A Dangerous Road: (Post Apocalyptic Fiction) (Collision Course Book 4) Read online

  Rocky shot him a look, which Titan pleasantly ignored. They walked down the street to another building, painted yellow on the outside with ivory shutters. Lexa salivated at the thought of a real meal. Not nuts. Not weeds. Not seeds. Real food.

  Titan opened the door to the yellow one-story building. Lexa walked in first followed by Rocky, who accidentally bumped into Titan on the way in.

  “Sorry,” Rocky grumbled.

  “Not a problem,” Titan replied, beaming.

  Inside the building, several circular wooden tables were strewn across the floor. All of them carried real-life china plates and bowls. Lexa never saw such a scene. Chandeliers hung overhead and sparkled in the fading daylight. All around the room, candles gave off a soft buttery glow.

  “Follow me,” Titan said.

  They walked toward one table with a bowl of bread in the center and three glasses of water set out. Lexa eyed the glass, and her eyes expanded.

  “Is that clean water?” she asked.

  “It sure is,” Titan replied.

  Cautiously, Lexa brought the glass to her lips and allowed a tiny drop of water to touch her. She flinched at first, but when nothing burned her, she gulped the glass down. After finishing, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sat down.

  Titan watched her and chuckled. Lexa blushed and apologized. “I’m sorry, I just haven’t had much water recently. Tell me, how do you get your purified water?”

  Titan sat to the left of Lexa, and Rocky sat to the right. Within seconds of taking their seats, a younger girl in all black rushed to their table with a pad of paper and a pen.

  “What can I start you off with?” she asked timidly.

  Titan yawned and stretched his arms behind his head. “We’ll start with three glasses of the house red,” he said.

  “Absolutely! Right away, Sir Titan,” the woman said and scurried away.

  “Sir Titan?” Rocky asked with a smirk.

  Titan ignored him and encouraged Lexa to drink more of the water on the table. “It’s the purest water you’ll ever have!”

  Lexa took another gulp, but didn’t flinch this time, and smiled after setting her glass down again. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a restaurant,” Titan answered, taken aback. “Haven’t you ever been to one?”

  Lexa shook her head. “Nope.”

  Rocky opened his mouth to tell Titan they didn’t have places like this out in the wild, that they survived on pure grit and tenacity, but several other people dressed in golden robes came into the room and took their seats a few tables away. One man was bald and very short. Lexa would easily tower over him.

  “Who’re they?” Lexa asked in a hushed tone.

  “Oh, them? They are some other council members and their families,” Titan said.

  Just as before, the waitress zoomed out of another room and went to collect the newcomers’ drink orders. Lexa, Rocky, and Titan sat in silence while Lexa studied the room, lit with candles and even a few lamps.

  “How do you have electricity?” she asked.

  “Well, we get all our water from the aqueducts. For some reason, it’s already purified. We use that water and energy from the storm for electricity. We don’t have much, but we have enough to have a nightlife,” Titan explained.

  “Wow,” Lexa said, her mouth agape. “This is incredible.

  Rocky rolled his eyes and looked away. He watched the exit with a fierce longing. The waitress, as Titan referred to her, returned with three glasses of red wine. Lexa eyed her glass carefully.

  “Are you sure we’re allowed to have this?” she asked.

  “We don’t have a drinking age restriction here,” Titan boasted.

  “Must be nice,” Rocky mumbled.

  “Cheers to clean water, fresh linens and a new beginning!” Titan said.

  The three of them clinked glasses, and Rocky finished his wine in one fell swoop. Lexa tasted a few sips, and a smile spread across her face. Titan swirled his wine in his glass and took a modest taste. “This is a good year,” he said.

  “This is amazing!” Lexa said.

  Then, Rocky stood and tipped over his chair. Everyone in the room looked at him and fell silent. One councilmember, the bald one, scoffed and mumbled about manners.

  “Sorry. I, uh, need some air.” Rocky strode out of the restaurant, with many onlookers watching him curiously.

  “Is he okay?” Titan asked.

  “Oh yeah. He’s probably just tired. We had a rough journey to get here, and his dad is sick, you know, back at our camp,” Lexa explained.

  Titan put his hand atop Lexa’s on the table and grinned. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Lexa blushed and looked away. “I’m glad too. I hope your father will help our camp.”

  “Oh, he definitely will. Don’t you worry.”

  Lexa glanced to the left, and outside, looking through the window, was Rocky. He watched her, and once they made eye contact, his gaze pierced through Lexa’s shell. He looked at her as though she betrayed him and the hurt boiled to his surface. Rocky looked away, then grew smaller and smaller as he disappeared from view.

  14

  The waitress brought out two large steaks for Lexa and Titan. Titan told her this type of cut was called filet mignon, and it was very expensive. Lexa nearly drooled into her lap as she cut into the savory piece of meat. Beside the entree was a dish of mashed potatoes, another thing she’d never tried.

  Throughout the rest of the dinner, Titan droned on about living in the city and how he prepared to take over as a councilmember once his father retired. He explained how the West was the powerhouse in their world and that he was lucky to live there. Lexa nodded a lot, but couldn’t help but focus on her filet and potatoes. She could have eaten Titan’s plate too if he let her. By the end of the dinner, Lexa’s plate shone like a new penny, and Titan still had half of his dinner left. He waved it away as the waitress returned.

  “You’re not going to eat that?” Lexa asked in awe.

  “No, I’m full,” Titan said, rubbing his thin belly.

  “Wait!” Lexa called after the waitress, who turned around in shock. She scurried back still holding the plate of Titan’s food. “Can I have that?” Lexa asked.

  The waitress looked to Titan for approval, and he nodded curtly. The waitress set the plate in front of Lexa, who thanked her profusely.

  “Still hungry?” Titan asked.

  “Actually, I’m really full, but it tastes so good. And I don’t want it to go to waste.” Lexa blushed and looked down at her second plate.

  Back at camp, no one ever wasted a meal. Only if you were sick did you offer your food to someone else in need. Wastefulness was nearly as bad as murder where she came from. With such limited resources, it was a crime not to take advantage of the food at hand. Some places weren’t as fortunate to have much food at all. However, Lexa soon learned the City of Lightning was a place like she’d never been before and would probably never see again.

  Titan sat in silence and politely allowed Lexa to finish her food. Once that plate was clean, he called over the waitress to clear the table.

  Lexa rubbed her stomach and groaned happily. “That was the best meal I’ve ever had!”

  “I’m glad you liked it,” Titan said. “Are you ready to go visit your sister?”

  Lexa’s eyes lit up like the lightning on the outskirts of the city. “Yes, please!” Part of her wondered where Rocky had gone, but he was nearly a grown man. If he wanted to sulk somewhere by himself, she couldn’t stop him. Her most important priority was to check on Ivie.

  Titan led the way out of the restaurant and down the main road through the center of the city. Smaller bonfires lined the street for light as they stopped using what little electricity they had after dinner time. Their steps fell in sync, and Lexa had a million questions, yet not the energy to ask them.

  “Still full?” Titan asked as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

  Lexa nodded. “Y
es, thank you again for a wonderful dinner. I didn’t know such kinds of foods existed.”

  “We do all right here,” he bragged.

  They walked in silence a few hundred yards and approached a two-story building with a red eye symbol on the side next to a red cross. Lexa’s pulse quickened, and she couldn’t wait to see her sister.

  “Is this it? The infirmary?” she asked.

  “Sure is. Let’s go inside, but please keep your voice down. We don’t want to disturb the other patients.”

  Lexa and Titan entered the building, and only the glow of a dozen candles lit up the first floor. A woman all in white approached them and bowed before Titan.

  “Sir Titan, what can I do for you this evening?”

  “We’re here to see the young girl, Ivie,” he said.

  The nurse looked to Titan and then to Lexa. “Ah, yes. The wild one.”

  “Wild one? What do you mean—?”

  Titan cut her off. “Where can we find her?”

  The nurse pointed to a room at the end of the hall. “Just there. Room ten.”

  Without another word, Titan and Lexa stalked down the hall toward room ten. Out of the blue, a woman shrieked at the top of her lungs from another room. “Stop! Please! No! That hurts!”

  Lexa, with a look of panic across her face, turned to Titan.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “She’s probably just sick.”

  The woman continued to scream and beg for her life. Lexa heard that desperation before. She heard it the last time she came into contact with someone who’d been contaminated. Not Kiki but someone before. They sounded as though someone was inside their bodies, ripping them apart from the inside out.

  They walked past the room where the screaming originated, but a curtain blocked the room from viewers in the hall. A shiver ran down Lexa’s spine, but she shook it away once they reached room ten.

  Inside, Ivie lay in bed with bandages around her head, and her hair was disheveled as ever. Lexa dove into the room and ran to her sister’s bedside. “Ivie! Ivie! It’s me, Lexa!”

  Ivie stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. A weak smile spread across her face. “Lex,” she croaked.

  Lexa took Ivie’s hands in hers and leaned in closely. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

  “Headache,” Ivie said. “Ouch.”

  Lexa giggled and kissed Ivie on the forehead. “Are they treating you okay?”

  Ivie opened her mouth to speak but caught sight of Titan leaning against the doorway. Her eyes, trained on him, grew large with fear. Lexa followed Ivie’s stare back to Titan.

  “He’s okay, Ivie! He lives here. He’s been helping Rocky and me,” she said.

  “Where’s Rocky?” Ivie gurgled.

  “He’s getting some sleep. Back at our rooms,” Lexa lied.

  Titan left the doorway and cantered toward Ivie’s bedside. “So, you’re the brave Ivie? I’ve heard so much about you,” he said.

  During dinner, Lexa had told Titan about her sister and all the adventures, or rather, the trouble they’d found themselves in over the years. Specifically, she told him about going to the abandoned zoo and having to ward off a vicious over-sized tiger. He’d listened intently as he'd never been outside the walls of the city before. He couldn’t fathom wild animals roaming the country.

  Ivie studied Titan with narrowed, suspicious eyes. Titan pretended not to notice and wished her a speedy recovery. “I’ll be outside. Okay, Lexa?”

  “Okay, thank you,” she said.

  Titan left the room as the nurse from the entrance to the infirmary walked in. She nudged Lexa aside to take Ivie’s vitals.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Lexa asked.

  “She’s fine,” the nurse replied haughtily. “She can leave tomorrow.”

  Lexa looked to her sister, grinning. “That’s great news, Ivie! I can’t wait to show you around the city. There’s this great restaurant with steak and mashed potatoes!”

  The nurse clicked her tongue. “Tourists,” she mumbled to herself.

  Lexa sighed but ignored the comment. She was used to the confused stares and leery glances from the people in the streets. Apparently, not everyone in the city was so welcoming. But she didn’t care how the nurse felt about them as long as she took good care of her little sister.

  “You can come back in the morning to retrieve her,” the nurse said and stalked out of the room.

  Lexa turned and watched the nurse leave. Once she was out of sight, she leaned down and whispered into Ivie’s ear, “What a bitch!”

  Ivie giggled, and her eyes grew droopy. Lexa took the hint and kissed Ivie on the cheek. “I’ll be back for you bright and early, okay? Get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Love you,” Ivie said and drifted off to sleep.

  Lexa left the room smiling, knowing Ivie was going to be okay. However, as she walked to meet Titan at the entrance, the woman from before continued to scream and cry for mercy. A part of Lexa wondered what was going on in that room and why wasn’t anyone trying to help her.

  “Ready?” Titan asked.

  “Yes! I’m exhausted,” Lexa said.

  Titan and Lexa walked back to the miniature hotel, as apparently they were called. Lexa kept her eyes peeled for Rocky in case he was somewhere outside, roaming the city. But she didn’t see him anywhere.

  15

  Lexa made her way up the stairs and to their floor. Titan offered to escort her, but she politely declined. Toward the end of the night, she caught him staring at her several times with his eyes trained on her lips. She imagined him leaning in to kiss her, and she wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted. It’d only been a handful of days since she and Rocky kissed each other. She didn’t want to throw another teenage boy into the mix. She cursed her hormones. Why were they clouding her mind? She needed to focus on her meeting tomorrow with Councilman Nilan. If she wanted to rescue her camp, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

  Lexa ambled down the hallway and noticed a soft light under Rocky’s door. She walked past his door and put her hand on her own doorknob. Then, she paused, let go and turned on her heels. She subtly knocked on Rocky’s door twice. No answer. She knocked two more times.

  “Pssssst! It’s me, Lexa!” she hissed.

  “Come in,” Rocky grumbled from inside.

  Lexa opened the door and slid inside the bedroom. Rocky lay in bed with three candles on his bedside and a book in his hands. Books were a sacred treasure to them. They were difficult to find, let alone keep from being damaged in the wild conditions back at camp. The cover of the book was made of paper and faded from years and years of wear and tear.

  Lexa leaned against the door with her arms folded. “Nice disappearing act.”

  “Didn’t want to be the third wheel on your date,” Rocky said, not looking up from his book.

  Lexa scoffed. “Come on, Rocky. It wasn’t like that, and you know it.”

  Silence.

  “You missed a good dinner,” she said.

  “I’m sure I did,” Rocky replied.

  Lexa walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, not wanting to spook her sulky best friend. She watched his eyes reading the book, but quickly realized his eyes were not scanning the book as if he were truly reading. He just stared at the pages like a ghost looking into the past.

  “I went to visit Ivie,” Lexa said.

  Rocky cleared his throat. “Yeah, how’d that go? She okay?”

  “Just a little woozy, but I can pick her up in the morning.”

  Rocky tossed his book aside and pulled himself up to a firmer sitting position. He crossed his arms and looked into Lexa’s eyes. “Don’t forget what we came here for,” he said.

  Lexa furrowed her brow. “Uh, yeah, I know, Rocky. We’re here to help our family.”

  “You seem to have forgotten that part.”

  Lexa stood and paced back and forth across the room. “That’s not fair, and you know it. Of course, I’m dedicated to saving them. Remember, it
was my idea to leave in the first place?” She put her hands up against the window and watched the storm rage on in the distance, just outside of the city.

  “You’re acting like you’re on vacation,” Rocky said with venom in his tone.

  Lexa sighed. “Listen, I may have gotten a touch carried away at dinner, but who says we’re not allowed to enjoy new things? We’re in a real freaking city with clean water, food, shelter and so much more. I’m just trying to take it all in.”

  “Well, while you’re trying to take it all in, my father is back at camp dying!” he clamored.

  She looked over her shoulder with tears splashing down her cheeks. “I know, Rocky. I know.”

  Then she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She opened her own bedroom door and ran toward her bed, flopping onto her stomach. She cried into her pillow, leaving faint stains from the steady flow of tears. She punched the bed too.

  She knew why they were in the city; she knew what was going on at home. And she knew it was all her fault. She carried that burden with every passing day. She’d never forget how her careless mistake cost the lives of those she loved and considered to be family.

  “Asshole,” she mumbled to herself once she regained control of her emotions.

  Before Lexa could rise to change into her night clothes, she took a deep breath and fell fast asleep.

  The next morning, a knock at the door abruptly woke Lexa up from her deep slumber. Once she came to, Lexa found a slimy pool of saliva on her pillow. She rubbed her eyes and called out, “Who is it?”

  “It’s Titan. Are you ready for the meeting?”

  Lexa shot up and looked at the sky outside. The sun was higher in the sky than she expected. She must have overslept!

  “Just a minute!” Lexa dashed to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth with the mint leaves on the shelf and put her hair under the sink. Once soaking wet, she braided it to the side quickly and used a rubber band she found in the cabinet to tie it up.

  She whipped open the drawer and put on a fresh outfit, matching the one she wore yesterday and slept in. She couldn’t complain, though. Boring clothes were always better than dirty clothes. Satisfied her appearance wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of the council, she opened the door and saw Titan standing before her.