“Wow,” I said. “Nice shot.”
She turned to me. “Good, you’re up. I was startin’ to wonder if you were dead, you were sleepin’ so long.”
I found a drink as Kalisha sauntered back to our makeshift camp, which consisted of a small circle we’d cleared of sticks and rocks, and the packs we’d dropped on the dirt. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would have voluntarily chosen to go camping back when electricity and running water were abundant. Those people must’ve been masochists.
“Here,” she said as she drew nearer, hand outstretched. “Take this.”
It was a handgun.
I hesitated. “I don’t know how to shoot.”
“I’ll teach you.”
“I like my knives.”
“I know. And you’re good with ‘em. But it’s a lot easier to take those monsters out from a distance, when you can.”
She had a point, but still I wavered. The unfamiliarity of guns made me uneasy.
“Look, lesson one,” she said. “Never point at anything you don’t intend to shoot—always assume it’s loaded.”
“Okay.”
“Press here to release the magazine—see how many rounds you got—and insert it back in like this.”
She demonstrated with the ease of an expert. I wondered if she’d been into this before the invasion.
“Here’s the safety, and,” she jostled her thumb, “that’s how to disengage it. See?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Try it,” she said, offering the gun again. This time I took it, tentatively.
“Whoa,” she said, grabbing my hand and repositioning it. “Never put your finger on the trigger ‘til you’re ready to fire. The world may have ended, but a gun’ll kill just as good as an alien, okay?”
I nodded. She spent the next several minutes grilling me in how to handle the weapon before finally saying, “Okay, then. There’s your first target.”
She pointed to a wide tree trunk maybe ten yards away. I took aim, but before I could fire, she stopped me.
“Straighten your arm—there you go. Now bend your knees slightly—bring your head over a little.”
She went through another half dozen corrections before finally allowing me to fire.
I pulled the trigger and a loud blast sounded all around. Even though I’d been prepped for it, the recoil startled me.
“Did I hit it?”
“Uh, no. Try again.”
Attempting to remember everything I’d been drilled on for the last half hour, I let off another shot.
“That was worse than the first one,” she said.
My hands dropped.
“Look, I appreciate you trying to help me, but I don’t think I can do this. I don’t really even want to.”
She looked at me for a long moment before replying.
“All right,” she relented, her tone indifferent. “But you keep that gun, just in case. At least you won’t kill yourself with it now. It might come in handy someday.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “But you know, if you were to stick around, you could just do the shooting for me.”
I’d meant it as something of a joke, but she turned on me, offense written all over her face.
“I told you Rhyan, I ain’t goin’ back. I’m droppin’ you off and leavin’.”
“But to where?” I countered. “The Captain said there’s no other city for hundreds of miles. I know he’s awful, and maybe he really is trying to kill people, but he’s just one guy! He can’t be worth leaving the city over.”
“It ain’t just that,” she said. “When I went to see him, and heard him say those things, about organizin’ another mission? Well, he found me hiding and….”
“And what?”
She turned away from me and continued in a choked voice, “He attacked me. Tried to kill me. I was able to get my knife out of my boot. I cut his ear, and he let go. I ran off fast as I could and…. Well, I ain’t goin’ back.”
My innards froze cold. I’d known the Captain was vile, but this was worse than I’d thought.
“I’m sorry I asked you to stay.”
“You didn’t know.”
“You going to be okay on your own?”
“I’ve done it before. It ain’t no picnic, but I’ll manage.”
She hoisted her pack onto her shoulders and began the trek again. Watching her walk away, I was suddenly overwhelmed by her grit. The woman was made of iron.
A few hours later Springfield came into view. As we drew nearer to the blockade surrounding the city, I was surprised to see a small gathering of people near the gate. They watched as we approached. Kalisha wanted to leave.
“This is as far as I’m goin’.”
“Come on,” I said. “They’ve already seen you anyway.”
Reluctantly she agreed to finish the small distance that remained. As the figures grew clearer, one person stood out from the rest. A person wearing a suit.
When we were within hearing range, he stepped forward to greet us.
“Rhyan, thank heavens you’re alive!” the Captain said with a suave smile. “And Kalisha—so glad you’ve returned.”
His arms raised in a welcoming gesture. I studied him closely until I saw a bloody bandage taped behind his ear. Rage surged through me as he came closer.
Beside me, Kalisha reached for the pistol fastened at her hip. She raised it, exhaled, and fired.
A bullet landed square between his eyes.
Chapter 36
The row of semi trucks, the cluster of people, the Captain’s dead body—the whole scene was swimming. People scrambled –away from us, toward us.
A large man came at me from behind, muscling for my gun and knives; I surrendered them without an ounce of struggle. He pulled my wrists behind me and locked them there in a vicelike hold.
“Don’t hurt her.” Kalisha’s voice swam through the murkiness.
She sounded shocked; I was shocked myself. I couldn’t believe she’d planned to attack the Captain. It had just happened, automatically, like a reflex.
“Get them inside,” someone called, and I was pushed forward. In my dizzy state I nearly fell, but my captor wouldn’t allow that, hoisting me up before my knees hit the ground. Somehow my legs fell into the rhythm of walking, despite the fact I couldn’t feel them.
We were hauled through the barrier and into the city. I was sure there were people gawking as we were manhandled and led by a small troop through the streets, but all I saw was my tennis shoes going forward and back. The laces were untied and they danced around like popcorn in a hot kettle.
We came to a cement stairway and were prodded up it and through the glass doorway at the top. Inside was a dimly lit room with gray tiled floor.
“Take her that way and I’ll take this one over here,” a gruff voice ordered.
Kalisha was dragged down a hallway on the left and I was pushed to the right into a dark corridor reeking of body odor. I barely had time to wonder about my fate before someone flipped on a light and it became clear: a jailhouse. The barred cage before me swelled and filled my vision and then suddenly I was inside it. The door slid closed with a metallic bang.
“Leave her there for now—she ain’t going nowhere,” one of the men said.
“Should we leave a guard?” a woman asked.
“What for? I got the only key.”
“Okay.”
They turned and went back down the hall. The light was turned off, and I heard the front door open and close. And then, silence.
I collapsed cross-legged to the floor, trying not to aggravate the wound on my back, but of course it screamed anyway.
It was impossible—impossible—to believe what had happened. That only ten minutes ago a man had stood tall and healthy and was now just… gone.
Not gone. Dead.
Just like John was dead.
Only this wasn’t a question of self-defense. For all Kalisha knew the Captain hadn’t even been armed. She’d shot him point blank, in
cold blood.
And now I was sitting in a prison cell.
Not that I was unhappy the Captain was gone—probably everyone would be better off because of it. And I was certainly in no position to judge Kalisha. But what did this mean for the future? I doubted there were still things like judges and courthouses, or really, even laws, anymore.
It was ludicrous that I would go from one imprisonment to another in just a matter of days. Surely they wouldn’t keep me in here; I hadn’t even done anything. And Kalisha wouldn’t have if not for me. She hadn’t even wanted to come in the first place.
I considered yelling out to her, to see if she could hear me, but what would I say? Thanks for landing me in jail? I was no saint myself—I might’ve done the same thing in her shoes.
No, if anyone was to blame, it was the Captain. He should have known there’s only so much a person can provoke a tiger before it retaliates. If the Captain had known anything about Kalisha, he would’ve seen this coming.
How could everything have turned so wrong in so short a time?
What would happen to Springfield now? The Captain hadn’t been over of the whole city, but he had been in charge of this sector. Would there be a vote for a new leader? Somehow I doubted it. Democracy had likely died with civilization.
The cell had no windows—just a stiff bed and a short toilet—so I couldn’t guess how much time passed before I finally stood. My stomach growled. Wishing they’d at least given me my pack, I wondered how long it would be until someone returned. I found myself almost missing the Vela prison. At least it had been stocked with food.
A feverish feeling crept over my back and I realized the injury was infected. Falling onto the bed, the pain began to consume me.
Some time later a sound came from down the hall—the sound of a door being unlocked followed by footsteps. Caleb appeared from around the corner, carrying a brown paper bag. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been lying lifeless in a hospital bed and now here he was, conscious and walking and looking, well, pretty good.
“Rhyan?”
He gave a tentative smile and drew nearer.
“What are you doing here?”
He lifted the bag. “I brought food.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“Are you kidding? A gunshot goes off right outside the city and then you and Kalisha get dragged in by your necks? After a scene like that, everyone knows you’re here.”
He pulled out a paper plate and set a semi-smashed sandwich onto it, followed by a small apple. Bending the plate almost in half, he passed it through the bars.
“Everyone’s talking about you two. Since they’re all busy, I thought I’d bring you dinner.”
“Thanks,” I said between bites. The sandwich was soggy, but I didn’t care. “Kalisha’s probably hungry too.”
“I know—I’ll take her some next. But first I wanted to talk to you.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “I didn’t get a chance before to say thanks—for helping me out that night during training.”
“Me? I didn’t do anything,” I said, my mouth full.
“You did—you gave me the courage to face my fears.”
“So that’s what got you almost killed?”
“I’m serious, Rhyan. I watched you that night and you—you’re totally fearless. It was inspiring.”
I snorted midbite. The guy clearly didn’t know me at all.
“Are you recovered then?” I asked.
“Mostly. I have to take it easy, but at least I’m up. I hated being in bed all day.”
“Better than being in prison,” I muttered. He frowned.
“What happened this morning? I’ve heard rumors, but most of them don’t even make sense.”
The food was gone, and I stared at the empty plate as I answered.
“Kalisha shot the Captain. She was just trying to help me—she was bringing me back because I was lost. And then he was there and she…. Well, she killed him.”
“But why?” he asked. He didn’t look shocked. Maybe the rumors had been worse than the truth, somehow.
“He attacked her—threatened her. I don’t want to go into details.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really. I could use a nurse, but would anyone allow that?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
He stood up.
“Thanks, Caleb. If you get over to the stable, tell Lucky hi.”
“Get some rest—you look terrible.”
I didn’t doubt that. I hadn’t even had the chance to wash properly after the fight. I probably still had blue alien guts in my hair.
He went down the hall and around the corner where I presumed Kalisha was. Then a moment later he exited.
Without his company to distract me, I laid back on the bed, shaking with fever, and hoped desperately for either a nurse or a body bag.
Chapter 37
The next thing I knew someone was nudging me awake.
“Rhyan?”
The first thing to trigger my senses was a fire on my back. How could I have been sleeping with such agony?
“You need to drink this,” someone said, pressing a cup into my hand. I gripped it automatically.
“You have to sit up,” the voice continued.
Opening my eyes, I saw a slightly familiar face. He was wearing green nursing scrubs and a concerned expression. With a painful moan, I managed to sit up.
“Drink,” he ordered.
I took a sip from the straw. Water.
“Now take these.”
He set two white pill in my palm. I swallowed them obediently.
“Good. Now I’m going to need you to walk. Do you think you can do that?”
“Where are we going?”
“The hospital. The surgeon doesn’t want to operate here—for obvious reasons.”
“Surgeon?”
“He was rescued from the Vela cave. Isn’t that great news? He’s agreed to operate on you. Can you walk?”
“I walked all the way here, didn’t I?”
“Good, then let’s go.”
He hoisted his arm around my waist and helped me stand. I had to lean on him more than I would’ve liked, but we made it down the hall to the exit.
“Kalisha,” I said, suddenly remembering. “What about Kalisha?”
“She’s fine.”
“But—“
“We have to go, Rhyan,” he said firmly.
I didn’t argue. We left the prison and I managed to make it down the stairs. Walking now was more painful than it had been.
“How far is the hospital?”
“Couple of miles.”
“Miles?” I said in dismay. This was going to be horrific.
“You’ll make it,” he said, then opened the passenger door of a black car parked at the curb. I was astonished, and then surprised that I was astonished. How long had it been since I’d ridden in a car? How could I have forgotten about them as a mode of transportation?
With help, I settled into the passenger seat and my chauffeur took the wheel. As we pulled away, I asked his name.
“Liam.”
Liam, that’s right. The nosy one.
As if on cue, he asked, “So how come you didn’t come back with the others from the rescue group? They forget you somehow?”
“Something like that,” I muttered.
“It’s good you’re here now. You probably couldn’t have gone much longer before that cut caught up with you.”
“Mm-hm.”
“That from an alien?”
I nodded. For a two-mile drive, it was starting to feel like ten. There were no other cars on the road and we were cruising along at thirty-five miles per hour and I couldn’t help but think of all that distance I’d walked.
Liam lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“I have to know—did Kalisha kill the Captain because she wants to take over?”
With an eye roll, I turned away to stare at the buildings we passed.
“Because there’s no way that’s going to happen. She’ll be lucky to get out of that cell within the decade, the way I hear it.”
Mercifully we pulled into the hospital at that moment—the emergency room entrance. I opened the door and staggered out.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Come with me,” Liam answered, grabbing a wheelchair from just inside the door.
I was wheeled a short length down a pink hallway into an operating room. A tall man was waiting inside. He was covered from head to toe in blue, including a surgical mask covering most of his face.
I’d never had surgery before, but I was sure this wasn’t how it used to go. Probably I should’ve been nervous, but I wasn’t. All I wanted was for the consuming pain to stop.
“Hello Rhyan, I’m Dr. Webb. We’re going to get started directly and when you wake up, I promise you’ll be feeling much better.”
I nodded. Liam helped me lay face down on the table and a mask was strapped over my face. Everything went black.
When I awoke, I was reclined in a hospital bed. A faint beeping came from somewhere, but no one was around. Tentatively, I wriggled my shoulders a little, testing for pain. There was none, just blessed relief. I hadn’t realized exactly how much agony I’d been in until it was gone.
Dr. Webb appeared in the open doorway.
“You’re up.” He sounded surprised. “I didn’t think we’d see you for at least a few more hours.”
I blinked groggily. He stepped into the room.
“You’ll be pleased to hear that everything went well. You’ll have to stay in bed for several days, and take it easy for a while after that, but within a few weeks, you should be back to your old self. You’re lucky your spine wasn’t hit.”
“Thank you.” My voice came out as a whisper. “I feel a lot better.”
“I’m glad to be useful. It was dreadful, being trapped in that alien prison.”
I nodded. Dreadful was an understatement.
Girl Vs (Sinister Skies Book 1) Page 14
