Glitch

by Brenda Pandos

  His eyes sharpened; the blue held the reflection of the fire. “You don’t want to go home yet. Trust me.”

  “Trust you?” I held out my bound hands. “You must be insane.”

  He stood and produced a knife from his belt loop.

  I shrieked and shied away.

  He sighed and held up his hands in surrender. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to cut the ropes off your wrists.”

  My glance ping-ponged between the knife and his expressive blue eyes. I cursed myself for thinking he was cute originally. He was a monster.

  I turned and fled down the trail, wanting nothing to do with him or his requests of trust. I’d chance things on my own.

  “Abby!” he yelled. “Stop!”

  The tears flew off at my temples as I ran with all my might. He not only knew my name, but where I lived, my birthdate, my advice meeting, my softball field. I wouldn’t be a victim of his stalkery. I would survive.

  The path twisted and turned, the trail was covered with jagged rocks and roots on top of soft dirt. No matter how hard I dug my toes in to gain traction, his footfalls came closer. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I was airborne, then eating the dirt. Off balance, I flailed along, unable to slide as I was adept at doing in a game.

  I smacked into a rock and a sickening crack reverberated up my arm, then pain. I howled, cupping my wrist. Zombie Zone Guy was at my side in an instant. He turned me over, his gestures gentle.

  “Shit,” he mumbled, lightly touching my wrist.

  Pulling away from him came to mind first, but I knew I’d just hurt myself further. His hands were rough, nothing like Landon’s. His calluses proved he didn’t live in Brighton, but off the land.

  He worked the knot free then let my hands go. Then he tugged off his sweatshirt and yanked his shirt over his head. I gasped and attempted to move away, trapped between his muscled chest and the rock. As he ripped the seam of his shirt, I realized he wasn’t looking to attack me.

  I waited, watching, as he fashioned something with the fabric. Then he wove it around my arm, and tied the two ends of the triangle at the nape of my neck. His fingers lingered longer than needed, then he brushed my cheek slow and gentle. My skin tingled under his hypnotic touch.

  I immediately thought of Landon and his cocky struts around the pool before he’d soak Elle and me with a cannon ball. Zombie Zone Guy’s strong physique and sinew was undeniable to Landon’s soft pudgy middle. And his scent—tangy and earthy—this was nothing I’d smelled before. I hated myself for liking it.

  “Can you walk?”

  I startled at the nearness of his voice, lost in conflicting fantasies, and nodded.

  He stood, then tugged me up by my good elbow, encouraging me to stand. Besides a nice layer of dirt embedded in my jammies, nothing else seemed to be damaged. He pulled his sweatshirt from his waist and rested it over my shoulders, his blue eyes sparkling as he watched me.

  I studied him, questioning. The abduction the night prior and acts of kindness now were giving me whiplash, like he was two different people. Who was he kidding? One kind gesture wouldn’t erase the fact he’d kidnapped me.

  “I’ve got it.” I yanked my arm from his grip.

  He startled, then his sweet demeanor molded to stone. He backed away and scrutinized me as if I’d bolt again. I merely glared. He knew I couldn’t exactly run now. Forget being tied up, I’d effectively injured myself into becoming his prisoner whether I’d wanted to or not. With a gust of air, I left him there gawking and limped back to camp. His soft sigh came from behind me.

  Once at the fire, I gingerly sat down and watched Zombie Zone Guy resume his spot across from me. I stared him down, keeping my eyes up and away from roaming the strange markings on his chest and abs. I wouldn’t let him in, ever. In a fit of frustration, I took off his sweatshirt, and flung it at him over the fire.

  He grabbed it in flight and displayed even more machismo with all of his lean sinew, acting all nonchalant. I wanted to puke.

  “How do you know my name?” I finally asked.

  Instead of putting on the darn thing, he tucked the sweatshirt into his backpack as if he knew I was struggling with all the skin he’d shown, angering me even more.

  “I just do,” he said disinterestedly, not offering up his own name.

  “What’s happening that I shouldn’t want to go home?” When he didn’t answer, the fear his criminal friends were attacking and killing Brighton’s citizens seized me. Was I spared for a reason?

  “No!” I sucked in a gasp. “Not my parents!”

  He stiffened. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with them? Did you have a vision?”

  A vision? I studied him, confused. “What do you mean a vision?”

  His agitation melted back into his walled calm exterior. “I thought because of your reaction, you saw something.”

  I crinkled my brow. There was only one person who had visions, and that was the Oracle. Strangely he knew about Advice Meetings, too, enough so to warn me not to attend mine.

  Zombie Zone Guy pushed a stick into the fire. “It’s nothing. Never mind.”

  “Stop this!” I demanded. “You can’t keep avoiding my questions.”

  He looked up, peering deep into my eyes. “One question will lead to another, then another and you won’t be satisfied with the answers, I promise. Even if I knew everything, it’s better you don’t know yet.”

  “And what? I’m supposed to just accept you’ve kidnapped me for my own good, because you’re sparing me from something bad that’s happening or going to happen in Brighton… Wait, basically, until you feel I’m fit to be graced with your knowledge, oh mighty one.”

  He glared. “Something like that.”

  I pushed out an annoyed breath. “Well that, sweetheart, is not going to happen.”

  “This was your choice.” His voice was robotic, controlled.

  “My choice?”

  “I warned you not to attend your meeting and you went anyway. So… I had to save you before they took you.”

  “Excuse me? You kidnapped me.”

  “Saved you,” he corrected.

  I laughed, a short clipped sound. “This is amazing. How’d you know all those things about me, anyway?”

  His lips thinned. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Figures, coming from a criminal.”

  His brow scrunched up like I’d insulted him. “Criminal?”

  I didn’t understand why the label would be so shocking.

  “Yeah.” I waved my hand outward to the forest. “The EA has banished you from society to survive on your own,” against the zombies and diseases, and stuff. “And you’ve magically survived.”

  He laughed. “Is that what they tell you?”

  “Of course. It’s why you’re here.”

  “It would be easy to believe that when people disappear, isn’t it?” His eyes formed into slits. “My parents weren’t banished. They escaped from Brighton’s tyranny, Abby. We aren’t criminals.”

  “Pschtt. Yeah, right. What could your parents possibly dislike? The clean water? The medical advances? The equality? The crime-free environment?”

  “Forced sterilization for starters,” he said plainly.

  My mouth hinged open and then shut, my cheeks heating. How stupid could I be? Here he was, staring at me with blue pools of endless water that I could gawk at forever, if I didn’t hate him so much. The reality he might not have been born made me shiver for a second. Could he be telling the truth? Could they really have merely escaped? I pushed down the notion to care, because that would make me want to empathize with him, which I refused to do. I was the victim here, and I wanted to go home.

  “You’d already had doubts about going to your meeting,” he continued. “My warning should have stopped you. But being the stubborn girl that you are, you went anyway, and even when your Complement wasn’t on the list, you barged in and put your pretty little head between the EA’s crosshairs.” />
  I gasped, my legs feeling shaky, and pushed down the flattery tickling my belly at his mention of me being pretty, and exploded.

  “How do you know all this? Are you a spy?” Then a more plausible explanation hit me. “You work for the EA.”

  Zombie Zone Guy burst into biting laughter. “Hardly. And if you would have mentioned how much of a pain in the…” He quickly clenched his jaw shut.

  My brain stuttered. What did he mean, if I would have mentioned?

  “What did you just say?”

  He swiveled to me, his face hard. “If I would have known what a pain in the ass you’d be, I would have just left you there to deal with it.”

  “Me? A pain in the ass? Try looking in a mirror,” I huffed. “I didn’t ask for this.”

  “You’re making saving your life very difficult,” he said, harshly. “How about a little gratitude?”

  My eyebrows shot up. “I was doing just fine on my own, thank you very much.”

  “Were you?” He chuckled. “How’d that meeting go anyway? I bet your Complement was everything you want to be in the future. Successful. Attractive. Happy. Who did she say you’d marry?”

  I fought succumbing to my rage. How did he know which button to push? It was as if he’d read my thoughts before he used them against me. He had to be a plant. There was no other explanation.

  “I’m done now.” I circled around, yelling into the trees at the EA agents who had to be standing by. “You can come out. I’ve clearly passed the test. I’m tired and injured if you can’t tell.” I lifted my sore wrist and waited for the troops in white to come out from hiding. Only the sweet chirping of birds greeted me.

  Furious, I turned to Zombie Zone Guy. “I’m serious. Stop this and take me home.”

  His brows pressed together. “This isn’t a test, Abby. I am telling you the truth.”

  “The truth? I’ve heard nothing of the sort, and I’m so done being your hostage.”

  His jaw clenched. “I cannot believe you…”

  “Hostage?” another male’s voice said from behind me with a slight chuckle. “Wow.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I turned around to find another broad shouldered, blue-eyed boy, this one with curly blond hair. Slightly older with dimples drilled into his cheeks; he had to be a relative to Zombie Zone Guy, if that mattered.

  He winked at me, flashing a cute smile, before his eyes zeroed in on my sling and his face dropped. “What happened?”

  Zombie Zone Guy’s glare pegged into him like a laser. “This is none of your business, Memphis. Go home.”

  Memphis laughed. “It is now. Dad sent me to find you after you didn’t come home,” he said. “And since your shaggy companion wasn’t in her cave, I figured you’d finally gone for it.” He grinned mischievously. “She is cute. I see why you’d risk your neck, but seriously. Now? Not a smooth move, brother.”

  Zombie Zone Guy stood, his hands balled at his sides. “Tell Dad I’m fine.”

  Memphis didn’t leave. Instead, he looked at our meager campsite and tsked. “You plan to live out here? For how long?”

  “Go home.”

  Memphis chuckled and shook his head. “Mom should look at her arm at least, to make sure it isn’t broken. And, dude, put a shirt on while you’re at it.” He sidestepped around his brother, eyeballing his torso like he was diseased. “No one wants to look at your bird chest.”

  Bird chest? Memphis’ reference made me wonder what lay hidden underneath his shirt, because his brother was pretty hot.

  Zombie Zone Guy moved into his path. “I’ve got this under control.”

  Memphis inclined his head to peer over his brother’s shoulder, ignoring him completely. “Sugar, you can’t possibly want to stay out here with Kaden.” He motioned me forward. “Come on. I’ll get you fixed up, then we’ll figure out how to get you home.”

  Kaden. I finally knew his name. But between the two of them, I felt like a rope in a tug-of-war and the idea of going home sounded too tempting to pass up. Would Memphis really take me, though? Or was this a con to get me to go to their village? Unsure, I stood my ground.

  Out of nowhere, Kaden landed his fist into Memphis’ jaw. He staggered backward, his hand gripping his injured chin. “What’d you do that for?”

  “She’s staying with me.” Kaden remained rigid, arms flexed. “Go. Home.”

  “Geez, brother, check yourself. There’s no way she can live off the land and survive the wild injured like this. You know we should bring her in.”

  With the mention of the wild, zombies came to mind. Why hadn’t either of them mentioned them yet? Or how to avoid them? I suddenly felt exposed, unable to do much with my injured wrist.

  Memphis moved toward me once again, hand outstretched. Kaden swung at him, but he ducked and pushed into his brother’s side, knocking Kaden off balance. He landed on the dirt.

  He cursed and stood, dusting himself off. “I’m warning you, Memphis. Don’t push me.”

  “Show me whatcha got.” His brother cocked a brow.

  Kaden darted forward and swung. Memphis blocked him, returning one to his side.

  The noise disturbed a flock of birds. With the ruckus, I suddenly feared we’d attract zombies. Wherever their people lived, they had to have a better option than being in the open, especially if their mom could fix my arm. I waited for them to finally give up their childish display. Instead more fists were thrown.

  “Stop,” I called out.

  Neither listened, sparring even harder. The dust they’d kicked up coated my throat, making me cough.

  “I’m serious. Stop it!” I moved between them. They stared at me, and I straightened my shoulders. “He’s right, Kaden. I can’t stay here in the wild like this. I need help and shoes, too,” and a bra. “And what if… you know… they come.” Slightly superstitious, I didn’t want to mention the walking dead by name.

  Kaden stiffened, and paused. Empathy briefly colored his features as he scanned my appearance, before the mask he wore slammed down once again, leaving him emotionless.

  “Memphis is only trying to impress you, Abby. All he cares about is himself and if you go with him to our colony, you can never leave.”

  “Yeah, right.” Memphis snorted, wiping at a trail of blood running from his lip. “Are you doubting your all mighty vision again?”

  I turned to Kaden and glared at his lying face. He’d had a vision? Why didn’t I press him earlier?

  “It wasn’t like that,” he defended quickly.

  Memphis laughed. “It was believable enough for you to beg Dad to rescue Abby from Brighton, to which he denied.” He turned to me. “Looks like my little brother took matters into his own hands, Sugar.”

  I shot a quick glower at Memphis. His nickname was starting to bug me.

  Kaden’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up, Memphis.”

  “So you did have a vision,” I clarified.

  “No.” The tips of his ears turned pink as his eyes darted away.

  “He sees people… people from the future,” Memphis said with a coy smile.

  What?

  Kaden closed his eyes. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Don’t listen to him.”

  Memphis laughed; the snake-like kind with venom behind it. “Or you’ll what? Deck me again? If your vision is so important, why not tell Abby what future-girl said?”

  I staggered sideways. “What girl?”

  Fury pressed into Kaden’s features as his eyes flickered between us. “Memphis is confused.”

  “Confused?” I blinked up at him, my mind racing too fast to process. Did they somehow have access to Complements, too? But how? They lived in the middle of the zombie zone without technology and the wrinkle was something only the EA had access to, or so I thought.

  “Kaden,” I said more firmly. “Who did you see?”

  He looked at me, eyes wide. For the briefest of moments, I could read his face. Then the truth hit me. If he was telling the truth and didn’t work for the EA as a
plant, then only one person would be privy to how I ticked.

  “You saw me?” I asked, my voice quiet.

  He stared at me guiltily, then looked away.

  “Yes.”

  Suddenly, the world was spinning, or at least my head was. How was that even possible? Complements didn’t physically visit. They were broadcasted over special TV feeds that cut through the time barrier. We were never given the opportunity to explore the subject in science class—top secret intel—but I knew that much to be true.

  “How do you know for sure that it was me?” I asked.

  Kaden scanned me up and down. “She looks just like you for starters.”

  I chewed on the inside of my lip, remembering my Complement’s lifeless eyes coupled with the dullest personality ever, and cringed. “I don’t understand. Did you hack into the system?”

  His eyes lifted, the skin wrinkling at the edges. “Hack? No. She just appeared… out of thin air. One minute she’s just there and then… she was gone.”

  There was an odd change in his tone—a quality of reverence and disappointment. Like he’d seen an angel and missed her. My heart thumped a quick staccato beat. The Complement I met was far from angelic.

  “Then why did she tell me something completely different?”

  His brows pushed together for a brief second. “Wait, you saw her?”

  “At my meeting that you warned me not to go to,” dork. I wanted to slap him upside the head. “My Complement warned me not to leave the city walls and yet she told you to kidnap me. So explain that.”

  He blinked for a moment, perplexed then smiled. “Because the woman you met couldn’t have possibly been your future-self. It must have been someone in disguise.”

  “What? No, that’s ridiculous. She looked exactly like me and that would mean…” Air whooshed from my opened mouth as my brain paused. The words I’d heard right after the meeting replayed through my mind again. A man had said, “Good job,” to which a woman replied, “That was close.”

  He gave me a hard compelling look—one that said, “I’m telling the truth”—and the world came unhinged beneath me. Staggering backward, I found a log and plopped down. My breathing increased as the word Glitch, zinged in my head. But I refused to believe it. Being a Glitch meant my future-self had died before I turned thirty-eight… or just didn’t want to cooperate with the EA.