Broken World Read Free Page A

Angus,
even though the bulge in his lip makes my stomach churn. He spits into an empty
soda can and wipes his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt.
    Swallowing against the bile in my
throat, I say, “You don’t think it’s contained?” Obviously I have my doubts or
I wouldn’t be on this trip, but I’m curious what other people think. There are
a lot of rumors out there.
    “Hell no, it ain’t contained,” Angus
barks at me. “If it was contained do you think they’d be makin’ us see a doctor
before lettin’ us travel? And what about this martial law bullshit? If this
thing was even close to bein’ contained, why wouldn’t they just lock down them
cities? Why put the whole country under martial law?” Angus spits so violently
I’m afraid he’ll miss the can. Thankfully, most of it hits the mark. Only a few
drops stain his hand.
    He has a good point.
    “The news said they haven’t had any new
cases outside the locked-down areas. Not since they declared martial law six
weeks ago.”
    Angus studies me with one eye, the other
one on the road. “You gotta know I’m right or you wouldn’t be on this here
trip.”
    “I wanted to see her, just in case.” I
shake my head. I don’t want to talk about my daughter, not with this disgusting
redneck and his brother. “What about you? You obviously don’t have family or
you would have been able to go get papers. Where are you going?”
    “We’re gettin’ the hell away from the
virus. That’s where we’re goin’,” Axl says.
    I look him up and down, trying to size
him up. He’s hard to get a read on. “Thought you believed the government?”
    He shrugs. “Don’t hurt to take
precautions.”
    “That’s right.” Angus nods. “Hell yeah.
No way anyone is gonna tell the James brothers they can’t drive to California
if they want.”
    “Got that right,” Axl says.
    For a brief second the exchange strikes
me as sweet: them against the world. Then it hits me. What would they be
willing to do to stay together? A shiver runs down my spine and I grip my purse
tighter. Gun or no, getting in the car with these two probably wasn’t one of my
better ideas.
    The world flies by in a blur. It almost
makes me dizzy how fast it all disappears. Angus plays with the radio,
constantly changing the station. He finds a song he likes and leaves it on long
enough for the song to end before he starts searching again. This thing has a
six-CD changer. Why doesn’t he put a CD in? I doubt he has an iPod; he doesn’t
really seem like the type. I have one, but there’s no way my taste in music is
the same as his. I picture him as a Billy Ray Cyrus type of guy. Not exactly my
speed.
    In the back, Axl starts to snore. He’s
stretched out across the seat, looking cozy. I’m jealous. My eyelids are heavy
and the constant flipping of the radio is oddly soothing.
    “I’ve been awake for about fourteen
hours now,” I say with a yawn. “I’m going to have to get some sleep.”
    “Go on ahead.” Angus doesn’t even glance
my way.
    He still makes me nervous, but maybe he
isn’t as disgusting as I originally thought. Maybe he just likes to put on a
good show for other people.
    “Thanks.” I grab my jacket off the floor
and roll it into a ball, so I can use it as a pillow. The fabric is stiff and
scratchy, and not the least bit comfortable, but even before I close my eyes
the world starts to drift away.
     
    * * *
     
    Emily is in front of me. I haven’t seen
a picture of her since she was nine months old, but I know it’s her. She has my
golden blonde hair. My real hair, not the bottled stuff. And my eyes. They are
big and round, soft brown and turned up slightly at the corners.
    Her mouth morphs into a wide smile, and
she dances across the room, singing a silly song while she spins. It’s a dream.
I’ve been having the same one for weeks now.
    She sees me and stops. Her small face
lights up. She smiles, revealing a dimple in each cheek. Just like me.
    “Hi.” Her voice