Dark Toll

by Warren Ray

  “Knock on wood.”

  Winters finished his coffee and roll before going upstairs to see Reese. He gave the door a soft knock before opening it. She smiled and waved him in.

  “Well, good morning, how are you?” asked Winters leaning down to give her a hug.

  She latched on and squeezed tight making him wonder if she was still in a goofy state-of-mind.

  “Feeling much better than yesterday,” she answered as she let go.

  “So glad to hear it,” he said, relieved that she seemed to be more lucid than their last meeting.

  “Heard I missed out on some fun last night.”

  Winters wondered how she already knew.

  Reese chuckled at the puzzled look on his face. “Meeks came and told me before going to sleep.”

  “I don’t know if I’d call it fun, but yes we had an interesting night.”

  “Also heard Amber got up-close and personal.”

  Winters nodded. “Yes, she did.”

  “Good. I’m glad to see she’s realizing just how tough she really is.”

  “Oh?”

  “She doubts herself sometimes, doesn’t think she’s brave enough.”

  “She tell ya this?”

  “No. I’ve just learned to read people is all.”

  Winters figured her time at the party house taught her that skill. “I don’t think she’ll be doubting herself anymore.”

  Reese nodded. “So, you want to get me up to see, Thomas?”

  “Only if you’re up for it.”

  “Might be a little slow, but I’ll be alright.”

  Winters left the room and came back thirty minutes later to pick her up. The hospital staff had found a pair of jeans and a purple tank top for her to wear. They had also wrapped fresh gauze around her wounds. She put her hair in a ponytail before grabbing a charcoal gray windbreaker that Winters helped her put on. She hobbled out of the room using a crutch to support her injured leg. They made their way outside and Winters opened the door to an old Chevy pickup with a bench seat that she slid up on, and then he shut the door.

  Winters pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward their prisoners. It was a sunny morning and a slight breeze blew in from the north keeping the summer air cool.

  “Feels good to be outside,” said Reese, leaning out the window, which blew a few errant strands around her face making her smile.

  In their situation, you had to be grateful for the little things life offered you, and if that meant enjoying the wind on your face, then you relished it. He envied her for that, as she seemed to have a deeper appreciation for the medicinal effects it had on the soul than he did. He still tried to go on walks, but with the burdens of leadership, he didn’t always have the time for such pleasures.

  They reached the warehouse where the prisoners were housed. Winters drove to the back lot and parked. He jumped out and hustled around the truck to open her door.

  Taylor came outside to greet them. “How’s our badass chick doing?”

  “Feeling like a honey badger,” joked Reese, referring to Taylor’s nickname.

  “Hey now, there can only be one badger.”

  “Well, you better watch your back then,” grinned Reese.

  “Excuse me?”

  She limped up and gave him a hug. “You said there could only be one.”

  “Not if you plan on offing me,” he replied in a gruff tone.

  She patted Taylor on the back. “I wouldn’t dream of it…much.”

  “How are the new prisoners?” asked Winters, wanting to end Reese’s playful tormenting of Taylor.

  “Bitching about everything, of course. You want to see them?”

  “Let’s see Thomas first.”

  Taylor opened the door and gave Reese the evil eye as she sauntered past him with a sly grin splashed on her face.

  “I see she’s doing just fine,” muttered Taylor, as Winters stepped by him.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Taylor led them to a back room where Thomas sat by himself reading a book. He looked up as they entered the room and broke out in a big smile when Reese walked in.

  “Reese, you’re here!”

  “Thomas, it is you,” said Reese leaning in to give him a light hug. “When they told me about you I wasn’t sure, but wanted it to be. I never got a chance to say thank you for everything.”

  “It was my pleasure. I only wished I could have done more.”

  “You did plenty, believe me.”

  “You’re hurt, are you alright?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing, I just had a little accident is all.”

  Winters watched their interaction convinced that Thomas genuinely cared for Reese’s well being, figuring he had a crush on her. It was easy to see why. She was a beautiful girl with a big spirit.

  The two chatted for a few more minutes before they got down to business. Thomas laid out a plan on how he could contact them. His job often entailed running errands that took him off the estate. As soon as he was privy to any info on the spy, or anything else of value, he’d get word to them.

  Chapter 23

  After Thomas left, Winters decided to go visit the new prisoners. The cops were confined in another part of the warehouse away from the Jijis. He didn’t want those who knew about the cops as prisoners to know anything about the Jijis. He wasn’t sure if it really mattered, but at this point, it didn’t hurt to keep things secret. If Nordell knew about the Jijis and said something in front of the mysterious spy, then that might jeopardize Thomas.

  He didn’t know what to do with them as Taylor thought they had gotten all the useful intel the Jijis could provide, but you never knew what else might come up.

  Winters was hesitant to allow Reese to see the cops, but she didn’t bother waiting for permission and just tagged along. He didn’t blame her for wanting to see them as they had kept her prisoner and now the tables were turned.

  They arrived at the room and Taylor opened the door. The six cops sat in chairs with their hands tied behind their backs. Taylor had also gagged them because of their endless complaining. Apparently, they didn’t understand the seriousness of their situation. They didn’t seem nervous when Winters walked in. That changed when Reese hobbled in. Their eyes got as big as saucers and they began to fidget. A couple of them attempted to mumble something under their gags.

  Reese eyed each one and stared them down to the point the prisoners broke off eye contact and looked at the floor. Reese’s facial expression tightened as she grabbed her crutch, wound up, and swung it at Carter’s head. The sound of the metal crutch sounded like an aluminum bat making contact with a baseball. The blow knocked him unconscious as he fell to the floor. Winters raced over as she wound up for the next one.

  “Reese, control yourself.”

  “No, just this next one.”

  Winters grabbed the crutch from her.

  Reese let go of it and then leaped at the cop ramming her knee into his face breaking his nose. Blood spattered out as the cop hollered in pain. She then connected with a couple of haymakers, finishing off his bloody nose.

  Winters grabbed her around the waist and tore her away from him.

  “That son-of-a-bitch deserves to die.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Reese squirmed like a caged lion waiting to enter a Roman colosseum to kill the defenseless slaves. She flailed around trying to break loose, but Winters tightened his hold while whispering into her ear.

  “Not like this Reese. C’mon now, you’re better than this. Don’t let Mister Hyde consume you.”

  He kept whispering as she started to calm down.

  Winters was aware of the raging thoughts that were exploding in her head, as he had felt the same rage toward those who killed his friends at the train station. To be able to confront those responsible and take revenge wasn’t an easy thing to turn down.

  Her breathing began to slow and her body relaxed. He took a chance and loosened his hold. She
twisted around and wrapped her arms around him as if to say I’m sorry.

  He led her out of the room to a couple of chairs sitting in the hallway. They sat down and Winters patted her on the back. Taylor brought a bottle of water, handed it to Winters, and walked away. He opened the bottle and placed it in her eager hands. She took a big swig and then let out a small laugh.

  “Wasn’t expecting that now were we?” quipped Reese.

  “No, I can’t say we were,” replied Winters.

  “I really need to work on those anger issues, don’t I?”

  “Well, at times they do come handy,” said Winters with a slight smile.

  “This probably wasn’t one of those times,” she replied pointing up her index finger.

  “Oh, I don’t know, I suppose if they don’t tell us what we want to know we could threaten to send you back in there.”

  “Now you’re just teasing me.”

  Winters shrugged his shoulders. “Hmmm.”

  She took another gulp of water and put the cap back on. “Those two bastards. They deserved it. They all deserve it, but especially those two.”

  Winters waited for her to finish.

  “Those two like to beat on little girls.”

  “Did they now?”

  “Oh, yes, especially, Carter.”

  “Well, I’ll make sure Badger takes special care of those two.”

  Reese shot him a big smile. “You really know the way to a girl’s heart.”

  Winters decided to get her out of there and asked her to wait while he talked with Taylor and retrieve her crutch.

  He walked in just as Carter was starting to come to. The side of his face already showed signs of swelling. The cop with the broken nose sat crying while blood ran down on his shirt. Winters bent down to pick up the crutch. He examined it and found a slight bend in it.

  He decided to go ahead and address them. “I don’t think I need to tell you, but I will anyway. You don’t cooperate with us or answer our questions; I will send her back in here. Do we understand each other?”

  They all nodded their heads enthusiastically.

  “Badger, I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Don’t worry about anything, Captain.”

  Winters handed Reese her crutch and noticed a change in her mood. She seemed sad now. Winters figured the enormity of the situation had caught up to her. Revenge was like that. At first, there was an insane high, but then you crashed and your mood turned dark. Having experienced them in the past, he knew the symptoms and knew he needed to get her out of there and change her surroundings. This had always helped him.

  After getting her seated in the old pickup, he pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to the hospital. After a block, he couldn’t help but notice she didn’t seem to enjoy the wind on her face anymore and only stared at the passing scenery.

  Chapter 24

  Reese kept staring out the window at nothing, so Winters decided to take a longer way back to the hospital and let her enjoy the beautiful day while they drove through the peaceful empty streets. The hospital would be busy right about now and he thought it best for her to get out of this darkness before interacting with other people.

  After about thirty minutes, he could see signs of her recovering and headed back on in. He pulled into the parking lot and was about to get out to open her door when she reached across, grabbed his arm, and asked him to wait.

  “You all right?” asked Winters.

  “Yeah, I just wanted to talk is all.”

  “Of course, what’s on your mind?”

  She stared out the window while gathering her thoughts.

  Winters knew she needed to get something off her chest and figured it had to do with the battle, as they hadn’t really talked it over yet. She always let her guard down talking to him because they had developed a special bond ever since he rescued her from the party house. Since then, they had shared experiences from being taken prisoner by Captain Cox and Mordulfah, to enduring gun battles at each other’s side. She had been at his side sharing life and death experiences, but their most important shared similarity was their secret urge for revenge. This is where their bond had flourished and grown stronger. Winters completely understood the Jekyll and Hyde in her since he had recognized it in himself. She didn’t like this new characteristic of herself, but at times was unable to tear away from it. Her satisfaction in knifing the cop, Jaeger, and watching him suffer, clouded her mind and she almost did the same to the hard-headed old man she called, Jason, who had held her and Meeks prisoner. Thankfully, Meeks stopped her; otherwise, guilt would have overwhelmed her for killing an innocent man. At least now, she was cognizant of it and knew she’d have to keep it under control. Although, attacking those two cops showed she still needed to work on it.

  Reese finally started. “You ever think about dying?”

  Winters nodded. “I do.”

  “Does it scare you?”

  Winters took in a deep breath. “Sometimes it does, other times, I think it’d be easier to get it over with.”

  She turned to him. “Really?”

  “It’s hard watching your friends die and you survive not knowing why, so yes, sometimes I think it would be easier. What about you?”

  “When I took that first bullet, it really scared the hell out of me. But, you took care of me and wrapped my arm up. Then you yelled at me to keep fighting, which really helped me.”

  “It did?”

  “Yes. I was really scared. My arm hurt so much and with all the bullets flying around us, it all suddenly seemed surreal to me. But then you yelled at me and it shook me back to my senses.”

  “I’m glad it helped.”

  “The bullet to my leg though really freaked me out. I remember the look on your face when you were shoving dirt into the wound. You tried to hide it, but I could tell you were scared of losing me.”

  Winters didn’t respond.

  Reese continued. “It was weird, cuz everything like sped up, yet slowed down at the same time. When you came to help me, you had this worried look on your face. Then when you didn’t yell at me to keep fighting, it made me think you knew I was going to die, that we were all going to die.”

  “Reese, I’m so sorry for that.”

  “No, no, please, don’t apologize. You got nothing to apologize for; it was my stupid mind not being rational in the heat of the moment. I was in another surreal moment. Hell, we all were.” She paused for a few moments. “I’ve just been thinking about it a lot is all. The experience has made me think about bigger things and then seeing those cops just now reminded me even more.”

  “What kind of things?”

  She didn’t answer him.

  “Reese, what is it?”

  “Okay, I know this is going to sound weird, but you know how Amber and I were joking around with you yesterday.”

  “How can I forget it?” smiled Winters.

  “I know, we were being kind of mean, but I swear, it was in good fun.”

  “Oh, I know it was.”

  “But, it was more than just fun for me. I was being serious, when I said, I loved you.”

  Winters didn’t hesitate. “Are you playing again?”

  “No, not at all.”

  Winters looked at her and noticed she wasn’t laughing. He leaned back in the seat digesting what she just said. “Reese, I’m old enough to be your father.”

  “I know that, but I can’t help it. Besides, you’re the only one who understands me.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes, you know the hell I’m going through. You get it and you get me.”

  She, of course, was referring to her Jekyll and Hyde issue. He could only imagine how bad it was for her. Ten days of being raped multiple times a day and not knowing if she’d live the next day. He looked at her with apologetic eyes and she noticed it right away.

  “Don’t look at me that way,” she said in a serious tone.

  “What way?”

  She glared at him. “Yo
u know what way. That pity look. The last person I need that from is you.”

  Her perceptiveness took him off guard.

  “You inspire me, Cole. I need that in my life.”

  “I do?” he asked in earnest.

  “C’mon, you must know that?”

  Winters raised an eyebrow in surprise and slowly shook his head.

  “You see, right now, right now you’re doing it. You’re so damn humble, so unaware of yourself that it’s addictive to me. You honestly don’t know the effect you have on me or any of us.”

  Winters was getting embarrassed and tried to stop her from going on. “Reese, c’mon now, that’s just the drugs talking.”

  Reese stared at him. “I didn’t take any this morning.”

  Winters didn’t respond.

  “Cole, you’re the bravest man I’ve ever known, and you lead us when I know you don’t really want to.”

  Winters jerked back a little at that last statement. How did she know that?

  “Don’t worry, it’s not obvious, but I know.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Reese. I mean it’s nice for you to say all of this, but I…”

  She cut him off. “Don’t say anything, Cole. I know you’re generally a quiet person, especially around women, which is endearing by the way, but I just want you to know that I have feelings for you and that I know it’s impractical and doesn’t make sense, but I don’t care. I’ve been around so much death now that it’s given me a different perspective on life. With everything I’ve been through, I don’t want any regrets in my life, and I don’t care what people think.”

  Winters mind spun in different directions as he thought about everything she just laid on him. He was aware of some of the things, especially in regards to the men. He didn’t understand why they followed him, but just knew they did. It wasn’t something he dwelt on and had gotten used it. Her perceptiveness of his not wanting to lead was an old issue, or so he thought. How did she even know? Perhaps she knew him better than he knew himself.

  He looked into her big brown eyes and admired her forthrightness. She was a gutsy person to be telling him all of this without a care of what his response might be. He could never take the chance of rejection by telling a woman about any feelings toward them.