[ Elle ]
This couldn"t be happening.
It had to be a case of mistaken ident.i.ty. Yes, that was it, I decided. His family"s killer was my dad"s doppelganger. I remember one of his work buddies had looked eerily similar to him. Maybe he was the man who killed them. Not my dad, no.
I put my head between my legs, squeezing my knees against my ears, trying in vain to drown out the sound of Tex pacing back and forth. I threw up both MREs. When my stomach was completely emptied, I dry heaved instead.
I loved my dad, but I had a horrible, gut-wrenching feeling that Tex was right. I felt like I betrayed my dad by simply thinking that.
Maybe I was just a horrible daughter who came from an even more horrible father. Maybe it was engraved in my DNA.
And then I asked myself: would I have done the same thing my father had apparently done?
The pacing stopped. I picked up my bag and ran after Tex.
[ Tex ]
As soon as I took one single step out of the cave and into the vast, expansive desert, I knew something was off. Unfortunately, I didn"t have enough time to react to that feeling; my arms were suddenly locked behind my back in a steel grip and a rifle barrel was biting into my temple.
I was surrounded by four men. Each one had a gun pointed at me, except the one behind me, who had to use both hands to keep me from kicking his a.s.s. I evaluated the situation, scanning the environment and who inhabited it. I couldn"t see a way out. If only I was Chuck Norris, I could roundhouse kick their sorry faces, but I wasn"t.
Before I could tell these men not to f.u.c.k with me because they"d regret it, I saw the dim light of the lantern against the inner cave walls, and Blondie"s shadow getting larger-closer.
As she stepped out of the cave, unaware, one of the men turned his rifle towards her and he said with a sickeningly sweet tone, "Now who do we have here?"
Chapter 11.
[ Elle ]
The first thing I heard when I left the safepoint was a man who seemed way too happy to see me. His voice made goose b.u.mps form on every inch of my flesh. My eyes found Tex"s and he looked pained, panic-stricken. I realized too late it wasn"t for him, but for me. I took a step back, but it was no use; it happened so fast.
One of the men surrounding Tex began to walk towards me. His rifle was pointed at me, but his finger was off the trigger. The flight or fight response took over and every nerve-ending in me pleaded for me to run and leave Tex behind. They told me that was what he was doing anyway-leaving me behind. But if it was my father who committed that inhumane crime, I wanted to do the exact opposite, so I chose to fight. I unsheathed my Bowie knife and stood in my practiced stance. The man coming towards me had a wicked grin spread across his face. He didn"t think I had a chance and was patronizing me. I was about to lunge forward when I saw Tex trying to free himself. He was putting up a good fight. The man in front of me quickly turned around and ran to help his cohorts.
I yelled Tex"s name to warn him and before I could go over to aid him, I was knocked out cold with what I a.s.sumed was the b.u.t.t of a rifle by the man who gave me goose b.u.mps. Before completely blacking out, I heard a familiar voice screaming, "No!" and pleading to leave me alone. The voice brought back memories of better days-days spent with my father-a man who would do anything to protect his little girl. How cruel.
I turned my head ever-so-slightly, though it took all my strength to do so. I once again saw Tex"s agonized expression as he watched me drop to my knees-and it was still for me.
Chapter 12.
[ Tex ]
It was deja vu-everything was happening all over again-just like before. She screamed my name and then she was silenced.
I watched her fall to her knees and her beautiful, green eyes were vacant, empty.
Chapter 13.
[ Elle ]
I woke up. I couldn"t see.
Seconds later, I was asleep.
I was alone. I could hear Tex"s laughter surrounding me; he was mocking me, making fun of me because I was alone again. I had a solitary existence. Below me was a dirt floor. I looked up and I saw a dirt ceiling. I was surrounded by four dirt walls. Then for what seemed like forever, I was falling until I landed in water. It was burning and boiling with the heat of the unrelenting sun, scalding me, and my skin bubbled and blistered before finally sliding from my muscle and bone. I saw my dad and was relieved. He would help me st.i.tch my flesh back onto my body.
"Daddy," I called out and there was his crooked, trademark smile. I was numb to the pain now because he was here. He made everything better, but his face changed to the creepy, goose b.u.mp man-and then back to my dad. He called me his sweet little Elle and reached out to me. I was saved! He laughed then. He laughed, wrapping his arms around me and not letting go until I was dead, drowned at the bottom of the sea.
My head was throbbing when I reawakened, and I instinctively felt the back of my skull. The touch stung and my hand came back wet and sticky. I was bleeding, at least I had been and the blood was now coagulating or whatever.
It was darker than pitch and my eyes were taking forever to adjust to it. For once, I didn"t feel the desert ground around me, but wherever I was did smell earthy. I was sitting on what felt like cheap, linoleum tile. Behind me was a thick, metal pole and my arms were wrapped around it, tied together at the wrists. I pulled at it, trying different maneuvers to free myself, but all I got out of it were rope burns.
I hadn"t realized that Tex was across from me until my eyes finally adapted to the dark. I said his name, but there was no movement or reply. They must have knocked him out as well. I didn"t have to look to know that he was tied up too. I angled my body in such a way that I could touch his foot with my own. I nudged his boot, but I was still too far away to affect him. I moved as close as I could; the act made my head pound and my wrists ache. I kicked his boot harder and there was finally a change in him. He grumbled and shuffled around.
"Tex," I said. "Are you okay?" And then it hit. "Oh, s.h.i.t! The map! Do you have it?"
"Huh?" He mumbled. I heard him move again. He was disoriented.
"The map!" I hurriedly whispered, hoping that no one could overhear.
"It was in my backpack, but they have it."
"c.r.a.p!" I struggled against my binds and it sounded like Tex was doing the same. "We have to find it and get out of here."
"Agreed."
It was as if we"d both forgotten what had gone down at the cave. We were living in a world where my dad hadn"t done the unthinkable and Tex hadn"t been about to walk out on me. We had one solitary objective right now: retrieve the map and find a way out, and when we did, we"d have to pray it wasn"t daylight.
I, of course, forgave him the instant he walked out that cave. He was hurt and it was understandable. I was regrettably growing too attached to him and it would destroy me if he left. It was bound to happen though, with him being the first person I had come upon since my parents died. I suddenly had the urgent need to touch him, to confirm that he was there and real, that I wasn"t imagining him.
"Tex..." I whispered, but I didn"t know what I was going to say. I didn"t have a chance to figure it out; all of the sudden, light filled the room.
I looked across and Tex was there; I hadn"t been imagining it. He appeared to be bruised, broken, and slightly off kilter. There was a dry trail of blood that looked painted across the side of his face-temple to chin. He was far worse off than me. The innate desire to heal him had returned.
"Your dad..." Tex managed to cough out.
"What- "
"You"re awake, darling. I thought I heard voices." I had temporarily forgotten that we weren"t alone.
It was that creepy man again. The way he looked at me got under my skin and made me feel cra.s.s. He didn"t spare a glance at Tex; he was intent on me. I shuddered and had the sudden urge to vomit all over his feet; I wish I had.
"You first." He smiled down at me and gestured to someone outside the door; two familiar men came in. "Untie her and follow me," he instructed as he turned away.
"You don"t f.u.c.king touch her!" Tex bellowed. It had a deadly edge and I felt intimidated for these men.
They laughed at him, especially the creepy one. He snickered and walked out. One of the men untied me and I took advantage of the situation and pulled away from him. I almost got away, but the other man, who was tall and dark-skinned, grabbed me by my neck and threw me against the concrete wall. It hurt and I narrowly missed smashing my head. I wobbled on my feet, but somehow managed to stay standing. I felt for my knife; it was missing.
"You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" Tex growled. It was a sound that came from deep down-guttural-almost primal.
Each man grabbed one of my forearms and led me towards the door. I spared one more look towards Tex. His head hung low and he looked ashamed of himself. I wouldn"t allow that.
"I"ll be fine, Tex." He looked up at me and I put on my best smile. "Don"t you dare blame yourself for any of this."
The door closed behind me and all I could hear was Tex"s livid shouts, m.u.f.fled by the wall between us.
[Tex ]
My wrists were tender. I knew without a doubt they were red and raw, but it didn"t stop me from pulling at the rope to try and loosen the knot. I was getting nowhere and it was driving me mad. I scanned the area around me only to find nothing that would be of help.
Vile scenes and thoughts crept uninvited into my mind. They pulled and tugged, taunting me in every way they could. I envisioned these men torturing her, that one in particular enjoying it a little too much. I imagined her screams piercing through the walls, putting up permanent residence in my head so I"d never forget the sound of them. They"d haunt me until the day I died, just like my wife"s final plea for help would. They would probably violate her in the worst way possible. I cringed at the thought and it only made me pull harder at the ropes. I twisted my wrists, angling my hands each and every way. The pain was nothing compared to what these men would have to endure once I found them. Watching that man throw her against the wall drove me crazy. I was going to go berserk on them, if I could just escape.
I would escape. I wasn"t going to let this deja vu go on any longer. Unlike my wife and daughter, she would live. Because I hadn"t been able to rescue them, I felt less of a man; I was going to regain my honor, kick their a.s.ses, and protect Blondie. Her father may have destroyed my life, but she wasn"t her father. I realized now that she was nothing like him. She ran after me and put up a fight. Her dad, the spineless s.h.i.t, would have handed me over and ran away.
I wouldn"t blame her for his wrongdoings any more than I would leave her here to fend for herself.
If I had to, I would break my own wrists to escape.
Speaking of her son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h dad...
[ Elle ]
They took me to another room with concrete walls. It was hot, dry, and smelled of tobacco. The room was bright with fluorescent lighting and it burned my eyes. Three of the men from the cave were here. Each had a gun.
They sat me down at a table made from plywood and two-by-fours. The creepy man stood across from me. He was shorter than Tex and had disgustingly full lips that weren"t meant for a man. When he smiled at me, I saw that his teeth were yellow. He had one snaggle tooth that sat awkwardly on his upper gums and a receding hairline that made him look a decade or two older than he probably was.
There was one man on each side of me. One was pretty short, the other not. They each aimed a rifle at me. The short one had a nasty scar running down the entire left side of his face. I wanted to give him one on the other side to match. The taller one was plain and without a memorable face.
"What"s your name, girl?" The creepy man asked with his chin in his hand, looking at me with piqued interest. He laughed at his own question and the men beside me joined in as if they had some inside joke that they wouldn"t let me in on.
"What"s yours?" I growled under my breath.
"Oh! s.p.u.n.ky! I like this one." He nodded towards me and the men at each side grunted their approval.
"Well, since I"m a gentleman, I"ll go first. My name is Leonard. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and you are?"
I gathered all the spit I could in my mouth and launched it at his face. I felt the barrels of the guns press into my scalp.
That was probably the wrong choice; his friendly demeanor changed in an instant.
"You little b.i.t.c.h! If that"s how you want to play, fine. No more Mr. Nice Guy."
"I thought you liked s.p.u.n.ky," I hissed, keeping his gaze.
"If you"re not going to behave, we"ll have to take out our insurance policy so that you will." He grinned at the men beside me.
"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes, not liking the sound of this.
"Your little boyfriend in there. That"s what I mean." He whistled and another man walked in. "Get her friend and those clippers. He has ten fingers too many, if you catch my drift."
"No! Stop! I"ll behave. I promise." My fingernails engraved tiny crescents into my thighs.
"Atta girl..." He gestured for all of his cohorts to leave. "All these overbearing men are probably making you uncomfortable. My apologies."
They left and I took a deep breath, relieved. This couldn"t be happening. I felt like I was in a bad Hollywood movie, not real life. I so wished this was a Hollywood movie. I would yell at the TV, telling the girl to stop being so weak, to turn the table over, and run for it. I"d tell her to spit in his face again and call his bluff.
I didn"t though. I sat there, my lips pressed firmly in a straight line, keeping my mouth shut. Any unnecessary outbursts could mean torture for Tex.
"You"re what? Eighteen? Nineteen?"
"Twenty-three," I corrected; my voice was blank, vacant of all emotion.
He made a steeple out of his fingers and nodded.
"You understand that there are very few humans left on this planet."
"Obviously," I sneered.
He raised his eyebrows then knitted them back together. I told myself not to be sarcastic again.
"In fact, you"re the first female we"ve come across in quite a few years."
"So?" I didn"t like where this was going. He was giving me goose b.u.mps again.
"You see, girl. We have our own-let"s call it-a colony. We want to start over, and to do that, we need to be able to grow in number."