Free Simple by Dena Nicotra

minivan a short distance down the alley and ran to it.  The door was unlocked and the keys were still in the ignition.  There were about a dozen white plastic buckets in the back, with an assortment of dead flower arrangements.  I realized it was a delivery van for a florist, which explained why the keys were inside.  The driver must have made a run for it.  I hopped in the driver’s seat and started the engine, then popped it in reverse.  The thought of leaving them on their own crossed my mind, but I just couldn’t do it.  That would be a death sentence under the circumstances, and as much as I resisted human relationships these days, I was connected to these people.

Chapter 4
    Mic slid the side door open and assisted Barbara and Jacob, and then Giz followed, sliding the door closed behind him.  My little group looked like they’d been through hell.  I mashed my foot on the gas just as the first simp jumped down from the balcony above.  In the rear-view mirror, I could see the hordes of them leaping down in groups.  Some were already running after our van.  I knew that they were capable of inhuman speeds, and didn’t hesitate to floor it.  My passengers jostled as I navigated through the alley and out onto the surface street.  It wasn’t safe to be on the road in the daytime because abandoned vehicles littered the road.  Impassible accidents were a risk, and I knew I didn’t dare slow down.  Mic negotiated his way over the buckets and climbed into the passenger seat.
    “Where to?”  I asked.
    “Hell if I know, just keep driving for now.  We’ve got to get away from the city.”
    “Not too far, we need connection access, Mic.  We’re so close!” said Giz.
    “Yeah buddy, I hear you – but right now we need to get to safety.  They’re swarming the city and that just isn’t worth the risk.”
    I glanced up at the rear view mirror and saw Giz hang his head.  His passion was admirable, but Mic was right.  The simps were crawling all over the city right now.  I hadn’t seen this many in a while.  I turned down a street that led to a dead-end and had to back over two that attempted to storm the van.  “They were simps, right?”  I asked, as I swung the van around and changed directions.  No one answered me and I felt a surge of panic. “Tell me they were simps guys!”
    Jacob turned from one of the back windows and held a thumb up.  “Yup Hailey, they were wire bags and you got them.”
    I took a sharp left causing my passengers to tumble in the back.
    “Hang on back there you guys!”
    I veered around a small black pickup that was flipped upside down.  The city streets in this area were unfamiliar, and I regretted my decision to jump in the driver’s seat.  There was no way to do anything about that now, and I pushed back on the panic rising in my mind.
    “Which way?”  I demanded.
    “Left at the next light, you’ll go up two streets and then take a right.  The freeway onramp will be about half a block down.  You’ll want to get in the far lane,” said Mic.
    Following his directions, it took us approximately ten minutes to hit the freeway.  Cars were clogging the main lanes, but the shoulder was wide open for as far as I could see.  I focused on that as a good sign, and buried my foot on the gas pedal.  Common sense told me to slow down, but I knew the way simps could move, and even on foot they could catch up with us if I didn’t get some distance between us.  I kept my pace until my heart stopped hammering in my chest, and then I set the cruise control at fifty miles per hour and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.
    I glanced sideways at Mic.  He was busy pushing his finger around on his tablet.  “What kind of device is that?”
    “It’s a prototype.”
    “Uh-huh, and is it traceable?”
    “No, of course not!  You couldn’t possibly think I’d be that stupid.”
    “I don’t know Mic, all I know is that a fucking swarm of simps have come out