Free Allie's War Season One by JC Andrijeski Page B

she adjusted her glasses back on her nose, peering again at the machine. “I may have some words for you, at that, if you ruin another of my bodies so quickly.”
    She glanced down over the bifocals, giving him a harder stare.
    “I will deny I said this,” she said. “But do us all a favor, Terry. Kill that son of a bitch already. I am tired of this cat and mouse game with him.”
    Terian’s lips twitched in humor.
    I don’t think that would go over well with the big boss. His face creased painfully with another attempt at a smile. I would have liked to see you in your prime, Xarethe...
    The old seer looked at him, and for an instant, her eyes flashed a hard white, her lids falling to half-mast, until they appeared almost reptilian.
    No, she told him. ...You wouldn’t.

7
    ESCAPE

     
    I STARED OUT the dirty window of the bottle-green Plymouth, watching trees and rocky coastline slide by, now broken by low-hanging clouds and fog. We were still on Highway 1, nearing where it merged with 101, not far from the Oregon border.
    I hadn’t been on this stretch of road since I was a kid.
    What took minutes on Highway 5, or even 101 North from San Francisco to Eureka, took hours along Highway 1, making the twisting two-lane road hugging the jagged coastline feel endless. But Revik wanted us off the main highway, at least until we crossed state lines.
    Even within seaside towns, he took side streets, avoiding the main “strips,” if they could be called that in towns that maybe had four bars, a salt-eaten motel, a greasy spoon, a church, a head shop and one drive-through coffee stand.
    Somewhere near Fort Bragg, he uncuffed me from the door.
    I suppose I should’ve been grateful for that, but as my hands and ankles remained bound, my gratitude was limited. I watched the sun slink into the Pacific as pelicans skimmed by, beating long wingspans.
    I felt him looking at me.
    When he didn’t stop after a few minutes, I exhaled sharply, facing him.
    “What?”
    He turned the worn, leather-wrapped wheel of the Plymouth, sliding onto the main street of another seaside village whose name I didn’t know. We passed a few bars and an auto shop. His pale eyes shone in the neon signs as night approached.
    “We are low on gas. Can I trust you?”
    “Dehgo...whatever your name is...”
    “Revik.”
    “Right. Are you going to tell me? What that guy meant about me ending the world?”
    He exhaled. “Terian was trying to unbalance you. But it is true that they...” He amended, “...We believe you to be someone important.”
    “Important how?”
    “Allie, can I trust you, if I—”
    “Revik, important how?”
    Clicking to himself, he pulled into a nearby Arco station.
    Stopping in front of a pump, he turned off the ignition. When an attendant walked right up to the window, I realized with some surprise that we must be in Oregon already. Revik rolled down the window, which stuck a few times. He gave me a last warning glance.
    “Hey! Cool car, man! What can she do on the freeway...?”
    The boy’s words trailed, just before his eyes filmed over.
    Revik sat up to tug the money clip from his back pocket, handing through a few bills of paper currency to the kid attendant. I noticed the attendant’s eyes didn’t look at me as he took the folded paper. They also didn’t glance at the rust-colored stains on Revik’s shirt, or the slash of the same on his pale neck.
    “Revik...”
    Frowning, he glanced at me, then at the rearview mirror.
    I watched as he licked his fingers, rubbing at the dark stain on his neck. Then he leaned over my lap and pulled open the glove box. Taking out an oil rag, he poured some water in it from a plastic bottle and rubbed it over his neck, erasing the mark completely.
    “Where did you get this car anyway?” I said. “Speaking of cool cars.”
    “I stole it.”
    I felt my jaw tighten a little, but truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting for an answer. Looking back at the minimart attached