Jonathan fought to hide the smile cracking on his face now. He sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you got me there, kid."
She looked at him then with serious eyes, all humor left behind her with the cornfields about a hundred feet back and shrinking. "Where is my brother, anyway?"
Jonathan looked her in the eye then back at the road. "I don't know, kid, I honestly don't."
"Does he know you're here to help me."
"I'm not quite sure on that one either. All I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that my boss promised him we'd get you outta there. And that's what we did."
She smiled up at him. "Thank you."
All the leather and ammo in the world couldn't keep Jonathan's heart from melting like day-old butter at that moment. This kid was okay by him.
***
Jonny's hands were shaking as he fought to keep the truck steady on the highway. Any minute now everything would go up in smoke and Julie would pay the price for his choices, he was almost sure of it. The Emperor was not known for being a man of his word nor a man with a gentle temper. It was only a matter of time before those two realities would likely turn Jonny's life upside down. And driving along with an unconscious body in the back of the cab didn't help matters either.
"What happens if I get stopped with him in here?"
"Mr. Cross, do not worry. Put your mind at ease. I have complete control of the situation."—This was part of what bothered Jonny the most—"Do you realize how many Imperial Police cruisers I've called off of your trail in the past seventy-two hours? No, you couldn't, could you? There have been nineteen and counting, so take control of yourself and breathe before you do something to ruin my plans and I have to take out my anger on little precious Julie."
Jonny's jaw clenched then. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He would snap if he had to. A sense of relief flooded him with the knowledge that there was only another hour to go before he would arrive at the Imperial Behavioral Health Center and be able to unload his current cargo for good. Then it was just a matter of time before he was with his sweet little sister again. Please, please, please don't screw this up, Jonny. Please.
***
Yusef, Chandler, and little Umar sat at the dinner table in awkward silence. The only sounds in the room were the clacking and scraping of plates and silverware as they ate their food. Every once in a while Yusef would look at Chandler and smile and aim his fork at the food with an expression of pleasure. Chandler would simply nod once with that same bloodshot blankness in his eyes and go back to eating from his own plate. Umar simply stared at the table while he ate, seemingly unwilling to lift his eyes to look at anyone. Yusef had hoped the boy would bounce back by now, but after three days, he still seemed pretty shaken. It broke Yusef's heart to no end that his child had been struck in such a way.
A couple of the bruises had now faded into little more than dark spots on his arm and face, but a few of them were still purple and solid and opaque. When they were done eating, Yusef and Umar collected the dishes and took them into the kitchen while Chandler disappeared to wherever it was he disappeared to in the night time. Yusef hated to be a burden but he wasn't sure where else they could go or what else they could possibly do. So every day he tried as much as possible to help out where he was sure he could and offer help where he was not.
When they were done washing the dishes, Yusef motioned for Umar to follow him. He held open the tattered back screen door for Umar and waited for his son to walk out into the yard and then did his best to put it back where it had been, half hanging off of its hinges. It was a quiet night outside and the sky was clear in a way Yusef had never been witness to, having lived his entire life in the city. Stars littered the nightscape like glittering sand spread out across the dark expanse from horizon to horizon.
Umar seemed just as perplexed as his father as he stared up into the beauty of it.
"This is gorgeous, isn't it, Umie?"
Umar nodded his head up and down with great exaggeration. "Yeahhhhh."
In the daytime, Yusef was about as comfortable here as he might have been in the Emperor's own home, but in the nighttime, if this was what it was always like here, he could at least get used to this.
Chapter 40
Speed
George wasn't exactly a speeding kind of guy, but lives were at stake here and he might possibly have been the only one who could save them. So he sped and he sped fast. The speedometer read over 90 as he shoved the pedal down against the floorboard with his foot. He didn't even know these two people, father and son, but he felt a connection with them that went thicker than familiarity. They too were merely believers of a different faith punished for the crime of that belief. It wasn't fair. Not to George, not to Yusef, not to Umar, not to anyone else.
This was why George did the good work that he did. For the believers and the nonbelievers, the human beings who deserved to make their own choice what they would believe or uphold in their own hearts. Not what some raving monster told them to believe, told them to feel. At least the way through most of these old country back roads was clear of Imperial Police. Not that that held the tension pulling at every nerve in George's body at bay. It surely didn’t. He still had at least another hour of driving before he would arrive in Pleasant Shade and at least two small towns would be in his way so he would have no choice but to slow down and drive more reasonably. But for now. For now he floored it and fought to make up for every mile he would have to slug through later on.
***
"Rudy? Jeremy? Wake up, boys! We have to go for a drive, okay?"
Both boys looked at her like a shining spotlight right in their faces, Rudy from the bottom bunk and Jeremy from the top. "What time is it?" Jeremy asked.
"It doesn't matter what time it is, Jer, it's an emergency, we have to go now. So get up, please, okay?"
Both boys were becoming more conscious and their faces lined with worry at the tone of her voice. Her hands still shook in front of her so she put them in her pockets, hoping neither of them would notice. When they were up and dressed, she had them pick out the most important things they could gather in a single suitcase, both of them arguing and begging the entire way out to the car to be able to take more, but Alexandria didn't know how much time was left. The night shift guardsman standing on the corner had fallen asleep thank goodness and so far no one else had arrived but she was sure beyond a doubt it was only a matter of time before Jesse found a way to make contact with the Police.
And then there would be no going anywhere.
She felt so stupid. She should have left him alone, moved on with her life. But now she had no choice and the boys hadn't asked for this, hadn't done anything to deserve the mess she had now put them in up close and personal. She dragged their three suitcases out to Dad's car. She didn't even have a license. But there was no other choice. She knew how to drive, she did have her permit. Dad had taken her driving more times than she could count. He had said she was ready, she just had to wait until he could take a day off of work for her test. Then he'd be more than glad to take her to get her "fun card" as he’d called it. The tears were there again and she didn't have time for them. She pushed them back with all of her mind but the hurt was still too strong. She wiped her eyes and walked on in spite of it. When the bags were in the trunk she went and corralled the boys into the car and took off out of the driveway as calmly and nondescriptly as she could manage.
They were halfway across town when the sirens broke out. Her heart had slammed up into the back of her throat at the initial screech of it, but there was no one following her, no one behind her at all, just an empty road. She kept watch in the rearview mirror nonetheless. By now they would be looking for her father's car, she was sure. But the whole rest of the way through town she came upon no other cars and no one trying to get her. At least until she came to the ramp for the highway. A lone officer stood in the middle of the road next to his squad car, dark sunglasses gleaming off a reflection of the red morning sun in both lenses.
He put out his hand for her to stop as she neared the makeshift roadblock. Her hands stiffened on the steering wheel as he slowly approached the driver side window. The boys were dead quiet in the back seat for probably the second time in their entire lives up until now. When the officer was close enough to see who was inside his face twitched for just a split second and Alexandria knew.
She slammed the shifter into drive and stomped on the gas, blasting the car forward. The boys gave a loud gasping sound at the sudden motion of it and in the time it takes for a single photo to snap, Alex was speeding up the ramp of the highway, the cop yelling after her in a pitch and tone unbefitting a man of such power. A shot rang out and ricocheted off the hood of the car. Alex screamed for the boys to duck down but they were already cradling their heads down in the back seat. She put her foot down until the pedal wouldn't go any further and they went speeding down the open highway, only an occasional car blocking her path along the way.
Chapter 41
There is No "Eye" in Revolution
The creature's claws had dug into Frank's underarms like the worst case of deodorant burn he'd ever had in his life. He had wanted nothing more than to free himself of that godforsaken creature and scratch the living hell out of his pits to relieve the burning the entire time. But that didn’t seem like it would happen any time soon before suddenly the vampire dropped him down to his feet from a ten foot drop, causing Frank to land on his ankle wrong and something to snap inside there.
Frank rolled over on his side to find his surroundings had changed quite a bit. He was in some kind of factory it seemed like from the mechanical noises constantly going and the big blasts of steam rolling upward throughout the wide open space inside the building. A moment later and several long booming steps echoed nearby and Frank looked up again in time to lock eyes with a tall, monstrous looking son of a bitch if he'd ever seen one. A thick blond mane of hair curved around the guy's cheeks and chin and fluffed up from the top of his head. Aside from the black, well-tailored suit, he looked like something out of an epic fantasy story or something. A knight that would make the best of them shit their pants. Sir Fucks-Shit-Up-Alot. He was meaty as hell and it was almost a surprise to Frank that his head didn't quite touch the towering ceiling.
Frank let out a snicker without meaning to.
Sir Bigfuck sneered. "You think something funny?" His voice was deep and low and caveman-like.
Frank shook his head. "No, no, not really. I just had one of those moments, you know, when you're so scared shitless you can't help but laugh at yourself."
"I know nothing of this... scared shitless. What is it?"
Frank had to hold real tight on his tongue to keep from letting that one unload a barrel of laughs. This guy was a fucking riot and it wouldn't be long before he'd be the end of him if Frank couldn't manage to keep his mouth shut. He just shook his head and hoped that would quell the giant's question good enough. Then, without another word, Sven-Master-Big grabbed hold of Frank by the collar of his shirt and flung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Your friend come. We have fun. We like party."
Frank's stomach took a swan dive for the floor. Goldie Locks and the Three Bears here was using him for bait. Wonderful...
***
The chute Simon and Jackie were now blasting their way down was burning Simon's ass and back something fierce. It only lasted for another few seconds before they were chucked out the other end of it and landed on a wide open concrete floor. The distant sound of echoing machine work filled the place with a sort of constant noisy reverberation that was almost dizzying. Simon landed on his feet just fine but Jackie hadn't been so lucky. She lay in a heap on the floor, scraped up a bit, but otherwise okay.
Simon leaned down next to her and sighed. "Weren't you just flying?" He smiled.
She smirked up at him. "It's not like I got this shit down to a science already, prick." They laughed for a second and then looked blankly at each other. They were here for a reason and that reason came with a heavy weight of obligation.
Simon gave Jackie a hand and helped her to her feet and the two began searching the place for some sign of Frank. There didn't seem to be any visual clues as to where he had been taken and Simon tried not to think about the possibility that he could already be dead. Jackie would suffer if that were the case and she had suffered enough already, so he hoped against hope that hadn't happened. Even with the foundation of noise, the place seemed to be almost quiet. Something was wrong here and Simon was sure it was something simple. Long high-hanging platforms connected through hallways like the holes connected with lines where you put the marbles in Chinese Checkers. Simon hated that game and wasn't thrilled to be thinking about it now.
Without warning, Jackie started to float up toward one of the platforms. Simon jumped the full thirty feet landing on top of it, and turned to wait for her. When she gently stepped onto the surface, she walked past Simon and began to survey the areas they weren't previously able to see. This made all the difference. Suddenly they weren't quite so alone by far. Vampires littered every corner of the place, just not this one small open area comparatively. Most of the vampires seemed to be working machines while others stood around doing nothing. One particular vampire seemed to be looking out for someone, probably them.
Simon put his hand on Jackie's shoulder and pulled her down to a crouching position with him. "I think it's safe to say they're expecting us."
"Yeah, me too. I'm sorry I got us into this."
Simon turned her to face him and kissed her on the lips long and soft. "I'm not."
She smiled. "You know what I mean. I'm glad you're here, I just wish the circumstances were..."
Simon froze. Jackie took his cue to stop talking and he listened some more. He could hear Frank's voice loud and clear like it was purposely being broadcast just for him. "I'm fucking ready to go home now. Where do I sign myself out?" He was close, had to be.
"He's here and he's still alive."
Jackie let out a long sigh. "Good. I was afraid—"
"I know, I was too. But if he's alive that can only mean one thing..."
Jackie nodded. "They want us to come get him, don't they?"
"Uh huh. And I'd bet money they have a reason for that as well. Could have just killed us the moment we slid on into their living room floor."
"Okay, well... Let's find out. Shall we?" Before Simon could stop her, Jackie stood up and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Heyyyyyy... Over here. I said, hey, fuckers... Over here..."
Simon slowly rose to his feet as well, shoulders crouching, eyebrows lifted like he was listening for a pin to drop from faraway. He sighed. "This should be interesting..."
Chapter 42
The Drop Off
Jonny had never driven in such a stir-crazy, shit-for-brains, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Bumfucked-Egypt area in his life before this day. Three hours after he passed the last semblance of reasonable society the hills and plains that surrounded the highway just grew more and more desolate and woodsy until he was sure he would pass a sign for the South American Rainforest any minute now. He was only about a handful of minutes away from the Imperial facility now and he could see where the film cliches of crazy backwoods hillbillies came from given its remote location. If they aren't trying to perpetuate the stereotype, they sure as hell aren't doing the sane hillbillies any favors.
Ever since he'd pulled off of the highway that feeling had been nothing other than exacerbated by the trailer-trash-esque vibe of the deep woods the building's location seemed to be surrounded by for miles and miles. The truck pulled along a curvy windy road that seemed to never end until out of nowhere it was finally straightening out. A few hundred feet later and the broken beat-up road gave way to smooth blacktop and the truck seemed to glide the rest of the way. To Jonny's left, a long paved drive led into a large parking lot with the also sizable Imperial building sitting in the center of it. The whole facility seemed oddly out of place in its surroundings. As if a small piece of
a major city had been ripped away and set here for safe keeping for a time.
Jonny turned into the long drive and eased the truck forward, slowing down to the posted twenty-miles-an-hour speed limit. He parked the truck and killed the engine. "Well, Hank. It's been fun knowing you and all..." An immense sadness and sense of guilt struck Jonny then. He wasn't sure he would do things the same had he to do them over again, but he knew that he had done what he had to do. He sighed and got out of the truck and made his way over to the sign-in office.
Inside, right beyond the door, a glass partition separated the receptionists from everybody else. A large waiting room stretched off to the left as Jonny stood in line behind an elderly woman giving the receptionist a clipboard with a stack of paperwork filled out in blue ink.
"Thank you, Mrs. Dalton. We'll let you know when Herb is ready for you to come back and see him, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you." The old woman turned and went to sit down. Jonny stepped forward. The receptionist gave him a questioning look.
"Uh, hi, I have an Imperial drop off to make. The name's Cross."
She looked away for a moment and began typing furiously on her computer keyboard. "Yes, Mr. Cross, could you go around to the back of the building and wait for Dr. Connor to meet you there in about ten minutes or so. There's only one door back there, you can't miss it.
"I can do that. Thank you."
Jonny smiled and turned and left the building. That hadn't gone quite as he had expected, but it wasn't like he'd ever dropped off any crazy people before, not that he really was now either.
First thing getting in the truck he double checked to make sure Hank was still lying in the back and he wasn't disappointed. Some paranoid part of him expected to get in the truck and find the man gone.
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