“It’s a mistake,” Dillon said. “But your boyfriend won’t listen to me. Oh, dear God. Could this seriously get any worse?”
“What is it?” Blake asked, his words blending together into one.
“I know that woman. We should leave and quickly. Just let them die,” Dillon said.
Maddie clicked her tongue. Her eyebrows formed a line across her forehead as she turned to him. “You are so dramatic.”
“I’m not being dramatic. I’m being smart,” Dillon said. “It would be better for everyone if we just kept going and let them get sick.”
“It seems like there is something you’re not telling us about the whole thing,” I said.
“Okay, well, it’s just that and I don’t know this for sure but I think they’re out here looking for me,” Dillon said.
“Paranoid much?” Maddie asked.
Dillon’s face lost all tension. “I’m not paranoid.”
He twisted and slouched down in his seat but it seemed like he wanted to slide down further. It seemed like he wanted to slither all the way to the dirt coated floor.
“If they see me, they’ll take me back,” Dillon said. “I knew I shouldn’t have come with you. They’ve probably already contacted the base that they’ve found me.”
“It doesn’t really look like that’s what they’re thinking about right now,” Maddie said narrowing her eyes at them.
“They probably don’t need to worry about me when there is a big group on the way to bring me back to that dreadful place,” Dillon said. I stared at him, my eyes blinking rapidly. “You should do something to stop your boyfriend. If we all end up at that place, we’re going to be in major trouble.”
I shook my head. “You already know our plan is to go there and find my sister.”
“My plan was never to go back there. I never want to see that place again,” Dillon said. “It might be time to hand over the truck.”
“Wait,” Blake said holding up his hand. “It looks like we may not need to do anything.”
A woman stepped out of a nearby house and shouted something at them. She too was wearing a matching jumpsuit.
“Oh, dear God, get me out of this place,” Dillon said slinking down a bit further.
The two people ran across the street, right in front of our truck. They ran up a driveway and dashed inside the house.
The sick didn’t seem to notice us as they followed the pair to the house. They were continuously begging for help even after the door was closed. The sick walked up the porch, looking into the windows and pounding on the front door.
“They’re going to hear the truck,” Jay said. “They’ll come this way.”
“Or they’ll just see us and walk over here,” I said. “It’s not like we’re even a bit hidden.”
“I don’t feel very safe back here,” Jay said.
Blake looked at him in the rear view mirror. “Relax. You’re armed.”
“Right,” Jay said.
“Just get out of here,” Dillon said. “They’re safe inside now. We don’t have to do anything.”
Blake reached over as a loud pop cracked through the air. He laid down on top of Maddie, using his body as a shield.
“Get down!” he shouted.
I peeked over the side of the truck bed and watched one of the sick fall to the ground. My breath got stuck in my throat. Seconds later, the truck started to move.
Blake pressed his foot down, flooring the gas pedal.
“Hang on,” Blake said through the back window.
I stared at the house, waiting for someone to hop in a vehicle and chase us down. The folks from the outpost had relentlessly followed us for miles and miles, surely, the people from the base wouldn’t be any different.
I didn’t look away from the house even when it became a dot on the horizon. No one was coming after us… at least not yet.
Every two minutes, Dillon looked over his shoulder. He was so nervous that we were being followed he hadn’t stopped shaking since we’d seen them run across the road.
“Stop looking for them,” I said. My anxiety was rising each time I met his darting eyes. “I’ll let you know if they’re after us.”
“Maybe we should turn off,” Blake said.
“I don’t think we can do that,” Dillon said. “This is the way to get there. Unless you’ve wisely changed your mind about going.”
Dillon looked out the side window for less than five seconds before turning again. His eyes were glassy.
“Dillon!” I said.
“I can’t stop,” he said. “I just know that no matter what, I’ll never be free of them. I shouldn’t have tried. And guess what else?”
I shrugged.
“When they find me, and it seems highly likely they will, they’re probably going to kill me because I’m not loyal to them. I ran away from them. Or maybe if I’m not even a little lucky, they’ll put me in the lab and do tests on me.” Dillon sharply sniffed back a tear. “Can’t you see I’m terrified? The only reason I agreed to this is because I was afraid to be alone. I never thought we’d actually even come this far. I wanted to stop you. I wanted you to realize this is a terrible idea but you’re so stubborn… or maybe you’re all just really stupid.”
“Maybe you’re stupid,” Maddie shot back.
I swallowed hard, hoping to moisten my drying throat. I looked over at Jay but his eyes were down. Still, there was no doubt in my mind he’d been listening to every word that came out of Dillon’s mouth.
“You’ll have the truck,” I reminded him. “You can go anywhere you want.”
Dillon snorted. His voice was raspy. “How will that help me exactly? I’ve been thinking this over and I’m all alone out here. I don’t even know how to get gas in this thing so, really, how far will I get? I barely survived the way it was. It won’t be long before they catch me. Not long at all.”
“I don’t have a choice in the matter,” I said.
“I don’t feel like I do either,” Dillon said.
The entire truck bounced upward. Jay reached over and grabbed my arm as if he was afraid I was going to flop out of the back of the truck.
“What was that?” I asked quickly.
The truck was slowing and rolling awkwardly toward the side of the road.
Blake’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. He exhaled loudly. “A flat.”
Chapter Thirteen
We stood there, staring at the tires. The two on the passenger side couldn’t have been any flatter.
Blake paced near the back with his hands on his hips. His eyes occasionally flicking up toward the truck as if he didn’t believe what had happened.
“Four flat tires?” Maddie asked. “That’s unusual, isn’t it?”
“We must have hit something back there,” Jay said before walking down the road in the direction we’d just come from. “Yeah,” He called as he bent down and studied something on the ground. “We hit something all right. A strip of spikes.”
“Something put there intentionally,” Blake muttered.
Dillon shook his shoulders as if spiders were crawling up his back. He grimaced before biting his lip.
“I can’t decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing,” Dillon said looking around as if he were trying to see in every direction at once. His head abruptly stopped moving and he started to back away from us. “Oh… oh, God. It’s bad. It’s a really bad thing. They’re coming. They’re coming!”
Four people in jumpsuits were walking down a side street, making their way toward us. I grabbed Dillon’s arm before he could get away from us.
“Let go of me!” he hissed.
“Pull it together,” I said. “We’re armed, remember? You’re safer with us than running off on your own. Blake will protect you.”
“Ha!” Dillon spat. “Blake will protect you. He doesn’t care what happens to me.”
I held on to him even tighter. It was as though I felt deep inside that if I let go, I’d never find Polly.
We could have had the best directions in the world. But still, it felt as though Dillon was my link to Polly. He was the key that would let me in the door.
After all, he’d been there with her. He’d been in that place taking in the same air Polly had. They could have passed each other in the hallways. Dillon helped me to feel closer to her, which I knew was ridiculous but I couldn’t help it.
Blake and Jay both raised their gun, aiming them at the group of four that was approaching slowly. This group of people was different from those we’d seen being chased by the sick. But they still wore jumpsuits… it seemed as though the closer we got, the more of them there were.
“Why are there so many of them out here?” I asked in a soft voice.
“They’re out here looking for more fools to join them,” Dillon said. “Always looking for more idiots. And they find them too, every day they were bringing new people.”
The group was far enough away that we could talk freely without the risk of being heard but they were close enough that there wasn’t anything we could do. It wasn’t like we could run away. We were stuck.
“At least we know who’s responsible for our flat tires, hmm?” Dillon said attempting to jerk his arm away from me. He failed thanks to him being in such a weakened state. “Not that there had been any doubt in my mind.”
“Stop,” Blake shouted. “That’s close enough.”
They were a solid twenty feet away. Still, it seemed much too close for Dillon. Every so often, he twitched, ready to run if I loosened my grip.
“We’re here to help you,” one of them called out. “See you’re having some trouble with your automobile.”
“Automobile,” Dillon mumbled. “Who says that?”
The second person brought their hand up to their brow even though there was no sunlight that could be in their eyes. “We’ve got a place nearby. We can help you get some new tires.”
“It’s a trick. A trap! They just want to bring you to the base. Don’t fall for it, Blake!” Dillon said in a high-pitched squeaky voice.
“Not another step,” Blake said in a deep voice that rumbled my stomach like thunder would shake the earth. “Stand your ground or we’ll shoot.”
Two of them exchanged a look before a broad-shouldered man with a long beard said something to his pal with a narrow chin.
“Don’t shoot,” the bearded man called as he raised his hands slightly. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Then just turn around and go back to where you came from,” Blake warned. “We’re just passing through and will be gone soon.”
“You won’t be passing through any time soon with four flat tires,” the narrowed chinned man said.
There was movement in a wooded area across the street and approximately a quarter-mile off the road. Ten people were running toward us. Four of those ten were carrying bows.
“What’s going on?” I said.
“No idea,” Dillon said shaking his head.
The expression on the faces of the group in jumpsuits swiftly altered. Two of them turned and walked away but the narrow-chinned man and the one with the beard backed away slower. It looked as though they were discussing something.
“Come with us,” the bearded man said.
An arrow landed three feet away from him. He cursed and gave us one last look before leaving the area.
“Get behind the truck,” Blake said.
There was no way to protect us from flying arrows. The truck was the only thing we could use for a shield.
“Shoot them!” Dillon ordered.
“I don’t just shoot people for fun,” Blake said.
“They’re shooting at us!” Dillon said. “Defend us.”
Blake was looking at them over the hood. “I don’t think so. They were shooting at them. They haven’t launched another arrow since they left.”
“Hello!” a woman called as she waved. She wore a bright smile that displayed her perfectly white teeth. “We come in peace.”
“Does she think she’s funny?” Dillon asked.
“Don’t shoot,” Blake said. “We’re armed and will defend ourselves if necessary.”
“Understood,” the woman said. “You are not our enemies. We have no intentions to shoot.”
I peeked over the side of the truck. A short, young woman leaned closer to the woman and whispered something before going back into her original position.
“At least we don’t think you are. There is one with you… the one in the uniform. We’re not sure about him,” the woman said. “May we approach, so that we can talk further without having to shout to one another?”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Blake said.
“How about just me then?” the woman asked.
Blake looked at me and I shrugged. It wasn’t like we had a lot of options. No place to hide and a vehicle that wasn’t going to take us down the empty road stretched out before us.
“Just you,” Blake agreed.
The woman said something to her group. She shoved her hands into her pockets and approached with caution.
“They’ll protect me if you try anything,” she said.
“Of course.” Blake crossed his arms loosely in front of himself, displaying the gun he was holding. His head jerked to the side. “And I’ll protect them if I need to.”
“Seems like we’re on the same page then,” the woman said. “I’m Twyla. Who are you? I’m particularly curious about him.”
Twyla pointed at Dillon. He took a quick step behind me.
“He’s our traveling companion,” Blake said.
“I can see that,” she said grinning. “But he’s wearing something we see a lot of out in this area. It’s peculiar he’s with you and not the other way around.”
“Is it?” Blake asked.
Twyla nodded, locking eyes with Dillon. “Are you a recruiter?”
“No,” Dillon said. “I’m an escapee.”
Blake groaned, likely annoyed that Dillon was giving information away so freely. It wasn’t like we knew the first thing about this woman standing in front of us.
She looked normal with her straight, shoulder-length hair and slim build but of course, that didn’t mean a single thing. Her hair was dark as the night sky and her eyes nearly matched.
“That’s hard to believe,” Twyla said. “Nearly impossible.”
Dillon shrugged before crossing his arms. “Well, it’s true. And I have no intention of going back.”
“Then it’s odd you’re going down this road, isn’t it?” Twyla asked.
“It is,” Dillon said. He snapped his mouth shut when Blake shot him a dark look.
Twyla caught the interaction and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry about your vehicle. I have a confession to make.”
Blake cocked his head to the side. His shoulders rose with a deep inhale.
“We stop cars traveling up this road,” Twyla said. “There’s a place and we feel it’s our job to stop people from going there. Isn’t that right, Mister Jumpsuit?”
“Absolutely,” Dillon said almost instantly. “I’ve been trying to tell them that.”
“So, you’re purposefully headed there?” Twyla asked.
“If you don’t mind,” Blake said his muscles tensing. “Our business is our own.”
Twyla’s nose wrinkled as if she’d suddenly smelled a skunk. “We can fix your truck but in exchange, I want your time.”
“We don’t have a lot of time to spare,” Blake said.
“It won’t take much,” Twyla said.
“What’s this all about?” Blake asked.
Twyla raised her brows. “I’d like to make a case for why you should not continue forward. It’s my job to attempt to stop you from making a huge mistake.”
“I told you!” Dillon said.
“Just give me some of your time. Listen to what I have to say and after that, you can be on your way. If you choose to continue on, then so be it, but I at least need to try,” Twyla explained.<
br />
Blake didn’t take his eyes off of the woman. His voice was soft. “What should we do?”
“Are you asking me?” Dillon said. He sucked in a breath. “Oh, of course not, you’re asking your girlfriend.”
He said the word like it was the punchline of a joke. If I hadn’t needed him, I would have sent him on his way.
“Do we have a lot of options here?” I asked. “We have no truck and those guys in jumpsuits are just around the corner. I don’t think we’ll get very far, at least not without using those guns.”
“We can find another vehicle up the road,” Maddie said. “We just have to run.”
“With all those recruiters around? Uh-uh. No thanks,” Dillon said.
I looked back down the road where the small group of people in jumpsuits had just been. It had seemed as though they’d been afraid of Twyla’s group. Perhaps we should have been too but for some reason… I wasn’t.
“I guess we go with them,” I said.
“Mom, are we ever going to go to Polly?” Maddie asked with a groan.
“Yes,” I said. “But we need the truck to get there. We don’t have time to find another and it’s probably not even safe around here to do so.”
Blake met my eyes for a quick second and nodded. He turned back to Twyla. “You’ll fix the truck and then we’re free to leave?”
“My friends will fix it while we talk. Four new tires just for your time,” Twyla said. “And then you’re free to go. Or maybe you’ll want to stay.”
Blake sighed. “All right then. Let’s go have a talk.”
Chapter Fourteen
We walked across the field and through a thick patch of trees before stopping at an old, run-down church. Twyla smiled proudly.
“This is us,” she said.
“Interesting,” Dillon said.
“It gets better,” Twyla said.
Blake eyed her. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll see,” she said waving over a man with a round beach ball belly and a red rag sticking out of his back pocket.
What Remains Series (Book 4): Evasion Page 7
