Page 43 of Redemption
Aha! Bingo. So, theydohave the rest of them. There’s one check. But not nearly enough. Let’s see if I can get their minds so fucked up they subconsciously ramble every little tidbit of information to me.
“Need? What could two gorillas such as yourselves need besides a stick and an asshole to ram it in? I already see two assholes in front of me and there are plenty of sticks around here. So, pick one and be on your way!” I call out and wait. Almost instantly, a loud smack of annoyance reverberates from the top of a vehicle in response, paired with sputtered insults that are getting louder and more irritated as he continues searching. As for me? I smile victoriously and press on. “Don’t forget to use lube! Ass splinters are no joke!”
“Look, you little shit! David needs you back tonight for processing, and I don’t want to be out here any later than I need to be. So, get your ass back here or I’m gonna find you, ram the business end of my gun up your ass and shoot a bullet so far up your GI tract that you’ll be tasting metal. Then, just for pissing me off and making us late for dinner, I’ll hobble your ass and leave you for the zombies and vultures to deal with.”
Well, then.... Touché,
But also... Jackpot.
This asshat just gave up the one name that gives me all the information I’m going to need.
David.
That fucking douche baguette back at the Phoenix Rising place. I knew he was fucked in the head. And now I know just where to go to find Aly and the guys.
There’s only one more thing left to do.
Without a chance to second-guess myself, I lunge for the embankment, rolling down the steep hill before standing and sprinting into the dense tree cover.
“HEY!”
“GET HIM!”
Bullets fly through the trees, narrowly missing me, but I don’t stop. Running as fast as I can, I dodge fallen branches, lifted roots, and every manner of obstacle I come across. I hear them chasing me in the distance, hunting me through the thick brush. My right side is killing me—the fall from the back of the car most definitely creating some contusions and stiffness—but I forge on, lengthening the distance between us as the seconds go by. My breathing turns labored, the thickening brush covering the forest’s floor not helping my endurance, but it does help to camouflage my movement. I use it to my advantage, ducking under and changing my direction multiple times during the pursuit. I still hear them yelling behind me, but, thankfully, their voices are getting farther away.
It feels like an hour or so—long after the last signs of their pursuit ebb—before I finally allow myself to slow down. Secure cover. That’s what I need. They could still be out there looking, the dense foliage being used to their advantage now. I need to be positive they’re gone before I give my position away, and altitude can help in that matter. Looking around, I find a tree and start to climb. After about a minute, I’m at the top, hiding amongst the branches.
Watching.
Waiting.
∞∞∞
I linger in that tree for hours, the sunlight dappling through the canopy eventually fading away and turning the forest, which had safely sheltered me earlier, even more deadly. My stomach growls impatiently. The last bit of nourishment I had was last night at the Palace, but as darkness falls, I’m going to have to wait a bit longer to satiate my hunger.
There’s no way I’m going to be able to scavenge for food out here, or even risk walking around, without the worry of ingesting toxins or running into deadly nocturnal predators. With black bears, rattlesnakes, and even the ever-infuriating fire ants living here—not to mention the always-present zombie population—wandering these woods until the sun comes up is damn near suicide.
But then again...
Aly and the guys are still out there.
I might have no choice but to brave the woods and everything lurking in it, find my way back to the road, and head to the town to try and find them. Anything could have happened to them by now. For all I know, those guys could have killed them. But, from what the one guy said about not needing all of us, I have to hope they’re all still alive. At least, for now.
Lightning cracks to the east, thunder following with a loud boom that rattles the tree I’m perched in. Soft pelts of rain swiftly turn into a heavy torrent, making the decision for me.
Fuck it. They’d do it if I was in their shoes. Theyhavedone it, for crying out loud. Aly risked her life to save mine back on that beach. Same with Hawk and Jax. I have no excuse. I need to at least try.
For them.
Bears, rattlers, and zombies be damned.
Chapter Fifteen
Hawk
“Do you ever miss airplanes?”
Her sweet voice drifts to my ears, a soft balm to my overactive mind. Sun-baked sand warms my back as we look up at the sky, the last minutes of daylight sinking beneath the horizon as we watch the sunset together. “What do you mean?”
