Inhuman (17 page)

The sun was setting, filling the sky with shades of orange and coral. I really wanted to sleep in a bed tonight. I wanted a fluffy pillow under my head and mattress cradling me while I slept. With Keanu’s determination to keep driving, I didn’t know if he would even consider the idea.

“Considering how recognizable you are with long black hair, maybe we should…cut it.” He looked as crushed about it as I felt. Then he added quietly. “And color it.”

His suggestion made perfect sense. Seeing my face plastered on the national news, labeled a fugitive, I knew that Keanu was right. Altering my appearance was logical, but I didn’t know if I even cared anymore.

Sure, I could change my hair, but hiding my growing belly, however, was not going to be as easy. She had grown dramatically over the last week or so. By my calculations, I was finishing my fifth month soon.

I wished I could give her the attention she deserved.

Instead of being trapped in a car with little food or water, we should have been eating healthy or going to doctor visits and listening to her little heartbeat. The poor little creature inside me was just an unwilling passenger being dragged along in a nightmare.

Her mother should be an upstanding citizen, not a fugitive and freak of nature. Well, in all fairness, the fugitive part wasn’t my fault.

Then it dawned on me.

What are they telling the world that I did?

***

Keanu waited until it was dark before we pulled into a motel. I was too tired to notice what town we were in and really, it didn’t matter anymore. All the road signs had become a blur; I didn’t even know what state we were in.

The passenger door groaned as I opened it as though mocking my weariness. Dragging myself into the motel room, I flopped down on the queen sized bed and nearly fell asleep upon impact. My twenty year old body was drained of all energy. Pregnancy, coupled with being on the run, had worn me down to a mere shadow of myself.

I faintly heard Keanu walk across the room and flick on the television. The mattress sank near my feet as he sat at the end of the bed. Flicking the channels, I could hear the minor blips and noises of each channel as he passed by them. It didn’t occur to me that he was looking for anything in specific, but I knew the moment he’d found the channel he was looking for.

“The fugitives are thought to be travelling west. Last spotted in Davisville, Ohio, they were driving a 1998 black sedan.”

I sat straight up after I heard the first sentence.

They’re talking about us!

A large picture of Keanu looking dark and angry flashed onto the screen. “The male accomplice is 6 foot 2, approximately 230 pounds, black hair, brown eyes and light brown skin. He is skilled in martial arts and is considered armed and dangerous.”

Staring into Keanu’s dark brown eyes looking out from the television screen, the moment turned surreal. Up until now, the whole thing felt unreal.

My face was up next.

A less than flattering picture of me was displayed. My long hair hung like black string around my sullen face. Ashen semi-circles settled under my eyes making me look insane and malnourished. The vacant stare behind my lifeless amber eyes gave me an aura of unintelligence. I had no idea when this picture was taken. It didn’t even look like me.

The news anchor continued with a grave tone. “The female fugitive is 5 foot 6, approximately 125 pounds, long black hair, hazel eyes and about five months pregnant. She is also considered armed and dangerous. If you see these people, do not approach them. Contact the local authorities immediately.”

“This is ridiculous.” My voice sounded hollow as I watched a real life nightmare unfold in front of me. “That doesn’t even look like us.”

“They doctored the photos,” Keanu explained, his shoulders hunched and his head hung in his hands as he listened.

“Again, the FBI is asking for your assistance in this matter. Anyone with information pertaining to the fugitives or the murder, please contact your local police immediately.”

“Murder?! What murder?!” Tears welled up in my eyes and I moved to the end of the bed with Keanu. His head sprang up with the word murder. “They’re blaming us for a murder?!”

“Shhh!” Keanu shushed me as the news anchorman continued.

“Yesterday, the body of a Stanley University student was discovered stabbed to death in Cassia Tiponi’s dorm room…”

The anchorman’s words faded away as I stared at the picture now on the television screen. Bile rose to the back of my throat as the room began to spin.

 Right before I fainted, I heard myself whisper, “Amy.”

***

I didn’t know which was worse, the searing ache I felt in the pit of my soul for the loss of my dear friend or the blazing hatred I had for the Majestic 12. How could they have killed such a wonderful and innocent person just for the sake of capturing me?

Keanu had to force me to get dressed and walk to the car the next morning. After I fainted, he told me I’d slept for over six hours, which is good that I got some rest, but I started to cry inconsolably immediately after I woke up.

My imagination was concocting all these terrible scenarios in my mind. Visions of Amy’s blood smattered against every wall of my dorm haunted me every time I closed my eyes. A young and beautiful girl’s life had been extinguished, all because of me.

The Majestic 12 wanted to make a point—and they made it. They wanted to show me their power and to what lengths they’d go to get what they wanted and what they wanted was me, and worse, my baby.

Grandmother!

Panic seized me as I thought of what they might do my other loved ones. Would they systematically destroy the lives of every single person that I’d ever cared for? And what about Keanu’s sister? Was she already dead?

“Stop the car!” I yelled, holding my hand over my mouth. Keanu jumped, startled at my sudden outburst, and then quickly steered the car to the side of the road.

Vomit forced its way up my esophagus and passed my lips. Spewing bile between my fingers, I managed to get the window open so I didn’t get it all over the inside of the car. I flung the door open once the car had stopped, sprang from the car like a jackrabbit and managed to stagger a few feet before my stomach lurched again. Gagging and dry heaving, I fell to my hands and knees, tiny bits of gravel stabbed and embedded themselves into the palms of my hands.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and tears poured down my cheeks.

“Oh Amy! I’m so sorry!” I whimpered, my arms buckling beneath me. Curling into a ball on the side of the highway, I wailed with despair. So immersed in my sorrow, I barely noticed when Keanu walked over, picked me up and carried me back to the car.

I considered telling him just to leave me by the side of the road. I didn’t know if I cared anymore. I should just let the Majestic 12 have me; maybe then no one else would get hurt. If they had me, maybe they’d forget all about Keanu.

No. They were out for blood now. Keanu was up to his neck in this now too. Both our lives were over.

“Are you alright?” With both hands, he softly pushed the hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ears. His brown eyes searched my face with concern.

“No.” My voice was thick as I shook my head weakly. Tears ran down my face and he tried to wipe them away as fast as they were coming.

“I know. I know.” Pulling me to his chest, I snuggled in and let him comfort me. Though nothing could extinguish the grief, his arms around me made me feel safe—for the moment.

***

“Shhh!’ Keanu hissed raising his finger to his lips. I hadn’t realized I was making noise but he must have been referring to the sound of gravel crunching beneath my feet. I moved over onto a small patch of grass in order to smother any sounds. Crouched behind him, wide-eyed and terrified, I watched as he maneuvered his large body through a small opening in the chain-link fence. Keeping his body low, he ran towards a red minivan parked at the end of a long row of new vehicles.

Abandoning the black sedan near an old junkyard, we walked a couple miles to a car dealership we’d noticed as we drove into town. Keanu said we were going to break into one of the vehicles, hide there until morning and wait until the dealership was buzzing with customers. Once it was busy enough, he’d hotwire the vehicle and we’d drive off unnoticed. He claimed that he’d learned that while working with the Majestic 12. It was called hiding in plain sight.

Regardless of how confident he was with his plans, my nerves were shot. Shivering from both the night air and the fear of being caught, I awaited the signal to follow him.

Squinting into the darkness, I panicked when I couldn’t see him anymore. How the hell was he going to signal me if I couldn’t see him?! I didn’t have night vision! I wasn’t a friggin’ cat!

Standing and wiping the dirt off myself, I peered across the dark parking lot. Scanning for any movement or sign of Keanu, I hunched over and meandered through the scores of vehicles.

In the distance, I could hear the whizzing of traffic on a nearby road and a lone dog barking a couple of blocks away, other than that; it was silent…and unnerving. 

Beneath me, the sound of my shoes scuffed against the pavement. My ears remained focused and pert like a feral cat anticipating a predator. I stopped moving for a moment to assess my location. Realizing that I was nearing the end of the row of minivans, I expected to see or hear Keanu soon.

Looking around, my eyes wide, I wanted to see or hear him in advance. I was worried I’d scream if he startled me.

“Psst. Over here.” Instead, relief swept over me as I heard him call to me from a couple vans over. Moving toward the sound of his voice, I saw him crouched behind the second to last van in the row.

“Whew! I was getting worried!” I whispered as he took my hand and led me to the other side of the van.

I watched as he pulled a pocketknife out of his jacket, flipped it open and shoved it between the frame of the van and the sliding passenger door. He applied a little pressure and I heard an audible click. I was shocked how easily it popped open. Sliding the door open, he offered me his hand and helped me inside. Following behind me, he closed the door.

“There, that was easy huh?” He grinned as we settled ourselves into the backseat.

Rolling my eyes at him, I then surveyed my new surroundings. The interior of the van was a nice, light blue, complete with fabric seats and that new car smell. Breathing in the new van scent, I noticed that it had a DVD player.

“Cool.” I’d never owned a new car before, so for just a moment, I pretended like we were a couple shopping for our first new vehicle together…rather than the reality, which was stealing it.

After stifling a yawn, Keanu offered to lay the back seats down and turn it into a bed. Giving me his jacket to use as a pillow, I lay down and stuffed it under my head.

Taking a deep breath, I turned onto my side and readied myself to tell him the disgusting truth—that this beautiful creature inside me might not be his, that she very well might be the product of a vicious and brutal attack courtesy of Agent Meyers.

“Keanu, I…” The words got stuck in my throat as I tried to speak, but before I could continue his hand was sliding under my hair and onto the nape of my neck. Shivers of pleasure slid down my body as he pulled my face gently toward his and kissed my lips.

Drifting from the back of my neck and trailing down my shoulder, Keanu slid his hand up the front of my sweater and massaged my right breast.

Kissing my neck with greedy lips, our pace suddenly quickened.

I don’t know if it was the height of danger we were in or if it was the hormones racing through my body, but a ravenous lust took over me. Hungry for him, I pushed him flat on his back and climbed on top of him.

The surprise on his face made me giggle as I pulled my sweater over my head and quickly undid my bra. Like teenagers, we were frantic for one another. Sitting up with me straddled on him, his mouth explored every available part of me while I clutched at his hair and pulled his mouth to mine over and over again.