Broken & Hunted

by Charissa Dufour

  Jack crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Bit. Lexi copied the movement, looking exactly like her brother. Had Bit not felt so uncomfortable, she would have laughed at the two of them. Instead, she bit down on her lower lip and looked at the floor.

  “You two are going to scare the poor child to death,” announced Tilly, their mother, as she marched around the dining room table and wrapped her arms around Bit.

  “You look lovely, my dear. How old are you?” she asked as she guided Bit to the living room and onto an angular-looking couch.

  “Twenty-two, ma’am.”

  “Oh, you can call me Mom. All the crew does. When I get to see them,” she added over her shoulder, directing the jab at her son. “You’re a grown woman. I never would have guessed. You’re so small. Now, would you like to go out with Lexi tonight? Or would you like to stay in and rest?”

  Bit didn’t know what she wanted to do.

  “Lexi is very nice,” she said diplomatically.

  “Yes, she is. It’s settled.” Tilly stood up, dragging Bit with her. “This poor girl has been trapped on a ship with a crowd of men for over a month. She’s going out with Lexi for some ‘girl time.’ But Lexi, if she gets tired, you are not to twist her arm into staying out longer. You understand me?”

  Lexi nodded, giving her mother a properly responsible expression.

  “Good.”

  Jack glared at his mother. “Fine, but Debby is examining her first. She was banged up on the ship. We had a little trouble with some pirates, and I want her checked out before she goes anywhere.”

  “You what?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Are you okay?”

  The Macleef women let out their various exclamations, shocked to hear that their men had been in danger.

  “We are all okay. I was shot in the arm—nothing more than a graze,” he added when Debby rushed forward, ready to strip him out of his captain’s uniform to see the wound. “And a few others were injured.”

  “Was it because of those damn embryos you insisted on transporting?” asked his mother.

  “Ma, we discussed this. I transport the cargo I’m paid to transport. I’m not paid to have a political agenda. I leave that to you.”

  Tilly turned away, crossing her arms much as her son and daughter had both done.

  “Will you please give Bit a quick check up, for me?” Jack asked, turning to Debby.

  Debby glared at him for a moment before grabbing Bit by the wrist and dragging her into another bedroom. By the looks of it, Bit guessed it belonged to Jack. Debby pointed to the bed and Bit took up a perch on the edge.

  “Where are you hurt?” asked the annoyed woman.

  “I have a few bruises, nothing major. And before the pirate attack I cut my arm.” She held out the healing appendage.

  Debby sat next to her and grabbed her arm, examining the puffy wound. “It’s healing well enough. Let me see the bruises.”

  Bit silenced the voice in her head that told her to hide her wounds from someone who clearly could be an enemy and pulled down the dress, revealing the angry dark green and purple bruise running along her side. Debby poked at it, causing Bit to wince.

  “How’d you get this?”

  “I was shot. The Kevlar stopped the bullet.”

  Debby’s probing fingers stopped their painful examination. “Any blood when you urinate.”

  “A tiny bit when it first happened, but it went away.”

  “Any bruises worse than this?”

  Bit shook her head.

  “You’ll live. Let me know if you have any more blood in your urine.”

  “Okay.”

  Debby stomped out of the room, followed closely by Bit. “She’s fine.”

  “Let’s go!” Lexi said as she grabbed Bit and guided her out of the condo.

  Chapter Five

  A few minutes later Bit found herself back on the light-rail train, no longer being stared at because of her bare feet and pillowcase. A group of young men eyed her and Lexi from across the half-empty car, one of them being so bold as to throw them a wink. Lexi giggled and linked her arm with Bit’s. Bit glanced at her, having no idea how to respond to anything that was happening.

  They rode the train for a few stops, finally getting off just as the sun was setting behind the distant buildings. The platform rose a few stories above the ground, and Lexi led Bit along an elevated walkway lit by the flashing signs hanging above their heads. Bit tried to remain calm as other pedestrians nudged past them, chatting about this and that. Bit looked down to see land-based vehicles trundling along amidst the congestion of evening traffic. Above them sped the faster hover cars in two layers, the nearest going one speed, and the highest going faster.

  “You’re gonna love this place. Super hip,” Lexi said as they crossed over an intersection.

  The truth was she wasn’t enjoying any of it, but she wasn’t about to tell Lexi that. Lexi was trying to be her friend, and Bit intended to do everything she could to return the favor, even if that something was lightyears out of her comfort zone.

  They walked a few more blocks in the cold, finally reaching their destination. One quick glance told Bit the party had already started. The large room was packed with sweating bodies, all gyrating to the music blaring over the speakers. Man-made fog poured down over their heads from pipes, set aglow by red lights wound around the cylinders. Lexi grabbed her wrist and dragged her in, much like Debby had done in the condo.

  Bit tried not to panic as they pushed deeper into the crowd, more sweating bodies pressing against her. A few straying arms bumped into her bruised back and she winced, trying to remember why she was doing this. Finally Lexi felt as though they had found the right spot and started moving to the beat. Bit tried to mimic her, but her bruised body was already hurting. Each new bend and wiggle added a new stab of pain.

  Make a friend. Make a fiend. Make a friend, she chanted to the beat of the music.

  Slowly, the music numbed her mind of the pain and she began to enjoy herself, in her own way. Bit allowed Lexi to lead her around the dance floor, ignoring her pain and her exhaustion. She tried to imagine what her life would be like if these outings were the highlight of her life and what she wore was the greatest stress on her mind. Bit smiled at Lexi as the teenager screamed something in her ear. Bit couldn’t hear her so she nodded, hoping she hadn’t agreed to something too insane.

  Lexi laughed, her eyes twinkling in a way that suggested Lexi was fully aware Bit hadn’t heard a word. She motioned for Bit to stay put and nudged her way through the crowd toward the back of the club. Bit felt a fresh wave of panic wash over her as she struggled to keep her body moving as though she did this on a regular basis.

  She felt like a fraud, and she was certain everyone around her knew it. Every time she heard a voice yell over the music to their neighbor she knew they were talking about her—pointing out each flaw in her gyrating or smear in her make up.

  Bit didn’t even know what make up was supposed to look like. Until this night she had never worn it. Panic began to clog her throat. She pushed through the crowd, determined to find Lexi. Near the back of the club she found the bathrooms. She ducked into the women’s bathroom, finding a long line. She elbowed her way to the front, receiving a few curses for her efforts, but failed to find Lexi.

  As she pushed her way back to the door, an angry woman shouted, “Damn straight.”

  “Just looking for my friend,” Bit told the floor in a voice just above the whisper.

  “Bitch,” replied the other woman.

  Bit ignored her and exited the bathroom. She glanced around the small empty space outside the bathroom before plowing back into the crowd. Hot tears pressed against her eye as she weaved in and out of the crowd, searching for Lexi. At the far end she found the bar, lined with patrons all shouting to the bartender for their drinks. She scanned the row of backs, looking for a short girl with tiger-striped hair.

  Lexi was nowhere t
o be found.

  Next, Bit turned toward the wide entrance where fresh air wafted in. She powered through the wall of bodies until she reached the elevated walkway. She glanced up and down the walkway, wondering if Lexi had left, forgetting that she had come with someone. There was no sign of the teenager there either.

  Bit was just about to re-enter the swarm when she spotted a man watching her—a man in a green windbreaker. She didn’t stop to think, didn’t cry out.

  She just turned and ran.

  Bit careened around the corner of the elevated walkway, dodging and ducking around the slower pedestrians. The cold wind whipped through her borrowed dress, chilling her body to match the cold fear gripping her heart.

  How did he find me? her mind screamed as she glanced over her shoulder. Just as she expected, he was racing after her, no longer worried about being noticed by the mob.

  Bit grunted as she collided into the railing at full speed, nearly toppling over barrier and falling four stories to the ground. She grabbed the railing, a piercing pain stabbing her in the ribs as she worked to right her body and get her feet back on the walkway.

  “You okay?” a passing pedestrian asked.

  “Fine.” She didn’t parse words but bolted, turning down the next stretch of walkway.

  Bit spotted a staircase and jumped down it, taking it at a half-controlled fall. It switched back and forth until it reached the ground level. She glanced up, spotting her stalker glaring at her from above. Not waiting to see if he’d follow her, she took off down the street, pressing her arm against her rib cage. If her past experience was anything to go by, she had fractured at least one rib. It hurt to breathe and she needed to breathe to run.

  Lexi’s soft slippers did little to help her run faster, but they did provide an iota of protection on the rough streets, so she tried to keep them on. Besides, they weren’t hers to discard.

  As she ran she spotted a narrow alley hidden in darkness. Bit dashed down it, hoping it wasn’t a dead end. She ran at full speed, even though she could barely make out her own hands in front of her face.

  After a few meters she slammed into a chain-link fence. A whimper escaped her lips as the sudden collision jostled her ribs. Bit glanced up, spotting the top of the fence in the glow of a distant sign. It wasn’t adorned with razor wire.

  With the skills of a child who had grown up climbing out of forbidden places, Bit began the painful climb over the fence. She reached the top, her chest and side on fire, and flung a leg over the fence. The fence caught her borrowed dress and tore a sizable rent in it, slicing all the way up to her hip.

  “Shit,” she muttered as she grabbed the fabric and tore it free.

  She lowered herself to the halfway point before jumping. The impact was painful but fast. Bit half walked half stumbled up to the edge of the alleyway. She glanced up and down the deserted street, eyeing the parked vehicles. They were mostly large trucks, ready for tomorrow’s cargos. If she wasn’t mistaken, she had stumbled into the warehouse district—or rather one of the many warehouse districts.

  “Very helpful,” she told herself as she slipped out from her hiding place.

  It didn’t do her any good to know where she was when she had no idea how the city was laid out. Hell, she didn’t even know the name of the city, much less what district Jack lived in or where the club was. Bit considered trying to retrace her steps, but worried about stumbling upon Mr. Windbreaker. Besides, in her frantic run she hadn’t paid any attention to her surroundings.

  She limped on, her tired feet feeling bruised after the long run, until she reached the first intersection. In one direction she spotted more people and bright, neon signs. She headed that way, hoping it would lead back to the club. If nothing else, she would be safer in a crowd.

  She wandered down the street, mixing into the mob and ignoring the sideways glances given her bedraggled appearance. Bit stopped and considered looking for the authorities. If she found an officer she could tell him she was lost.

  Bit cringed. He would see her mark. In fact…

  She stopped as she realized the dress she wore already revealed the number tattooed to her shoulder, marking her as an indentured servant. If anyone noticed it in the right light they would point her out to the nearest officer. No indentured went around wearing dresses like this, even torn up ones.

  If she were caught, would they contact Calen—had they had a chance to submit the proper paperwork?—or would they contact Mr. Asselstine?

  A new panic began to build in her already aching chest. Bit glanced up to make sure none of the glowing lights were shining too brightly on her. That’s when she saw him, glaring at her from across the street.

  Her stalker was back.

  Despite the pounding they had already taken, Bit’s feet moved on their own accord, carrying her into the crowd. People cursed as she elbowed them out of her way. She spotted another stairwell, leading back up to the elevated walkways that wound around various skyscrapers.

  Bit dashed up them, her arm pressed against her battered ribs, her lungs burning with rasping gasps as she struggling to breathe. At the top of the switch-back staircase she glanced down, quickly spotting the man two levels below her. He was making quick headway. She darted down the walkway, knocking people out of her way, no longer worried about staying inconspicuous. At the end of another block she spotted another set of stairs and raced up them, her legs aching with the effort. She didn’t have the muscle for this sort of effort, and if she didn’t lose him soon he would catch up with her.

  At the top of the steps she found herself on another wide balcony, this one devoid of people.

  “Shit.”

  The balcony was covered in enormous pots, large food-bearing plants erupting from the pots in wide variety. Bit ran into the maze, dodging in and around them, the corner of one square planter catching her on her bruised side. She cried out, grabbing her side as she forced herself to keep moving. Bit limped forward, trying her best to keep moving as he body demanded she stop and give up. She reached the end of the first balcony and spotted a narrow pathway that connected it to the next. She crossed it, forcing herself not to look down on the layers of the city below.

  Are these people crazy? she thought to herself as she stumbled onto the next balcony. Why would anyone live like this?

  On the second balcony she noticed a set of wide sliding doors left open to the cold night air. Without thinking of the consequence, she ducked past them, running straight into some stranger’s living room. The unsuspecting family was sitting down to dinner as they spotted her, exclaiming at her sudden entrance.

  Bit ignored them and hobbled toward what appeared to be the front door—the peep hole setting it apart from the others. She flung the door open, happy to see that the fingerprint lock didn’t bar people from leaving, only entering, and raced out into the hallway. Bit didn’t bother shutting it behind her, assuming the family would do it for her. She just hoped their surprise would force them to close their sliding door before her stalker realized how she had disappeared.

  Bit slowed to a fast hobble out of necessity as her various injuries screamed at her. She reached the elevator and punched the down button, three times in fast succession. When the elevator arrived she stumbled into the box, the decorative molding the only thing keeping her upright. She jabbed the first-floor button and leaned against the wall of the elevator, wincing as the molding bit into her bruise.

  The elevator moved slowly, annoyingly pleasant music playing from the speakers in the ceiling. The long ride down gave Bit plenty of time to worry. What was she going to do? Her stalker was the least of her worries. Lexi must have noticed her absence by now. Surely the entire Macleef family was in a state of panic about her. Would Jack inform the authorities? Would they form a search party? Would he call in the crew? And what about the man who was after her?

  The elevator bumped to a stop and the doors slid open. Bit stumbled out, ignoring the protests of the young couple waiting to enter, and pushed he
r battered body back into motion. She pushed the front doors open and stumbled out onto the street, colliding with a solid chest.

  Warm hands grabbed her arms to steady her and she glanced up, fearful that she had just run right into her stalker.

  “Oden?” she whimpered as she looked up at the pilot’s surprised eyes.

  Chapter Six

  Oden’s strong arms wrapped around her as she sagged against him. “Bit? What are you doing here? Are you okay?”

  “No,” she cried, her suppressed tears leaking free at long last. “Someone’s after me. Can you get me back to Jack?

  “What? Who’s after you? What are you wearing?”

  Bit forced herself to stand under her own power. “I’ll tell you everything. Just get me out of here before he spots me again.”

  Oden quickly stripped out of his nondescript sweatshirt and slipped it on her, pulling the hood up over her head. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders like a date would do and they sauntered away.

  “We’re going to walk down to the nearest station and take the train back to the captain’s district. How’d you get all the way out here?”

  Bit limped along beside him, wincing with every step. Now that she felt safe her adrenaline began wear off, allowing her body to send her urgent pain signals.

  “Lexi took me clubbing.”

  “Clubbing?”

  “Not my idea. I lost her in the crowd, and when I was looking for her I spotted the guy so I ran.”

  “What do you mean ‘the guy’? How did you know he was after you?” Oden adjusted his grip on her bruised shoulder as her gait slowed further.

  “Ummm… he chased me at the port… when I was lost, and he followed us down to the landing platform. He didn’t lose us until we got on the train and he missed it.”

  “Did you tell the captain about this?”

  Bit shook her head, biting down on her lower lip as it began to tremble.

  Oden was silent for a long moment. Bit felt him tense, his hand squeezing her arm painfully in his anger.