by Fred Alvrez
Huh? This didn’t seem like the action of a Secret Service agent hunting them down. Still, he and Kev were there, and the chance of someone randomly turning up at the same time was out of this world—especially with the number of people left.
The man turned slowly toward Nathan—could he know Nathan was in the shadows? Nathan quickly ran through the scenario in his mind. Kevin could now talk—maybe this military guy could see in the dark? Maybe he had gained extra powers from a portal?
Things happened quickly. The soldier started to stride toward Nathan, and his mind decided that, yes, this guy could see in the dark.
There was only one thing to do. Nathan aimed and fired the pistol.
The noise wasn’t deafening, but it was much louder than when he was testing with the pistol outside. An acrid smell hit his senses, as he watched the soldier fall to the floor.
Kevin darted out to see what had happened as Nathan hit the light switch. “Careful, Kev. There might be more of them outside!”
“Then why did you turn the lights on?”
“Oh yeah. Well, I’m pretty sure he was alone, then.”
Nathan went over to check on the soldier lying on his side. He holstered his pistol and pulled the man toward him, onto his back. His eyes flew open wide. “It’s a girl?”
“Good spotting, Nate, and she doesn’t look like a government agent at all, or a soldier. And it looks like you’ve killed her.”
“Shit. Quick, grab what you can from the staff room—towels, whatever. Let’s try and at least stop the bleeding, if she isn’t dead.”
Nathan lifted her shirt where the blood was concentrated. He was no doctor, but it looked like he had grazed her abdomen. He noticed her stomach rising and falling. She should live, he thought hopefully. Being a bad shot had its benefits after all.
Kevin returned with some paper towels in his mouth. He dropped them to the floor.
“Actually, I’m not sure how hygienic these will be on a wound now. Maybe you should get some.”
Nathan ran to the staff room, and brought back packs of paper towels.
“Is she alive, Nate?”
“Pretty sure she is—her chest is rising and falling. It looks like I only grazed her. She’s probably passed out.”
“Lucky for you. Why did you shoot her?”
Nathan rubbed his head. “Gut reaction, a bad one,” he said as he applied pressure to the wound. “She started coming at me, and I thought she was a guy. I don’t know why she did that. Hopefully we can ask her. Um, if she lives.”
He kept the pressure on, like he had seen in the movies. Kevin brought some hand towels from the staff room to him.
“Bundle these up and put them under her head.”
“Good idea. I’m not sure I should be trusted with a gun anymore. It wasn’t like the movies or my games at all. I feel like shit now.”
With her head supported and pressure on the wound, Nathan took stock. He was pretty sure she wasn’t military or government. She looked like an everyday person, out to get an energy drink. Then he shot her.
“Kev, can you put pressure on the wound? I better go and check her SUV and make sure there aren’t any kids or babies or anyone else in there.”
“Sure. But be careful. We don’t know who she is or who she works for, even if she doesn’t look like a Secret Service agent.”
Kevin took over from Nathan, using his paws to keep pressure on the wound.
Nathan stood, shaking. He had shot someone, and he shouldn’t have. He contemplated taking his pistol out and keeping it in front of him as he approached the SUV, but thought better of it. He didn’t want to accidentally shoot anyone else tonight.
He went over to the black SUV and had a careful look inside. No one else was there. Something looked weird at the front. Nathan saw what looked like a bullet hole in the windscreen. He walked around the back of the truck and saw another hole where the bullet had gone in or come out.
Taking a risk, he opened up the back of the SUV.
“What the…”
Tradesman’s tools were lying on the floor and on shelves, along with a selection of pipes and hose fittings.
This didn’t make sense. A bullet hole—so potentially yes, a Secret Service agent or military, but what looked like plumber’s tools in the back?
Nathan opened the passenger’s door, saw the sports bag, and opened it. No guns—just clothes, everyday things, and two cans of beans. He took the bag with him. At least she’d have her things when she came around.
If she came around, he reminded himself.
Coming back into the gas station, nothing had changed. Kevin was still applying pressure, and the girl was still unconscious. He dropped her bag on the floor.
Kevin looked up at Nathan. “Well, what’s the story?”
“Actually, I don’t know. It looks like someone has shot at her. There’s a bullet hole right through from the front to the back. But in the back of it there’s a whole lot of plumbing stuff, like tools and pipes and things. So, yeah, I have no idea.”
“Well, one of us is going to need to stay awake until she comes around. If she wakes up and we’re asleep, who knows—she might grab the gun and shoot us, or just freak out or something.”
“Agreed. I’ll go find the first aid kit, and at least see if we can bandage her up so we don’t have to keep holding that wound, then I’ll take the first shift.”
Nathan grabbed her bag and took it to the staff room. He found a big first aid kit and brought the whole thing back to the girl.
“We can’t leave her lying on the floor either, Kev. We’re gonna have to drag her to the staff room or something—somewhere more comfortable.”
“Okay. Bandage her up first, then we—uh, you—can move her.”
Carefully, Nathan stuck padding and then tape all around her abdomen, to the point where he was confident no blood would keep coming out.
“Okay, Kev, I’ll pull her by her arms to the staff room. Let’s hope she doesn’t wake up while I do—that would freak her out.”
Nathan pulled while Kev trailed behind. He managed to get her onto the bed of tartan blankets in the staff room, and then covered her with one, with more behind her head for support. He returned to the shop area and killed the lights. No point being a beacon through the night.
Nathan went to the staff room and closed the door to stop the light spilling out.
“You crash out if you can, Kev. I’ll stay awake and nudge you in a few hours, okay?”
“Thanks. I know it’s been a rush and all, but I’m now out of energy. Wake me in a couple.”
Nathan sat on one of the hard plastic seats in the staff room. He wasn’t sure he would ever sleep again after shooting this girl.
It was all a dream, she was sure of it. There was no end of the world, and she hadn’t been shot. Just a bad dream.
A nightmare, even.
Casey opened one eye slightly. The pain rising in her side told her she wasn’t dreaming. Carefully, she opened her eye a little more to take in the situation. She didn’t want to be shot again—maybe even killed.
Like they say, information is power.
It looked like she was still in the gas station, maybe in another room.
She spied a dog sitting there, looking out through the window at the night sky. There was what she thought was a guy sleeping on a chair in the corner. Her vision, still blurry, cleared a little. Yup, it was a guy, and he looked familiar.
Casey looked at the dog and back to the guy.
She was sure of it: these were the pair that she had seen in Flynn’s mind.
Were they good or bad? The fact that the guy had shot her made her lean toward really bad. Maybe they worked with Flynn, helping catch females for whatever it was they wanted to do with them.
But the dog made it a little weird. She looked at him some more. He seemed at peace looking out through the window. It seemed very un-doglike.
As painful as it felt, she dared not move to check her wounds in
case they heard her. For the moment she wanted them to believe she was still unconscious until she decided she could trust them or not. Hell, that had got her away from Flynn’s grabby hands.
And straight into the arms of this guy.
She saw the guy go to move up off his chair, so closed her eyes, and heard the guy whispering.
“I can’t do it, Kev. There’s no way I’m sleeping tonight. It’s been an hour and nothing. I’ll keep watch while you crash out.”
“Woof.”
“Oh, not now. Talk to me, buddy.”
Casey opened one eye a crack. The guy got up and went to the dog, holding the dog’s head in his hands.
“Woof.”
“Shit. Well, I guess we knew that was going to happen. Talk about your bad timing.”
She lay there, now with her eyes shut, unmoving.
What the fuck was going on here?
What was the guy expecting to happen? For his freaking dog to talk?
More whispering. “She’s still out to it. I hope I haven’t hurt her too bad. It’s four o’clock now. Maybe in the light of day, she’ll come to and tell us what happened. And then I can apologize to her.”
“Woof.”
“I know, and I will.”
Casey lay there, more confused than ever. This was one weird-as-shit scene that was playing out. Maybe this guy was an actor as well, pretending to have a conversation with his dog. He did say he wanted to apologize to her, but who knew?
It might all be lies.
The pain subsided a little, and Casey turned her mind toward today’s events—well, yesterday she assumed now.
Almost getting kidnapped and then being shot were not on her to-do list.
Weariness came back over her as she wondered if she’d ever make it to her dad’s house. She drifted back to sleep.
He saw Kevin rise up off the floor, and let out a quiet “Woof”.
Nathan whispered back to him. “Morning Kev. She’s still out to it. No change from 4:00 a.m. But there was something I discovered a few minutes ago when I went to the toilet. Come see.”
Kevin followed Nathan out to the shop.
“Look.”
There by the floor to the toilet was a portal. Nathan could almost see Kevin grinning.
The dog went straight over to the shimmering and started to push his head through. Bit by bit it went in until Nathan could only see his collar.
After a minute or so, Kevin retracted his head.
“Oh, man, that was even more painful than last time. Hey, I can talk again!”
“Yes! I mean, yes. Got to remember our guest and keep our voices down. Speaking of which, one of us still needs to stay with her all the time. I’ll go back in the staff room.”
Kevin started to walk toward the automatic doors. “Okay. I’ll go out and find a tree; you watch her.”
“TMI, Kev, TMI.”
The automatic doors binged as Kevin went outside.
Nathan returned to the staff room. He was sure he caught a glimpse of their guest with one eye open. Or did he?
“Are you awake?”
No response.
“We’re not here to hurt you, if you are. And I’m really sorry for shooting you last night. I thought you were one of the soldiers who have been tracking us.”
The girl’s eyes opened and she rolled over slowly from her back onto her side, grimacing from the obvious pain.
“Tracking you? Soldiers? What do you mean?”
Elation rose in Nathan’s heart. She was alive and conscious.
“A convoy of army Land Rovers passed us in Waiouru yesterday, and I thought yours was one of them. When you came at me last night, I thought you were a soldier or secret service agent going to take me away or something.”
“I’m not—I’m a plumber, actually. And I did go through Waiouru yesterday, but I didn’t see any army trucks.”
“You came through the town a little after them. Hey, why is there a bullet hole in your truck?”
“It’s a long story.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, okay. Not convinced. And you are a plumber, huh?”
“Yes, girls can be plumbers, too, you know.”
He saw a sheepish look come over her face. He had embarrassed her. The girl slowly sat up, her face showing the pain from doing so.
“And I didn’t come at you last night. I was going to the restroom, and then you shot me.”
“So you can’t see in the dark?”
“See in the dark? How on earth could I do that?”
“Uh, sorry. No reason really. Just wondered.”
She looked down at her bandage.
“I don’t want to take this off, but how bad is it?”
“It’s only a graze, I think. There was some blood coming out, so I’m not sure if you’ll feel dizzy or anything because of that. You passed out after I shot you. Which I didn’t mean to do.”
“Yes, you said that already. Can I ask who you were talking to just now? I thought there was only you and the dog.”
Nathan smiled. “That was Kevin talking.”
“I thought Kevin was your dog?”
“He is. He can talk.”
The girl sat there with her mouth open. “No, he can’t. I was awake for a few minutes this morning, and he just woofed like a normal dog.” Her stance changed, to one with more aggression. “Why are you lying to me? Are you on any meds or anything? Do you know Flynn?”
“No, I’m not on any meds and have no idea who Flynn is. And while Kev couldn’t talk this morning, he can now. It’s a long story.”
The girl turned her head to the side slightly. “Sure it is. Not convinced either. I’m still trying to decide if I can trust you, you know. I had a bad run-in with a guy only yesterday.”
“We did, too. Pretty scary, this guy—”
Kevin walked into the room. “Hungry, Nate? I am.”
Chapter Fourteen
Casey sat with her mouth open, and as much as it hurt her, pulled her legs up closer to herself in a subconscious self-defense move.
“Hey, Nate, our guest is alive and awake.”
“She is, but I think she’s a little freaked out, Kev.”
“I see.” Kevin walked closer to her, sat down, and stuck his paw out to her. “How do you do, Miss. My name is Kevin.”
Mouth still open, she shook his paw.
“I’m, uh, Kevin?”
“No, I’m Kevin. Unless that’s your name, too? That would be cool.”
A blank, stunned look came over Casey’s face. “No, it’s not Kevin, Kevin. It’s, uh…you can talk?”
“Only when I stick my head in a shimmering portal thing. It’s a long story.”
“A portal? You mean like the one at the JET in Bulls?”
Nathan jumped up. “You’ve seen that one, too? Did you put your head in and see?”
“Yes, I did. It was like our world, but without us.”
“We found the same thing.”
“Your dog can talk. You know that, right?”
Nathan laughed. “Yeah, I’ve sort of worked that out already. He’s been doing it for a few days, but it only lasts until midnight or something like that, then he loses it until we find another portal and he puts his head in it. There’s one outside the restroom now—or there was. Kevin put his head in it a few minutes ago, and now he can talk again. They seem to come and go but we’ve only found them in JET gas stations so far. By the way, my name is Nathan.”
He put his hand out to shake hers. She stuck her hand out.
“Casey.”
Nathan shook her hand, and Casey quickly shrugged it off like it was on fire, her face showing horror.
“Sorry! Did I hurt you or something?”
“No. It’s just that, well, the last time a guy touched me, it didn’t end well for him.”
Nathan eyed Casey up and down.
Maybe she was a black belt or something like that?
“Okay. Well, maybe you can tell us more over a nice break
fast of chips and dip, courtesy of JET. And I’ll be sure not to touch you, don’t worry.”
Nathan went out and got some chips from the shelves and dip from the fridge while Kevin sat and chatted to Casey.
He was still a bit unsure about her. He felt she was hiding something. Maybe she’d spill it over breakfast.
Nathan took the breakfast foods back to the staff room. He couldn’t be more thankful she wasn’t dead or injured to the point of needing a doctor. “Great to see you are sitting up, Casey. Here’s a deliciously bad breakfast for you.”
He put the chips and dip on her makeshift bed and opened them. He had some Twinkies for Kevin, and opened those for him.
While they ate, they shared stories about what had happened a few days ago when it all hit the fan. Nathan left out the bit about searching for his naked mother. Some things didn’t need to be said. Both groups discussed parts of the drive north.
Casey mentioned her friend Amy and her news from Australia. Not that there was much, but it meant another person.
“Nathan, can you tell me about the army convoy? How do you know they are tracking you?”
“Well, we aren’t exactly sure they were tracking us. It was just a feeling. They drove past us in Waiouru. Could be our imagination, of course, but the army is definitely wrapped up in what’s going on.”
“Interesting. Well, it helps to know, I guess, but I’m not sure what to do with that next. I was heading to the Far North to my father’s place, even though I don’t know if he’s there or not. My gut was telling me to go there. I still want to.”
Nathan saw Casey move a bit then grimace. “Uh, we’re headed to my brother’s place in Raglan. Not sure if he’s there either, but it felt good to have a plan.”
“Casey,” said Kevin. “How did you get a bullet hole in your truck?”
“I guess there’s no harm in telling you guys. A guy tried to kidnap me. His name was Flynn. I got away from him, but he shot at me. Missed me, but got my truck. Actually, you guys might know him. He tried to take your car—is it a Tesla?”
Nathan leaped up. “Yes! Bastard tried to take it off us, but we managed to get away from him too. How on earth did you find out that he was the guy?”
