Sudden Independents (22 page)

D
ay broke gray and cold as Molly sat beside Chase in a truck driving away from Independents. She pressed her hand against the roof because of all the bouncing, fearing she might snap her neck if she got tossed any higher. Her sore butt complained from the squeaky springs in the bench seat and she worried her spine would be permanently crooked by the time they arrived at the place where Hunter was being kept.

“Are we almost there?” Molly asked after a series of bumps slammed her against the passenger window repeatedly.

Chase peered straight ahead through the cracked windshield and ignored her. It had been that way ever since they made their escape.

Kessie shot an evil glance at Molly; her white knuckles gripped the steering wheel. “We’ll get there soon enough. Maybe you could do something useful like find me a better road to follow. You live around here, right?”

Molly shrugged and looked away. “I stayed in town where I was needed.”

“That why you burned that house down?” Kessie asked. “That boy no longer needed you?”

The comment stung more than Molly wanted to admit. Was that really why Hunter broke up with her? He’d get a chance to explain soon enough, she thought. But part of her never wanted to know. She noticed a corner of Chase’s mouth curling.

“You think that’s funny?” she asked him. “Tell her to stop and say that to my face.”

Kessie slammed the brakes and everybody pitched forward, including Patrick, who was watching over Catherine in the truck bed. He pounded the top of the cab. “What the hell!”

Kessie pointed at Molly. “Look, bitch, I don’t know why Chase decided to bring you along, but he doesn’t have to tell me anything. If you want to stay pretty, you better keep your mouth shut. Or I will seriously rip out your tongue and leave it on the side of the road.”

Molly ignored Kessie’s threat and smiled at Chase. “Is she always like this?”

“Pretty much. I wouldn’t want to go up against her.”

“Hear that?” Kessie said.

“Oh, I hear it,” Molly replied. “Too bad, maybe he’d like to go up against me.”

“I knew it! Chase, this chick is trouble. She burnt down her boyfriend’s house and clubbed her town leader. She’s crazy in the head!”

Chase flipped his hand at the windshield. “Let’s keep moving. We have to hurry and meet Raven so we don’t lose our head start.”

“Who’s Raven?” Molly asked.

Kessie stomped on the gas. “She’s another chick that will kick your ass if you talk anymore of that trash.”

Molly braced herself for more bouncing and bruising as she tried to figure out her next move. Obviously Chase was in charge of wherever they were headed. She appreciated the fact that he busted her out of jail and the way he allowed Patrick to beat up Jimmy. Chase was a bad boy and he needed a bad girl like Molly, at least until she got bored. She’d have to wait until he kicked whatever illness made him so pale and sweaty.

Molly knew one thing: People around here better start giving her respect.

Kessie eventually stopped the truck in the middle of nowhere and they waited. Chase grew irritated after ten minutes of silence passed and instructed Kessie to go to the house. Kessie drove faster and faster with Chase constantly telling her to speed up. The trip was brutal.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled in next to another truck and a row of motorcycles at the rear of an old farmhouse. Chase reached a black leather glove across Molly, opened the door and shoved her out. Molly landed on the hard ground, jarring her back even worse. He stepped over her without a word.

Molly used the door for support, squirming to her feet, and brushed the dirt off her butt. “What’s your problem?”

Chase continued toward his destination. He threw the backdoor open with a bang. “Everyone outside now!”

Five boys tumbled out, drawing up to attention like they were in the military. Molly wondered why their eyes widened with fear. Chase was short and a little creepy, but hardly intimidating. Then she noticed Patrick leaning on his toes with his nostrils flaring. After the beating Jimmy received, Molly figured she’d be frightened to if she stood in that monster’s path.

While she found all of this entertaining, she was also starving. She realized she hadn’t eaten at all yesterday and hoped some food appeared soon or she would really get cranky.

“Where’s Raven?” Chase asked. “You were supposed to meet us on the road.”

Three boys pointed back to the house, the others stood there shivering without their coats. Two of them didn’t have shoes on; Molly smiled at how miserable and stupid they all looked.

Chase disappeared inside the house. The boys traded glances with each other and shrugged. They caught Patrick staring them down and dropped their gazes to the ground. Molly wondered if their shaking was related to the chilly temperature after all.

Chase reappeared. “Where are the hostages?”

They all turned toward the one kid who appeared to be the oldest, probably because he was the tallest. He performed a frantic search up and down the line for support. Finally, he resigned with a nervous eye-tick and stepped forward.

“They’re tied up in one of the bedrooms. We tied them up real good.”

“No, you didn’t. They’re gone. Didn’t you keep watch?”

The leader peeked back to four pairs of accusing eyes. He bowed his head. “We figured they couldn’t get out,” he mumbled.

Kessie inspected the motorcycles and then lifted the hood of the truck. “Somebody cut all the belts and hoses. They cut the wires on the motorcycles. They’re all useless.”

Patrick stalked over to survey the damage, and then kicked over a bike at one end of the line. The rest fell over like dominoes. “They fucking stole my bike!”

Molly finally understood what all the commotion was about. Hunter had escaped. Her feelings were torn between what she wanted. She wished she could have seen Hunter one more time, maybe find out what really went wrong with their relationship and why he acted like such an asshole. But she was also relieved he was gone, allowing her a clean break. Now she could start her new life without any distractions.

Patrick jumped into the leader’s face with spit flying as he yelled. “They jacked-up the truck and all the bikes! There’s no way we can get them running now! They even stole my bike and left me with this piece of shit!”

Molly recognized the bike, and smiled. Then she cursed herself, wishing she could get thoughts of Hunter out of her head.

Chase chuckled softly. The five boys took a jumbo step backward.

“Where’s Raven?” Kessie asked.

“Don’t know,” Chase said.

The leader spoke up quickly. “She knew the black kid. They went to the same school before the plague. Maybe she snuck back and untied them.”

Chase smiled. “She told me about him when I met with her last night. Nice try.” Chase scratched underneath his chin like he was contemplating murder. “Patrick.”

“Yeah?”

Chase pointed at the leader of the five. The boy’s legs wobbled as though he were a turkey standing in a bowl of Jell-o. Molly really missed Jell-o. Her stomach gurgled.

Patrick’s face stretched into an evil grin. He removed his gloves and pounded a fist into the palm of his other hand as he advanced on his victim.

“The rest of you siphon all the gas tanks and put the fuel in that truck. We’ll find something else to drive soon enough. Leave everything we don’t need; there won’t be much room. Better bring all the blankets and sleeping bags, though.” Chase surveyed the sky. “Snow’s about to fall.”

Molly turned from the brutality of Patrick hammering without mercy on the one kid. She couldn’t stop hearing the sounds though without covering her ears and appearing weak. Patrick’s breathing was hard and heavy. The boy receiving the beating pleaded for help, and then sobbed when the punishment ended.

Molly leaned against the cold, metal side of the truck, thankful she wore her parka, but wishing she had warmer clothes on underneath. She joined this group on the spur of the moment when they broke her out. She would dump them when she got the chance, but for now she’d go along for the ride—anything that took her away from here. She refused to care about Hunter.

“They’re a pretty violent bunch, aren’t they?”

Molly jumped at the sudden voice. She found Catherine next to her, dressed in a pink nightshirt and shoeless. Catherine didn’t seem to notice the cold.

“It’s really sad,” she said.

She was a weird little girl who Molly avoided ever since their first meeting when the town council had gathered to discuss the healings of both Hunter and Vanessa. Catherine walked into the room and headed straight to Molly. The girl’s blue eyes held her captive.

Those blue eyes gazed up at her now. Molly spun around to regard the dismal, neutral-colored horizon. “Would you just leave me alone?”

“No. Be careful with Chase.”

Kessie stared at them. Catherine tugged on the bottom of Molly’s coat.

“What?”

“I forgive you,” Catherine said. The little girl started pawing at her, but Molly was in no mood for hugs.

“Let go of me.”

Molly moved away from the brat and followed Kessie over to where Chase stood watching the clouds. A frost worked through the air, biting flesh and brightening cheeks and noses. The clouds were rolling up dark and gray, as though they were attending a funeral.

“Chase, we can’t leave Raven,” Kessie said. “We have to rescue her.”

“I got what I came for.”

Chase’s dark eyes resembled a savage animal seeking prey. Molly was not crazy about the way they made her cringe.

“But they’ll force her into telling where we’re going.”

“It won’t matter.” He patted Kessie’s shoulder with a gloved hand. “She got caught. What can we do?”

Kessie didn’t offer any suggestions. She crossed her arms and looked back the way they’d driven in from.

Molly smiled her way into the conversation. “That’s one less mouth to feed, right? You wouldn’t have anything to eat, would you?”

The sky exploded, sending huge sparks of pain though her nose. She hit the ground at Chase’s feet.

“Say one more thing!” Kessie yelled at her, “and I swear I’ll beat you to death!”

Chase chuckled while Molly lay in the dirt, hurt and embarrassed. “Welcome to the club, Molly. You can ride in the back until you learn your place and keep that mouth of yours from getting you into trouble.” He stepped over her again. She stretched out for his ankle, but he kicked her loose and took Kessie’s hand, leading her away. “Boys, help our new member into the truck and keep her warm.”

Molly slapped the first one that touched her and stood up on her own. She climbed into the truck bed and watched Kessie, Chase, Catherine and Patrick nestling warmly inside the cab. She slumped against the rear window down to the bed as she lightly touched her nose. The five boys piled in around her. Molly glanced up into the face of the leader, who showed her his new smile, minus one tooth. Her eyes swelled with tears and all the boys laughed at her expense.

The truck engine belched dark smoke out the tailpipe and her butt quickly went numb from the frozen metal surface she was forced to ride on. Soon her entire body became one giant receptacle of pain and cold.

The boys huddled together under blankets, and it wasn’t long before she slid into their midst for whatever warmth she could gain. Molly slapped the first one that touched her.