Page 4

Linda

We don’t make it very far before we’re forced to stop again.

“What’s going on?” I ask Axel when he decelerates.

“The bridge across the Ochlockonee is blocked,” he answers.

I lean forward and poke my face between their two seats.

Immediately, I see the cars piled up on the bridge.

“Did they crash or something?” I feel like all I’m doing is asking questions, like the kid in the backseat nagging the parents if they’re there yet.

We passed a few abandoned cars in the short amount of time we’ve been driving, but this is the first time I’ve seen more of them together.

“What are the odds that half a dozen cars pile up at a bottleneck where no one can bypass?” Noa’s cynical scenario raises the hair on my arms. Is this an ambush?

“Let’s go around,” I say decisively. “Take another bridge.”

“Mmm,” Noa purrs, smirking back at me. “I like it when you’re bossy, pretty girl.” I gasp at the look in her narrowed eyes, surprised at the warming sensations between my legs. What the heck is she doing to me? It’s like a war of attrition, eroding my heterosexuality with each smirking comment.

“Not now, Noa,” Axel grumbles from the driver’s seat, shifting into reverse with a bit more force than necessary.

Since I’m the only one looking ahead, I’m the first to see the group of men jump out from behind the stalled vehicles. My jaw unhinges.

“Faster, Axel!” I screech, tapping his shoulder. Thankfully, he doesn’t question me and picks up speed, using the handbrake to spin the car around. Noa braces her hands on the dash in front of her, and I wrap my arms around her headrest.

I scream when glass shatters and rounded shards of it rain over me.

My heart does its best to escape my chest, beating so hard and fast I feel dizzy and nauseous.

When the car straightens, facing the way we came, Axel hits the pedal, and I slam back against the backrest, the glass rolling over the tin and plastic of our supplies and onto me, cutting my skin in places.

The men shout after us as we peel off, and I turn around to see them throwing more rocks at us, even though we’re too far away.

After five minutes, Axel eases off on the gas.

I shake my head and glass shards fall on my lap.

When I see the tiny cuts on my arms, I hiss, the pain registering.

Noa must hear me, because she turns around, scanning me.

I guess I look worse than I thought because she lets loose a string of expletives.

“Find a place to stop, I need the first aid kit for Linda,” she instructs her brother.

Axel clicks his tongue. “Are you nuts? You saw those assholes back there! Fuck knows how many like them are around, waiting for idiots to stop for a piss break.”

“I’m fine, Noa.” I try to sound unconcerned – I don’t want them to fight because of me, don’t want to be any trouble. What if they decide I’m too much hassle and leave me behind? I can’t survive without them.

“It’s not fine. You’re bleeding all over.” She waves a hand in my direction as if I’m not seeing what she’s seeing.

“We’ll be at the base in a couple of hours,” Axel grits out through clenched teeth.

“He’s right.”

Noa ignores me and glares at her brother instead. “What if we run into more roadblocks like that? We can’t be sure when we’ll get there. Pull into a forest road, no one’s going to see us.”

Axel does as she says, though with obvious reluctance. She always seems to get her way with him. I bet she’s the older sister.

I bounce in the backseat as we hit uneven ground and try not to show the blue-haired girl that it’s just hurting me more.

When we roll to a stop, she immediately hops out of the car and opens the trunk.

As she rummages through it to get to the first aid kit, I carefully exit and rid my hair and clothes of as much glass as I can.

“Move, Winnie,” Axel says gruffly, pushing me aside. I see that he put gloves on and has now started to clean the backseat. I blush at his thoughtfulness. I think it’s because he’s been so grumpy and dismissive this entire time that it stands out more now when he’s being nice.

Wait, isn’t that a type of Stockholm Syndrome?

Noa interrupts my thoughts by coming close and placing the open first aid kit on the car’s roof.

“Take your top off,” she says matter-of-factly.

I gape at her. “Excuse me?”

She sighs and pauses soaking a cotton ball with alcohol. “Your top is torn and bloody; there are cuts underneath. And I’m sure you don’t want to roll up to the military base looking like a zombie.”

I look at my disheveled clothing and a flush warms my cheeks.

Squirming, I tug on the hem of my top. I look at Axel, but he’s ignoring us, still cleaning the backseat.

Finally, I tug the top over my head. My heart pounds against my ribs again.

For a moment, I think about seeing a doctor for the issue, then remember that’s probably highly unlikely right now.

I feel gentle dabbing on the skin of my upper arms, then a burning sting from the disinfectant.

The astringent smell of alcohol invades my nostrils, overpowering Noa’s much more pleasant one.

I keep my eyes on my feet, but I can see my chest trembling regardless.

I can’t help myself and glance at Noa’s face to see if she noticed.

Just then, she starts cleaning a cut above my left breast. She uses the pinky finger of her left hand to gently push the gold locket necklace my parents gave me to the side.

Goosebumps gallop in her wake and her lips twitch into a self-satisfied smirk.

She moves closer, like she wants to inspect the cut, and I feel her breath against my overheated skin.

If she moved a couple of inches, her mouth would be on my cleavage.

Why am I thinking about that ?

“If this was just an excuse to cop a feel, I’m leaving both of you on the side of the road.”

I jump at Axel’s voice, seeing as I forgot he was even there.

It’s like I was in a bubble with Noa. His words register and I take a step back, my naked back pressing against the side of the car.

The older girl scoffs and rolls her eyes, pressing closer to clean my face.

I’m hypnotized by her silver gaze. I try to look at the tiny diamond piercing on her nose instead, finding it equally mesmerizing.

“Why does he hate me?” I ask in a murmur, feeling ashamed even though I didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe I’m feeling bad merely over my stray thoughts about his sister?

“He doesn’t hate you,” she answers with a grin. “He’s just fucking with you because you’re so skittish.”

I turn my face toward Axel and she clicks her tongue, firmly grabbing my chin to hold me still. Sparks spread from the point of contact and my breathing increases.

“I really don’t, Pooh,” Axel says from somewhere to the side. “You’re actually not so bad. Maybe it’s the whole apocalypse thing, but I’m starting to see what she sees in you.”

As he laughs, Noa takes her lower lip into her mouth, just inches from my own. The sides of her lips are curled up mischievously.

“You’re lying,” I grumble, trying to avert my gaze. Noa’s hand keeps me from doing so.

“Why do you think he’s lying, pretty girl?” she asks softly.

I can’t help the tears that gather in my eyes. Why did I even bring this up?

“It’s just…” I trail off.

“Just what?” she encourages.

“Just that I gained all this weight,” I admit, my throat closing up. “I don’t know how anyone would think I’m beautiful.”

Noa throws the cotton ball into the car, still refusing to litter. Once both hands are free, she takes my face into them, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears that spilled over. She comes impossibly closer.

“You’re perfect, my beautiful girl,” she murmurs, her eyes softened with apparent earnestness. A sob catches in my throat at how sincere she sounds. Her eyes lower to my mouth, then back to mine, an unspoken question in them. I don’t move. Instead, I look at her lips and run my tongue over my own.

A soft rumble vibrates in her chest as she leans in, ever so slowly, giving me every chance to turn my face away.

Her lips touch mine, so softly, light as a feather.

I part them instinctively and she takes advantage, taking my bottom lip between both of hers, kissing it, then moving up an infinitesimal amount.

I tilt my head, dizzy from the butterflies taking flight in my stomach.

As I gasp for air, her tongue touches mine, the ball piercing in it providing an interesting, unusual sensation.

One of her hands slides to the back of my head, the other drifting down to my waist. When she pulls me against her and our pelvises touch, a spark of lust snaps through me, making me pull back instinctively.

Holy heck, what just happened?

“Sorry,” I squeak, and I don’t know what I’m apologizing for. Letting her kiss me? Stopping the kiss?

She winks at me before busying herself with putting everything in the first aid kit back in its place. “It’s all good, precious. To be continued.”

A gagging noise to my other side draws my attention to Axel.

Shitty shit, I completely forgot he’s here again!

He’s leaning against the open car door, sticking out his tongue.

“So gross,” he says.

But no… I don’t think it was gross at all.