He knew that there was nothing he could do about that. He simply needed to make a decision. He could wait out the night and continue his search in the morning. That way, he could make sure that he saw any signs of Shelly to help him. The other shoe had to be somewhere. She wouldn't have only kicked off one.
Then again, if he waited, who knew what those men would do to her?
Horrible images popped into his head.
He couldn't let that happen. He had to continue.
What about the other shoe?
Adam looked back at the sky. He didn't have much time before it became too dark to see much of anything. He supposed that he could go at least a bit further. Then, once the sun was down, he could make a decision.
He grabbed for the bag of guns and looked at the barrels sticking out of the top. He remembered that, except for the shotgun, he hadn't loaded them. He should have.
Adam opened the backpack and pulled the guns out. He took out the ammunition. It wasn't hard for him to find out which bullets went where. He put shell after shell into the chambers. Then he cocked one of the guns, pointed it off in a direction and fired.
The blast startled him. It was much louder than he expected. The kickback had jammed into his pained shoulder.
Adam didn't see where the bullet had gone, but he knew that it worked.
He thought of trying all of them.
No, there isn't much time left. He placed the loaded guns back in the pack.They'd work.
He put the shotgun in last, handle sticking out. It seemed like a good idea, especially if he was attacked. He'd need to be able to protect himself, quickly. Of course, he hoped that it wouldn't go off while he was riding. If it did, it would likely blow a hole in his back.
It'll be fine.
Adam put on the pack and straddled the bike.
He took one more look around. It was getting dark quicker than he had thought it would.
He needed to push on…and fast.
*
Adam continued along. Now that he had loaded the guns, he was back to feeling strong and confident. He was going to find Shelly.
He was!
He swerved around a body lying in the middle of the road. He hadn't noticed it until a split second before he almost hit it.
The sun had set and there were only a few tendrils of its rays left to guide him.
He wondered if he should stop, if he should pull over and wait for first light.
Just a little bit further, he told himself.There is still some light.
He kept cycling.
*
Adam came upon an intersection. He had passed a few along the way, but he hadn't seen any sign to turn. He knew that Shelly would have left something if he was supposed to.
He approached the intersection slowly, cautiously. He looked for anything that told him to turn. It was difficult to make out much of anything. The moon was the only thing lighting his way now.
Just a little bit further.
He pushed on through the intersection.
*
Shelly's shoe sat at that same intersection. It was lying a little further down the road, around the corner to Adam's right.
He had been correct. The young girl had thought of kicking it off to show his which way to turn.
He had even looked straight it, but couldn't see it. It was too dark.
He continued along, leaving the shoe behind.
Chapter 8
Sam approached the cage. He knew that it wasn't a good idea. He wouldn't be able to explain what brought him there. But he had to make sure.
He had been off by the side of the house when Rick and Joe had walked into camp. He had seen the girl that they had brought with them and thought that it was the young girl from the apartment - the one that had been taken from him by that piece-of-shit.
Sam felt a mix of anger and embarrassment at the thought of it. All he had wanted to do was have a little fun. Then that man had come along and ruined it for him.
What was worse was that Sam had let it happen. He had just gotten up and walked away.Without a fight!
The problem was that he had been taken off guard. Plus, he hadn't known if guy was a good fighter. And that hadn't been a risk he had been willing to take.You never knew what people were going to do to you nowadays…
Sam took a few steps closer, then stopped. He'd need to think of a good excuse.
"Hey, Gregor," he shouted out, "got a light?"
"A light? For what? You don't smoke."
It was true. Sam hadn't smoked a day in his life. He always thought of it as a filthy habit.So why had he asked for a light? "Yeah, well, that's not what I wanted it for."
"Then what the fuck do you want it for?"
"Shit," Sam said, "Just forget it. If you're gonna be so hard about it, just fuckin' forget it."
"No need to get all pissy. What's with all you guys tonight? I'd give you a light, but I don't have one."
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"I'd never seen you smoke before. I was just curious, is all."
Sam felt uncomfortable. He didn't know how to proceed. He grasped his hands together. "Ah, forget it." He took a few steps closer and looked in the cage. "Looks like we got another one."
"We did. Just make sure that Big Mike or Rick don't know you were lookin' at 'em. I don't think they'd like it."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Sam tried not to sound nervous. "I heard the guys are going to go out again tomorrow."
"You going with them?"
Sam had no intention of leaving if this was Shelly. "Thought I'd stick around to keep you company," he said.
Gregor laughed. "You think you have a choice? If Carl wants you to go, then you go. If not, you stay here with me and we wait till they get back."
"I guess I'll see what Carl says."
"Good idea."
Sam didn't know what else to say. He simply wanted to look in the cage.
He took a step toward it and looked inside. It was dark, but he could see the young girl lying against the other woman - the blonde one,Big Mike's. Her face was turned away from his, so he couldn't be sure if he was right.
He wished that he could open the cage to check. Of course, he'd never make that suggestion.
He continued to stare for a moment before he broke his gaze. He knew that Gregor would find it strange. And he didn't need him telling the others about what he was doing.
"Well," he said, "I best be goin'."
"Off to find that light?"
"What?" Sam had forgotten about his lie.
"The light you were lookin' for. Off to find it?"
Sam forced a chuckle. "Yeah, off to find my light."
"Good luck with that. I'm sure you'll have no problem back with the others. Especially with that campfire burning." Gregor gave Sam a little smile.
"Uh, yeah, I'll head back over there."
Gregor laughed again. This time, Sam didn't knowwhy he was laughing. It didn't matter all too much, either. For as soon as Gregor started laughing, the young girl turned her face to get a look at the guard.
That was when Sam saw her face.
He felt his heart begin to beat quicker. His groin grew hot. And a smile curled on the edge of her lips.
It was Shelly.
Chapter 9
Shelly wanted to scream out. She remembered the man as soon as she saw him.Sam, that was his name. And here he was, looking at her. She saw him smile.
Shelly tightened her grip around Claire.
"Are you okay?" Claire asked.
Shelly didn't answer. She kept watching the man until he turned and walked away.
"What's wrong?"
Shelly turned to Claire. "It's that man. Sam."
"Youknowhim?"
She didn't really know him, but theyhad met. "He tried to rape me," she admitted.
Claire's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"He tried to rape me. After everything changed. He tricked me in to letting him into my apartment. Then he…he…"
Claire put her arm around the young girl. She could feel her anger rising. "How did you get away?"
"Adam saved me."
"Adam?"
Shelly lowered her eyes as she thought about her friend. She felt so lonely now that he wasn't with her.
"Who is Adam?"
Shelly looked back at the woman. "He lived in my apartment building. He heard me screaming for help when Sam attacked me. If it wasn't for him, then...well, I don't know what would have happened to me."
"And this Adam saved you?"
"He came in and chased the guy off. I've been with him ever since."
At this, Claire cocked her head. Something didn't sound right about that to her. "What do you mean you'vebeen with him?"
"I've been travelling with him. He's been protecting me."
"Is that all? Does he expect anything from you?"
Shelly shook her head. She didn't really understand Claire's meaning. "No. He's like...I guess he's like a big brother. He said that he wanted to take care of me."
"And nothing else?"
Shelly continued to look at the woman. "What do you mean?"
Claire decided to ignore it. Obviously, this girl hadn't been expected to do anything with thisAdam. She had to get back to thinking that not everyone out there would want to take advantage of a young girl. There had to be some good people left.
"What happened to him?" she asked next.
"Adam?" Shelly looked out of the cage and pointed toward the camp. "They came along and attacked him."
Claire didn't like the sound of that. "Did they kill him?"
"I don't think so. But I'm not sure. They were talking to him when I came out of the house. He screamed for me to go back inside and they hit him."
"Then?"
"I shot one." The words sounded strange coming from her mouth. She still couldn't believe that she had done it.
Claire couldn't believe it, either. "You shot one?"
"Yeah."
"Did you kill him?"
Shelly nodded. She felt a bit uncomfortable. It was one thing to shoot a man, but another to kill him. Even if it was in self-defence.
Claire could see the look of guilt cross the young girl's face. "I'm sure you had no other choice," she consoled her.
"I didn't," Shelly agreed.
"And I'm sure he deserved it," Claire added. Though this was more to herself than to the young girl. She thought men like that, men like Big Mike,definitelydeserved it. "How did they catch you?"
"I was surprised. After I shot the guy. I couldn't believe all of the blood. One of them hit me and knocked the gun away. There wasn't much else that I could do."
"And they took you here?"
Shelly nodded. "Rick told me that I was his property now, that I had to do what he wanted."
"And they left Adam alone?"
"They said that the gun might have attracted one of thosethings. They didn't want to wait around."
"So, he might still be alive?"
"I hope so. I even..." Shelly was going to explain about the shoes, but she didn't want to jinx her plan.
"You even what?"
Shelly looked up at the young woman and knew that she didn't want to lie to her. "I had an idea."
"An idea?"
"I kicked off my shoes along the way, hoping that he'd find them. They could lead him to me. I meanus."
Claire smiled. It was a good plan and she couldn't believe that the young girl had thought of it, especially under such pressure. "I hope it works."
"Me too," Shelly admitted. "I miss him."
Chapter 10
Adam continued to ride until it was too difficult to see anything. The moonlight was bright, but not enough to light up all of the obstacles in the road. There were too many things to avoid.
He stopped and placed his feet on the ground. He looked around. He was still on the same road, though this time he was at another intersection.
He was sure that he had missed the shoe. He didn't know how, but he hadn't seen it.
"Shelly?" he screamed out. "Shelly!"
He knew that she wasn't going to hear him. There were no signs of anyone around. He could only hear crickets chirping in the grass.
Adam raised his foot and lifted it over the bike's crossbar.
His legs hurt. He hadn't ridden a bicycle in years. But in the past few days he had gone for hours on end. His body still hurt from the beating he had taken as well.
He walked his bike over to the side of the road and approached the intersection. He looked down each road, knowing he could go in any direction. Each was just as likely as the other. Except going back.Thatwas different.
If he went back, maybe he'd find the shoe. He could come across it, lying somewhere off to the side of the road, waiting to show him the direction she was headed. Then again, maybe he wouldn't.
It was also possible that Shelly hadn't been able to drop it? Or, if she had, maybe one of the assholes noticed and picked it up.
Adam didn't know what to do.
He lowered his bike down and sat down beside it. There were no curbs here, just the gravel on the shoulder. The rocks rustled as he sat upon them.
"Shelly?" he said softly. He could barely hear the word.
He felt horrible. He had let her down, hadn't protected her. And now he didn't know how to get her back.
Hedid know that there was no way that he'd be able to keep searching for her in the dark. It would be impossible to find her. Probably even do more harm than good. He could hurt himself. Get further away from her.
Adam grabbed the bag of guns and placed them in between his legs. He pulled out the shotgun and held it out before him. Then he lowered himself onto the ground and rested his head on the backpack. He could feel the hard metal underneath the side of his face.
"Shelly," he said once more, "I'll find you."
He didn't know how true his words were, but he was determined to try. Just not tonight. There wasn't much more that he could do at the moment.
Wait until morning. That would be best.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Day 8
Chapter 1
Adam woke up early the next morning. His neck hurt because had slept on it the wrong way. Which wasn't much of a surprise after falling asleep on the ground. He put his hand on top of his muscles and tried to massage it. Then he stood up. He couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Which way to go?
Looking down the four streets in the daylight had a different feel to him, as though each would provide him with new possibilities. Except he wasn't interested innew possibilities.He was concerned with finding Shelly.
He continued to look around.
He knew he'd have to make a decision soon. And it would be a choice that brought him either closer to or farther away from the girl he had promised to protect.
He looked back down the road he had come. That seemed to be the best bet. If he took that way, he might at least come across her other shoe.
Unless she hadn't left another one for him to find.
He took a deep breath, knowing he had to make a decision.
Damnit, he thought.He'd go to the right.
He didn't know if it was the best decision. After all, there was no real reason to choose that direction. But it was the one that he was going to take. He'd simply have to live with his decision.
He picked up his bag of guns after putting the shotgun back into it. Then he lifted up his bike, straddled it and started to ride.
Chapter 2
Rick woke up early the next morning. He was sleeping by the fire. It was still burning, though not as brightly as it had been.
He looked around. Joe was beside him. Sam besidehim. And Big Mike sat across from them all. Everyone still had their eyes closed.
Carl was nowhere to be seen. Yet Rick knew where he was. He was in the house -hishouse, as he called it. Carl had told everyone that he had been the one to find it, so he would be the one to use i
t. No one argued with him. No one ever went in there. Except Big Mike. He'd go in every now and then. Though the big guy never stayed in it for long.
Rick sat up. His thoughts shifted to the young girl they had caught. He still couldn't believe that she had shot Jim. He supposed that he was lucky to be alive. He had to thank Joe for that.
He stretched, then reached over and grabbed at the bottle beside him. There wasn't much left in it. They had drank most of it last night. He pressed it to his lips and took a swig.
He had never been much of a drinker, but it tasted good going down his throat, warm. It gave him a feeling of strength.
He looked back at Joe. The man was awake now and looking at him.
"Hey there," Rick said.
Rick handed him the bottle. Joe took a swig, himself. When he handed it back to Rick, Rick finished it off.
He looked back at the fire, hungry; but there wasn't much left to eat.
Joe sat up. "When are we leaving?"
"Whenever Carl tells us to." The words tasted horrible to Rick. He hated having to listen to Carl, take his orders. But that was how things were at the moment.
Joe nodded his head. "I've gotta piss."
"Me too."
They both stood up and walked off into the field.
Chapter 3
Sam woke up early the next morning. He heard Rick and Joe talking. He felt a pang of jealousy run through him. Theyowned Shelly. She was their property. And there would be no way that he could get her from them.
Unless something happened to them.
Sam couldn't help but wish that something horriblewouldhappen. He knew that they were going out searching for supplies. Maybe one of those fucked up creatures would get them. Or maybe they'd just get shot. He could do it himself.If he went.
He didn't really want to go, though. He wanted to stay here with Shelly, to see if he could get anywhere with her.
He was going to tell Carl that he thought he should stay. He only had to think of a good reason.
He watched Rick and Joe stand up and walk away.
Lucky bastards!
Glory (Book 3) Page 3