Page 27 of Justice
“Don’t we all,” Sterling interjected, “That book barely brushes the surface of them.”
“Then what’s the use?” His voice was more animal than man as he growled out the words. “Why am I destined to be saddled to you all when you’re all a group of failures?”
Harsh. I would hardly say we were failures. But I didn’t get a chance to defend our actions, Liberty beat us to it. “Failures that rescued you and broke the curse.” Her fingers rubbed at the jeweled necklace she wore around her neck, the gems glowing under her touch. “We aren’t keeping you saddled to us, you know. You’re free to go, if you please.”
Though I suspected it was more than just that. Like the rest of us, once you’re near her, the desire to tear your body away from her became impossible. He could leave, but I doubted it would be for long, and he probably knew that. “I just want answers.”
Though his voice was rough, he wasn’t filling us with his aggression. “You can read.” Liberty shrugged. “But there are no answers about your curse in it.”
“My family?”
“No. It doesn’t say anything about that either.”
At the insistent blinking of the seatbelt light, he plopped down in the nearest seat and buckled up. “I need answers.”
Again. So did we. “We will figure them out. We are landing on your land soon, maybe something there will help.”
Though from what I spotted from the window and the feelings I was pulling off Liberty, we both knew that he wasn’t going to find his answers below. A lot had changed in sixty years, the land below was one of them. I doubted any of his pack was left, and even if they were, what good would they be to him now? Lost stragglers from a once-massive pack wouldn’t know shit about the information he sought. Still, Liberty’s suggestion pacified him enough that his nerves seemed to calm.
When we landed, Justice was the last off the plane, and I didn’t know if it was out of fear for what he would find, or because he needed to gather his thoughts before facing his people again. But, the moment he appeared through the door of the plane, his face dropped in disappointment. Even from a distance, I felt the sadness he tried to hide from us.
Slowly he stepped down the steps. “They aren’t here. Our homes are . . . gone.”
He almost choked on the last word; he swallowed hard to work through the emotion. Liberty, sensing his struggle, didn’t try to offer unwanted physical comfort but tried for emotional, “What if we walk around for a bit. Maybe see if we can find something?”
He nodded and lead the way in front of us, not even bothering to see if we followed. We did, of course, not because we particularly cared, but Liberty followed, and we would go with her anywhere to keep her safe. The land in front of us was pretty sparse. Where the houses and huts of his people once were now was just a clearing on the side of a highway. In the distance, through the trees, there was a building, though I couldn’t see what type it was.
As if Justice and I shared thoughts, his head turned in the direction, his eyes locking onto the dwelling before he stomped with purpose toward it. Liberty trailed behind. “What are you doing?”
“Asking questions.” He growled a little too rough for my liking.
“Wait.” Her hand touched his arm, and he whirled around.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.”
She pulled her hand back as if his skin burned her, and Oak, always the protector, was at her side in an instant, using his body to partially shield her from the man. “I just wanted to tell you to be careful. So many things have changed in sixty years, and it’s a bit shocking to someone not used to it.”
“Things couldn’t have changed that much.” He turned, ignoring her warning as he made his way through the waist-high grass.
He was in for a shock; we all knew it. Things had been altered in the years since technology advanced, and the world became dependent on it. Life wasn’t as simple as it once was. In fact, it was a hell of a lot more complicated than it had been years ago, and I, for one, couldn’t wait to watch from the sideline as the bastard figured it out.
We reached the front of the building, a run-down gas station that had seen better days before he stopped. His eyes looked around like he was taking in all the details before locking onto the double glass doors. He marched in their direction, determination in every step he took. When he reached the doors, his fingers wrapped around the metal bar of the handle, and he pulled, flinging it open wide before stomping in.
Well, he definitely had the dramatic entrance down.
His eyes widened as he took in the convenient store in front of him. The selection vast compared to so many years ago. Even run-down, the inside was covered with flashing advertisement screens and blinking neon signs. His eyes flinted around, taking everything in. Liberty stepped up to him again, probably trying to distract him from whatever emotion he was feeling. The reaction was strong, strong enough to make me gasp, and I could only imagine what Justice felt.
“Do you want to grab some food while you’re here?” she asked.
He ignored her, turning his back to her, efficiently shutting her out as he took a step further into the store. Then another. Until he was standing at the nearest aisle gazing around. It took him a few moments to move further down, and we all waited. This was his journey inside of ours, and though we could have rushed him, at this moment, nothing seemed pressing.
He took slow steps, gazing at each item on the shelf as he gathered a few of them. I doubted he had thought how to pay for his purchases, if he planned to at all. Not like it mattered; between the four of us surrounding him, one of us would cover it. When he reached the last aisle, he stopped, his eyes watching the mesmerizing display of slowly turning hot dogs, cooking on rotating heated bars.
“Do you want one?” Liberty tried again, and in response, he just walked away.
That action alone made Oak growl behind us, anger sparked in his emotions. I got it, and I understood it. But I also knew that Justice spoke the truth, that he couldn’t physically hurt our girl, and well, she was stronger than a little silent treatment. In fact, when whatever this shit was that was happening was over, I suspected she would repay him tenfold with her own attitude and petty displays that she’s proven capable of in the time we’ve spent together. Hell, she could make him spend a night in that pink monstrosity of an apartment, and that would be payback enough.
Justice approached the middle-aged man at the counter, plopping his armful of food down on the Formica surface before allowing himself to eye the man in front of him. His gaze drank the man in through long hard pulls. It drew out through time until the clerk was squirming in place, beads of sweat lining his forehead. His throat cleared, “Can – can I help you?”