Free The Scarecrow of OZ by S. D. Stuart Page A

lever all the way to the floor and clung to the steering wheel as he fought to keep the truck on the dirt road that led to the hybrid colony.
    A mad buzzing sound erupted from inside the dashboard right before there was a loud pop and several of the needles spun wildly in the gauges. The truck lurched under him followed by the loud hiss of steam escaping the boiler. He pushed down several times on the lever that made the truck go, but this time nothing happened.
    The truck rolled to a stop in the middle of the road and nothing he did made any difference.
    He was close enough to smell the fires burning inside the colony. And if he was close enough to smell it, he was close enough to run the rest of the way on foot.
    He crested the low hill and caught sight of the main gate to the colony. Hybrids were walking out of the burning compound; single file.
    It didn’t look like everyone was carrying everything they owned, but it certainly looked like everything they carried was now all they owned.
    He ran down the line toward the front gate. Nobody talked as they walked. Even the children labored under their belongings as they shuffled alongside their parents. Anyone who made eye contact with him as he ran, rather than say hello like they usually did, quickly looked away.
    Even though the only houses that burned were on the far side of the colony, he could feel the heat from the fires that hungrily consumed the hybrid village. And it chilled him to his bones.
    Up ahead, Zee guided the small horse that pulled a hay wagon filled with her family’s possessions.
    She spotted him running toward her and ducked her head as she urged the horse to move faster.
    “Zee, what’s going on?”
    She ignored him and pulled harder on the heavy noseband of the horse’s hackamore, a bit-less bridle. The horse responded by bucking his head and stamping a front foot.
    Caleb grabbed Zee by the shoulders. “Talk to me Zee.”
    She twisted out of his grip. “I have nothing to say to you.”
    He stepped in front of her, blocking her. “What happened?”
    Her eyes pierced his, water forming around the edges as tears welled up. “You want to know what happened?”
    Her sudden ferocity took him by surprise. He nodded his head slightly, unsure if he really wanted the answer or not.
    “I’ll tell you what happened. You happened!”
    “Zee, I…”
    She shoved him back violently. “Shut up! Just shut up! You don’t get to talk, you get to listen. Are you going to listen? Or am I wasting my time?”
    He relaxed his balled fists and tried to look as nonthreatening as possible as he nodded silently.
    “You want to know what’s happening here? I’ll tell you. We are running and hiding, erasing any trace that we were here, because our chosen leader refuses to lead us.”
    He opened his mouth and she put up a hand. “You don’t get to speak. You haven’t earned that right.”
    He closed his mouth and let her continue.
    “A secret cabal of world leaders, known only as the Directors, are coming. They want the Brahmastra. And once they have it, they will use it to kill all of us before conquering the rest of the world.”
    The words escaped his lips before he could stop them. “Why kill us?”
    She ignored his infraction. “We are hiding from them because we are the only ones who still know how to use it. We needed you to get it before they did.”
    Allowing him to speak a moment before emboldened him to try again. “But why me?”
    “There is a girl whose blood is needed to unlock the box that contains the Brahmastra. You were supposed to take her with you and get it before the Directors could steal it from us again.”
    “But why me? Why am I the only one who could do this among all the hybrids?”
    “It had to be you, because the girl asked for you by name. She said she would only help us if you went along to help her.”
    He shook his head, clearly not getting the point she was trying to make.
    “Why would she ask for me? I don’t even know