Our Home is Nowhere (The Borrowed Land, Book 1) Read Free

done with the North.’
    ‘So did I. But you can’t pass up good work when it comes your way.’
    ‘ You might not be able to. I’ve got a woman and a kid to look after. They expect me to be around, not riskin’ my neck in some faraway land. I’ll help you get past the Wall, but other than that…’
    ‘The Wall ain’t the problem. We might need to hack computers,’ said Ben. Computers weren’t his strong point. They hadn’t figured much in his childhood. Ben had grown up with Townes at an orphanage in Slushland, and most of their time was spent playing explorers in the playground or sneaking out after hours, stalking the town, searching for the freedom they sorely missed in their everyday life.
    A woman wearing an apron covered with images of birds and carrying a half pot of coffee walked up to them, abruptly halting their conversation. ‘Hey Ben,’ she said shyly. ‘Would you like a refill?’
    ‘Sure.’ Ben pushed his mug closer to the edge of the table without looking at her. She tilted the pot and filled his mug.
    ‘It looks like you’re out of sugar. Do you want me to get you some?’ she asked.
    ‘No.’ Ben looked up at her for the first time and could see that his sharp reply had hurt her feelings.
    ‘Hey June, I’ll take some sugar and cream,’ Fin added quickly, smiling at her and trying to take the edge off Ben’s rudeness.
    She nodded at him, returning his smile, then shuffled off to the kitchen. When she had gone, Fin slumped forward on the table. ‘Why do you have to be like that to her? You know how she feels about you.’
    ‘I got other stuff on my mind than how she feels.’
    Fin lifted himself up, sighing. ‘Fine. Back to the job. The bottom line is I can’t be riskin’ my neck like I used to. Other people depend on me now.’
    ‘Tesh’ll make sure you’n your girl are taken care of for a long time to come,’ Ben said, suddenly realizing how eager he was for Fin to agree to do the job. It was a bitter-sweet thing: seeing Jen again would open old wounds. But she had Timothy and the boy needed to meet his father at least once. ‘Two days and we’re back. No later’n that,’ Ben promised.
    Fin didn’t say anything for a while. At least he’s considering it, Ben thought.
    ‘If it was any other time, this would be a no brainer,’ Fin said eventually, tapping his thigh anxiously with two fingers.
    ‘I’ll give you half my earnings if you agree.’
    Fin looked up at Ben, suspicion etched all over his face. His eyes narrowed; he licked his dried lips, and asked, ‘Why d’you want this job so bad?’
    ‘’Cause it’s easy and I’m restless. Here’—Ben went to a shelf and brought back a chessboard and box of chess pieces—‘We’ll play for it. I win, we do it. If you win, it’s your call.’
    What Ben lacked in technological ability, he made up for in chess; it had been one of his favorite pastimes at the orphanage with Townes. When Townes had been too busy being punished by the headmaster, Ben would play against himself with a tiny chess set hidden beneath his bed. But Fin was smart and could put up a good fight on the chessboard. They’d played plenty of times before and were almost equally matched.
    ‘Fine, we’ll leave it to the gods of competition,’ said Fin, and they began setting up the board.

3
     
     
    Ben parked the ATV fifty yards from his mobile home. He dismounted slowly and slipped his rifle from the side holster, all the while staring at a truck he didn’t recognize that was parked under a nearby tree. Its engine was chugging pitifully and its lights were on, illuminating the tree trunk. Ben walked carefully up to it and peered inside. Trash, porn magazines, and empty beer cans covered the floor. Spare bullets filled the cup-holder. Ben gripped his rifle tighter, his finger hovering over the trigger.
    He crept past the truck to his home. The only other light on that he could see was the one outside the front door, soaking the steps in a