by Maira Dawn
Using the truck as a shield, she slid the plastic cans into its bed, making sure they would see them if the light landed on the pickup.
Kelsey walked back and pawed through the larger items that littered the ground. She pulled at some material that turned out to be a large tablecloth.
She dropped it over the tailgate.
Hopefully, that would be enough to make it look like an unfamiliar vehicle.
After having done all she was able to do, Kelsey crouch behind one of the large tires of her truck and watched as the spotlight drew closer.
Her stomach knotted tighter.
The bright beam swept over the yellow car—then the blue one—lingering on each one.
Kelsey held her breath. Had she left anything that would tell them she was right here in front of them?
The light moved, gleaming on the edge of the truck’s silver bumper, inches from her.
Her eyes followed it, refusing to budge as it brightened the underside of the vehicle.
She pulled her legs in, putting her arms around them.
Long shadows of the tires appeared on the road. Would the one she hid behind look different from the rest?
Kelsey waited for a shout or the banging of car doors. If she heard that, she’d have to leave everything and run—run for all she was worth.
Kelsey dug the toe of her shoe into the gravel and put her hand to the ground.
The over-bright beam lingered on the truck, then moved on, across the grass and over the houses before it cut off.
Kelsey almost laughed in relief and slapped her hand over her mouth.
She waited until their car moved on before jumping into the truck.
They drove further down the road and turn the spotlight on again.
Her hands curled around the steering wheel. She was eager to leave.
Just a little longer. Slow and steady.
Once they were out of range, Kelsey tossed the garbage cans out of the back of the pickup but kept the tablecloth. It might be of some use.
After climbing back into the truck, she scanned the houses alongside the road. One of them was bound to have a map.
She shook her head as she glanced at the road behind her. This wasn’t the place to linger and find out. She’d have to take her chances.
She knew the way north. That would have to do for now.
Twenty-Nine
Her Trouble
Kelsey held her breath as she turned the key. The engine rumbled, then settled into a quiet purr.
Hopefully, the men hadn’t heard that.
With a swift glance down the street, she backed the truck out of the ditch and continued up the back road as far as she was able.
When the gravel road dead-ended into a paved street, she turned left. It would take her further away from the Interstate, but that seemed a good thing for now. This larger road may have some amenities. The fuel gauge pointed nearer to empty than she’d like, and a gas station would be a good place to look for a map.
Kelsey drove for about fifteen minutes before she hit pay dirt—a gas station.
She scanned the building for any movement.
The pumps lit up the night like a beacon, even though no other lights in the place were on. Someone must take care of the station.
Kelsey passed the building and stopped beside some tall bushes. From here, she could spy on the place.
After about ten minutes with no noise and movement, she took a chance.
After turning the pickup around, she pulled it in beside a gas pump.
Kelsey watched the station’s door--sure some irate owner would bust through it at any time.
She yanked the nozzle off of the machine, put it in the truck, and squeezed the handle. Gas flowed into the truck just as if the world hadn’t changed.
But it had changed, and this was weird.
After setting the hose to auto, she reached into the back seat and pulled out the taser.
She gripped it with both hands as she stood there waiting for the truck to fill up.
Even before, filling a vehicle at an empty station in the dead of night would’ve been eerie. Now it was downright terrifying.
Once the tank was full, Kelsey debated her map situation.
She scanned the area. Still no one. Kelsey tried to make out the dim front room of the station but couldn’t.
Torn over what to do, Kelsey knew she needed that map. She couldn’t let fear stop her or she could end up driving in circles.
There wasn’t enough time or fuel to get lost.
Kelsey raced to the front of the small mom-and-pop style store and peeked through the windows.
Her gaze met nothing but blackness.
After glancing at the truck—that now seemed so far away—she went to the commercial glass door and yanked on the handle, taser ready.
Locked.
She almost cried. With one more glance toward the truck and the safety it offered, Kelsey squared her shoulders and ran to the back of the building.
After rounding the corner, she spied a back door.
Kelsey crept toward it as she looked over the back yard. Once she determined it safe, she twisted the doorknob and smiled when the door opened.
The sickly-sweet smell of death rolled over her.
Kelsey’s grin disappears as she took a step back and drew her shirt over her nose.
The moonlight over her shoulder revealed a family laid out on the concrete floor. A huge clear plastic sheet covered them. Kelsey’s gaze lingered on the flowers, button-down shirts, and pink bows, tears coming to her eyes.
What this world had come to. Had they chosen this themselves, or had someone done this to them?
Stories like this would be lost forever.
Kelsey moved past the decaying family, murmuring apologies and avoiding a second look. The children reminded her too much of her own lost siblings.
She headed straight to the front of the store and found a rack of maps right away. She pulled out one for North and South Carolina as well as Virginia and West Virginia.
Better to be over-prepared.
Beside the map stand stood a cooler with a large vinyl sticker announcing Mountain Dew stuck to the front of it.
Kelsey’s mouth watered. How long had it been since she’d had her favorite pop?
Even warm, it would be delicious and help her stay awake on the way home. She opened the cooler door and pulled out every bottle.
Kelsey peeked out the store window at her pickup and cleared the area before unlocking the front door and running for the vehicle. She hopped in and quickly locked the doors.
Kelsey leaned back in the seat and breathed out a sigh of relief before unfolding the South Carolina map. She found her general area but would be sure once she got to a named town. For now, she’d continue north.
Kelsey downed a bottle of Mountain Dew along with two protein bars, both for the substance and caffeine. It was going to be a long night.
She laid the map on the seat beside her and fired up the truck.
It was time to go home.
Three hours later, she’d found her place on the map and slowly edged her way toward the interstate. But Mountain Dew or no—Kelsey couldn’t keep her eyes open.
It’d been twenty-four hours since she’d gotten any actual sleep and now, in the early morning, it had caught up with her.
As she uttered yet another yawn, she saw a grassy field with a large, lonely barn. She moved off the Interstate and bumped over the rough terrain until she was on the opposite side of the building.
After locking up, she covered herself, head to toe, with the blanket from the pawnshop. On top of that, she put the tablecloth. Hopefully, if someone wandered past, they wouldn’t even see her.
She hugged her taser to herself and drifted off.
When Kelsey woke, the sun perched high in the sky, and the truck cab was warming up. She peeked out of the front window and saw little besides long grass waving in the breeze.
As Kelsey stu
died the map, she had another protein bar and Mountain Dew. She gave a loud, rough burp and giggled before turning the truck toward the highway.
She settled in for what she figured would be a few hours’ drive and smiled as she imagined driving up her mountain.
What she hadn’t imagined was the company on the Interstate. It shocked her at first.
Vehicles were admittedly rare, but she’d expected none. Several cars passed her going south. She slowed the first time, her hands clenched on the wheel and ready to swerve if need be. But they just drove on by.
By the time Kelsey came up behind a blue SUV going north, it seemed normal. The kids in the back waved at her, and she waved back. Even the dad gave her a nod and smile when he realized she wasn’t a threat.
There were still good people, not everyone was like Doctor Evil.
A couple of hours later, Kelsey was digging around for a bottle of water when she spotted a small caravan of vehicles in the distance traveling opposite of her.
A single car here and there was one thing—but this many together? It seemed like trouble.
She scoured the road for an exit but realized she’d just passed it about a mile back.
Perhaps whoever it was would leave her alone.
Kelsey shook her head. She couldn’t take that chance. She was alone—with no one at her back.
She shuddered. Alone was the one thing she’d never wanted to be again. Fenton had been enough.
Kelsey stayed in the furthest right Northbound lane and readied herself to take the truck off-road if need be.
As the caravan of vans and trucks got closer, her breathing quickened. Her heart thumped its fear loud enough Kelsey swore she heard it.
“It’ll be okay,” she murmured to herself. “They’ll continue south—I’ll continue north. No problem.”
She stared at the line of vehicles as they got closer.
“White van, blue van, blue truck, black truck. Trouble and more trouble.”
As if a childhood rhyme, she repeated to herself, “White van, blue van, blue truck, black truck.”
Kelsey squinted, trying to see the vehicles better as they sped toward her.
“White van, blue van, blue truck, black truck.”
Something about them . . .
They were so close now that they would soon be past her.
And that was just what she wanted.
Didn’t she? She held her breath.
The white van blew by her.
She eyed the driver of the blue van.
Kelsey’s pent-up air burst out in a shocked huff.
She stomped the breaks and yanked the wheel to the left.
The truck protested, squealing as it left black marks and smoke behind her.
Bumping across the grassy median, she blared the horn over and over.
She’d been right.
They were trouble, but they were her trouble.
Thirty
The Question
Dylan shifted in his seat and winced. When he moved just right, the dang wound still sent a red-hot poker through him.
He sighed. Who was he kidding? Not sometimes, every time he moved. But it was nothing next to the anguish he had over Skye’s loss.
Every cell in his being called out for her. The emptiness was almost more than he could bear.
What if he never found her? What if he lived the rest of his life without his darlin’?
Dylan hung his head. He couldn’t think like this—it was driving him crazy. He’d find her and take her home. That was all there was to it.
He raised his hand and bit at his nail—his nervous habit kicking in again. At least, he and Jesse had easily caught up with Wade’s group. He had to be thankful for that.
But the traveling was hard. Dylan wanted to make plans, feel like he was doing something, anything. But there were no plans to make until he learned the layout of the place. All he was able to do was watch the trees rush by.
Dylan huffed out a sigh and ran a hand through his shaggy hair.
Jessie, who sat between the two brothers, patted Dylan’s shoulder and sighed himself. “It’ll be okay, Dad.”
Dylan had to smile at the boy as his heart warmed at the boy’s new name for him.
Dad.
Dylan had never been sure he’d ever be a father, but he and Jesse had clicked on a deep level. Much of their upbringing was the same, and they understood one another. Dylan wanted to be a strong support for Jesse as he grew—to imitate his own real father and not the stepfather who had been more of a threat than anything else.
“We’ll get them back,” Jesse said, “I know we will.”
Dylan gave him a tight smile and nodded.
Jesse wasn’t as confident as he pretended. His round, scared eyes reminded Dylan that he was a kid caught in a world no one understood yet.
Dylan put an arm around his son and squeezed his shoulders. “Yep, we will. We’ll be there in no time.”
“We’ll get ‘em both,” Jesse said, shooting an uncertain glance at Dylan.
“Of course, we will. Everyone’s important, Jesse. We don’t leave anyone behind.”
Jesse nodded, and his body relaxed some. The boy was sweet on Kelsey, even though she was a couple of years older than him.
Dylan smiled. But someday, in a decade or so, who knew?
When they passed the sign welcoming them to South Carolina, Dylan and Wade glanced at each other.
“Here we are,” Wade said.
“I wish we knew how far down the coast they were.”
“The road may tell us. It has so far.”
Dylan grunted his agreement.
The road had been remarkably clear of debris as they traveled south. Someone had shoved all the empty cars to the side of the road, and from any exits that were apparently used regularly. They had passed a few cars zipping north or south as they’d driven the highway. The men had stared at each one as they went by.
Dylan drummed his fingers against the door. “Still, I wish we had the name of the town to go on.”
“You got that right, brother. Anything more than what that lousy miscreant gave would have been nice.”
“Look.” Jesse pointed to a dark-blue pickup coming up the road on the other side of the median.
Wade’s eyes narrowed.
Dylan scanned the vehicle, though little could be seen this far away. It would most likely sail past, its passengers praying for safe passage. But just in case, they kept their eyes glued to it.
The truck seemed to be flying by until it was directly across from them.
Tires squealed as the driver yanked the wheel toward the Southbound lane, then barreled through the grassy strip separating the lanes. The driver blared the horn over and over.
“What the—,” Wade said as he pushed back in his seat, reaching for his rifle.
Dylan whipped his head from the crazy vehicle to the scene around them. Was this an ambush?
“It’s Kelsey!” Jesse pushed himself to the edge of his seat, pointing.
Wade slammed the breaks so hard they squealed. Dylan and Jesse grabbed the seat to avoid hitting the dashboard.
The caravan behind them followed suit. Blue smoke and the smell of burnt rubber wafted over the area.
Kelsey’s big, blue truck jerked to a stop in the middle of the grass. Her door flew open, and she jumped out.
The girl raced up the small incline, tripping twice as she came. Tears streamed down her face as she shouted for them.
“I’m here! I’m here!”
Wade and Dylan leaped from their seats with Jesse close behind, closing the gap between themselves and the girl. Kelsey wrapped her arms around all of them, clenching them as if she’d never let go. “I found you!”
Dylan wrapped an arm around her. The little thing trembled so hard she could hardly stand. He looked her over, relieved to find she didn’t look hurt.
He hoped for news of Skye, but what the girl gasped out was almost incomprehensible. The only thing h
e understood was her plea, “Please, please don’t leave me alone.”
“It’s okay, Kelsey. We’re here. No one will hurt you now,” Jesse assured her.
Kelsey nodded and unwrapped herself enough to pull part of her shirt to her face, wiping it dry.
New tears immediately replaced the old, so she took a few slow breaths, hiccuped, and tried to talk, but her tongue wasn’t in sync with her mind. Still, Dylan caught some words.
“Man . . . evil . . . Skye . . . experiment . . . help.”
Dylan swallowed and crouched in front of Kelsey. He stared at her, asking the question he’d hoped he’d never have to.
“Kelsey, is Skye still alive?” His voice wavered with emotion.
Kelsey nodded over and over.
Dylan sagged with relief.
“Skye is alive. She needs us,” Kelsey said with a rush. “She needs us now!”
Dylan ran for the truck.
The rest followed and when Kelsey tripped once again. Jesse helped her up. “Is it okay if I help you?” he asked her.
“Please. I can’t seem to walk straight.”
Dylan pointed to two men and barked out, “You two. Take Kelsey’s truck and follow along. She’s in no shape to drive right now.”
Dylan and Wade returned to the front seat as Kelsey and Jesse hopped in the back.
“How far away are we, Kelsey?” Dylan asked.
“Not all that far. A few hours.”
“Can you show us a good place to stop before we get into their territory?”
“I can do that.”
“You need to tell me everything.”
“Yes.”
Dylan stuck his hand out the window and banged on the side of the truck, then pointed ahead.
He set his jaw and said, “Let’s go get her, boys.”
Thirty-One
Choices
Skye watched Kelsey as she shimmied down the sheets. It broke her heart to leave the girl. Kelsey was like a daughter to her, and who knew when, or if, they would ever see each other again.