The Broken Healer

Chapter 11: Truck Rides

Keisha stood in front of us her eyes wide and glassy.

"Too much?" Evelyn asked.

"Too much." Keisha nodded, "I don't even know where to begin! Like do I gotta be worried about you eating my arm or something? Or my kid?"

Evelyn was taken aback. Why the sudden weariness. Wasn't she also a crank?

"Sorry...were just... we've been through a whole buggen' lot recently. So..sorry, were just not in a good way..." Newt said, trying to cover the awkward moment.

Keisha shrugged. "Yeah, none of us are. Whatever." She waved a hand. "So...your friends...they didn't catch the flare like you two? You didn't give it to them? What...did you escape from inside Denver?"

Newt exhaled heavily, "it's a long story."

Evelyn didn't want to talk about it. Not yet anyway. She didn't want to have to relive the most horrible memories she had. She would be Gone soon, and no more awful memories.

"All right now, next thing." She frowned at the two of them. "Now you listen and you listen good! What on God's green earth were you going on about going off to Crank Palace? I knew were all headed for Crazy Vill...but we don't seem too ready to jump off the train yet! Or at least I thought so, anyways. But if you two are gonna stand there and yap about going to THAT place, then you were crazy long before the Flare got ya! Sheesh! Don't come at me again with something so stupid!"

Evelyn and Newt both stood rooted to the spot. Shocked and confused. They had wide glassy eyes.

"Too much?" Keisha asked, "don't believe me?"

"We just wanted to leave our friends behind before we went off the rails. We don't really have a plan, Crank Palace seems like the logical place to go." Newt muttered.

"We won't accidentally infect someone or hurt someone...like little Dante.." Evelyn said quietly. She picked her head up and glared, " what are we gonna do? Go off and farm food for the jerks in Denver?"

Keisha rolled her eyes, "look I ain't got time for nonsense talk. I guess I gotta treat you two like the children. Now come on, we gotta keep moving. Those sweeps will be out all night. And they don't like us dirty rats getting too close to their city."

She turned and walked away. Evelyn shrugged and followed. Newt slid his hand into hers. What did it matter what they did now. They were away from Minho, Sonny, Thomas, Sonya and Tess and the rest. And that was the main goal. They followed after Keisha, who was talking.

They had gone half a block when an electric charging sound cut her off. Evelyn knew those sounds, it was the sound of launchers and it filled her with dread.  Evelyn spun around. Newt turning as well. Standing behind them were four guards on red shirts. All three of the guards had the barrel of the guns pointed at them.

"I need those hands up in the air!" One of them yelled through the speaker of his helmet. "You look like decent folk, but we need to test you. See if-"

"Don't bother." Keisha said. "We all got the damn Flare and you know it. Just let us keep going. See were walking away from the city. We wont bother a soul."

"You know we can't do that, a woman replied. "You came too close and you should know better. We want these streets empty."

Evelyn and Keisha made some kind of growl noise. Keisha had put Dante down and stepped in front of him.

"Didn't you hear?" Evelyn snarled, "were walking away from your precious city."

"If that's the case...you won't mind if we give you a lift?" The soilder said and hefted the gun. She took a step forwards, the gun pointing directly at Keisha's head.