Page 70 of Skin Trade

“Even skin,” Mick added with a throaty laugh. “It’s got antiseptic in it too.”

It was a wet wipe. A wet wipe like she’d seen mothers use on their kids when they needed nappies changing. But it didn’t smell like any wet wipe she’d ever been near. No. It smelt like it’d been sitting in a chemical bath for the past month and had soaked up every drop of it.

“Isn’t it dangerous what you do? Out here all day with these things?”

“Nah. It’s okay if you watch your back, keep out of the way of the shadows and don’t go into the corners. Besides, these things don’t like fire, and we gotta whole load of that for ‘em. I don’t mind if I gotto burn one of those fuckers alive. Dead is dead, right? So? How about it? You want that ride? Can’t see a lady like yourself hauling all the way to New Mont. Besides, don’t wanna have to clean you up off the side of the road in an hour.” He eyed her up and down. “Be a mighty shame.”

These two were harmless. Young, older than her, but still young in their years. Zane was maybe thirty, Mick, she wasn’t sure. It was hard to see him under his thick hat. “It’s no trouble?”

“None at all. Just a ten-minute whizz up the road and I’d rather take those ten minutes than let you go it alone.”

She looked from each of them. Ten minutes and she could be in her father’s office. Ten minutes after all these years. “Okay,” she said. “As long as you don’t mind.”

Chapter Forty

Besides the bits of roadkill and the occasional body from the creatures, the only things along the side of the road were odd signs pointing to places close by and places of interest. Some of the signs showed the way to towns and cities. New Mont was five miles away according to the first sign, but then another followed and told her that New Mont was now seven miles away.

“Are we going the right way?” She clutched the knife in her hoodie. Which would work against humans if she needed it. But, gun or knife? Not that the gun was loaded with the proper bullets that would harm a human, but it would give her a minute if these two turned out to be creeps.

“We sure are,” Zane said, that happy singing in his voice. His larger frame meant he drove because he was bigger and he could reach the pedals a lot easier with his massive clomping boots. Mick sat in the middle, giving Payton the seat next to the door. She checked it. Yep, lock was still up so they hadn’t trapt her. “But it says we’re getting further away.” She pointed to another sign. This one read eight miles.

“Well, they don’t want just anyone finding these towns, so they put signs up, make it confusing. You know yous right when you see them signs, though. They try an’ mess with you, but we know.” He gave himself a nod. “Look there, at that one.” Thornhollow, it said. She had to crane her neck to look at it because it was on the other side of the road, but it said Thornhollow, and then five miles to destination. The next sign said sixteen.

“But surely if people know this is what they do, they know to ignore it, like you?”

“Well, you didn’t know.”

He had a point.

She rested back in her seat as much as she could manage. Not that it stopped her checking the numbers and hoping to God Zane’s explanation was right. She’d have glanced out of the window at the scenery, but like Zane had told her, it was nothing. Sand, sand and whole lot more sand. They did reach a part where the sand became dunes. She paused. “Is that … I saw something.” She had her nose almost to the window. “Oh, God. Someone is out there.”

Mick peered around her. “It ain’t nothin’.”

“It isn’t nothing? That means it is something then.”

“It’s the thirsty,” Zane said. “Bury theyselves like moles out there. Moles with teeth and claws that wants to tear you apart. Bury theyselves in the sand to keep outta the heat an stuff.”

“They jump out and attack?”

Zane laughed and it was an infectious laugh, not too deep, not a throw away laugh, but a real laugh that made you want to do it too. “Only if you be dumb enough to go walking out there.”

Based on the fact the land was barren, Payton couldn’t see why anyone would need to walk out there. Even if they were lost. There was no greenery, no signs of water that she could see. Just endless sand and death.

It wasn’t like there was a beach at the other side or something like that. No perfect spots for family picnics. She’d done those sometimes with her mother. Trips to pools where her mother lounged around and topped up her tan, where she’d be watched by nannies and others. But it was still great.

“So, why you headin’ to New Mont anyway? What’s so important to get yourself almost scoffed up by one of those things?” Zane asked her.

“Oh. I …” She paused. Probably wasn’t the best idea to tell him she was going to look for her father, or who her father was. She didn’t know what political alignment was here. Could barely remember that kind of thing from when she was growing up. “I have a friend there,” she told him instead. “Well, someone I haven’t seen in a long time.” At least that part was true.

Zane winked and nudged Mick’s arm. “A friend?”

“Not like that.” She threw out a grimace to demonstrate. “They’re more like family. Do a lot of people live in New Mont?”

“Live? Yeah, sure they do. They live in those high things, you know with all the apartments, cramped like sardines all the way to the sky. No fresh air. Not for me, though. I don’t know how anyone can live in those places like that. Be standing on each other all the time. Each other driving you crazy.” He gave a shudder with it. No. She supposed he wouldn’t fit in in a place like that. It was easy to imagine Zane and Mick living in some house someplace away from everything, their truck parked at the front and a ton of part-built motorcycles or something in various stages of repair.

“The towns are full of people,” Mick said. “They get big places to share and all live together. You now, like those hotels? People can stay there and never have to leave. Never get to see outside.”

“Or break a nail,” Zane said, holding his hand up. His own nails were dusty, dark, caked with whatever it was they used.

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