You know you’re in Kentucky when this drives down the highway next to you. #kentucky #US42 #UnionKY #daytrip #thingsthatmakeyougohmm #roadtrip (at Union, Kentucky) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6eFLZFNZZ/?igshid=1oq18fstqjawu
“Don’t let her die,” the voice hissed. “Not before she tells us what we need to know.”
“It doesn’t matter if she tells us,” another voice said. The language was not English. It was unfamiliar to Najia, yet she understood it perfectly. “You will follow her there.”
Najia opened her eyes. She lay on the cold, hard pavement, blinking up into the blue sky. Her mind was strangely alert and focused; she could still hear the alarm from inside the building.
Najia scrambled to her feet and looked up at the window she had jumped out of. It remained open, but there was no one inside, looking down at her. She turned suddenly as she heard voices coming from around the building. They had made it to the ground floor and were coming quickly.
Najia sprinted across the pavement toward a car that was parked against the building. She yanked open the door and fiddled with the wires until the engine started. She slammed on the gas as bullets peppered her bumper. She flew through the empty, early morning city streets, across the bridge, and onto the interstate, leaving the city behind her.
Najia bolted upright, shaking and sweating. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she threw a pinch behind her, right into Shane’s chest. He grunted and threw his hands up in defense.
“It’s me,” he shouted to her.
Najia scrambled backwards, bumping into the other side of the wall of the bed. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered. “What happened? Where are we?”
“Back of the truck,” Shane groaned. “I was sleeping until you started yelling and punched me.”
Najia rubbed her temples. “I had the strangest dream,” she muttered. She turned to Shane. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” he said quickly. “I’ve been hit harder than that.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” she said. “You probably deserved it.”
Shane smiled. “Probably.” He moved next to Najia. “What the hell kind of dream was it?”
“I don’t remember,” she said quickly.
“You’re lying.”
“What does it matter?” she asked, turning to him.
“It’s clearly bothering you.”
“It was just a dream.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can’t,” she barked.
Shane stared blankly at her for a moment. “Okay,” he said simply.
Najia hesitated. “Did you know I was homeless?”
“I think we’re all homeless,” Shane said.
“No,” Najia said shortly. “Before the invasion. I was living on the streets.”
Shane was quiet. He watched her carefully as she spoke.
“My mom died when I was young,” Najia said. “Overdose. Dad killed himself in his garage seven years ago.”
“You were homeless for seven years?” he asked softly.
Najia shook her head. “No. Only the last year or so before the invasion.”
“That explains a lot,” Shane muttered. “I knew you were a thug.”
“I’m not joking,” Najia shouted. She slunk back against the wall of the bed. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Shane said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about that.”
Najia’s fingers scratch absentmindedly at her jeans. Shane put his hand over hers and she stopped.
“So,” Shane said quietly. “Crazy Gramps found out and told you to come to Stardew?”
Najia shook her head. “John doesn’t know.”
Shane hesitated. “I’m sure if you told him-”
“He doesn’t give a rat’s ass,” Najia hissed.
“That’s not true,” Shane argued.
“You don’t even know-” She felt Shane’s hand tighten around hers.
“I might not know your life story,” Shane said. “But I know he cares about you. Call it a hunch.”
Najia met his gaze, unconvinced. “Something else happened,” she said, turning away. “His call must have been intercepted or something. Because after he called me, I was picked up off the street. All ‘Taken’ like. Thrown into the back seat of a car, blindfolded, beaten.” Najia hesitated. “The government, I guess. They wanted to know about Stardew Valley.” Najia turned to Shane. “I sound like Crazy John, now, don’t I?”
Shane stared at Najia. “What happened?”
“They wanted information. Information I didn’t have. They tried everything to get me to spill.” Najia turned away again, her fingers scratching at her legs anxiously again, but Shane tightened his grip. “I got out. Escaped.” She met Shane’s gaze. “I jumped out a fourth story window and survived, completely uninjured. I took a car, and I left the city. All before the invasion even happened.”
Shane was quiet as he watched her. She did not break her gaze.
“Why do they want to know about Stardew Valley?” Najia whispered. “What’s here that they want?”
Shane turned away. “The answer to winning this war?”
“I didn’t know,” Najia sobbed. “I don’t know.”
“Hey,” Shane said, pulling her into him. “It’s okay. Okay?” He hesitated. “I know that’s not very comforting but… it’s over with.”
“What if they followed me?” she asked. “In my dream, someone said I couldn’t die until they got the information they needed. And someone else suggested that they follow me.”
“No one followed you,” Shane assured her. “We would know by now. It was just a dream.”
“What do they want with me and the valley?”
Shane wrapped his arms around her. “The light,” he said. “They didn’t want you to hog it all for yourself.”
Najia sighed and let her head rest against his chest. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all since we got here,” she said. “Before, I thought there was a chance that it was all fake. A misunderstanding. But it’s here, and it’s real, and there’s something more to all this. I just don’t know what.”
“Well,” Shane started. “When you figure it out, let me know, and we’ll take care of it.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do mean it. If it turns out some shadow brute followed you, I’ll kill it. If we have to blow up their headquarters, we’ll do it. If we have to leave Stardew Valley, we’ll go somewhere tropical. Travel the world and see the sights, remember?”
Najia pushed herself away and hopped out of the bed of the truck. She watched the stars twinkling in the night sky and sighed. “Yeah. Okay.”
