Sudden Independents

Molly nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her body tingled. Her spirit was strengthened by sense of joy that lifted her out of a dark abyss.

“Are we about done here?”

Molly opened her eyes. Chase’s cancerous form oozed over towards them. Even the giant trees seemed to lean back as if repulsed by his presence.

Catherine scrunched up her nose like she’d caught a whiff of something rotten. “You’re such a party pooper.”

“You’ve ruined her, haven’t you?”

“That’s right. Want to know why? Because I have the power to help her and there isn’t a thing you or your plague can do about it.”

Chase backhanded Catherine hard across the face. She spun to the ground. Shocked, Molly knelt to help her.

Chuckling, Catherine pushed up. “Is that all you got?”

Molly grabbed her hand and whispered, “He’ll kill you.”

Catherine winked. “I need you to run.” She kissed Molly’s cheek and gently shoved her away.

Molly touched the warm spot that Catherine’s lips left behind. “What?”

Catherine spread her hands, palms down, under the leaves and touched the ground. A rumbling quake shook the surrounding area and the trees rustled with growing agitation. The street exploded with flying dirt and debris as a multitude of long sinuous roots tore from the earth, knocking Kessie, Patrick and the other boys off their feet. With a scowl on his face, Chase raised a hand and the tree root aimed at him shriveled and died.

“Run, Molly!” Catherine yelled.

Molly sprinted, her legs churning as though she risked losing everything. She scrambled over the crumbling remains of a building and turned at the first corner. Cold air filled her lungs, but something deeper fueled her need to escape.

Houses dotted the neighborhood ahead of her and Molly ran behind one, breaking the line of sight so her pursuers couldn’t tell which way she’d gone. She scurried from house to house using large evergreens and untamed shrubs for cover.

A couple of blocks in, she jumped a chain-link fence and rushed to the back of a white-sided house. Opening the door with a rusty-hinged squeal, she slipped inside.

The dried-husk of a dead man sat at the table, dressed in a suit as though he were about to leave for church when death came knocking. Molly cringed past the remains and entered the front room of the house. Kneeling beneath the window, she lifted the blinds an inch to peek out. Boys searched for her in the distance. Patrick walked behind them, shouting orders and pointing out different directions.

The truck drove up to Patrick with Catherine seated between Chase and Kessie. Chase spoke to Patrick, who yelled for the others to return; they were leaving. Patrick’s expression soured when Chase directed him into the truck bed with the other boys.

Molly stared at Catherine, wishing she would save herself. Molly was sure she could if she wanted. Catherine could do anything. Why was she letting Chase take her?

Catherine looked directly at Molly and smiled. The truck sped off, laying a big trail of dust and leaving Molly all alone. Sadness overwhelmed her, and yet for the first time in her memory, she felt genuine. She cried for Catherine until her tears ran out, and then she slept.

Hunter rubbed the fuzz covering his scalp while waiting for dinner in a survivor settlement on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado. He wasn’t convinced about his new look. He missed the way his hair used to lay on his collar and how it would billow in the wind. Now he just felt naked. There was still enough winter cold to make him regret the loss for more practical reasons than vanity. He lowered his hand and sighed as he scanned the crowd outside the cafeteria one more time.

Ginger hooked her arm in his and laughed softly. “You’re never going to forgive me, are you?”

“It’s not your fault Jimmy made you cut all my hair off. I just can’t believe I let you. I haven’t seen one other kid with hair this short.”

“Molly gave me the idea from a fashion magazine. Short hair used to be in style.”

“I feel like a dope.”

Ginger faced Hunter and arched an eyebrow. “I like it. You have to admit it’s a pretty good disguise.”

“So is putting a dress on Jimmy, but that idea got shot down real quick.”

Ginger laughed. “Your brother would make a lousy girl. He’s too gangly, and he walks like a boy. You, on the other hand…”

“Don’t even go there.”

Ginger cupped a hand over her mouth, unsuccessfully hiding her widening smile. Her eyes glimmered with mischievous delight.

Hunter eyed her suspiciously. “I’m glad you and Molly had such a great time cutting my hair together.”

“I’m glad you two got back together after she made it back to town.”

Hunter shrugged. “She’s different now.”

“You’re both different now,” Ginger said and patted his arm.

Hunter shook his head. Anticipation rumbled in his stomach. “The food at this place better be good. I’m starting to think nobody in Denver knows how to cook.”

“I asked Raven this morning before we left.”