and kept walking. The man pulled away and continued down the road. Ahead there was a sign that said Maryville, population 1725.
When the town came into view, Kaitlyn wondered if she would be able to pull it off. She had never interacted with anyone outside of the compound before. It wasn’t much of a town from what she could see. A few houses lined the street, with a run-down gas station on one side, across from a diner with a flashing arrow.
Kaitlyn pushed open the door into the gas station. A bell went off above her head and she tensed. Was that a warning?
“Morning, dear.” A plump woman with a nice smile and grey hair greeted her. The badge on her shirt said her name was Marcy.
“Good morning,” Kaitlyn replied.
“Can I help you with something? You look a little lost.”
Great. Her first interaction, and they already knew she was lost. “Is there a train station or bus stop anywhere close?”
“Sure is. There’s a Greyhound about three miles up the road, and you can take that to connect to Alexandria Union Station. Where are you headed?”
“Fort Lauderdale, Florida.” Kaitlyn frowned and wondered why those words slipped out of her mouth. Somewhere deep in her subconscious, she knew that was where she was supposed to be. She wished she could take back the words once they escaped. The security team would probably come looking for her and ask if anyone had seen someone matching her description. She could kill the lady, but that seemed harsh. If they followed her to Florida she would just have to loose them.
“Well, that’s quite the trip. You might want to grab a few snacks.”
Humans ate all the time, she reminded herself. If she wanted to blend in, she had to act the part.
“You’re right,” she said, smiling. “I’m starving.”
She made her way to the back of the store and grabbed a couple of bags of chips and two candy bars. When she reached for the Butterfingers, a memory crossed her mind. She looked to be around twelve years old, and she was rummaging through a plastic pumpkin filled with candy, searching for Butterfingers.
A slow smile spread across her face. She was starting to welcome the memories. It was like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle slowly fitting together. Once she had all the pieces, she would have a clear image of who she used to be.
“Don’t forget to grab a drink.” Marcy tilted her head towards the cooler.
Right. Can’t forget a drink, Kaitlyn thought wryly as she reached in for a bottle of water.
“That will be seven dollars and ninety-nine cents.”
Kaitlyn stood there confused for a moment until her processor flashed money. She scrabbled through her bag and pulled out her money and dropped a hundred dollar bill on the counter.
Marcy eyed the bill. “Don’t you have anything smaller than that?”
Kaitlyn flipped through her bills; she really should have researched more. Finally, she found one that had the number ten on it and handed that to the woman.
“Thanks, that’s better. And be careful flashing that kind of money around. The world is filled with bad people.” The woman handed her money back which Kaitlyn stuffed into the side pocket of her bag.
“Bad people?” Kate asked.
“Don’t you watch the news?”
She shook her head no. “I only watch movies.”
The woman was looking at her strangely, and Kate realized she said something wrong to draw attention to herself.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be more careful from now on.” Kaitlyn turned to exit the building.
“Have a safe trip.”
“Thank you.” Kaitlyn could understand why the IFICS were concerned about her interacting with humans; she wasn’t very good at it. She felt like a fish out of water. The saying had just popped into her head, an element of the slang chip, she suspected. It reminded her of Quess and made her feel strange. She didn’t have time to analyze feelings; she had to get to the bus station.
It was as if she were set on autopilot. At the bus station, a kind-faced gentleman in a uniform helped her find the right bus.
She boarded the bus and made her way to the back. She wanted to be able to see who entered, and also she had quick access to the emergency exit.
The memory of the attack kept playing through her mind as she watched the scenery pass. The bus rolled down the highway in the early morning, once in awhile they past quiet little towns. She couldn’t stop thinking of the the woman