I awoke the next morning covered in a thin layer of frost. Ice crackled softly as I stretched across the back seat, yawning widely. My breath condensed in the frigid air, getting whisked away by a gentle breeze, which flowed through the missing windshield. I blinked as I sat up, the sun reflecting off the hood directly into my eyes. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, finally exiting the vehicle. Snow crunched under my feet, and I breathed in the winter air, enjoying the crisp sensation in my lungs. Taking in my surroundings, it appeared that Ava had driven us onto a side road, into the midst of a small group of trees. It was quite serene. The snow glistened under the rising sun, the mounds resembling pillows coated with glitter. The clouds were painted golden, and I felt like I could stay in that moment forever.
But darkness lingered at the edge of my mind, begging for an excuse to show itself. I tried to keep my thoughts positive, focusing on the peace, which was very welcome after the past twenty-four hours. Happy thoughts, Isabelle, I thought, pricking up my ears to better catch the faint crackling of ice thawing. I closed my eyes, savoring the sound. Slowly, it grew louder, and the darkness was becoming more insistent on being freed. Think about how happy you were on your seventeenth birthday when Dad got you a second car and a brand new Bible set. The darkness seemed to back off, and I sighed in relief.
A burning man, his screams tearing at your ears.
Pools of blood, pitch black underneath the motel’s lights.
Gunshots, make your ears ring.
I staggered, the sudden wave of memories pouring through my mind. My stomach felt like it was doing somersaults, my mouth tasted of bile, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. A pounding sensation coursed through my skull, and I wished I could just curl into a snowbank and disappear. I breathed shakily, trying to draw on positive memories. A whimper escaped my lips, as nothing came to me. At some point, I’d fallen to my knees, the snow caking onto my clothes and fur.
Snow, I thought. You like snow.
With trembling hands, I began packing the snow into a ball, all the memories of snow days with my caretakers coming to me. I sighed shakily, gathering more snow, and making a larger snowball. The nightmares from last night slowly faded as I moved onto the second snowball, placing it firmly on the first.
—/—|—\—
By the time Kéron and Ava awoke, I’d built a small army of snowpeople, and the sun had risen even more. Little groups of icy humans, Dragonborn, and fur folk stood around me, as if they’d all come to a party, but were much too awkward to say anything meaningful. Reminds me of all the business meetings Dad would drag me to, I thought, glancing up as the human and Dragonborn stepped out of the car. The pair yawned widely, and I resisted the urge to yawn alongside them. Ava stretched so hard I could almost hear the vertebrae in her spine popping. Kéron fiddled with his shirt, as if it was too tight, while he blinked blearily.
Ava caught me looking and shot me a glare. I sighed and pushed myself to my feet. “Good morning to you, too, sunshine,” I grumbled. I trudged over to the car, making a point to stand on the opposite side of Ava. Kéron had brushed the frost and condensation off the hood of the car and had laid out his map, weighing down the corners with a handful of pebbles.
“So,” he rubbed his eyes before tapping the bottom left corner of Utah, “this is our last stop before the República’s border. St. Gogron. To the west, there’s the Provisional Government, which we wanna avoid at all costs. Thankfully, from what I’ve heard, the RDB is friendly enough to people wanting to leave the Sprawl.”
I tapped my claws nervously as he traced a path southward to the RDB’s border. I needed to get them to the CPG, somehow. The urge to chew at my claws gnawed at me, but I resisted it.
Kéron glanced up at me. “You okay over there?”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just nervous, I guess. How do we know the República will let me through?”
“With luck, they take you off our hands, and we go and live in Phoenix without ever having to worry about you, the Contractor, or the de mierda PRA again,” Ava muttered.
Kéron punched Ava’s shoulder, shooting her a look. “I’m not entirely sure,” he admitted. “We’ll have to cross that bridge when we reach it.”
Thankfully we won’t ever have to cross that bridge, if everything goes according to plan, I thought.
“Anyway,” the Dragonborn said, “once we reach St. Gogron, we should make sure we’ve got everything we need, just in case. And fix up that damned windshield.” He flicked his tail toward the car. “I can’t keep doing the spell I’ve been doing the whole time. I’m getting exhausted.”
“Well, that sounds like a plan, then,” Ava said, rubbing her hands together. “Pop by St. Gogron, fix up the car, triple-check our supplies, and get moving to the RDB’s border. ¡Fantástica!”
“Yup,” Kéron nodded, rolling up the map. “You guys go ahead and get in. I’ll get this spell set up, and then we can get moving.”
“Bueno,” the human said, moving to the driver’s seat. “C’mon, rich girl.”
I followed, hopping into the backseat, and watching as Kéron did his magic. Ava seemed to be hard at work ignoring me. My thoughts strayed to last night, and to the first time I had talked to her properly. A plan formed in my head, and I resisted smiling. “Hey, Ava,” I said, leaning forward. Her brow furrowed, and a grimace took over her features. “Just wanted to thank you for saving us last night. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”
A hint of satisfaction lingered in my brain as her expression softened, yet she remained staring forward. “I was only doing it for Kéron,” she said quietly as he drew markings on the windshield pillars. “He’s just a niño. I don’t want him to make decisions like that.” Ava glanced at me. “Maybe I should’ve let you pull the trigger instead. It’d toughen you up. God knows you need strength to survive out here.”
I didn’t appreciate her usage of God’s name, but I was satisfied with the results. Flattery and compliments really do work best on her. My gaze settled on Kéron, as he dusted chalk off his pale orange hands. He seemed to be more trusting than Ava, but I wouldn’t doubt he’d do anything for her. The benefits of him being more trusting were that he was more willing to listen to me and give me a chance. I’d work my way through to Ava eventually, somehow. I’d just have to keep buttering her up, and the next thing she knew, she’d be acting like she knew me her entire life. Plans were clicking into place, and a smile tugged at my face as we began reversing from our little hiding spot. I watched as the army of snowpeople vanished around a bend, feeling satisfied with myself.
—/—|—\—
After a few hours of driving, we reached St. Gogron. Kéron had passed out on the drive and was snoring away in the passenger seat. St. Gogron looked much larger than Richfield, just from the outskirts alone, and much more deserving of the title of a city. However, as we drove through, all the buildings seemed to be boarded up or abandoned entirely, left to rot. An odd sight appeared as we exited the highway; a huge group of tents, almost like a city. People bundled under coats and blankets milled about, and spires of smoke and steam drifted into the air. I watched as we passed by, a mild sensation of apprehension and pity lingering in my chest.
“Why’re they all like that?” I asked. “I mean, like, living in tents?” I added, noticing Ava’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel.
“Because they’ve got nowhere else to go,” Ava muttered.
I tilted my head. “But there’s all these houses and buildings, aren’t there? Couldn’t they fix those up?”
“With what money?” She asked.
The question felt rhetorical. I skimmed through the memories of the tent city, trying to find a potential answer. Everyone that I’d seen had looked ill or had had some sort of ailment. A man had been talking to himself, and even the babies and children looked sick. A sick sensation threatened my stomach, and I didn’t think it was from car sickness. Eager to take my mind off of the homeless people, I turned my attention toward the windshield, watching as the general quality of the buildings around us grew. It wasn’t by much, but there were fewer boarded-up houses and businesses. I expected more people to be milling about, but the only person I spotted was a Glacite sleeping on a bench, seemingly waiting for a bus that’d never come.
My stomach lurched as Ava swung the car into a driveway, in front of a row of garages. Dusty, cracked tires sat between the garage doors. One stack of tires had a sign that read “Meriya’s Garage — Honk 4 Service!” leaned against it. Ava followed the sign’s instructions and honked the horn three times. Kéron stirred in his sleep, mumbling something about wendigos or something, but didn’t wake up. After a moment or two of waiting, the garage door slid open, revealing a dwarf, who I assumed to be Meriya. She was maybe five feet max, wore oil-stained overalls, and had muscular tattooed arms. I noted the odd shape of her face, like all dwarves. It was near-human, but with too-large eyes, and a too-wide smile. She waved us in, and Ava followed her instructions. The stench of oil hit me like a freight train, and the sickly sweet odor of Ethernol made me feel lightheaded.
The woman grunted as she pulled up a stool and stepped up, leaning on the windowsill of the door. “Got into a gunfight or somethin’, huh?” She asked her slightly too large eyes shooting to the hood of the car. I caught a glance at the tag on her shirt, which confirmed my thoughts.
“Or something,” Ava responded.
“Ah, well, happens to the best of us. So, what seems to be the problem?”
“Missing a windshield, for starters,” she said, pointing a finger. “Also wanna do a general checkup.”
Meriya tapped her gangly fingers, which were just a tad too long. She rubbed the chalk Kéron had drawn on, and inspected it, arching an eyebrow at how the force field wavered. “Well, patchwork’ll be simple enough, but that windshield…”
“You’ve gotta have something,” Ava pleaded. “My friend here can’t keep doing his spells. I mean, look at him.” The mechanic looked unimpressed. Ava sighed. “I’ll pay you an extra five hundred on top of whatever the original cost is.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Greed shimmered in Meriya’s eyes. “I mean, it might be difficult for me to find something for an oh-eighty-three Thoanar, but… I’ll make it work.” She held her hand out, but Ava ignored it, pushing the door open. The mechanic stumbled backward, looking up at Ava indignantly. “C’mon, Kéron,” she grumbled, jostling him.
He woke up with a snort, mumbling “Wha-? Huh?” The Dragonborn quickly gained his wits and stepped out of the car groggily. I followed the pair’s example, hoping we’d be able to get out of the odor-filled garage quicker.
Ava turned to the dwarf and pointed a finger. “If you touch anything you’re not supposed to, I will know. That clear, pequeña frita?”
“Eh, calm your tits,” the dwarf muttered. “This ol’ rust bucket’s probably not even worth a fraction of its original value.”
The human’s fists clenched, and she turned on her heel, storming away, muttering angrily in Spanish. Kéron shot a glance at me, and I shrugged helplessly. The both of us quickened our pace, and I breathed in fresh air, relieved to have exited the garage.
“What happened back there?” The Umbrite asked, perplexed.
“Damned dwarves,” Ava grumbled. “Shoulda known she was only looking for more money.”
“You didn’t learn since the last time two dwarves pretended to be a really tall orc in a trench coat?” He asked teasingly.
“Are you hungry?” Ava asked suddenly, turning to him. “‘Cause I got a knuckle sandwich with your name written on it.”
Nervousness fluttered in my stomach, yet Kéron grinned. “Why’d you write on a perfectly good sandwich?”
She burst into laughter, stumbling away from the Umbrite. “Oh, go to hell!”
“Jokes aside, I am hungry,” he muttered. “Haven’t had food since yesterday morning.”
As I watched the two of them walk away, chatting to each other, the nervous fluttering in my stomach hardened into some strange sensation that traveled up into my chest. It felt tight like someone was squeezing my heart and everything around it. In an attempt to ward it off, I hurried forward, to trail along behind the pair. The sidewalk wasn’t wide enough for the three of us to walk side by side, leaving me feeling oddly dejected, which only exacerbated the strange tightness in my chest.
What’s wrong with you? I thought fiercely, trying to shake the strange feeling. You’re probably just hungry, I concluded after my stomach rumbled. Food’ll fix you right up. I hope.
—/—|—\—
Sometime later, we found ourselves at a fast food restaurant that seemed to serve primarily burgers. Well, fast food was somewhat disingenuous. It had taken them roughly thirty minutes to finish our food, but at least it was warm by the time it got out to us. I’d have been tempted to leave a one-star review on Steve’s Diner if I still had my phone. As we meandered through the city, I made my complaints known.
“Thirty minutes is ridiculous!” I exclaimed indignantly as we walked. “Thirty minutes for a burger? I could’ve starved to death in the time it took for them to finish our food.”
“Hey,” Kéron said, unwrapping his burger as he walked. “Like you said earlier; at least it’s warm.”
“Kéron, don’t eat while walking, you lagarto estúpido,” Ava scolded. “It’ll give you indigestion.”
“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled around a mouthful of food.
She sighed and glanced at me. “And really? Thirty minutes? Is that that long of a wait?”
“I mean, yeah,” I replied. “Sometimes I have to wait ten minutes for something, and I feel like I’m gonna die of boredom.”
An almost evil smile took over her expression. “Well, you’re gonna have a lot of waiting to do with us, kelp breath.”
Uh oh. I didn’t like the sound of that whatsoever.
We walked in silence since Kéron was busy stuffing his face full of burger. I glanced to the right and raised my eyebrow at what looked like a stadium that had been dug into the ground. The “…Sunbowl,” proclaimed the sign above the rusted gates. We turned a corner, and across the street was a rundown playground. Ava tapped Kéron’s shoulder and pointed. The two of them made their way across without double-checking for traffic, which I realized was unnecessary after a glance, leaving me in the dust. In the center of the playground was a screened broadcast tower, which seemed to have its speakers broken. Cheap-looking cartoons played, showcasing bright scenes and images, several of which had cheerful-looking PRA soldiers interacting with other characters. Ava and Kéron paid no attention to it, but I paused, tilting my head. I hadn’t seen one before—at least, one at a playground of all places. It felt odd, knowing every morning my face was broadcasted to screens like this. Well, not this morning, I thought, watching one of the cartoon PRA soldiers stop a would-be terrorist in their tracks.
I tore my attention from the screen and hurried over to the playground equipment. Kéron had somehow climbed his way onto the monkey bars and was kicking his legs absentmindedly. Ava had taken the merry-go-round, so I decided to sit across from her on one of the spring riders, which sunk slightly as I sat on it. I pulled my burger out, which was thankfully still warm, and wrinkled my nose at its appearance. It looked soggy and undercooked, and yet, my stomach growled relentlessly. Giving in to my hunger, I took a bite and was pleasantly surprised. It tasted much better than its appearance gave it credit for. I glanced around as I chewed, taking in the surroundings. There was a large field behind us, dotted with barren trees, dead grass and a wilting gazebo. To our left was a rusted pavilion that had half of its benches missing or broken.
“Y’know,” Ava said, studying her burger as she chewed, “Kéron knew this orc gal a lot like you.” The Umbrite’s legs froze, and he glanced at her. She nodded as I raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Yeah, it’s kinda crazy. She was tall, a bit pretty—well, maybe not pretty—and had an attention span shorter than a dwarf.”
“What?!” Kéron and I exclaimed in unison.
“I didn’t think she’d last longer than a week,” she said with a grin.
“Ava, shut up!” The Dragonborn cried, his face flushing, and his voice growing higher pitched.
“But hey, maybe you’ll last longer than… what was her name? Glob?”
Kéron looked scandalized. He leaped down from the monkey bars and stormed over to her. “Her name was Ghorza, you jackass,” he grumbled, unable to resist a smile.
“Gonk, maybe?”
“C’mere, you asshole.” He lunged at her, trying to get her in a headlock. I watched as the two fell off the merry-go-round, and rolled around, flinging wood chips everywhere. They spewed unintelligible sentences at each other, and I watched, unamused. The tussle was over as soon as it began, with Ava sitting victoriously on Kéron’s back. They panted heavily, and she looked down at him.
“She really did have a short attention span,” she said.
“Yeah, but…” Kéron took a deep breath. “She was really hot.”
“Eh,” Ava shrugged, glancing at me. “A bit.”
“Now get off of me, you fat ass,” the Dragonborn groaned.
“Oh, so now I’m too heavy? You said you could throw me earlier.” Despite her teasing, Ava stood and helped him to his feet.
He sat down on the merry-go-round and dusted wood chips from his clothes. “So, uh, Isabelle,” he started. “Do you have anyone special to you?”
The question caught me off guard. “Well, that’s quite a personal thing to ask, don’t you think? We’ve only known each other for what, a day?”
“And we’re gonna be sticking together for much longer than a day,” he countered. “So c’mon, spill.”
I guess he’s got a point, I thought. Besides, it’d be a good way to get them to trust me more. I wracked my brain for any potential answers. The only people who came to me were my dad and my caretakers, but I didn’t think Kéron would appreciate those as answers. “Um, I’ve got a cat,” I said, remembering my sixth birthday. “She’s a little Scottish Fold.”
Ava and Kéron glanced at each other. “What’s that?” She asked.
“They’ve got little folded-down ears,” I explained, subconsciously demonstrating with my ears. “I mean, their ears are on top of their heads, but you know what I mean. And she’s got these beautiful orange eyes, and gray, striped fur.”
“Oh, so a cat,” Kéron muttered. “I mean, you could’ve just said that.” He chuckled. “Anyway, what’s her name?”
“Lucy.”
“Well, that’s surprisingly cute,” Ava muttered. “I was expecting something like Terraloth, Devourer of The Innocent, or El Diablo Encarnado.”
“Do you expect everything that comes out of my mouth to be some sort of evil?” I asked.
She shrugged noncommittally. Kéron cleared his throat. “Let’s keep things light, okay?” He nudged Ava with his boot, and she whacked his leg, annoyed. “Umm…” The Umbrite tapped his claws on his knee thoughtfully. “Man, that burger made me tired as all hell. I can’t think of anything else.”
“It’s alright,” I said, leaning forward on the spring rider. “Quiet’s just fine.”
I glanced between the two as they whispered amongst each other, their voices raising occasionally. They didn’t seem to be talking as lightheartedly as they were before, and seemed genuinely unhappy with one another, for whatever reason. I wished I was better at reading lips, but I got the gist from their body language that Kéron wasn’t pleased with something Ava had said or done. I was so caught up in watching them, that I almost didn’t notice the rumbling of a heavy-duty engine rolling by. I shot a glance at it and paid it no mind. Just a humvee, I thought. Not too uncomm—wait a minute. My heart flipped in my chest as I stared at the vehicle. Utah’s flag, alongside the PRA’s, was plastered across its desert-tan side. The windows were tinted black, but I knew people were looking through them. Possibly looking at me.
I turned away, tugging my hood further over my head. “Kéron! Ava!” I hissed, getting their attention. “PRA.” They glanced in the direction of my tail flick and caught the humvee just as it disappeared behind a building. Their expressions paled, and they hurried to their feet.
“We’ve gotta get back ASAP,” Ava said urgently. “If the PRA’s here, they might’ve…”
“Might’ve what?” I asked as she began speed walking.
“If they touched my car, I’m gonna tear them a new one,” she growled.
“Wait, let’s take the backstreets,” Kéron called as Ava began marching toward the main road. She nodded and hurried to join him. I joined them, trying to keep pace with them.
I had no idea how the PRA had managed to find us twice. At least, this second time they shouldn’t have had any actual means of tracking me down if what Ava had said about my phone and jewelry was true. The thought of some sort of tracking device in my jewelry made my skin crawl. Focus, Isabelle, I thought. We’ve gotta make it back to the garage and get out of here. Last thing you want is to get caught and sent back home. My gaze lingered on Ava and Kéron’s backs, how their heads were on a swivel. And the last thing you need is for them to get hurt.
Because they’re important assets, right?
Right.