Hellbound: Hellbound Series Book 1

Chapter 3

Shrike pulled the hood of her snow coat up. It did nothing against the chill creeping across the back of her neck. No matter how many people crammed onto the crosstown bus, it never seemed to get any warmer. Despite the cold, her neck still throbbed, the pain spiking every time her scarf snagged on the stitches. She readjusted the material with growing irritation as the bus made its way through the city streets. They pulled up to the curb and Shrike tightened her grip on the handrail. The new flow of people coming and going allowed her to shuffle a little closer to her siblings. She flopped into the seat behind Lark.

“My feet have gone numb,” Lark whispered. “Can’t he turn up the heater?”

More people left and Wren slipped gracefully into the chair in front of his sisters. “I need a coffee.”

“Because you’re cold or tired?” Lark asked.

He didn’t turn around. “Both.”

“Me too,” Lark sighed. “I kept having weird dreams.”

“I feel you,” Shrike said.

Lark glanced over her shoulder. “The half dose didn’t help?”

“I was able to wake up from the nightmares. So that’s an improvement, I guess.”

Shrike was relieved when the bus pulled from the curb while there was still a little elbow room. She tried to rearrange her scarf but there was no way to make it comfortable.

“How much longer, do you think?” Shrike asked, eyeing the bus driver in the large rearview mirror. “We’ve followed him all day and he hasn’t done anything strange or violent. He seems the exact same as he was when we last checked in on him.”

“He was the easiest save we’ve ever had,” Lark said.

Wren leaned against the window. “We’re almost at the end of the line.”

“We’re lucky he hasn’t recognized us yet. It makes it a lot easier to follow him.”

 Lark stomped her feet to try to work some warmth into her toes. After making sure no one was paying attention, she added, “Is anyone else worried that we’re being played? What if Lisa’s lying? What if Dad was doing the right thing and these bad guys are trying to stop us?”

Shrike grunted. “If that was their goal, they’ve already achieved it. Dad was the only one who ever knew what was going to happen. He’s gone.”

“Lisa said that we need to—,” Wren cut himself off, glanced around, and rechose his words. “She was specific about what she wanted us to do. That could be their end goal.”

Shrike scanned the bus and noticed a passenger watching them. She cleared her throat and they fell silent. Wren and Lark pulled out their phones while Shrike tried not to glare at the intruder. The touch screen didn’t work with her gloves. Her fingers were going to freeze to keep this conversation going. Her phone buzzed over and over, and she bitterly pulled off one glove. Her fingertips were numb by the time she managed to yank her still buzzing phone free.

“Guys, give me a second,” she muttered under her breath.

Only Lark was close enough to hear her. “It ain’t me.”

Shrike frowned at the unknown number displayed on the screen. She quickly answered it and shoved her ungloved hand into her pocket. “Hello?”

“Shrike Rose?”

“Barsotti? How did you get this number?”

“Perks of being a police officer,” he said. “How’s the neck?”

Her eyes drifted back across the aisle. It wasn’t just the man watching her now. The woman seated beside him was also staring directly at the siblings.

“Alright, don’t answer,” Barsotti said. “I was just being polite, anyway. I have a few follow up questions about yesterday.”

Shrike watched as the people seated around the couple slowly turned to face her.

“Get someone actually involved in the case to ask me.” She hung up and quickly sent a message on the group chat.

I see them, Wren replied.

Three in front, Lark posted.

Shrike glanced up from her phone to find three people all crowded by the front exit watching them. They didn’t talk or move. Just watched. The bus rocked as they took a tight bend. People began to gather their belongings, swirling around the motionless observers. Shrike swayed as the bus jerked to a stop.

“End of the line,” Trent bellowed.

The doors swung open, and the tension snapped. All those that had been watching them started toward the door, chatting in small groups, and never looking back. The siblings lingered, letting everyone shuffle out into the winter air, putting some distance between them and the watchers.

Lark forced a smile. “We’re just being paranoid, right?”

“No,” Wren said. “Those people were watching us.”

“We’re leaving.” Shrike ignored another incoming call and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

The bus had already cleared out, but they were far from alone. The bus depot was a transportation hub, sharing the building with a subway station and intercity buses. All the buses that weren’t in use were parked in long neat rows beside the main building, surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. People braved the cold to sneak one last cigarette before continuing their trips. Shrike caught a glimpse of a subway train pulling in and hoped it was the one they needed. She wanted to get back to the motel and out of the cold.

“Hey,” Trent called. He twisted around in the driver’s seat to smile at them. “You lot look familiar. Have we met?”