by Mark Mathews
“Thank you. Can you take us there?” Sarah asked.
Scott was more than happy to lead them to the shop, and Wade walked with him, just in case Scott asked any questions about Emily’s gift. He didn’t want to push the man, in case he changed his mind regarding the car, but he wanted to make sure he gave him the opportunity to ask if he wanted to do so. Sarah took the packs and divvied them up among herself and the girls so they each would have something to carry. She hung back, reading from Wade’s body language that he wanted some space with Scott.
“I won’t take anything from you for the car now, but when the world goes back to normal, I would ask that you come back and pay for it.” There was a sternness in Scott’s voice, and it took Wade aback for a moment. This was a business deal, so maybe this was just the businesslike manner that he had. Wade had no problem making him that promise. He was almost one hundred percent sure the world never would go back to normal, but if it did, he was an honest person, and he didn’t mind at all coming back to pay.
“I would be honored to come back and pay for it.” The ease with which Wade reassured him made Scott smile. The harshness left his demeanor and he clapped Wade on the back.
“Alright, here we are. We didn’t bother to lock any of the gates around here, so there won’t be anything hindering you from leaving.” Wade shook his hand and watched as Scott walked away from them, back the way they’d come. Sarah loaded their packs into the trunk, glad that they had an air-conditioned way to travel for a little while. The girls climbed in the back seat, and Sarah went to check on Wade. He still was staring after Scott, like he wanted to run after him.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was soft, trying not to intrude on his quiet thinking. Wade almost didn’t hear her. He swallowed hard and pulled himself out of the daydream he was having.
“Um, yeah. I’m okay. I just want to help these people. They were here for me when I needed them, and I just want to make sure that they’re all safe. I know that’s kind of a weakness right now, in the world that we live in, but I just want to help them.” Sarah put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he snapped himself out of his daze.
“I guess we should get going. I don’t want to keep the girls waiting.” Sarah agreed, and the two of them got in the car. Wade pulled out the map, trying to orient it to where they were so he could figure the best route to get to the lakes.
“Alright, girls, just try to get some rest while we’re driving. It could take a while.” Both of the girls agreed with her and made themselves as comfortable as possible.
The warm sun shining in the windows, the peacefulness, and the sense of security wrapped around them like a warm, fuzzy blanket, and both of them started to drift off. Sarah found herself caught up in the same lull as the girls, but she had to fight to stay awake. Wade would need her help to be vigilant, and if he was starting to feel comfortable, too, then the two of them together might not be enough.
An hour or two went by, and they hadn’t found any traces of the motorcycle gang at all. It made Sarah worry. If they hadn’t found them, then the gang might already be at the lakes. That would make it difficult to know if it would be safe. The gang could be laying out a trap even as their little group was on their way. Not knowing the area as well as their adversaries was a definite disadvantage, but it wasn’t anything they hadn’t covered in their training, years ago.
“I don’t know what this means, but if we can get to the lakes unscathed, I’ll be grateful.” Wade had dropped his voice down into a whisper, trying not to wake the girls or let them overhear.
Sarah looked over her shoulder to reassure herself that the girls were sleeping. Emily was curled up against her window, the sun shining down on her face, giving her a healthy glow. April had her head thrown back, her mouth open, and was snoring quietly. It warmed Sarah’s heart to see these girls weren’t taking things too seriously. They might not have a normal life from here on out, but at least they were taking it all in stride. She knew that she and Wade would do whatever they could to make their lives as easy as possible.
“I hope they might be going somewhere else, but with everyone we’ve met knowing something about the lakes and their prosperity, we might not get that lucky.” There was a little tightness in her voice, and she didn’t want Wade to know why. Sarah had been hoping and praying that the gang wasn’t going to be heading the same way they were, or if that was out of the question, at least not be going the same route they were.
“I just have this nagging feeling that he motorcycle gang is already at the lakes.” Wade was only saying what he thought, but as soon as he voiced it, Sarah knew with some unexplainable certainty that he was right.
Was she starting to get that sixth sense feeling that Emily had? If she was, then it certainly would help them out, but she didn’t want to steal Emily’s thunder, because this strange ability made her feel like she really was helping the group. Consulting her on dangerous situations was something that made the little girl feel important. Sarah didn’t want to take that away from her. Maybe if Sarah actually was getting this power, she just would use it when she was alone, or to reinforce what Emily told her. Sarah decided to keep it to herself for now, just in case it was only police intuition that she was feeling. The weather was holding for them, staying warm and sunny. If it continued like this the closer they got to the lakes, then they could find a place, build a shelter, and set up a little life for themselves before winter set in.
Wade was driving, and the road wrapped around the smaller mountains and ridges around the village where they’d stayed. He turned another corner, and the village came back into view. He braked, letting Sarah look at the village with him for a few moments. He still felt guilty for not being able to get them all to safety, and he hated himself for letting that guilt consume him. There was nothing else he could have done. Scott was being stubborn, and he wouldn’t even relay the message to the villagers. Wade had considered trying to go for a walk and tell every person he saw, but then the message would come off as the ramblings of a stranger. It would turn off more people from the idea of coming with them instead of convincing them. As the adults looked down at the village, little flashes of light caught their eye. Sarah recognized them instantly for what they were.
“That’s gunfire. Should we go back and try helping?” The blood was pounding in her veins now, adrenaline ramping up her edginess.
“I don’t know. We have no idea what’s going on down there, or who is fighting with them. For all we know, they could be fighting each other. We might even have instigated it. If Scott went to tell them what I said, they might have started an argument that escalated into this.” He gestured out the window to the town below.
What he didn’t say was that he thought that situation was the truth, and that he felt responsible for every life lost in the town now. His face paled, and his gut churned. He wanted to go down there and try stopping what was going on, but he knew that just himself alone wasn’t going to be enough. Even with Sarah at his side, when people decided to start killing each other, there usually was no stopping them until it was all done. Or there was no one left alive. He felt sick right down to his very core. Wade wracked his brain, trying to come up with another scenario that wouldn’t be entirely his fault. Sarah was staring intently at the village, lost in her own thoughts.
Sarah flinched, and Wade caught it out of the corner of his eye. His head jerked back toward the window. Flames shot up from one of the buildings, and Sarah’s mouth dropped open. More and more buildings spontaneously burst into flames, and a tear slid down Sarah’s cheek. She didn’t know many of the people down there, but her heart went out to them anyway. The wind changed and they could smell the charred smell of burnt wood and hot stone. The acrid stench of burning plastic stung their noses. Emily’s fears had been warranted after all.
“I knew that something was going to happen, but I never imagined this.” Emily’s voice was shaky, but there was no doubt about the fact she now was awake and looking do
wn at the town, too. Her voice made Sarah jump. She’d been in her own little world while she’d been mesmerized by the flames.
“Oh no, honey, you shouldn’t be seeing this. Look away.” Emily couldn’t, however. It was like a train wreck that everyone had to stare at.
“We should go down and help.” It was Wade who spoke next, and he had more conviction in his voice than he had had the first time he suggested it to them.
Sarah was of a similar mind, and she even was getting out of the car so she could get a closer look at the town. Wade was right behind her, even though his window faced the town. They stood there, together on the ridge, both of them feeling as though they had betrayed the vows they’d taken as police officers to help everyone in need. Sarah wasn’t sure the oath still applied now that some of the things they had to do to survive would be considered criminal activity. She bit her lip.
“I agree. We need to pay them back for helping us. We should go down there and do whatever we can to disperse them and end the fight.” Her pity and sorrow for the town was readily apparent in her voice.
“Maybe we should go back?” The adults were now in consensus, but Emily was shaking her head. Neither of them were watching her, so she cleared her throat to get their attention.
“There’s no point in going back. It’s already too late.” Those words were a hard blow to Wade’s gut, and the breath whooshed out of him. Tears started at the corners of his eyes, and he couldn’t just blame them on the burning wind from the village.
“What do you mean it’s too late?” Sarah’s face was drawn, and Emily didn’t want to hurt her more, but she had to tell the truth.
“There’s nothing left to save. Nothing can be done. By the time we got back there, the whole town will be in flames and the people all dead or gone.” Emily winced as she told them the truth. She could see how Sarah’s face just caved in on itself. Wade let out a strangled groan.
“Oh wow. That’s horrible.” April finally had woke up and must have gotten out of the car to try finding them, since she was the only one still in it.
Sarah hung her head. She would have rather neither of the girls saw what had happened to the village. She turned to April to tell both her and Emily to get back in the car so they could continue, but when she did, she saw movement behind the girl. Her hand instantly went to her pistol and she drew it, lunging forward to pull April behind her. The sudden movement caught Wade’s attention, and he also drew his weapon, pushing Emily behind him. They both now were focused on a spot in the tree line off the side of the road.
“Show yourself! I know you’re out there!” Sarah’s voice was cold and hard.
She had a gut feeling that this was their share of the bad luck, and this time she knew it was just a police instinct. A man came out of the trees, holding a rifle pointed at them. She didn’t recognize him, but he had a lot of leather on. Understanding clicked in her head. He was from the motorcycle gang. Did that mean they actually had beaten the gang down from the mountain? Was it the gang that had caused all that destruction in the town behind them? If so, had they done it because they’d watched Wade’s group leave? She wouldn’t put it past the pigs to send some of their forces back to the town just to exact revenge for helping their group.
“Well, well, well. What have we got here? I thought I told you I’d kill you the next time I saw you?”
Sarah wanted to whip around toward the direction of the voice, but she knew any sudden movement on her part only would get her or one of her group shot. Slowly, she turned her head to see the man who had escaped from them before. He’d been alone before, and they had let him go on principle. Now she was seeing that it had been a mistake. He had the numbers, and it made her wonder just how many of this gang there really were. She and Wade thought they had been doing a good job thinning them out, but this was proof that they still had plenty of others to take the places of the ones who had been killed.
“What do you want?” April was the one who’d spoken up, and Sarah flinched. If the girl ran her mouth and said the wrong thing, they all still might end up six feet under.
“April! Shut up!” Sarah hissed the words at the girl, just barely loud enough for her to hear.
She looked at Sarah and saw the seriousness on her face. The young girl’s face turned red, and she looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Sarah felt awful. She hadn’t wanted to shame the girl, but she was trying to save their skins, and if April undid all the work she was trying to do, then they wouldn’t make it out alive. She felt bad as she watched April kick at the dirt at her feet with her scuffed shoes, and she made a mental note to apologize when they got out of this. If they got out of this.
“Aw, look at mommy protecting her babies.” When he realized what he had said, the man looked from April to Emily. Sarah thought he looked really stupid as he was trying to figure out something, but she was smart enough to hold back her sentiments.
“The last time we met, you only had one, didn’t you? That little one there. She’s the one that we took.” Sarah wanted to kill him already for taking Emily the first time, and if she thought for one second that this pig would do it again, then she would make sure it would be a slow, drawn-out death.
“Yes.” Sarah ground the word out through her gritted teeth.
Wade’s eyes snapped up to her, and he got her attention without the gang that was surrounding them seeing. He jerked his head to the side once, almost imperceptibly, telling her that this was not the time to lose her temper. Privately, Sarah agreed, and she knew better, but her mothering instincts had started blossoming ever since she’d found Emily, and had doubled to include April now, too. Sarah closed her eyes and did her best to calm herself down.
“What do you want?” It was Wade who spoke now, trying to take the attention off of Sarah.
His voice was calm, and he clearly was trying to negotiate for their lives. The man turned his attention to Wade and gave them all a nasty grin. The wheels were turning in his head, and Wade wasn’t too sure he would like the outcome.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SARAH SWALLOWED HARD. It didn’t look as though they were going to make it out of this one alive. Her heart sank. There were things she’d wanted to do with Emily, and now that they had April, she wanted to set up a family with Wade and the girls and try taking this world one day at a time. Now, it didn’t look as though they would get that chance. She had a gut feeling this gang was going to take them out. Sarah wasn’t one for giving up, usually, but this time, she really couldn’t see a way out. Still, she looked to Wade as the leader in this one, because she didn’t want to jump the gun, or be the one who made the decision to give up for the whole group. The same man who had threatened them before, the gang leader, sauntered up to them, making a show of looking over Sarah. She bristled and gritted her teeth, wanting to spit out something truly vile to rub him the wrong way, but she had the girls here, and she didn’t want to be petty and nasty in front of them if she didn’t have to be.
“Well, well, well. I seem to recall telling you what I’d do to you the next time we met. It doesn’t look as though you cared much for my warning. Now I think we’re going to have to follow through on what I promised.” He walked forward with a crude bat carved from a hunk of log, patting it against his thigh as he walked.
Sarah refused to let him see her fear, and she refused to flinch. She spread her arms a little more in front of the girls, squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin, eyes blazing. He was looking right back at her, as he started sauntering toward her. Wade was watching the exchange, and was trying to think of a way out. His mind was churning, but he just couldn’t see a way out of this one. They were outnumbered, and they had nothing to help them. No element of surprise, no hidden snipers to take out the gang and cause chaos, nothing. The leader stopped, almost five feet in front of Sarah, then he got a confused look on his face, folding his arms over his chest.
“Maybe you can tell me why we keep meeting like this? I don’t think it’s my cha
rm that has you coming back. Where are you heading?”
Was this a reprieve? Were they going to be left alone after all? Sarah tried looking over at Wade covertly to see what he wanted her to do, but she couldn’t get him in her line of sight where she was standing. Not without making a deliberate movement that this prick would pick up on. The silence stretched on, until finally, Wade cleared his throat.
“We’re heading toward the Great Lakes.” Sarah was dumbfounded. Why had he told the truth?
“But we aren’t staying there. We’re going to pass through on our way to Canada.” It was a quick lie, and the best she could do on such short notice. She was doing what she could to try protecting the information that they had.
She watched the leader’s face closely, and he looked back at some of his gang, who were holding weapons on them. The looks that they exchanged clearly said that this group was heading to the Great Lake, too. Sarah’s heart sank again. They had hoped against hope this group wasn’t going to be heading the same way they had been, but now that final illusion had been shattered. The leader turned around and walked back to a woman who looked pretty rough. Sarah was guessing that she was his old lady, or at least his second-in-command for the moment. They started talking in hushed tones, and Sarah noticed how the rest of the group, while still holding weapons on them, kept most of their attention on the leader. Wade was trying to inch his way closer to Sarah and the girls, without being noticed, but it was painstakingly slow, and the way he was going, he wasn’t going to move any great distance before the leader came back. Wade stopped moving completely, and Sarah instantly looked toward the gang leader. He was done talking, and was starting to come back.
“Tie them up and take their weapons.” He barked the order, and three men came forward.
One held a pistol trained on them, the other two had ropes and started to tie up Wade. The other rope man came toward Sarah and the girls. Sarah stood in front, trying to show the girls it was going to be okay. When the man came over to start tying her up, she stood stock still with her chin up, proud and unyielding. Once all of them were tied, they were led to a little circular clearing that was maybe twenty feet across. One of the gang was put in charge of guarding them. Wade still was weak from his injuries, even though they were healing, and both girls were exhausted. The stress and fear of their earlier situation already had been dragging them down. The two of them were curled up together, heads on each other’s shoulders, sleeping. Wade was drifting in and out of consciousness, and that left Sarah to spearhead the group. The man who was guarding them looked bored out of his wits, and Sarah decided she would try getting some information out of him while they were stuck here together.