Tomorrow Land (29 page)

Peyton nodded stiffly, staring at the corpse of her former friend, realizing nowhere was ever going to really be safe again.

Chapter Thirty-two

“He did it! He did it!” Peyton whooped along with the crowd, throwing her arms around Helga and jumping up and down in glee. “He kicked that Other’s ass!”

“That was amazing,” Helga shouted over the din. Her face was alight with admiration. “I didn’t want to say anything, but Toro—well, Toro has killed many, many men. I thought your boyfriend would be one of them.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Peyton said automatically, but her heart lurched, telling her otherwise. He’d been so brave out there. So strong. Not giving up, despite the odds.

“Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me.” Helga didn’t sound convinced. “But come on, let’s go bribe my buddy and get him out.”

They wove through the crowd and back to the jail. Everyone seemed more intent on the next fight, getting drunk or collecting money to pay the two girls much notice. Helga led Huggie into the back room and came out fifteen minutes later. Peyton didn’t want to know what she’d done to win Chase’s freedom, and she really hoped it just involved the drugs. In any event, she was thankful the girl had chosen to do it.

“You remember your promise,” Helga said as she returned. “You’re going to take me with you. I want to get the hell out of this crazy place.”

Peyton nodded. “Of course. We’ll be happy to have you along.” What was one more, anyway? And it’d be nice to have someone else older around to help with the kids. Besides, Helga had more than earned the right to come.

“Okay, Huggie said to go around back and he’d leave Chase there.”

The two girls walked out of the jail and circled to the back. Sure enough, a tied-up Chase had been left there in the dirt, on his knees, covered in bruises and cuts. Peyton intended to spend the night taking care of those, making sure none of them got infected.

“Chase!” she cried, not able to wait a moment longer.

He looked at her. His beautiful green eyes were almost hidden behind all the swelling on his face.

“You came for me,” he croaked, his voice hoarse.

“Of course I did,” she said, kneeling in front of him. It was all she could do not to throw her arms around him and squeeze like there was no tomorrow. But he was hurt. Exhausted. Affection would have to wait.

“How did you…?”

“Helga helped me. She knew what her boyfriend had done to you and wanted to get you free. She has been an amazing help, and we’re going to take her along with us.”

Chase looked a little nervous but nodded to Helga. At first Peyton wondered why. Then she remembered. The drugs. He was probably wondering if Helga had ratted him out.

As happy as she was to have him back, they’d definitely need to have a serious talk.

“We’d better get out of here before the next match is over,” Helga said. “We don’t want to be caught out and about. Chase isn’t exactly unrecognizable now that he’s taken down Toro. And the Society isn’t going to be pleased at losing their new champion.”

“Right.” Peyton nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Chase gasped as she helped him to his feet.

She cocked her head in question. “What?”

He looked sheepish. “Before we go, I have to… grab something. I left it back at your place, Helga. You think Luke is at the match?”

“He’s never missed one. But what do you need?” Helga asked.

“Yeah, Chase, what do you need?” Peyton demanded, narrowing her eyes. Though why she bothered asking, she didn’t know. It was obvious what he needed, what he was going back for, and it infuriated her. After all he’d been through, he still wanted his damn drugs? Unbelievable!

The tenderness she’d felt for him just moments before evaporated, and it was replaced by fury. He was no better than her mother. And a risk to them all.

“Um, I can’t say,” he stammered, at least having the decency to look embarrassed. “But it’s important. You have to trust me.”

Anger burned in her gut and swam in front of her eyes. She wanted to grab him by the hair and drag him back to camp and slap him around until he begged for mercy. After all they’d been through—after he’d almost been eaten by that monster—he still hadn’t learned.

He was hopeless. Worse than her mother, even. Thank God they’d never gotten involved. It would hurt too much now. It already hurt too much, to be totally honest. But at least she could manage to walk away. For good, if necessary.

“We’re going back to the kids,” she said flatly. “We’ve left them far too long, and I hope they’re safe. You can meet us at the camp after you do your . . . errand. We leave first thing in the morning, with or without you.”

He looked hurt, and she fought the urge to temper her words. After all, he should be the one feeling guilty, him and his pathetic addiction.

“Fine,” he said at last. “I’ll see you soon.” And he took off, stumbling a bit down the alley, presumably toward Helga’s.

“Come on, let’s go,” Peyton growled at the blonde, who was giving her a questioning look. She couldn’t blame the woman. All this work to save Chase, and then he took off? But what could Peyton say? She could only do so much. “We’ll go find the kids. We’re traveling with eight of them, and they’ve been on their own all this time.”

Helga looked surprised, but then she nodded and the two of them headed for her scooter.

As they puttered up the on-ramp to the expressway, leaving Paradise and the New Thunderdome behind, Peyton glanced back at the seemingly peaceful town and the lights that still shone from the stadium. It seemed almost normal, compared to everywhere else. And yet the plague had changed these people terribly, made them into bloodthirsty savages dressed in Armani.

What a strange world now existed. Was there really any way anyone could ever expect it would go back to normal, be rebuilt? Her father had always said the plague would get rid of humanity’s worst elements, give everyone a chance to start over. But what would they be starting with? And who was starting what, and where? Peyton didn’t have much hope.

But then, she reminded herself, there were people like Helga. People willing to risk their lives to save a stranger. People who still held out hope for a better tomorrow. Maybe all was not lost after all.

“Where’s Chase? Where’s Chase?” cried the kids as the scooter pulled up to the camp in the courtyard of the Motel Six. Torn stood in front of them all, looking protective; he clearly hadn’t recognized the bike. The kids moved from the bonfire they’d built to crowd around the two girls, anxious faces surrounding Peyton. “Is he okay? Who’s this? What happened?” The questions came fast and furious.

“He’s okay. He’ll be here shortly,” Peyton assured them, feeling all the while like her heart would tear in two. They loved the stupid idiot. Blindly and thoroughly. And he was just letting them down. If only they knew how little he deserved their affection. “And this is Helga. She’s going to be traveling with us from now on.”

They got off the bike and the children surrounded Helga, asking her a billion questions, which she laughingly answered as best she could. Peyton walked to the fire and sat down. This should have been a moment of triumph. Instead it felt empty, knowing Chase had once more traded his safety and the safety of them all for a quick fix.

Not ten minutes later, Chase zoomed into the camp on his own presumably stolen scooter, triumphantly carrying a big plastic bag of goods. The kids cheered and hugged him as he got off the bike. He laughed and pushed them off, protesting his injured body and promising them candy in exchange for breathing room. Then he poured out the sack like some post-apocalyptic Santa Claus. They dove for the pile of food and sweets, not caring that the chocolate was way past its “Best If Used By” date.

He walked over to Peyton, who had stayed by the fire, and looked down at her. She saw confusion in his eyes, which made her all the more furious. He really thought he was going to get away with this? He didn’t know why she was angry?

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She kicked a stone, wanting to strangle him. “We have to talk,” she said.

He looked nervous, but nodded. “Okay. Talk.”

Peyton looked at the kids, who were chomping happily away at the candy. “Not here. Away from
them
.”

“Do you want to go into one of the rooms?” he asked, waving a hand at the motel. “I can grab a key from the front desk.”

“Fine.” Peyton turned to Helga. “Do you mind watching the kids for a few?”

The blonde looked scared for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah. No problem.”

“Sorry; don’t mean to put you on babysitting duty the second you get here.”

“Don’t worry.” The woman laughed. “I’m just grateful to be here. I’m prepared to earn my keep.”

Peyton rose to her feet, realizing she was still wearing the silky dress. She’d have to change when she had a chance; this wasn’t exactly a prime travel outfit. But she supposed it was good enough for a conversation about drug abuse. A conversation she really didn’t want to have.

She walked toward the motel, her legs feeling like they weighed a ton. She
so
didn’t want to have this conversation. But she had no choice. Chase was an addict, and he’d already endangered their mission on several occasions because of it. And him going back just now was the last straw. He cared more for the substances than he did for their safety. And that wasn’t acceptable. Peyton had tolerated it too long with her mother.

Chase had taken a piece of wood from the fire and he now carried it as a torch. He also carried a bag. The key he’d collected opened one of the doors, but not before he pounded on it and pushed Peyton behind him protectively—a chivalrous gesture she couldn’t bring herself to appreciate, under the circumstances. He shoved the door open, scanning the room for zombies. It was thankfully empty.

They stepped inside. The room was musty and dank. It obviously hadn’t been used in a while. Two sunken double beds took up most of the space. On the dresser sat an unplugged Smart TV.

“I know why you got caught,” Peyton began, turning to him. “Helga told me.”

He looked at her sharply. “What did she say?”

“What do you think?” she demanded, anger coursing through her. He was going to deny it all? Even now?

“I have no idea,” he retorted. “Luke told me he knew of a grocery store. That he could take me there. I know it was stupid to follow him, but I figured—”

Peyton stared at him. She couldn’t believe he was standing there, even now, looking her in the eyes and lying through his teeth. “Really?” she said. “That’s what you’re going to try to make me believe? That you were looking for groceries? You must think I’m really stupid,” she growled, pacing the room like a caged tiger. “I know what Luke promises his victims and it sure as hell isn’t groceries.”

“Peyton—”

She whirled around, meeting his eyes with her own. “And then! As if that’s not bad enough—as if you already haven’t risked all of our lives with your stupid addiction—after you almost die in the ring—you still see fit to go back! Putting us all in danger once again, just for your precious drugs!” She grabbed a lamp from the nightstand and slammed it to the ground. It shattered into a thousand pieces, a good visual of what her life was turning out to look like.

Chase shook his head slowly, staring at her with disappointment in his eyes. “Is that really what you think?” he asked. “Is that really, honest to God, what you think I went back for?”

She met his gaze with her own. “Yes. I do.”

He let out a long sigh. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small, colorful box. “I went back for
this
,” he said, tossing it down on a bed. It bounced once, then settled, and she realized what it was: a music box. “I wanted you to have something special. To show you how much I care about you. To show how grateful I am that you believe in me, that you still care about me enough to come save my life.” He shook his head again. “I think I must be the one who’s stupid.” He turned and stormed out of the motel room.

Peyton stared down at the music box, her world crashing down all around her.
This
was what he’d gone back for—not the drugs, but a gift for her? Had Helga been wrong all along? Had Chase actually only been after groceries? He’d asked her to trust him—to believe in him—but she hadn’t. Not really. She’d been let down too many times before. But Chase wasn’t her mother. And he didn’t deserve to be judged by her standards.

She reached down and gingerly picked up the music box, stopping to wind it before opening its lid. A beautiful holo-Sleeping Beauty twirled in a perfect pirouette, and “It’s a Small World” tinkled through the air.

Her gut wrenched. Her head spun. She set down the box and ran outside to find Chase.

On the far side of the bonfire, he was grabbing a backpack and stuffing things into it. Ready to leave forever? It couldn’t be. Where would he go? Would he take the kids? They had become a little family, and she didn’t want to give that up. He’d made mistakes, but she had, too. They could forgive each other. But he couldn’t go. He was hers. He’d always been hers, from before the end of time.

“Chase!” she cried, running to him.

He looked up, his eyes stormy, not even pretending to hide his fury. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. At first he was stiff as a board, unyielding and stubborn, but she refused to let go.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m an idiot.”

He sighed deeply. “No. You’re not. And you weren’t entirely wrong, either. I admit, I was tempted when Luke mentioned the drugs. And I almost allowed myself to fall. But I didn’t. Because of you. Because of the kids. I told you I wouldn’t be that guy anymore and I meant it. No matter how much it hurts, I’m not going to take another drug as long as I live. I promised you that and I need you to believe me.”

She looked up at him, into those beautiful green eyes of his, and sought some sort of forgiveness in their depths. She wasn’t sure if she found it. Then she kissed him, crushing her lips against his. This, it seemed, he could not resist, and he kissed her back with such passion he took her breath away.