Angel Burn (Book 1 Of Angel Trilogy)

Chapter 22| Camp

Chapter 22| Camp

Normal POV

The camp lay in the southern part of the state, twenty miles out in the desert: a hard, scrubby land with bare, flat-topped mountains rising up from the horizon. There were no signs or roads, but Natsu knew the way like he knew his own face in the mirror— though he'd never imagined making the drive in a boat like Chevy that belonged back in the seventies with sideburns and bell-bottom jeans. He kept the speed low as the car moved slowly over the rough ground, watching the temperature gauge and praying that the radiator wouldn't overheat. It already felt like it was nearing a hundred outside. And, just to make things even more fun, the car seemed to be out of Freon now. Even with the windows rolled down, it was stifling.

The tension from when he'd picked the glass out of Lucy's hair had faded with the morning, and he and Lucy talked easily on the journey. Her slim arms were glowing with a faint sheen of sweat as she sat with her bare feet propped up onto the dashboard. "I wish I had a pair of shorts," she said, fanning herself.

"We can probably get you some at the camp," said Natsu. "Someone should have something you can wear."

Her chocolate brown eyes looked thoughtful. "Are there female AKs?"

Natsu nodded. "Sure, some really good ones. In fact, women tend to take to the chakra work better than men." He went silent as they came to a dried-out riverbed, concentrating as he guided them over the rocky ground. A lizard sat on a nearby boulder, observing them with a contemptuous stare. Do you really think that thing's going to make it? Good luck, sucker. Hope you enjoy being buzzard meat. Christ, all they needed was to break an axle out here. Not even Lucy could fix that.

The Chevy groaned as it struggled up the riverbank, and Natsu winced, wondering if they were going to have to walk the rest of the way. Then, with a sudden straining heave, the car made it up and over. He let out a breath.

Lucy pulled her long hair off her neck and knotted it back in a bun. She cleared her throat as she finished. "You know, I'm sort of nervous about this."

"What? Going to the camp?"

She nodded, tapping her hand against the open window. "With all the Angel Killers there, when I'm. . . what I am. They're not exactly going to be my new best friends, are they?" Her voice sounded tense.

Stupidly, this hadn't even occurred to him. He thought about it as he steered them around a series of ruts. "I guess some of them might be pretty taken aback at first," he said. As he had been; he didn't say this, but he knew they were both thinking it. "But, Lucy, it's not like you're on the angels' side— they want you dead; they think you can destroy them. That's what everyone will be interested in, not what you are."

She grimaced. "I hope so."

The urge to touch her was overwhelming. Natsu gave into it, resting his fingers fleetingly on her arm. "Hey, don't worry. It'll be OK."

Lucy's face relaxed a fraction. She shot him a small smile. "All right. Thanks."

They drove in silence for a while as the Chevy wheezed and moaned across the desert. Spiky yucca plants dotted the dry soil, and lizards scuttled out of their way. Finally, Natsu saw the camp's chain-link fence come into view, wavering with heat lines in the distance. "Guess what. I think we made it," he said.

Lucy sat up straight. "Is that it?"

"That's it." Viewing the camp through her eyes, he saw a cluster of low white buildings in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a chain-link fence with razor-edged wire curling at its top. There were no trees, no ornamentation of any kind. It was sparse and functional, completely featureless.