Earth: Population 2 (Paradise Lost Book 1) by Aubrie Dionne Page B

turn around. “I’m not leaving without my car.”
    “Cars make too much noise.” With his back to me, he pointed a gun toward the door to the Hilton. Despite all of the commotion, I noticed the logo of Twisted Minds Think Alike on his sweatshirt.
    No time for discussing musical taste. “It has all of my supplies. And I’m not a good runner.”
    He fired three shots into the building. Sparkies filled the lobby like angry hotel guests. “Fine. Get in.”
    I dug my key out of my pocket and unlocked the door. As I plopped into the driver’s seat, I contemplated leaving his door locked and pulling away without him. I hadn’t had a good look at his face. He could be a crazy, for all I knew.
    He saved my life.
    And he was the only other person left on planet Earth. As far as I knew.
    I took my chances and unlocked the passenger door. He jumped in with his hood still covering most of his face. All I could see was the tip of his nose and his chin. Not an old man. In fact, was he my age?
    He slammed his door and turned to the passenger window. “Drive!”
    I pulled around the circular driveway and onto the road. As I drove, he fired out the passenger window. I checked the rearview mirror. Five Sparkies ran after us, gaining on my thirty-mile-an-hour speed.
    “Faster!”
    “I know.” Two seconds with him and he already got on my nerves. I remembered the way back to the highway and gunned it. We lost them as I picked up speed. Slowly, he pulled his gun from the window, but he had his back to me again.
    I veered around a white Toyota, trying not to lose too much speed. “How did you find me?”
    “I heard your car last night, and I tracked the sound to the hotel.”
    Even though he sounded kinda stalkerish, he had saved my life. Besides, the more I heard him talk, the more I thought I knew his voice. But from where? A boy at school?
    No. I’d heard it recently. But, that was crazy. I hadn’t talked to a soul for days. Unless…the movie last night….
    He settled back in his seat and pulled the hood from his gorgeous face. Jet-black hair fell in waves over his ears. Cool blue eyes burrowed into me, stealing my breath away. “Sorry to scare you. I just wanted to make sure we got away.” He held his hand out. “I’m Gale.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
    DARK SECRETS
     
     
    June 27, 2013, 9:13 a.m.
    Day 4
     
    I almost drove off the road. The car swerved, and we hit the little ridges on the side of the highway.
    “Whoa.” Gale braced himself against the dashboard. “On second thought, we’ll shake later.”
    My mouth froze in disbelief. The one person left on Earth with me was Gale freakin’ Williams.
    It couldn’t be. He had to be some sort of look-alike with the same name, or maybe I’d just gone crazy, or, even worse, I’d died and gone to heaven.
    “And you are?” Gale’s smooth tenor voice was unmistakable. Hadn’t Captain Jay Dovetail said the same words with the same sexy cadence to the king’s daughter on The Lady’s Honor when they first met?
    I blinked, trying to remember my name. “Juliette. But, my friends call me Julie.”
    “Okay, Julie. Take the next exit. I have a hideout where we can talk.”
    Talk? Was this even happening? I shot glances at him from the driver’s seat, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Had the Sparkies buzzed reality out of me?
    “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not going to hurt you.”
    “I know, I know. It’s just…you are real, aren’t you?” Face palm. OMG. Did I just say that out loud?
    He laughed easily. “I know how you feel. You’re the first person I’ve seen in days. I felt the same way about you when I saw you confronting those little…demons.”
    “Sparkies. They’re Sparkies. Or, at least that’s what I call them.” Doh! My hands tightened on the wheel. He was going to think I was a total loony toon.
    “Sparkies? I like that.”
    He liked my lame excuse for a species name. I still didn’t believe what was going