Free Crossing Bedlam by Charles E. Yallowitz Page A

into Noah’s green eyes and does her best to smile sweetly. “Except splitting us up is a mistake. My friend and I have been traveling for a while, so we’re better as a team. That means only one of you can claim us. Since you don’t want to fight, I would suggest handing us over to Firestone. Think of your men, Sergeant, and help them live to fight another day.”
    “Or hand everyone knives and fight to the death over us,” Lloyd says with a grin. Snapping his teeth at a nearby soldier, he puts up a small struggle when Firestone takes the remaining handcuffs and restrains him. “The point is that splitting up our duet would make us rather useless and you want your side to get real soldiers. As far as I can tell, both side aren’t that impressive and I’d hate to decide between you. It’d be like choosing either diarrhea or the stomach flu. Two different holes, but the same level of grossness.”
    Noah stares at the black-haired traveler, a look of disgust plastered on his face. Something about the traveler is familiar, but the soldier’s exhausted mind cannot put all of the pieces together. The shuffling of booted feet and shifting of guns draws his attention to the Philadelphians. Following their leader’s example, they are preparing to fight while the Pittsburghers wait for Noah to make a similar order. Being so close to the jeep and the restrained prisoners, the veteran knows a battle would be too costly. The fact that Firestone is determined to cause bloodshed makes the older man’s temper roil, but his training helps him remain clear-headed. Sliding off the hood, he calmly takes the grenade off his belt and removes the pin without releasing the safety lever. Lloyd is the only one excited to see the unexpected threat, the serial killer enjoying the smell of fear and several people wetting their pants.
    “We can solve this without bloodshed, Firestone, and you know it,” Noah claims, drawing his handgun with his other hand. Showing that the safety is still on, he keeps his thumb on the switch in case his words fall on deaf ears. “The jeep, weapons, and travelers are too valuable to put in harm’s way. Now the young lady could be lying about their usefulness as a team, but it could very well be the truth. Last thing either of us wants is to come away from this with broken spoils and fewer soldiers. Split a coin in half and both sides are worthless is something my dad used to say. Not sure why, but it makes sense here.”
    “If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting then that’s a long walk,” Firestone argues, waving for his people to lower their weapons. A shudder runs through his body until he tears off an old steroid patch and angrily slaps on a fresh source. “I guess we can keep them in the jeep, but one of my men will drive. It would make carrying all of the spoils easier.”
    “What are you talking about?” Cassidy interrupts, her patience hanging by a thread. Getting off the hood, she frowns when she sees several fresh scratches on the blue paint. “We’re practically in the middle of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Last I heard all of the surviving towns were turned into military bases. There’s nowhere to fucking go to solve this, so stop wasting our time and let us go. As my friend said earlier, we don’t give a shit about your war and only want to continue on our way.”
    Firestone lunges forward to shove the young woman against the car, stopping when he hears the click of Noah’s gun safety. “You can present your arguments to the Judge. He or she is an impartial elder who listens to all sides. They help us handle these small issues, but only if the two sides agree to visit. You realize that the closest one is in Punxsutawney, right? That Judge tends to take a bigger payment for his services than the others. I’d rather travel further south and reach the one in Hershey.”
    “I vote for the first one!” Lloyd announces, stopping Noah from openly accusing his rival of