They Will Run You Down

Twenty-Four: Cutting Dead

Trapped and defeated, Harley allowed Edvin, Foss and Taylor to usher her out of the trees and back to the narrow country road where the two vehicles waited.

As the four emerged from the brush, Harley immediately spotted John. He stood leaning against the nose of one of the Jeeps next to Perez, both of them smiling and sharing a laugh.

John and Harley locked eyes for a moment but it was fleeting. He quickly shifted his focus toward the ground but held onto his smirk as Perez prattled on. Then without so much as a nod of acknowledgment, John straightened up and made his way back to the passenger door, opening it and climbing in. Perez followed closely behind, hopping into the back seat.

Harley couldn't help but stare at John as the guys urged her toward their Jeep but John avoided her gaze like the plague, instead opting to keep his head turned toward Perez, seemingly still engaged in what must have been a riveting conversation.

Before Harley climbed into the back seat of the vehicle with Edvin, Robby approached, "I'm sorry, Harley. We didn't want to have to do it this way," he explained.

"You didn't have to do anything, mate," she countered, glancing back at John one last time.

Robby sighed and without another word, made his way back to his Jeep.

"In ya go, shorty," Edvin instructed as he stood next to the open door waiting for Harley to climb in.

Before peeling her backpack from her shoulders and hoisting herself up into the back seat, Harley was sure to shoot an icy glare in Edvin's direction. He smiled mischievously as he slammed her door then made his way around to the otherside and climbed in next to her.

Being given the cold shoulder was nothing foreign to Harley but receiving it from John, she discovered, was extraordinarily difficult to stomach. She suddenly felt the sting of exclusion that only someone she truly cared about could provoke. Harley wished to recoil from feeling what she felt just then.

Once the group had piled back into the two Jeeps, they turned them around and headed back toward the highway without haste.

"I made you gift," Edvin informed as he reached into his pocket.

Harley frowned and narrowed her eyes at Edvin's closed fist which hovered in front of her face. She shifted Rebel to her side and hesitanty raised her open hand to accept his mysterious present.

Edvin extended his fingers and into Harley's palm fell two pearly teeth. Each had a small hole drilled into the tops of them and threaded through those holes was a thin, tanned leather string.

"It's a necklace made from the bones of your enemy. . A trophy, if you will," He smiled proudly.

At the sight of Shaun's shiny teeth, Harley let slip an amused grin and snorted, "Are they from the front?"

"They sure are, kiddo. His days of being pretty are over," Edvin replied full of mirth.

She pulled the necklace over her head and let the teeth fall against her chest, smiling all the while, "Thanks"

Edvin raised his eyebrows, "Well, you'll have to thank John for that one. All I did was swoop in behind him and scavenge his left overs"

Harley grasped the two teeth between her thumb and index finger while she gazed out the window to the passing trees, "Yeah"

○●○

The day was bright and hot as the convoy cruised up the amaranthine highway. Air Conditioning was a luxury they couldn't afford as conserving gasoline was priority number one, and everyone knew that Air-Conditioners use energy supplied to it by the alternator, which uses energy supplied from the engine, which uses fuel . .Or so Harley was informed after she'd complained about the stink of sweaty men making her queasy. All four of them rolled down their windows shortly after.