“How’d you do it?” Yuri asked, still looking straight ahead.
“What do you mean?”
Yuri turned to look at Abby as a pair of tears rolled down his whiskered cheeks. “How’d you carry on the way you did? How’d you make it all these years and miles without him?”
Abby sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Well, I’ll tell you I didn’t do a great job of it. I blamed myself, and ended up blaming myself for a whole lot of other stuff that brought us to that point. That guilt weighed me down, and I was a second or two away from putting a bullet through my own skull before I was interrupted by some soldiers. And they ended up shooting me anyway.”
Both Abby and Yuri chuckled ruefully at that. “That’s when I was freed from the Wild, but with the day-to-day dangers behind me, that guilt festered. The guilt turned to hatred, hatred for myself, my enemies, even the people I loved. I even ended up hating my dad. I became someone terrifying, an angry and lost little girl with a violent streak. That’s when I cheated on Hiamovi, and when I killed an innocent man.”
“So you want my advice? First, take my words with a grain of salt because I’m no role model. And second, keep looking for that.”
Abby pointed up at the rising sun, now wholly free from the eastern horizon. “Keep looking for the sunrise. Every morning. Just make it to sunrise and you’ve already won another battle.”
“And don’t you dare be afraid to get help. There’s no shame in asking someone to help you fight your battles, and these mental wounds are still wounds, after all. When Vic was shot and needed help getting to the helicopter, no one thought he was weak or shameful. So if now and then you need a little boost from one of us to make it to that next sunrise, well, so what?”
Yuri nodded his head thoughtfully. “Thanks, Abby.”
Abby smiled but said nothing in reply. She had nothing further to add, so they sat together in silence.
***
As the sun rose, so too did the rest of the settlement. Again some of the locals wanted to leave immediately and link up with the military themselves, and again Jax had to talk them out of it. Apparently sleeping on the idea had not driven it out of their heads. In fact, they were quite a bit more agitated about it.
“Seriously folks, it’s just another day or two,” he said to the growing crowd in front of him. “You’ve waited for what, damn near a decade now? What’s one more day?”
“Hey, screw you, man!” one of the men in the crowd shouted. “You don’t have any idea what it’s been like out here!”
“I do!” Abby fired back. She stepped up alongside Jax and faced the small mob in front of her. “I lived out here for several years, I walked halfway across the country by myself to find civilization, and almost every day was a fight for survival. You folks have a nice place here, and if you wait for literally just a few hours longer, civilization will come to you. You go out there and it’s a complete wild card. Do you really want to come within hours of salvation only to stumble into a group of zombies? Be rational.”
Abby’s testimony seemed enough to quiet most of the crowd, but a particularly stubborn young man said, “Liar! You expect me to believe you know what fighting for survival feels like? That pretty little face is too perfect to have lived out here. You’ve never fought for your life like we have!”
This objection reinvigorated a few more folks in the fickle crowd as they murmured their agreement. But Abby was undeterred. She drew her lips to a line, pulled back her hair to reveal her damaged ear, and said, “Does this look too perfect to you, dick? Or how about this?”
Abby pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it on the ground. She held her arms out at her sides, beckoning for the people in front of her to look at the scars she bore: the tiny lacerations left by the shrapnel of a mortar round, the gunshot wound in her stomach, the burn mark partly obscured by the strap of her sports bra, the long cut across her belly. Some of the older, more religious men had looked away from the sight of a shirtless Abby, but the man who’d doubted her and a couple others grew red in the face as they stared, no doubt tasting the crow they’d just been served.
“You ever come within a couple inches of being cut clean in half by a giant with a hunting knife? A giant that tried to rape you?” Abby demanded of the man who’d spoken up. He glanced at Abby but could not hold her gaze for more than a moment.
“And these are just the visible scars,” Abby declared to the crowd. She bent down to retrieve her shirt and slipped it back on. “I did live out here, and I’ve been through far too much to have to prove myself to anyone. Relief is coming, it could be here as early as tomorrow morning, so why don’t y’all just sit tight, huh? Celebrate, have yourselves a sermon, make some babies, whatever. Just don’t leave. It’s not worth it, take it from someone who knows.”
Feeling sufficiently cowed, the group of impatient survivors began to drift apart now, leaving Abby and the Raiders alone in the middle of their town.
“Thanks for the backup, Abby,” Jax said.
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “They just needed some sense pounded into them.”
“Well, I for one enjoyed the show,” said Chad. “People should doubt your story more often if it makes your shirt come off, Abs.”
Abby flung her arm out and flicked her wrist, trying to snap the back of her hand into Chad’s crotch, a move she’d learned by hanging around these guys for so long. But Chad turned and hopped back just in time.
“Nice try, but you gotta be quicker than tha—“ Chad began to say, but he was cut off by an arm whipping around him and striking where Abby had missed.
“Like that?” Hiamovi asked as he walked past the doubled-over Chad. “April wants to talk with us before we go, Gunny.”
Jax nodded once and said, “Very well, let’s go see her.”
Leaving Chad with the horses, the rest of the group made their way into the church on the far side of the community. They filed into the house of worship to find April and Stephen waiting for them, seated on the edge of the dais at the back of the church.
“You wanted to see us?” Jax asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” April replied. She rose from her seated position and walked forwards to meet them. “I wish I had more to offer you folks in terms of supplies, but unfortunately we’ve never had much ourselves.”
“That’s quite alright, we’ve been able to resupply ourselves along the way.”
“Good, good,” April said, nodding her head. She licked her lips and continued, “But I’d still like to help somehow. And I know you’ve been telling us to stay put, but…well, the only thing I have to offer you is myself. I’d like to come with you guys. It’s been a hot minute since I left the Marines, but I still know a thing or two about shooting guns and moving long distances.”
“I do appreciate the offer, ma’am,” Jax said, “but it’s going to be a ‘negative’ from me. I don’t doubt your abilities, but we can’t be taking on new folks. We’re a pretty tight knit group, adding people without warning doesn’t usually go well.”
“And I’m only here because I’ve walked this path before,” Abby interjected. “I’m a glorified tour guide, if you think about it.”
“But I want to help!” April pleaded. “I really, really want to help in some way. Any way that I can.”
“You can do that right here, by continuing to be a leader,” said Jax as he placed a gentle hand on April’s shoulder. “Keep your people together. Abby did a pretty good job of convincing them to stay for now, but once we leave they might feel emboldened again. Keep them here until the rest of the military arrives, then it’ll be safe to go.”
“I told you, my love,” Stephen said, wrapping his arm around April’s waist, “they have their fight, and we have ours. We’ve come this far together, so let’s see these last couple days through together, too.”
April looked into Stephen’s eyes, her brow furrowed in anger. But that mood broke after just a moment, and a small smile took
its place on her lips. “I suppose you’re right, all of you,” she said.
“So you and your people will be staying here?” Jax asked.
April nodded her head and wiped away a lone tear. “I’ll make sure they don’t go anywhere. I’m sorry we’ve been giving you a hard time, we’re just a little excitable right now.”
Abby chuckled and said, “A hard time? Lady, this has been our easiest stop by a long shot.”
“Things are worse elsewhere? I mean, I thought we had it pretty bad ourselves,” April asked, turning to Abby.
“Not things. People,” Abby replied. “You wouldn’t believe half of what we’ve seen in the last few weeks even if we told you. And that’s not even half of what I’ve seen since The Crisis started.”
“Abby used to live out here too,” Hiamovi said.
“You did?” April asked.
“Yes,” Abby replied, nodding her head. “So believe me, I know what it’s like for you folks out here.”
April chewed on her lips thoughtfully. “I believe it,” she said. “Alright, I won’t keep you guys here any longer. I reckon you’re itching to get going.”
“Indeed we are,” said Jax. “Oh, and thank you for your generous offer. Takes a lot of guts to volunteer for something like that, and I respect that.”
He extended his hand to April. She took it, giving it a firm shake, and said, “Hey, once a Marine, always a Marine, right? Figured I had an obligation to at least—“
April was cut off as the front door of the church burst open and an older man came stumbling in, breathing heavily. “April!” the man cried. “Matthew and Elena are gone!”
“What?” April demanded. “What do you mean they’re gone?”
“I am so sorry,” the man said, turning to Jax. “They stole two of your horses. Your man outside is already in pursuit, and I…”
“Abby, ‘Movi, Yuri, with me!” Jax cried, not waiting to hear the rest of the man’s explanation. “Rest of you stay here, and keep these goddamn people here!”
Jax sprinted towards the nearest door outside, and despite the adrenaline beginning to flood his veins, he glanced up at the cross above the door. “Sorry, Jesus,” he muttered, apologizing for the profanity.
***
Bill felt nothing but shame as the visiting Marines marched into the church. Nearly a dozen people arrived in their community, spent the night, and not once did he approach them about their souls. He’d been so focused on himself and the relief that their news brought that he’d completely forsaken his Christian duty to share the Gospel.
And now they were getting ready to leave, possibly to their deaths. He would pray for them, for their safety, and for them to come to Jesus if they had not already, but at this point that was the best he could do.
Except for that man. The younger, red-headed man was hanging around the horses, checking saddlebags. Bill retrieved his little New Testament that stayed ever in his pocket and approached the man with a smile.
“Hello, son!” Bill said, extending his hand. “I’m afraid I never got a chance to introduce myself. I’m Bill, I’m the pastor over at the church.”
“Chad,” the man replied, shaking Bill’s hand.
“Well, good morning, Chad,” Bill replied. “The reason I came to talk to you is that your leader kept saying how dangerous it is out there, and that you’re going back into the thick of it. Well, to be honest, I’m concerned about your destination. Your eternal destination that is.”
Chad smirked and said, “You trying to get me a spot in Heaven, reverend?”
“That’s exactly what I aim to do, young man,” Bill replied, smiling again.
“Might as well save your breath. I’ve got some real unchristian habits and I don’t think God wants a guy like me on His team.”
“Well that’s where you’re wrong!” Bill laughed. He opened his little New Testament and began to flip through the pages. “You are exactly the kind of guy God wants at His side! Jesus even said ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance’. That’s Luke 5:32.”
Bill seemed to have found the passage he was looking for and stuck his finger between the pages as he shut the little Bible. “You think you’ve sinned too much to be saved? Well, in God’s eyes you and I are exactly alike. I am no more deserving of His grace than you or any other sinner, for sinners we all are.”
“I think God needs some glasses then.”
Bill smiled and chose to ignore what he considered a blasphemous remark. “Are you familiar with the story of Jesus’ dinner with the tax collectors? Now, in Jesus’ time, tax collectors were terrible, corrupt people and hated by every decent citizen. Guess some things never change, huh?”
Bill laughed at his own joke, and Chad obliged him with a chuckle. Then, Bill continued, “Now one day, Jesus sat down with—“
“Hyah!”
Both Bill and Chad looked up to see two horses bolting away from the rest, one carrying a man and the other a woman.
“Go tell the others what happened! Go!” Chad shouted at Bill, and he immediately mounted his own horse and took off to pursue the horse thieves.
Bill did not hesitate. He turned towards his church and ran as fast as his aging legs could carry him. And as he went, he muttered a quick prayer of protection. “Father, please watch over them all. Bring Matthew, Elena, and these visitors back in safety…”
***
Abby saw Chad out ahead, not far behind the two people who had stolen their horses. They had gone back across the bridge over the river and were galloping westward across the grassy plain, though with what goal in mind Abby did not know. Did they really expect to just steal a couple horses and ride right into a military encampment? Whatever they envisioned, Abby did not intend to let them get away. Not because they were thieves, but because she couldn’t allow them to go off and get themselves killed.
“Come on, boy! Hyah!” Abby called to Reese, and he obliged her with a jubilant whinny. The chestnut-colored stallion tossed his head back and bolted forward even faster than before, his hooves pounding into the soft dirt and grass below him. Abby leaned down, pressing herself against Reese’s neck as he thundered ahead of the other horses, who were surely envious of the much lighter rider he bore.
In mere moments, Abby pulled up alongside Chad and his horse before passing them by, taking the lead in the chase and closing in on the two thieves ahead. The wind whistled in her ears and stung her eyes as Reese propelled her forward, showing no signs of tiring.
The riders turned in their saddles and saw Abby coming. They urged their horses forward but the animals seemed to lack the same adventurous spirit that possessed Reese and made no effort to increase their gallop.
Finally, Abby came within yards of the riders. “Stop, you lunatics! You’re gonna hurt yourselves!” she yelled, but the riders ignored her. She had to stop them, or slow them down, but how? Abby looked at the horse the woman was riding and recognized it as Kurtis’ old horse. Oh, what was its name? It starts with a…
“Whoa, Artemis!” Abby screamed.
The horse named Artemis came to an immediate halt, digging its hooves into the ground as the woman was flung out of the saddle like a rock from a slingshot. She hit the ground hard and rolled several times, coming to rest in a cloud of dust. Abby glanced over her shoulder and saw that Chad had already stopped alongside the woman and was checking on her.
But the other horse thief had either not seen what happened to his comrade or had chosen to leave her behind. He continued to ride westward, flicking the reins of his horse as he tried to coax it into a higher speed. It was a fast horse, but Reese was faster and he continued to close the gap between Abby and the man.
“Come on, you nag! Hyah!” the man yelled as he flicked the reins again. His horse whinnied as it tried to obey the command, though it was already pushing its own limits.
Abby tried to recall this horse’s name, thinking that she could get it to stop the way she’d just gotten Artemis to stop, but sh
e didn’t get a chance.
One of the horse’s legs hit the ground at an awkward angle. Its leg contorted and the horse collapsed as if shot, screaming and kicking as it fell. The man was flung from his saddle just as the woman had been, though it had probably saved his life in this case as the horse continued to thrash about on the ground.
Abby pulled Reese to a stop and hopped down, running towards the injured horse but stopping several feet away. By now Jax, Hiamovi, and Yuri had caught up to them as they too dismounted from their horses.
“What happened?” Jax asked.
Abby shrugged and said, “It just collapsed. Must have broken its leg.”
Jax shook his head and walked towards the man who had stolen the horse. “Nicely done, asshole. You just broke one of my horses.”
The man said nothing in return, his cheeks burning red with anger at being caught and, hopefully, a tinge of shame for his actions.
Receiving no response from the man, Jax sighed and shook his head. He took another look at the horse, then turned to Yuri and said, “Take care of that, please.”
Yuri nodded once and walked around to look the horse in the eyes. It no longer thrashed about, but its breathing was labored and its broken leg lay limp on the ground. “I’m real sorry ‘bout this, old girl,” he said to the animal.
He brought his rifle up to his shoulder and aimed down at the horse’s head.
Chapter Seventeen
“You wanted to head out west so bad you killed one of my horses,” Jax said to the man as he flex-cuffed his hands behind him. “Well, wish granted.”
Todd had gotten into radio contact with the main element behind them and let them know what had happened that morning, and he told them they’d be sending back one of their horses with the thief in tow.
That’s why the man now sat atop Artemis, his hands bound behind him. The woman would have been sent with him, but her injuries from her fall were more severe. Not life-threatening, but she was in no condition to go anywhere. Once the Army got out here, the woman too would have to face the consequences of her actions.
His Name Was Zach | Book 3 | Their Names Were Many Page 14