THE STRAGGLERS Book 2 OWN

by Misha Anderson

  When we are about to leave, near the river banks a car and two men get near one of the gold diggers, one of the man tidy up his gray suit and remove the dark sunglasses, even a little distante, I would recognize him in hell: it’s Maggie’s father. He talks to a gold digger and receives a small bag, analyzes the content and then asks a mean looking man by his side to hand the gold digger an envelope. The man immediately takes a wad of money inside the envelope and counts the bills, shaking Geffrey’s hand.

  Uncle Ronan tries to get back to us and steps on a twig, making a noise that alerts Geffrey and his thug of our presence. Greeley’s thug draws a gun and looks for uncle Ronan, yelling at random:

  “Who’s there? If you don’t show yourself now, I’m going to shoot.”

  Uncle Ronan attacks Geffrey and punches him, disarming him. Both entangles themselves on the ground, punching and kicking in a bloody fight. Geffrey’s thug shoots in our direction and Adam draws his gun hitting back the shots.

  The river banks become an infernal arena, some gold diggers run and two of them lycans, transform themselves and come up against us.

  One of them comes towards me and attacks me, throwing me on the ground with its hideous mouth, ready to take my arm off. I kick it on the ribs to escape its bite and pull a knife from my calf, sinking it on its chest with inhuman strength, in only one blow.

  The scenery couldn’t be worst, the gold diggers transform themselves and two others drew knives, coming to us, enraged, by listening Geffrey say:

  “They are looters, they came to steal your gold, attack them.”

  Uncle Ronan turns his head back his appearance distorted and howls, transforming himself in a gray scary mortal wolf, going after Geffrey who was running down the road. The bullets whirred everywhere and the gold diggers grouped themselves to attack us.

  Far away, uncle Quinn enters a knife fight with two gold diggers, hitting them not giving a chance to escape, but the other is able to sink a knife in his thigh. When getting ready for a second blow on uncle Quinn’s ribs, Adam hits him with a shot on the abdomen.

  Adam was protected behind a tree, reloading his gun and trying to espace from Geffrey’s thug shots, and catching the miserable man by surprise, he reloaded in time to hit the man twice in the chest, making him fall bloody.

  Adam yelled loudly as soon as he saw a big group of gold diggers coming near to attack us.

  “They are too many, we don’t have a chance, let’s escape.”

  Adam and I ran, trying to escape the big group of men coming behind us. We turned towards the group that were cornering us and we faced men holding sickles, knives and axes, challenging us.

  The first howl to echo on the road was Adam’s, my leader, transforming himself beside me, growling with his open and salivating mouth, in a defensive position, protective. And the second was my own, freed by the proximity to death, thirsty for bathing myself in blood, ready to tear the guts of my enemies.

  MAGGIE

  I tossed and turned between the sheets and came upon and empty bed. I got up slowly because of the weight of my belly and went to the bathroom, cleaning myself up quickly. I went back to the bedroom and no Hunter, I searched the intere house and when I got to the kitchen, there was a little note from him stuck on the fridge.

  “I had to leave early to solve some serious problems with Adam, later I’ll get you at the clinic. Take care, kisses, baby.”

  Your Big Guy

  What happen to Adam, did something happen to Sam or Jerry?

  I called Samantha and she answered with a sleepy voice, saying I was for waking her so early and asked if she knew where Adam and Hunter were.

  “Hi, Sam, good morning, pretty, sorry for waking you up so early, Hunter left a note saying he had a serious problems to solve with Adam, is something happening that I don’t know?”

  Samantha answered with a worried voice:

  “For what I can see, yes, I think they are hiding something from both of us. Since yesterday I’ve been a bit annoyed. Adam was all mysteries talking to Kayden and uncle Quinn, as soon as he gets home I’ll want to know what’s going on.”

  I hang up even more worried, as soon as I finished having breakfast, I got a call from Malcolm telling me he’ll be back to New York in the afternoon and he’ll keep me informed as soon as he finds out more about the employees hired by Manfred. Before hanging up, I asked him to accompany to the land, I wanted to see with my own eyes the reason of so many hirings.

  “Malcolm, I wanted to take advantage that you’re here and ask you to go with me to the land, I want to get to know these employees and know why they were hired.”

  Malcolm accepted to go with me and we scheduled it for leaving the house in half an hour.

  “It’s alright, Maggie, I’ll take you there, it’s better like this, at least I’ll return to New York with all solved. Can I get you there in half an hour?”

  “Yeah, fine by me. Thanks, bye.”

  I put on a white mesh dress, long and comfortable, I put on my boots and as we had settled, Malcolm arrives before half an hour to get me, I got my purse and accommodated myself in the car.

  The road was terrible, and I thank God Malcolm’s car is a 4x4 jeep, if it had been one of these fancy sedans, it would have got stuck on the middle of this road full of wholes.

  The GPS performed a huge miracle in helping us to get to this place in the end of the world and as soon as I see those huge palm trees and the cave above a rock, the images of this place come to my mind in flashes. I remember mom bringing me here to picnics by the river, I remember the feeling of freedom and joy I had by running beside I huge wild dog that always kept me company when I used to come here with mom. The feeling of being home, of completeness I felt by running around this land. Malcolm stops the car with a unusual break and therefore I situate myself, I lose my voice taken by the panic that invades me and paralyzes my body. In the middle of the road I see dad desperately fighting with a huge wolf, he draws a gun and hits the animal with two shots, even though hurt, the animal opens it’s mouth and bites dad on the neck and shakes his body, throwing him far away. I open the car door to the road, hearing Malcolm’s screams at me to return. Right ahead Mr Quinn drags to the edge of the road and falls by a rock, hurt.

  I run towards dad’s body and the wounded wolf, ignoring Malcolm’s yells to me to return to the car. The sound of shots got nearer and nearer, Malcolm closes the windows as fast as a rocket and reverses it, running desperately.

  Dad’s throat is open, tore by the bites, his lifeless eyes stared me. I feel his entire body shaking, I cry and scream in a historic fit. He’s dead, dead by that miserable animal. I get a huge rock and get near the agonizing wolf, when I’m about to smash its head, its entire body contorces itself in a compulsive attack, my eyes become wide open when I see in front of me, its furs give space to a human skin, its wolfish traces transform as if magic in the face of a man. He recoils the bloody body completely naked, when I face his eyes I see that’s Hunter’s uncle, Mr Ronan.

  How is it possible? Seeing dad’s death in front of me most certainly got me out of my mind, I’m having hallucinations, I close my eyes trying to wake myself from this reverie and by opening it again, Mr Roan breaths hardly, sweating buckets and spiting blood. He was shot twice, once in the torso and once in the abdomen, I throw the rock aside and crouch leaning over him, saying words to the wind, as if I was praying insanely.

  “How is it possible? You are the wolf? Why you killed him? Why?”

  He pulled me by the neck of the dress, with his bloody hands and said in a low voice, gaging sometimes because of the blood coming out of his mouth.

  “He killed my son, your father, a demon, an animal. Adam, Hunter will die... Jake, my son, come get me!!!”

  Mr Ronan turned his eyes and bent his body back, sighing smoothly right after. Dead, God, he and my father are dead. He and that wolf, both, are the same. I blink with my eyes blurry by the tears and my heart beats uncontrollably seeing the mortal fight
approaching where I am. Four wolves attack each other, growling and grunting in a scary way and three men tried to hit two of the wolves hitting them with sickles. The animals attacked the three man and tore their flesh in an accurate blow. One of the men had his arms torn apart from his body and the other two are bitten and thrown like rag dolls on the ground. After attacking and killing three other men, two of the wolves run away and the other two, a brown wolf and a black one like the night, walked by the road, slowly coming towards me.

  They are going to devour me, for a few long seconds the image of that black wolf that I saved its life returns to my mind. A throbbing pain hits my belly, I recoil in the middle of the road in fetal position, I think of Hunter, how much I love him and I couldn’t say goodbye, I think of my children that didn’t get a chance to be born, I think and my body doesn’t feel anything else. I slowly open my eyes and see Mr Quinn crouching down beside me and these bloody wolves get near, I close my eyes and my mind blacks out.

  CHAPTER 18

  HUNTER

  Maggie is fallen on the road and I approach her smell of agony and pain. I scrap the nose in her belly and something is wrong, my babies suffer, I can feel them. I howl bagging uncle Quinn to help me, he crouched even with his wounded leg and raises her in his arms, taking her to the truck. Uncle Quinn lays Maggie on the back seat and I sit by her side, in guard, trying to protect her form the pain, from the fear. As soon as Adam jumped on the back of the truck, uncle Quinn started, stepping down on the truck.

  I close my eyes trying to get back to my skin, but I feel my body electrifying, pulsing by the heat of combat, the tense muscles, taken by the beast, lost between the fury of the animal and the reason of man.

  I breathe slowly, immerse in darkness and silence that calms me little by little. Uncle Quinn drives like a mad man, and Maggie moans in a low voice.

  She moans without waking up, I can still feel her pain, her agony, she is not well, I need to protect her, to get the pain out of her womb. I breathe in between her legs and a liquid runs down her vagina in abundance. I rub my nose in her huge belly and the heart beating of my babies were getting slower, more suffered. I deeply sigh and feel the air taking over my lungs strongly, I open my eyes and I’m naked in my skin, with hands and nails dirty with fresh blood, Uncle Quinn looks through the rear mirror and thanks mother nature.

  “Thanks my mother you’re back. How could I enter the hospital with two wolves and a passed out pregnant woman?”

  Uncle Quinn opened the gloved compartment and handed me some disposable tissues, I thanked him and cleaned my hands, looking for something left behind the car I could use to cover my nakedness. I found an raggedy towel and wrapped it around my waist, Maggie slowly opens her eyes with a pale face, as soon as she gets her senses back, she cries holding her belly, scared by the pain.

  “Please, Hunter, the babies, I think they will be born now, but it’s still too early, ouch, my belly hurts, it hurts a lot.”

  “Try remaining calm, my love, the pain will subside, the babies will be alright.”

  On our way to the hospital, uncle Quinn made a quick stop at our ranch door. Kayden and Sam come to get us, as soon as Sam saw Adam naked, with a towel wrapped around him, she asked scared what had happened what had happened, Adam covered his sex and answered quickly:

  “We were attacked, now I can’t explain, we need you to get clothes, quick, for Hunter and me. Kayden you need to take uncle Quinn and Maggie to the hospital, he’s wounded and Maggie is felling ill, I think she’s got into labour.

  Samantha ran into the house and quickly returned with some clothes from Conner: sweater pants, a shirt and a pair of sneakers. Adam also got dressed in a hurry and got his truck, accompanying us to the hospital.

  Uncle Quinn was conducted to a small surgery, to close the cut on his leg and Maggie was greeted by an emergency obstetrician in the Center Hospital of Portland.

  A thin middle aged blond introduced herself to us, asking:

  “Are you family of Margareth Vaugh?”

  Kayden, Adam and I confirmed, and she went on.

  “Are any of you the babies father’?”

  I quickly answered:

  “Me, I’m the babies father’s, Maggie’s husband, Hunter Vaugh.”

  She squeezed my hand in a firm way and says in a loaded expression, showing worry.

  “I’m doctor Helena Phillips, we have to perform a caesarean section in a hurry on Margareth, her arterial pressure is too high and she’s in risk of getting in eclampsia. Besides, one of the babies has a fetal suffering, its heart beating is too weak, we’ll do everything for the success of the births and for your wife and the babies to be alright, but the situation is serious.”

  I listen what the doctor says, shaking my head, nothing bad can happen to my baby and my children. Fear and anger blinded me and when I realize it, I’m grabbing the doctor’s arm too tight, the woman moans in pain and stares at me scared.

  “No, listen me here, give me my wife back, and my children in my arms safe and sound, nothing can happen to Maggie, I don’t accepted, I wouldn’t resist it, no, do whatever is possible and the impossible to give me back my baby, do you understand, doctor.”

  “Ouch, you’re hurting me, let me go.”

  I let her go and I was sorry, Adam and Kayden said their were sorry too to the doctor, saying I’m out of control and she nodded, sacred, running away right after, to perform the surgery on Maggie.

  Time went by slowly, it seemed to mock my agony, I was pacing around in the reception and then after almost an eternity, another doctor came to meet us, asking who was Maggie’s husband.

  “Are any of you Magareth Vaugh’s husband.”

  I quickly answer, Adam and Kayden also got near.

  “I, I’m Maggie’s husband, how was the surgery, how is she and my babies?”

  The man cleared his throat and looked me searching for words, his tense eyes told me everything, something went wrong, I made a fist waiting for him to say what the fuck happened.

  “Sir, Mrs Margareth is fine, the brith was difficult, doctor Philips did everything possible, but one of the babies unfortunately the situation and passed away. Your wife is recovering well, your daughter went to the incubator to be better taken care of, she’s premature and her lungs still need intensive care.”

  Passed away? Died? One of my children is dead? Tears appeared without me being able to control them, I’m walking aimlessly through the reception mumbling the unhappiness I just heard, if I hadn’t ran to Maggie in fur, if she hadn’t seen all that carnage that blood bath in front of her, she wouldn’t have gotten into labor and my son would be now warm, and protected in Maggie’s belly. Adam talks to me and I squint my eyes trying to bring myself back. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, I need to breathe, God, I try to breathe and an intense pain in my chest compress my lungs.

  “Hunter, Maggie’s is really going to need you now, your wife and your daughter who’s still fighting to live, talk to me brother, I know it hurts.”

  I screamed as loud as I could, making my whole body shake.

  “No, you don’t know, nobody knows how I’m feeling, it was my fault Adam, if she hadn’t seen all that disgrace, this wouldn’t have happen.”

  Kayden pulls my hands from my face, so no one can see me crying, and talks to me in a harsh tone:

  “Hunter, is no one’s fault, you were trying to survive, Adam told me you were cornered, it was her father’s fault, that asshole Geffrey, don’t blame yourself this way.”

  I got up still dizzy, searching strength and balance in my legs, looking to the white walls around me that seemed to imprison me, I get out of the hospital, walking without finding the way back to the happy life I had. Me, my baby, my so waited children.

  I walk at random through the dark night, crying for myself, for the woman I love, for my faith of being a freak, mainly, crying for my baby I couldn’t have in my arms.

  CHAPTER 19

  MAGGIE

  The fist
image I see when I wake up is Hunter’s face. His eyes are red and teary, but even so, my Big Guy smiles at me. A weak and sad smile, that I insist in finding out why is on the face I so much love.

  He holds my hand and asks worried.

  “Hey, baby, how are you feeling, my love?”

  “Still dizzy, a little pain.”

  I look to the empty crib by my side and ask Hunter why my children are not here.

  “Where are the babies, love? Why they haven’t brought them yet? They must be hungry, they need to be fed.”

  Hunter is quiet and turns his back to me, I feel a sitting pain on my chest, something bad happen because he can’t face me.

  “Hunter, look at me, what happen to my babies?”

  He slowly turned and said the truth without looking me in the eye.

  “Maggie, the doctor did what she could, one of the babies, our little boy, he didn’t make...”

  My little boy couldn’t make it, I cry in a low voice and turn to the side so Hunter won’t see my tears, in the end I ask for the other baby, has it survived too and he’s lying and doesn’t want to say it?

  “And why isn’t my son here with me?” Hunter corrects me, with his head low.

  “Daughter, it’s a little girl, her lungs aren’t strong enough yet, she needs to be in the incubator.”

  A blond woman wearing a white jacket enters the room and I ask anxiously.

  “Are you a doctor?”, she nods, I ask her to see my daughter. “I want to see my daughter, please, I need to see her.”

  The doctor approaches me and tries to explain and calm me down about the state of my daughter.

  “I’m doctor Helena Philips. I delivered the babies, Maggie. You are still recovering, it was a difficult birth, you lost a lot of blood. Tomorrow you’ll be able to see her, she’s a strong baby, a fighter. She was born with 4.2 pounds and 17 inches. I believe she’ll be discharged from the ICU in four weeks.” Hunter stopped her in disbelieve.