Discomfort pervades the air. No one has slept. Pushing his greasy hair back, Dredd tells Cinnamon, “Shouldn’t have brought her.” Darting a look at Anne. The tension in the air is so heavy and thick, it has its own texture. “Everything was fine until she arrived. You-all go out, come back with a major haul, and next thing you know, it’s pigs on the prowl in search of some blood.”

“You’re wacked, Jack,” Cinnamon scoffs. “Nothing has been fine for a long while. Why I never stay around more than a day or two.”

“Bullshit. Canary, she’s my girl. Always been loyal. Like you once were, Cinnamon. I took you-all in. Gave you a home. Structure. Taught you about real freedom. Oppression.”

Anne and Canary sit with their backs to the wall, packs between their knees. The twins rest their faces on Canary’s lap. Trot stands over Anne, lights up a smoke. Out the open door, the world of wilderness flies by in a green blur.

“I started hopping trains long before we crossed,” Cinnamon spits. “You were probably still trying to help freshmen girls achieve enlightenment in the back of your VW Microbus.”

“Oh, fuck you, little lady. Funny how this Anne shows up and next you know, the cops do too. I got the memo, the bullet points, the headline. Know what I think?”

“That’s the real issue, isn’t it? No one cares what you think anymore, and they haven’t for a long time.”

Dredd’s face hardens and he says, “She’s a mole. That’s what I think. Know what we do to moles?”

“Oh, back the fuck off, Dredd. She’s no mole. She had a scuffle with some street vagrants when we were in town earning. Cops probably picked up on it. We never paid it much mind. Could have followed us back to the encampment, staked us out without us knowing it.”

“Really, a scuffle. And you’re just now telling me? After we done lost everything. Placed everyone’s lives in jeopardy. Uprooted everything we built.”

“No one is in jeopardy. Anyone got arrested is out by morning.”

“I take you in and this is how you repay me. After all I taught you two. Everything we worked and built—it’s gone, girls. Gone. Disbanded. No fucking more.”

“I was leaving anyway,” Cinnamon tells him. “Just passing through. I wasn’t staying.”

Fiery faced and disgusted, Dredd yells, “Maybe you’re the mole.” His eyes bulge.

Balling her small fists, Cinnamon pushes herself to her feet. “There’s no mole,” she barks back. “You’re fucking AWOL! Hear me? And you’re fucking controlling. You act like a fucking dictator, like everything you preach against.”

Coming to her feet, Anne reaches for Cinnamon, “Let’s calm down. Take a breather. Everyone’s spent. It’s been a long journey, rough night.” Taking her hand, Anne tugs her gently. “Come on. Let’s sit.”