“Tabitha?” she called out, looking around the area.
It was too quiet. Something wasn’t right. When there wasn’t an answer, she headed straight for the van, noticing as she approached that both of the van doors were still as open as they’d left them.
“What’s wrong?” Wolf asked, coming up behind her.
She shook her head, moving faster toward the back of the van. When she got close enough, her suspicions were confirmed. Lily wasn’t inside.
“Lily?” she called out loudly, not really expecting her to answer.
“Where is she?” Wolf asked, staring at the empty van.
“I don’t know. Tabitha! Travis!” she called out next.
RC approached, walking around the other side of the van. “They’re not here.”
“Maybe they went down to the water,” Wolf said, fear sounding in his voice for the first time—his gut was telling him the same thing hers was, Regan realized.
“I’ll check,” RC said, already moving in that direction.
Wolf looked panicked. “Where would she go?” he demanded, his gaze darting around the area.
Regan took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and trying to center herself. She should have known Tabitha was up to something. She’d seen it in her eyes, and in that out-of-place smile. Now, Regan was afraid to tell Wolf what she suspected, but it was better than letting him think his daughter had been snatched.
“I think they went to the town,” Regan answered in a soft voice.
“Who went to town?” Wolf asked, spinning around, his black hair swinging out behind him like a whip, he moved so quickly.
“Tabitha and Lily. She wanted to get her help and knew she had to do it sooner rather than later. She was desperate to help Lily, Wolf. You saw how sick she was,” Regan defended her friend.
“Why would she take my daughter? She’s unarmed!” Wolf roared.
“Shhh,” Regan hissed, wondering if there were people from the town roaming about.
“We have to go there and get them back. Now,” he muttered.
Regan reached out and grabbed his hand. “Wolf, let’s think this through. You can’t go storming in there. It might get them hurt or you hurt. That solves nothing.”
He shook his head, his dark eyes glowering. “She took my kid. I don’t care if it was for her own good. She should have asked me. No, wait, she did, and I said no! She knew it was dangerous and I didn’t want her to go.”
Wolf’s voice was harsh with emotion, and Regan tightened her hold on him, trying to ground him and knowing he needed to see reason or they were all in trouble. “I know,” she told him firmly. “We’re going to figure this out. On the bright side, maybe she’s getting her help,” Regan offered.
Wolf glared at her. “Or kidnapped.”
Heather came up the hill first, followed by Geno. RC and Fred brought up the rear. Heather was already frantically looking around.
“Where’s Travis?” Heather asked, her voice high-pitched.
Regan looked around, expecting him to materialize. “I thought he was with you?” she asked.
“No!” Heather practically yelled, looking in the back of the van as if they wouldn’t have noticed him sitting there, or he wouldn’t have heard and come out.
Geno slammed his hand into the side of the van. “I told her not to go!”
“Tabitha took Lily and Travis?” Heather asked, her eyes blazing as she glared at Geno.
“Your kid probably encouraged her to go!” Geno shot back.
“I doubt that! He wouldn’t do something so stupid!” Heather said, hands on her hips.
Geno scoffed. “He’s a teenage boy. Stupid is his middle name!”
Heather was shaking her head. “Don’t you dare blame this on Travis. He cares for Lily and would do anything to help her.”
“Like watching her fall?” Wolf growled.
“She wouldn’t have fallen if an adult had been there to stop her,” Fred chimed in.
Regan rolled her eyes, shaking her head as they all bickered. “This isn’t helping,” she said loudly.
“You encouraged her to go!” Fred accused.
Regan pointed at her chest. “I did? When? How? I said nothing of the kind. I wasn’t here. I was with Wolf and RC!”
“Lily couldn’t walk on her own. This had to be Travis and Tabitha,” Wolf said, his face twisted up in anger.
RC stepped into the midst of the group shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. He held up one hand, but said nothing. His calming stance was enough to quiet them, though. There were plenty of glares to go around, but everyone stopped shouting and arguing.
After several seconds, RC spoke. “The children are missing, as is Tabitha. We don’t know who left first or if they are even together. We need to stop the fighting and figure out how we will get them back.”
Wolf looked at Regan, his eyes full of pain. She immediately went to him, her hand taking his. “We’ll get her back. We just have to hope she’s getting the medicine she needs.”
He nodded his head. “What do we do now?”
“The first thing we do is set aside all the drama,” RC said, pulling a small smile from Regan.
It wasn’t often he spoke, and even less often that he used such common language. “He’s right,” Regan agreed.
Geno ran a hand over his head, combing through his overgrown hair. “Fine. What do we do?”
Travis gulped down the lump in his throat as he was led across the street to an average looking house. Ben had been acting completely normal, helping Lily, and Travis was trying to be cool. He couldn’t let on that he knew the man was hoping to keep Tabitha in town. He had to play dumb to avoid raising their suspicions.
He hated leaving Lily alone, too, but he hadn’t exactly been given a choice. Lily had woken up earlier, freaked out to be in a clinic with an IV in her arm. Travis had assured her it was all okay and that she would be feeling better in no time. She’d seemed to believe him and had gone back to sleep. Ben had assured him it was for the best, and that she needed her rest, which Travis knew was true.
It hadn’t been long after that before Junior had showed up and informed Ben that Mac wanted to see the newcomer. And now here he was, heading to meet the man Ben had warned him about. He didn’t want to appear nervous or afraid—that wouldn’t help anything or anyone.
“Travis!” A man with a fresh haircut appeared in the front door, his hand out to greet him.
Travis extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, unable to shirk the good manners his mother had instilled in him.
“I’m Mac. I understand you have a very sick friend. I trust Ben is getting her all fixed up?”
Travis nodded. “Yes, sir, he’s doing his best. Thank you for letting him.”
“Good to hear she’s on the mend. Come in and have a seat. It’s not a lot cooler inside, but it’s better than being out here in the sun.”
Travis got the idea it wasn’t really an invitation, but more like a command. He followed the man inside and saw a woman and two more men seated in the living room. It was a little unnerving to be so seriously outnumbered.
“Um, hi,” he greeted them nervously.
The people each nodded their heads at him. Mac put a hand on his shoulder, steering him toward a vacant chair. “Have a seat.”
Travis sat down in the comfortable, but slightly ugly chair facing the others. He got the idea he was sitting in the hot seat. Clearly, he was about to be grilled, and he only hoped he didn’t screw up and say the wrong thing.
“Travis, tell us a little more about yourself,” the woman said.
Travis took a deep breath, thinking fast on his feet. “I’ve known Lily since we were kids. I met Tabitha through Lily. We were with a group, but when Lily got injured, they ditched us. They couldn’t wait for us while Lily healed, and when she started to get really sick, we realized we were in trouble.”
“So, you’re not with anyone else?” the woman asked.
Travis shook his head. “No. Tabitha, my friend, she came earlier—at least, I thought she did. Is she here? I haven’t seen her,” he said, hoping they would tell him the truth.
Mac sat down on the edge of the couch, looking at Travis. “Yes, she’s here.”
“Can I see her?”
“We’d like to talk to you for a minute,” Mac said in a friendly tone.
“About?” Travis asked, knowing something was seriously off.
“I understand Ben explained a little about his situation with the clinic,” the man started.
Travis nodded his head. “Yes. He said he works a lot.”
“This Tabitha, she’s an EMT?” he pressed.
He nodded. “Yes. At least, that’s what she told us.”
The nods around the room told him he’d probably said the wrong thing, but he figured he’d already told Ben as much as that—contradicting what he’d said earlier would only make them more suspicious of him.
Mac waved a hand at a guard standing out of the way. Travis watched as the guy disappeared down a hallway, and then reappeared a few seconds later with Tabitha.
“Travis!” she exclaimed, her eyes going wide.
He jumped up from the chair, running up and hugging her without thinking about it. “Tabitha! Are you okay?”
“Where’s Lily?” Tabitha asked, ignoring his question.
Mac smiled. “She’s with our town doctor. He’s started her on antibiotics and is going to get her all fixed up.”
Tabitha sighed with relief. Travis gave a slight shake of his head, hoping she understood his unspoken message.
“Great,” Tabitha said with a smile.
“Tabitha, we’d like to have you take a look at Lily. We’d like a better understanding of your medical knowledge,” Mac said.
Travis and Tabitha exchanged another look. “You want me to do what?” she asked, her tone indicating she hoped she’d heard wrong.
“We want to see what you’ve got,” the woman said.
“I’m not a doctor,” Tabitha replied.
“Ben says you did a great job taking care of Lily with very little supplies,” Mac said with a fake smile.
Travis looked at Tabitha, hoping she had an idea about what to do. He felt like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she proved her medical knowledge, they’d keep her. If she didn’t prove it, there was a good chance they would kick them all out and refuse Lily the help she needed.
“Okay,” Tabitha finally said, nodding her head. “I can try.”
Travis headed for the door immediately, wanting to see if someone would stop him. When no one did, he opened the door and walked out, heading back across the street. Tabitha was close behind him. He had no idea what was about to happen. Nothing was as it seemed, he realized.
Ben greeted them at the door. “You must be Tabitha,” he said with a friendly smile, gesturing for them to go in.
She nodded. “I am.”
“Lily is right in here,” Ben said, walking down the hall.
Travis followed behind Tabitha as they entered the room. Tabitha went immediately to Lily, gently picking up her hand.
“Lily,” she whispered, but the girl didn’t respond.
“Do you have any idea what she’s dealing with?” Ben asked.
Tabitha shrugged. “I suspected she was becoming septic with the infection caused by the broken bone.”
Ben nodded. “I think you’re right. I’m giving her IV antibiotics now.”
Tabitha’s eyes went to the bag. She nodded her head. “Good.”
“Do you think we should cast it?” he asked.
“No!” Tabitha said a little too quickly.
Ben smiled, clearly pleased with her answer. “Why?”
Tabitha shrugged. “Um, I don’t know. The infection?”
He eyed her carefully. “Yes. We don’t want to seal it up until we know we’ve knocked down the infection.”
“Right,” she agreed, with enough hesitance to make it sound like she wasn’t sure.
Tabitha and Travis exchanged a look as she checked the stitches and then the exposed wound. Travis looked at Lily’s face, too, and was glad to see she had regained a little color in her cheeks. When he looked up to see Ben, he saw that the doctor was watching Tabitha closely as she checked Lily’s heartrate with her fingers pressed against her wrist, assessing her condition overall.
“I’ll leave you two alone with your friend,” he said after another moment, closing the door behind him as he left.
As soon as the door closed, Travis looked at Tabitha. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
She nodded. “I’m fine. How did you two get in here?”
“She followed you,” he said, his eyes drifting to Lily.
Tabitha groaned. “What was she thinking? Wolf is going to kill me.”
“She was thinking she didn’t want you to go alone and possibly get captured. I guess she had a good reason to be worried,” he snapped.
“I had to do it, Travis. What about you? How did you end up here?”
He shrugged. “I realized Lily was missing and followed her into the trees. By the time I caught up to her, she’d gotten more than halfway here, and I had to help her. She passed out before we could make it here and I carried her the rest of the way. When I showed up at the gate carrying her, they took us right in and brought us here. Do you think they’re good people?” he asked.
Tabitha shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re helping her and that’s all that matters. It’s what we wanted and why we both took the risk, right?”
“Yes,” he answered quietly. Then, before he could stop himself, he asked, “Why were you locked up? You were, weren’t you? That’s why we didn’t see you?” Travis asked.
She looked at him and nodded her head. “Yeah, but I’m not sure way. I was talking to Mac when he was alerted to something at the gate. I’m guessing that was you and Lily coming in.”
“I heard the doctor tell one of those men to tell Mac he wanted you to stay. I shouldn’t have told them about you, but I thought they must already know. They’re going to keep you, just like Geno was worried about. I’m sorry,” Travis whispered.
“It’s okay. I knew there was a risk when I came here. To me, it was worth it. She’s getting the medicine she needs. I’ll deal with Geno.”
“What if they don’t let us go?”
She took in a deep breath. “We’ll deal with it when the time comes. The walls around this place aren’t exactly secure, and you know Wolf and the others aren’t going to let us sit in here. They’ll find a way to get us out. The important thing now is that Lily’s getting the antibiotics she needs.”
Travis looked back into Tabitha’s brown eyes, trying to read her sincerity. The normally serene look he knew to be hers had been replaced with worry lines around her eyes, and her jaw was set. She was saying the words he needed to hear, but she didn’t mean them.
“We could try and escape,” he offered.
She smiled. “I think we need to give Lily a day or two to heal. I can stay with her. We’ll see if they’ll let you leave. If they do, then we don’t need to worry. I’m not leaving her alone.”
“I told them we’d been abandoned.”
She laughed. “That was smart. Do the others know we’re here?”
“Uh, I don’t know.”
“How did Lily manage to get away?”
Travis shrugged a shoulder. “No one was paying attention. I thought you were with her. When I couldn’t find her, I realized what must have happened. I ran in the direction I knew you would have gone, figuring she’d follow you.”
Tabitha sighed and shook her head. “Even as sick as she is, she’s still a stubborn little fighter,” she said, looking down at Lily and smiling.
Travis nodded, holding back a grin at Tabitha’s assessment of Lily, which was spot-on. “They probably figured it out by now, that we snuck off. I’m sure they’ll know we came here.”
Tabitha grimaced. “Geno is go
ing to be furious.”
“You think he’ll be mad, think what my mom’s gonna say.”
“We need to try and get a message out to them, letting them know we’re okay,” she muttered, looking around the room. “I’m guessing they’re either already outside the walls casing the place or on their way.”
“How are we going to get them a message?” Travis asked.
“I don’t know. I could try throwing a note over the wall,” she suggested.
“There are men on the wall with rifles,” he said in a dry tone, not sure if she was joking or being serious.
She sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t want them to worry or plan some kind of attack. Lily is getting the medicine she needs. I want them to hold off a day or two before they try to rescue us. She’s in a good set-up here. Look, Travis, this would work best if you asked to leave,” she pleaded with him.
“What if they won’t let me?”
She shrugged. “We have to try. You have to trust I’ll look out for her in here.”
He nodded his head, hearing voices in the hall and knowing the men were coming back. Ben walked in, followed by Mac.
“Mac,” Tabitha started. “I’m happy to stay, but Travis needs to go.”
“Oh?” the man asked, raising one eyebrow.
She nodded. “There’s no need for him to be here. I’m here. I’ll help take care of Lily. Travis needs to move on,” she said in a firm tone.
“Travis said you had been abandoned days ago because of your injured friend,” Mac pointed out.
Tabitha nodded. “That’s true. What he didn’t tell you is it was his family we were with. He needs to get back to them. He knows where to find them, what direction they went in, and if he leaves now, he can catch up to them before nightfall.”
Mac and Ben both looked at each other, then Travis. He felt as if he were being scrutinized, and tried to return their looks evenly. He wasn’t sure if he should try to look brave or afraid. Their answer would tell them all they needed to know. If they refused to let him leave, they could assume they were being held against their will. They would need to start planning an escape, one way or another. But Tabitha was right that this made sense, and he trusted her and Ben to do all they could for Lily. The man might have lied to them, but he clearly knew what he was doing and was willing to help her.
Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series Page 71