The Key

Chapter 21

''Clean and wrap your ankle up,' Diablo said, tossing back some wraps and some peroxide. I looked at the peroxide bottle. The stuff burned like hell. When I was a kid I didn't even want my mom putting it on me. What makes him think I would put it on myself.

Before I could get straight to the wrapping, Diablo looked back. ''Don't forget the peroxide,'' he chuckled. That's the last thing I need is another Shay reading my mind.

''Shut up and put the damn stuff on,'' Shay barked. I shook my head and poured the stuff on my ankle. It burned the life out of me but for some reason I didn't find that the worst part. Red bubbles formed and popped, which made me gag and turn away from it.

''Shut the hell up and drive,'' I barked at Diablo. He laughed a little harder but almost lost control and tipped us over when he hit a large bump. His face stiffened as he looked around. ''Who's laughing now,'' I said wrapping my ankle up.

''Still me,'' he said smirking.

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We drove for days at least. Luckily there was a back pack full of food and things like that in the back seat. We rarely stopped even to eat. Only thing we really talked about was what we'd do when we get back and about Nia, Diablo, and Maria's missions. Being away from Nia actually had a bigger impact on me than I thought. I missed her smart ass remarks about me. She also was the first one to make me cuss, which had me going into a habit of it.

After the fourth day, I thought we were officially lost. We stepped out of the car and walked around for a bit. We had made scarves to go around our faces and protect us from the swirling dirt.

''This should be the middle,'' Diablo said looking around.

''How do you know,'' I asked confused. ''If you ask me we've just been driving around in a long circle. I think i've seen that Ox head like a thousand times,'' I said pointing at a pile of bones.

''We're in the desert Shelly,'' What do you expect,'' Diablo said looking around.

I walked around some more. We did this for about thirty minutes with out word.

''Think we should go a little further,'' I asked Diablo. He nodded.

''Maybe it's a little further down,'' He said getting back in the car. I walked back to him. I was ten feet away from it when my foot stepped on something that clicked.

''Don't move,'' Shay yelled in my head. I almost jumped but she took over immediately.

''What the hell is that,'' I asked paranoid at her randomness.

Shay looked down at our feet where the thing clicked. ''I think we just stepped on a land mine,'' She said, scaring herself alittle.

All that that we been threw and I was going to die from a damn land mine.

Diablo looked at us out the car before stepping out. ''We do have to go,'' he called to us.

Shay looked up and he looked at us confused. ''Everything OK,'' he started toward us.

''Stop,'' Shay barked at him. He stopped immediately.

''What,'' he asked as if annoyed.

''I think we just stepped on a land mine,'' she repeated as if to be calculating something.

''Dont move,'' he said returning to the car.

''Don't think we have a choice,'' Shay muttered trying to examine our foot.