So No Solo

Chapter 6

I'm coaxed awake by the stuttered rumble of an engine and the comforting vibrations against my body stop. My eyes slit open and immediately my blurred vision is blinded by orange.

"Hurrgh." I feel a groan slip passed my dry lips. I try to lick them, but my tongue feels too heavy. So is the rest of me in fact, so I wait. I hate this feeling, never liked being knocked out, or drugged, or fainting.

Why does my face hurt and my arm feel like it's on fire? Seriously, it burns-

Crunch, crunch-crunch. Rustle. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I tilt my head as best I can, trying to find the source of that annoying sound. My body feels too restricted. Am I tied up? 

I lift up my not-so-dead arm and brush strands of hair from my face. Damn, I feel like dead weight.

My sight finally settles on bright eyes, staring right back as me, unblinking. Wha- A kid, the kid munching on a packet of cheese puffs. 

"Kid?" I slur. He looks...okay, I guess. I mean, he's eating. I hear more crunching as he shoves more food in his mouth.

"Chiko?" I say, a little clearer. My throat feels rough. He blinks.
I try to sit up but am slammed back down. I knew it! I'm tied up...Nope. 

It's just a seatbelt. How do you get these things off again? There's a button somewhere right? I find it, and after I spend forever fumbling, I hear a click and the seatbelt retracts. 

I sit up and immediately I regret it. Nausea hits me like a freight-train and I feel the sudden urge to puke.

I do puke. Luckily, I'm able to open the door on time and swing half my body out as the bile pushes up my throat and a pale yellow liquid flows out of my mouth like a mini waterfall. 

It tastes worse than it smells, and I hear an "Ew!" from behind me. I know kid, I know. 

I look up, overwhelmed, as I dry heave whatever there could possibly be left, and notice the orange sky and cool breeze sweeping through my hair. Taking it all in as I wait for my stomach to settle, I try to re-arrange my thoughts. 

"I need a drink." A soda is chucked onto the empty seat next to me and I grab the cool can, open the top and chug, then use the rest as mouth wash. 

Remembering my bullet wound, I look down at where the hole's supposed to be only to find raw, blistered skin. I frown.

"Had to patch you up quick, otherwise you wouldn't have made it 'till we get here." I shriek as a voice resounds across from me and I look up to see the scary guy with the tattoos, bent through the driver side window. Oh yeah, that guy took us. Wait what does he mean here? 

We're surrounded my miles of dirt. A large hut-kind of like a saloon- sits in front of us and we're parked by a row of bikes and heavy duty cars. "Where the fuck am I? Who the fuck are you!" 

The man's brows furrow as he glares harder, "You wanted to see riot. I've taken you to Riot. Now get out of the car, I've been patient enough." Patient for what? I was out, coulda jus woken me up. I hold in my growl. 

So he isn't going to kill me?

Chiko is sitting in the centre of the back seat, our bags on either side of him. He's wearing his top again and his eyes are red. He looks tired. I look back up at the guy, then forward at the building. "You going in or not?" he growls out.

I haul myself out of the car, careful not to step in my vomit, and can't help but hiss as my bare feet apply pressure on the rough ground. I forgot my feet were still cut up.