by Kip Nelson
“You should have killed me when you had the chance. Nobody ever would have known it was you, and there wouldn't have been any consequences. You would have been rid of me then, and you wouldn't have had to worry at all. It would have been quick and easy, and you could have carried on with your life knowing you had gotten rid of a bastard, but you didn't, because you're a coward and you didn't have the balls to do it. I had you pegged as something different when you first put yourself forward. I actually thought you might have been somebody, but you're nothing special, just another sad sack here to make up the numbers. There are some people who are made to thrive in this world, and you're not one of them. I thought your friend was one, but I guess I was wrong about her. Well, I can't be right all of the time. Anyway, speaking of her, I'm going to slip into bed and pay my respects,” he said, winking at Adam, which only made Adam angrier. Adam lunged toward Lee, but he reared back and laughed in Adam's face before turning his back on him. That was the greatest insult of all because it showed Lee didn't consider Adam a threat at all.
Pete tried to calm Adam down.
“Is there any justice in this world?” Adam asked. Pete sighed heavily.
“None that makes any sense,” he said.
Adam didn't like that answer. He hung his head. He was tired and aching all over and all he wanted was to sleep, but he knew he couldn't yet. He couldn't leave his difficult conversation with Annabelle until the morning. He had to find her and talk to her. He was on the verge of tears now and that just would push him over the edge, but perhaps it was for the best. If he drained himself at least he would sleep well through the night and he could deal with all the other crap the following day.
“Let's go find Annabelle,” he said, hoping that seeing her would make him feel better.
The two of them wrapped their arms around each other to support each other. The army that had traveled and fought together split up and went their separate ways, and the sound of chatter diminished as the small groups went into buildings and left the night behind. Adam and Peter shuffled forward a few steps when they saw Tara come up to them. Her face was a welcome sight, a relief from all the sorrow and anguish that Adam was experiencing. He only just had started getting to know Tara, but he liked her so far. He really thought there was some potential there, when the timing was right, of course. Right now, he was a mess and couldn't imagine how anyone could want to be with him.
Then again, she looked as though she had been put through the wringer as well. She had a distraught look on her face and, frankly, he was surprised she was out here, rather than looking after the children as she was supposed to be doing...as that thought flashed through his mind, a knot began twisting in Adam's stomach. Where was Annabelle? Was she safe? The smile fell from his face as he greeted Tara, and the words he feared spilled from her mouth.
“It's Lisa. She's got Annabelle. It's a long story, but Annabelle is in danger. I've been waiting for you to get back. We have to go and save her,” she said, the words rushing out in a blitz.
Adam and Pete glanced at each other. Instantly, the tiredness drained from their bodies and they were invigorated again. Little Annabelle needed their help, and they were not about to forsake her.
Chapter Ten
Everything was black and quiet. The last thing Diana remembered was...what did she remember? Her head was groggy and there was a dull throb in the back of her skull. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She tried reaching up and rubbing her head, but she could not move her hands. She started to panic. Her hands and feet were bound to a chair. She was in a small room. There was a bed to one side and a desk near the door, but other than that it was bare. The chair was in the middle of the room. The ceiling was low. There were no curtains or blinds on the window, so she could see outside, but the only thing to see was the night sky. She strained her ears, trying to hear what was going on outside, but no matter how hard she tried she only could make out a few vague voices, and nothing about what they actually said. Her tongue darted out and flicked at her torn lip. The blood had dried, leaving the usually soft lip scabbed and rough.
She struggled, pulling her wrists and ankles to and fro, trying to loosen the knots. From what she could tell she had been restrained with thick rope, and it bit into her skin. There was no way to simply loosen it, not unless she wanted to work it for days, and she didn't want to be in that camp for too long. Now that she had regained consciousness her memory returned. She remembered being cornered by three men, and then Pete came along and killed them all with excellent shots. She had been surprised at the turnaround of his personality and never would have pegged him for a soldier, but being an actress she knew all about how people could present a mask to the world. Pete had been wearing that mask for so long it probably had become him.
Then there was Adam, too. She remembered gazing across the smoke and fire to see him, making out the pained expression on his face. She'd wanted to go with him because she didn't think he'd be able to survive in the battle for that long. Then she was distracted by a noise behind her. When she had turned back around, Adam and Pete had disappeared. She'd tried following their trail to find them, but she lost track of everything. Then there was a knock on the back of her head and everything had gone dark.
Diana grunted as she tried her hardest to break free of the restraints, but whoever had tied her to that chair had made sure she wasn't going to go anywhere. She thought about the others and wondered how the battle went. She assumed it was over anyway, since she didn’t hear gunfire. They stood a good chance of winning since, as far as she could tell, they had superior numbers, but it didn't feel like a victory. As soon as they had stepped into that camp Diana knew something was wrong. These people didn't seem to be malicious or vengeful, and she hated that she was captured because, really, she wanted to go back and confront Lisa about this whole thing. Something about the situation stank to high heaven. Then again, she had been captured, and there was the possibility that someone just was waiting to torture her...
Her thoughts turned to other people. She wondered if she had been the only one captured, or if there had been more, and if so, what was their endgame? If it was to hold hostages, she didn't think it was a very good plan since Lisa didn't seem like the type to negotiate with people, and she didn't exactly have much affection for Diana. Annabelle did, though, and as Diana thought of the young girl her muscles strained even more against the ropes. Annabelle already had lost her parents, and Diana didn't want her to go through another loss. Then the thought struck her; did anyone even know she still was alive? If they did, then there was the chance they could put together a rescue mission. She knew Adam and the others wouldn't just let her go, but if they thought she was dead then they wouldn't come back here. There would be no need to do so. She was on her own.
Diana peered around the room again to try seeing if there was anything she could use, but the bed and table both seemed bare. Her days were not going to end like this. She thought of everything she had been through, everything she had lost, and she was not going to be held captive like this. If she just could break free, she liked her chances of being able to sneak through the camp and make her way back home. Then she would have to have words with Adam, because they couldn't go on living like this. The attack had been a massacre, and she didn't believe for a second that their only mission had been to get supplies. She had a low opinion of Lisa, and now was starting to think that they had gotten involved with a monster. She wouldn't have been surprised if their mission to the hospital actually had been a scouting mission, and that at some point Lisa would send a force to take all of their supplies.
She really hoped Adam and Pete were okay and had made it through the battle. Not only because they were the only two who could take care of Annabelle, but also because they were the only ones who could stand up to Lisa. Adam wasn't exactly the greatest warrior in the world, but he was a good man. He always tried to do the right thing, even if it did land them in trouble. Hopefully, they felt the same way as h
er and could confront Lisa and try knocking her off her pedestal. Diana couldn't do it, not until she escaped anyway, and she would escape.
All she had to do was bide her time. She was thirsty and hungry. Being near the fire hadn't helped that. She had no idea how much smoke she had inhaled, but it had to have been a lot. She still could feel it scorching her throat. She tried not to think about it as it only made the sensation worse. Instead, she thought about everything that had happened, for she never thought she would be in a situation like this. After the first night, when everything had gone dark, she thought she'd be okay. That seemed the reasonable thing to assume, but everything had turned crazy so quickly and when she lost her sister, she almost lost her mind. She wandered the world in a daze, wondering why she had survived when so many others had died. Her sister was always the better one, was always the one she had tried to protect. Diana had taken the beatings for her, and when she'd had the courage to leave, she'd taken her sister as well, even though she hadn't understood. The two of them had been more like twins, even though there were a few years between them. They never had done anything without the other, and Diana had watched out for her like a daughter.
But ever since she died Diana had found it hard to think about her. It was difficult enough to think about the past anyway, to relive all the abuse she had suffered. Whenever she thought about it her entire body ached, and it was as though the fists of her father were raining down on her again. Thinking of her sister brought more tears to her eyes, so she had tried not to think about her at all, but that only brought with it remorse. The last thing she wanted to do was forget about her sister, the only one of her family she ever truly had loved. There was so much of her in Annabelle. The young girl was so stubborn and determined. It was as though nothing ever was going to bring her down. When Diana first had seen Annabelle, she’d done a double-take because she thought it was her sister. She knew she had to take care of the girl, and Diana didn't know what she would have done without Annabelle. Finding her had given Diana purpose. Otherwise, she just would have been wandering the world alone.
She had to escape and make her way back to that camp, to find Annabelle again. She hated the thought of Annabelle thinking that Diana was dead. Annabelle didn't need any more pain in her life. She needed to know that not everyone she loved was going to die, because Diana didn't want her to stop opening up her heart to people. She'd seen enough people lose their humanity. They let it slip away and lived like ghosts, forgetting what it was to be tethered to other humans. It was all too easy to use that as a coping mechanism because it was hard to care for people in a world such as this, where there was so much danger and death all around. Yet it was important that people still cared, because that was the only way people ever were going to make it through to a new and better world.
Diana struggled again, but again it was no use. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort and she felt a few drops trickle uncomfortably underneath her clothes. She struggled so hard that the chair rocked back and forth, and then an idea struck her. She thought that if she fell over, perhaps she would be able to get purchase from a different angle and be able to wriggle free. She tried gaining some momentum to crash to the floor, but just as she was about to launch herself down the door opened, and a man walked in.
Diana stopped instantly, intrigued by this new face. His left hand was missing, although it seemed to be an old wound, since the skin had healed. He also wore an eye patch covering his right eye. He had long, thick, dark hair that hung over his forehead and ran down to his shoulders. He looked about as tired as Diana felt. His clothes had dark stains that made her wonder if the fires had been doused yet. The man pulled out a chair from under the table and set it down a couple of feet in front of Diana. He sat down and coughed, then swept his hair back with his right hand. She imagined that if he still had his left hand he would have made a steeple with his fingers. As it was, his right hand hung in the air awkwardly, and the stump hovered nearby. Perhaps the amputation was so recent he still hadn't become used to it. There was evidently a story behind him, and Diana was curious, but she also was scared.
“My name is Stan,” he began, his voice surprisingly soft, “and I'm here to ask you a few questions. I want to know who you are, and why you attacked us, and--”
“Please, please, don't hurt me! I don't know any of this! I was just told to do it. I didn't want to, I just had to. They made me come. They made us all come. I never wanted to do anything! Please don't hurt me! Please! All I want to do is survive. I'm not the one you want. I'll tell you anything. Please, I'm just so scared and I want to go home. I don't know anything. Oh God, please don't hurt me, please,” she said, letting the tears run down her face.
There still was a use for her acting skills after all. However, Stan continued staring at her and she wasn't sure if she had overplayed her hand. After all, it had been a long time since she'd acted professionally. She hated the way he stared at her and she didn't like being in a room alone with him. Men did horrible things when they thought they were in control, and Diana knew she had to get out of there as soon as possible.
“We'll take it slow and you can tell me everything. We'll do it one question at a time. You can make up for everything you've done here. There are always opportunities to be better, and I suggest you take advantage of this one,” he said, and she noticed he didn't say anything about not hurting her. She nodded and cast her eyes down to the floor, then coughed viciously.
“Water...please...” she said, choking out the words.
Stan rose from the chair and left the room. He came back a few moments later with a glass and some water, then brought it to her lips. Diana's head still was facing the floor, her hair like a curtain, hiding her face, but as soon as Stan's hand was within reach she snapped her head up and sank her teeth into his hand. Stan yelled in pain and wrenched his hand away. The glass dropped to the floor and smashed. The water pooled around her feet. She was hoping she could use one of the shards to cut through the ropes.
Stan looked disgusted as he examined his wound. Diana still could taste the blood in her mouth, and spat it out.
“You people are animals!” he cried, “You come here and practically burn our place to the ground. I don't know what happened to you, but you're a savage. Are you even human anymore? Look at this?!” he said, and showed her the wound she had made. Diana's eyes widened, but it wasn't the bite marks that caught her attention. On his wrist there was a tattoo of a name...
“Annabelle,” she whispered.
Stan turned his back to her and nursed his hand. It was almost as though the mention of that name hurt him more than the bite. “Animals like you don't get to speak that name. She was my daughter, and it's because of people like you that we were separated.”
Diana couldn't believe it. Surely the chances of it being the same Annabelle were astronomical, but now that she had the idea in her mind she could see some of Annabelle in him. As the truth dawned on her she realized she had played this all wrong, and that now there was another chance for her. She cleared her throat, and hope sparked in her heart because she knew that soon she was going to have another ally, and a surprise whenever she next saw Annabelle.
“I think I know your daughter,” she said.
Stan turned around to face her, and as she looked at him she saw the turbulent rage within, and the hope. His eye glistened with tears, and Diana knew that her only hope was that they were talking about the same Annabelle.
Chapter Eleven
It had been a long night. They had marched back and forth to an enemy camp; had seen horrors they never would forget. Adam's life had been saved by the man he hated more than anyone in the world, then he had let the opportunity to kill that man slip through his fingers. Wrestling with the jumbled ideas of morality in his head was becoming a full-time job and it was so hard to keep everything straight. On top of that the screams of all those who died echoed in his mind, and he still felt the heat of that blazing fire, the one that took every
thing away and left the bodies turning to ash. A nauseous feeling resided in the pit of his stomach and his knees were weak. All he wanted to do was to fall into bed and try to sleep, to lose himself in slumber and just for a short while forget about everything he had seen. In the games he had designed it had been so easy to be violent and dress it up as something glorious and glamorous, but the reality of it was gritty and he knew he never would be the same again.
And the thing about war is that it took away so many important people, like Diana. The last time he saw her had been through the smoke, his throat dry and eyes bleary. He wanted to call out to her, but she was gone before he had the chance, and he hadn't even had the opportunity to say goodbye. She was dead, just like so many others, and Adam wondered when the Grim Reaper was going to come for him. It almost had, and he remembered staring down the barrel of the gun. It all would have been over for him if Lee hadn't stepped in and saved his life. Another man died instead of Adam, and there was just no time to process it all. He wanted to think and talk and try to make sense of it all. He wondered if Peter had been through all the same moral wrangling in his past.
There was no time for any thought, though, only more action. Although his limbs were tired, and his body was aching, and his mind was dizzy, and every single part of him was just crying out for sleep...even though he was dirty and dried sweat clung to his body the night was not over yet, for Tara just had told him that Lisa had Annabelle captive. All through the battle one of the only things that had kept Adam alive was the thought of getting back to Annabelle to keep her safe, especially after he had lost track of Diana. It wasn't fair that Annabelle had seen so much sorrow. First her parents had died, and now her surrogate mother was gone, too. Adam had dreaded coming back to tell her. He knew he never could replace Diana, but he would do his best to keep her safe. Yet, he already was failing at that.