“Simon isn’t . . .”
He pointed at Nora, gesturing with the gun angling downward, his face fiery. “They’re gonna offer so much money. My friends will all be here in a minute; sent my delivery boy to round them up once I saw you pull up. Them androids apparently don’t fight well, so it should be easy to put this one down again. Humans won the last war, after all.”
Nora took a deep breath, putting herself in front of a shaking Tilly, shielding her from Paul. “I’m leaving now, Paul.” They attempted to walk backward toward the door. She half turned and pushed Tilly ahead of her. “Go on Tilly, let’s go. Go outside and let’s get going.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Paul, with one hand still on his pistol, ran forward from behind the counter and grabbed Nora roughly by the arm with his free hand, pulling her back.
Tilly froze in the doorway, her large eyes uncertain. “Mama . . .”
“I’m leaving, Paul!” Nora yanked on her arm, desperately, as he gripped harder.
“Mama!” Tilly screamed, her hands in fists at her side. The cry echoed on the tiny baker’s walls.
“Go, Tilly!” she shouted at the little girl. “Use the scooter like we practiced. Now! Listen!”
Tilly hesitated, the door open to the outside, the dented drone hovering within sight through the doorway.
Nora pointed at it over her head. “Tilly, listen! Follow the drone!”
The drone sparked with a bright light and said something Nora couldn’t catch. Tilly startled and left, following, her blond hair flaring out as she ran out the door of the bakery. The door closed behind her and Nora kept Paul’s eyes and attention on her as she left, yanking on his arm and hollering.
They struggled for a moment until Paul hit her on the head, hard, with the butt of the pistol. “Shut up and stand still, Nora!”
Stars swam before her eyes. Despite the pain in her head, Nora kept trying to pull away, eyes on the metal doorway that Tilly had just left through, her heart no longer in this room.Go Tilly, go.
Her attempts to escape ended when Paul cocked the gun and pointed it at her head, pressing it into her temple. The metal bit into her skin. “Quit moving, Nora. Now.”
Anna let out a shriek of alarm, waving her arms in front of her rapidly. She walked toward them. “Paul! Stop!”
Paul grabbed a fist of Nora’s hair in his other hand, the one not holding the gun. He pulled back hard, causing Nora to wince. “I’m not playing, Nora.”
“But, Paul!” Anna cried, stepping toward them.
He waved the gun at Anna before pointing it back to Nora. “Don’t you move, Anna. That little girl, she doesn’t matter. Might be even better if the kid knows where the robot is and tells him to come here to get Nora.” He yanked Nora’s hair harder, shaking her head with the movement. “We can go visit their house later if that robot don’t come out here to get her. I’m sure you’ll show us the way so you can find out where your kid went.”
Nora’s eyes strayed to the door. Blood rushed in her ears. She went limp in Paul’s arms for a minute, letting him think he’d won and taking some pressure off her burning scalp, where he still held her hair tight. Paul let go of Nora's hair and grabbed her around the arm instead, holding her up.
Anna took a hesitant step toward them as she held out her hands over her faded bakery apron. “That’s my good friend, Paul. My one good friend. Nora never hurt no one. How could you do this to her?”
“Shut up, Anna.” Paul turned to face Anna more fully. “Don’t you try to hide it. You knew about that robot and didn’t tell me.”
With a large tug, Nora ripped her arm away from Paul’s grip before he could strengthen his grasp. She made a run for the door, adrenaline causing her to be stronger and move faster across the tiled floor.Tilly, I need to get to Tilly. Then we can leave . . . get Simon, move away . . .
The door was within reach when a gunshot rang through the air. A sharp pang and then Nora’s leg gave out as it was hit by a bullet, making her tumble to the tile floor.
Nora screamed as pain radiated from her side where she landed, muted by the agony she felt in her thigh where the bullet hit her. Blood poured over her hands as she held her leg, the door a body’s length out of reach.Oh no. Oh no.Her eyesight swam as she tried to fix on it.
Anna shouted behind her as Nora’s ears rang from the gunshot. “Nora! Paul, what the hell! Nora!”
Paul ignored Anna as he put his pistol back on his belt. Nora looked back at him, her eyes focusing through the pain on his meaty face. He looked down on her from above. “Can’t run now, huh? Shouldn’t have done that. Stupid.”
“Paul!” Anna screamed.
He walked over and grabbed Anna’s arm, shaking her. “Quit crying and be useful. Go get some rags, Anna. Before that leg bleeds out all right here. Fix her up while I wait for that damn robot to return.”
Across the room, Nora kept her eyes on the door, willing her limbs to move.Get up.But the pain in her leg made her only scoot forward instead.
Paul then reached down and grabbed Nora roughly by her arm and dragged her, leg bleeding profusely, to the back, where the baking ovens were.
