Finches

Chapter 12 - Out Of The Frying Pan

Shelly navigated the streets of the town with immense ease, with Colt right on her tail. The girl was barely even looking where she was going, turning this way and that as she thought of new shortcuts for how to get to wherever she was taking him.

Then Colt thought: where was she taking him?

"You really don't know where you're going, do you?" she asked, as if reading his mind. She looked back at him but didn't stop moving.

"Well I sure don't know where I am now," Colt replied. "I mean, with how much we've turned, how are we not just going in circles at this point?"

"Because I know my way around, that's how." Then she finally came to a stop and looked at him. "How were you planning on getting to the base in the first place?"

Colt rummaged his pants pockets, then came up with the map from before. He unfolded it and flattened it out, then showed it to her. "Map," he said simply.

"Yeah I can see that." She studied his face. "You're new here, aren't you?"

Colt stared back, not saying anything for a moment. Telling Shelly the wrong thing could blow his entire cover.

"You could say that," he said, then, "I got transferred here."

"Oh, from where?"

"Uh," Colt said, "Turtle Bay."

Shelly continued walking. "Hmm, never heard of that one."

Colt kept following her, having to start an awkward jog to catch up. "No, I wouldn't expect you to. Not many people know about it."

Because it doesn't exist, he said to himself.

"So, how long will you be here?"

"I'm not really sure," Colt replied. "Not long, I don't think."

"That's too bad," Shelly said.

Colt caught her eye. "How come?"

Shelly cleared her throat. "For you, I mean. Too bad that you won't get to experience this town for long."

"Oh, right."

They fell silent for a couple minutes until Shelly came to a stop again. Colt noticed that they still weren't out of town yet, so he wondered what they were doing now. Had Shelly put 2 and 2 together and found out that he must not be a member of the Authority around here?

"What's wrong?" Colt asked.

Shelly frowned. "I was just thinking..."

Uh oh, Colt thought.

"...if you didn't know where you were going when you left for the Authority base..."

Here it comes.

"...is there any chance that you even brought the proper supplies?"

Whew, that's a relief.

Shelly looked at him. "Like, did you even bring any food?"

Colt's heart dropped for the second time in the past minute. He'd completely forgotten to bring food or water on his trip.

"Well, about that..." he started.

"You know it's a multiple day journey on foot, right?"

"Yeah. We might be getting a little hungry."

Shelly took a deep breath, which Colt appreciated because he was pretty sure it was so she didn't strangle him.

"It's probably fine," Colt decided. "We'll live off the land. There's got to be something to eat anywhere we end up."