River, Sun, Freedom

7: Die Another Day

Jodi felt slightly guilt for giving the impression of staying, and basically lying, but she couldn’t risk them realising she was leaving. It would raise unnecessary questions, and Jodi didn’t think her life meant too much to these people.

*  *  *

Sheila guided Jodi to the room she woke up in and told her to get some rest, saying from now on this would be her room, to treat as she wished. When she left, Jodi sat on the bed.

She wasn’t tired, but the bed was comfortable and for the moment. Jodi wanted to pretend she was a part of this new and strangely friendly group. She was tempted to stay, for as long as she could and not tell anyone about her father, but as she thought of this a flash of memory came to her. Nate’s face as he stared at her in disgust.

Her heart felt pain, and she gasped, clutching her chest.

No.

She couldn’t stay.

Her rucksack and jacket was in the corner and after checking to make sure her gun and food and water was in there, she hauled it onto her back and left.

Sheila had already given her a tour of the base, so she didn’t have any trouble finding the garage. In the corner, newly fixed and running, was her bike. The wires had been replaced, as had the water in the engine. She wheeled the bike out of the garage, as quietly as she could.

“Going somewhere?” said a voice behind her.

Jodi’s skipped a beat, and started beating again frantically, as the scare sent waves of adrenaline through her. She spun around, keeping a hand on the bike, ready to leap on it at any moment.

Behind her was Damien, leaning against the garage door, a smirk on his face, probably from her reaction.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He stood up and took two steps toward her.

She stiffened and took two steps back, wheeling the bike with her.

“You don’t understand. I can’t stay here.” She said.

“Why not?” he said. “We’ve taken care of you for two days, feeding you and giving you our water, which I can tell you, isn’t easy to come by out here in the desert.” He took another step towards her. “The least you can do is working your keep.”

Jodi felt guilt settle in her stomach, but shook her heard. “Listen to me –“

“But then again,” he took another step forward. “Maybe it’s a case of life or death.”

Another step. “Have you been affected by the disease?”

Jodi shook her head.

Another step. “Maybe you’re looking for a loved one, whom you may think is still alive.”

Jodi thought about Jake, but again shook her head. He would never want to see her again.

One more step. “Or maybe, you have a huge secret that you don’t want anyone to know.” Jodi’s eyes widened, and she was suddenly aware of his proximity. Before she had noticed, he had come so close to her. Close enough to touch her.

Or grab her throat.

She hurriedly stumbled back, but tripped over the wheel of her bike. She hit the ground, hard, but didn’t stand up. Damien squatted down in front of her, and pulled something out of his shirt pocket.

It was the picture that Jonas had shown her, of her family. “Look familiar to you?”

Jodi stared at the picture, and then at him. Had she accidentally taken the picture with her?

He smirked and sat down in front of her and laid the picture in front of her.

“We found the picture in your jacket when we picked you up, about there.” He pointed out beside them. “Behind that dead tree.”

 She looked out to where he pointed at the stark, twisted white tree that gleamed in the moonlight. The desert looked very beautiful, and serene. It was cold, and Jodi pulled her jacket tighter around herself, but it was just the right temperature for many of the desert animals. A lone rabbit hopped out from a hole nearby them, and it sniffed the air, bounding away. A lizard scuttled out from under a rock a hissed at the curious rabbit, raising a large round sheet of sin, bone and ligature around it's neck, threateningly. A frill-necked lizard, her memory taught her.

Watching them, Jodi felt suddenly, strangely peaceful, despite the fact she knew she would die now. Now that Damien had told her he knew.But something was bothering her.

“Why did you wait?” she asked him.

“To tell you about the picture?” he said. She shook her head.

“To kill me.”

He raised his right eyebrow, and leaned back on his hands. “We’re not going to kill you, Jodi.”

She didn’t believe him, and managed to cock her own eyebrow in respond.

“We’re not.” He repeated. “We don’t kill people here for something their parents did. If that was the case, half of us would be dead.”

Jodi shook her head. “But my father’s the reason you’re like this.”

“When you were, what, five, six years old? And we’re supposed to blame you?”

“He raised me. My thinking could be just like him.”

“The fact that you’re running away disproves that.” He replied.

“But –“

“Are you trying to convince me to kill you?” he interrupted.

“No, I was just saying.”

He sat back and looked at the sky. “To tell you the truth, we did want to kill you.” Jodi nodded, knowing this was what she had suspected, but Damien continued like she hadn't moved. “But it didn’t seem fair. We’re soldiers, most of us have a history of killing, and we were supposed to judge you, who may not have killed anyone?” he looked at her. “Beside ‘vampyres’ obviously.”

Jodi looked at him, and leaned closer to him. “You are very strange.”

“Yep, I am. As are you.” He stood up, and brushed himself off. He helped her up and began walking away, expecting her to follow. But she didn’t move. She let him take a few steps till he was far out of reach, but not out of hearing range, before she called out to him.

“My name is Jordan River Matthews.”

He looked back at her over his shoulder but she didn’t let him speak. She continued in a rush.

“My father began an apocalypse that destroyed the human world when I was six years old. Ten years ago.” She felt tears prickle behind her eyes, but she didn’t dare wipe them because she didn’t want to bring attention to them.

“He’s my father. But I hated him long before any of that.”

Next chapter: you get to understand Jodi's father and exactly who he was. don't tell me you don't wanna know, cos a i know you do. What makes a guy destroy the world? Was it on purpose, or by accident? Why does Jodi hate her father? and what the hell am i doing introducing new characters now?!! find out in the next installment of ... River, Sun, Freedom!!

ok, enough with the old-fashioned cliff-hanger. seriously guys, i really need some votes or comments. I'm going to need some motivation before this story goes Witch of the west meets bucket of water ("i'm melting, i'm melting...aaah!"  <|:O)

lame jokes aside, i'm relying on you guys for some motivation! anything will do, critism, quotes, ideas, chapter names (cos i know mine are beginning to suck)! give me some feedback. If i don't get ten more votes, sooner or later, this story will be shelved.

yes that was a threat

("save me! please" cries the inner voice of the story)