by Adele Huxley
I covered the phone with my hand and whispered harshly to Walt, jogging across the shop to grab my keys. “I gotta go. The guy is there with her right now.” Whether or not she was playing me, there was no way I was going to take the chance by risking her life. When Rick got in my face, I hadn’t seen an ounce of kindness in his eyes.
Walt jumped to his feet, moving faster than I’d ever seen him, hands plunging into the dark cupboard beneath the register. He pulled out a hunting rifle with a rich, mahogany colored stock and held it out.
Holding the phone to my ear, panic growing strong in my veins, I resisted. “I can’t take a fucking gun.”
Walt practically threw it at me. “It’s not loaded but it’ll scare ‘em good.” I tucked it under my arm and flew out of the store, thanking every deity I could think of that I’d decided to drive to work that day.
I put the phone on speaker and chucked it on the passenger seat, sliding the rifle tightly into the crease. The conversation was a bit clearer now, as if Liz had moved the phone to a better spot.
“Just hang on,” I muttered. My mouth tasted bitter with fear. I had no idea what I was going to do once I got there. I just knew I didn’t have much time before Rick took all the options away, maybe for good. “Hang on, Liz. I’m coming.”
My truck screamed in protest as I slammed the gas to the floor, blowing through an empty four-way stop. If any of Tellure Hollow’s tiny police force followed me for speeding, I’d lead them straight to Rick and welcome the ticket. It was only a couple minutes to the gas station when driving the speed limit, so I knew I could get there quickly. As long as I kept all four tires on the road…
“You’re risking worse jail time if you get caught,” I heard Liz say. It physically hurt to hear the fear in her voice. Rick was twice her size and didn’t seem to be the type of guy who thought twice about hitting a woman. In fact, he seemed like the kind of guy who thought it was his place to slap a woman around a bit, teach her a lesson.
Rick’s voice grew louder as he told Kayla to get out of the way. I cut over the double yellow lines as I took a sharp corner, seeing the glowing phone slide across the seat towards the door. My hand shot out to catch it and, of course, it was that moment my truck started to fishtail. I lifted my foot off the gas and the reduction in speed was enough to straighten everything out. You can’t help her if you die getting there, I thought to myself.
Gripping the phone tightly in my hand, I held the steering wheel with my fingertips. It was my only lifeline to her for another mile.
Rick was speaking again but I couldn’t hear it clearly, the sound of fabric rubbing against the microphone, drowning it out. I only caught the last bit. “…what she did. You know there are consequences to our actions. So why don’t you…” His voice became muffled again as my headlights swept up the hill. The gas station was only down the road.
Liz’s scream echoed through the truck. “Liz!” I cried out. He’d gotten to her. What the hell was he doing? I floored it as the road straightened, no longer caring about my own safety. “Liz, are you there? Fuck, Liz!” Her phone was still connected, the call time still ticking away, but the line was quiet.
Cursing under my breath, I finally spotted the glow of the Texaco station. I whipped in at full speed, the tires skidding on the gravel. I saw Kayla standing alone, her hands to her mouth in horror. Time slowed, the moments passing like freeze-framed pictures. I blinked and saw their Jeep speeding out of the lot, whipping around to head back into town. As the Jeep turned toward me, I could see the hulking figure of a man in the driver’s seat. Rick.
Something fell from the Jeep, rolling away in a cloud of dirt. For a moment, I thought it was a shopping bag or a tire falling from the trunk. As I slowed my truck to a stop, the headlights obliquely lighting the settling dust, I couldn’t pull my eyes from it.
The pile moved, a delicate hand reaching out, fingers splayed in the dirt.
I was out of the truck and running to Liz before I knew what was happening, my heart in my throat. At least she was moving. At least she was alive. Now, I only had to get her safe.
With one swift movement, I pulled her to her feet. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I asked as she tried to break free from my grasp. I immediately saw the blood coming from a gash in her hair. I scanned her quickly, noting the torn jeans, the ripped coat. Swallowing the urge to comfort her, I embraced the other emotion thrumming through my veins: anger. Squinting through the bright lights, I tried to spot him in the dark.
“Where is he?” My voice sounded foreign, distant. I held her by the arm, my eyes flitting to each movement, waiting for him to jump from the shadows. The white lights on the Jeep glowed in the dust, racing towards us. The bastard pulled forward and had the nerve to smile at her.
“Aw Beth, are you alright?” Rick asked with a chuckle. It took every ounce of willpower to not rip him from the Jeep and beat him to a bloody pulp right there. I stepped between them, telling Liz to go to Kayla. Although I hadn’t remembered grabbing it, it was then I felt the heft of the gun on my shoulder. Noah appeared from behind, a cocky smile glued to his face. He stood beside the Jeep, his arms crossed, entirely out of his element.
Rick looked me up and down, the smile on his face widening until it resembled a snarl. “Listen, this really has nothing to do with you. Beth and I go way back. I think you got the wrong impression last night.” He was a cocky shit but the gun did give him pause. I’m sure if I didn’t have it, he would’ve attacked me straight away.
I tilted my chin to my chest and gritted my teeth. “Get the fuck out of their car, get back in the truck, and drive back to whatever shit hole you crawled out of. Whatever Liz was to you, she’s not anymore.”
The adrenaline was pumping hard and fast through my veins. It’d been so long since I’d tasted the sweet rush, the hyper-awareness, the overwhelming feeling of being alive. As Rick chuckled and opened the door, any fear I had slipped away. I was The Blizzard. I flung myself down mountains, broke records, laughed when others cringed back in fear. From the youngest age, I’d lived off adrenaline, forged in intensity. He might’ve surprised me last night, but I wasn’t going to let it happen again.
Noah stepped forward, the movement pulling my eyes to him. “Listen, you yokel, absolutely none of this is your concern and frankly, I’m sick of you showing up where you aren’t wanted.”
He wasn’t a threat. The real threat was exiting the truck. My hand slid up and down the leather strap on my right shoulder, reminding him of the gun’s presence. With a laugh, Rick slammed the Jeep door and sauntered towards us like he didn’t have a concern in the world. His eyes darted over my shoulder to where Liz stood and he licked his lips.
Rick held his hands out, exposing his palms as if he had nothing to hide. “Hey man, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but these aren’t the sort of ladies that need protecting. These females…well, I wouldn’t turn my back on them, if I were you.”
I took a step forward, widening my stance. I knew with my bum leg it wouldn’t take a lot to bring me down, so I had to be ready to move quickly. “I’m giving you one last warning,” I said, my voice darkening.
Noah laughed, looking back to Rick for approval. “What an idiot!” Rick gave him a pat on the shoulder and chuckled along with him as they both advanced.
The fact they were laughing made the next moment even sweeter. Rick ran his left hand through his hair, his fake laugh muted in the falling snow. “You’re giving me one last warning?” He gestured wildly with his hand, probably meaning to distract me from what his right hand was planning. Keeping my eyes locked on his, I peripherally watched his right hand disappear into the pocket of his puffy jacket. Judging by the size of it, he could’ve been hiding a knife, a small gun, anything really. As he laughed, he stopped with only a few steps between us. Noah was completely unaware of the movement.
“Man, I’m giving you one last chance to get out of the way. I promise I won’t do anything to Beth she doesn’t deserve. T
hat should make you feel better.” As if punctuating Rick’s last sentence, Noah clapped his left hand down on my shoulder, his hand a vice-like grip.
A second later, Rick’s right hand started to pull out of his jacket and I reacted. I yanked the strap down, grabbing the gun by the barrel. I brought the stock screaming towards Noah’s face in a wide, looping arc. They’d had assumed the most dangerous part of the gun was the barrel, never considering it could be used in other ways. He didn’t even have time to raise a hand to block the impact, the sickening sound reverberating up my arm. A bright spray of blood arced through the air, splattering on the snow at our feet. I readied myself for the back swing.
The sudden violence made Rick reconsider, his hand still hovering inside the pocket. Noah stumbled back, clutching the side of his face, red trickling between his fingers. He hunched over, touching his face gingerly, blood dripping to the ground with wet splats. Kayla and Liz screamed, along with a couple other bystanders who’d been caught in the middle. Kayla broke free and ran to his side shouting his name. He shoved her away, knocking her on her ass with a cry.
Liz was at my back. I wasn’t sure if it was for protection or to hold me back. Either way, I was glad to have her trembling body pressed against mine and not his.
“Now you’ve done it!” Noah screamed. He was doubled over, blood flowing freely from his nose. “Rick, beat the shit out of him,” he yelled, pointing at me.
Rick’s eyes rose to mine as he slowly looked away from Noah. There was no fear there, perhaps a shred of surprise, but he definitely wasn’t afraid of me. He made no move to leave, but it was a long before time they were gone.
“I’ll say it once more. Get it your truck and go. If I ever catch you around these girls again, I’ll kill you.” The words tumbled out of my mouth. To me, they were meaningless, what you said when you got into a fight like this, what characters say in the movies. If only I’d known the consequences of those words…
I heard a woman in the gas station screaming for someone to call the police. A couple young guys stepped closer, unsure who to defend should we come to blows again. It was obviously two against one but I didn’t have a mark on me. After a few moments, Noah stood straight, looking down his broken nose at me. He leaned to the side and spit, Kayla gazing up at him in concern.
“Come on man, they aren’t going anywhere. It’s a small town,” Rick said, putting a hand on Noah’s shoulder, pulling him backwards. It was obvious who had the real power in their relationship.
“See you around, Beth,” he sneered with red-stained teeth. Noah retreated to the passenger side of the truck. Rick took a few steps before he turned back.
“Oh, I didn’t get a chance to say it last night baby, but happy birthday. It’s a big one, right? Twenty-one…nearly a woman.” The way he licked his lower lip made my skin crawl, but he didn’t push it any further.
I didn’t move until the taillights of his truck crested the hill, heading back into town. After that, my brain went into survival mode. I turned and grabbed Liz’s elbow. “Get in my truck. We’re going to your house to get your things and then we’re going somewhere safe.” She blinked at me, obviously not registering what I had said. “Liz, he’s going to come back for you.” With a tight nod, she made it clear she understood.
Kayla was just climbing to her feet when I reached her. “Liz is coming with me. We’ll follow you back up to the cabin.” She opened her mouth to speak but I walked away, dragging Liz behind.
I slid the rifle under the seat and climbed in. A few of the bystanders looked concerned, as if they were considering stopping us from leaving. “Come on, come on,” I muttered, urging Kayla to get the Jeep on the road. I glanced at Liz. She sat in the passenger seat staring at her trembling hands. My only thought was to get her completely safe. If I allowed myself to stop long enough, I was afraid I’d pull her close to me and never let go. We had to get safe and then assess the damage.
Touching her arm, I said, “You know what we’re doing right?”
She blinked up at me, her blue eyes wide and heartbreakingly innocent. “We’re getting my things and going someplace where Rick can’t find me.”
Pulling onto the road with one hand, I tried to give her a reassuring smile. “That’s right. Think about what you need to pack now so we can get in and out, okay?” She nodded, staring blankly out the windshield. “Hey, we’re okay.”
“I know…thank you…I’m sorry…”
Trying to hide the concern from my face, I glanced at her a few times. She seemed shocked, which worried me. I could hardly blame her, but things would go a lot smoother if she were an active participant.
We made it to the cabin in record time. I backed the truck in, planning for a quick getaway. Liz quickly jumped out and headed up the stairs. Maybe I should bring the gun? I chewed on the thought for a moment, watching Kayla run up behind her. Loaded or not, I decided I felt safer with it. Slinging it back over my shoulder, I took the stairs two at a time, amazed at how little my body hurt.
I heard the shouting as I shut the front door. I cautiously checked the main areas before heading down the hall to Liz’s room. There was no physical way Rick would’ve been able to make it up to the cabin ahead of us but that didn’t mean he wasn’t following behind. I wanted to be aware of my surroundings.
“What are you doing? Liz, talk to me,” Kayla shouted as I rounded the corner. Liz had a small suitcase open on the bed. She was quickly picking through her drawers and closet, moving swiftly around the room as Kayla stood in the middle yelling. “Lizzy! Will you stop?”
“We don’t have time. We have to get out of here,” she said flatly as she folded a thick sweatshirt into the suitcase. “Go pack, we’re leaving.”
“Hold up. You’re bleeding. Will you at least let me look at it for you?” She stopped, scowled at Kayla and then looked over to me. It took me a minute to understand, but she was looking for my opinion.
I shook my head. “You’re alright. It’s already stopped bleeding.” Liz nodded and continued packing. Kayla threw a dirty look over her shoulder and approached her friend.
“Where do you think you’re going to go?” she said in a softer voice. “Christmas is in a few days.”
Liz didn’t meet her eyes. She spoke as she disappeared into the bathroom, returning with her toiletries wrapped in a towel. “I can’t think about that right now, Kay. All I know is the next time I see Rick, he’s not going to hesitate. We’re going someplace safe.”
I stepped forward, keeping my voice calm in an effort to defuse the situation a touch. “My family has a hunting cabin not too far from here. It’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s safe. If you get your bags packed, we can go there straight away.”
Kayla huffed, throwing her hands in the air, ignoring me. “You just need to talk to him, that’s all!” I thought I heard the front door click shut so I stepped back, gripping the strap of the rifle just in case. The hallway was empty. When I turned back to the bedroom, Liz had closed the lid on her suitcase but was staring incredulously at her friend.
She blinked several times, speaking softly. “Just talk? I just need to talk to him? Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Her voice grew louder as she stepped toward Kayla, towering over her not in stature but in presence. “You know exactly what he’s going to do when he gets me alone. He’s going to beat me. He’s going to rape me. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to walk away from the whole thing in one fucking piece. So please forgive me if I don’t feel like sitting down and grabbing a cup of coffee with the guy!” At this point, she was practically screaming in Kayla’s face, who didn’t move or respond. “Are you coming or not?”
Kayla sucked on her teeth and crossed her arms in protest.
“Ugh,” Liz said with a disgusted shake of the head. She returned to her bed, zipping the suitcase up. “You have always defended him and I will never understand why.” As she yanked the suitcase off the bed, our eyes met. There was an intensity there, scary yet admirable all at
once. I took the suitcase from her and headed back outside. Pushing past the stunned Kayla, Liz followed me down the hall.
As we reached the front door, Kayla screamed from the bedroom. “You can’t just run away with some local! You don’t even know him!”
Liz slammed the door and gave me a tight smile, pulling on a new jacket. “Ready when you are.”
I’d been so shocked by her outburst, much of the urgency had sapped from my bones. I wanted to stop, clean the blood from her face, hold her close to my chest. As I looked into those crystal blue eyes, I saw the fear just below the surface, like bubbles under ice. “Alright, come on.”
The closer we drove into town, the more nervous I got. I half expected Rick to come screaming out of a side street, just laying in wait for us to drive by. Tellure Hollow was a small town. It wouldn’t take long for him to find us and if not him, then maybe one of the police. As I drove past Freddy’s on the way to my house, I thought to call Walt. Without a house phone, the best I could do was call the store and leave a message. I let him know everything was fine, we were safe, and that we were going to lay low for a couple days until things cooled down. Liz glanced at me when I said the last part, an expression I couldn’t read in the dark.
We were in and out of my house in a matter of minutes. Like someone staring at the back of my head, it was like I could feel Rick just behind me. I stuffed a bunch of food into a couple shopping bags, grabbed some toiletries, and filled my backpack with a few changes of warm clothes. Even though I hadn’t told her exactly where we were going, I was glad Liz had packed warmly. The cabin was never the best place to spend a winter.
As I zipped around the house, Liz stood hugging herself. We had barely spoken on the way down and I feared she was retreating into herself again. I jogged out to the truck and came back, scanning the house for any survival gear we might need. I remembered the extra flashlights I’d found in a drawer. I also threw a couple empty gas cans into the bed of the truck, mentally planning on stopping at the other station in town to fill up. I had no way of knowing if the cabin’s generator had enough fuel, and I didn’t want to chance another trip into town.