Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Resistance

30) Very Bad People

No more running for me. My feet feel like they are screaming for mercy, I decide to give them some. I walk to town at a strolling pace so it takes me several hours. By the time I enter the city limits, I have about given up on any good news or any good fortune, when there is a miracle. Someone left a perfectly good bicycle leaning on the  Welcome to Mount Airy sign, right below the words: Home of the World's Largest Open Face Granite Quarry. The blue bike with the yellow basket and a bell, a real bell, looks like a grandma will be back to get it any minute. I could kiss her, I'm so relieved.

I put my backpack in the basket and start peddling. The motion of the bike instantly makes me think of riding with Steven. I pray he's ok. If I'm right about his foot, and maybe his ankle too, he won't be riding a bike for some time. Hopefully, he and Cindy and Christopher are somewhere on a front porch waiting for my return. I picture Torin there too and Carli and Jack and all the kids from the bus ride that went to hell and back again. Milicent is sitting on the swing with one of the Leos and Leia is there too, smiling at all her second chances.

I ring ding ding my new bicycle bell and enjoy this daydream until I smell a horrible smell that I recognize instantly. Death. Something smells like the Milk Massacre parking lot two days after it happened. I see birds circling too over an alley. I don't want to go and look, but I have to because I am close to downtown where a man was blown from the sky.

I stop the bike and walk it down the alley. I am not hyper alert because anything to fear here before, won't hurt me now. I see them all bloated from the sun and smelling like I want to throw up. Smells really seem to get to me these days, probably because they are all bad. I cover my nose with the collar from my jacket and make myself go forward. I have to know for sure. Two men and a woman. They are lying all sprawled out. Only one's face is gone, one of the men. The other two look like they tried to run. Someone got them from behind. Good for someone.

These baby killing, puppy eaters got what they deserved.

Leia said she searched them when they came into camp, and they only had a knife. A knife with a wolf's body as the handle. I didn't forget that because they were like wolves. They were killers. But still, one knife, versus a gun. Not a fair fight for sure. Who did this? Shot them in cold blood? They were executed.

I investigate, all while trying to keep from taking deep breaths. I see remnants of a fire and what might be a burned up dog, but it is charred beyond recognition. It does seem to be too big to be a puppy. Lots of people eat whatever animal they can catch these days. At least this charred dog smells slightly better than what tried to eat it.

Gus said he talked to them. Good thing he wasn't around when this happened, or he might be rotting here too. Unless, he did this? I can't imagine it. He seemed pretty disgusted about what they were eating, but he didn't know what Cindy had said about them.

I lose complete focus thinking about what might have happened. If Gus had a reason to shoot them, why didn't he mention it? Maybe, he didn't want his dad to worry that he escaped another dangerous situation? Maybe his dad helped him shoot them?

Or maybe, Gus is a liar - the kind of liar who lies by not telling you the whole truth.

When he talked about his journey, Gus did talk matter-of-factly about killing others, like it's his job, which it is, but still, I don't know about him. Can you really trust someone whose job involves killing people?

Good thing I followed my dad's advice and didn't trust them. I think Gus might be dangerous, even if he is on the good guy side.

But who knows for sure? Gus and his dad are looking for the prince, and they do want to save him and help get him back where he belongs. So, they can't be all bad.

My imagination runs wild and the lack of oxygen from half holding my breath does not help me think clearly.

I breathe through my mouth for just a few more minutes and go through their stuff because they are not going to need it. I find the cans of food that Cindy said she traded them for a baby. I guess they were saving it for hard times when they came upon the dog, or old habits are hard to break. I don't find the wolf knife, but the found cans of vegetables tell me that other desperate, starving people didn't kill them for their food. I even find a can of Coke, and I almost yell "jackpot" except I remember where I am.

The smell won't let me forget. I start to think about the smell being in my mouth now, and I gag a couple of times because it seems to be choking me.

I start to back my bicycle out of the alley when I spot a small suitcase lying next to the woman. It's a child's suitcase, one with wheels like I used to carry to camp for the summer. It has Tommy and Chuckie and Phil and Lil on it. The handle is just out of reach of the woman like it was flung out of her hand when she was shot in the back.

I can't help myself. I have to look. I unzip the suitcase slowly and flap it open. Inside are toys, infant toys. Rattles and squishy things that make noise and soft balls and teething rings and small, dirty well-loved stuffed animals that smell faintly of baby powder. There's a round baby mirror with grips on it so a baby can hold it and stare at another baby and laugh and talk to the other baby.

I zip the suitcase back up. I stand and wipe the sweat on my lip with my sleeve, and I turn and throw up my breakfast.

I back my bike up and pop the top on the Coke, take a small sip and rinse my mouth out and spit.

I can't be here one more second. I have already strayed too long. I ride to find my dad.