Next Up

Track 8

Palmer looked over to Melody with heavy eyelids, who sat in a fetal position in the passenger's seat of their truck, bouncing as it hurled over the sandy ground.

The morning sun was peeking over a distant mountain range, forcing Palmer to use the visor, covering his eyes.

The car made a beeping sound. He looked down at the dashboard, his speedometer reading '115,' "Oh," he grumbled, seeing the engine light blinking. 'We're only twenty to thirty miles,' he looked into the rearview mirror, 'Yeah, no one is even coming after me. I think I can afford a small nap.'

He slowed the truck to a stop, rolling down the window slightly, hoping he could hear if someone got too close.

"Get out!" The soldier aimed his rifle at the lone mercenary who hid in the small container.

The mercenary rose to his feet, hands raised in surrender. A gunshot echoed, and he crumpled to his hands and knees, a searing surge of pain shooting up his leg. Cursing, "You just shot me!" He coughed as a soldier delivered a brisk kick to his ribs, causing him to topple onto his back. The black rifle's barrel hovered mere inches from his forehead, and he winced, feeling the weight of the man's foot pressing onto his chest.

"I'm gonna do it again if you don't tell me what happened down here, ya get me?"

A few hours had passed, and Palmer was awake and driving again.

"Hey," he shook Melody, who had been asleep for most of the drive. He shook her again, "Get up, we found a town."

"Hm," she grumbled, wiping a line of drool that came from her mouth.

When they exited the car, Melody spread her arms and faced the sun, a big smile on her face. "Wow," she beamed, "I haven't felt the sun in so long."

Palmer smiled, "Yeah, well, you won't have to worry. I'll make sure you'll never be in another cell like that as long as you live. You can see the sun anytime you want."

The town was tiny. Palmer guessed that only around a few hundred people lived there.

There were no paved roads, only pact dirt. Most of the homes were made of colorful orange stucco, matching the deep orange dirt.

Given the early hour, most of the townspeople were still asleep, though a handful sat in their front yards, observing Palmer and Melody strolling down the main street of their quaint, dust-covered village.

"Seems like some kind of aboriginal town," He guessed. He had grabbed onto Melody's hand as they strolled through.

A tall older man with leathery skin watched the two warily as they walked up to his yard.

"Hey," Palmer stuck out his hand, giving the man a handshake and introducing hm and Melody, "Listen, we're not gonna be here long; we just need some gas."

The man pointed to a building down the road, "Gas is over there."

"Hey, but also, do you know anything about the surroundings of this place? Any big cities we can fly outta here? Or is there an ocean with a dock?"

"Well," he started after thinking for a bit, "A ways away, there's a big walled-off city. Not too sure what's inside, as I've never had a reason nor the want to try and enter; but that's the closest one with what you want—any others will hundreds of miles."

"Oh okay, thank you."

"Don't get your hopes up. The community is very secretive. There is a rumor that no one is allowed in or out, but it is just a rumor."

"Do you have a specific location of where it is?" Palmer asked hopefully.

Initially silent, the man directed his gaze downward to the girl clutching Palmer's hand. She gently swayed from side to side, wearing a content smile, her eyes blissfully closed.

Palmer shoved the green hose into the gas pipe, telling Melody to turn the valve. The metal container shuttered, before he heard the rush of gasoline flow through the tube into the car. 'So, we head directly north from here. Got it,' he thought.

"Hold on," he cocked his head to the side, listening intently. He tapped the earpiece, changing channels with each tap, until he heard what he was looking for.

"What?" Melody asked.

Palmer shushed her. "Okay," he said after a while. "Don't worry," he tried to sound upbeat, "It's nothing, just listening to the chatter on the radio." He told her to twist the valve once more, cutting off the gas. 'So, they've already started a wide search for Melody. We've gotta hurry.'

Zoe's eyes shot open. She sat in the back of the jeep as it barreled through the desert, still following the tire tracks.

She poked Asher, who sat next to her, nervously asking, "Do you hear that?"

"Huh?" he yawned.

She looked through the back windshield, wiping the dust from the glass. She prodded him again, pointing.

Asher turned, squinting, "Zoe, I don't see what you're talking about,"

She stared a while longer...there it was; it wasn't constant, but there was obviously something there. A slight reflection. A glint in the sky.

As time passed, they all looked back, hearing the thumping of helicopter blades slicing through the air.

"It's coming right for us," Asher noticed, grabbing onto his seet so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Wait," Zoe said. "Stop the car," she demanded, and reached in her pocket and pulled out her box of cards.

"Uh," Yahd looked to Kalimba, then glanced in the rear-view mirror, looking at the helicopter quickly approaching. He reached onto the dashboard, grabbing his pistol.

"Now is not the time for magic tricks," Asher mumbled.

"What is the plan here?" Kalimba turned to Zoe.

"We just act normal, like we live here," Zoe said. "The chances of them opening fire on us from above is low, especially if they think we have the girl. They'll think we're too young. We just need to not draw suspicion."

Yahd glanced to Kalimba, "Are we stopping?"

Kalimba thought for a moment, "Alright, yeah. That's a good idea."

The jeep jolted to a halt, and Zoe swung the door open, leaping outside. She darted around to the car's front, her aura enveloping her as she pulled several cards from the box.

The orange glow expanded to encircle each card in her hands. With precision, she arranged the cards on the car's hood, concealing the logo. As this occurred, the cards underwent a transformation, seamlessly adopting the appearance of the rest of the car's hood.

Yahd leaned over the dashboard, witnessing the logo on the car vanish entirely, as if it had never been there in the first place. 'Oh, I see. If they saw that this jeep belonged to them, that would instantly make us guilty, and they may have shot us on the spot.'

They all followed Zoe's lead, getting out of the car and waiting for the helicopter to catch up to them.

Zoe had deactivated her energy, but the cards were still stuck to the hood.

The wind howled and whipped the desert sand around as the helicopter descended and landed several yards away.

One of the soldiers slid open the door, hopping out and approaching the group.

Inside, they saw a bound and gagged man wearing green camo. Bloodied and bruised, with one eye swollen shut. If it weren't for his harsh and raspy breaths, Zoe would've assumed he had died hours prior.

"So, I'm gonna cut to the chase," the soldier began. As he said that, three other soldiers hopped out of the helicopter, aiming their guns at the group of kids. "I've got several questions that I know you have the answers to." he reached behind him and pulled out a revolver from his waistband.

Yahd's eyes widened as he placed the barrel under his chin, forcing his head up to meet his gaze