Page 8 of Fated to the Hunter
I sighed internally. I blamed this on Bael’k. Finally, a good-looking guy who I wouldn’t bump into often shows me some interest, and the infuriating hunter clam jams me!
“None taken,” I said. “And sure. A Xarc’n vitamin water sounds perfect.” I secretly loved the stuff even though some people complained they could taste the vitamins. I happened to like that artificial vitamin flavor.
“While you two are doing that, I’m going to go to this talk,” Jeff said. He pointed to the talk titledWeapons of Necessity: Crafting Tools from Scraps.
Jordan and I each bought a food bar snack wrap for a single token and filled our bottles with a big helping of the vitamin water before finding a seat in the corner.
Then he brought out the map. It was printed on parchment-like paper and made to look like a pirate’s treasure map. It was even rolled up like one.
He sent me a sheepish look. “I bought it like this,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “The guy said he was the original buyer. He needed antibiotics, and it was this or his wedding ring. And we don’t really have much use for jewelry. We agreed to it for the novelty. We thought it was a joke until we saw your post.”
“It could still be a whole lotta nothing burger,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but it might not.” He turned the map over to face me. “Here. It’s yours.”
There were two X’s on the map, matching coordinates, and a riddle. No wonder he hadn’t been interested in looking for the hard drives. This was more like a treasure hunt than a simple X-marked-the-spot type of map.
According to the instructions, I had to find and solve a riddle somewhere near the first X, which would bring me to the key. Then, and only then, should I head to the final location and unlock the safe with the key.
I stared at the first X. It was smack dab in a Dead Zone. As in, you go in there and you might as well be dead, because ain’t no one gonna get you out type of Dead Zone. Los Angeles to be precise.
Jordan noticed my frown and guffawed. “Yeah, that was my reaction too.”
“At least we know it’s genuine from before the collapse. No one’s stupid enough to go in there now. The guy really was eccentric, just like the forum said. Honestly, I’m shocked someone was crazy enough to actually pay for this. I wasn’t expecting a scavenger hunt.”
Jordan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Oops.He’daccepted it as payment.
“I meant the first dude. The one who paid a fortune for it.”
Jordan laughed. “I hear ya. The guy we got it fromwasa total loon.”
“And now we have it. What does that say about us?”
He chortled. “Guilty as charged. I’m weird as hell. The boy in me wants to go after this so bad. But…” He spread his hands. “Ain’t got no time for it. Gotta stay alive.”
I grinned. “You mean you’re not dumb enough to jump into a Death Zone for the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this might lead to something.”
“That too, but if anyone could do it, it’s going to be someone at New Franklin. You guys have the resources.”
“You have a point.” I looked at the map again and shook my head.
But even as I did, a plan started to form in my head. There was another nomad group that took on special missions. They demanded steep fees, however, which was understandable considering how dangerous it still was outside the settlement walls. But would they go into a Dea—
“Tooth! You little thief! Come back here this instant!”
I looked up, searching for Connie and New Franklin’s infamous resident squirrel, Tooth. There was a disturbance in the mass of people who were taking shelter from the centicreep outside. It wasn’t Connie who appeared first.
There were a few shrill screams as the sassy rodent jumped from person to person, making his great escape. Behind him was Kyle, Alice and Kaj’k’s kid, hot on the rodent’s heels. Connie must be babysitting. Kyle was only two and a half, but looked much bigger than his age. He started talking early too. The tyke’s horns were getting too big for his head, but that didn’t stop him from chasing after the squirrel.
Was that a piece of funnel cake in his mouth?
I was seriously impressed that New Franklin’s tiny mascot could run so fast, considering that he was a rather big-boned squirrel, spoiled, and getting up there in age. Tooth spotted our table and ran straight for it. As the rotund rodent landed, I moved, scooping the creature up into my arms and tearing the large piece of fried doughy goodness from his mouth.
“Gotcha!” I held the squirrel prisoner by the teeny, tiny harness he was wearing.
He chittered at me angrily, trying to steal back his prize. But I knew better than to let him have it. Tooth had gotten more and more rotund as the years went by, and most people knew not to feed him, which was probably why he now resorted to stealing.
