Novels2Search

Chapter Fifty Five

They drove and they drove and no one said anything. Danny sat in the back of the van, shaking. His body was feeling better, but his mind was far from better.

What had he gotten himself into?

He'd seen what Tyrone had done back there. That was not the Tyrone he'd come to know... part of him wanted to believe that it was because that wasn't the real Tyrone he'd just seen. That was a product of everything they'd been through over the last several weeks. Of desperation.

...But part of Danny wondered if what he saw wasn't the real Tyrone all along.

But ScarJo seemed caught off guard by it too and wouldn't she know Tyrone better?

Danny swallowed hard, acid spit sliding down this throat. His mouth tasted like vomit.

Tyrone had killed two people and nearly killed a third... and the truth was Danny had wondered for a split second if he might kill him and ScarJo too.

But that wasn't true. He'd saved them. Told them to run.

But why did those men try to kill them and not take them into custody? And why did the other man who got away not know about it and try to stop it? What had he been talking about?

Danny's head was spinning. Part of it was he was trying to remember something else... a minor detail right before everything happened. Later he would remember it was what he'd seen on the laptop, but at the time he couldn't locate it. He wondered if all the years of repressing unwanted memories had caught up with him and now he was repressing wanted memories too.

They must have been driving for two hours more. Danny had been listening hard to hear if ScarJo and Tyrone were talking, but he heard nothing. There was nothing on the walkie talkie either.

In the front seat, ScarJo was sitting nervously. She wanted to say something to Tyrone. She wanted to check on Danny. Tyrone looked like he was in such a daze that she worried at times he would run them off the road, but in reality he was laser focused on the road. But beads of sweat poured down his face and his hands shook on the wheel.

Blood has also soaked all the way through his shirt and it was beginning to really hurt Tyrone. He started to grimace in pain whenever he had to turn the wheel too much.

"Tyrone..." Danny finally heard ScarJo whisper in the front. "Pull over. We have to do something about that wound".

Danny waited for the fury but it didn't come. He'd expected Tyrone to shout or yell. To scream about how they couldn't stop, but instead, a few minutes later, the van slowly pulled over and came to a spot.

There was a full minute of silence.

"Tyrone..." ScarJo whispered. Then came the sobbing, slow and then powerful as Tyrone sobbed, tears running down his face.

"I... I...killed two people..." he sobbed. "No. No... oh God... I've killed..."

"Shhhhh..." ScarJo shushed him loudly to silence him.

"I said I was going to kill you... and Danny..." Tyrone continued. "I... I didn't mean it... I...."

"I know" ScarJo whispered.

"We've come this far..." he said after a moment. "If we don't make it then it'll all be for nothing..."

"We've done what we had to" ScarJo said. "But don't forget how this ends..."

Tyrone didn't say anything else.

"There's still time" ScarJo said. "We can still..."

"No..." Tyrone said, sniffling and catching his breath. "You know we can't..."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Let's check on him" ScarJo said. "Get you doctored up. That First Aid kit is under the seat".

A few mins later the doors flung open.

A concerned ScarJo stood near a sheepish and wounded Tyrone who was clutching his shoulder and had red, puffy eyes.

Danny slowly climbed out, not really knowing what to say.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Tyrone looked at him.

"Danny, I'm sorry..." he said. "I just... freaked out back there. They tried to kill us and I got scared. I knew I just needed to get you both out of there and I didn't know what to believe.... I didn't want to do any of that, I swear. It just happened..."

Danny nodded. Tyrone stepped towards Danny, causing Danny to take a reflexive step back. Tyrone stopped and frowned at Danny with sad eyes, then reached forward and embraced Danny with the arm not connected to the hurt shoulder.

Danny allowed it but stayed on his guard.

"I'm sorry, Danny. I hope you can learn to trust me again..."

He backed off Danny slowly and there was a tense moment of silence. Danny had questions, but it didn't feel like the right time to ask them. He looked around. There was woods around him. He didn't even know where he was, but wondered if he took off now he could make it to a safe place and survive. After a moment he sighed and sat on the bumper of the van, running his hands through matted sweaty hair as Tyrone and ScarJo watched his mannerisms and movements carefully.

Once he sat down he heard ScarJo let out an audible sigh and with a forced smile she told Tyrone "let's get you cleaned up".

The wound wasn't that bad. It was more blood that anything. ScarJo used the first aid kit and Tyrone grunted as she poured rubbing alcohol on the wound and cleaned it.

Danny didn't even keep watch. He just looked at the ground, confused and exhausted. He didn't care if more Feds came, the Herd or infected showed up.

After a few moments he felt the sensation of a luke warm bottle touch his arm as ScarJo extended a bottle of water in his direction. He looked at her with mistrust for the first time since they'd met. ScarJo could see it in his eyes and she frowned and there was real hurt in her face...but also finally a dose of the reality she'd been denying since the start.

Danny took the bottle.

"Thanks" he muttered, without looking at her further.

Tyrone was silence but watched the interaction and quickly said "well, we better get going. Safer to keep moving... ScarJo, why don't you ride with Danny in the back and keep him company and make sure he's feeling better. I'll..."

"No, that's okay" Danny said, way too fast and forcefully. He paused before continuing, choosing his words carefully.

"I mean, she should be up in front with you, with your injury and all. We wouldn't want you passing out behind the wheel and killing us all..."

There was a malicious and bitterness in Danny's tone towards the end of his statement. He hadn't intended it, but he was there.

Tyrone started to speak. Danny sensed an argument coming, but then he stopped, paused and submitted.

"Okay, that's a good idea, Danny..." he said.

Danny climbed into the back of the van, now feeling more like a prison than ever, without another word. ScarJo shut one of the doors and then went to shut the other but paused and looked at him. Tears started to build in her eyes but she fought them.

Danny knew the door was open, knew she was standing there looking at him. The late day light and her shadow cast on him white hot. Yet, he didn't acknowledge her.

"Danny..." she began in a shaky voice. Danny did not turn. He did not acknowledge her.

"I... I...." stammered out in low tons with quivering lips, then she shut the door.

Danny heard the words she muttered next. She hadn't meant for him to, but he did. They were said so softly, but he heard them.

"I love you, Danny" she said.

The passenger door opened and shut, the van started and they were back on their way. The sunset case through the windows shadowy bars on Danny as he tried to plan his next move and tried to figure out if the people in the front of the vehicle were his friends or captors.