Do You Want to Go to Jail Today? by Hall Peter

Author:Hall, Peter [Hall, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781436301244
Amazon: 1436301246
Goodreads: 9682259
Publisher: Xlibris, Corp.
Published: 2008-11-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

I was so exhausted that I was having trouble staying awake as we walked. I prayed silently for shelter, help, a reprieve from this awful situation. Something. Anything. I just prayed.

When Brody and Eva stopped unexpectedly, I didn’t realize it until Ryder came to a standstill directly in front of me.

I felt the air fill with tension. Looking around Ryder’s tall body, I saw a minivan parked in the middle of the road with all its doors thrown wide open.

I watched with panic as Ryder pulled the hunting knife from the back of his waistband. He held it in a strong grip, ready for any threat.

I felt terror, knowing he was going to check out the car. What if it was a trap? I glanced around but my view was obscured by the blackness of the night. If there were people waiting to attack us, we would never see them coming in the darkness.

“Stay here, Maddie,” Ryder said, leaning over and whispering in my ear. I nodded in understanding as his hand lingered on my arm. With one more glance at me, he started creeping toward the abandoned car.

Brody, Eva and I stood together, watching as he slowly approached the vehicle with his knife ready. Without a noise, he peeked into through the open passenger door. I saw him stand up and glance around, looking for any danger. Not seeing any, he motioned us over before he started rifling through the minivan’s contents.

When we walked up to the car, Ryder pulled his head out.

“Nothing. No water or food,” he said.

“Shit!” Brody exclaimed loudly, the sound echoing through the empty night. He threw his backpack on the ground in frustration and started pacing back and forth in front of the car.

“I say we stop here for the night,” Ryder said, sounding more like he was giving an order than making a suggestion.

We stood in indecision. No food, little water, exhaustion, and extreme heat made thinking rationally difficult. Being on the verge of collapsing didn’t help either. But there was nothing around us except trees and empty pastures. The only form of shelter was the car unless we wanted to sleep out in the open.

“Hell, I’m not going to stand here all night,” Eva muttered. She climbed into the back of the minivan and looked up at me, patting the seat next to her.

I slowly climbed in, my ribs and fingers protesting in pain. I didn’t care that I was covered in dried mud. I just had to sit down. Leaning my head back against the worn seat, I closed my eyes, thankful for our newfound luxury.

I was drifting off to sleep when Eva whispered, “I’m sorry I jumped on Ryder, Maddie. I just don’t want him to use you like he does every girl he meets.”

I glanced out the open door at Ryder, standing beside the car and talking softly to Brody.

“I don’t want the two of you to fight, Eva. Just let it go,” I said around a wide yawn.

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