“What the ever-loving fuck?” a furious voice screamed, pulling her back.
I wanted to fight back, but that run had taken a lot out of me.
One hand pulled my head off the ground by my hair, and a fist crashed into my chin.
16
“I’m sorry about that,” Steve said.
I looked around, and we were in the back of the Hummer.
Steve?
I looked at the name tag over the gold star of his sheriff’s uniform. Steve O’Sullivan. Sitting next to him was Jamie, who was looking anywhere but at me. Then I got it.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry, I got…” My words were thick. I hadn’t been out long. I was still high as a kite.
“Jamie explained, plus… you look like they worked you over. Drugged.”
“’Twas only a flesh wound,” I said in a horrible British accent, and a giggle escaped Jamie’s mouth.
She looked at me and gave me a sad smile. “What did they do to you?”
“Shot me up full of shit, interrogated me.”
“Your body has burn marks on it. We stopped the bleeding on your leg, but you look like one big bruise.”
“Yeah, they had a case of mistaken identity,” I told her.
“They weren’t the only one,” Steve told me pointedly.
“You know, you’re kind of looking like my Mary. Are you just mad because I didn’t give you a kiss too?”
Jamie let out a snort and busted up laughing. Men I couldn’t see in the front section of what had to be a Hummer busted up laughing as well. After a couple of seconds of being stone-faced, Steve cracked a smile and held out a hand. I took it and shook. My head swam, probably concussed again. Or still. Didn’t matter. I needed another fix soon.
“Where’s everyone?” I asked him, mush-mouthed.
“Luis and Courtney and Mel are all back at the farm,” Jamie told me, looking like she might still break out into giggles.
“How? They said you’d been captured too?”
“I had people working inside the camp. We have to move fast because my people broke cover to get them out and attack the facility you were held in.”
“Where was I?” I asked him.
“It was supposed to be a DNR trout farm, a research center. Obviously, it wasn’t,” Steve told me.
“How long?” I asked, looking at Jamie.
“It’s been a while, Dick. We couldn’t move until we knew where you were,” she said.
“Why’d you come back for me?” I asked her.
“You wouldn’t have ditched us. I couldn’t leave you behind,” Jamie said.
“Yeah, the green monster kind of took over when she was insistent on that,” Steve said. “And then when you kissed her, I lost it. I really am sorry.”
“Don’t worry. With all the shit in my system, I had thought I was hallucinating. To be honest, I still am. This could be another dream,” I told him.
“It’s not a dream. We’ve got a doctor back at the farm. I want you to get looked at. What did they give you, by the way, so I can have ready for when we get there?”
I didn’t want to tell him, so I turned my head, looking out the back window of the Hummer. Somebody grabbed my left arm, pulling it out. I turned to see Jamie examining the needle tracks.
“What was it, Dick?” she asked me.
“Don’t,” I told her.
“Dick.”
I looked into her eyes and knew I couldn’t or wouldn’t hold back. She had kissed me back, dammit, I knew she did. Even if it was a dream, she kissed me back.
“Skinner said it was a morphine-heroin cocktail. To make me beg for a fix after a while.”
“Did you?” she asked me, her eyes never wavering from mine.
“Yes,” I admitted. “It made the time pass and the pain go away.”
I heard murmuring and saw that Steve had raised a large radio to his mouth and was speaking into it. I heard him repeating what I’d just said, and when the radio crackled, he told them “Good” and put it down.
“Doc there says he has the stuff to fix you up,” Steve told me.
“Don’t waste your time or meds, Steve,” I told him. “Salina told me the next time I got hooked, the withdrawals would kill me.”
“She’s wrong,” Jamie said, immediately letting go of my arm.
“What she told me,” I insisted weakly.
“Listen, we’re going back to the farm and getting you all fixed up. You brought my family back to me,” Steve said, his voice choking up. “I’m not going to let you die. I owe you that.”
I considered that and nodded. Family was the best, but running second best was good friends. I was one more step closer to Mary and Maggie. I knew half my confusion was from the smack, but damn, there was something there, and Jamie wasn’t looking at me again.
“Is Dick ok?” Mel asked.
I’d fallen asleep again. I pulled myself up and out of the back door of the Hummer and stretched.
“Just a little busted up, kiddo,” I told her.
For the moment that was truth. I must have slept off much of the last shit, and I was in that twilight zone between high and the cravings for more. The Hummer stopping was what had awoken me, and I could see that the sun was beginning to set. Ahead in the distance, I saw a small barn, a windmill, and the shimmering light reflecting off a small pond.
“That’s good,” she said and ran to her dad and threw herself into his arms.
She might have been a kid, but she was as tall as a young woman. Steve picked her up in a bear hug like she was nothing and gave her a squeeze. Soon Jamie was joining in. I could see the love in their eyes. I knew at that moment that I needed to kill the part of me that was yearning for Jamie. I wouldn’t sour this for them. This moment right here, I could let her go. I had to.
“Dick?” I heard a shout and saw a couple come out of the barn and start walking towards us.
“Who’s that?” I asked, leaning against the Hummer for support.
They broke the hug and walked over. Steve put a steadying arm under me, and we started walking.
“You guys set up the perimeter. I think we got out clean, but I want to be sure,” Steve said to someone behind me.
I half turned my head and saw the rest of the deputies nod and start moving.
“That’s Luis and Courtney,” Jamie told me.
“We made it, we all made it,” I told her.
“I’m home, Dick,” my daughter said.
“I know, Maggie,” I said, ignoring the look Steve gave me.
“It’s the drugs talking,” Jamie said.
“Sorry, I did it again,” I said, realizing it.
This was sort of awkward. I expected Steve to dump me on the ground for trying to usurp his family, but he just tightened his grip and helped me start walking.
“Like I said, we got a good doc here, Dick. He’ll fix you up.”
God I hoped so. I wanted my Maggie, my Mary. I was within a few days’ travel. It wouldn’t be long now. We had traveled across a third of the country, but my journey wasn’t done yet. I had to make it out of Nebraska. I wouldn’t wait long, and I’d be on the road again if I survived withdrawal.
“Everything’s going to be ok, Dick,” Mel said, and I grinned back at her.
“It really is,” I told her.
I believed it. Everything would be ok. I hoped. I prayed.
-The End-
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About the Author
About The Author –
Boyd Craven III has penned over 20 books over the last two years, only recently deciding to take the plunge into publishing. His "The World Burns" Series has hit the top 10 in the Dystopian Genre in the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia. Boyd has made his home in Michigan with his wonderful wife and about a million kids, but travels to Texas to visit family as frequently as possible.
He hunts and goes fishing when he's not dreaming up post-ap
ocalyptic nightmares to put his characters through. Fear not though, Boyd is a huge believer that in the darkest hour, there is always a glimmer of hope to hold onto.
In addition to being a modern day urban farmer, Boyd belongs to a co-op selling at the local farmers market, and lately has been experimenting with living off the grid - an excellent way to research for his series, as well as torture his teenage sons.
Prepare yourself by reading his books - they're a thrill ride, on or off the grid.
http://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Craven-III/e/B00BANIQLG/
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The Devil's Road: Devil Dog Book 2 (Out Of The Dark) Page 20