No Name Trilogy, Book I: No Name

Chapter 25 - Trunk

We drove for a long time without saying very much. I think we were all in shock; conversation felt improper. Mel waited for some sort of message from Old Lisa, but he never responded to her call, and that worried them. I couldn't say what they were thinking, but I felt sure that the Circuit had gotten him, too. Part of me feared that they'd killed anyone who had helped me, maybe Bodie, too. But then I told myself I wasn't that important. Why would they have done all that just for me? I couldn't figure out their game. If they'd wanted to be rid of me, why was I still alive? Why take the risk that I would keep going, figure things out? All I could figure was that they wanted me to suffer before they caught me. Would I find other dead bodies along the way to Oliphant?

My head hurt. When daylight came, I began to feel sick. The place where the needle had been in my temple throbbed, and the pulling sensation I'd recognized as we'd moved farther from the Circuit base grew worse. It was a bizarre discomfort more than any real pain, but I worried that maybe whatever Bodie had given me was making me ill. Maybe my system was rejecting it. Or worse--maybe he'd given me something to mess me up. Maybe he'd tricked me. And then every time I thought of Slim's staring, blood-ringed eyes or the damage my hand had felt . . . nausea threatened. So when Ella pulled into a fast-food restaurant around one or two and parked the car, I knew I'd throw up if I tried to eat anything.

The day had grown sunny and warm enough; we had about another hour to go, so I told Ella that she and Mel should actually go in and sit down for a minute. I knew Ella was tired from driving. They were hesitant to leave me, but the place was empty enough that I didn't feel afraid, and the gun was in the glove compartment. But they were still reluctant, so they met me halfway: they went in to order, and then they brought the food back to the car and sat in it and ate.

"Now," Ella said, settling back into her driver's seat (Mel was in the passenger seat, and I was in the back). "We don't have far. We're starting to get out into the middle of nowhere, if you hadn't noticed." She gestured with the hand that wasn't holding food. My eyes followed her motion and took note of the fields and then trees that surrounded the parking lot. "But it's daylight, and since we're going to sneak in, I think we need to wait until it's dark."

"This isn't going to work," Mel sighed. I couldn't see her face, but I heard the tears in her voice. I wondered how long she'd kept that thought in her head—the whole drive, probably. "Obviously, someone knows what we're doing." She placed her meal on her lap and looked down. "What happened at the house . . . whoever did that, they probably saw us leave. And I bet they know we're here and what we're trying to do. If they got Old Lisa, they have to be watching us. Or Nadia, at least. There's no way they'll just let us wander into that place. They'll probably be waiting for us."

Peevishly, Ella replied, "Well what do you expect us to do, Melissa? We can't just go back to the house! Not now! And—"

"We should've gone to the police! We should've told them what was happening!"

"Oh, yeah right," Ella hissed. "They wouldn't know what to do. All they'd see is a murder victim on our lawn and an convict in our house!" She turned to me. "Sorry, Nadia. Nothing personal."

"I'm not offended." I said quietly, and both girls were suddenly looking at me. "But I agree with Ella. I don't know whose side the cops are on, but they won't be on mine."

"But you don't know that," Mel said gently, as if afraid she'd hurt my feelings by disagreeing. "Did you ever talk to them?"

I shook my head. "But we have to think about this. Your brother was obviously taken in by the police and tried by the same system that accused him of killing your father. I don't think that Jason was entangled with the people Henry and I are, or his mind would probably have been erased. Still, I'm thinking these people we're dealing with have a lot of power—a lot more than I know. I haven't told you much about it, because I don't know a lot, and I also don't want to endanger you if I can avoid it. But there's basically a crime ring running in San Judo, and they're far-reaching. I know they cut deals with Oliphant, and they probably have crooked police officers working with them. I'd bet money that they messed up your brother's trial. They probably paid or threatened people to keep them quiet--maybe even Jason. They might have told him they'd hurt you if he didn't cooperate . . . I don't know. All I can say is that if they have the kind of power I think they do, they're pulling strings in a lot of different places." I shook my head distractedly and turned to look at the fields. There was a comfort in those sunny, grassy expanses; after all, Henry and I had traveled through them after escaping Oliphant. He'd given me those blue flowers in a field. His fingers had brushed my hand, and I was sure I'd felt something--but thinking of that moment hurt. I might never have another like it. No chance to find out if I'd only imagined it.