Miranda’s heart sank. They were on their own.
She pulled Cassie to her feet. “You okay?” she asked, looking her over. Her sister nodded. ”Cassie,” she whispered, "You go run over there by that little girl. Stay with her no matter where she goes.”
“No! I'm not leaving you."
"Do it now!"
The man stepped closer. “Well, well. What have we here?” he sneered.
Miranda stood to face him. Her body trembled as she took a step forward to meet the gang. She didn't dare look away.
“Looks like you’re talking to a girl, Sherlock,” she answered with her next step.
Cassie ran towards the white house.
One of the guys laughed. “Look at that rat run.”
“Let her go,” the one in the yellow shirt said. “We’ve got all we need here.” His lip curled like red worms, his eyes dead brown. “I’m going to make you hate your life.”
She pushed the hair off her forehead and wiped her hands on the back of her pants. “I bet your momma’s hated hers since the day you were born.”
His buddies all made noises. “Oh, she got you.”
“You think you’re a tough girl. Come here, tough girl.” He grabbed her arm and nearly yanked it out of its socket.
Time had been spinning out-of-control, and then seemed to stop. She turned and spit in his face.
Liver lips curved into a grin. He wiped at his chin. “This is going to be fun.”
He twisted her arm harder. She gritted her teeth and struggled to keep silent, but a whimper escaped.
The sound of a truck engine came down the road. The afternoon kindergartner’s school bus. Its brakes squealed as it stopped in front of the white house. Cassie shot her a desperate look and then boarded the bus with the girl.
The bus driver honked his horn twice, and the guys looked in his direction.
The window slid open and the bus driver yelled, “Hey! What are you doing to that girl?”
“Mind your own business, old man,” Liver Lips told him, but he released Miranda’s arm.
“You okay?” the bus driver asked Miranda.
One of the guys grabbed his face and staggered back. Miranda stared as blood spurted from his forehead. What the hell is going on? In the next instant the red truck’s windshield shattered.
“Run!”
Miranda looked around wildly. Jason appeared from behind the bus. He screamed at her again.
She ran.
Together, they ran behind the bus and down in back of the houses. Furious screams followed behind her, then the spinning tires of the truck racing forward. It stopped at the entrance of the narrow alley, before its tires screeched away.
The teens’ feet beat a staccato on the dirty ground. “Watch out here,” Jason panted, before dodging an overturned shopping basket. Miranda jumped over it, but her foot nicked a pile of rusty cans. They came tumbling after her in a noisy clatter.
Up ahead, the alley branched in three directions. They turned left, and the alley opened to the street. Jason held his arm out to stop her as they checked for the truck.
It was all quiet. Two cars were parked on the street, and the gentle hum of traffic was far away.
“What are we waiting for? I’ve got to find Cassie.”
“Chill,” he answered, while his eyes scanned the buildings and the street. “I don’t want to run into them again. They ain’t too happy with me since I busted up their truck. They saw us walk into town so they know we’re on foot.” Cautious, he waved at her to follow him and they walked down the street.
“This town is creepy.” Miranda glanced at the broken upper story windows. “Where are all the people?”
Storefront after storefront was boarded up with great sheets of plywood covering their front windows and tagged with graffiti. Miranda shivered at a particularly graphic gargoyle with bulbous eyes and its tongue hanging out.
At the intersection the light turned red, stopping cars that weren't there. It was so quiet Miranda heard the click as it changed colors.
Tires squealed; they sounded like they were about a block away. Jason pulled her into the alcove entrance of what had once been a video rental store. Miranda held her breath to listen, crouching close to Jason. His eyes darted from hers to the street, his pulse visible in his neck. The sound faded as the truck headed in the opposite direction.
Jason relaxed, and reached for her hand, the veins in his arms standing out from adrenaline. “Ready?” He tensed to run.
“Hey, thank you for saving me. Again.”
He didn’t turn around, but Miranda watched his neck redden. She continued, “How did you get the windshield to shatter like that?”
Jason glanced back at her and broke into his half-grin. “Easy. I found a handful of spark plugs. Just a little piece of porcelain will do it. Messed up his face, too.”
“Cool trick! I want to try.”
“His face, or a windshield?” His brow crinkled.
“Depends.” Miranda grinned, then thought of Cassie on the bus. Her eyes flickered closed. Please be okay.
Jason saw the look on her face and reached for her hand. “Come on.”
They hurried out onto the street.
Just a couple of blocks farther out the buildings thinned into the beginnings of a residential area. Old houses, broken-down like they’d been there a while, sat just a few feet from the edge of the cracked sidewalk.
Up ahead, there was a lady walking her dog.
“Excuse me,” Miranda called out.
The lady looked startled and brought her German Shepherd closer to her as Miranda walked up.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bother you.” Miranda gave her most disarming smile. “I was just wondering where the elementary school is? I’m supposed to meet my cousin.”
“Oh,” the lady’s face relaxed somewhat. “You mean Benjamin Franklin Heights? It’s in the next town over, Evergreen. Our school had to close. Just too many people leaving for the city.”
“How far away is Evergreen?”
Her eyes lit on Jason, where he leaned with his arms crossed against a light pole. Her mouth tightened. “Mm, I guess about five or six miles,” she answered. Then, “Come, Heidi.” She pulled on the dog’s leash and continued walking.
“Thank you so much!” Miranda called after her.
Jason stepped off the curb and walked towards her, his hands jammed in his jean pockets.
“You hear what she said?”
“Yeah.”
“Can we get there before school’s out?”
“Easy jog.”
She snorted. “Whatever.”
They continued along the street, stepping over the railroad tracks that crossed the road. Miranda’s mouth was dry. They’d both abandoned the water and backpacks long ago.
“We need to get out of sight. I don’t trust this road,” Jason said. “It’s too straight. Anybody driving up would see us.”
“Yeah. We might have to hitchhike.”
Jason narrowed his eyes. “You serious? See how that lady looked at me? Nobody would pick me up.”
Unexpectedly, he jerked his head towards town. Coming down the street was a low rumble. “Son of a—” He spun around, searching for an escape. There was a warehouse two hundred yards away. “Time to move those feet, Miranda.”
They raced for it.
Their feet pounded through the empty yard of an abandoned car dealership. From behind them the truck sped up. Shouts and laughter came from the cab. Miranda glanced back. One of the men pulled himself out of a window to sit on the truck door sill. He brandished his bat in the air.
“Come here piggy, piggy! I’ve got a game to play with you!”
Miranda faltered, cramping with a side-ache. She gasped as she rubbed it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jason grabbed her hand and yanked. “Move! Now!”
They made it to the warehouse just as a train crossed the road. It rattled on its tracks behind the building, blockin
g the truck in with them.
Jason ran ahead. Miranda stumbled after him as he bolted around the garbage containers. “No!” he yelled, his face crumpling in disbelief. Hanging from the warehouse’s rusty door was a padlock. He flung it against the door where it smacked with a metallic clang, its shackle still secure.
He spun around, his eyes darting everywhere desperate for a place to hide. Hope drained away as he realized their escape was cut off by a slow moving train.
They were penned in. Miranda pivoted to face the truck. She couldn’t see through the cracked windshield. The driver stopped his truck and idled the engine, like a cat watching a mouse. The truck rocked with each pump of the gas pedal. Any second he was going to floor it.
“We’re going to jump on.” Jason’s pupils were huge.
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Well, what the hell do you want to do, Miranda? Stay here? Get your ass on that train now.”
He turned from her and ran beside the train. “Come on!” He beckoned with his hand.
The train rumbled slowly as it exited the town.
Both the truck doors opened and men piled out.
Miranda’s heart leaped in her throat.
Jason cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Miranda! Follow me now!”
He started backing up along the length of the train, his eyes focused on an empty box. As it approached, he turned and sprinted to build speed.
Miranda lurched forward as if jolted by a cattle prod. She ran after Jason, trying to catch up. With a jump, Jason caught hold of the ladder. He turned to reach his hand out to her.
But the train was too fast.
“Faster, Miranda! You can do it! Run faster!”
She stretched out her hand, her face streaming with tears as his hand got further away. Jason glanced over her shoulder, his face grim. The men were gaining on her. Looking back, he demanded, “It’s now or never, Miranda. Run! Do it for Cassie!”
She gritted her teeth and ran harder. She stretched her hand out as far as she could.
Their fingertips touched.
Liver Lip’s hand swiped at the back of her shirt.
Jason swung out on the ladder and grabbed hold of her arm. The force yanked her off her feet and she slammed into the side of the box-car.
“Hang on, Miranda,” Jason arched his neck with effort and groaned. “Grab the ladder.”
Every part of Miranda felt numb from the impact, but she reached for the ladder. Her foot shared the same rung as Jason’s. She turned to look back. Two of the guys were still half-heartedly running, the third one breathless with his hands on his knees. Liver lips lined up his hand at Miranda’s face and made a symbol of shooting a gun.
The wind gusted against Miranda, and she collapsed against Jason. His head tipped back as he gasped for air, eyes squeezed shut. His lips moved silently.
“Are you okay, Jason?”
He opened his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “Yeah, just thanking God.”
Miranda shivered. Jason moved away to examine her face. “You okay?” Miranda nodded but her trembling increased. Jason’s muscles flexed as he looped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “C’mon. Get in this box.”
“What if there are people in there?” Miranda lifted her head towards the dark interior.
He jerked his head to see inside. “Stay here,” he motioned, and climbed around her up the ladder.
“Where would I be going?” she called after him, her hair whipping in the wind.
After a minute he popped his head out and waved for her to follow. She started up the ladder. A searing pain in her leg stopped her cold, and she cried out.
Jason immediately looked down at her. “What’s the matter?”
“My leg.”
He leaned over the edge of the boxcar to look. His lips went white, and he reached out his hand. “Come on, a few steps. You can do it.”
She pulled herself up the remaining four rungs, each step sending fire through her limb. When she got close enough, he reached under her arms and dragged her in.
“Let me see it.” He squatted by her leg.
Miranda gasped at the sight. The top of her shoe was torn off and her pant leg drenched in blood.
“I’m going to be sick.” A wave of dizziness rolled through her and she leaned back her head.
Jason pulled off his shirt and crumpled it into a ball. “Here, lie back on this. Let me take a look.”
He tilted her until she was lying down, then went back to her leg. She felt a metal edge along her calf, then a huge tear.
“What are you doing?”
“Cutting your pants. I can’t see it, Miranda, and the blood is starting to make your pants stick to your leg.” He cut the slit up to her knee and peeled back the material. Miranda cried out as her skin tore from the sticky blood.
Jason groaned and covered the deep wound with his hands.
“Jason?”
His eyes glossed over as though in a daze. Lifting his hands from her leg, he stared at his bloody palms. “Not again, No no no no…” He sank down to his knees, tucking his hands in his armpits. His muscles in his bare back tensed as he bowed his head.
“Jason!” Miranda’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”
He shivered at the sound of her voice.
“Come back to earth, buddy. What’s going on?”
With another shudder, he pushed himself back up on his heels. He scrubbed his hands along the cuffs of his pants. “It’s my fault. I should have never left the store.”
“Am I okay, Jason? What! Is my leg about to fall off?” Miranda struggled into a sitting position.
Jason raked his hands through his hair helplessly. He shook his head. “No, it’s just deep. I need to get some water or something to clean this out.”
“Why are you freaking out so bad?”
He exhaled a deep breath. “Just a memory. A bad memory.” Jason stood up, swaying a bit with the movement of the train. He walked over to the opening muttering to himself.
“I can’t hear you.”
“I feel like crap, Miranda. This is all my fault.”
“This is not your fault.”
“You’re with me for a few weeks, and look. Your sister’s gone, your dog’s gone, you were almost just murdered and your leg…” He paused and turned away. Miranda watched him wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand.
“This isn’t your fault, Jason. Before we met you we were starving. Imagine if we’d met those guys, just me and Cassie. Without you?”
“Please shut up. I don’t want to hear any hero crap. Don’t say it, Miranda. I messed up. Let my guard down.” He stared back at her. “And everyone has had to pay the consequences. Except for me. Just like it’s always been.”
Miranda laid her head back on the shirt. Her leg throbbed so hard it felt like her whole body was beating. She swallowed another wave of nausea.
Jason punched the side of the car. Miranda jumped as the echo reverberated off the walls. She didn’t say anything.
Sighing, Jason turned back around. He took a few swaying steps towards her before hunkering down and scooting on his hands and feet. “I’ve got to get this leg bound up, at least temporarily.”
“You going to be okay with seeing it again?”
He paused before beginning to tear the pant leg into strips. “Yeah.” He chewed on the inside of his lip while he studied her. “We’ve got to hurry, because the next town is coming up fast. You get it? You’re going to have to jump off.”
Carefully he wrapped her knee with the ragged material. He got the second strip and positioned it under her knee. “This ain’t going to feel good.” He pulled it into a tight knot, paling as she stifled a scream.
“All right, rest for a minute.” He crawled over to the door, the wind pulling at his hair.
Miranda rolled to her side and tried to follow him. Her knee ached horribly. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to—”
“Y
ou can do this. You’re tough.”
After scrambling a bit, she managed to sit against the door opening. She handed him his shirt. He pulled it on, then glanced at her face, but there wasn’t a hint of a smile. Without meaning to, she leaned against his shoulder. They swayed together for a moment, before his arm went around her waist.
“What do you mean, everyone else pays the consequences?” The field around them was dotted with yellow flowers undulating in the train’s wake.
He didn’t respond.
“Jason? What do you m—”
“I heard.” He withdrew his arm and pulled away.
She waited a minute until it became obvious he wasn’t going to answer.
“How close do you think we are to the next town?”
Jason scanned the horizon. “I don’t see it yet. But, that lady said five miles.”
Miranda tried to lean her head against the door jamb, but the metal amplified the track sound. She leaned forward and propped her head on her hand, dangling her sore leg out of the opening.
Chapter Fifteen Present Day
It was one in the morning when the phone rang. Miranda rolled over in bed, still half asleep. She leaned to swipe the alarm on her phone, then stared at it, uncomprehendingly, as it continued to ring. Finally she clicked the button to answer it and held it to her ear.
“Hello?” she said, her voice scratchy with sleep.
“Ms. Temple?”
“Yes?” Her blood ran cold and she sat up.
“It’s your sister. We need you to come down immediately.”
“What’s wrong?”
There was a pause. “There has been a medical emergency. Cassie suffered complications. I’ll leave that for the doctor to explain to you.” The phone clicked off.
Miranda flew out of bed. “Jason!” she screamed.
There was a thump in the room down the hall, then pounding footsteps. She ran around in a panic searching for her purse. Her bedroom door flew open, and Jason stood there in boxer briefs.
“It’s Cassie!” She reached into the dresser drawer and pulled out random clothing, before dropping them into a pile. “They just called. I’ve got to go now!”
He grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her frantic movement. “Who called? What’s going on?”
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