Renegade

Chapter twelve

She slowly raised her hands, eyes trained on the frightened boy's face. The man holding him had released some of the pressure around his neck, relief washing over his features as he stared at the person that had apprehended them. 

The boy tore his gaze away from hers in order to look at the newcomer, a shudder running through his small frame. Her body was frozen with fear at the idea of capture while her blood boiled with hatred. It was a very familiar mix of feelings that had accompanied her for most of her life and that she didn't welcome back. Gritting her teeth, she glanced over her shoulder.

The modified military vehicle was the first thing to catch her attention. It looked like a Rover had a hybrid child with an RV which was then left to rust in a dank cave. 

The door on the driver's side was open and a woman was standing next to it with a rifle pointed at the trio. She was clad in dark camo pants and a white sleeveless shirt that revealed buff arms. Her salt and pepper hair was styled in a bob cut, framing an angled face with a sharp nose and thin lips. Thick eyebrows were drawn together, age lines marring the corners of her eyes. Her tan skin glistened with sweat. 

The man took a small step towards her, dragging the boy with him.

"I said don't move!" the woman spoke again, sharp as a whip as she trained her weapon on him.

His steps faltered, but the hopeful expression remained.

"Thank heavens you're here," he said. "Me and my friends found these freaks walkin' round. Musta escaped from Bocholt. So, like any upstandin' citizens, we tried to catch 'em..."

The woman snorted derisively at the words "upstanding citizens", flicking a glance at to the pair, before focusing her attention back on the man. He continued speaking as if he hadn't heard the mocking sound.

"... but this bitch killed 'em," he finished, pointing at the girl with his blade.

The soldier stood silently for a while, carefully sizing each of them up, before resting the rifle on top of the vehicle's door, her right hand disappearing inside it. The trio waited with bated breaths as she rummaged around. 

The white-haired escapee shot her companion a quick glance, noting how the man's hold on him seemed to have eased some more.

Her gaze flicked back to the newcomer, wondering if she had enough time to dispose of the man and retrieve her friend before she shot at them. 

As if she had read her mind, the woman pivoted the rifle slightly, aiming at her instead. The girl's lips turned up in a snarl at the gesture, the fingers on her raised hands twitching with the need to destroy these people. 

Burn, burn, burn. 

The woman seemed to have found what she was searching for since she deftly hopped off her vehicle and headed their way. The two fugitives stood stock still at her approach while the man eyed her curiously.

"Good job apprehending them," she said, flashing him the objects in her grasp as she added, "Now if you could put these on them."

She threw him the items, but he didn't bother catching them. They landed with a muted thump, raising a small cloud of dust. The man continued staring at the woman, a hint of distrust clouding his features.

"What 'bout my compensation?" he asked, his arm tightening around the boy.

She arched a mocking eyebrow at his question, a hand sneaking into one of her many pockets to pull out a wad of bills.

"All here, Mister Upstanding," she said. "Now collar them."

As those words left her lips, the two fugitives finally realized exactly what the objects she had fished out of her car were. The boy's eyes widened in terror and he began thrashing against his captor, ignoring the blade digging into his skin and the rivulet of blood staining the collar of his shirt.