“So close… we were so close!” she cried.
Lisa held on to Emily but her eyes were clear of tears. There was only so much a person could take before they hardened and their emotions became blunted. Part of her was sad that Mason had died, but mostly she felt a cold ball of anger in her core.
David spun back to the group. “This is your fault! We could have talked to them or you could have held your guns on them while we escaped! If you hadn’t just opened fire, Mason wouldn’t have been shot!”
Emily pulled back from Lisa and stood up, placing her hand on David’s arm.
“David, it’s my fault, not theirs. I fired the first shot when that man threatened Alex. This is all my fault,” she said sadly, looking at the ground.
Before he could respond, Quinn stepped in again.
“Listen, those men have taken over our town. They have our families as hostages and they are using them as slave labour. We’ll have to fight them anyway. This was just the first battle we’ll have to fight.”
David pulled away from Emily and paced away. His face was anguished and he was pulling on his hair.
“This is insane! This can’t be happening!” he muttered before swinging back to the group and zeroing in on Quinn and yelling, “What is wrong with you? This isn’t your job! Have you forgotten that we’re just teenagers? We can’t just go wage war. We aren’t soldiers!” He paused and looked frantically at everyone’s faces. “I killed him! I KILLED THAT MAN!”
There was dead silence in the clearing as everyone watched the horror and pain on David’s face. Everyone knew exactly what he was feeling. They’d all taken a life to get this far and they knew that they would carry that burden for the rest of their lives.
David was hunched over with his arms wrapped around his midsection. Everyone could see the painful struggle he was going through but no one made a move to go to him. They knew it was something he needed to come to terms with on his own. Each and every one of them had taken a life and the consequences had come after the fact with nightmares and depression. It was finally Lisa who stood up and broke the silence.
“Quinn, is there any help at all? Any police, military…adults that can help us?”
When he shook his head, her face hardened and she turned to face David.
“This is it. We’re it. If we want to go home, we have to fight! David, you saw what things are like out there. I mean, we walked through it! Taking a life is a horrible thing. I almost ended mine after Mark, but Emily made me see that I did what I had to do to survive. We can fold up and collapse, or we can be soldiers and fight for our lives and our families’ lives! I know this is hard but I am going to fight and I hope you will help us.”
She turned back to Quinn and ignored the surprised look on his face. She knew what Alex and her friends thought of her, but she wasn’t that shallow cheerleader anymore and they would have to figure that out for themselves.
“Do you have a shovel? I would like to bury Mason,” she asked him.
Quinn was shocked at the difference in Lisa and had to wonder what she’d meant about “after Mark”. He noticed Mark hadn’t come home with them, but he didn’t know what had happened to him. Before he could answer her, Cooper stepped up and offered to help. She nodded and walked away from the group. Dara jumped up and went to the camper to get a sheet to wrap the body in.
Emily went to David and wrapped him in her arms, trying to comfort him as best as she could. Alex watched them for a moment before meeting Quinn’s eyes.
She huffed out a breath. “We have a lot to talk about but I think we should take care of Mason and then put a meal together. We can share our stories after that and then make some plans.”
Quinn nodded his agreement and they left to help the others with Mason’s body. Josh was the only one left at the table and he watched David and Emily. He was a little surprised that Emily wasn’t more broken up about Mason’s death. The last time he had seen them at Disneyland she was the guy's girlfriend, but the way she was holding on to David and kissing his face showed him that things had changed.
Josh gave a small sad smile. Whatever they’d faced on the way home had changed them and although he was happy his friend had gotten the girl he was in love with, he knew that it would always be tainted with sadness from the event that had changed all their lives.
He walked over and patted David’s back. “Man, I’m really sorry about the crappy homecoming but it’s so good to have you guys here.”
When David just nodded, Josh turned and went to help the others.
Quinn, Josh, and Cooper took turns digging the grave until they felt it was deep enough. Dara and Lisa wrapped Mason’s body in a bed sheet and Alex walked around the clearing they’d chosen and picked early spring flowers. She kept stealing glances at Lisa. The girl moved mechanically and had not shed any tears for the boy she’d been friends with. Alex didn’t know what they’d gone through but it was clear that Lisa was not the same person that Alex had known before.
Once they were ready, Josh led Emily and David to the clearing and they lowered Mason down into the grave. Alex passed the flowers to Emily and Lisa and stood back waiting. David had gotten his emotions under control and he finally stepped forward.
“Mason Johnson was…” David began but ended just as quickly. He looked around at the group, at a loss for words. The silence began to drag until Lisa started to speak.
“Mason Johnson was a jerk! He was shallow and egotistical and selfish…but he was changing! He was learning what is important in life and he was trying to be a better person. I’m so very sad that he didn’t get the chance to become the person that he wanted to be.” She looked at the others and sighed.
“Goodbye, Mason.” Dropping the flowers down into the grave, she then turned and walked away.
Emily nodded slowly and then threw the flowers she was holding down to join Lisa’s.
“Goodbye, Mason. I’m sorry you didn’t make it and thank you for trying to be a better person.”
David tossed his flowers. “We weren’t friends but we could have been. I’m sorry.”
When he didn’t say anything else, the rest of the group added their flowers and Quinn started to refill the grave. David and Emily were numb from the day's events and they stood quietly watching until the grave was filled in. Then they walked back to the campsite with the others.
David and Emily sat holding hands at the picnic table as Quinn and Alex filled them in on what they knew was happening in their town. Lisa stood rigid as she took in their words. They explained their plans to scout the town and farms, and they showed them the map that they wanted to fill in with locations and guards. As they talked, Dara and Josh got food from the camper and started to make a meal. By the time they’d finished eating, Alex had told them the story of their journey overland, and David and Emily had filled them in on their own story. When they had gotten to the part about Mark, Lisa had to get up and leave the table. She didn’t want to hear about Mark and what he had done to her or how she’d killed him.
Lisa was struggling with inner turmoil. So many things had changed in the last month and she didn’t know who she was anymore. The cheerleader was dead, but the girl she’d tried to be on the way home didn’t fit this new reality either. After walking around the campsite a few times, she asked Alex if she could use the camper to clean up.
As she looked around at the interior of the camper and all the supplies it was filled with, she couldn't help but think how much easier the trip in from the coast would have been with a setup like this. She pushed the thought away. They had made it so that was all that mattered. Then she remembered that they hadn’t all made it.
She entered the tiny bathroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror. The girl looking back at her was a stranger. The long glossy hair she was used to was tangled and matted and the cat green eyes that used to spark and flash were dull and filled with sadness. She felt so lost and wished she could cry, but there was a great emptiness inside of her. Who
was she now? She thought that she would learn to contribute and be a good person, but now there was a war and she would have to fight. Shaking her head at her image she wondered if she could do it. Killing Mark had been a desperate move to save her and the others. Could she fight knowing that she would have to kill on a premeditated basis?
The girl in the mirror could barely hold her head up. She reached up and rubbed the aching place on her scalp. The man on the road had pulled her by the hair like it was a leash and he had torn out a handful by the roots. As she looked into the mirror, a ball of heat filled the emptiness inside of her. She’d been used and assaulted and she’d made a vow to never let it happen again. Until she was safe, and they’d gotten their town and homes back, she would do whatever it took to stay alive and free, and she knew just where to start.
Lisa whirled away from the mirror and left the bathroom. She searched the drawers in the kitchen until she found what she was looking for and carried them back into the bathroom. She met her steely-eyed stare in the mirror and nodded at herself in determination before grabbing a hank of hair and brutally slicing through it with the scissors she’d found. If she was going to be a different person, she would start with how she looked. No one would be able to use her hair against her again. She hacked away as best as she could with the dull blades and never noticed the tears that were finally flowing down her face. Shocked words brought her back to herself and she stopped in mid-cut. Turning her head slowly, she saw Dara standing there staring at her with an open mouth.
“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!” she gasped.
When Lisa just stared at her blankly, Dara scanned the hair covered floor around her and then looked back up at her. Understanding and compassion flowed into her eyes.
“Let me help you,” she said quietly.
Lisa handed the scissors to Dara and let herself be led over to the table where Dara gently pushed her down onto the bench seat. Dara grabbed a towel and draped it around Lisa’s shoulders before asking, “How much?”
Lisa swallowed and whispered, “All of it.”
Dara stared at her intently before nodding and moved behind her where she started to snip away at the ragged mess. She didn’t speak at first and the only sound in the camper was the sound of the blades snipping. As Lisa gradually relaxed, Dara finally started to speak.
“I understand why you want this. I dyed my hair black and put in blue streaks because I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognize the person I was anymore. When my dad left, my mother started to drink. She would get wasted and stay that way for days. My whole life changed. I had to take care of my brother and clean up my mom and the girl I used to be just disappeared. I didn’t know who I was anymore so I changed my hair and made it harsh because I felt like it was the only thing I could control and it expressed how angry I was. It also helped to isolate me from others because I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on with me. All anyone saw was a Goth chick and they left me alone. I know it’s not quite the same as what you’re going through, but I do understand.”
Dara moved around in front of Lisa and after a few more snips stood back and sighed. The sound brought Lisa’s head up and Dara smiled when their eyes met.
“I know you’re feeling lost right now, but you’re here with us and you’re a survivor. You’re a part of our family now and we will get our homes back.” She paused and shook her head and then laughed. “But I’ve got to tell you that I hate you on principle.” When Lisa’s eyes widened in dismay, Dara laughed again. “Here you are; dirty and with all your hair chopped off and you still look like a supermodel!” A slow smile spread across Lisa’s face and she reached out and took Dara’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Thank you. Thank you for understanding.” She rubbed her hands over her shorn head and laughed. “I feel lighter and kind of naked!”
Dara laughed, “You really do look great. Your eyes and cheekbones are killer with that cut. If you want to know the truth…you look like you could kick some serious butt!”
Lisa beamed at Dara, “That’s what I want! I don’t want to be a victim anymore. I want to help fight for our town and families.”
Dara nodded in understanding. “Well, if a haircut was all it would take to win them back, yours would do it. Come on, let’s get this cleaned up. If you want, we can gather all your hair up and burn it as a symbolic gesture to becoming a new you. Then I could put war paint on your face and send you off to destroy the bad guys!” she joked.
Lisa had to laugh at the image but she turned serious before getting up. “I’m sorry, Dara. I’m sorry I treated you so badly back in school. I was a real bitch to a lot of people. I’m not that person anymore so thank you for being nice to me.”
Dara reached down and pulled Lisa to her feet. “None of us are the people we were in high school, Lisa. In a lot of ways, we’re better people because of all of this. Come on, let’s go shock everyone and teach you how to use a gun!”
Lisa shivered at that but then squared her shoulders. She was ready to fight.
Shock was exactly what they got when they left the camper. There were double takes and mouths dropped in awe. Lisa couldn’t help but blush as all eyes stared at her and she kept reaching up to touch the downy soft hair that was left. She made her way over to the picnic table where the homemade map was spread out. She lowered her head over it and studied it to avoid the attention. Emily came over and touched her hand. When Lisa looked up her friend was smiling.
“I love it. You look amazing and fierce.”
Lisa smiled back but was jolted by a wolf whistle. Josh stood on the other side of the table with his goofy grin.
“Wow, Lisa, I’m not ashamed to tell you that you scared me a little bit before all this happened, but now you terrify me! I can see you with two pistols strapped to your thighs and red, red lipstick. Kicking ass and taking names. Damn girl, you look hardcore dangerous!”
She was laughing and shaking her head at his over-the-top compliment. “I just want to help fight and being dragged around by my hair isn’t very helpful,” she explained.
Josh was nodding emphatically. “Just nail them with that disdainful look you have patented, and they will run away whimpering!”
Lisa blushed again and turned back to the map.
“Can I help with this? There are a lot of walkways that run between and behind these houses that we might be able to use.” She ran her finger over the map through the areas she was referring to.
Quinn had stepped up to the table and was nodding his head.
“Anything you can fill in is helpful; the more detailed the better. Who knows when we might need a quick getaway? From what Cooper found out, we don’t think these guys are local so this is our home turf and that will give us a small advantage.” He looked around at the others and then up at the dimming sky. “I think we should stay put for today and determine what we want to do tomorrow. We still need to search for supplies at the campground and we’re going to need more shelter for all of us. I think we should find somewhere in that storage compound to hide at least one of those trucks. Also, it would be nice if we can bring back another small camper so we all have a decent place to sleep. We’ll also need more food.” Quinn paused for a moment in thought before continuing.
“We all agreed that rushing into town was a bad idea and we planned on scouting out where everyone is and trying to get a rough estimate of how many men are holding the town. We need information and I think the longer we take to find these things out, the harder it will be on all of us so…I think we need to split up. We should split into teams of two and take different areas of the town and farms where people are being held. Another team should hit the resort and get as many supplies as they can. What do you guys think?”
Everyone was standing around the table at that point and there were serious nods all around. Cooper looked at the map before offering his opinion.
“I agree. If what Buddy said was true, then almost everyone in town
will be at the community centre so we should be able to sneak around without too much trouble. It would be great if we could find out where these guys are staying. I think that I should go into town with Dara. We both know our way around and we know how to get out on the pathways if we need too.” He looked to Dara who was nodding. They’d both spent many years walking the town as they didn’t have parents who were interested in driving them around. They would make the best team to scout it out.
Alex looked at Quinn and frowned. “Quinn, I think you’re going to have to do the resort. Your leg is much better but it’s not up to running and crouching. You should take Lisa and get the supplies. Hopefully, you guys won’t have any trouble but the resort looked pretty deserted. You should be okay in there with just the two of you.
“Josh, David, Emily and I’ll scout the farms. I think David and I should be a team and Josh and Emily should pair up.”
David frowned and started to shake his head as he put his arm around Emily. Before he could protest, Alex explained,
“David, Josh and I have more experience with the assault rifles and we’ve been in a few shootouts now. I know you guys had just as hard of a time getting back here but this morning was the first time you have had to deal with these types of people and I can’t stand the thought of losing you guys. Both you and Emily can handle a rifle but if something goes wrong, it would be better if you two had the gun with more stopping power with you. I also think that Josh and I have a better handle on what needs to be done if we do get caught,” she said the last softly.
David looked at her in disbelief. “So what - you guys are hardcore killers now? Give me a break!”
Alex felt her cheeks grow hot at his words. She loved David like a brother, but he had no idea what he was talking about. After hearing about their journey home, she knew he hadn’t had to handle very much violence. Emily and Lisa had. She stared him down until he had to look away.
“David, I know what happened this morning was hard on you and I’m sorry we’re now in a world that is filled with violence. None of us are 'hard-core killers'; we’re survivors. Here’s the reality that you need to face. Those men holding our family are using them as slaves and probably doing evil things to them. I know those types of men because I have already killed a large number of them. They aren’t going to sit down and have a chat with us and then let us go. We’ll have to fight them and likely kill some or all of them to free our families. If you can’t handle that, then you need to stay here and let us get the job done.”
STRANDED: Box Set: Books 1-6 Page 44
