Renegade

Chapter twelve

The girl's reaction was diametrically opposite, as the word "collar" had her fear evaporating altogether and made her rush them.

The relative silence of the abandoned town was broken by the sound of a gunshot, the bullet embedding itself in the ground at the girl's feet, who stumbled and fell, skidding to a halt in the dirt and skinning her bare arms in the process. 

She pushed up into a crouch, ready to pounce again, only to be stopped by two other bullets that landed mere centimeters from her. Her whole body was trembling with barely repressed anger and she turned blazing eyes onto the soldier.

"Stand. Still." the woman repeated, emphasizing each word. She addressed the man next, though both her eyes and the rifle remained focused on the girl. "Collar them."

He didn't have to be asked a third time, crouching in order to grab the collars, twisting and dragging the boy behind him. He had to drop the blade in order to open them. 

Relief flashed in his eyes when it clicked shut and he roughly shoved the boy aside in order to face the girl. She watched as her companion landed on the ground with a pained grunt, fingers scratching and pulling in panic at the restraint.

The glare she turned on the man was filled with so much hatred it was enough to stop him in his tracks. He glanced over to the soldier, who urged him on silently, her brown eyes chips of ice. 

He took a hesitant step towards the girl, staring fearfully at her hands. One was clenched in a fist and used to keep her crouched position steady, while the other hung by her side, palm turned forward, fingers twitching periodically. There was no mistaking her intentions. 

He took another cautious step and the muscles in her legs tensed, ready to spring into action. She licked her lower lip in anticipation, not bothering to hide the predatory look in her eyes anymore. 

Burn.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the deserted town, loud and unbidden. 

The young fugitive stared at the blossoming stain in morbid fascination, blood slowly seeping through clothing. Her gray eyes flicked over to the other woman, whose rifle was now resting against her shoulder, fingers loosely wrapped around the handle. 

She casually strolled over to the trio, the severe expression gone from her face. The girl's eyes snapped back to the bullet wound, distantly wondering if it was grave enough to die from.

* * * * *

It took Noelani and Wake almost a whole night's drive to reach their rendezvous point with Diana and Howard. 

The dense forest surrounding and protecting their camp steadily gave way to grassy valleys. The closer to the destination they got, the more sparse the greenery became, until only dirt roads and rocky slopes remained. 

The pair was waiting for them at the base of an outcropping, Diana nibbling on crackers and Howard sitting cross-legged in a meditative pose.

Noelani's rusty SUV was the first to reach them, closely followed by Wake's battered van. Diana rose immediately, walking over to greet them. 

She was a small slip of a woman, thin with long limbs and milky white skin. Her strawberry blonde hair was buzzed on the left side, decorated by random geometrical figures, while the right side was long enough to hide half of her face. She had large blue eyes with long lashes and groomed eyebrows, her lips shaped like a cupid's bow.