Page 88 of Captured Immune

“Why not?”

“They only have one car. What if someone needs to go to work in the morning?”

The third house we find has four vehicles parked along the gravel driveway. The one at the end is a rusty tan Nissan Altima. I almost drop my jaw when Arella doesn’t pick a fight with me about swiping it.

With her hand in mine, I wiggle my fingers at the locks. They pop up with a click, then we climb in.

The car smells like toe jam and expired yogurt. The backseat is covered in fast-food wrappers that have been collecting there for who knows how long. Dripping down the steering wheel is a questionable crusty white spot. I can’t imagine what it looks like under a microscope. I’m so fucking grossed out, I’d rather be back on that tire, but the sun’s peeking up. We can’t risk being seen anymore.

Behind the wheel, I take Arella’s hand again, then point at the empty keyhole. The engine sputters to life, then I ease us away from the house.

“How did you do that?” Arella asks from the passenger seat. She keeps her hand in mine, even though I don’t need her immunity anymore. Now that the car is started, I won’t need my powers for a while. Still, I won’t draw my hand back, nor will I say anything about it. I’ll only have Arella for as long as she needs me to keep her safe. I don’t know how much longer that’ll be, so for now, I’m going to selfishly take as much of her as I can get.

The headlights on this car suck ass. They’re so dim, I can barely see what’s ahead of me. “How did I do what?”

“Unlock the car and start it without the key?”

“Do you know how locks work?”

She cocks her head to the side. “Sort of.”

“You know how keys have those ridges that go up and down? All it does when you stick those ridges into a lock is push the mechanisms up a specific way to unlock it. I simply use my Telekinesis to do the same.”

“But how do you know how far to push up those mechanisms?”

“I just feel it, I guess. Like it just clicks in my brain when I’ve got all the right ones up. Kinda like pushing a button and stopping once you feel resistance.”

She nods with her lips pursed. “Interesting.”

With one hand on the wheel, I make a right turn. Then I glance at the dashboard and groan. “We’re gonna have to stop for gas soon.”

“How soon?”

“We’ve got a quarter tank-ish. There’s no way in hell we’ll make it to Las Vegas on that.”

She twists at the hip to face me. “Why are we going to Vegas?”

“To find a Healer.” Has she already forgotten that I told her that’s what we’re trying to do?

“And the closest one is in Vegas?”

“No, the closest one is in LA, but we can’t go to that one. The Royals know I’m injured. I’d be surprised if they weren’t waiting for us outside the Healer’s shop in LA right now.” And outside my house, Arella’s apartment, our friends’ houses, the Soul House, and any other place we’re connected to.

“Wait. If they’re expecting you to go to a Healer, then why are we going to one? Shouldn’t we do the opposite of what they think we’ll do?”

She’s right, but I don’t know any other options for us. “Can your immunity fix broken bones?”

“No.”

“Then we’re going to Vegas and hoping for our lives that Victor doesn’t already have people waiting for us there too.” I don’t know what I’ll do if Victor ever gets his hands on Arella again. Actually, I do know. It’s violent and inhumane. I’ll make sure he can never touch another innocent woman ever again, and I won’t even feel guilty about it.

“How can a Healer heal me if I’m immune to their powers?”

I slow the car and stop at a stop sign. After checking both ways, I ease back on the gas and keep heading straight. “They can’t, but they’ll have Healing Goo that’ll work on you.”

“Okay. What happens after we visit the Healer?”

“We’ll go into hiding.”

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