Sensing Anders doesn’t understand, I explain, “But people are hungry. Without food, they’ll die.”
“Then, they should rise up against your torch bearer.”
“But they have the demon guns.”
“They’re just tools like hammers and rakes. If you take them, you can use the weapons against Marks,” Anders says, and then his blue eyes get so big. “Well, not you. Or your family. Maybe your stepfather can do it. But I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Right then, I hug Anders. His soft heart hurts when I’m hungry or scared. I don’t like it when he suffers either.
That’s why when Rusten runs toward Anders with a demon gun, I have to stop the young Volkshalberd.
Moments earlier, the two young men appeared from the woods with murder in their eyes. Before they arrived, Anders stood away from me while I ate a snack. He told me about the television show he watched last night. We weren’t harming anything.
Then Myles shoots a demon gun at Anders. At that moment, I imagine a world without my grand sequoia. The choice for me is clear. The Volkshalberd do not own my heart, while Anders does. I will kill to protect him.
If I was faster, I could have tried to stop the government men from killing Papa. Today, I’m quicker than Rusten. Once Myles shoots at Anders, the big man uses his own gun and puts a big hole in the Volkshalberd’s face.
Rusten hollers in rage and points his demon gun at Anders. I jump on the young man’s back, knocking him to the ground. I hit him with a rock until he stops fighting.
I don’t care if Rusten dies. I never believed the Volkshalberd’s views about death and what happens to us afterward. I am a Dandelion. Rusten can live his story again in another world. His time here is over. In his next story, I hope he’s smart enough to avoid hurting my blond bear.
“Fuck,” Anders growls when he realizes the men are dead.
I wipe my bloodied hands on my skirt and think about the food Anders brought. I should run to the Village and give it to Mama. If the men find me first, she won’t eat. Future is getting so thin. Hunger makes Dove only want to sleep. If I’m about to die, I need to give them the food.
But Anders takes my arm and pulls me toward his big bike. Panicked for my family, I yank free.
“What?” I cry when his angry face scares me.
“There could be more of those assholes. They’ll kill us both. We have to go.”
“I need to give Mama food.”
“We’ll come back for them. First, I need to talk to someone.”
I glance between the dead men and Anders. Even with his big scary face raging like a beast, I know he won’t hurt me. He’s got a baby bear’s heart in a big bear’s body.
Thinking I hear the horn in the distance, I start moving away from Anders and toward the bodies. I take the demon guns and bring them to the giant man who looks ready to yell.
“They can’t shoot us with these if we take them.”
Anders’s face does something that makes me think I’m missing an important step. He doesn’t explain. Instead, he takes the demon guns and shoves them inside a pouch attached to his bike. Then he picks me up like a toy and puts me on the seat.
“You need to hold on,” he demands as he slides over the middle part of the bike.
I wrap my arms around his waist and smile at him. Anders doesn’t need to know I’m scared. His heart is stormy, while mine can seem calm. I decide to pretend I’m not scared at all as the bike rumbles between my legs.
We ride so fast away from the Village. As the sun begins to set, I think of Mama worrying. Then I imagine Dove unable to sit up. Future will cry without food. I need to go back.
But I can’t jump off the bike. I don’t know where we are. Is this still Elko? I only know the few shops the Volkshalberd frequented before the Executioners locked us inside the Village. Where am I?
The buildings are big, and many have flashing signs. I see the big highway we used years ago to arrive in Elko. All that concrete reminds me of the government place we went to after Papa died. The world here is hard and sharp. There’s less grass and trees, more people