Derrick, still stunned by Job’s quick reflexes, resorted to his fists, swinging one at his jaw. Once again, Job was too fast, and caught it in his hand, pushing back until Derrick was forced to his knees. In one swift move, Job had pulled Derrick’s arm around and behind his back, pulling up until it looked like his arm would snap at any moment. It was Derrick’s turn to scream.
I could see Job bend in low, telling him something in a hushed whisper, but I was too far away to make out the words. He was going to torture him until he was dead, payback for the way he had been treated – the way he had treated me. As much as I desired to see Derrick suffer, I couldn’t allow him to be murdered in a public parking lot where anyone could see. It would draw unwanted attention and could lead to far more dire consequences than we had bargained for. There was no doubt that we would be found.
“Job – don’t.” It was the best I could muster as I stood up, still holding my sensitive head.
He took his eyes off Derrick long enough to see me struggling to regain my composure. His features softened, but he held tight to him, refusing to break the hold.
“You can’t kill him. It’s not worth it. He’s pathetic, and I’m sure he will get what he deserves one day. Just not now. We should just go.”
Job was looking back and forth between us, deciding what to do. I had asked that he let his revenge go, and release the man who had assaulted me.
Derrick, in his incapacitated state, felt it was necessary to speak up. “Lemme go, and I’ll just follow ya. I’ll bring the police, and they’ll kill ‘im for kidnappin’, an’ if you resist, they’ll have ya locked away for life. Ya can’t win.” He was laughing, even as Job put more pressure in his grip.
The fury in me couldn’t be held back any longer. “You will do no such thing. That knife you used to stab Job so you could beat him? I have it. I have it in a very safe place. You so much as come near us or my family, and I will turn you in and explain to your father how you tried to kill him, unprovoked. I’m sure he will have a field day with you.”
Derrick stopped laughing. His concern for himself outweighed even the thoughts of continuing the pursuit. He gave in to the fact that he had played his last card, and was still defeated. Job loosened his grip, letting him pull his arm back in front of him and cradle it. Both of them stood up, backing away, never taking their eyes off the other.
“If this is whatchu want – don’t ever come back. Either one of ya. I won’t hesitate nex’ time.”
His threat was real. I would never be able to go home to see my family. Sally and Chase would always be in my heart, but they would have to stay there. It was a loss I would have to come to terms with in my own way. I was already halfway there.
Derrick moved a few steps away before breaking into a run to his truck. The headlights came on, and he was gone. I waited till I couldn’t see his taillights in the dark before turning back to Job. He was close by, looking me over – checking to see what damage had been done. Even as tender as his hands were against my head, I still flinched away from his touch, and as he pulled away, I saw blood on his fingertips. He balled his fist, angry again, but with no one to take it out on.
“You told me he wouldn’t,” he said, disgusted.
“I didn’t know.”
“I never should have let you go out. I can’t watch you get hurt.”
His disgust wasn’t going away. He reached out again, to hold me, but I pushed his hand away, trying to make a point.
“I’m going to get hurt, Job. I’m human. It happens. You can’t protect me every time.”
“I should. I…” He could tell he wasn’t going to win this argument. There were still so many differences about us that he had to understand. He wanted to be my protector and hold my hand every step of the way. I didn’t want to see him ruminate over this any longer. The cloud of being followed had been lifted, and we were free to leave.
“We should go soon, just in case,” I said, changing the subject.
“Only if I can drive. I don’t want to risk going off the road again,” he said, giving a half-hearted smile. He was letting go of his anger slowly, making an effort to bring his attention back to me.
“Deal. Just let me clean the crap out of my hair. You can load everything back up.”
He had already forgotten the “I love you” I was ready to say before we were interrupted. I wanted to stop him and tell him, but, once again, it wasn’t the right moment. He knew by now I was there for him, I had risked myself for him. It would have to wait a while longer.
The soapy water stung, turning pink, as I washed the blood out of my mane, along with locks of hair that had been pulled out. I removed the large clump clogging the drain, throwing it in the trash before Job could see how much I had lost, sending him in a frenzy again. He was waiting at the door as I turned out the light, ready to leave.
As hard as he tried, Job managed to stall the car twice before getting the hang of the clutch and how to shift gears. Both times, my laughter frustrated him further, causing him to become more determined.
“I thought after watching me the last two days, you would have this down.”
“I just figured out how to walk. Now I’m doing something a little more complex. You wanna give me a break here?” His humor had returned.
“Absolutely not.”
Turning onto the road, I could see the flash of gold sparkle in his eyes every time oncoming traffic drove past, and he was forced to blink hard against the glare. I opened the glove box and found a pair of sunglasses buried deep within the clutter. They were far too feminine for him, but it was the best I could do on short notice.
“Here you go. Not sure if this will help.”
He slid them on, feeling more at ease. Each passing car’s lights had no more effect on him than driving in daylight.
“Ooh. Those glasses really finish the look.”
“Do they really?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think that style quite suits you.”
He laughed along with me, enjoying the small jokes we could share. The weight of the world had been lifted.
“Lay back and get some sleep. We won’t be there till at least morning.”
“I just slept for a whole day. I don’t think I could go back to sleep so soon.”
As soon as I said it, I felt another yawn come on. He looked over at me with a smirk on his face, eyebrow raised. I was starting to wonder if he knew my body better than me.
“Okay. A quick nap, but then you better wake me up. I don’t want to sleep the whole way.”
“I’ll be here when you wake up.”
He turned on the radio and began to hum to the beat, picking it up after only one chorus. His smooth voice was relaxing, and I drifted off. He wasn’t going anywhere. It was almost over. There was nothing going to attempt to separate us any longer. It felt good.
20.
I wasn’t ready to open my eyes yet. Job held my hand through the night, squeezing softly, unless he had stopped to get gas or something to eat at rest stops along the way. The lack of traffic and the credit card made it easy to get in and out before being noticed.
Every time I woke up, I offered to take over, mumbling to him, but he refused each time, telling me he was too excited to sleep. Within minutes, I would feel his hand again, and would automatically fall back into slumber, the dreamless sleep pulling me in.
The car came to a stop again. Looking through sleep-laden eyes, I could see a desolate parking lot and small hut. Job stayed in the car, laying his head back and closing his eyes.
“You done driving?”
“No. My leg is really sore, and I need to give it a rest for a little while before going anymore.”
I pulled him as close as the car would let me, bringing his face to mine. I held it there, but his temperature didn’t change. I leaned in closer, wondering why it didn’t work. His eyes studying mine, he leaned in, lips brushing against my cheek.
“I get the feeling you’ve helped me with this as
much as you can,” he said, pressing his lips together hard and blowing out air, eyebrows raised in resignation.
“Then it’s my turn to drive, as long as you can tell me where I’m going.”
I swung my door open, and walked to the hut in search of caffeine. When I came back, I saw that he had already moved to the other side, waiting in the passenger seat. I had to slide the seat up to reach any of the pedals; his long legs had pushed the seat back as far as it would go.
“Keep heading south on this road. We should be getting close in a few hours.”
“Thank you, Rand McNally. Does that mean you’re going to sleep?”
“No. Too wired right now. I think I drank, like, six cans of soda. I’m pretty sure I’ll be awake for the next few days.” He gave a huge grin, flashing his pearly whites my way, showing how awake he was.
“So, did you listen to the radio all night long?”
“Yeah. I really like music. There is one called jazz and another called light rock I really liked the best. They also had one where a guy was just talking, and people called in to comment. It was pretty interesting.”
“What was it about, if I may ask?” I was interested in his discovery, since something new to him was usually something we took for granted every day.
“The guy was talking about a group called MSR. It stands for Movement for Sayner Rights. They are trying to get a law passed to stop the slavery. I was surprised how many people called in to support them.” He seemed eager to share what he had learned, and I was more than willing to listen.
“So it was good?”
“Yeah. He said we were framed from the start, and the government should stop relying on the Vesper to solve every problem. There were a few who called in to argue with him, but they didn’t stay on long.”
Hearing there were still good people out there willing to fight was nice, even as bleak as the Sayner’s situation seemed. For ten years, there had been riots and protests over the slavery, but all had failed to accomplish anything. Every time the issue was presented, something would happen to set it back. Sometimes there would be reports of murders that happened surrounding a group of Sayner. Every bill for Sayner’s rights that made it to some government office was discarded before it could be examined and processed. As many times as I heard about this happening, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Job that this, too, would be another dead end, and not to put too much stock in anything positive changing in the near future. As wrong as it felt to keep my opinion from him, there was no reason to bring him down.
“See – not everyone is like Derrick,” I said. “I’m sure there are some people who don’t treat you like animals.”
He became quiet, as though I had said the wrong thing. The sadness on his face was apparent. There was something he was remembering; a painful memory. I tried to change the subject quickly, but he started to talk before I had the chance.
“Maggie wasn’t bad. She liked me. She treated me like family, as much as she could.”
“She was who owned you before the Carter’s?”
He nodded, “Her husband bought me from the camp. He thought it would be nice to have an extra set of hands on his farm. He was older, and needed someone who could do the dirty work and heavy lifting.”
“So, they both were good to you, then?” I was feeling better that his time with Derrick was short lived.
“No. He didn’t want me near the house, so I slept in the barn, because Maggie convinced him that if I got sick, I would be useless. She would buy me clothes and bring food. She was the closest thing I’ve ever had to family.”
“If she was so good, why did you have to leave? I know he retired, but she could have made sure you went somewhere better.”
The pain in his face grew stronger. I could see it was becoming increasingly hard for him to talk about it without getting upset. Something horrible had happened.
“At first, she acted like nothing was wrong, but insisted I leave and take my freedom. She thought if I didn’t know, I would go. But I knew. I knew she was getting sick, because her visits were less frequent each week. Eventually, she stopped coming altogether. I could tell it was bad; her husband became more irritated with me if I didn’t work hard enough, or took too long of a break.
“He found the books she had brought me, and kicked me out of the barn. Then he stopped coming, himself. I sat in the pig sty for almost a week, waiting for him to come back. When he did, he told me he had found someone else who would take me, and I was sold to the Carter’s.”
Hearing this after our fight about family, I understood why he had given in so quickly. He had said he didn’t understand, but in a way he did. The situation had been different, and the time he had with Maggie had been short, but he still knew what it felt like to lose someone he cared about.
I wasn’t sure if there was anything I could say that would make him feel better. He had finally opened up to somebody, something that sounded like he had never been given the chance to do, and now he needed a moment to reflect and mourn his loss in silence. It had taken me five years to get over my mother’s death, and he had just started. I knew how it felt to have people try to make you feel better when it hurt.
After some time, I found that my stomach wasn’t going to wait until we made our destination, so I stopped at a drive-thru, opting to go inside. I ordered a regular portion for me, but doubled up on his, making sure he wouldn’t ask to stop again in an hour. Bringing it out to the car, I found Job in a better mood. It appeared he had moved on, although it was apparent that he still felt a slight sting from our conversation.
The remainder of the ride passed smoothly, as we listened to the radio – pointing out songs and artists I liked, and finding out some of his favorites. His singing skills were lacking. I tried not to cringe at his screeching, but he could tell I was fighting to keep from smiling, and gave up, asking me to sing instead. I sang as he hummed along, picking up the melody of the song.
As I followed his directions, the road turned into two grooves of dirt and took us away from the highway, into empty fields and brush. The further we got off the beaten path, the more the sound of rattlesnakes and other wildlife could be heard through the open windows. Back home, the only snakes I ran into were the occasional garden variety, but out here, the animals were quite different, and watching your step was a good idea.
“I think this is it,” Job said, a little less enthused than I had hoped.
His fear of going to meet them again was creeping up in his voice. My gut told me he would be accepted, as long as he was willing to give it a chance, but my head still questioned whether that was true. I wanted to see him happy – not just with me, but with his own people.
The road stopped at a rundown coal mine at the edge of the field – deserted, after the change to New Energy had collapsed the fossil fuels industry. The conveyor belts were rusted away, and boards were nailed over every entrance. We pulled up next to a dilapidated building; the siding had begun to show signs of abandonment, and most of the windows were broken in. If this was meant to be a place of salvation, it looked like a bust.
“I don’t think anyone is here, Job. The building looks like it’s been empty for a few years. Maybe we should try one of the other ones you saw on the map.”
“This is it, and they wouldn’t be in the building. They are going to be inside the mine, underground.”
“Why underground? Wouldn’t it be better to be in a building?” I had been thinking that wherever we would end up would be more like the kind of shelter I was used to. Running water, and maybe a bed to sleep in, didn’t seem like too much to ask for.
“It’s more like home,” he said, seeing that I was having issues trying to imagine a safe haven below ground.
Looking at all the entrances to the mine, I couldn’t tell which one would lead down into the hiding place. How could anyone live inside a mine for their whole life? If I stayed here, the coal would bother me every day, as I’d be covered head to toe with soot. I began to
hope he was wrong, and that we could look somewhere else for our shelter.
He had already gotten out of the car and was walking up to the entrances, waiting at each, closing his eyes, and then moving to the next. I followed, watching and waiting for him to say that it wasn’t here, but as he reached the third one, he stopped completely and opened his eyes, looking for a way to remove the beams that kept us out.
“Okay, well – I don’t know about you, but I didn’t bring a flashlight, and I’m not sure how we are supposed to get down there in the dark. I doubt the lights still work. Let’s turn around, and we can come back.”
He pulled one board loose and set it down, so there was enough room to crawl in. “I can see just fine without the light. I’ll hold your hand and lead you. You trust me, right?”
He put his hand out, waiting for me to take it. Anything could be living in the dark space, including a few bats and insects I was not looking forward to encountering. I would have to rely on him to maneuver around objects, and even as I remembered how well he could see in the dark, I was still concerned that the complete lack of light would throw him off and lead us into something worse.
“I trust you. Just don’t let me fall over something.”
“Never would.”
Once we had crawled our way inside, cracks in the planks let in enough light for me to see that the entrance was scattered with abandoned equipment. Our movements kicked up dust from the ground, and I could taste the raw minerals on my tongue. Job led me away from the light, into the pitch. I walked through the black on black, listening to his voice. Every time he looked back at me, the light caught the gold of his eyes, reflecting it like an animal’s. As we proceeded, the reflection grew dimmer, until we were completely shrouded in the dark.
He was nice enough to move slower whenever there was something blocking the way, warning me and giving me time to stumble past it. The air grew heavy and thick, and felt like I was breathing pea soup.
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