Writing Prompt Wednesday: an excerpt from "The Good Thing", the NaNo novel.

Last little snippet for the month.  Shucks.  I was kind of having fun posting these!  But I can’t give away too much, I guess, right?  This piece comes from Chapter 16, and is also unedited.  Thanks as always for reading! – JRF

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Vince brought the van to a sliding halt at the much smaller secondary gate along Una Duo’s southern side and jammed it into park, flinging his door open as he turned to Sokolov.  “Grab the gun.  You see anything coming near us that ain’t me or that guy over there, shoot them.”

Pavel opened his mouth, twisting to look out his window at Franjo Dragic, this gate’s single guard.  Franjo held his rifle loosely in both hands as he stepped down from his gate station and made his way around the front of the car, his youthful features twisted in concern.

“But I don’t know how to -”

Vince shut the door on the other man’s protests, going around to meet Franjo halfway.

The kid took in Vince’s bloodied and singed appearance and nodded his head back toward the center of the community, where the siren still blared fit to make a person’s ears bleed.  “They say that thing hasn’t gone off in ten years, know that?”

Vince shrugged.  “I really pissed ‘em off this time.”

“I see that.”  He took a firmer grip on his weapon.  “You know, when I agreed to help you those few weeks ago, I didn’t think it would involve a community-wide alert.”

“I need you to let us out.”

Franjo raised one white-blond eyebrow.  “Us?”

“I have a few passengers.  They can’t stay either.”

Franjo’s brilliant blue eyes narrowed.  “I don’t know… this siren is serious shit.  And the alert says they know about your wraith.  Which means you don’t have anyone to modify the records after I let you out.”

Vince shifted on his feet, biting back the swell of impatience, fighting off the surge of urgency boiling in his blood.  He ran a hand across his scalp, shaking his head.  “No I don’t, but -”

“But nothing, Dannel.  If I let you out now they’ll know.  And then they’ll come after me.  And fuck that.”

“Come with us then.”

Franjo barked laughter.  “Now why the fuck would I want to do that?  You’ll likely get caught anyway, and if not you’ll always be on the run, and that sounds like an exceptionally shitty life to me.  I just made it to this spot, see, and I’d like to stay here for awhile.”

Vince clenched his jaw, hands on his hips.  “Dragic.  Open the gate.”

The kid lifted his rifle a little higher, head tilting upwards.  “I don’t think you’ve got anything to offer me right now that’s better than, you know, staying alive.”

Vince glanced up through the windshield at Sokolov.  The man was watching him, but did not appear to have the rifle in hand.  Damn fragile bastard.  Probably had never even seen a damn gun before.  He licked his lips, taking stock of Dragic’s stance, the readiness of his weapon.  Noticed the holstered Omni and sheathed combat knife.

The knife.

He took a step forward.  Franjo was young and new enough to not take a step back, even beneath Vince’s glowering stare.  “Maybe you forgot how our deal works?”

Franjo shook his head.  “The deal was my ass is covered by your wraith when I let you out.  Now he’s out of commission, so our deal is off.”

“So you’re just like all the rest of those fuckheads then, huh?”

“Look, you gave me Buttons, and I appreciate that, I do.  So I won’t tell them you were here, but you’re gonna have to find another way out.”

Vince nodded. Waited a heartbeat.  And then stepped forward again, left hand catching the kid around the throat and right hand crossing down to his belt to yank the knife free.  He slammed Franjo against the hood of the van and brought the edge of the knife up to his throat, pressing just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood.

Franjo struggled to free his gun, but it was trapped between his chest and Vince’s weight, completely useless, and when Vince shifted his grip on the knife the kid froze, eyes wide and terrified.

“How’s this work for you?” Vince snarled.  “This a better deal?  Open the goddamn gate or I’ll open your goddamned throat.”

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