illness?” I asked, unaware of what he
was referring to.
“I don’t know,” said Harrison. “Whatever it
is that’s been making her so sick all time. I figured you already
knew what it was.”
“I don’t know about anything,” I said as I
turned to look back at Harry.
“Sorry, sorry,” said Harrison as if he’d said
something offensive. “I shouldn’t go spreading rumors. Pretend I
didn’t say anything.”
“What rumors?” I asked. His obfuscation
annoyed me.
“You really hadn’t heard this?” he asked.
My patience ran out and I spoke tersely, “No.
Tell me.”
“I didn’t figure a rumor had a chance in hell
of staying a secret in that damn place.” Harrison could sense my
anger and hurried to continue. “The guards noticed that she was
running to the outhouse all the time, and they started wondering
what was up. That’s what got everyone talking.”
“And what was everyone saying?” I asked.
“That she was sick with something. Lots of
people have their theories, but I don’t think anyone knows for
sure.”
I considered it, but then shook my head. “No,
she would’ve told me if something was wrong.”
“You sure about that?” Harrison’s tone
intimated his disagreement.
“Yes,” I said, although I quickly began to
question myself. “Maybe.” It was only the night before that I’d
learned of her plan to ask Zack to marry her, and she hadn’t chosen
to confide in me on that matter either.
“She looks like she’s sick,” said Ben.
It felt like they were ganging up on me,
although I knew that wasn’t the case. “It’s from the stress.” Now I
was just trying to convince myself, which was evident in the way I
rambled on. “Stress can do that to a person. She’s got the whole
damn town breathing down her neck, and half of them want to go to
war, but the rest want to hide. I mean, it’s no wonder she looks
like hell. No, she’s not sick. She would’ve told me.”
“You’d know better than us,” said Harrison.
“We’re just looking in from the outside.”
I suddenly felt like I was too. I watched the
image of Zack’s car fading in the side view mirror until we went
over a hill, and then they were gone. Unbelievably, I wished we
were headed back the other way, back to the rehab center where my
family was.
“How far do you think we can drive on the
highway?” asked Harrison.
I didn’t realize he was asking me until Ben
looked over at me and said, “Annie?”
I’d forgotten that Ben wasn’t as familiar
with this area as I was. Back when Hero and I worked with one
another, I rarely got the chance to map our trips. “Well, there’s a
few ways we can go.”
“Which do you think will be the best way?”
asked Ben, and I suddenly felt woefully underprepared.
I shook off my momentary malaise, and
retrieved Billy’s map that I’d spent the previous night marking up.
It was a travel map that folded out in several odd ways, almost as
if it were meant as a puzzle to get back together again once
opened. Billy had helped me transfer the notes he kept on which
roads were still traversable and other bits of information we knew
about the area. Over the past several years, the Rollers had
gathered a wealth of information about the area that stretched
along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains between what had once
been Wyoming and Colorado. We knew which areas were controlled by
raiders, and what the normal trader routes were. Of course, all of
that had been washed away after Jerald’s attack. Billy surmised
that the loss of Vineyard, Hanger, and Juniper would have ripples
across the landscape, affecting where the raiders took refuge. Not
to mention that the traders would’ve either left the area
completely or had been brought into Jerald’s fold. Their role in
his plans, by delivering tainted food to the settlements, wouldn’t
go unpunished. They’d made their way onto the Rollers’ shit
list.
“We can…” I caught myself speaking in a
subordinate
was referring to.
“I don’t know,” said Harrison. “Whatever it
is that’s been making her so sick all time. I figured you already
knew what it was.”
“I don’t know about anything,” I said as I
turned to look back at Harry.
“Sorry, sorry,” said Harrison as if he’d said
something offensive. “I shouldn’t go spreading rumors. Pretend I
didn’t say anything.”
“What rumors?” I asked. His obfuscation
annoyed me.
“You really hadn’t heard this?” he asked.
My patience ran out and I spoke tersely, “No.
Tell me.”
“I didn’t figure a rumor had a chance in hell
of staying a secret in that damn place.” Harrison could sense my
anger and hurried to continue. “The guards noticed that she was
running to the outhouse all the time, and they started wondering
what was up. That’s what got everyone talking.”
“And what was everyone saying?” I asked.
“That she was sick with something. Lots of
people have their theories, but I don’t think anyone knows for
sure.”
I considered it, but then shook my head. “No,
she would’ve told me if something was wrong.”
“You sure about that?” Harrison’s tone
intimated his disagreement.
“Yes,” I said, although I quickly began to
question myself. “Maybe.” It was only the night before that I’d
learned of her plan to ask Zack to marry her, and she hadn’t chosen
to confide in me on that matter either.
“She looks like she’s sick,” said Ben.
It felt like they were ganging up on me,
although I knew that wasn’t the case. “It’s from the stress.” Now I
was just trying to convince myself, which was evident in the way I
rambled on. “Stress can do that to a person. She’s got the whole
damn town breathing down her neck, and half of them want to go to
war, but the rest want to hide. I mean, it’s no wonder she looks
like hell. No, she’s not sick. She would’ve told me.”
“You’d know better than us,” said Harrison.
“We’re just looking in from the outside.”
I suddenly felt like I was too. I watched the
image of Zack’s car fading in the side view mirror until we went
over a hill, and then they were gone. Unbelievably, I wished we
were headed back the other way, back to the rehab center where my
family was.
“How far do you think we can drive on the
highway?” asked Harrison.
I didn’t realize he was asking me until Ben
looked over at me and said, “Annie?”
I’d forgotten that Ben wasn’t as familiar
with this area as I was. Back when Hero and I worked with one
another, I rarely got the chance to map our trips. “Well, there’s a
few ways we can go.”
“Which do you think will be the best way?”
asked Ben, and I suddenly felt woefully underprepared.
I shook off my momentary malaise, and
retrieved Billy’s map that I’d spent the previous night marking up.
It was a travel map that folded out in several odd ways, almost as
if it were meant as a puzzle to get back together again once
opened. Billy had helped me transfer the notes he kept on which
roads were still traversable and other bits of information we knew
about the area. Over the past several years, the Rollers had
gathered a wealth of information about the area that stretched
along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains between what had once
been Wyoming and Colorado. We knew which areas were controlled by
raiders, and what the normal trader routes were. Of course, all of
that had been washed away after Jerald’s attack. Billy surmised
that the loss of Vineyard, Hanger, and Juniper would have ripples
across the landscape, affecting where the raiders took refuge. Not
to mention that the traders would’ve either left the area
completely or had been brought into Jerald’s fold. Their role in
his plans, by delivering tainted food to the settlements, wouldn’t
go unpunished. They’d made their way onto the Rollers’ shit
list.
“We can…” I caught myself speaking in a
subordinate
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