by Kelli Walker
I grabbed my son’s hand and we raced for the back seats, sliding in as the woman jogged around to her door. She was talking into her radio. Probably informing someone we were heading to wherever she was. She slipped into the car and threaded her hand back behind the passenger’s side headrest, then Officer Drewery looked back at us and straight into my eyes.
“Hold on. This is going to be fast,” she said.
The second she cranked up the car, she throttled out of our neighborhood. Dom slid into me as I careened into the door, her sirens filling my ears. I held my son closely as his eyes grew wide. Officer Drewery took a series of back roads I’d never seen before. An entire expanse of Georgetown I’d never delved into before. Wheels squealed and traffic halted. Cars parked off to the side and horns honked with fervor. I felt Dom shaking against, fearing the worst.
So, in an effort to calm him down, I began running my fingers through his hair. Like I used to do when he was a little boy.
“My gosh you need a haircut,” I said.
“Of course you’d think that at a time like this,” Dom said.
“I don’t know what else to think right now. You boys will always be my main priority.”
“Is Dom going to be all right?”
I looked down and saw fear buzzing in my son’s eyes.
“DeShawn’s strong. Like you. It’s why the two of you were meant to be brothers. He’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okay, and I’m going to be okay.”
“What about Tristan?” he asked. “Is he going to be okay?”
I thought back to the promise he made me. The promise that, no matter what it cost him, my sons and I would be safe from this horrendous occasion.
And I had no idea how to answer my son.
“Unit 4509 approaching Sycamore Dairy Road. Status update?”
“Unit 4509, have you hit the dirt road yet?”
I felt the tires jostle as I looked out of the car. Nothing but trees and dirt and dust surrounded us. There were two police cars walking around objects that still looked black off in the distance. Lights flashed without sirens, illuminating the strange place we all found ourselves in. I didn’t recognize where we were, and it made me nervous. If Darnell knew these forests, then DeShawn could be anywhere in them.
“This is Unit 4509, that’s a positive. Coming up on two patrol cars and what appears to be a dark-colored truck. It’s got another vehicle pinned to a tree. Standby.”
I peeked through the bars of the patrol car and my eyes widened. That was Tristan’s truck. It was pinned to a tree that was hanging on by a thread from the ground, and it was completely mangled. Tears flooded my vision as a brick settled in my gut. I heard Dom whimper at my side and I pulled him closer, trying to cradle him the way I used to when he was a little boy.
“That’s the truck! That’s the truck, Mom!”
“What is? What truck?” I asked.
“The one Darnell was driving. That’s the truck he pulled up in. That’s the truck I saw out the window,” Dom said.
“Are you sure?” Officer Drewery asked.
“I’m positive,” Dom said. “One hundred percent. But isn’t that--”
“It is, baby boy. It is,” I said.
“What is?” the officer asked. “The two of you need to talk with me if you’re going to be out here.”
“The truck pinned to the tree? That’s Tristan Overcash’s. He’s my across-the-road neighbor. He went after my son when he was taken. You have to find him, okay?” I asked.
“The two of you stay here,” Officer Drewery said. “Don’t come out for any reason. I’m going to go check it out. We’ll take it a step at a time and figure it out. I promise. Okay?”
I nodded, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the wreckage. The driver’s side door was completely caved in. The windshield was cracked. The back window was cracked. The driver’s side window was completely smashed. The passenger -side door was open against the tree, but not by much. My only hope was that Tristan had been okay from the accident and been coherent enough and strong enough to get himself out.
“Where are they?” Dom asked.
“I don’t know, honey. But the police are going to figure it out, okay?” I asked.
Suddenly, two booms sounded in the distance. Like singular firecrackers popping off. I grabbed Dom’s head and ducked down in the backseat, splaying myself over my son. Police officers were yelling at one another, and I caught bits and pieces. ‘No blood’ and ‘total loss’ and ‘footprints down this trail’ and ‘you take left’. The radio in the patrol car went wild as several voices came over the small intercom at once. So many phrases bombarded my ears, but I couldn't decipher a single one of them. The only thing I could focus on was the blatant gunshots off in the distance.
One after another after another.
“Mom,” Dom said.
“I’m right here,” I said as I kissed his head. “Just stay down, okay? Stay down with me.”
“What if he’s killed Dee?”
I shook my head against my son’s hair, refusing to entertain the thought.
“He hasn’t,” I said breathlessly. “He can’t.”
“Why not?” Dom asked. “Why can’t he?”
My son peeked up from underneath my arms, his eyes begging for something. Any reassurance I could give him. I refused to lose faith in the strength of my son. I refused to lose faith in the strength of my family.
But most of all, I refused to lose faith in Tristan.
“Because our family’s been through enough, sweet boy,” I said. “And there isn’t a God in the whole of the universe who could possibly be that cruel. That’s why he sent Tristan to us. Our own fallen angel to make sure we’re safe.”
“So, you think he’ll find Dee,” Dom said.
I lifted my head just long enough to see several police officers and an ambulance pull up beside us.
“I know he will,” I said before I kissed my son’s head. “I know he will.”
Tristan
Every single time the gun went off, I dodged. Zig-zagged. Jumped and dipped behind a tree. I knew I was getting closer to them because I heard DeShawn’s crying. I heard him sniffles. I heard his struggles as he tried to get out of his father’s grasp. But other than the branch I clutched in my palm, I had no other way to defend myself. No gun to do battle with and no equally-powerful weapon to point in that bastard’s face.
The only thing I could do was keep up with them and count the bullets as they fired off.
Even if he had an extended magazine, the gun Darnell likely had didn’t have more than nine shots before he’d have to reload. And that reloading moment would be my entrance. I stayed as close as I could and counted them all of one by one.
And with each gunshot, we all got deeper into the darkness of the woods.
“Dad! Stop it! Let go of me!”
“You’re coming with me, boy. I’ve waited years to see you again. To look you in the face and tell you I could do better the second time around.”
Another bullet, another splintered tree.
“Stop it!” DeShawn exclaimed.
“Then I get out to find you’ve bunked up with that white bitch. You’re my son! You came from my body! Do you not remember your mother? The sacrifice she made for you? And you’re going to abandon your family for them!?”
“You're not my family,” DeShawn said. “Family doesn’t hurt one another.”
Another gunshot, and if I had my count right, it was time to make my move. I rushed out from behind the tree, ignoring the shooting pain running through my face. I raced as fast as I could, jumping over logs and closing the distance between myself and Isabelle’s son. I drew air through my nose and puffed it through my mouth. I focused on my beating heart, keeping it steady as I gripped the stick in my hand. I picked up my feet so I wouldn’t trip and kept my eyes trained on the figures in front of me.
The figures that kept getting larger and larger.
“Leave us the fuck alone, you annoying piece of shit!”
“Dad! No!” DeShawn exclaimed.
I saw the barrel of the gun come into view. I saw his finger pull the trigger. But the second the chamber clicked, a grin slid across my face.
I leapt over a downed tree and cocked the branch back in my hand. The second my feet planted onto the forest floor, I cocked my hips and brought it up. The branch connected with Darnell’s chin, knocking him off his feet as him and DeShawn went careening to the ground. I rose the stick up and cracked it against his arm, forcing him to relinquish the boy in his grasp.
“Go,” I said as I held my hand out for him.
“Come with me. Come on, Tristan,” he said as he got up.
“No. Run now. While you can. Get out of here!”
I shoved him behind me as Darnell rose to his feet, leveling his angry gaze at me.
I heard the boy’s feet carry him as fast as he could go. I cracked the branch in two and twirled them in my hands while I stood between him and his son. His fist balled up and came around to connect with my jaw, but I leaned back. I dodged every punch as he came at me, expending more energy than he needed to in order to attack. When he stopped to catch his breath, I brought one of the branches around. It slammed against his face and forced him to stumble before I cracked the other one against his other cheek. I drew my right hand back and jabbed the branch into his stomach, forcing the air to leave his lungs as he doubled over.
His face went right into my knee as I brought it up, breaking his nose against my assault.
I tossed the branches to the ground as he fell to his knees, holding his bloodied nose as bruises appeared upon his cheeks. I dipped down and wrapped my arm around his neck, choking off his air supply as I knelt beside him. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to snap his neck and leave him for dead. I flexed my muscle and twisted my body, and one more inch in the other direction would’ve shut that man’s lights off for good.
But I felt a pair of arms wrap around my chest and pull me away from him.
“Stop it, Tristan. Don’t be like him.”
DeShawn’s voice pierced through the bloodlust of my mind as Darnell passed out against my arm.
“He isn’t worth it,” DeShawn said.
I stood to my feet, panting as I wrapped my arm around the boy’s shoulders. I pulled him to me and brought his head to my lips to kiss. I patted his back as sweat dripped down mine, and I felt his arm slide around my waist.
“Police! Put your hands where I can see them!”
DeShawn and I put our hands in the air as officers came out of the darkness around us. Their guns darted from my body to Darnell’s as the man began to groan. He rolled onto his back as leaves clung to his body, his hands and his face filled with dirt and grime from the forest floor.
“Are you Tristan Overcash?” one of the officers asked.
“I recognize that voice,” I said as a grin tore across my cheeks.
“Nice to meet you in person,” she said as she holstered her gun.
“Officer Lopez, it’s good to meet you in person as well,” I said.
“You two know one another?” DeShawn asked.
“We have a mutual friend,” she said with a grin.
Darnell groaned and fought the officers that tried to pull him up from the ground. I held DeShawn close to me, burying his face into my neck so he wouldn’t have to watch. I turned him away from the commotion as Darnell struggled and resisted the arrest. I wrapped my arms around the trembling boy who had been so strong throughout this entire thing. I cupped the back of his bald head and kept his vision in my shoulder, stroking his back and trying to settle him down.
“It’s over,” I said. “You’re safe. And we’re all going home, okay?”
I kissed the side of his head mindlessly as the officers finally got Darnell subdued enough to haul him back towards the opening of the trail.
“I hate to break up the moment, but I’ve been commanded to tell you that there are two people who are very eager to see you guys.”
DeShawn lifted his eyes to mine before a broad smile crossed his cheeks.
“They’re here,” he said.
“In their defense, I’m not sure why you expected any different,” I said.
“Are they okay?” he asked. “Are Ma and Dom hurt or anything?”
“They’re just fine,” Officer Lopez said. “A little worse for wear and very worried about you two, but otherwise they’re fine. You look like you could use a paramedic’s attention though, Mr. Overcash.”
“I feel fine,” I said.
Then, a searing pain shot behind my eyes and forced tears into them.
“Maybe I could stand a little once over,” I said.
DeShawn chuckled as I patted his back, then brought him back in for another hug. The relief that washed over me was overwhelming. Because for a moment there, I just knew that man had killed this boy. I held him tightly, biting down onto the inside of my cheek as the tears threatened to spill over.
It felt like my kid.
It felt like I had saved my boy.
“Come on,” DeShawn said into my neck. “Let’s go get Ma. She’s gonna need some wine after all this.”
I chuckled and shook my head as I grasped the back of DeShawn’s neck.
“I think we’re all going to need a little something tonight,” I said.
“I’ll lead the way,” Officer Lopez said. “And Mr. Overcash?”
“Yep?”
“If you ever want to don a badge again, the department would be honored to have you.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’m going to stick with construction,” I said.
“Could I be a cop?” DeShawn asked.
I grinned over at him as the two of us began our journey back.
“You can be whatever you want to be,” I said. “That’s the great thing about this world. But right now, what we’re going to be is alive and well. That’s it. That’s the only requirement.”
“Does that come with pizza?” he asked.
I threw my head back and laughed as I tossed my arm around his shoulder again.
“Do you think of anything other than that stomach?” I asked.
“Girls. I think about girls, too.”
“Well don’t tell your mother that. She’s been through enough today.”
“Amen,” Officer Lopez said. “Amen to that.”
Isabelle
“Oh my gosh!”
I watched DeShawn and Tristan emerge from beyond the darkened horizon and shoved myself out of the cop car. My feet slammed to the ground and carried me as fast as they could, running directly towards my son. Tears streamed down my cheeks as Dom followed quickly in my footsteps, then blazed past me and jumped into his brother’s arms. I watched DeShawn sink to his knees, holding his brother tightly as the two of them cried into each other’s necks.
Then I barreled into Tristan and wrapped my arms around him.
He picked me up and swung me around, my tears soaking his shoulder. I trembled in his grasp, listening as my son’s cries echoed off the trees that surrounded us. I pulled away from Tristan and reached for DeShawn, pulling him to me so I could wrap my arms around both of my boys. I kissed him everywhere. His face. His cheek. His head. His nose. I felt DeShawn collapse into my arms while Dom held onto us, and soon a pair of long, strong arms wrapped around my waist to keep me upright.
“I’ve got you guys,” Tristan said. “I’ve got you.”
“Are you okay?” I asked breathlessly. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you, Dee?”
“No,” he said shakily. “No, Ma. I’m good. Thanks to Tee over there, I’m good.”
I felt Tristan’s forehead fall to my hair as I leaned my body into his. I relinquished my son and watched as Dom and Dee embraced again. My hands fell to the pair that held me steadily around my waist, holding me up on my shaking legs. I leaned my head back onto his shoulder and felt his lips come down to my cheek, gracing m
e with his warmth and reminding me of what he had done.
“Thank you,” I said as tears continued to fall. “I have no idea how I’m ever going to be able to repay you for this.”
“I promised you I would protect you guys. All I did was fulfill that promise.”
I gazed up into his eyes, taking in the sweat dripping down his brow. I turned around in his arms and held him closely to my body, resisting the urge to kiss him. I reached out for my boys and pulled them in, all of us hugging one another in the middle of the forest. Police cars flashed their lights and an ambulance pulled up to our side, urging us to get checked out despite how good we all felt in that moment.
My family was safe.
All of us were safe.
“That woman is the real kidnapper!”
We all froze and turned to watch as an officer hauled Darnell into the back of a flashing police vehicle.
“That bitch stole my boy!”
“Get him out of here,” Tristan said.
“She took my son when I was at my lowest!” Darnell exclaimed. “My actions were judged too harshly. I was grieving the loss of the love of my life!”
“Get him out of here!” Tristan roared.
Then, I watched as DeShawn stepped away from us and approached his father. I reached out instinctively to grasp his arm, but instead he shrugged me off. I went to go reach for him again but Tristan stopped me, taking my hands within his and holding me at my side.
“Let him have his moment if he wants it,” he said into my ear.
“Mom, what’s he doing?” Dom asked.
We all watched as DeShawn approached his abuser. We watched as my sixteen-year old boy--who played lacrosse and football and blasted classic rock from the speakers of his rust bucket car--walked straight up to the man who had almost killed him as a child. My body shook. My heart froze. I could tell Dom was holding himself back with every ounce of effort he had and I felt Tristan’s eyes glued on the man in handcuffs. He was two inches away from being tossed into the back of the car and being hauled off, but DeShawn held up his hand to the officer.
And Darnell scrambled back to his feet.
“Son,” he said, “I didn’t mean all those things I did when you were younger. I was drunk, and heartbroken. I’m sorry.”