by Ho, Jo
I reached up and felt my lips with my fingertips. They were dry and peeling which seemed astonishing considering it hadn’t been that long since I had last had a drink. Despite my best intentions, I had finished that bottle of water a few hours ago. I still had an energy bar left, but the stuff was cloying and made me even more thirsty than I already was. A picture of a cool refreshing glass of water invaded my mind. I could almost feel the liquid moving down my throat. My mouth even made the motion of swallowing before a sob escaped.
I shook myself. Get a grip, Chase. Bandit needs you, so stop crying over no water.
I got up and stretched my weary body before I started moving once again using the sun as my navigation tool. At some point, if I just went far enough, it should lead me somewhere different. That’s what always happened on those shows, anyway.
I walked, barely feeling the branches now as they scratched against me. In the back of my mind, it was yelling at me that my body could be going into shock, but as there wasn't much I could do about it, I pushed the warning aside.
It wasn't important, only Bandit was.
I conjured up an image of him in my mind and held it there as I continued forward.
68
Bandit
Bandit woke to feel cold steel beneath his paws.
He had barely slept all night and had only finally managed it when he collapsed out of pure exhaustion. The man, Xavier, had gone but Bandit could still smell him. He knew he was never too far away. There was another room close by that he liked to stay in. Bandit didn’t know what he did in there, but he heard Xavier talking to himself sometimes. Bandit didn’t like him. He frightened him almost as much as the bad man had.
The other boy, the younger one who smelt of burgers was closer. Bandit could hear him now approaching softly. His footsteps were quiet and considered… Bandit knew from experience that people only walked that way when they were being sneaky. Chase did this sometimes when they played hide and seek. He could always hear her breathing or her footsteps, but he never told her. It amused him not to. Thinking about her now, a whine escaped his lips.
He missed her so much!
He was thinking this, wondering if she were safe when Dick came in. He was holding a blanket as he approached the cage.
“I thought you might like this to sleep on. That cell must be cold.”
Bandit barked once softly. He didn’t want the other man to think that he wasn’t grateful for his kindness, he wanted him to know.
“Now I’m going to open the door but please don’t attack me or try to escape. Xavier has this place rigged with cameras and you wouldn’t get far.”
Reaching the cell, he pressed a button on a remote that he found on the workbench then as the door unlatched, in one quick movement he tossed the blanket inside before slamming the door shut again. Bandit grabbed at the blanket and spread it out as best he could. He stood on it, feeling relief from the cold metal on the pads of his paws. He circled the blanket before sitting down. For this one little moment, Bandit felt a little less terrified than he had been since he had first woken up in this prison.
But that all changed with the sound of hard shoes pounding the hallway outside followed by a strange clinking sound.
Whimpering, Bandit moved to the back of his cell as Xavier stormed into the room carrying a giant syringe and some heavy looking chains. Seeing Dick, however, Xavier stopped dead.
“What is that? A blanket? The animal will probably soil it and then there will be germs. What were you thinking! He could catch something from the filthy thing. Get it out of his cell!”
Dick shot Bandit an apologetic look as he opened the cage door and pulled the blanket out, dislodging Bandit — who still stood on it — in the process. Bandit made a sound of pure desperation as Dick whispered “sorry.”
Xavier pulled on a pair of rubber gloves as he picked up that wickedly long syringe with a giant needle attached and approached the cell.
“Now dog, this will hurt far less if you don’t struggle.”
Bandit looked up at the roof of his prison and howled.
69
Chase
I had been walking now forever it seemed.
My head thumped with a headache caused by both tiredness and lack of water. The world spun around me at times, which I knew was another symptom of dehydration. It didn’t matter how fast or slow I went, the forest was ever looming and there was nothing on the horizon but those trees and branches. I started to wonder how long a person could survive without water, food or sleep. I was pretty sure the figure was a couple of days so I had a good twenty-hours or so left inside me. Whatever happened, I knew that I would find Bandit or I would die trying. My buddy needed me.
I know that my need to save him — which overrode my concern for my own well-being — might seem impressive, but if I were being honest, I was also driven by overwhelming guilt. The fact that this happened at all was my fault.
If I hadn’t been stupid enough to trust her, Bandit and I would be together, in our room right now playing our Jeopardy game and eating junk food.
Last night, while I had been trying to sleep but couldn’t, my brain had kept going back to all the things that had happened, until it became clear as glass that this was my mom's doing. Somehow she had planned this and had separated us on purpose.
But why? For what reason?
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes which caused a disbelieving laugh to escape. How could there be enough liquid inside of me to cry when my mouth felt like there was a desert inside of it? It made no sense at all. As my vision misted over with tears, I heard a sound coming from ahead of me. And for once it wasn't a bird or a squirrel or those possible snakes. I stopped dead and listened to something that bubbled and moved. I blinked, dazed but suddenly hopeful.
Was that the sound of running water?
I picked up my pace and started running towards it. As I got closer, the sound of water became louder until I broke through a bank of trees to find a small river in front of me.
I sobbed with relief yet still felt half terrified that this was a mirage. Falling down into it, the water seeped in through my clothes, soaking me as I laughed in delight. It was real! The water was so clear I could see the stones lying on the riverbed. Cupping my hands, I scooped up water and drank blissfully. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted in my whole life. Impatient with the small amount I was able to scoop up, I shoved my whole face into the river and gulped it down like a fish.
When I had drank at least a gallon and my tummy felt swollen, I stood back up. Now that I had quenched my thirst I felt so much better. The headache that had been plaguing me the last few hours vanished almost instantly and energy surged through me. Staring at the river as the fog started lifting from my mind, I realized something else, I could just follow the river now instead of wandering aimlessly in the forest.
Rejuvenated, I started downstream.
I’m coming, Bandit. I’m coming.
70
Sully
We didn’t stop all night.
When I got tired Sam took over and when she was too tired to continue, she swapped with Gideon. We drove that way until the blinking lights of Pittsburgh were behind us. Sam hadn’t tried to talk about our relationship again. The rational part of me knew I had been harsh by cutting her off as I had done, but I was barely holding on. I could not think about our broken relationship on top of everything else.
Gideon had barely spoken since he had been up. It was like he didn’t know what to do without the other two around him. As soon as he woke, he called the hospital to check up on dad, but there had been no change — he was still out for the count. At least his vitals were stable. The doctor had every hope of a recovery. We still didn’t know what had caused his accident, but I was pretty sure that someone had attacked him and frightened Pixie off. That little dog would not have run otherwise. I was terrified to think that it might have scared her away.
“You think Pixie is okay?” Gideon
asked, his voice cutting the silence like a knife. I glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
“I’m sure she’s fine. She’s managed to get away before, I’m sure she didn’t go far. When we get back, we'll probably find her waiting for us on the porch.” I didn’t really believe this, but I wanted the boy to stop hurting. There was enough pain in our hearts without him worrying about the dog too.
Sam shot a look at me from the corner of her eye. She saw straight through me but didn’t say anything. She knew as well as I, the unlikelihood of my words. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out two bottles of water.
“Here, drink, the two of you.” She handed the bottles to us. I declined, despite how thirsty I was. “You’re tired and stressed. If you don’t drink, you'll pass out and that won't help any of us, it certainly won't help Chase or Bandit any.”
It was difficult to argue with her logic.
Like a pair of schoolboys that had just been chastised by their teacher, Gideon and I took the water she offered. I opened the bottle, gulping it down greedily then felt immediately guilty.
What if Chase and Bandit were thirsty? They’d been gone almost 24 hours now, what if they were hungry?
Putting the cap back onto the bottle, I sat the bottle in the drinks holder, deciding that I wouldn’t eat or drink another thing until I had them both back in my sights, no matter how ridiculous that sounded.
Sam would just have to deal with that.
71
Chase
The river twisted and turned as it made its way downstream.
I followed the water, taking care not to slip on the moss-covered rocks and stones that littered my path. Buoyed from escaping the woods and re-energized by my drink, I moved quickly and it wasn’t long until I saw the gray line that signaled a road was ahead of me.
Relief washed over me so fierce, I broke into sobs again. I had done it. I had hit civilization.
Not until that very moment had I really believed that I was going to get out of this alive. But now that I could see the road, I knew I was safe. Using the last of my energy, I ran for the road and reached it within minutes. Turning back, I marveled at the distance I had crossed — sports had never been my thing and I had never run that fast before in my life. But like the woman who finds herself suddenly able to lift a burning car to save her baby, it was amazing what you could do when the ones you loved were in danger. Looking at the empty road, I knew I just had to wait for a car to pass.
I was planning on flagging it down. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t recommend hitch-hiking. The world was filled with weirdos and it was my motto never to be trapped in a confined space with one, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. I had to get to a phone to call Sully and warn them. By now they must have realized that the two of us were missing, but only I knew we weren't together.
As my feet pounded the road, I looked at the sky, still pink from its recent sunrise. Besides my footsteps, the only occasional sound came from a bird flying overhead. This wasn’t a main road, and it seemed I was in the middle of nowhere. With a sinking heart, I realized that it might be some time before a vehicle turned up, and even then there was no guarantee that they would stop. Steeling myself for more walking, I squared my shoulders, trying to ignore my screaming feet.
I hadn’t been going long when I suddenly heard the welcome sound of an approaching vehicle. I spun around to find a lone car turning the corner. It was pretty old-looking. As it approached, I saw that there were many scratches to the paint job and several dents that it had accrued over its lifetime. An old man sat behind the wheel, a woman — his wife I guessed — beside him. They must have both been in their seventies as to my eyes, they looked older than Zeb. I started jumping up and down, waving my arms. The car came to a stop a few feet in front of me.
I bolted to the driver’s door.
He wound down the window looking startled to see me. “What is a young girl like you doing out here at this time of the morning by yourself?” he exclaimed.
“I need your help. Do you have a phone I can use?” I looked at him and his wife pleadingly. The woman, whose face was made up immaculately with tightly wound curls piled neatly on top of her head, nodded.
“Why yes, of course,” she said, elbowing her husband. “Harold, what are you waiting for, give the girl your phone!”
Harold reached into his pocket and took out a Samsung phone that he handed to me. It was the sort of basic phone that Gideon would have mocked. No frills or internet access, I took it gratefully and was punching in Sully's number before they could change their minds. After a few seconds, it started to ring and Sully's wary voice came on the line. “Hello?”
“Sully! It’s me!” I cried, almost bursting into tears right there.
“Chase?” He sounded so relieved, that my eyes started to tear up. “Where are you?”
I looked at Harold. “Where are we?”
He blinked, confused by my question, but answered it anyway. “You’re right outside Dresden, Ohio.”
I repeated the location to Sully. I heard him repeat that to someone, probably Sam. “What happened, Chase? What are you doing there?” he asked, concern making his voice harder than normal.
I stared at the old couple, watching me wide-eyed. “I can’t talk about it right now, but she lied Sully. My mom lied. I’m not exactly sure what happened, I must have blacked out because I woke up in the middle of the woods on my own.”
“You’re not together?” Sully asked, incredulous. I heard him curse then, several words I’d never heard him say before.
“You need to find Bandit, I think she took him,” I said this softly, hoping Harold and his wife wouldn’t hear.
“We're on our way to him. We have his tracker so we're trying to get to him now. Wait, whose phone is this?” Sully demanded suddenly. He must have seen the number on his phone and not recognized it.
“I flagged down a car. It belongs to this old couple who were driving.”
“Let me speak to the driver,” Sully said. I didn’t even question his command, just did as he requested. I handed the phone to the old man. He took it without question.
“Hello?” he said to Sully. I couldn’t hear what Sully was saying but the old man's expression changed from questioning to surprise. “Why yes, it’s MAJ-124. My full name is Harold Benjamin Bartlet and my wife and I live in Wilmington, Delaware, around two hours south west of here.” The whole time he was speaking, his wife watched him with varying degrees of perplexity on her face. Eventually, she just snatched the phone from him and started yelling into it.
“Who are you that you would leave your daughter in such a state? How dare you ask us all these questions when we have nothing but concern for her. Why she’s not any older than my grandchild! The nerve!”
Hearing her outrage must have put Sully's mind at rest. I guess he rationalized that they weren’t anything other than they seemed. It wasn’t likely that they were in on some evil plan with my mom. Gently, Harold took the phone back from his wife. Sully said something to Harold that got the old man nodding in agreement.
“Yes, I can take her to Red's place. It's an eatery a few miles from here. She’ll be safe with us until you can come and pick her up.” He listened as Sully said something else to him. “Why yes,” Harold answered sounding surprised. “That’s the address, that’s the one. How did you know?”
Whatever Sully said next caused Harold’s eyebrows to raise. His face turned stern as did his manner. “Young man, I know you are concerned about your daughter but there is no need to make threats at me. We will take her to Red's diner and wait for you there. I’m giving your daughter the phone back now, I assume you won't be making threats at her too?”
I took it from him. “What’s happening?” I asked.
“We’re going to come and get you and then we can all go after Bandit,” Sully said.
“No. You’ve got to get to him now! You don’t know what they might be doing to him!” I had to fight the urge to scream the words at hi
m.
“Well, I’m not leaving you with two strangers in the middle of nowhere,” said Sully, his voice brokering no room for argument. I was surprised, having never heard Sully use that tone with me before.
“I’ll be fine. I just found my way out of a forest didn't I?” I replied, somewhat testily. I didn’t want to be a brat but I could handle myself. Bandit, however... I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him.
Sully didn’t respond straight away. I heard Sam and Gideon speak heatedly with him but couldn't make out what they were saying. When he came back on the line, he sounded resigned.
“New plan. Gideon is coming to get you while Sam and I go after Bandit. When Gideon arrives, the two of you will meet us at whatever location we find Bandit. I'll send you the details, but Chase, you have to promise not to go anywhere. Do not go off with anyone, understand? And when you get to this pit stop, you call me from a landline there. Sam will run a trace so we can see exactly where you are. I don’t think Harold or his wife are lying but let's be cautious all the same.”
"Okay,” I said. “I’ll call you soon as we get there. You just make sure you find him, Sully."
“I will,” Sully said. I expected him to hang up then, but he didn’t. “Be careful. I can't have anything else happen, okay?” He sounded so wary, so broken that I picked up on it immediately.
“What else has happened?” I asked, scared at what he might say next. There was a moment’s pause.
“Don’t worry about it now. Let’s just get you back to us.” He tried to sound reassuring, but I could hear the strain in his voice.
“Sully, is everyone OK?”