Radio Nowhere

by Lee Beard

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Fly, TN

  The full moon gave off more than enough light for Zach to see where he was going without using a flashlight. Oleson always said that the best way to figure things out was to walk and think it over; besides, Zach couldn’t have slept if he’d wanted to. He passed the alley between the gas station and Laundromat, shivering as a gust of chilled wind hit him. Walking toward the corner of the building, he suddenly heard voices echoing from across the way. He slowed and looked around the corner toward the carwash.

  “…I mean what the hell, man? I was trying to get somewhere with her.”

  Zach stopped. He could make out two figures moving around in the car wash’s first stall. An oil lamp sat on the concrete near the drain, the red maintenance toolbox lying open next to it.

  “Patience, Wyatt.” The unmistakably calm, second voice could only be Drake. “Kathryn’s birthday is in a month, and then she’ll be old enough for you.” He stood with his back to Wyatt, using a wrench to fiddle with some of the knobs on the wall.

  “Kathryn’s psycho. I want Rosie.” Wyatt shifted on his feet and looked around.

  “She’s not interested.” Drake crossed to the opposite wall and began adjusting some of the bolts on one of the sprayers that hung from it.

  Wyatt scoffed and crossed his arms, turning to face Drake. “Yeah? How do you know what she’s interested in?”

  “I paid her a visit last night,” Drake said nonchalantly, moving on to a different sprayer.

  “You what?” Wyatt’s arms fell to his side.

  “We had a nice little…chat. It was very beneficial.” Drake replied over his shoulder.

  “You son of a-” Wyatt took a step closer, back rigid. “You knew I liked her!”

  Drake dropped the wrench into the toolbox and turned around. “You took too long to make a move.”

  “And what? That somehow gives you the right to go after my girl?” Wyatt fists clenched at his side.

  Drake laughed heartily. “She didn’t belong to you, not to anyone. Now she does. To me.” The last words dripped with malice as Drake’s demeanor shifted suddenly. He slowly moved his right hand behind his back. “Granted, she was hesitant at first, but I’m very good at persuasion.”

  Wyatt snarled and swung at Drake, connecting with his jaw. Drake fell, but before Wyatt could jump on him Drake whipped a gun from behind his back. Zach watched in horror as he leapt to his feet and pointed it at Wyatt’s nose.

  “Hands up,” Drake ordered flatly.

  Wyatt did as he was told. “What are you doing, man? I didn’t mean it like – let’s just t-”

  “Shh.” Drake stepped forward as he talked until the silencer nozzle of the gun was a few inches from Wyatt’s brow. “I don’t like the way you’ve been questioning my authority lately.” Drake began to circle Wyatt, gun still aimed at his head. “It makes me wonder what your ulterior motives are.”

  “I don’t-”

  “Ah-ah, hush. I’m talking now.” Drake stopped behind him, swiveling the gun to just above Wyatt’s right ear. “See, I don’t have much use for subordinates that try to defy me- much less those who threaten and strike me without provocation.”

  “Drake, please-” Wyatt began to sob.

  “Since I really can’t afford to be constantly defending myself from you, I hereby sentence you to exile.”

  A gunshot echoed around the complex. Wyatt fell, the force of the impact sending him face-first into the wall. Zach’s jaw dropped as the body hit the bleached concrete, a stream of dark blood running for the drain. Drake put the gun away and nudged the body with the toe of his boot.

  “Pity,” he sighed, rubbing his jaw, “Such a waste of a perfectly good fighter.”

  Millie awoke suddenly to a banging on the motel room door. Moonlight leaked into the room through the skylight, casting eerie shadows around the room. She turned the wind-up light on dim, grabbed her pepper spray off of the nightstand, and slid out of bed. She looked out the peephole, and opened the door the three inches that the chain would allow.

  “Zach?” There he stood in the sliver of light, wild-eyed and panting like he’d just run a 10k. “What are you-”

  “Quick, you gotta let me in.” He looked behind him, the horror evident in his face.

  “Is this about earlier? Because I don’t want to hear-”

  “Millie, please!” He was so frantic and obviously terrified that she unlatched the chain and did as he asked. When the door was shut, Zach spoke in a hushed voice.

  “Drake killed Wyatt.”

  “What?” Millie’s mouth fell open.

  “At the carwash.” He leaned against the door, chest heaving as he tried to slow his breathing.

  “Oh my God!” Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? What happened?”

  “Wyatt hit him, then Drake pulled a gun and ‘sentenced him to exile’ and just shot him point-blank.” Zach peeked out the heavy curtain before drawing it completely closed. “Mil, he’s insane. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “I knew he was crazy, but…” Millie shook her head, stunned.

  He glanced at his watch. “We can sneak out, get to the bikes, and be halfway out of state by morning if we go now.”

  “First we need to warn everyone, they have no idea what they’re up against.”

  Zach shook his head. “I don’t think we can. They worship him, they’re never going to believe us over their beloved leader.”

  “We can’t just leave them with a murderer in charge,” Millie said exasperatedly.

  “He’s probably hiding the body right now. It’d be our word against his, and with the rapport he’s built with everyone, there’s no way they’d side with us over him. You’ve seen the way he convinces people – hell, he even convinced me – that he’s looking out for everyone. If he makes them believe that we’re a threat…” Zach trailed off, letting the implied repercussions set in. “I wish we could help them, but right now it’s really us or them.”

  Millie looked around the room for an answer. “Ok…we run. But first we leave a note explaining what you saw and why we left. We hide it somewhere that one of the others would be sure to find it.”

  Zach nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll go pack up and meet you back here.”

  She looked around the room. “I can have everything together in fifteen.”

  “Ok. I’ll be right back.” He grasped the door handle, looking out the peephole. “Be sure to lock up behind me.”

  “Zach?” Millie’s voice cracked slightly.

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Since most of their collective supplies were in Millie’s room, Zach’s backpack was only about half full by the time he was done packing up his room. He shut the door carefully behind him, pausing a moment to look both ways and listen for any telltale footsteps. Hearing only silence, he took off at a jog. The contents of his backpack knocked about loudly, forcing him to slow to a walk. The last thing he needed was to wake somebody up.

  He went through the gate slowly, stopping in the shadow of the awning for a moment. His heart hadn’t stopped pounding since he left the carwash, and the adrenaline made him jittery. He scanned the area around the parking lot before beelining for the door marked 126. He reached the other side of the lot quickly. Suddenly, his foot caught on one of the black wheel stops, sending him sprawling forward onto the concrete. His pressed his lips together hard to keep from yelling when he landed on the not-yet-fully-healed gash on his hand. He quickly got to his feet and started toward the door again. He glanced at his hand to make sure the wound hadn’t split open as he stepped onto the sidewalk.

  Suddenly, a light exploded on the left side of his face. He threw a hand up and spun to face it, blinking wildly.

  “Zach?”

  His blood ran cold as the light beam dropped from his face. Illuminated by his oil lamp, a flicker of confusion drifted over Drake’s face as he walked up. He looked from Zach to
the door and back, a wide grin suddenly spreading across his face.

  “Well done, Zach!” He holstered the flashlight in his back pocket.

  Be casual, Zach told himself. “Hey, Drake.” He gave a stiff head nod.

  “Good for you, you finally got the girl.” Drake beamed like a proud father at Zach. “I knew it was just a matter of time.”

  What? Zach glanced at the door. “Oh. Yeah.” Zach chuckled twice and cleared his throat. “I, uh, chased long enough for sure.”

  Drake clapped him on the shoulder. “Marvelous. Simply marvelous.” He glanced at the backpack. “Moving in?”

  “Uh, yeah. We figured it was selfish to take up more room than was needed.” Up close, Zach could see the bruise forming on Drake’s jaw. “We thought I’d just move my things in tonight and tell everybody tomorrow.” Zach forced a smile. “Well, I guess I’d better-”

  “I need to tell you something.” Drake’s face turned serious, lowering the oil lamp. The shift in lighting made his eyes look sunken and black. “Wyatt… left the group tonight.”

  “Did he? That’s a shame.” Zach’s mouth ran dry.

  Drake sighed. “It was tragic, really. He has been in love with Rosie for some time now, but she doesn’t return his feelings. He found me earlier this evening and told me that he couldn’t stand to be here any longer, the pain was too much for him. I suggested that he wait until the morning to tell everyone that he was leaving, but he thought it best to slip away quietly.” Drake shook his head. “Such a pity. He was so useful to us all.”

  Zach’s jaw tensed. “Yeah, he sure was.”

  “I’m going to need someone to take over Wyatt’s responsibilities. My second-in-command, if you will.” Drake gave a placid smile. “I would love for you to take the job.”

  Zach nodded, a wave of nausea rolling over him. “I’ll think about it and let you know in the morning.”

  “Good!” He clapped him on the shoulder again. “Now,” Drake eyed the door, “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.” He winked and chuckled, turning to leave. As he walked away, Zach spotted the butt of the revolver sticking out of Drake’s waistband.

  Millie had everything packed in ten minutes flat. She’d dressed quickly in dark jeans and a navy hoodie so that if anyone should happen to be running around outside, she’d better blend into the shadows. After placing the backpacks next to the door, she unzipped the rolling backpack’s middle pocket. She switched on her mini flashlight and turned off the wind-up, sliding it into the compartment.

  She sat rigidly on the unmade bed and checked her watch every thirty seconds. Suddenly, she heard voices outside the door. Millie froze, eyes locked on the door. She turned off the flashlight and slipped it into her pocket. As quietly as possible, she slipped off the bed, grabbed her pepper spray, and tiptoed to the door. She bent down a little to look through the peephole. There she saw Zach standing in the light of a lamp being held by…Drake. Millie stopped breathing for a moment. Zach stood rigidly with his back to the door as Drake talked. He was speaking too low for her to make out what he was saying, and she’d never been good at reading lips. Millie stepped away from the door, leaning against the adjoining wall as her heart pounded. Finally, there was a knock. She looked through the peephole again and quickly unlocked the chain. The door swung inward and Zach stepped through and locked it behind him. Millie retrieved the flashlight and switched it on.

  “What happened? What was Drake saying to you?” She asked him quietly.

  “You saw that, huh?” Zach looked through the peephole for a minute. “He just said that Wyatt left because of Rosie, and he wants me to replace him. I said I’d think about it.”

  “Did he get suspicious about what you were doing out here after dark with a backpack?”

  Zach cleared his throat. “He thinks we’re moving in together.” Millie raised her eyebrows. “Hey, he guessed, and for the sake of staying alive, I didn’t correct him.” He looked through the peephole again. A moving light illuminated the edge of what he could see.

  Millie sat down on the bed. “So now what?”

  “He’s still roaming around out there.” Zach watched the light disappear for the second time that evening.

  “Well, why don’t we just wait a while then go. Surely he’ll go to his room now,” Millie offered.

  “Maybe he’ll get tired of creeping around soon.” Zach turned from the peephole and looked at Millie seriously. “…nothing happened.”

  “What?”

  He cleared his throat again awkwardly. “Kathryn. Nothing happened. She barged in, jumped me, and I kicked her out. That’s all.”

  Millie nodded slowly, looking away from him. “Why’d you kick her out?”

  “What?” Zach raised an eyebrow incredulously. “She’s …I mean…she’s so…just…no.” He stumbled over his words, feeling a heat rise in his cheeks.

  Millie continued to nod. “Okay. You didn’t owe me an explanation, but thank you.”

  “Well I didn’t want you to think that I was …y’know, I just…” Zach fumbled again, trying desperately to find the right words. “I’m not into that kinda chick – er, girl, thing.”

  Millie turned her face away from him entirely to hide an amused smile. “Good to know.”

  The pair switched off watching the peephole every so often, and after forty minutes Millie was starting to get antsy.

  “Hey,” she said over her shoulder. Zach, who was lying on the unmade bed studying a map by flashlight, looked up. “There’s been no sign of Drake for fifteen minutes. You want to take off now?”

  Zach sat up, folding the map. “Yeah, let’s go.” He stood and stretched, grunting a little as his back popped.

  Millie glanced out the peephole one more time and nearly had a heart attack. Walking across the parking lot directly toward the door was Drake. “Abort, abort!” She whispered, backing away from the door. Zach looked at her in alarm. “He’s coming!”

  “What?” His jaw dropped.

  As Zach let loose a string of garbled whispered curses, Millie looked around wildly for a solution. Behind Zach, the bed’s covers were rumpled.

  “Bed,” she said under her breath. “Now!” He stopped cussing and looked at her, then to the bed behind him. There was a soft knock at the door. Millie scrambled for the far side of the mattress, and Zach dove after her. They quickly jerked the covers up over them.

  “Cuddle me,” she whispered, closing the gap between them. A second tap on the door.

  “Is now really the time-” The doorknob squeaked.

  “Authenticity!” she hissed, throwing her arm across his chest. She shut her eyes as the lock turned. Zach quickly snaked an arm around her and closed his eyes as the door opened.

  The door opened easily, halting just before the chain stopped it. Drake peered inside, blinking to adjust to the darkness. The skylight bathed the room in a soft glow. There in the middle of the room, he saw the two newcomers entangled and fast asleep. He regarded them fondly for a moment before sliding the door shut. A smile danced across his face as he relocked the door and slipped the keychain back into his pocket. The smile broke into a toothy grin as he strode across the parking lot. Everything was working out just the way he’d hoped, and soon the plan would be in full swing. Now if he could just find a way to speed things along. “Patience is key, Mr. Doyle,” he reminded himself. He hummed a tune as he started up the steps to the second floor.

  Zach and Millie stayed perfectly still for an indeterminate amount of time after the door shut.

  “I think he’s gone,” Millie whispered finally, opening her eyes. She glanced at Zach, whose face was pointed away from her, staring at the door. He didn’t seem to hear her. “I said I think he’s gone,” she said quietly.

  “Hmm?” Zach whipped his head toward her, accidentally smashing her nose with his chin.

  “Ow!” She pulled her arm from across his chest and grabbed her face.

  “Oh, sorry!” He instinctively turned toward her,
reaching to touch her nose. “Are you okay?” Millie rubbed the offended nose and frowned at him. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were as close as you were.” She sneezed twice and he stifled a laugh.

  “Real funny,” she said, sniffing.

  “I’m sorry, I really am.” He gave a lopsided apologetic smile.

  “Eh, nothing’s broken.” She gingerly tapped the bridge of her nose and folded her arm against her. “I’ll survive.”

  Zach smiled, which quickly faded. He glanced at the door. “Let’s give him a few to get back to his room, and then go.” Millie nodded slowly and he continued. “While I’m apologizing,” he faltered slightly, looking over at her, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Mil. I really should have listened when you first told me something wasn’t right about these people.”

  “It’s okay,” Millie smiled. “Thanks for apologizing.”

  “Next time you tell me that our ‘leader’ is a murderous sociopath who watches people while they sleep, I’ll take it,” he said dryly.

  Millie laughed. “Let’s hope there’s not a next time for this one.”

  The room went quiet, and Zach was suddenly aware of the proximity between them. His arm was wrapped around her, hand resting on her hip. One of her arms was wedged behind his back; the other was tucked against her chest, rising and falling with each breath. The room suddenly felt like the inside of a furnace.

  “Zach…” Millie trailed off, staring at him.

  He swallowed hard. “Yeah?” The space between their faces narrowed. His heart sped up as his grip on her tightened slightly.

  “I-” She cleared her throat. “I can’t feel my arm.”

  “…oh.” His voice betrayed him as the moment fizzled. The room went quiet again.

  “…you’re still crushing it.”