Silence falls over the truck. Juliet reaches a stop sign and the truck slows to a crawl. We’re already at the outskirts of town, and after this corner there’s a long stretch of road surrounded by paddocks. I stare at the rearview mirror.
Out of the darkness, an eyeless face emerges. The swath of shadow unfurls, revealing the rest of the Stalker in all its horrific glory. The little rivers of light on its chest glow like fireflies in the darkness. Its toeless foot steps forward.
“Go!” I scream, my hand slapping the steering wheel. “Go!”
Juliet’s eyes dart to mine, then she follows my stare to the mirror and her mouth drops open. She plants her foot on the accelerator and the truck skids around the corner, sending up smoke. We skid across into the opposite lane, which, thankfully, is empty, and then she corrects course and pulls into the other lane. She absolutely guns it. The entire cab vibrates as we shoot forward.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
“Is it still chasing us?”
We’ve been driving now for almost five hours. My eyes feel dry and heavy, as if they’re being pushed out of my head. My hands are numb, and the hair on my arms is standing up. I peer over my shoulder. Behind me all I can see is a massive wall of darkness. I turn to the left and notice that the earth around us is flat and barren, broken apart only by the occasional tree.
Trevor leans forward. He’s smiling. I grind my teeth together. He shouldn’t be here. He should be safe, in his bed, asleep. So should Juliet and Natalie.
“Want a sour worm?” asks Trevor, offering me a bag filled with neon-colored candy. He’s chewing with his mouth open. “They’re good. And you need to keep your sugar up. It’s almost time to switch dri—”
“I’m fine,” interrupts Juliet. Her eyes are red and puffy. “Really.”
“No, he’s right,” I say. “We need to switch.” I pull a sour worm out from the bag and pop it into my mouth. I bite down hard, cutting off the head. I feel the sugary energy creep through my blood, rushing to my heart and settling the shakiness of my arms. “Let’s do it now. Park, and we’ll both run around then get back in. It’ll take two seconds.”
“It’s going to be out there, Caden,” says Dyl. “It could’ve caught us if it wanted to. It’s doing what they always said it would. It’s tormenting us.”
I shudder. “I know. But it’ll end it for sure if we crash. At least this way we’ve got a shot.”
Juliet puts her foot on the brake and the truck slows. “Now!” she calls.
I jump out and land on the road. I take a few quick steps to regain my balance, then I turn and run toward the front of the truck. Juliet passes me. I reach the front door, which is open.
Natalie screams, high and loud.
I look up.
The Stalker steps out of the darkness.
“Caden!” screams Juliet. “Get in!”
I leap into the truck and slam my foot down on the accelerator. Please please please. The truck charges forward. I grip the wheel and turn it, and the truck skids back onto the road. Wind whips in through the open door. In the rearview mirror the wall of blackness moves forward, covering the Stalker. It raises its mannequin head and meets my stare as the darkness covers its face.
With one hand, I reach out and slam the door shut. The sound vibrates around the cab, then silence falls.
“It’s messing with us,” says Natalie. “But that’s a good thing, right? It buys us time. We just need a plan, and Juliet, you’re the only one who can think us out of this. So you need to sleep, because we need you at full brain power to get us out of this.”
“I’m fine,” says Juliet. “I can think and keep watch.”
“Nat’s right, we need you to sleep,” I say. “You’ve been outvoted, so do it.”
She stares at me for a second, then opens her mouth. Her eyebrows furrow and she pouts before turning and leaning her head against the headrest. Why is she acting so strange? It hits me: that was the first time I’ve ever bossed her around. The power in our relationship has shifted, and now she has no idea what to expect from me. I want to explain myself to her, to tell her that I’m not an awful person, I’m just not the meek boy she thought I was. I want to tell her I understand this change must be a shock to her, but that I’m still pretty much the same guy, only better, because now I can finally say what I truly think and feel.
I want her to know the real me.
I open my mouth, but she closes her eyes and pretends to be asleep. If she doesn’t want to talk, I need to respect that. It’s the only way I’ll ever rebuild any form of relationship with her.
“So after Caden, I’ll drive,” says Natalie. “Then Trev, then Dyl. And then the cycle repeats. And I know what you’re thinking, Trev, but I’ve driven in a car with you so I know you’re actually a pretty decent driver. Much better than you think you are, anyway. So you can drive on your own for a few hours. You’ll be fine.”
Trevor scratches his forearm. “Yeah, because fine is exactly how I’d describe our current situation.”
*
It’s been eight hours since we went on the run, and the red gas gauge has started flashing. I’ve watched it flash so many times now it’s burned into my retinas, and the image lingers even when I close my eyes.
Dyl’s driving, and I’m in the middle of the backseat, wedged between Natalie and Juliet. No matter how I try to position myself, my thighs are always touching one of them. Juliet hasn’t said a word to me since I moved to the backseat, and when I look at her she always turns her head and looks out the window.
“We need to stop,” says Dyl. His voice is deeper and more gravelly than usual. “Are you sure there’s a station up ahead?”
Juliet chews her bottom lip. “It doesn’t matter, because that thing’s not going to let us refuel. But we can do something about it. Come on, you guys, I know we’re all thinking it.”
“I’m not thinking anything,” I say. “What are you thinking? You’re the genius.”
I meant it as a compliment, but like most things I’ve said recently, it comes out sounding harsh.
Juliet fiddles with a long strand of her hair. Her long, slightly pink fingers are shaking. “I think we need to fight it.”
“I was not thinking that,” says Dyl. “It’s a killing machine. There’s no way we can face it. No way. It’ll butcher us all. There was this video they showed us, back in the LIC, of it ripping a Nice’s head off with its bare hands. It’s unstoppable.”
“I have weapons,” she says. “They’re in the back of the truck. While Nat and Trev were loading the truck I went to my lab and grabbed some of the things I’d been working on. I brought your suit, Natalie, and the Black Hole Bombs and the Bolt Gloves and a few other things. We can fight it if we plan our attack. If we run out of fuel and it catches us we’re all screwed. If we plan ahead, we can at least try to take it out.”