“I don’t know if they have others cars around here, but I wasn’t going to just leave the keys there so they could jump in the other vans and chase us.”
“Jesus, that’s smart.” I almost sounded annoyed. I’d been going for impressed.
His smile widened as he put a set of keys in my hand. “Don’t press the Unlock button until we get close. I think we’re going to need to make a run for it, but let’s give ourselves time to get as close as possible.”
“Got it.” I gripped the keys.
We edged around the side of the shed. The immediate area surrounding the vans was empty, the light shining on empty grass. But a cluster of men stood outside the barn a few yards away.
I started toward the vans, Edan by my side. We were walking slowly, trying not to attract attention.
One of the men turned.
Then another.
We broke into a run.
“Hey!” a man yelled.
“It’s the kids!” another called.
I pressed the Unlock button and the lights of the van on the left side flashed. I dove for it.
I yanked the driver’s door open and jumped inside. Edan slid into the passenger’s seat.
One of the men was racing toward me. “Stop!” he yelled. It was Webb.
I slammed the door shut. His hands hit the window. I pushed the Lock button.
My hands were shaking as I stuck the key in the ignition. I turned it, not entirely sure how long I was supposed to hold it. The car had already been running when I practiced with Laurence.
The engine roared to life, and I let go of the key. I examined the gear stick. It was an automatic, thank god. Edan and I hadn’t considered what we’d do if it was a standard.
Through the windshield, I could see Webb yelling at someone, a furious expression on his face. A man stood at the door of the shed, shaking his head.
Webb looked back at us. Edan held up the two other sets of keys, the best shit-eating grin I’d ever seen on his face. Webb cursed loudly.
I pressed what I thought was the brake. The engine revved. Apparently that one was the gas. I quickly switched to the brake and put the car in reverse.
I lifted my head to see Webb pointing his gun directly at my face.
I didn’t bother checking the rearview mirror before hitting the gas. Bullets pelted the car. Edan yelped, ducking down in his seat. I yanked the wheel hard to the right. One of the back windows shattered as a bullet zipped through it.
I stomped on the brakes, sending Edan into the dashboard. He grunted. Outside, someone yelled. The gunfire stopped.
“You should probably put your seat belt on.” I quickly took my own advice, and he clicked his into place.
I put the car in drive.
Something slammed into the side of the van. We nearly tipped over. Metal crunched.
A scrab stared at me through my window, its mouth open in a silent roar. A tiny light blinked on the side of its head.
“Go!” Edan yelled.
I pressed the gas and turned the wheel hard. We were facing the gate. Sanchez stood near it, another scrab at his side.
It just stood there, unmoving.
Sanchez had something shiny strapped to his wrist. He pressed his finger to it.
The scrab sprang into action. It galloped toward the van.
I floored the gas pedal, and we lurched forward. Something hit the side of the van again, then I heard a thump. I looked in the rearview mirror to see one of the scrabs jumping up from the ground.
I turned my attention out the front windshield. The gate loomed ahead of us. The man guarding it dove out of the way.
I gripped the steering wheel, my heart pounding. The gate didn’t look particularly strong, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe it wouldn’t pop open, and we’d crash into it at high speed instead. Then those scrabs would jump through the back window and rip our throats out.
The car jerked as it hit the gate, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing through the van. We barreled straight through. Edan whooped.
I had to make a hard right onto the road, and I took it way too fast. The van veered into the grass. I jerked the wheel to the left, trying to straighten it. Edan clutched the dash.
“Sorry,” I said as the van evened out.
“It’s fine. You’re doing great.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror. A scrab skidded onto the road and then abruptly stopped. I hit the gas harder. The road was so dark I could barely see.
Headlights. Right. Turning those on would probably help. I fumbled with the knobs until the road in front of me came into view.
I let out a slow breath as we barreled away from the farm. My body was still buzzing with adrenaline, and part of me wanted to burst into tears.
“They were controlling those scrabs,” I said. “Right? You saw that too?”
“They absolutely were.”
“How? Why? How?” I couldn’t wrap my mind around what exactly this meant. Was MDG building an army of scrabs? Who did they plan to use it against?
“My questions exactly.” Edan’s eyes were wide, his hair ruffling in the wind coming from the destroyed back window.
“Thank you.” My voice shook.
“Thank you?” Edan repeated. “Me?”
I laughed, blinking back tears. “Yes, you. There’s no one else in this car.”
Edan twisted around in his seat like he just realized he should confirm that.
“For getting us out of there,” I clarified. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it alone.”
“Yeah, you mostly did.”
“You saved me from getting eaten by a scrab, I saved you from a half-assed kidnapping . . . Does that make us even?”
“I think it does.”
“I got the good end of that deal.” Edan leaned his head back against the seat with a sigh. “I honestly didn’t think they would shoot at us. I thought they were bluffing.”
“They really were not.”
“We need to find a phone. Or Wi-Fi. We need to call Grayson and tell him about that nest.
