Benny smiled up at me, revealing the gap in his teeth. “It’s a big truck!” he shouted.
But I felt only growing fear as I eyed the shadowy figure in the front seat. This massive vehicle, with its dirt-spattered sides and the caved-in front bumper, looked nothing like the Jeeps from School. The only automobiles I’d ever seen belonged to the government. The King rationed oil, and most people didn’t have the patience to go from abandoned car to abandoned car, trying to siphon gas.
Some of the older boys had returned from hunting to see the commotion, their horses appearing at the edge of the clearing. Leif was among them, his movements unhurried. I was thankful when Michael, Aaron, and Kevin dismounted and surrounded the truck, their spears pointing at the cab.
Finally, the engine shut off, leaving behind a dull humming in my ears. “Weapons down!” Leif called. One by one the boys pulled back.
The side door flew open and a giant steel-tipped boot stepped out onto the gravel hillside. I shrunk back at the sight of the man. He was over six feet tall, with oiled hair that fell past his shoulders. He wore a beaten black leather jacket. Sweat ran from his forehead to the handkerchief at his neck. His gaze met mine and he smiled, a smile that caused my entire body to seize in fear. His teeth were cracked yellow stumps.
Silas threw his tiny arms around my legs. “Who is he?” he asked.
But the man was already stalking toward me, puckering his dirt-caked lips. The older boys stood at the edge of the clearing, watching him cross, uncertain what to do. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of me, engulfing me in his massive shadow.
“Hello, my little lady,” he hissed in my ear.
I backed away but he grabbed my arm, yanking me forward. His clothes were soaked with mud and old sweat. The stench made my stomach lurch.
Michael and Kevin ran to my side. Kevin angled his spear at the stranger’s throat. “Get off her!” he yelled.
But the man grabbed the wood stick, his fist clenched tight as he turned toward Leif. “This is the one?”
Leif’s face was calm. “She’s wanted by the King,” he announced, glancing around at the boys. My spine straightened at the words. The truth was being turned against me, Leif’s humiliation from last night transformed into something sinister. “She’s a fugitive, and she’s put us all in danger long enough. Fletcher is taking her to the troops.”
“He is not!” Arden yelled, landing her hands into the man’s stocky side. I turned to run, but his grip was firm, crushing my wrist. He reached for Arden and caught her thin arm, both of us struggling to free ourselves from his grasp.
“Two for the price of one,” Fletcher laughed, flecks of spit flying as he pulled us toward the truck.
“No! She can’t go!” Benny cried. “Please, Leif!”
“You can’t let him do this,” Michael said, turning to Leif. He kept his hand on his spear.
“Stop!” a few of the new Hunters yelled, while Silas ran after me, his hands pulling at my baggy gray sweater. In the panic I saw only flashes: Benny’s crumpled face, Kevin pushing forward, Aaron falling in the dirt, his side scraped red. Arden bit down on Fletcher’s hand and I suddenly realized what was in the back of his truck: a cage, with a frail girl screaming out between the bars.
Leif spotted her at the same time. His expression shifted as he took in Fletcher’s hand on Arden’s wrist. “Wait,” he muttered. He ran toward the truck and banged on its metal side in frustration. “Who is this? What’s going on?”
Fletcher didn’t flinch. He dragged us by the wrists, our feet scraping against the rocks. “That’s not your concern. You wanted her gone and she’s going.” he huffed.
My stomach rocked, the breakfast of quail eggs rising in the back of my throat. I choked it down, pulling and twisting my arm, trying to break free. Whatever sick agreement Leif had made, this had spiraled beyond his control.
“Where are the medicines? Where is the payment?” Leif charged forward, his face crimson. Michael and Aaron followed his lead, taking tentative steps with their spears in hand. I closed my eyes, waiting for them to strike, but the giant brute pulled a gun from his belt and fired it at the sky. The boys fell back, surprised by the loud pop!
“Now listen good,” Fletcher growled. He cleared his throat, hocking a giant greenish blob into the dirt. “I’m taking my prize here and leaving, and if I have to shoot someone dead to do it, I goddamn will. You hear me?”
Silas held his hand in his mouth and let out a slow, painful moan. He kept his eyes on me as I was dragged, my heels bloody against the ground, toward the truck.
Arden screamed, hurling her fists against the bounty hunter’s arm. “You are an animal!” she yelled. “Let me go!”