“Of course. How dumb of me! I’ve really been into science fiction books lately. I think I can find us one,” I say.
In the end, we listened to the audiobook until early morning and were too busy chatting about the characters and their journey through the galaxy for me to rest. I only managed a few hours of sleep. When the sun rose over Silicon Valley, I felt a little groggy but so happy.
I did it; I rescued Vex. I proved that I could manage on my own. I don’t need Stellan or anyone babysitting me to be able to survive in the wastelands. I’m a grown man and a survivor.
I eat dried meat and nuts for breakfast, and we’re ready to head out. Vex has been watching the sky since sunrise. I could feel that she wanted to walk out of the ruins. And the only reason she didn’t was because I warned her to stay hidden.
“Okay, Vex,” I say after turning the engine on. “I’ll drive fast through the city. It can be dangerous to slow down or even stop. Keep your eyes wide open and warn me if you notice anything suspicious.”
“What qualifies as suspicious?” she asks.
“Hmmm. Humans aiming at us with weapons, obviously. People running after our truck, or laying traps on the road. Sometimes they even throw stuff from the ruins. As long as we don’t linger, we should be fine. Oh, and give me a shout if you notice a giant creature. Scylla is rumored to be living in the San Francisco Bay.”
“Very well,” she says simply.
But she looks worried. I grab her artificial hand. Her fingers are cold and stiff, but as I squeeze, I can feel her intricate joints.
“We’ll be fine,” I say. “Don’t worry.”
It’s strange to be giving comfort. I’m usually the one being protected and pampered by everyone. And I must say, I’ve grown too used to it. It’s time I grew some balls.
“I’m not worried about me,” she says. “I can’t feel pain. I’m worried about all the things that can happen to you. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, Perri, because of me.”
I give her an awkward smile. “Yeah, don’t worry. I have the best luck even in the worst situations. Especially in the worst situations.”
Ask my family.
I drive the truck out of the circular building, and through the dry landscape that used to be a park. The dead trees are long gone, all taken down by survivors to build fires. We leave a cloudof dust behind us. Vex is glued to the window as we rush past the first ruins and land on the cracked road.
“I see people,” she says, pointing to a building.
Three faces are watching us from a rooftop. But nothing happens as we drive past them.
I remember the way and which turns to take from yesterday, so I’m going much faster. A little farther away, there is a car in the middle of the road that I’m certain wasn’t here yesterday. Vex gasps as I drift to avoid it. Growing up, I had the best driving teachers: Stellan’s mothers, Margaret and Jess. I might not be a good fighter, but I’m a hell of a driver.
Gunshots echo behind us, but we’re already speeding around the next corner.
“Perri,” says Vex anxiously.
“If they can’t catch us, they can’t harm us!” I say. But my hands are shaking on the wheel.
We swerve around a corner and to an exit, and I speed over the main road going straight out of the city. But I realize too late that I’ve taken the wrong turn, and we’re going north instead of east. It doesn’t matter; I keep going. We need to find a safe spot outside the city to check out the map and decide which way to go from there.
When the ruins finally spit us out into the dry lands surrounding San Francisco, my throat is parched. I take us to a hill where we’ll have a clear view before stopping the truck for a break. I pull a bottle of water from the back seat and gulp it down. Vex’s head and shoulders are almost all the way out of the open window.
“You can go out,” I say. “I think we’re safe enough for now. We can see anyone coming for miles.”
She opens the door so fast, she almost falls out. I burst out laughing.
I make sure to grab my gun before getting out of the truck, even if I’m a terrible shot. It often works best as an incentive to stay the fuck away from me.
“I never expected it to look so… vast,” Vex says as I come to stand beside her.
“Oh, and that’s only what your eyes can see. The world is much bigger, trust me,” I say. “And I’m not talking about miles and distances.”
“It’s beautiful.”
I nod. “Not as much as it used to be, but yes.”
