“Got it,” he said, and hung up.
As we moved downstairs, I didn’t know where we were going to go. There was no safe house to run to, no destination at all. The only thing I knew was that we had to get out of there, and tonight. We couldn’t wait a single second.
Mason was still crying, but softer now, less insistently. That wasn’t ideal, but it wouldn’t matter once we were in the car. My mind moved fast, planning our next steps, trying to figure out the best moves.
I was too close, but I was going to accomplish my goals. I was going to keep them safe, no matter what.
Fuck The Network, those terrorist bastards. They couldn’t have the people I cared about, and they never would.
23
Tara
I’d never felt more relieved in my entire life than when I’d heard Emory’s voice.
Before he showed up, I heard the man walk up the steps. He was trying to be quiet, but the steps creaked under his weight. I heard him search around the upstairs, going through Emory’s room, and finally standing outside mine.
He tried the knob once, twice, and then nothing for a moment. I stood there, my heart pounding, and I knew what was happening. I knew it was The Network coming for me, and all I could think about was how I could get Mason out of there.
And then a thump, a grunt, and more loud noises. It sounded like a bear was tearing through the hallway, smashing everything, until I heard a wet gurgle and it was over.
It was easier this time to ignore the dead bodies on the floor as I packed and carried Mason downstairs. It was amazing how quickly I adapted to that reality. Just a couple of days earlier and the sight of those bodies, all that blood, would have sent me into a fear spiral. Instead, I ignored them and kept moving, because I couldn’t stand still.
As I stepped over the man downstairs, I noticed something hanging out of his pocket. Emory wasn’t around and must have missed it, so I bent over and snagged it. I shoved it into my pocket, not bothering to look too closely. I was too focused on getting out of there to worry about what it was.
Emory was silent when we finally got into the car with Travis. We drove, heading toward the edge of town.
“I’m sorry I missed them,” Travis said finally. “I fucked up, captain.”
“Not your fault,” he said. “You’re just one guy trying to keep watch all day and night. The Network has too many resources. You didn’t have a chance.”
“Still, cap, I should have been there.”
“Stop,” Emory said.
“I’m just saying, it was my responsibility.”
“No. Stop the car.”
Travis pulled over and Emory opened the door. It was the middle of the night and nobody was out on the streets. “I need to get a new car,” Emory said.
“Where?” I asked him. “Nothing is open.”
Emory grinned at me. “I’m going to fucking steal one.”
I wanted to protest, but he was already walking away. Travis turned around and grinned at me. “Cap is always like that,” he said. “Does whatever he thinks is right and doesn’t worry too much.”
I smiled back weakly but couldn’t stop watching as Emory walked up to a black truck. He did something with the window and managed to pop the lock open. He disappeared inside the truck, and two minutes later the engine roared to life.
Emory pulled the car alongside Travis and rolled down his windows. “Too easy,” he said.
“Did the Navy train you for that?” I asked him.
“Nah. I just learned that one on my own.” He paused, looking around. “Come on. You’d better get in.”
I climbed out of Travis’s car, gathering up Mason and all his things. Mason’s cries had gotten softer, no longer screams of pain. I got him set up in the back seat, transferred over the rest of my stuff with Travis’s help, and then climbed into the front seat of the truck.
“Ready?” Emory asked.
“Where are we going?”
He started driving. “I have no clue.”
We lapsed into silence as he headed out of the city, driving farther south. We were moving away from Dayton, away from Indianapolis, away from everything I knew.
It had happened so fast again. One second I was comforting Mason and giving him medicine and the next there were men in the house trying to kill me. I was so beyond grateful that Emory had shown up when he did and taken those guys out. Otherwise, I had no clue what would have happened.
“What’s the plan?” I asked finally after a few miles of silence.
“Right now we’re going to put as much distance between us and Indianapolis as possible,” he said. “We’ll stop for the night soon, get some rest, and then figure out what to do in the morning.”
I nodded. “Can we stop sooner than that?” I looked in the back. “Mason is sleeping, I haven’t eaten anything in a few hours, and I need to give Mason his medicine.”
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Nearly five in the morning,” I said.
“Fine,” he said. “There’s a rest stop coming up. We can grab something there.”
“Thanks,” I said.
We drove in silence again, my thoughts ranging over the last few days. Emory had gone from a stranger to the only person I trusted in the world. As far as I knew, he was the only person who understood what was happening to me and could do anything about it.
We turned off the highway a half hour later and drove down a long off ramp toward a rest stop. The place was basically deserted, and Emory parked as far away from the other cars as possible.
He cut the engine and looked at me. “Okay, do your thing,” he said.
I nodded. “Watch Mason?”
“You got it.”
I climbed out of the car and walked quickly toward the building. I pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
The place was empty and most of the stores were closed. The only place that was open was a fast food place, and I just couldn’t’ stomach that kind of food. Instead, I bought some crackers from a vending machine and ate them while leaning up against a wall.
I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I wanted to feel something, fear or mourning or anything, but I was just numb. After this most recent attack, the only thing I felt was a numb nothingness. And that scared me so much more than anything else had so far.
At least before I’d had the good sense to feel afraid. During the attack I’d felt fear, real terror deep down in my bones, but it had been for Mason. I hadn’t felt any fear for myself at all, and now that it was over I didn’t feel anything else. I was totally blank, a clean slate, empty.
I finished the crackers and went into the bathroom, feeling unsatisfied. It was empty, like everything else in the rest stop.
I didn’t know what was happening to me. I didn’t understand it. I knew I should probably feel afraid now that we were out of the safe house and on the run again, but as I looked at myself in the mirror and splashed water on my face, I couldn’t bring myself to care. We’d drive and drive and the terrorists would get to us again eventually. Either Emory would save us or he wouldn’t. It was all going to end eventually anyway, so I might as well just stop trying to fight it.