Crossing Bedlam by Charles E. Yallowitz Read Free Book Online

packed and fill up the tank using gas they siphoned out of several parked cars. Cassidy takes a moment to study the crinkled map and smiles when she sees that the onramp for Interstate 80 is only minutes away. The young woman wishes she asked for binoculars, but she can try to find a pair when they reach a rest stop or stumble upon one of the hundreds of nomadic trade groups in that roam the country. Excited to truly start her journey, Cassidy gives a kiss to her precious locket and hurries into the driver’s seat. Turning to see if Lloyd is in the car, she catches him puckering his lips and making smooching noises. The man stops when she pops a yellow paintball pellet into his mouth and he struggles to avoid breaking the orb.
    Once Lloyd carefully removes the vomit-inducing ammo from his mouth, the jeep revs to life and pulls onto the road. With the windows open and a classic rock CD in the player, Cassidy drives toward a weed-covered onramp and grins at a handwritten sign that directs her toward Interstate 80. Not wanting to hit any wreckage that might be hidden around the long curve in the road, she goes slowly and fights the temptation to speed. It is this sudden cautiousness that saves them from slamming into an unexpected obstacle, the jeep’s tires screeching as she slams on the brakes. Lloyd swears at the sensation of the seatbelt scratching against his neck and he is about to yell at Cassidy when he notices the lumbering creatures that are blocking their path. The ivory-horned animals’ are munching on grass that has grown over part of the road and giving very little attention to the rumbling vehicle.
    “Is that a pair of rhinos?” he asks, barely able to believe what he is seeing. Reaching over for the horn, he stops when his companion’s gun presses against his knee. “That’s a pretty big threat, little lady. Even if the rhinos charge, the jeep should protect us while we drive backwards and find another way around. So you might want to put the pistol away before I get angry. Just imagine what I could do with one of those horns.”
    “The animals are not the real danger, so shut up and listen,” Cassidy says while turning her gun to show that the safety is still on. Turning the engine off, she sinks low in her seat and pushes it back to get more leg room. “Whenever you run into an exotic animal that probably came from a zoo, you have to run in the opposite direction. Right now, we’re too fucking close and I’ve no idea where the real threat is hiding. Backing up is probably the safest move, but I want to sit still for a while to become part of the scenery.”
    “If you give me context, I’ll let you sleep without one eye open tonight,” Lloyd states with a grin. A sudden sensation of being watched makes him lick his lips and draw his knife, but he is unable to find the source of his anxiety. “One thing I learned in Rikers is how to know when I’m being hunted. There’s a predator out there. A chill in the air, but not like the one a person like me would give off. No bloodlust, yet there’s no fear of killing.”
    Cassidy gestures for Lloyd to move his seat back and points at the stolen side view mirrors that have been taped into place. “That would be the Guardian. Soon after the blockade, a bunch of animal rights groups broke into the zoos. They released the animals before realizing that others would see them as threats, trophies, or food. So a new organization was founded to protect them by creating preserves around the country. Unfortunately, a violent faction appeared almost immediately. You see, most Guardians will give warning shots or maim a person they think is a threat to their charges. Key word there is ‘think’ since you could just be passing by or have accidentally stumbled into the area. Still, it is a high chance that you will only be hurt. Then again, you also have Guardians who will kill without hesitation and think humans are nothing more than world-destroying vermin.