Page 24 of Five Survive

“Right. But maybe we’re trespassing on his land or something.”

“Oliver,” Reyna said.

“What? This is the South.” He shuffled forward, out from under thetable, leaving Maddy behind. She looked so small under there. “I’ve got an idea,” he said, crouching low as he moved forward, toward the sofa bed, eyes on the window above it.

“Oliver, what are you doing?” Reyna hissed.

“I’m just going to explain what we’re doing here. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.”

Not sure enough to stand up, though. Clearly Oliver had never been in a situation he couldn’t talk his way out of. Red didn’t think this would be one of those.

Keeping his head low, behind the sofa, Oliver slowly reached up and unlatched the window, sliding it a few inches open, letting the darkness in.

“Hello!” he called, up and out the gap in the window. “I’m sorry if we’re on your land, we got lost!”

Red should tell him it was pointless. The shooter was using a laser sight to help him aim, which meant he was probably more than shouting distance away, out there in the wide-open nothing. Oliver wouldn’t listen, though, even if she did.

“We were just trying to leave!” Oliver shouted, louder now. “We won’t say anything if you let us leave! I’m sure you have a license!”

Red looked back at Arthur. He was fidgeting, nervously tapping the top of his leg. And so was she, it turned out, picking at the seams of her front pocket. She checked in with Maddy on the other side, half under the table, strange downward shadows on her face.

Then Simon gasped. He pointed, and Red whipped her head around, following the line of his finger. To the front of the RV, and the back of the driver’s seat. Right there, against the very top of the headrest, was the red dot.

“It’s inside,” Simon whispered, terror reshaping his face again.

“What?” Reyna couldn’t see.

Red looked away from the dot, tracing it back to its point of origin.

“It’s coming through that window. Oliver, watch ou—”

She didn’t finish and the window exploded above him. Shattering into a million million pieces that rained down as he covered his head with his arms. Shards that shimmered as they fell, scattering around Red and Arthur too.

Maddy screamed.

“Oliver!” Reyna shouted. “Are you okay?”

He raised his head carefully, surveying his arms, touching his face as though afraid it might not still be there.

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice emptied out with the shock. “Fine.” He shook his shoulders, glass glittering as it clung to his shirt. He swiped at his arms, and the last few shards dusting his hair. Lucky he didn’t seem to be cut anywhere. Lucky like a Lavoy.

“Yeah, just a warning shot,” Simon said, a tremble in his hand as he flicked a piece of glass away. Had Red ever seen him scared before? Ever? Simon Yoo was supposed to be fearless.

“Well, you’re the one who thought it was a fucking prank,” Oliver growled suddenly, coming through the shock. “Fuck this. There’s obviously some maniac out there. We need to get out of here, right now. First we need to cover the windows. Turn down the lights so he can’t see us inside. Simon, can you?”

Simon was closest to the light switches. He glared at Oliver.

“Just reach up and dim them. You aren’t by a window. You’ll be okay.”

Simon’s legs shook as he raised himself up from the floor, using the handle on the refrigerator for balance. He reached out to the panel of switches beside the fridge, quickly turning the knobs as far as they would go without clicking off. The lights in the living area of the RV lowered to their darkest setting, a weak, murky yellow.

“Good. Okay.” Oliver nodded to the rest of them, digging a small shard of glass out of his collar. “Right, now we need to close all the blinds and curtains.”

Red nodded. They had to keep out that deadly red dot.

Oliver saw her. “Okay, Red, you do the blind on the broken window.”

Why? He was right next to it.

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