- We had already been driving for five hours and I was starting to get tired. I knew we wouldn't be stopping until 10:00 at night and it was only 4:00. I sighed and rested my head against the window. The world passed by quickly and it would take us five days to get to California.
Jared pulled into a gas station and jumped out of the car to fill up the gas tank. I jumped out just as quickly and my knees felt weak from sitting for so long. I needed to walk it off a little bit before I had to get back inside the car. Derek and Raleigh were obviously thinking the same thing and they got out as well.
"I'm going to get some food." Raleigh announced and grabbed a few dollars from the glove compartment. Derek looked over at me.
"You want anything?" He asked, we hadn't spoken at all since we left. I nodded.
"Some water would be great." I gave his a half hearted smiled. He nodded and started walking after Raleigh. I had been thirsty for about an hour but said nothing. I started to wander away from the car and look around. I walked over to the side if the gas station building and leaned against the brick wall.
"Only one being can give off such power." Said a high, cracked voice coming from behind the dumpster. A weary old man stepped out and narrowed his eyes accusingly, but I saw the wonder in his expression.
"You're one if those hybrids they're keeping locked up to use as weapons." The man lifted up a wrinkled hand and pointed right at me. I tensed up but tried my best to relax.
"You must be crazy, old man. I have no idea what you're talking about." I let out a small laugh but this only made him seem angry. He had long, knotted hair that brushed his shoulders and a scruffy face. He looked as if he were homeless.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl! I know what you are, an I'm going to turn you in!" The shriveled man said angrily. I took a step back and turned to run but the man threw something heavy right at my back and winded me. I fell to the ground, gasping for breaths. The old man grabbed me by my hair and started dragging me out of sight from anyone who could possibly help me. Why me? Why did I have such bad luck? I tried to let out a scream but the man held out a knife and placed it against my neck. I had to go along with him because he yanked at my hair hard. I let out a small yelp of pain and he threw me against the wood fence behind the dumpster and tied my hands behind my back with some plastic band. I tried to scream out again but he put a rag in my mouth and tied it so it stayed in place.
My legs trashed around as I tried to kick at him but he blind folded me so I couldn't see anything. I kicked him right in his weak legs and he kicked me right in my bad shoulder. I whimpered ad stopped fighting as the pain engulfed me.
"You must be the fighter they've been looking for. No wonder you were weaker then I expected you to be." I stayed didn't try to fight back for awhile but I heard Derek yelling out my name. I heard the panic from the Jared and Derek and Raleigh yelling at then to calm down, that they would find me.
Find me, please find me.I thought. I was praying they would find me here, kill this man and we would leave as quickly as possible. My hope started to fade as their voice started to fade. I heard the hum of a car and became alert as it pulled up close to us. I heard doors open and close.
"This is her?" A voice questioned.
"Yes, I knew her when I saw her." The man said shakily. There was a moment of silence then another huskier voice spoke.
"Very well, here is you're reward." I heard the man cackle joyfully and run off. Two men grabbed me by my arms and I thrashed around trying to shove them away. Another man laughed.
"We found you sweet heart." The voice chuckled once more an I was thrown into the back of the truck. The men got I to car and quickly drove away from the gas station. I kicked angrily at the side of the car until one man screamed at me to shut up. I kicked at it one last time before a rough hand grabbed my hair and yanked down hard.
"I said shut up." He growled before pushing me against the hard side of the truck. I kept trying to sit up but every time I did the diver would slam on the breaks and laugh when I fell. The laughing stopped instantly though.
"Sir, looks like we've got company." One man announced, silence filled the air for a moment.
"Well, looks like your friend came after you after all." The driver grumbled. Rays of hope started to form inside my and I did my best to get the blindfold off and eventually it fell off and I could see again. I stared out the window behind me and almost sighed with relief when I saw Jared car speeding up to catch up with the jeep. One man in the back seat opened his window and started shooting at Jared's car. I prayed it would t hit them and they were able to swerve out of the way. They sped up and Derek rolled down his window and motioned for me to move out of the way. I nodded and moved while he shot at the window and it shattered. I watched as Derek crawled out from Jared's car and jumped onto the Jeep. He quickly shot the man with the gun and I watched as Raleigh was shooting at the others to keep them busy.
"You have to trust me!" Derek yelled at me, I hesitated but nodded. Derek pulled me out of the window and before I could do anything, he threw something in the Jeep and jumped with me still in his arms. Jared's car screeched to a stop and the Jeep exploded into the air. Flames shot up and the car spiraled and turned upside down. Ashes fell from the sky and landed in mine and Derek's hair. I sat up frantically, my breaths short and quick. My eyes were wide in confusion. Derek sat up as well and check me over. I made out alright besides a few bruises. I wouldn't let him touch my shoulder though, it still throbbed with pain and hurt even more from hitting the ground. Jared and Raleigh ran out from the car and over to us.
"Are you okay?" Jared asked us, kneeling next to me. Raleigh noticed the blood seeping through my shirt from my shoulder and moved over to me, moving the shirt and sighing seeing how beaten up it was.
"She's not, but I can fix that when we get back to hotel." Raleigh exclaimed before pulling up my sleeve and walking back to the car, sitting in the passengers seat. Jared rolled his eyes and took the nasty tasting rag from my mouth and cutting the plastic band from my wrists before helping me up and taking me back to the car. I climbed into my seat and tried to calm down, I hoped we would stop at a motel soon so I could sleep and wake up the next morning. We drive in silence for a moment until Jared said something.
"We need to get her a weapon, at least a knife or something." Jared started, getting everyone's attention now. "Now that people know they can get a reward for turning in the weakest hybrid a lot of hopefuls will be after her, she's not safe." This got my full attention. Now I knew I wouldn't be left alone for a second. Would those men really start putting up flyers of me and have people look for me?
"What do you think, Derek? You're kind of her 'guardian' I guess." Jared glanced back at him before turning back to the slowly darkening road. Derek thought a moment then nodded.
"Yeah, I'll get her something." And with that the silence came again.
Before we got to the motel Derek had to make a quick stop at a smug looking store and came out with a small bag in his hands. Once e got back in the car he handed me the bag and I pulled out a pretty leathel looking pocket knife. I pulled it out if its box and stuffed it into my back pocket. I managed to thank him quietly before staring out the window again.
