by J. P. Castle
“You’re right, Troian,” said Bastian. “Also, I hope no one is foolish enough to call the number they listed at the bottom of that screen. It’s a trick. They’re fishing to see if we’re really that dumb.”
Rani shot Troian a hateful glance, rapidly changing the expression on her face back to Miss Perfect before anyone recognized. Bastian should be on my side . . . doesn’t matter whether I’m right or wrong, Troian, because I’m always right. Always.
“Amir ‘n Youlie, you’re in charge of the news, we need to follow that daily ‘n watch for updates.”
“Got it, Bastian, no worries,” said Amir.
Youlie nodded in agreement.
LATER THAT NIGHT, everyone settled into their sleeping spots. No one bothered with a campfire. And, tonight, they had plenty of space to stretch out between the two R.V.s.
Bastian lay in the back with Rani in the new bed. The covers smelled clean, and they had a bathroom, which Mr. McCrady kindly connected. Between that and the shower house, everyone got to freshen up.
Troian set up the dinette area again, in the new rig. She laid down and counted squares on the ceiling.
“Mind if I join you once more,” said Caleb.
“Sure,” said Troian, reasoning no more of it than two people who had no choice but to share a space.
Caleb put his sleeping bag down and sat on top of it. He pretended to fiddle with his wrist-unit. Where is Bryce? Surely, she isn’t sleeping next door.
Bryce finally came in and plopped down beside Ledger on the fold-out couch. She detected Caleb ogling her again and noticed he once more laid next to Troian.
He hasn’t even tried to say a word to me all day. Bryce eyed back at him with a stiffened jaw.
Troian didn’t pick up on the tension mounting between the two. Her own thoughts consumed any available brainpower she had left. She inadvertently picked at a tiny brown spot on Caleb’s sleeping bag, trying to distract herself from the recent events. It amused Caleb to watch Bryce’s reaction to the innocent scene.
He reached over and pretended to remove a piece of lint from Troian’s hair. “Sorry you had a little something in your hair,” he said, flipping the pretend piece toward the floor.
“Oh, thanks,” said Troian, zoning back out.
Bryce, on the other hand, decided two could play that game and turned her attention to Ledger. She fluffed her fingers through his thick, dirty blond hair, and cupped her hand over her mouth—as if telling the biggest secret ever. Leaning in, she whispered, “Where’s your man bun?”
Ledger smiled at her with his light green eyes, cupped his hand over his own mouth to repeat the flirty gesture, and said, “Been too cold for that.”
They both snickered.
Caleb watched, hearing the low laugh, but not precisely the words they’d spoken. Bryce shot Caleb back a look of ‘haha,’ tilted her head slightly sideways, and smiled. Caleb didn’t move. Instead, he worked his lower jaw back ‘n forth a couple of times and gritted his teeth. Seeing Bryce touch another male, even his friend, irritated him.
Bryce laid down to get some sleep, satisfied she’d managed to annoy Caleb as much as he’d annoyed her.
Ledger knew he’d been a tiny pawn in a suavely played human chess game. The situation entertained him; he didn’t mind.
Troian wanted them both to shut up so she could listen to Bastian and Rani. Rani giggled in the bedroom. Troian wrinkled her nose in disgust. She chose to stay in this rig, instead of the other, to be close to Bastian. To torture herself once more.
“I love it when you’re close to me,” said Rani in a low tone, “I’ve missed you so much these past few days. I seriously didn’t think you were gonna come back the second time you left. I’m not sure what I would’ve done. No one here could possibly understand me the way you do.”
Bastian put his arm around her, “I’ve missed you, too. I can’t get over how lucky we were to be out of town when it all happened. I’m glad you’re safe.” He pushed her hair back out of her eyes.
“I never want us to be apart. I need you, you’re all I have. I’m a broke, destitute, ice skating princess. Who’s gonna take care of me now?” said Rani, lying her head down on his chest.
Knowing his face was out of her visual range, Bastian shook his head and grinned. That’s my Rani, always considering others, haha. He pulled her closer, “Rani, we’re supposed to take care of each other, but don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m always gonna take care of you.”
“Kiss me,” she said.
Troian heard the bed move as Bastian repositioned himself to kiss Rani. She wanted to scream inside.
Bastian had dated Rani for five months now. Rani sent word through one of her minions that he should promptly ask her to the Spring dance—before she changed her mind. Of course, Bastian obliged.
Afterward, they spent the summer attending his motocross events, her ice-skating competitions, and spent time hanging out. Rani knew they would wear the homecoming crowns this Fall. She’d be in her pretty pink dress, glowing under the bright lights. Confetti would rain down like fresh snow, and Bastian would be by her side. Her friend would place the crown on her head while the crowd cheered. They’d be King and Queen of Summit High . . . the title carried little importance now, next to survival.
Rani moaned, then giggled again. “You’re driving me crazy Bastian . . . stop, get to sleep,” she said.
“It’s hard to simply sleep when you’re in my arms,” he said.
Troian squeezed her nails into her palm. That should be me in your arms, Bastian, not her. I go to all of your games, but you don’t even know I’m there. Rani goes too—to gloat over who all watches her cheer, and see who she can make envious that night.
She never pays attention to you. I’m pathetic I need to get over you and give up this fantasy. And that was way more than one kiss. She’ll never let you go now. She’ll dig those fake tips in and cling to you more than ever. I can’t stand it anymore. She pulled her sleeping bag over her head.
CHAPTER TEN
Calamity
THE GROUP ROSE early the next morning. Ledger trotted over to aggravate Rani, who stood next to the fire. He leaned in, drummed up the best girly voice he could muster, and said, “Oh Bastian, I don’t ever want us to be apart.” He batted his eyelashes at her.
Rani snarled her face and punched him in the arm, “Jerk,” she said.
He turned sideways to block the brunt of her blow, and Rani stormed off.
“What’s that all about?” said Troian.
“Why love, of course. Love,” said Ledger, fluttering his fingers around like a butterfly. “Love is in the air all around,” he mused.
“I must breathe the wrong air,” said Troian.
They both laughed, then finished their donuts.
Bastian discussed the route to New Hampshire with Mr. McCrady and Joaquin. Mr. McCrady drove the new R.V. with Caleb, Bryce, Amir, and Youlie. They left the soldier tied up in the back room. Mateo, Joaquin, Mazel, Timmy, Lumen, and Ollie all went in the van.
The group left the beast parked where it sat. Bastian led the small convoy in the SUV. Rani, Troian, and Ledger rode with him. At present, they needed to reach Chicago.
“Hey Troian, did you get ahold of your brother’s friend in Chicago?” said Bastian.
“Yes, but Bastian, he wants fifty thousand cash to do all our papers, cards, licenses, and birth certificates. He said normally he charges five grand per person, so he gave us a deal. We can’t all pull in there either, it’s limited parking. And it’s not in the best area of town . . . if you get my drift. We also need a photo of each person in front of a white backdrop before we go, I mean, if you want to pay that much.”
“We have no choice. We’ll get the pictures, then me ‘n you will go find this guy.”
“Yeah, sounds good. We don’t want to alarm him or the neighbors by pulling up with fifteen people,” said Troian, playing it cool.
I can’t believe we’re gonna get to spend
some time alone together, even if it is in the middle of a national crisis. AND WITHOUT RANI, haha, no Rani. In a million years, I’d never have seen this coming. The fates have dealt me misery and death. I at least want to cherish this one last little pleasure before I die.
Troian’s heart raced. She wanted to jump out of her skin but opted to do a silent dance in her head and keep her composure. She knew nothing would happen between them, but an hour alone with Bastian without anyone else in tow excited her.
“Amir said we’d hit storms in Nebraska,” said Bastian. “I hope it doesn’t affect us.”
“After the past couple of days, I don’t even care about the weather right now,” said Rani.
Bastian laughed, “Yeah, tell me about it.” He reached over to hold her hand.
A couple of hours later, it started drizzling. One by one, they pulled through the allotment stations, got their tickets punched, and paid their tolls. Bastian carefully covered his face with a low brimmed hat and sunglasses to avoid detection.
Several hours later, almost through the state, the sky darkened. Heavy rain pounded down on the windshield, overwhelming the wipers. Wind blew debris violently across the roadway. Rain mounded up on the pavement.
Bastian received a call from Amir.
“Bastian, I hate to tell you this, but we’re headed straight into a tornado.”
“A tornado? Are you serious? Are you sure?”
“Yes, Mr. McC says we should get off the road for a minute and let this pass. The wind is really rocking the R.V. around.”
“Yeah, it’s pushing us around, too. Okay, let me find a place to pull over. Call Joaquin.”
“Got it.”
Bastian searched for an exit, slowing his speed down to 20 mph. “Amir said a tornado is heading our way.”
“A TORNADO, GREAT. That figures. I can visualize the headlines now. Orphan miraculously escapes deadly viral outbreak—sadly—dies in a tornado,” said Rani.
Ledger cackled, “Rani, you are a trip.”
“We are in tornado alley. The states so flat it has no windbreaks,” said Troian.
“There aren’t any exits,” said Bastian. He concentrated on the road, with both hands on the wheel and leaned forward to get a better view.
Amir rode shotgun with Mr. McCrady, keeping watch for the monster born in the sky. Relentless rain poured down in thick, blinding sheets bringing wind with it to pelt both sides of the vehicle.
Bryce stepped to the front of the R.V. and tried to squat down for a better view. Before leveling herself between the seats, a strong gust of wind rocked the R.V. again. Bryce stumbled backward in a freefall; all balance lost. She landed smack down onto Caleb’s lap. He caught her around the waist to protect her from injury.
“Well hello, doll face,” he smirked and smiled. He couldn’t help but toy with her after she’d ignored him for two full days.
Bryce attempted to tear away, in an act of defiance, but Caleb didn’t let her get up. He constricted his arms lightly around her body, just enough to prevent her speedy departure. The power exuded through his muscles unnerved Bryce. The warmth from his breath on her neck gave her goose chills. His nose parted the strands of her hair.
“What’s that”—he smarted into her ear, drawing in her scent—"oh, a ‘thank you’ from Bryce to Caleb. And what else was that I’m hearing . . . oh, ‘I miss your cute dimples, Caleb.’ And ‘I’m sorry I should’ve been lying beside you instead of playing in Ledger’s hair.’ And how did I respond to Bryce? I said, ‘It’s okay, Troian’s been keeping me mighty, mighty warm,’” he chuckled.
“Ugh,” Bryce winced at him.
Caleb loosed his arms, and with no other choice, she slid over to sit beside him on the couch. The R.V. shook hard again, whipping their heads to the right. Mr. McCrady swerved. The R.V. rocked onto two wheels for a split second. The soldier, tied up in the back, fell from the bed to the floor.
The sudden shift of the giant rig scared Bryce. She clutched onto Caleb’s thigh without a second thought and gasped.
Caleb, in a serious but calm tone, held her hand for a moment, “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay,” he said, making direct eye contact. “We’re gonna be fine.”
This brought temporary comfort to Bryce, who noticed how much larger his hands were than hers. The moment ended when Caleb caught a sudden flash of movement in the corner of his eye. He jumped up from the couch and pulled his weapon from his belt.
Bryce tensed her already tight body even more. The whites in her eyes expanded; panic filled her brain. Caleb now aimed his gun at the face of the loose soldier standing in front of him.
“On your knees,” demanded Caleb in a stern voice.
Uncertainty filled the room. No one in this rig could overtake a trained veteran in his prime. Even Caleb would be challenged with that; nevertheless, he remained their only present hope.
“Boy, put the gun down. I just want to get out of here.”
“One more step ‘n I’ll finish you the same as I finished your friend at the roadblock. One more dead soldier won’t make a difference on my record now.”
Finished his friend, thought Bryce. Bastian killed the soldier at the roadblock. He’s trying to scare this guy. No way Caleb killed that soldier instead of my big brother. No way. Caleb’s not a fighter, and especially not a killer.
“You alright, Caleb?” said Mr. McCrady, unable to stop.
“Keep driving, Mr. McC, I’m fine,” said Caleb without moving his eyes from the soldier. “Live or die today, your choice.” He pulled back the hammer on the gun.
Youlie braced her back on the dinette wall and gripped the edge of the table.
Amir shifted in the front seat to watch the scene unfold behind him, too afraid to move. What would I do if I could move? His heart hammered in his chest.
Mr. McCrady swerved all over the place as the wind increased in velocity. He desperately wanted to pull over, but no place allowed for that. The storm pressed its brutality down upon them.
One more swerve provided ample opportunity for the soldier to lunge. He bashed Caleb into the dinette.
“Ugh,” said Caleb, hitting his back on the table.
Attempting to swing, while trying to maintain his balance, the soldier missed Caleb and grazed Youlie across the cheek. She remained trapped against the dinette wall in the middle of the fury. The next punch struck Caleb in the rib cage, causing him to drop the gun. He and the soldier fell to the floor and wrestled about.
Caleb landed two solid blows, blasting the soldier first in the nose, then in the mouth. With watery eyes and blood streaming from his split lip, the soldier managed to get on top of Caleb. He slammed Caleb’s head on the floor twice, nearly knocking Caleb out.
The soldier grasped the front of Caleb’s shirt and raised him upward with his left hand, then punched Caleb in the face, one—two—three—four times with his right hand. Blood splattered across the room with each blow.
No mercy.
He dropped Caleb back to the floor, stood up, and kicked Caleb twice in the ribs—two more times in the stomach. Caleb lay motionless, stunned by the brute force from each impact.
Amir and Youlie froze, terror-stricken. The soldier snatched Bryce up off the couch. Amir tried desperately to contact Bastian, but the storm had wiped out all communication.
Bryce screamed in pain, “Caleb, help! Help me! Stop creep, let me go.”
The soldier dragged her backward by the hair of her head, toward the rear of the R.V. She squirmed and kicked. Her cries brought Caleb back around from his stupor. Bryce fought to free herself but didn’t stand a chance against the soldier’s powerful strength.
Caleb rose to his feet. With blurred vision, he made out the soldier holding Bryce in one arm, his hand clutched beneath her breast. The soldier pointed Caleb’s weapon back at him.
“Stop this rig right now. Let me ‘n her out, or I’ll kill her and the rest of you.”
“Let me go.” Bryce fought back with all her might.
This distracted the soldier for a split second. The soldier’s eyes glimpsed right to regain control of Bryce. He hit her in the stomach with the butt of the gun. Bryce coughed, straining to regain her breath.
Caleb pulled a second gun from the back of his pants. When the soldier refocused his attention, he faced Caleb yet again, pointing another weapon at his face.
Caleb’s left eye was swelled entirely shut. Blood streamed from his lip, nose, and cheek. He held his rib cage with his left hand, barely able to stand. The R.V. swerved once more from the wind, causing him to wobble.
“Kid, she’s about to be first, and it’s gonna be your fault. Do you really want that on your conscious? Do you seriously think your aim’s better than mine?” said the soldier with the gun buried in Bryce’s temple.
Bryce stared at Caleb; tears welled up in her eyes. Caleb pondered one last time, and said, “Yeah, I do.”
A first, then second blast deafened everyone’s ears. The soldier fell over backward, dropping to the floor. Caleb spun around at the same time and crashed into the R.V. door, still gripping his weapon. A bullet from the soldier’s gun had pierced his right side.
Caleb righted himself to find Bryce down. He staggered over to her, dropped to his knees, and said, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, but Caleb, you’re hit, you’re hit,” she cried and clawed at his coat to remove it. Blood dripped from beneath, pooling onto the floor.
She’d just removed his coat when Caleb pushed her to the side with substantial force. “MOVE,” yelled Caleb.
Bryce’s back hit the couch.
The soldier plowed Caleb over once again.
One final shot rang out.
Neither the soldier nor Caleb moved—not even a twitch. Caleb’s eyes closed; the last sigh left his body.
Terrified, Bryce and Youlie frantically rolled the soldier off Caleb. So much blood covered Caleb’s shirt, they couldn’t locate where the bullet had entered. The soldier lay with his eyes open, blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
THE WIND HOWLED, hail beat down on every square inch of the vehicle, cracking the windshield.
