Page 11 of Bait
“There are gangs out there, Brains.” Candela said it in the calmest voice. I was facing her now, mostly so I could give my back to Torch, and she sent me a look that made my stomach flutter. It was protective and understanding, and it made me feel like maybe I could let down my guard.
“Is it really horrible out there?”
She scrunched up her nose like she always did when she was thinking hard and recognizing that felt like a comfort. Torch made an impatient sound from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and glared. Candela laughed and pulled me toward the rig.
“Why don’t you get in there, and I’ll answer whatever questions you have, but we’re pushing it by staying out here so long.”
“I know Torch doesn’t want me here.” I wasn’t being dramatic. I could feel the tension in him. I could also not blame him. “And I can’t just go and leave everyone in the bunker. Don’t we have to warn them?”
Candela shot Torch a look, which only made the furrow between his eyes get even deeper—if that was even possible. Then he turned to me and the expression morphed into one of repugnant impatience.
“You don’t know shit, Alma, as hard as it might be for you to believe it.” For some reason his choice of words finally broke whatever had been holding me together after the experience of the past few days. Hysterical laughter started pouring out of me. It was so intense I started wheezing. Torch took a step back, he probably thought I was having some kind of breakdown.
“Believe me,” I doubled over, holding my stomach that hurt from laughing. “If there is one thing I’ve been made extremely aware of in the last few days, it’s that I have no idea about anything.” He kept glowering at me while I giggled so hard I had tears in my eyes.
“Are you getting in?” he almost growled out the question, but something in his eyes was unsettled. I gave up pretending that I could do any of this on my own and nodded. I was not going to stay out here on my own if they were offering to take me with them. I was proud, but I wasn’t out of my mind. At least not yet. That didn’t mean I couldn’t have an attitude.
“Fine, but you better stop glowering at me.”
“Move it, before Torch starts hollering again,” Candela teased as I climbed the steps leading to the inside of the rig, a mixture of relief and defeat swirling inside me. Because even though I was scared of what came next, I was glad I wasn’t stuck down there.
“Wow.” I did not feign my surprise when I stepped inside the rig. It looked like an RV in a sci-fi movie. I was used to small spaces—even in the upper levels of the bunker there was only so much square footage each family could have—but this was very narrow. It was like being inside a huge tube. The cabin had a little galley kitchen with shelves on top and on the bottom on one side and a small banquette and table on the other. There were two doors on the far end, and I could not resist investigating. I looked over my shoulder at Candela, who nodded encouragingly.
“Go ahead.” The door on the left revealed a tiny shower and toilet. “There’s a tank on top of the rig and a small reservoir on the side. We just filled it up. So, you can take a shower if you want.”
“I can’t believe how cool this thing is.”
“He found it, and we fixed it up together.” Candela winked and hiked a thumb in Torch’s direction. He was standing by the door we’d come in from, at full alert. Only half scowl though, which was some kind of progress.
“So you guys have been together for a long time?” It was one of the things I’d been wondering about. How they’d hooked up? Had she been hanging around the bunker when he was kicked out?
Once again Candela sent Torch a questioning look. I didn’t think she was asking permission, but I got the feeling she was respecting his privacy. Like she knew there were things he wouldn’t want me to know. I couldn’t even be offended because I wouldn’t trust me if I were him either.
“For a while now.” It was not exactly a very detailed answer, but I didn’t want to push her. “Torch’s pretty handy at scavenging and as the ash has lifted in the last ten years, more and more stuff that was buried is surfacing, pretty intact.” She said, evading my question by sticking to the rig, and I let it go for the moment. “We found the truck in an old hangar near what had been a military airport.” Candela swept a hand around with a glint of pride in her eyes. “It took a while to find stuff for inside and the solar panels we use to run this thing were a bitch to install on the roof, but we got it functional.”
That was one of my dad’s predictions, that eventually the ash would lift. According to one of his theories once the worst of it was over those who survived would get to see the world come to life in an exuberant way. I looked out the window and noticed the vibrant green of the leaves even in the middle of a desert and was suddenly very eager to see more.
“It’s amazing.” I made an effort and smiled at Torch, but gave up after his jaw muscle fluttered from clenching it so hard.
“Where do we sleep?” The question sounded loaded to me, but Candela was unfazed by it. She came up behind me and rapped on what looked like a sliding door on the far wall of the cabin. I opened it and indeed found a sleeping cabin of some kind. About three quarters of the floor was covered by a bed that could hold two people comfortably. That made me wonder what exactly was Torch and Candela’s relationship. Which led to heat creeping up my neck and face, but thankfully Candela was still behind me.
The two of them were obviously close, and they’d both been middle-levelers in the bunker. They probably spent much more time with each other than either of them ever had with me. But Torch was older than us and Candela had disappeared years before him.
I made myself keep inspecting to avoid spouting off something that would make everyone uncomfortable. On the left side of the room, by the windows, there was a ladder leading to what looked like a sleeping nook. Beyond the sleeper were the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
“We’re going to be pretty cozy in here,” I muttered under my breath, but apparently not low enough.
“I’ll be up front and you two can have the cabin, just make sure you stay in your place at night.” Torch couldn’t talk like he wasn’t giving orders, and I was tired of snapping back, so I just stared at him, blinked once and turned to Candela.
She rolled her eyes and tipped her head up to the loft. “You can take that if you want. We have some clothes and supplies I can give you, if you want to clean up later.”
“Just tell me where to sit.” I could feel the heat of his stare on the back of my head, but I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. After a moment he passed by me and opened the latched door connecting to the cab of the truck.
“Here.” Candela waved a hand in the direction of a foldable seat behind hers in the front. I had used a seatbelt before, but it had been a long time ago and for a regular truck. What if this one was different and I ended up breaking it?
“This thing is like a spaceship.” I sounded like a dolt, but I couldn’t help myself. Candela offered me a reassuring smile, which only made me more anxious, and Torch ignored me. I’d never been out of the bunker. I had no idea what to expect when it came to being in a moving vehicle. I was excited at first, but now that even a seatbelt seemed like an endurance test, I just hoped I wouldn’t get sick and ruin their amazing rig.
“Let me help.” Embarrassment made my skin heat as I dropped down in the chair. I grabbed the strap and extended it while Candela held onto the contraption I was supposed to latch it to.
