On The Run

by Scott Medbury

  “They took out a whole patrol? No wonder she told us to get the hell out of Dodge.”

  While Luke and I had been searching the gas station, Sonny had straightened John’s leg as best he could and duct taped a couple of two by fours to each side of the break, a makeshift splint to keep it straight. It would probably work for now, but the break had looked really bad, and if he didn’t have any other problems, like internal bleeding or infection, I doubted he would ever walk again without a limp. It had looked to me like the type of break that would require rods and pins to hold the bone together.

  I decided I’d give him a choice. Stay so maybe the Chinese would fix his leg or come with us and remain free but at the cost of maybe never walking properly again. It was a choice that the unconscious and more gravely injured Mark wouldn’t get.

  John chewed a couple of the aspirin and washed them down with water. I glanced through the open back door of the truck and saw Indigo and Allie were both curled up in sleeping bags on top of the raised mat we had set up for Sonny.

  They were sleeping soundly, so I decided to leave them for the time being and continued around the truck. Near the front of the truck I found Ben and Brooke. Brooke was seated on a small wooden crate, one of the many things lying around the garage. Ben was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to her. Brooke looked up and smiled as I approached.

  “How’s the ankle?” I asked.

  “Oh, it’s feeling much better since Ben taped it,” she replied. “Not going to be running sprints any time soon, but I can walk on it with no problem. I think I just turned it, not even a sprain.”

  “Good to hear,” I said, nodding. “How about you, Ben? How are you holding up?”

  “What’s that term you Americans say? Keep on trucking ... well, I’m trucking,” Ben said, glancing up at me.

  “We’re not bugging out of here until nightfall,” I said.

  I explained quickly what had happened outside. I was surprised by Ben’s lack of response. He was clearly emotionally and physically exhausted.

  “Why don’t you both try to get some rest in the meantime? It looks like Allie and Indigo are already asleep in the back of the truck. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you two joined them.”

  “What about you?” Brooke asked. “You look like you need to rest as much as we do.”

  “I plan on trying to get some sleep when we leave,” I mumbled, trying not to think about Mark. How would I be able to sleep knowing what had to be done? I had a feeling that even when I got to rest, sleep would be a long time coming.

  “Something’s wrong,” Ben said. He was looking at me keenly, suddenly more alert now that he sensed a friend’s distress. “There’s something that you’re not telling us.”

  I felt my shoulders sag as I leaned against the fender of the truck; the metal was dented and scraped from the collision with the Chinese vehicle back at the bridge. I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t know how to start.

  “Well, spit it out,” Ben said.

  “It’s Mark. He is hurt too badly for us to look after him,” I said, looking at the dirty concrete floor instead of meeting their eyes. “We are going to have to leave him behind, and John too if he wants, in hopes that the Chinese will find them and provide any needed medical treatment.”

  “That makes sense to me,” said Ben. “If Brooke or I were too injured to carry on, that is what I’d want you to do with us. As long as there is life, there is hope, even for a prisoner.”

  “Just because it makes sense doesn’t make me feel any better about it. I feel like a bastard for even considering it. The Chinese aren’t known for their sense of compassion. It could be a death sentence.” I shook my head. “I don’t think Luke will like the plan.”

  “Luke’s the one who convinced everybody to make you the leader,” Brooke said. “He’ll keep following you, even if you make a decision he doesn't agree with. He’s not a wanker.”

  “I’ve heard that word before, but I’m not really sure what it means.”

  “What word, wanker?” Brooke asked, with a giggle.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well…”

  “At the risk of sounding like I’m an expert, you better let me answer this, sis,” interrupted Ben. “A wanker is like… someone who – you know.” He made a vague pulling movement with his hand.

  “I didn’t mean it that way though!” said Brooke, her face glowing red. “It’s the same as what you Americans mean when you call a person a jerk.”

  “Ah, got it,” I said, smirking. “Wanker, I like that word.”

  “Who’s a wanker?” Luke asked, emerging from around the corner of the truck.

  “You,” I said. Ben laughed but Brooke clapped her hand over her mouth.

  “I see,” he said, his eyebrow raised.

  “Just kidding, Ben and Brooke were giving me an English lesson.”

  “Okay. So they’re teaching you the cool words first, then?”

  I smiled, and then put my hand on his arm.

  “We should talk about Mark,” I said, my tone serious. “You’re probably not going to like this, but he won’t be able to come with us.”

  I told him my plan. His face darkened while I spoke and the deep frown on his face told me I was right about him not liking it, but so was Brooke when she had said he would accept my decision nonetheless.

  In the end, with some dissent, the others in the group also agreed leaving Mark behind was the best for the good of everybody, especially him, although nobody particularly liked the idea.

  Samara decided to stay, too. She wanted to remain behind and watch over him, despite the fact we all tried to talk her out of it. Much to my surprise, a pained John also decided to stay and allow the Chinese to capture him in hopes of having his leg treated properly.

  “It’s too painful, and who knows, if they fix me up, maybe I can gather some information that can be used in the future. I know roughly where I’ll be able to find you guys if everything works out.”

  I felt better about leaving Mark now that John had elected to stay, although I didn’t hold out much hope that I would ever see any of them ever again. Indigo and Brooke tried to talk Samara into coming but she was adamant, and I could tell that it wasn’t only for selfless reasons. It was clear she was tired of running.

  We unpacked some food and water to leave with them while they waited for the Chinese to find them and I left the other small bottle of aspirin with John, as well. I offered to leave them a weapon too, but it was declined. John and Samara felt their chances were better if they were found unarmed.

  Sonny had come back into the garage about twenty-five minutes after I left him in the gas station with Huian. I heard her go, the high-powered motorcycle was loud, and she was clearly in a hurry. He told us that she’d try to delay the discovery of the missing patrol until the next morning, hopefully giving us plenty of time to get away if we left at nightfall, as we planned.

  He looked unhappy and I guessed his feelings for her still ran deep. He said he was feeling up to driving for a while, but it was decided that I’d ride up front with him to spell him if he needed it. Now that the decision about who would stay and go was made, I felt bone-tired and knowing I had a long night ahead, I finally managed to lie down and fall asleep for a few hours.

  10

  Luke woke me at sunset. I rose slowly, stretching my sore muscles. The sleep had done me good, but I was still groggy, and there was no way it had been as much sleep as I needed. The stress of the day was wearing on me in ways I had never imagined it could. I don’t like stress, but I knew I was in for a lot more of it, at least until we arrived at the safe haven.

  “Here, you look like you need this more than I do,” Luke said, handing me an energy drink from his stash. I don’t know where he kept them, I never saw him pack or unpack them, but he always magically seemed to be able to produce energy drinks as needed. “You still going to ride shotgun tonight?”

  “Yeah, that’s the plan,” I said, taking the c
an from him and cracking it open. “Unless somebody else really wants the spot.”

  “Not me,” he said. “I’m going to sleep from here until whenever we stop again. I’m bushed; I don’t even think another round with the Chinese would wake my ass up once I go down for the count.”

  As I slammed down half the energy drink he watched me, suddenly all serious.

  “What?” I asked.

  “This thing with Mark and John ... and Samara, it sucks, man. I want to try to talk everyone out of it – to find a way to bring everybody. Anyway, I know we can’t and I just want you to know, I respect your decision.”

  “I know,” I said. “It does suck and if I could think of another way, I would grab onto it instantly. But Mark and John need real medical care, way beyond anything we can give. Samara though, well, you could see it too, I think she’s just tired of running. Anyway, it was their decision, John and Samara I mean. Mark is the only one we couldn’t really help.”

  “What about the safe haven we’re headed to?” Luke asked with a hint of hope in his voice. I found it infectious and almost gave into it myself before cold, harsh reality won out in my mind.

  “Even if we get there and find that the safe haven is real, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to provide the medical help to save Mark, or John for that matter.” I shook my head. “In this case, I think we just have to accept that the possibility of medical care from the Chinese is better than a gamble that there is actually a safe haven.”

  “You think we’re on a wild goose chase?”

  “No. I’m hopeful it’s there and that we’ll find it. But I’m pretty sure that at some point in the next few days, we’re going to be on foot again ... it’s going to be a hard slog even for those of us that are fit and healthy.”

  “I didn’t think of that,” Luke said.

  He bowed his head. I don’t know if he was quite convinced, but he seemed to accept my reasoning.

  “Come on, let’s see how close we are to leaving.”

  I finished the rest of the energy drink and walked to rear of the truck. The rest of the crew was packing the last of the goods Luke and I had scavenged into the rear of the truck.

  I found Indigo in the cab of the truck.

  “Riding up front again?” I asked her, hopeful.

  “Of course, this is where the action is,” she responded with a playful smile. Her hour or so of rest seemed to have done her a world of good, but then, I thought she looked good even when she was about to collapse from fatigue.

  “Can you shoot?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, a bit,” she said, with a far-off look. “My dad taught me.”

  I took out the revolver I had found in the gas station and handed it to her, along with a handful of extra rounds for it.

  “You keep this, I already have one,” I said. “Two of them take up too much space in my pockets.”

  “Thanks.” She looked it over and then held it out and lined up the sight. “Where’d you get this one?”

  “In the gas station, when Luke and I went and checked it out.”

  “Cool, I’ll keep it handy,” she said, sliding it into her coat pocket. “Is everybody else all ready to head out?”

  “Pretty much,” I replied.

  I turned to look toward the back of the truck and saw Sonny rolling the big garage doors open a little. It was dusk and light was fading, but full darkness wouldn’t hit for another half-hour or so.

  Samara was sitting with Mark and John on the mat we left for them, the food and water piled nearby. The injured boys were covered with some of the extra blankets we had brought. The other passengers were standing around talking quietly, waiting for the word to climb back into the truck. I went over to Luke.

  “I think we’re ready to go.”

  He nodded and Sonny joined us.

  “Twenty more minutes should give us full dark. We’ll go then.”

  Something was nagging at me and I decided I would talk to Samara one more time before giving up on her.

  “Excuse me for a sec.”

  I walked over to the corner of the garage. Mark was still out of it, laying on his back, dark circles under his eyes, and John was laying with his head on Samara’s lap. He wasn’t asleep, but looked pretty exhausted.

  “You won’t talk me out of staying, Isaac,” she said as if reading my thoughts.

  “I’ve tried Isaac. She won’t listen to reason,” John said in a resigned tone.

  Perhaps sensing my sadness, Samara put her hand on my knee.

  “Please don’t take it personally. It’s got nothing to do with you. I’m glad they made you leader while Sonny was down. You’ve been great and did well to get us this far. I’m just sick of hiding and running and I don’t like the idea of leaving two injured friends behind to fend for themselves, but I understand why it had to be this way. Plus, if I’m here, at least they’ll have someone to tend to them.” Samara paused as if weighing her words carefully. “Besides ... maybe it won’t be so bad with them in charge, you know?”

  In another time and place I might have argued with her, but I could see that John was right; Samara had persuaded herself it was the best thing to do. I gave her hand a squeeze.

  “Okay, I hope it works out for you – for all of you. Is there anything else I can do before we go?”

  “Well, you could watch Mark while I duck out to the little girl’s room.”

  “Sure, don’t go too far though.”

  Samara pulled herself from under John’s head and left the garage. I put my hand on Mark’s forehead. He was burning up ... badly. I had a terrible feeling he wouldn’t last the night.

  “SONNY!”

  Allie’s despairing shriek caused me to snatch my hand away. I shot to my feet. She was at the rear corner of the truck pointing to the opening of the shed. The doors were not in my line of sight as I ran towards her, and joined Sonny and Luke as they raced from the cab. They pulled up quickly when they saw what had startled Allie. So did I.

  There were three figures, backlit by the last light of dusk. Their faces were in shadow. I didn’t need to see them though – in the middle was the unmistakable figure of the leader of the Tigers, Chen. Next to him stood another of his gang members, and the third figure, held tightly by the thug’s arm, was Samara, a short blade pressed to her throat.

  Sonny took a step forward.

  “Stand still, all of you, or the girl gets it in the neck,” snapped Chen.

  I saw the shape of a pistol in his hand.

  There was not a doubt in my mind he was desperate and just crazy enough to carry out his threat.

  “What do you want, Chen?” Sonny asked over the top of Allie’s screaming.

  “Oh, you’ll find out asshole,” he spat. “First shut that bitch up!”

  Sonny put a hand on Allie’s shoulder and pulled her close.

  “Hush now. It’ll be okay, go and sit in the truck till I tell you to come out.”

  “Doors,” snapped Chen to his sidekick.

  Samara gasped as the man dragged her to the doors and pulled them closed without loosening his grip. I took another step forward but stopped when Chen’s eyes locked on me.

  “That’s right ... soon enough, laowai. Somebody put a light on,” he said, his eyes fixed on me.

  I heard movement in the back of the truck and, somehow still working, the light in the cargo bay came on. Chen turned back to Sonny.

  “Well, here we are again, Sonny. I’m not particularly upset you didn’t hook up with us when this invasion shit went down. I probably would have had to kill you anyway. No good having two alphas in the pack, if you know what I mean. Anyway, all that is water under the bridge. I’m even willing to forget that you and your baby Kung Fu gang led us into a trap that got all my men killed. Maybe you did me a favor – a big group like that was bound to get noticed by the Chinese eventually.

  “What I’m not willing to forget, or forgive, is the filthy laowai who killed Jack. Just hand him over and the rest
of you can go wherever you were headed. Based on what I saw that helicopter do, you have friends in high places.”

  “No, not negotiable,” Sonny said simply.

  “Your brother got what he deserved!” Indigo yelled as she jumped fearlessly out of the truck and came around to face Chen. “He was going to rape me!”

  “Well, well, well. Jack always did have good taste in bitches,” he said, flicking his tongue over his top lip.

  Unafraid and with fire in her eyes, Indigo stepped forward even as I did.

  “Come on!” Chen screamed and stepped forward, quickly placing the muzzle of his gun against Indigo’s forehead. Indigo froze and so did I. It was me he addressed next though. “Another move like that and I’ll put a bullet through her head.”

  I stood there with adrenalin coursing through my body, frustrated and helpless to protect the people I had been charged with caring for. There seemed to be no way out, but then it came to me. The one and only option I had to get us all out of this situation.

  “Please, Chen,” said Sonny in a calm voice. “We’re screwed enough as it is without helping the Chinese by killing ourselves. Please, lower the gun.”

  I was shocked when the leader of the Tigers did just that. He lowered the gun and took a step away from Indigo. I saw her shoulders relax and she stepped back against the truck.

  “You know what, Sonny? You’re right, and in honor of the fact we were once Tigers together, I’ll let all of you go. All except him.”

  He pointed his finger at me like it was a loaded weapon.

  “No, I already told you, it’s non-nego-”

  “Sonny,” I said loudly, interrupting him. “It’s alright – he’s right. It’s the only way. This won’t end until I’m dead ... or he is. The only thing we need to work out is if he’s going to shoot me like a coward or fight me like a man.”

  I saw my words have the desired effect. Chen raised his chin defiantly.

  “You want to fight me, laowai?” he asked, incredulous.

  “My name is Isaac,” I said, as I walked forward holding his cocky gaze with my own defiant stare. “And yes, I do. I want to fight you. Hand to hand, no weapons.”