The ride back home aggravated my nerves. Maybe everyone was being too quiet. I was perplexed that Ethan wasn’t talking my ear off. Chase didn’t say much either. He laid his head against the window, his eyes flickering left to right as dead trees zoomed by his line of vision.
I just sat quietly, my hands settled on my lap.
Breathe, I coached myself. Just breathe.
The bridge was ahead. I never liked bridges. Their height was intimidating, and the murky water below further confirmed the unfruitful land that scaled for miles on end.
As though Chase could sense my shoulders tense, he reached for my hand, covering it lightly with his own. I relaxed, exhaling through my pursed lips. He tapped the top of my hand, pulling my gaze to him.
“You okay?” He mouthed in silence.
I nodded, gripping his hand for reassurance.
Ethan cleared his throat. “I’ve never liked bridges,” he professed, fidgeting next to me.
I looked over at him. His forehead revealed two deep wrinkles as he furrowed his ebony brows. He didn’t seem comfortable in his own skin. I could relate to that, often.
“Me neither,” I confessed.
Why did I just say that? I examined Chase, seeing if he was bothered by my interaction with the jerk.
He didn’t show any reaction but gripping onto my hand protectively. Would he always be that way? It was comforting, mostly, but sometimes I wished he would let me grow into my own person.
Ethan clapped his hands together, making me flinch. “So, we do have something in common, Meee-la.”
I scowled at him. “You just love getting under my skin, don’t you?”
He smiled and continued to focus his attention toward the window.
The driver brought the vehicle to a stop. Hydraulics lifted the side doors effortlessly into the air as the vehicle lowered to the ground.
“Pay up!” he announced.
Ethan lifted slightly off the seat, digging into his side pocket. He pulled out a twenty and slapped it on the palm of the driver’s hand.
“More,” he demanded. “I risked my job taking you kids this far.”
Ethan grumbled, pulling out another twenty from his pocket.
How does he have all this money?
“That’s all you get. I think it’s a fair amount,” said Ethan.
The driver nodded. “Fair enough,” he replied. “Now hurry, the Recons been patrolling the bridge heavily as of late.”
I scooted out of the vehicle, stepping out onto the street. Before leaving, I poked my head back inside. “Thank you and take care!”
“Yeah, yeah,” the driver said, waving his hand at me to just leave.
That moment, I noticed a bracelet on his wrist with the letter F embroidered into the steel. Maybe he had a daughter who gave it to him as a present. Maybe it represented the first letter of her name.
Maybe…
Chase tugged my arm, coaxing me away from the vehicle. Ethan stood on the other side of me, and we all watched as our ride disappeared back over the bridge, toward Steel City.
“And then there were three,” Ethan chimed.
Chase snorted. “Soon there will be two,” he added.
YOU ARE READING
Steel Hearts
Science Fiction[Watty's 2014 entry] One girl’s pursuit of happiness beyond her barricaded settlement turns into a battle to endure the harsh realities that wait on the other side. Mila knew once sneaking outside the Safe Zone, she would never go back. A chance to...
