Page 15 of Uprising

There’s no reason why I should. While I have no idea why he’s heading to Georgia and is deciding to take me along for the ride. The idea of continuing on and going to Florida crosses my mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could travel that far and get to Florida. I like the thought that I could see my parents again. That if by some chance Mallory and Rue got my text, they could be there.

Reed hits a bump, causing my head to nearly miss the window. Shooting a glare towards him, he acts as if he didn’t almost give me a concussion. For the past two hours, while I’ve been upset and angry with him, I’m just bored and hating the silence more and more.

“I need to pee.” I don’t, but Reed doesn’t need to know that either. I mainly want to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. Something that doesn’t involve breathing the same oxygen ashim.

When Reed doesn’t answer me, anger bubbles inside my chest. I’ve never been good at composing my emotions, especially when the source is sitting next to me. So the longer he ignores me, the more unseen I feel.

“I swear to God, if you don’t answer me, I’m going to throw a fit, and you’re not going to like it.”

Reed slowly turns his head to face me. His eyes tell me he’s unimpressed, and to be honest, neither am I. But if it’s what gets him to pay attention to me, then I’ll take it.

“This again?” He asks, sounding annoyed.

I clench my jaw. “I don’t like being ignored. It’s rude and completely uncalled for. Now we’ve been driving for two hours; I’m tired and hungry. When are we going to stop?”

“I thought you said you had to pee?” He questions, raising a brow. I clamp my mouth shut, realizing my mistake. I was hoping he wouldn’t pick up on it. But of course the overly attractive man has.

“Yeah, I mean, I have to pee too.” I refuse to look at him. I’m sure he already knows I’m lying, and he doesn’t need to see my face to know that. “So, can we stop so I can take care of business?”

Reed doesn’t look at me or even show that he’s listening to me. And for some reason that irritates me even more. How does he expect me to go on this road trip to wherever he plans on taking me without talking? Or without stopping to stretch my legs. We’re traveling through Mississippi and Alabama before we hit Georgia, and who knows how far into Georgia we’re going.

“REED!” I scream at the top of my lungs. His hands tighten around the steering wheel, but besides that small amount of reaction, he shows no signs of hearing me.

My shoulders and back begin to tense. I clench my jaw, and my brow furrows, causing a headache to begin right around my temples. Before I can stop myself, I reach forward and grab the wheel. In hindsight, it’s not the best or smartest decision I’ve made. But Reed makes me feel irrational and like I’m going crazy.

“What the fuck?” Reed hisses as the car swerves to the right. Something hits the passenger-side door, causing me to flinch and let go of the wheel.

I feel my heart beat against my chest, bile rising in my throat. I almost caused us to crash, and all I can think about is the fact Reed isn’t paying attention to me.

Slamming my eyes closed, I lean against the passenger door once more. The car comes to a hard stop, my body launching forward. Keeping my eyes closed, I pull my knees up to my chest, hugging my legs. I wait for him to yell at me, to call me names, or even hit me. But none of that comes.

Nothing.

Against my better judgment, I peel my left eye open, peering over at him. Not a single ounce of me is surprised when I find Reed staring at me. His nostrils flare, his jaw clenches, and worst of all, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t blinked once.

“Are you… you’re an alien.” I blurt out. I mean, if zombies are real, aliens can be too, right?

Reed still hasn’t moved a muscle. If he’s not an alien, then he’s something else, because there’s no way a human can possibly not move. I’m not even sure he’s breathing.

“I’m—”

Reed shakes his head. Clamping my mouth closed, I bite down on my tongue. It’s like being scolded by my parents, only I never cared what they thought. They hated me the moment I was born, and when they found out I was gay, it was a whole other story.

After what feels like forever, Reed takes a deep breath, turning his head to face the windshield. This is it; he’s going to kick me out. I’m going to be thrown out of the car and have no idea where I’m going. Or he’s going to just stab me in the stomach and then shove my body out of the car. I’m not entirely sure which is worse.

“You’re pushing my patience,” Reed finally tells me.

A ball forms in the back of my throat. I always push people's patience; it’s what Rue loved about me. Others, not so much. Mom and Dad used to lock me in my room when they didn’t want to deal with me.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I won’t do it again; please don’t kill me or leave me,” I beg at the same time he says, “Strike one.”

I frown, confused and certain I must have heard him wrong. I was pretty sure I was already on strike three.

“I thought?—”

“Don’t push it, Noah.”

Once again I close my mouth, dread coursing through my body. Reed is going to get rid of me the first chance he gets. And while that might be ideal for most, I won’t survive. I panic at the sight of a zombie. Out there by myself I would become zombie soup within the first night—a few hours.

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