Sudden Independents (17 page)

Samuel appeared overjoyed to be relieved of his dollhouse theater duties. Jimmy intended to mention his performance as often as he could, in front of as many people as possible.

“How much do Ginger and Catherine know about what’s going on?” Jimmy asked Samuel.

“Just that there are some visitors and you wanted to talk to Catherine before she met them.”

Catherine positioned herself in front of Jimmy. “I like visitors.”

“I’m sure you do, Catherine, but I have concerns about our visitors that I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Come on in and have a seat,” Catherine said, tying on a little, yellow apron with frills that appeared out of nowhere. “I’ll pour us some tea.”

Samuel, Ginger and Jimmy looked at one another like they’d just been asked to strip down naked.

“Sit!” Catherine commanded. They plopped on the floor immediately, cross-legged, in a circle.

“One lump or two, Ginger?”

“One, please.”

“Jimmy?”

“I’ll take two.”

“Samuel?”

“None for me thanks. I’m trying to watch my figure.”

Once everyone acquired a teacup, Catherine sat on the bed and looked down at her party guests. “Drink, please, before it gets cold,” she said, urging them on with a wave of her hands.

They lifted their teacups and drank. Samuel made yummy sounds.

“Now, tell me what concerns you about these visitors.”

Jimmy ran a hand under his hat to collect his thoughts before answering. “Everybody’s motivated by something. I don’t know their motivation yet. Maybe they just want to make contact, maybe they want to exchange goods, or maybe they have a large group hidden somewhere outside of Independents waiting for the attack signal.”

He looked for some support from Samuel who daintily lifted his teacup, pinky extended, and indulged in another imaginary sip. Jimmy shook his head.

“I’ll be straight with you, Catherine. You’re special.”

“Thank you.”

“You know what I’m saying. I’m about to turn eighteen and I’m afraid I’m going to die from this stupid plague.”

Sudden tears distorted Jimmy’s vision making it difficult for him to think clearly. He shuddered from the fear surging inside his whole being, fighting its way to the surface. Ginger reached out and caressed his shoulder.

“I think you have the power to save me the way you saved Vanessa and healed Hunter’s arm. I’ve been hoping for a miracle, Catherine, and I believe you’re it.”

He stopped and lowered his head, rubbing his eyes free of tears with his open palms. Ginger gathered him into her arms and as he felt her softness and strength, something new replaced his ever-present fear. He was overcome by grief because Ginger loved him, and he’d waited so long to tell her that he loved her.

Two little hands lifted his face. Jimmy stared into Catherine’s shining blue eyes and was once again reminded of a sunny day.

She nodded slowly at him, “Why do you think I’m here, silly?”

“O
h crap!” Scout squeezed the brakes and a screen of dust billowed from his skidding stop. A truck roared out of the gulch to his right with two kids standing in the bed. Three kids on motorbikes swooped out from his left.

Behind him, Hunter cursed and slid past, losing control and toppled his bike over. Hunter rolled to his feet and within seconds, he raced to his fallen motorbike and started it again. The dirt on the back of his leather jacket was the only evidence of his crash.

The group from the gulch closed in. From the looks on their faces, Scout knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant exchange.

“What do you want to do?” Hunter asked. His eyes were wide and his chest heaved from an adrenaline surge. Scout wasn’t worried about him; that was the least interesting accident of Hunter’s so far this year.

“They don’t have any guns pointed at us,” Scout said over the rumble of the approaching trouble.

“Yet.” Hunter swiveled his head, first right, then left. “If we have to split, I’ll go north. You go south. We’ll do a quick circle west and meet up back at town. First one to Jimmy wins.”

Scout nodded just as the truck stopped and the two boys in the bed hopped out. The three motorbikes circled behind Scout and Hunter and rolled to a halt. Scout calculated openings and distances, but the group was organized. If he and Hunter decided to bolt someone would be on their tails before they found a path out of the canyon.

“They picked a great place to set up an ambush,” Scout said.

“Yeah, and you led us right into it.”

Scout caught the edge of Hunter’s smirk. Before he could think of a blazing retort, the driver of the truck slipped out and slammed the door shut. The driver was the only black kid in the bunch as he sauntered toward them, twirling a key chain on his finger. He wore a puffy jacket and mirrored sunglasses that reflected the setting sun and momentarily blinded Scout. When the kid got closer, Scout rubbed his eyes. The jacket wasn’t puffy at all. The he was a she, and she was damn fine looking.

The other two were definitely males, flanking her like bodyguards. Everyone appeared in their early teens, acting sullen and tough like they weren’t going to die at eighteen the same as everyone else.

The girl regarded Hunter for a second but then the mirrored lenses focused on Scout. She smiled. Scout smiled back.

“Sparkle,” Hunter said.

Scout scowled at him, realizing he was right, but man, her smile was beautiful. Scout wished he could see her eyes.

She unzipped her jacket like the late afternoon was suddenly warm. “What’s up, guys? Out taking a little cruise, huh?”

“Something like that,” Hunter said. “Just passing through, really. Are you all from that town nearby?”

“No. Is there a town nearby?”

“So we’ve heard,” Scout said. “But we’re not sure where it is. Where’re you guys from?”

She hesitated. “Iowa.”

“Iowa, huh,” Hunter said. “Go Hawkeyes, right?”

She smirked in response, probably because she was way ahead of Hunter’s little trap. “So they tell me, but I’m originally from St. Louis.”

“So am I,” Scout said with genuine surprise. “Where was your hood?”

She removed her sunglasses and Scout’s pace quickened. He recognized her. He actually knew her from somewhere else at another time.

“JVL,” she said.

“What’s JVL?” Hunter asked.

“Jeff-Vander-Lou,” Scout replied. “It’s where I lived, too.”

The girl stepped up with her attention grafted to Scout. “What school did you go to?”

“Dunbar.”

“Me, too. What grade would you be in?”

“Ninth. You?”

“Same. What’s your name?”

“Scout,” he said and shook his head. “I mean David Thompson.”

“Davey! Little Davey Thompson!” She smiled real wide and Scout was captivated, until he heard Hunter laughing beside him.

“What? I hit a growth spurt when I turned twelve.”

“I’ll say,” the girl replied.

Scout smiled back at her with appreciation as her name popped into his head. “Jolanda Lewis, I can’t believe it!”

“Could you turn off those bikes so we can talk without screaming at each other?” she asked.

Scout cut his engine, put the kickstand down, hopped off and walked over to her. He spread his arms and she did the same. He gave her a big hug. “Damn, Jolanda, I’m not the only one that hit a growth spurt.”

She patted his cheek when he let her go. The boys behind her were tapping each other’s shoulders and laughing. “Call me Raven, please.” She turned her head around and spoke to her friends through clenched teeth. “My name is Raven.”

The boys straightened up and muffled their laughter by covering their mouths with their hands, but their bodies convulsed as they fought back the chuckles.

She sighed when she turned back. “There goes one of my best-kept secrets.”

Hunter sat on his bike with the engine off. “Don’t worry, Raven, I’ll make sure Little Davey pays for it.”

“Shut it,” Scout said. Hunter smiled and motioned for Scout to continue.

Scout nodded. “So what’s really up? And don’t tell me you’re out here picking flowers. Nebraska isn’t the best choice for a picnic.”

One of the bodyguards stepped up. “Uh, Raven?”

“It’s all right,” she said over her shoulder. “I got it.” She stared at Scout before giving her answer. “Okay, David. You’re from that town west of here, right?”

“Yeah, we call it Independents.”

“Cute. So I guess you’ve already met Chase?”

“He thinks Hunter and I are farmers.”

“Sure he does. Chase isn’t stupid.”

“So what do you want?” Hunter asked.

“All your valuables. This is a robbery, your money or your life.”

Her hand grazed Scout’s arm as she walked up to Hunter’s front wheel. Scout enjoyed the view from behind. Jolanda had grown up and filled out very, very well.

“Hunter, is it? We’re looking to connect with other survivors and see how we can help each other.”

“So why didn’t you drive in together? Why send in three while the rest of you hide out in the canyons?”

“It’s called recon. We didn’t want to scare the town, and if something happened when the small group went in then the rest of us could make a rescue attempt.”

“All right,” Scout said. “Let’s go to town and everyone can eat a home-cooked meal and sleep in a warm bed tonight. Jimmy and Chase can figure things out from there.”

“Who is Jimmy?”

“He’s the man in charge. Well, him and Vanessa.”

“V! Your sister made it through.”

“Yeah, how do you think I made it? What about Latasha?”

Jolanda bowed her head, scuffing a toe in the dust. She zipped up her coat from a chill that probably didn’t relate to the weather.

“Sorry,” Scout said.

Jolanda continued to inspect the ground. “She took care of me until she turned eighteen. Now I just got the people I hang with. We take care of each other, know what I’m saying?”

“I hear you. It’s the same way for us back in town.”

Scout caught Hunter’s eyes as the last drop of daylight fell into night. The cloudy sky trapped all possibilities of starlight from the heavens. The temperature would soon be dropping as well, making the ride home almost unbearable.

“We better get back,” Hunter said. “Are you guys coming with us?”

“Let me talk to my crew and see what they want to do,” she said. “Chase was real clear about us staying out of town.” She walked back to the truck. All the boys had gathered there, including the bikers. When Jolanda arrived they moved out of earshot.

Scout saw the dialogue was heated by Jolanda’s body language and finger pointing at various members in the huddle. Nobody could have predicted meeting someone they knew from before the world became the Big Bad. Even still, Scout watched as the girl he used to know took precautions.

“They sure are jumpy about something,” Hunter said. “I don’t like it.”

“I know. But it’s better if we get them back to town.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ll tell you the same thing they’re telling her. Keep focused.”

Scout frowned, mad that Hunter thought he could be swayed so easily. He understood the stakes. Jolanda might be a pretty face from his past, but until he knew the score, she wasn’t going to play him.

“Heads up,” Hunter said.

Jolanda approached, smiling and friendly. “Sorry, guys, I think we’re going to be late for dinner.”

“Not if we hurry,” Scout said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

The rest of Jolanda’s group shot past her in a dead sprint. Hunter shouted a warning, but it arrived too late. A couple boys tackled Scout and plowed him to the ground. His face hit the dirt and he coughed and gagged from the rising dust. They roped his hands and feet, tying him up like a calf at a rodeo. Only he felt like a clown; Jolanda had just made him out to be a fool.

They dumped Hunter next to Scout, and his air whooshed out on impact. He appeared pissed off, but his first priority was catching his breath. Hunter would blame Scout for all this later when he got around to laying it down.

“Why are you doing this? It doesn’t have to be this way. We can work something out, Jolanda.”

Jolanda kicked Scout in the body with her heavy boot. His left side went numb with pain, but he didn’t allow her the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt.