Page 11 of Unrest
“Not another move!” yelled the big man, right in my ear. He pressed the gun harder into the side of my head. My heart galloped. These guys were crazy and desperate. I knew for a fact that Texas Harry kept a gun on him, but he wouldn’t dare pull it while they had me hostage.
“Okay. All right.” Rylen remained motionless. “Let her come with us. You can have the cars and all our stuff. Just let her walk away with us.”
The old guy chuckled and pressed his belly into my back. “I’ll let her go when we’re done with her.”
I was going to puke against his hand and choke on it.
Rylen’s face turned stony and his eyes honed in on the guy. He gave a nod, which I didn’t understand, until abangsplit the air, ringing in my ears. My neck felt slick with wetness as the tight arms around me loosened and with athump, the old guy hit the ground, banging into my calves. I was frozen in place. An echoingwhooshfilled my ears, like they were clogged and I couldn’t hear properly.
Rick’s eyes bugged out and his holler sounded far away as he focused on something behind me. He swung the bat with his skinny arms, but a brown flash was there, grabbing the man’s wrist to stop his swing, and smacking the side of his head with something metal, hard enough to make him tumble to his knees.
Tater. Grandma’s gun.
I touched the thick wetness at my neck and looked at my strangely maroon hand, then down at the old man splayed on the ground. Half his skull was gaping, spilling bright red flesh onto the cracked pavement. Bodies suddenly rushed all around me, yelling. I toppled over to the ground and scuttled away.
Arms banded around me, picking me up, cradling me and running for the second time in less than a day.
“You’re all right.” Rylen’s voice sounded muted, though I felt him all around me. “It’s okay now.”
I began to shake violently as I stared at my bloodied hand.
“Get it off me,” I tried to say, but it sounded weird with half of my lips swollen and my ears still ringing.
Rylen ran into the gas station, back to the bathroom where a few paper towels were left. He sat me down on the closed toilet seat and together we did our best to wipe me clean. My hands still trembled, and I noticed his did too. We filled the sink with bloodied napkins until there were no more. I still felt dirty, but at least the whooshing in my ears had begun to subside.
Quick footsteps sprinted into the shop and I whimpered. Rylen looked over his shoulder.
“It’s Remy.”
She burst into the room and rushed me, hugging me despite how gross I was.
“Amber!” She pulled back to look at me and hugged me again.
“I have blood on me,” I tried to say. She stood and looked me over, lifting my sagging ponytail and swallowing hard. Then she ran a soft finger over my cheek and upper lip.
“Turn around a little,” she whispered. I did, and she took my rubber band out.
“Don’t touch it,” I said. “I’ll do it.” I reached up, but she gently pushed my hand down.
“Let me.” She began picking things out of my hair and flinging them to the ground. Her breathing hitched over and over, and I knew she was trying not to heave. She pulled my hair up into another tight ponytail and wiped her trembling hands down her jeans, leaving pink streaks. I leaned my face into her belly and she pulled me close by the shoulders, rubbing my back.
We said nothing, just clung. Rylen watched us with distant eyes, his jaw clenched.
More footsteps came into the gas station, and Remy and I held each other as we listened.
“No generator juice,” Matt said.
“Fine. Let’s get the hell out of here and try someplace else.” Rylen’s voice sounded tense at the mention of stopping at another place. Reality of our lack of safety was hitting hard.
Rylen and Remy both helped me to my feet and watched me.
“I’m okay,” I whispered. I touched my lip and let out a little whine of surprise at how swollen it was. My mouth still tasted metallic. But I moved forward and they followed me out.
Tater was in the car, in the passenger seat, staring forward with glossy eyes. Rylen made sure Remy and I were seated with the door closed before he climbed in the driver’s seat.
“Tater?” I whispered. I wanted him to look at me, to let me thank him, but he continued to stare blankly ahead like a stone statue. Remy took my hand.
We followed Devon back down the empty dirt road to get to the original one lane road we’d been on. After our awful encounter with the first people we’d seen in days, the void was a comfort.
