ask if the reason was Seffy. He figured he already knew the answer.
But why? There was no doubt Fenn and Fiona were together. Was he waiting for the right moment to dump her, then make a play for Seffy? Surely Fenn had seen him and Seffy together—Fiona would've told him as much—so didn't that count for anything? Am I like the invisible boyfriend here?
He frowned at his supposed girlfriend, wondering when they could go public. Wondering if they could go public. Since he didn't relish Gareth's reaction in a confined space—be it a jeep or a safe house—he would have to be content to wait.
He just wouldn't wait forever.
***
Seffy spent a fitful night. It wasn't easy to go to sleep with Trent sending her stink eye half the night. He'd plagued her dreams and now her muscles ached from the uncomfortable sleeping position. Why had Trent looked so furious last night? After everything they had shared, she still had no assurance, no confidence in him the way she had had with...
Stop right there. Seffy closed her eyes against the disloyal thought. Comparisons were not only foolish but unfair. Anyway, she loved Trent, even if it was drug-induced and hopeless in every way.
The thought arrested her. Maybe after all the fresh air of the drive cleaning out his bloodstream, his gloomy looks meant he was no longer under a pharmaceutical cloud. Seffy sat up, shoving her hair out of her eyes. She turned to where Trent was stuffing supplies into a knapsack. The others began to stir and yawn around them.
As if sensing her gaze, Trent looked over at her. His flat expression gave nothing away, but it made her heart hammer dreadfully in her chest. Could it be over just like that? Had their time together meant so little? She looked away, struggling to gather her thoughts. Why don't I feel any different? Maybe I had a bigger dose? She crawled off her bag and started to roll it up with shaking hands, needing something to distract her from giving in to inner hysteria.
Addison sat up next to her and blinked in confusion. “Where are we?”
Despite the bewilderment evident in her green eyes, Seffy knew Addison was more lucid than before. The drug was leaving their systems after all. She lowered her voice, keeping her face angled away from Trent. “We're a hundred or so miles from the compound. We left.”
Addison's eyes grew wide. “Why?”
“Things had gotten out of control. It was dangerous.”
The redhead looked down at her scabbed and bruised arms. “Oh.”
Seffy felt like a heartless pig. She rummaged on a nearby shelf where she'd seen medical supplies and found cotton balls and antibiotic ointment. Sitting down next to Addison, she gently cleaned and applied salve to the most livid wounds. Her friend remained silent, only the darkening stain of teardrops on her jeans gave evidence to her emotional state.
When Seffy finished, she looked over at Lani—who was smiling and chatting quietly with Malone—then at Gareth. He suddenly looked over at her, his dark eyes clear. His stare unnerved her and she knew he was trying to figure things out on his own. The realization made her pulse skitter. When she glanced at Trent, she found him watchful with a knowing look on his face.
Seffy jumped up and headed to a narrow door on the far wall, hoping it was a bathroom. It was and she gratefully took advantage. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she felt a bit better. A shower would help immeasurably, but no luck there.
Seffy regarded her reflection in the rusty mirror. Some of her gauntness had been smoothed away by regular meals and...Trent. Being in his arms had been soothing, healing...satisfying in nearly every way. Maybe we should've taken our chances at the compound. We could've lived like mice in the walls, stealing food and hiding out in the Light Room indefinitely. Her newly worried expression stared back at her. Or not. She'd never know now. Now it was westward ho to an even more uncertain future.
She heard noises outside the door and knew others were waiting to use the facilities. Marshaling her reserves, she opened the door and went out.
Seffy stayed busy rolling up the sleeping bags and replacing them on the storage shelves. She then cherry-picked her way through medical and food supplies, stuffing a knapsack full for the trip. After a while, she realized someone was standing next to her. She caught her breath, wondering what she'd say to Trent. But when she raised her eyes, she saw Gareth looking down at her with a quizzical expression.
“What's going on?”
Marshalling her strength to not look around for Trent, she faced Gareth. “Um, we left the compound last night because it became life-threatening to stay.”
He frowned, looking noble and adorably confused at the same time. “Where are we?”
“About a hundred miles away from Fugere, in a tiny town. We got a late start, so we stopped here for the night. I guess we're heading back to California.”
His golden eyes searched hers. “Is it still 1980?”
“As far as I know.”
“And who's in charge? Who's making the decisions?”
Seffy peeked around him and saw Trent talking to Malone. “Uh...they are, I guess.”
Gareth's frown deepened. “Says who?”
She took a deep breath. “Why don't you go talk to them? I'm sure they have more details and will want your input.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right.”
Seffy silently released a sigh, glad his attention was diverted. She jumped when he grabbed her wrist.
“What else is going on?”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”
&
nbsp; “Something has happened between us.”
Struggling to school her expression, she returned his stare. “Why don't you think about it and then get back to me?”
His eyes darkened and his grip tightened.
“You're hurting me,” she whispered.
Gareth stared at his hand like he didn't know who it belonged to, then abruptly released her wrist. “Sorry,” he mumbled before turning away.
Seffy absently rubbed her skin, chancing a peek at Trent.
His tight expression told her he'd seen everything.
Damn. This was going to be a very long trip.
***
Gareth studied each face in the group, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Seffy was definitely hiding something, but then again, remnants of an unpleasant conversation niggled at the edges of his memory. He looked at Trent, wondering the reason for the smart-ass smirk on his face. On second thought, that was his usual look.
Malone seemed soft but obviously had some kind of inside information. Gone was the wily, calculating look of a weasel. Maybe it had something to do with Lani flitting around him like a flirtatious butterfly. Gareth's attention drifted to Addison. Looking at her made him feel vaguely guilty...so he looked away. Cynthia and Eva appeared to be the same—with their usual bored expressions. And Jared—he seemed to have taken up on the weaselness where Malone had left off. At least with Malone you knew he'd never stab you in the back. In the front maybe, but never the back.
What a stinking mess. And he was heading into the unknown with them. Perfect.
Rubbing the back of his neck, trying to loosen the knot of tension, he walked over to where Malone conferred with Trent. “So, what's the plan?”
He was instantly aware of Trent's assessing expression. “We're heading to another town west of here, about a hundred miles off.”
“Why?”
His brows rose. “Is there something you're missing at the compound? Feel free to take a jeep and a few of your friends and head back.”
A few friends...wha? “Hey, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.”
Trent fastened the flaps on his knapsack. “And I just told you.” He turned and headed up the stairs toward the trap door.
“How are you feeling?” Malone asked in his gravely voice. “I've got a headache that feels like a railroad spike's been shoved through my skull.”
Gareth swung around to him and jerked his head toward the stairs. “What's his problem?”
Malone shrugged. “He's the one running the show is all.”
“Yeah, it's some show.”
“A freak show,” Jared said, approaching them. “Why were we dragged here in the middle of the night?”
“You weren't dragged,” Seffy snapped. “You were saved.”
Gareth turned around and saw Seffy shooting an angry look at the fringe member of their group.
Jared glared back, his eyes narrowed to slits.
“What do you mean 'saved'?” Gareth asked.
“So you've forgotten about the swinging axes? The cutting? The pandemonium?”
“All I remember is really lame music,” Cynthia piped up, twirling a lock of her hair.
“Trent's right. Anyone who wants to go back, fine. Go.”
As Seffy marched toward the stairs, Gareth snagged her arm. “Hey, slow down. We're all friends here.”
Her rebellious gaze skimmed over Jared, Cynthia, and Eva before returning to his. “I'm serious. We thought we were doing you a favor.”
“I'm just trying to get up to speed.”
Seffy tried to shake her arm free but Gareth held on. “Let go of me.”
“I will...in a minute. First I need you to answer some questions. Who is this 'we' you're referring to?” Seffy's eyes flashed to Trent for a split second. Gareth snorted. “So what, you're in league with Ellison now?”
“There's no league, Gareth. It's survival. People were dying at the compound. We helped rescue you. We're trying to live. And 'we' don't have time for posturing and power plays.”
He dropped her arm, more angry than he could remember. “I'm on your side,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Maybe you were...once.”
Seffy's voice was so low, Gareth wasn't certain he'd heard her right. He watched her follow Trent up the stairs. When he turned around to survey the others, Lani was oblivious to anything but Malone, and Addison...she refused to look at him. His fury flared, but he banked it for another time and headed up the stairs.
Gareth found Seffy perched on the bar, hugging her knees to her chest while Trent did a sweep of the room with his gun drawn. She caught his eye and shook her head. He tried to figure out why they were so spooked and suddenly realized the main door was open about a foot. The light spilling onto the floor revealed a trail of wet blood...ending at the foot of the bar where Seffy now sat.
Malone came up the stairs, looked around, and by the stiff set of his shoulders, had figured out the situation. Trent approached the door at the end of the room, which presumably led to the office. He leaned up against the wall, then reached out and slowly opened the door. Gareth tensed from where he stood behind the bar, prepared to defend Seffy should something burst from the room.
Trent swung around and entered the room, gun first. After a moment, he emerged, shaking his head. Seffy released a noisy breath and jumped down from the bar.
“What could it have come from?” she asked.
Trent walked over to the blood. “I just know it wasn't here last night.”
Malone came around the side of the bar. “I'm thinking we should hit the road right away.”
Trent nodded. Malone went back downstairs to relay the message.
Gareth touched Seffy's arm. “Are you okay?”
She nodded without looking at him. “Just a little freaked.”
He picked up her knapsack. “I'll go put this in the jeep.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
“Let me go first,” Trent said, coming up behind him. “I'm armed.”
Gareth stepped aside, rolling his eyes, then caught Seffy's attention. He wished he knew what she was thinking.
Malone tromped up the stairs with the rest of the group.
“Everyone has gone to the bathroom,” Lani reported. “We are ready to roll.”
“Where are we going?” Jared asked, still pissed about something if his expression was any indication.
Trent walked back into the disco, the gun stuffed in his waistband. “There's another town nearby. We need to get some place where we can buy gasoline and continue on.”
“You didn't even ask us if we wanted to go,” Eva said. “Do we get a say where we're heading?”
“No,” Trent said. “Unless you want to take a jeep back to the compound. But you'd need to take at least three people with you and leave the gasoline behind if you go.”
“Why three?”
“The jeeps seat four people, five people max. I'm not taking extras in mine.”
“You're acting pretty high-handed about this,” Gareth said, fuming.
“Sounds like you have Jared, Eva, and I bet it wouldn't take much to convince Cynthia to go with you. The rest of us are going to California.”
Gareth looked at Seffy to see how she was taking Trent's Captain Wow act, knowing she could barely tolerate the guy. She stood leaning against the jeep closest to him, her gaze directed toward the bluffs in the distance.
She must really want to go to California.
After some grumbling, the others piled into the second jeep. Trent shook his head. “Seffy's driving that one. Gareth, you, Cynthia, Eva, and Addison are coming with me. Malone, Lani, and Jared, you're going with Sef.”
“Why does she get to drive?” Jared sneered.
“Because I said so.” Trent jumped into the vehicle and fired it up, ending the discussion.
Gareth walked up to Seffy as she headed toward the second jeep. “I'd rather go with you.”
She peeked up at him. “It's no
t like we'd be able to talk or anything. The engines are really loud.”
“Still.” He sighed. “When we get some place without blood trails, you and I are going to have a heart to heart.”
Her face flushed suddenly. “Okay,” she whispered, then clambered into the vehicle and started it.
“Hey, can you even drive a stick?”
A small smile crept over her features. “Not really. But by the time we get to California, I should be a pro.”
Gareth gave her a long look before heading over to Trent's jeep. He would've preferred to sit in the back, but the girls had already claimed the space. Sighing, he swung into the passenger seat and sat with studied nonchalance against the sprung seat.
This was going to be a long trip.
***
Seffy wore a pair of sunglasses Trent had found for her in the safe room. She was determined never to take them off. The effort it took to maintain a stoic expression in front of him and Gareth was mammoth. The glasses would be a tremendous help. Plus, they kept the dust and grit from her eyes as she bounced along behind the other jeep.
Jared sat in front with her and she was glad he didn't speak, though he darted nasty looks her way every so often. Seffy tried to focus on the surrounding beauty...if the weird noxious colors shimmering in the sky could be called beautiful. Maybe in Alaska where the Aurora Borealis was the norm she could appreciate it, but here it gave one pause—and cold sweats. Especially when she realized the odd colors had deepened since their arrival at the compound...and as they neared the next town, the pink went on and on.
That just couldn't be good.
A trip that should've taken a little over an hour had taken three due to the bumpy road—a road that was eerily overgrown. Somehow the town that was their beacon didn't seem so welcoming anymore. What was presumably the city sign lay face down on the ground, nearly covered by a tangle of weeds. Seffy began to doubt this was the same town she and Trent had visited months earlier. As they passed ramshackle house after ramshackle house and a sad string of dilapidated businesses, she was sure.
Then they arrived at the mall. Across the road was the grocery store. The parking lots were full of abandoned cars, some smashed together, most parked haphazardly, and one was even flipped on its side. The mall's plate glass doors were busted and a bird flew out, its noisy flapping shattering the stillness. Seffy stared in shock at the change from a bustling town to a place eerily similar to the disco town. What was going on?