Outcasts (Badlands 3)

I grabbed his shoulder and climbed behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his middle, breathin in his spicy smell.

The trio approached Cobra’s black muscle car and got in without another word of protest. We were pullin out the deck in a matter of what felt like seconds.

“Race you out the city!” Cobra yelled through his passenger window.

“The fuck? Nooooo!” I yelled at Grimm, drawn out as he hit the throttle and we shot off down the street.

I was terrified for a good two minutes until I slightly relaxed my lethal grip and let myself be in the moment.

The city was so quiet, Cobra had been right. You could hear the engine of the motorcycle and the muscle car crystal clear.

All was well until he began steering with one damn hand and whipped out his scythe like blade with the other.

“What are you doing!?” I yelled over the wind and engine.

“Up on the right,” he replied, speaking louder than I’d ever heard him.

I looked over his shoulder, and sure enough, there were two of the men Blue had been talking about, darting towards a rusted out bucket they’d probably stolen from someone else.

Knowing Grimm’s intention, I held on a little tighter and braced for impact. He zipped around a huge pothole, right onto the sidewalk.

I was positive he ran over the bones of someone, hearing the loud crunch as they crumbled.

With one hand out, he rode right past the man closest to us, maneuvered around the front of the car, and never slowed down.

I didn’t think anything had happened at first, until I felt the fresh blood that had blown back onto my face. Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I saw the man on the ground and his comrade standing over him.

I rubbed my face clean on Grimm’s shirt, feeling him laugh.

Aside from that, we almost made it out scot-free. Grimm was moving too fast for the Venom to do much but stare stupidly after us every time he abruptly went down an alley, or evaded them by taking a narrow route they couldn’t. A few old people sat on the porches of their houses, enjoyin the show. I reckoned this was the most excitement they’d seen in years around here.

There was only one incident more, and it was quickly handled by Cobra.

A man came spinning out of an alley on his own bike, much too close for comfort. So close that if he wanted to reach out and grab me, he’d probably succeed.

I thought that was his intention, but at the last second, Grimm banked left and Cobra’s car came from the right, smashing into the man. He and his bike went in two separate directions.

The red motorcycle screeched and sparked as it spun into an old stoplight on its side. The man might have lived if Cobra hadn’t driven right over him as if he was a mere speed bump.

We left Rivermouth behind, and the sun had long set. We were a lil bit closer to being able to end all this and get back home—if it were every truly over.

Chapter Seventeen

It wasn’t possible to make it in a day.

We rode for what felt like ever, and then stopped, finding a semi clearing in the woods to rest in.

Katya and her friends were still with us. I had no idea what would be done with them come the end, but they were good company.

Cobra had started a fire, tossed down a bag with food in it, and then went off to speak with Grimm, standing where I could see them and they me.

I leaned against a tree, using Grimm’s atomic bag as a cushion, munching on hard tacks dipped in peanut butter to add flavor to the bland crackers. I had Grimm’s hoodie on so I wasn’t cold.

I’d never been campin before, but I reckoned it was similar to this. Blue and Parker were fast asleep on the other side of the fire, using one another as pillows.

“So what’s the deal with you and them?” Katya asked from beside me, nodding her head in Grimm’s general direction. She had on a jacket I was certain belonged to Cobra, and was still wearin her bloody blue skirt.

I should’ve warned her she might not want to go that route, but they were both older than me. Who was I to tell either of them what to do?