After the Crash

It was our third break of the day, and I had already had my spies, Jen and Lola, get as much information on the new guy as they could. They didn’t get much. I was trying to size him up. The guy looked like he’d been traveling for a long time, and his clothes looked worn. His hair was unkempt, and his facial hair looked out of hand, but since the crash that was normal. His eyes looked tired, but they also looked shady. I watched him, leaning on a tree with a water bottle in hand, his eyes were on Ky. It wasn’t the first time I’d caught him looking in her direction. He was watching her. I decided to talk with him, “so, Ky got you away from the PCD?” He moved his eyes toward me, raising his eyebrow. I put my hand out, “Ren, sorry about pointing a gun at you earlier.”

“Alex,” he took my hand, “don’t worry about it, these days you can’t be too careful.” He crossed his arms, throwing his eyes back in Ky’s direction, “she’s quite a woman, isn’t she?” He turned back to me.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“You know,” he raised an eyebrow, “she’s pretty high on the PCD’s most wanted list.” I raised my eyebrow, and he put his hand up defensively, “I’m just stating a matter of fact, heard her name a few times over radios and other transmissions.” He lowered his arms, glanced over, then back, “the bounty for her’s gotten pretty high. Though,” he shrugged, “seems the PCD’s more afraid of her than anything. You should have seen her,” he smiled, “taking down those officers with ease, and when she said her name,” he shook his head, “sent a shiver right down PCD officer’s spine.” He crossed his arms and glanced toward her, “ain’t too many women like her: strong, with integrity, but also caring. Didn’t expect her to be such a dolly.”

I raised my eyebrow, “expect?”

He looked at me, “you hear rumors and reports of a woman killin’ PCD officers and setting free prisoners,” he shrugged, “you’re not thinkin’ of a little dolly, you’re thinkin’ of a brawny gal, bigger, and mean lookin’.” His eyes returned to where she was standing with Whitney, “I bet she looks quite pretty when she smiles.”

“Ky’s no dolly,” I said.

“No,” he turned toward me again, “you don’t find her attractive?” I hesitated, not sure what to say, stammering trying to choke out a response. “Course you’ve probably got a dolly already,” he smiled, “so many running round, here.” I didn’t know why his demeanor irritated me, or why I wanted to hit him every time he uttered the word ‘dolly.’ He raised an eyebrow, and I eased the tension in my hands as I noticed him reading my reactions. “Which one’s Ky’s,” he asked. I looked at him, unsure. “Which kid?”

“Ky doesn’t have any,” I said.

“Interesting,” he nodded, “what about a husband or companion? Is it the tall one standin’ near her?” I looked over, seeing Mac with her and Whitney. I held still for a second, and he looked at me shocked, “oh, are you and …” I shook my head, stopping him. He let out a breath of relief, “that’s good, that would have been embarrassing.” Again, I said nothing, so he raised his eyebrow, “so she’s alone?”

I shook my head, “she’s not alone.”

He let out a slight laugh, “I guess I meant available.”

“I doubt she’d use that word to describe herself,” I held firm. He just nodded his head, let a slight smile creep onto his face, but hid it real quick. I didn’t like him. I didn’t trust him. “Your son,” I raised an eyebrow, “how old is he?”

“He’s twelve,” he nodded.

“Must have had him when you were young,” I continued.

“I was seventeen,” he looked at me.

“He doesn’t look much like you,” I looked at him, “where’s the mother?”

“I’m afraid we lost her in the crash,” he said.

I raised my eyebrow, “and what have you been doing since the crash?”

He let out a slight laugh, “what’s with the third degree?” I held my expression, and he shook his head, “we’ve just been moving, tryin’ to survive same as the next guy. Sometimes we join groups on the road, but nothin’s ever stuck.”

I wasn’t buying it, “and where’d you learn to hold a rifle?”

He raised his eyebrow, “is there a problem, Ren?”

“Just answer the question,” I looked at him.

“I used to hunt,” he said unamused, “my dad taught me how to hold a rifle when I was a boy, the lesson stuck, and it’s come in handy since the crash.” He stood up tall, and walked closer to me, “you know, I don’t appreciate this line of questioning.”

I narrowed my gaze, giving him a long, hard look, “I’m just looking out for the well-being of these people. Ky seems to believe that someone indebted to her won’t turn on us.” I paused, looking toward her, but then back, “I know better, and I hope you don’t take advantage of her kindness.”

He looked at me, holding firm in his position, “I would be remiss to take advantage of her, after all, I watched her take down four PCD officers on her own.” He raised an eyebrow, “I imagine you’d need ten men to take down someone like her.”

“More,” I pushed past him, making sure to bump his shoulder. I walked toward Ky, Whitney, and Mac. I looked at her with my eyebrow raised, “can I have a word?”

“We’re about to move,” she looked at me, “is it urgent?”

“It’s about the new guy,” I looked at her.

She shook her head, “I don’t have time for your paranoia right now, I’ve already made my analysis of the situation, and I’m willing to let him and his son stay.”

I let out a deep breath, “but you don’t know him and I’ve gotta…”

“You wanna make a case for why we should send a father and his twelve-year-old son away, to fend for themselves,” she shrugged, “be my guest.” She crossed her arms, “but I don’t wanna hear a word from you until then.” I opened my mouth, but she stopped me. She let out a deep breath, then walked past me, “alright everyone, grab your stuff, it’s time to move.” She looked at me, “you know where you belong.” I wasn't ready to let this go; I was convinced it was information she needed to hear. I held her gaze, and she crossed her arms, beckoning me to follow instructions. I mimicked her stance, showing that I wasn't intimidated by her like everyone else.

“Dude,” Mac put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me toward our post. We were the tail this time around. I gave in, started walking in that direction. He laughed, looking at me, “what’s eating you?”

“I don’t trust this guy,” I gestured forward, “you know the first thing he says to me?” He raised his eyebrow. “Thought he’d inform me that Ky’s on the PCD’s most wanted list,” I shook my head, “and didn’t hesitate to say there’s a hefty reward.” Mac shrugged, but I continued, “said he didn’t expect her to look the way she looks.”

He nodded, “there it is?” I raised my eyebrow. He gave me an unconvinced look, “the real reason you don’t like this guy.”

I shrugged, “because he had expectations.”

“Because he finds her attractive,” he looked at me.

“No,” I shook my head, “I don’t care if he finds her attractive or thinks she’s a dolly, or whatever.” I pushed the ideas aside, “I care that he knew about the reward and expected her to look a certain way.” He looked at me unconvinced. “It’s suspicious,” I said, “like he knew he was gonna be running into her.”

“You’re being paranoid,” Mac shook his head, “Ky found him in PCD custody, with his son, I really don’t think this was some elaborate plan.” I had nothing to say, so I just shook my head. He let out a deep breath, “if you’re that worried about the guy, E and I will vote against him, but I don’t know if you’ve got a case. You’re basing this all on the word expect.” I opened my mouth, but he went on, “maybe his tone.” He shrugged, “I just can’t imagine these people voting against a family, especially with a weak defense. Besides,” he looked forward, then back and continued in hushed tones, “if I’m being frank, it kind of just sounds like you’re jealous.” I raised my eyebrow. “Come on,” he looked at me, “you’re carrying a torch for the girl.”

I let out a deep breath, “let me guess, you’ve been talking with E?”

He shook his head, “don’t need to, it’s pretty obvious.”

“You’re crazy,” I nodded, but quickly reverted back to severity, “I just need to tell her, she’d understand if she’d just listen to me.” He just laughed, giving me a look that said, ‘good luck,’ and we continued hiking toward our next destination. I watched him as he spoke with different people during our journey. I noticed him move from Whitney, to Sarah, to Rosa, and during one of the breaks, he spoke with Sam. I found it convenient that his son didn’t speak, especially since I still wasn’t convinced that it was his son. When we finally got everything settled, I made my way over to Sarah to ask her about the conversation she had with this new guy. I wanted some confirmation that something was off. Of course, she said the conversation seemed normal. He asked her questions about herself, her family, and the party at large. “Did he ask for details about Ky,” I looked at her, with my eyebrow raised.

“Yes,” she nodded, “he was very interested in Ky.”

I took that as the proof I needed. I looked at her, “where is Ky?”

She shrugged, “I think she took Whit and Sam back to that clearing, she’s probably tryin’ to teach the girls self-defense.” She shook her head, “it’s a lost cause, none of the girls ever listen, and she always comes back frustrated.” I nodded my thanks and made my way to the clearing; it wasn’t far from where we set up our camp for the night.

When I got there, she was explaining what to do when an assailant is coming from behind. She laid out the form, then she turned around, looking at Sam. “Alright Sam,” she said, “come at me, so I can show them.”

“Do I have to,” he said as he leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. Some of the girls laughed. I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine the exact expression. He let out a deep breath, “I don’t appreciate you throwin’ me around, just to prove a point to these girls.”

“Someday that little baby you’ve got is gonna grow up, and she’s gonna need a strong female influence to teach her that she is just as capable of saving herself as any other man,” she said. I smiled, still keeping my distance. I didn't want to interrupt her lesson. “God knows, she won't be safe relying on you,” she turned around, “so come at me.” He rolled his eyes and did what she said. He moved toward her, but she just moved and let him fall. The girls giggled again. “It’s as if you’ve retained nothing I've taught you,” she shook her head, looking down at him, “you’re off balance, and your feet are too heavy.” She extended her hand, “come at me, but do it right.”

“You enjoy tormenting me,” he shook his head, getting back into position.

“Channel that anger and try to give me a real challenge,” she said, before turning her back to him. This time, he came up behind her with more stealth. She threw out a defensive arm, which he managed to avoid, and took the upper hand, but it didn’t take her long to step into the proper position. She got him where she wanted, exactly as she had shown the girls. Using her weight and momentum to flip him, landing him on the ground in seconds. “Now,” she looked at the girls, “partner up, and practice on each other. Remember, the ground is hard, so try to give your partner a gentle landing.”

Sam stood up, dusting himself off, “maybe you could give that a try every now and again.”

She looked at him, crossed her arms, and opened her mouth to speak, but Jen interrupted. “This is stupid,” Jen said, “if I’m attacked, I’m not gonna be fighting someone like Lola, I’m gonna be fighting a grown man. He’s gonna be stronger than me, he’s probably gonna have a gun or some kind of weapon, so this is all irrelevant.”

“I’m trying to give you a fighting chance,” Ky turned toward her, “self-defense isn’t about strength, it’s about technique. Sure,” she shrugged, “right now you’re just practicing with Lola, but once you get the technique down, you can apply it to any situation. Sam is bigger than me, and I can take him down because I know what I’m doing.”

“We all know you’re stronger than Sam,” Jen crossed her arms, “he’s barely a challenge. We don’t even know if you could actually win in a real fight, let alone one of us.”

“You’re never gonna win in a fight, because you run your mouth instead of listening to me or practicing,” Ky crossed her arms, clearly frustrated.

“You could prove it,” she shrugged, “let us see you fight someone who might actually be a challenge.”

“Barring a four-to-one fight against trained PCD officers,” she looked at Jen, “doesn’t seem likely that I’d find a real challenge anytime soon.”

Jen kept her arms crossed, glaring towards Ky, and I could only imagine that Ky had sustained a hard expression in response. Jen then glanced toward me, then smiled. “How bout you fight Ren,” she shrugged.

Ky looked over, seeing me for the first time. Then she looked back at Jen, “I don’t have to prove myself, besides I’ve already had Ren face down in the dirt, what makes him any different from Sam.”

“He wasn’t expecting a fight from you,” Jen crossed her arms, coming to my defense. Ky shook her head, letting out a slight huff. Then Jen continued, “besides," she shrugged, "I think we could all use a little encouragement, some proof that all this shit ain't for nothing.”

“Fine,” Ky said, releasing the tension that had built in her fists, “if you need me to play your game, and entertain your juvenile requests, I’ll give.” She turned toward me, “Ren, come over here.” I raised my eyebrow, and she shook her head, “don’t pretend you haven’t been listening, come over here, and let me show these girls that this is not a waste of time.”

I kept my eyebrow raised, as I approached, “if I agree to fight you, then you’ll listen to what I have to say?”

She let out an exacerbated breath, crossing her arms, “I’ll listen to what you have to say, as long as you manage to stay in this fight, and not a second longer.” I stopped in front of her, and she just looked up at me, “deal?” I nodded, I could deal with those terms.