Sudden Independents

by Ted Hill

  Besides all that, she’d patched up things with Ginger. Ginger was easy and that wasn’t an insult. She was truly easy because she was so open and friendly and accepting of others. Molly was lucky. She almost made a real mess of things before the “fix.”

  She thought about this stuff a lot now, especially therapy and how she might be able to help others. She had found her true calling without realizing she needed one.

  “Are you okay?” Ginger asked.

  Molly looked at Ginger huddled in her sweater and smiled. “I’m good. You?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t quit thinking about that boy last night. Maybe you were right when you said I wasn’t tough enough for the real world.”

  Molly struggled to remember saying something like that to Ginger and then waved a hand at her. “I must have said that when I was evil Molly. I didn’t really believe you weren’t tough enough. You’ve made it this far, haven’t you? That counts for something. You made it this far on your own.”

  Ginger nodded. “I did go through a lot on my own. But now I have others to help me.”

  “You got more than that.” Molly spread her arms wide and Ginger smiled as she stood and walked over for a hug.

  Ginger laid her head on Molly’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Molly sighed. “Thank you, for never giving up on me.”

  They were startled by a sudden crash on the porch. Scout burst through the front door, his breathing hard and ragged. The cold followed him before he slammed the door shut by leaning back against it. His face washed with grief, he slid to the floor, his muddy boots splaying out in front of him.

  “They got her!” he cried, pounding the floor. “They got Raven and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it!”

  Molly knelt beside him, gripping his arm. “Who got her? What happened?”

  Rapidly, Scout relayed the details about Raven’s capture. “I followed them,” he added, “and I know where Chase is. I know where they all are and they have Raven. She looked so scared, but I couldn’t get to her—not alone.”

  “Did you see Catherine?” Ginger asked.

  “No. But if they have her, she’s there.”

  Hunter wandered into the room half-asleep, rubbing the stubble on his head with one hand and carrying his boots in the other. He blinked as he spotted Scout on the floor. “What’s with all the noise?”

  Before Molly could respond, Scout pushed himself up. “They got her, man. We got to rescue her now. I need your help.”

  “Slow down,” Hunter said. “What happened?”

  As Scout retold his story, Molly looked at Ginger. “Go get Jimmy.”

  Jimmy was out in under a minute, pulling his sweater down and throwing his hat on. Ginger followed him with water and flatbread for Scout. Scout ate and talked at the same time, eyes wide, describing everything with big gestures.

  “They took her to this mansion on a hill by a golf course. I peeked in the windows and saw Chase and Patrick with two other kids just as Kessie led Raven into the room. Chase sent the two kids outside and I had to move because they started looking all over the place. They never saw me.”

  “Are you sure?” Jimmy asked.

  “I swear they didn’t.” Scout looked from face to face and Molly felt a pang of sorrow when his pleading eyes found hers. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he looked back to Jimmy. “We have to help her.”

  Jimmy frowned. “Why did she have to talk to Kessie?”

  “Kessie was her best friend. I don’t think she believed Kessie would ever betray her. But Kessie told Raven something bad about Chase that I didn’t hear. She said Chase told everyone if Raven returned she couldn’t be trusted. That’s when they jumped her.”

  No one else spoke. The air hummed with tension as they all considered what should happen next. Molly wished she could think of something clever to say, just to relieve some of the stress, but figured the timing would be inappropriate.

  “I was about to save her, but Raven looked me off and I hid instead, like a little coward.” Scout’s face turned into a mask of anguish. “I hid behind a bush as they dragged her away.” Scout covered his face with his hands as though he were close to ripping the flesh from his skull.

  Molly sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. His body tensed, refusing to be consoled.

  Jimmy paced to the window and back. “We have to move to a new hideout,” he said. “Everybody, round up your stuff. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  “What about Raven?”

  “We’ll get her. You know where she is. We can get her—and Catherine—tonight.”

  “Tonight!” Scout exclaimed. “We can’t wait that long. That dude Chase is evil. He’ll hurt her or worse. She was so scared, Jimmy. Please, we got to help her now.”

  “It’s almost daylight now,” Hunter said. “We’ll never get out alive if we mess with these people during the daytime.”

  “I’m sorry, Scout,” Jimmy said. “We were going to use surprise as our advantage. We didn’t bring enough people to take them head on. We have to do what’s best for the group.”

  “You mean we have to do what’s best for you.” Scout leapt up and headed to the hallway.

  “Scout,” Jimmy said. “Going at night is the only way we’ll be able to save them both.”

  “I know. I’m going to get our stuff.” He disappeared around the corner.

  “What about me?” Hunter asked. “I’m supposed to meet Patrick at breakfast.”

  “Not now,” Jimmy said. “We know where they are and they’re sure to know we’re here.”

  “Yeah, but we’re moving. Who’s to say they aren’t moving, too? We might lose them again.”

  “Damn it,” Jimmy cursed under his breath.

  Molly glanced at Hunter who shook his head at her. Jimmy was stressed way out to be cursing. He looked back out the window. “Let’s find a new place first, and then you can hightail it over to that restaurant and scope things out.”

  “Hightail?” Hunter asked.

  Jimmy scratched underneath the front of his hat. “It’s something Dad used to always say. I think it means to go fast.”

  Ginger hurried into the room with her eyes wide and a trace of panic in her voice. “Scout just left through the backdoor!”

  The word “hightail” ran through Molly’s mind.

  Hunter welcomed the warmth on his back from the rising sun as he led Jimmy, Molly, and Ginger to their new hideout. Tall shadows stretched before them in the crisp morning air, the ground sparkling white from the overnight frost. Hampered by his backpack and sleeping bag, Hunter also shouldered Scout’s stuff while Jimmy hauled Raven’s gear.

  “That selfish little fucking shithead,” Jimmy muttered.

  Hunter listened for five-blocks as every four-letter word imaginable and compounded spilled from Jimmy like acid on the pavement. Jimmy must have stored up for a big meltdown, and Scout had pushed the red button.

  They turned up an alley, passed empty backyards, and entered through a gate to a beige two-story house; Hunter discovered the vacant house a couple days before when he was looking for a back-up hideout, just in case.

  Hunter threw Scout’s stuff into a corner of the kitchen as he entered the back door. “What do you want me to do now?”

  “Go meet Patrick for breakfast,” Jimmy said.

  “What about Scout?” Molly asked.

  “What about him?”

  Molly frowned. “Shouldn’t we go after him or something?”

  Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t even know where to start looking. Only he knew where they were holding Raven, and possibly Catherine. Now we have only one option left, and that’s Hunter meeting with Patrick.”

  “Vanessa’s not going to like this,” Molly said.

  “Vanessa’s not here!” Jimmy’s hands shook. He shoved them into his pockets and took a deep breath. “And she’d be the first one to punch her little brother if she were.”

  “I’ll be ba
ck as soon as I can,” Hunter said, squeezing Jimmy’s shoulder on his way out.

  “Hunter, wait.” Jimmy caught up with him in the backyard, his face tight and strained.

  “I need to hurry,” Hunter reminded him.

  “I know.” Jimmy’s eyelids fluttered. “Take care of yourself. Don’t do anything risky, all right? If things start going wrong, run back here and we’ll go home.”

  Hunter rubbed the pokey stubble on his head. “Go wrong? You mean like now?”

  Tears glistened behind the worry in Jimmy’s eyes. “I’m scared, Hunter.” A single tear slid down his cheek.

  “I know. I found her before when I wasn’t even looking for her. I’ll find her again, I promise. We’ll have her by tonight.” Hunter held out his hand and Jimmy gripped it firmly. They quickly hugged and patted each other on the back.

  Molly lined up behind Jimmy and hugged Hunter as well. She felt warm and soft. Hunter kissed her head and turned to leave. He hustled out of the yard and through the gate, leaving the two people he loved most in the world before things got more emotional.

  • • •

  Hunter ran along the broken sidewalks, reached a knot of kids casually walking in the same direction, and jumped off the curb to pass them.

  “Hey, what’s the rush?” a boy asked.

  “I’m supposed to meet Patrick at breakfast,” Hunter said over his shoulder. “And I’m running late.”

  A gasp rose from the kids. “You better hurry,” the boy said.

  Hunter picked up the pace and arrived at the cafeteria just as the doors were opening. All the early birds pushed their way inside, but Patrick was not among them. With time to spare, Hunter slowed his way to the entrance and stood at the back of the crowd.

  Inside, he gave his last casino chip to the dirty-faced girl on the stool. Her angry stares from the night before were now sleepy and bored.

  After receiving his plate of runny eggs and slightly rotted fruit, Hunter found a table to himself. The eggs tasted a lot better compared to the food he’d eaten last night, and he was surprised this city managed to keep enough chickens around to have eggs. He finished breakfast and waited.

  Kids filtered in and out over the next hour. Hunter eavesdropped on a dozen conversations ranging from the quality of sleep, food, and life in general. Several kids contemplated leaving for the California coast now that it was almost springtime. They discussed the possibility of crossing the Rockies and finding Disneyland or even catching some waves in the ocean. A small boy asked what an ocean was and the group broke out in laughter.

  “Well, what is it?” he asked again and wiped an indignant hand across his face, spreading a strand of snot over his cheek in the process.

  Everyone at the table continued laughing as they gathered their trays and disposed of their trash. They handed their dirty plates over the counter to a thankless dishwasher and left to start their day. The little boy gazed at their backs with sad, hurtful eyes. Then he acknowledged Hunter’s staring interest by smearing snot across the other cheek.

  Hunter smiled and waved the boy over. The kid looked behind him and then turned back and pointed at his chest.

  “Do you want to know what an ocean is?”

  The kid scooted off his seat and brought his tray over. “You’re the one that beat up Tommy the Perv last night, aren’t you?”

  Hunter cocked an eyebrow. “Do you know what a perv is?”

  The kid nodded vigorously. “It’s a person who does mean things to girls, right?”

  “That’s right. What’s your name?”

  “Billy. What’s yours?”

  “Michael.” Hunter held out his hand and Billy shook it with his small, dirty one.

  Then Billy eyed Hunter suspiciously. “So what’s an ocean?”

  “An ocean is a large body of water. It’s what separates the continents from each other.”

  “What’s a continent?”

  Hunter frowned. “How old are you, Billy?”

  “Nine,” Billy said. He puffed out his little chest and then it fell again. “I think. I lost track about a year ago when I was eight, I think.”

  “Isn’t there a school here for the younger kids to go to?”

  Billy’s snot-encrusted face went blank. “What’s a school?”

  Hunter opened his mouth twice before he could find the answer. “A school is a place where you learn about things like how to read and write; how to use math and science.”

  Billy scratched his head, releasing a downpour of dandruff. He glanced around at the other dining hall dwellers like he was bored. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Hunter sighed and also used the moment to survey the crowd, wondering if Patrick had bothered to show up yet. Still no sign of him, he looked back at Billy.

  “A continent is a giant land mass. There are seven continents. You are in the middle of the continent known as North America, which is probably why you’ve never seen an ocean. There are four oceans that separate the continents. If you go over the mountains and follow the setting sun you will eventually run into the Pacific Ocean. If you go east where the sun rises, you will find the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is the Arctic Ocean and to the south is the continent of South America.”

  A line of drool hung from Billy’s mouth to the table. Hunter handed him a napkin.

  “Where are the edges?” Billy asked.

  “What edges?”

  Billy’s face shifted from moronic to self–righteous. “You know, the edges of the world, where you fall into space.”

  Time stretched until Hunter noticed a small, dirty hand waving in front of him. He blinked his eyes. He allowed a maniacal sounding chuckle to escape and noticed several kids turn to stare at him with worry.

  Billy placed his hands on the table and leaned back like he may need to bolt suddenly. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure,” Hunter said, sitting up straight. “You do know the world is round?”

  Billy frowned, collected his tray and stood. “It’s not cool to mess with people’s heads,” he said before stalking off.

  “Wait, I was telling the truth.”

  “Sure. Next thing you’ll tell me is the egg came before the chicken.”

  Hunter discarded his trash and dropped his plate on the growing stack that the dishwasher ignored. Only a couple other kids were left finishing their breakfast. The serving line was closed and the girl with her can of casino chips had already cleared out. Patrick was a no-show and Hunter was now void of options that would lead him to Catherine.

  “Hey, Billy,” Hunter called once outside, trying hard to keep up with the little kid. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Can’t,” Billy said in a huff. “I’m already late and Patrick will punch my teeth out if I don’t hurry.”

  “Patrick? That’s who I was supposed to meet for breakfast. He was going to give me work for my chips.”

  Billy stopped and turned. Hunter barely missed walking through him. Hands on his hips, Billy stared Hunter up and down like he was measuring him for a coffin. Then he shrugged.

  “You better follow me, then.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the Chicken Shack.”

  After Hunter left, Jimmy struggled under the emotional strain that threatened to drag him down. First Scout ran off on a crazy one-man rescue attempt, and now his brother was on his way to meet Patrick the psychopath. Jimmy grabbed the hair under his cap and squeezed.

  Molly stared at him. “Are you okay?”

  Jimmy took a deep breath and left his hair alone. “No. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You should,” she said. “If not with me, than you should with Ginger.” Molly dropped the subject, spun around and walked away.

  Jimmy followed her back inside the new house and grabbed his backpack in the kitchen. He searched for Ginger, assuming she’d be arranging their new bedroom, but found her dusting the living room instead. Jimmy was amazed by the amount of dust buildu
p after six years. Brown clouds billowed in the air, prompting him to open the front door to give the dust an escape route. A cold breeze whipped in, swirling the tiny particles into a mini tornado. Jimmy knew what they really needed was a vacuum—and some electricity.

  Ginger fanned with a brown couch cushion, trying to get the dust cloud to move. “I didn’t realize how bad this would be when I started,” she said.

  “No turning back now,” Jimmy replied, coughing from the dust rushing into his mouth. He pulled on a window that opened with a frustrated creak and popped the screen off, allowing it to fall outside.

  Molly joined Ginger; she went to work with another cushion, fanning toward the door, while Jimmy opened another window. Finally the dust rolled out, dispersing into the front yard.

  The two girls were covered in dust and Jimmy started laughing. Dust saturated their hair. It covered their faces and arms and tiny piles sat upon their shoulders. He couldn’t stop laughing, even as the taste of dust became thick and gritty in his mouth.

  Ginger and Molly joined the laughter and pointing, first at one another and then at Jimmy. As though of one mind, the two girls attacked him with the cushions. Jimmy laughed even harder, trying in vain to defend himself as he realized the color of the sofa was not brown, but red. All three fell to the floor and wiped their watery eyes, leaving clear streaks down their faces like sad clowns from the circus.

  Molly sat back and looked around. “Chances are the rest of the house will be just as bad. We should keep cleaning before washing off.”

  “Are we going to have enough water?” Ginger asked.