Tested

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Parker dozed in his seat all afternoon. When Sunny fell asleep, I moved up next to Dad.

I glanced back at Parker. “He’s worn out.”

“It must take a lot out of him.”

I stared at Dad, trying to read him. “If you’re planning anything… I can’t go along with it, Dad.”

He raised his brows, never taking his eyes off the road. “Planning? You make me sound like an axe murderer, Jessica.”

“You know quite well what I mean. There’s nothing wrong with making friends. Making friends saved me from the vampires and got me back to you, remember?”

“I know,” he said under his breath. “I will always remember.”

I relaxed in my seat, temporarily satisfied. If Dad was changing, I would only encourage it.

The drive along the motorway was kind of pleasant. The day was bright and sunny, but a light dropping of snow kept falling. We passed some abandoned cars, and I shivered at the signs of battle out in plain sight.

“We’re almost at the next village,” Sunny said from his seat. Parker sat up in a fright, looking half-asleep still. “Perhaps we can eat when we get there?”

“We’ll have to be careful where we stop,” Dad said, “but I could use a rest.”

“I can drive,” Parker said hopefully. “It’s not like anybody’s around to ask for a licence.”

“We’ll need you awake later,” Dad said. “Get some rest, Parker.”

But as we turned off the motorway and approached the village, all of us grew alert.

“There are people out there,” Parker said. “Behind the walls.”

My stomach turned as I saw heads popping up to glare at us. At the side of the road lay a body. “He was shot,” I whispered.

“And he looks human,” Dad said.

“Maybe we should turn back,” Sunny said.

“We can’t,” Dad said. “It’ll take us way off the path. We’ll run out of fuel.”

He drove on, slowing as we neared the low walls.

A voice shouted at us to halt. Dad pulled up and stepped out of the car, his hands in the air. “We’re just driving through,” he called out. “We don’t want any trouble.”

“Then turn back!” the same voice called out. A number of figures stood, many of them carrying shotguns. “Nobody’s getting past us. We don’t know you, and we’re not letting anyone pass until we know what the hell is going on in this country.”

“We can tell you what we’ve heard,” Dad said pleadingly. “We’re just trying to head north. That’s all!”

A warning shot fired in the air.

“Get back in, Dad,” I cried.

He did, keeping his eye on the people ahead. His jaw tense, he turned the car around and headed back the way we came. Looking behind me, I saw the guns aimed at our backs and held my breath until we were back on the motorway.

We drove in silence for a few minutes until Dad pulled in at the side of the road. “What now?”

“We’ll be taking the scenic route, it seems,” Sunny said. “No matter. It’s likely far safer. There’s farmland we can drive through. The roads may be tricky, but they should be empty.”