Sunscorched

by Jen Crane

  “And now he has.” Kade clenched and unclenched his fists, the battle between fury and restraint clear. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

  “Just give me my money and get the hell out of here!” Hank said belligerently. “I don’t want you here!”

  “You got it.” Kade nodded to Nori, who followed him back into the narrow hall toward their rooms.

  “Kade, are you sure?” she asked.

  “More sure than I’ve been in a long time. He lied about Grant. I should’ve trusted him over Hank, but I didn’t. There’s nothing I can do about it now. Nothing but leave.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said weakly.

  Kade faced her, his jaws set. “I hope you’ve got some sort of plan.”

  “You’re coming with me?” Nori yelped so loudly Kade put a finger to his mouth. “Really?” she squeaked more softly.

  “I can’t stay here.” His bitter laugh held no humor. “I’ve got nowhere else to go. I might as well tag along and watch over you. Believe it or not,” he tilted his head in mock seriousness, “some people find me terrifying.”

  Nori beamed even as tears of relief threatened. She held them at bay, though, while Kade gathered a few things from his room and stuffed them into a duffel bag.

  As Kade packed, Nori took a last look around his room. She hadn’t noticed before, but one corner held several paintings. One was propped against the wall with freshly-rinsed brushes piled neatly beside it.

  “Kade?” Nori said. “Did you paint these?”

  She flipped through a stack of beautiful sunrises, their ethereal beauty captured in orange and purple hues.

  “How did you paint these?” she asked. “You’ve never seen a sunrise.”

  “Painting isn’t just what your eyes see,” he said, taking a moment from packing to glance at his work on the table. “Sometimes you see with your soul.”

  Nori’s heart neared its bursting point again. She was certain she could see into Keegan Kade’s soul, and that it was radiant.

  “You got it right,” she whispered. Then louder, “You very nearly got it right.”

  Kade shot her a curious look. “Hold this,” he said and handed her the duffel while he lifted the thin mattress. A hole had been dug into the rock shelf underneath and he dug through a top layer of gravel and dirt. He pulled a worn canvas bag from the hole, opened the drawstring, pulled out several bills, and stuffed them into the front pocket of his dark pants. After cinching the bag back up, Kade took the duffel back from Nori and left the room without a backward glance. She followed.

  The door to Hank’s office was open and he was pretending to work, despite the early morning hours. As they passed, Kade tossed the canvas bag into the office, sending it sliding across the desk and into Hank’s lap. He fumbled for the bag, lifting it clumsily and, when he looked up, his face was twisted with loathing.

  “Count it if you need to,” Kade said. “There’s extra for the food.” He stretched to his full height and pointed a finger at the old pit boss. “We’re done. You understand?” Kade took a step closer. “You send somebody after us, and they won’t come back.”

  Nori and Kade didn’t speak, didn’t stop, didn’t look back until they reached the steps leading out of Trogtown.

  “You think he’ll follow us?” Nori asked, jogging to keep up with her friend. “You think he’ll send someone to bring us back?”

  “No.” His voice was smooth and sharp as steel. “He knows he’s wronged me, that I meant what I said.”

  A shiver skittered down Nori’s spine at the weight of Kade’s threat. Thank God he was on her side.

  29

  Kade's Story

  “I wish I had a weapon.”

  Nori and Kade had been walking for two hours, at least, and those were the first words out of his mouth.

  She patted her pockets. “I’ve got a knife you can have.”

  “Knife doesn’t do much good in a gun fight.”

  She jerked to a stop. “Who has a gun?”

  “Everyone.”

  Nori thought back to the awful day she was taken to Hank and cringed at the memory of Wallace and Jenks and Sarge. No one had pulled a gun on her, but had they been tucked into filthy riding pants and leather jackets? The militant types she’d hidden from in the alcove that first day had guns, though. “Huh.” She shook her head. “I’ve never used one.”

  Kade opened his mouth to speak before snapping it shut. His jaws flexed and he scrutinized Nori through narrowed eyes.

  “What?” she asked, wiping clean her mouth and nose.

  “Something doesn’t add up.” Kade shook his head. “If I’m honest, it never has. You’re…you’re too odd.”

  Nori’s shocked bark of laughter bounced down the tunnel. “Wow. Thanks.”

  “Okay, maybe odd’s not the right word. Different. You’re too different. You don’t know major towns. You’re unfamiliar with common foods. I’ve noticed little differences in the things you say.” Kade stopped and Nori met his searching gaze. “I’ve heard about religious cults and…and I know a bit about abuse.” He cleared his throat. “If we’re going to do this, I’d like to know you as best I can. Where did you grow up, and how did you come to live at the Pit?”

  Nori swallowed past the lump in her throat. Of course he noticed something was different about her. She grew up in a completely different world. No amount of adapting could cover up the basic gaffes she’d made. Should she tell him the truth? He’d sacrificed both his money and his future for her. He’d left a good home and a great living in a very unstable world. He’d joined her team. She owed him the truth, at the very least.

  “I grew up on the Surface, Kade.”

  His face screwed up in confusion and a series of emotions played across his face. Disbelief, mockery, injury, anger, and, finally, resentment fouled his bold features.

  “You don’t have to lie to me.” He crossed thick arms over his chest. “If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine.”

  Nori touched his arm. “I’m telling the truth. I grew up in a town called Ralston on top of this underground world somewhere. It’s why I don’t know things.” She gave him a playful grin. “It’s why I’m odd.”

  “Whatever, Nori.” His brows creased and the twist of his mouth held scorn. But something else found its way onto his face. There, just inside the crinkle of his eyes, was the tiniest sliver of hope. “You seriously expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes.” She said and shrugged.

  Kade opened and closed his mouth several times before settling on, “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Well, we never talked about where I came from.” Before he could object, she quickly added, “And I was afraid of absolutely everything. Of everyone. I thought my best shot at surviving was to keep my head down and my business to myself. I didn’t know who to trust. I’ve read enough books to know the guy who rocks the boat is usually the first one thrown overboard.

  “Can I ask you… ” Nori struggled for words that wouldn’t offend him. “How is it possible you didn’t know people lived aboveground?”

  “Well, there are stories about rogues and nomads who’ve gone to Surface, but they’re myths. I mean, the earth was decimated after the sunscorch. The air on the Surface is poisoned.”

  Nori grimaced. “It’s not poisoned.”

  Kade shook his head. “What do you mean?”

  “There was a big scorch, it’s true, and a lot of people died. Apparently, the only Earth I’ve ever known is in ruins compared to what it used to be. But people—humanity—survived. We’re a resourceful and resilient bunch, my dad always says.” She risked a look up at Kade, who hung on her every word. “It’s dangerous on the Surface, don’t get me wrong,” she went on. “In most places, it’s either too hot or too cold to live, so people moved to the middle of the globe where the climate is more stable. It’s very crowded there.”

  “I’m not saying I believe this.” Kade threw his hands in front of his chest.
“But for hypothetical purposes, let’s just say I did. Why didn’t your family move?”

  Nori’s steps slowed before stopping completely. She didn’t face him when she answered. “I lost siblings in one of the scorches, and we couldn’t…couldn’t leave them.”

  Kade touched her arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “We have to go now, though, and it kills me. I know it’s killing my parents.”

  “I know that’s a hard choice. They must love you very much.”

  Nori sniffed and cleared her throat. “There are others who didn’t leave for their own reasons. They built bunkers and basements to survive. Living aboveground…it’s a very close-knit community. People have to rely on each other to make it.” Kade nodded and the two began walking again.

  “Does everyone believe it’s poisonous aboveground?” Nori asked after a while. Well, not everyone, she amended. Cooper and Barker knew. Certainly there were others.

  Kade shrugged. “Everyone I know.”

  Kade’s head whipped up at a sound reverberating through the tunnel. Nori heard it, too, and was already sprinting before Kade made the decision to run.

  “Come on!” she called, not slowing.

  “That’s a jeep,” Kade said between breaths as he pumped his arms, his upper body nearly dragging the lower portion. He was fast for a big man, but not nearly as quick as Nori. She led them farther into the tunnel even though they couldn’t possibly outrun the vehicle.

  The white beams of headlights slithered around a corner before the jeep came into view. Nori risked a look behind her, catching a glimpse of the round headlamps the moment they breached the corner. Kade was on her heels with no signs of slowing, but the vehicle gained ground as if they were hobbled. It was no use. They were too slow. She met Kade’s frantic gaze, and he blinked in understanding.

  Planting her feet, Nori jerked to a stop. She threw her back against the wall, her breaths quick and shallow, and pulled the knife from her pocket.

  Kade put himself between Nori and the approaching jeep, feet spread wide and hands fisted at his sides. He was ready for a fight.

  “What…do we do?” she panted.

  “People…use these tunnels…all the time.” He took a deep breath, straightening and relaxing his posture. “We play it cool. Just because it’s a jeep doesn’t mean it’s Hank.”

  “Okay.” Nori nodded, still working to slow her breathing, and hid the knife in the waist of her jeans. “Play it cool. I got it.”

  “And Nori?” he said.

  “Yeah?”

  “If it’s Hank or someone who tries to hurt us, remember what I taught you.”

  “About fighting? Which one—use the force of my body or aim for the soft spots?”

  “Either. Both. Everything you’ve got.”

  Nori nodded and bent her knees. She was ready as she’d ever be.

  The jeep slowed as it neared them then stopped. Nori’s heart slammed in her chest. The only remaining sound was their labored breathing. She worked to slow her racing heart, to concentrate, to think.

  With the headlights off, she could see the two people inside. The driver had a scraggly black beard and mustache, and his camouflaged hat was in tatters from years of wear. The woman in the passenger seat had thick, corded muscles starting from her shoulders all the way down her arms. A brown t-shirt stretched over tight pectorals.

  The woman looked at Nori and then to Kade with discerning, deep brown eyes. “You all right?” she asked Nori.

  “We’re fine,” Kade said coolly. “Just passing through.”

  “I wasn’t asking you.” She put a hand on a rifle stashed beside her leg and turned so only Nori could see her face. The woman inspected Nori’s skin, her clothes, her hands, and searched her gaze. “You all right, honey?”

  Nori’s relieved smile was genuine. “Yes. I’m not in trouble.” She touched her chest. “But thank you.”

  Both the man and woman’s postures relaxed, and the woman nodded. “Be careful.” She tilted her head at Kade. “Even with one big as that beside you. This place is crawling with monsters.”

  Too late, Nori raised a hand in farewell as the driver shifted the jeep into gear and sped away.

  “Kade?” Nori asked much later.

  “Yeah?”

  “How is it you came to fight for Hank?”

  Kade’s shoulders sank toward the ground, and he let out a long breath. “It’s a long story. And not a happy one.”

  “Well, we’ve got, what, two days worth of walking ahead? We’ve got nothing but time. Besides, you know my story now. It’s only fair.”

  “All right.” He sighed and rolled his neck but kept his pace. “I was born north of here in a big settlement. There are places, Nori—a lot of places—that are rough, and lawless, and deadly. Kill or be killed, like the wild west.” He paused and looked down at her. “Is it like that on the Surface?” he asked, eyes lit and voice nearly giddy. “Like the Wild West I’ve read about?”

  Nori shook her head. “No horses.”

  Kade frowned, but went on. “Anyway, after these settlements were built decades ago, the ones who survived were the meanest, the most ruthless—those who’d do anything to stay alive. One of them was my father.

  “He taught me to fight at a very young age. He was very…” Kade leaned his head from side to side, “firm…with me. We sparred constantly. I lost, of course. It’s why I’m so good at taking punches. I’ve done it my whole life.” He cleared his throat. “Fighting was our normal, and it came with his attention, so naturally I became a great student. When I was eight, he started pitting me against older boys because I was bigger than the ones my own age.”

  Nori nodded but didn’t speak, afraid to break the spell that had somehow loosened Kade’s tongue.

  “And then a few years later…” Kade rolled his neck again, but the smooth planes of his face developed hard angles. “I had to defend myself a lot when word got around that I didn’t take the same interest in girls as other boys.” He swallowed and looked at the ground. “When my father found out why I kept coming home bloody, he beat me himself.”

  Nori’s sharp breath drew his gaze back up, and his mouth twisted before he said, “Then he kicked me out. Said he wouldn’t suffer an abomination like me in his house and forced me to leave.”

  “Oh, Kade.” Nori’s heart physically hurt for her friend. “Where was your mother during all of this?”

  “Died. I was young.” His eyes glazed a bit as he said, “I remember the feel of her hands on my face. I remember big, dark eyes, but that’s about all.” The muscles in his jaws suddenly clenched. “Sometimes I wonder if she took the only way she had to escape my father, but…” He swallowed hard. “I don’t think she would’ve left me with him alone. She loved me. I know that, at least.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Nori’s hands ached to hug her friend, but she settled on gripping his fingers and letting him finish the story.

  “It was hard being alone at first, but I was happy to leave, honestly. Life with him…it was a cruel and bloody hell.

  “I left town. Went south. A gang—though they called themselves a unit, like they were military—found me first. They were impressed with how long I fought them off.” He sniffed and straightened. “They sold me to a fighting ring.”

  Nori’s eyes were wide as she watched a range of emotions play over Kade’s strong features. She tripped on a loose rock and grunted. “We have that in common, at least.”

  “That’s where the similarities end.” His mouth twisted sardonically. “The people they sold me to weren’t Hank. Not even close. It was a syndicate of sorts, so there were several people invested in my success—or failure. Several to dole out threats or mete out punishments. We…we were like dogs to them. One owner took a particular interest in me. Reminded me of my father in so many ways.” Kade’s jaws and fists flexed, chill bumps erupting along his skin as memories resurfaced.

  Nori swallowed past the lump in her throat. “How did you get away?”


  “Hank brought fighters to a match in my town. I was headed to the locker room and found a woman wandering the halls.” The lines around Kade’s eyes softened. “She was confused, she’d hurt herself, she…wasn’t well. I cleaned her up and took her to Hank, who by then was desperate to find her.”

  “Janie,” Nori breathed, and Kade nodded.

  “It was before she got so bad.” Kade cleared his throat. “Anyway, Hank knew how the people I fought for treated fighters. Hell, they took pride in their reputation. Hank said someone with a heart like mine had no place with the soulless swine.” Kade smiled suddenly. “Isn’t it funny the things you remember? ‘Soulless swine’ he called them. So, he bought me. I wasn’t cheap.”

  Nori shook her head in wonder. “I imagine not.”

  “A lot of the fighters you know at the Pit could tell you a similar story.”

  She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. “I love that story. And I hate it. Kind of how I feel about Hank.”

  Kade nodded his agreement. “So you see, fighting is all I’ve ever known. It’s about damn time I try something new, don’t you think?”

  30

  The Long Road Home

  Nori’s stomach growled, drawing a grin from Kade. “Hungry?” he asked.

  She shrugged and pulled her backpack around in search of Vitabars.

  The two ate in companionable silence, concerned with the road ahead but unwilling—or unable—to voice their fears.

  “You hear that?” Nori’s voice was a harsh whisper.

  “Shhh.” Kade angled his head toward the noise. “Motorcycle this time.”

  “You think it’s Sarge?”

  “No way to know. Could be anybody. Same as before, okay? Cool but cautious.”

  Nori nodded and touched the knife in her pocket.

  The high-pitched whine of a motorcycle grew nearly unbearable just before it stopped completely. Though the engine had cut off, the headlight remained on, blinding them. Nori imagined Wallace, his weasel-like face pulled into a feral grin at his luck.