Free Duality (The Hitchhiker Strain) by Kellie Sheridan

were no more surprise roadblocks—it was a clear shot from here to there.
    But I ’m not exactly in a position to ask for a pit stop. Even if I was, I doubt I’d even have it in me to ask. We have three carloads of supplies to deliver, not to mention the growing mystery of the Militia border to contend with.
    No. I won ’t ask. It’s not like I don’t know where to find my friends if I need to. I can go back and find them later, when things have settled down. Maybe once the cure is finally perfected, when I have evidence that I really did leave them to try and contribute to something bigger than all of us. I can’t be selfish in this, not again. I’ll wait.
    Except, now that I know how close I am to everything I gave up, it ’s all I can think about. It’s all I think about as I drag my feet back to the area where everyone else is still fast asleep. It’s all I think about as I nudge Dooley awake with my toe. It’s all I think about as I crawl onto the floor and cover myself with Dooley’s discarded blanket. Finally, I drift off to sleep and think of nothing at all.
     
     
    I ’m still lost in thought the next morning long after we’ve gotten back on the road. I imagine how a reunion between Alex and me might play out when something that sounds a little like a cannon explodes in the distance.
    “ Did you hear that?” Liam eases off of the gas and then starts manually rolling down his window. I nod, rolling down my window as well.
    “ Uhh, guys?” Dooley’s voice comes through from the walkie-talkie in my lap. “Any ideas what that was?”
    Before I can ans wer, the noise comes again. It’s undoubtedly some kind of explosion coming from somewhere in the same direction we’re heading. The night passed without incident, and we’re still clueless about how, when, or why the border started going up around Militia territory. We opted to skirt around it for as long as possible until we could get a clearer picture about what exactly was going on. We’d have to move things out of the way eventually if we wanted to get back home, but for now, our main goal is to stay out of trouble and to try and figure out what is happening around us.
    “ Should we check it out?” I ask over our channel.
    “ At this point, I think we have to. I’m just worried about driving into a potentially risky situation while transporting all of this. The Militia is obviously up to something along their border, and we’d be painting massive targets on all of our backs if they spot us.”
    “ But that’s just as true for when we’re driving right through their territory to get home,” Dooley counters.
    I get the sense I ’m supposed to chime in and play devil’s advocate as well, but I’m honestly not sure what I think the best plan of action is. There are risks either way, and we’re still almost a day’s drive away from being able to ask for backup.
    Determined to at least lo ok busy, I unfold the map I brought with me, handing over the walkie-talkie to Liam. The very next off-ramp would take us into downtown Meadowvale. I stay quiet as Liam drives past the exit, having agreed with the others to continue the way we’re going, only planning to veer off if we hear the noise again and can pinpoint where it’s coming from.
    “ I never thought I’d say this, but I’m ready to get back to Veritas and away from all of this for a little while.”
    “ Hah,” Liam scoffs. "A few days on the road with us and you’re ready to retire.”
    “ Hey now,” I argue, reaching over to poke him in the ribs. “By ‘a little while,’ I meant like a day or two. Mostly I want a hot shower, some hot food—”
    “ And some hot and sweaty time with Cole.”
    “ That’s enough chitchat out of you.” I can feel the heat rising to my ears. My blushing has always been legendary, but Liam’s eyes are on the road so he can at least pretend not to notice.
    “ Nah, it’s nice you have someone to go home to,” he says, his voice quiet. I