David’s face paled at her words and Emily turned and cupped her hand alongside his face. When his eyes met hers, they were filled with sorrow.
“Listen to me, David. I have killed three men in the last month and every one of them wanted to hurt me. A piece of my soul will always carry a scar from it but I can live with that. We didn’t do anything wrong and we’re good people. These men aren’t. They prey on the weak and innocent and they need to be stopped. There’s no one coming to help us, so it’s up to us to do it. If I have to, I’ll kill every single one of them to free and protect my family and friends. Alex is right. You don’t have to go with us but you also need to remember that your mother and sister are in that town and if you get caught by those men because you couldn’t bring yourself to kill them, then they will have one less person fighting to free them.”
David leaned in and kissed Emily on the forehead before turning to his friends.
“My father was a soldier. He told me once that he joined the military because he wanted to do the right thing and help others. What he saw and what he did…it broke him. He couldn’t handle what came after. The memories never left him and they destroyed him. I, I don’t want that to happen to me or to any of us. I don’t want us to be broken.”
No one in the group could reply to that. They already felt the effects of their actions and knew it would only get worse as they fought and killed to free the town. The silence was heavy until Josh lifted his head and spoke.
“I’ll take that chance.” Everyone looked at him. “I’ll take that chance to make sure my mother and my sister aren’t broken. If they are safe, then whatever happens to me will be worth it.”
Alex started to nod and she looked at David.
“It’s worth it.”
Emily squeezed David’s hand.
“It’s worth it.”
One by one they all voiced their commitment to doing whatever it took to free their loved ones. David looked at all his childhood friends and the two new ones who had joined them. He thought about his dad and wondered if he had thought it had been worth it. Then he thought about his mom and his little sister, Emma. He pictured them scared and cowering in a corner while they were being threatened by the men who were controlling the town. He felt his heart harden and he realized he would do anything to protect them. He looked around and met the eyes of everyone in his group. He nodded his head.
“It’s worth it.”
Chapter Three
Alex looked around the forest and closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The spring smell of new growth was sweet and she’d never felt so close to her home. She had spent so many years playing in this area that she felt like she knew every tree and bush. She opened her eyes and shot a grin of delight at her best friend. Emily smiled back knowing exactly what Alex was feeling. They had spent so much time running through this area as kids and later as teens. It would be easy to forget what was happening in the fields ahead. They left the bikes further back as the trail thinned out and walked the rest of the way. David was supposed to scout out the area with Alex but the two girls had decided to go together. They’d always been a team and after such a long time apart, they couldn’t bear to be separated again.
The trail widened ahead and they both slowed and crouched down. The clearing ahead was very well known to the two girls. After carefully checking to make sure it was empty, they scanned upwards into the trees. On the other side of the clearing, they could make out the faint outline of a homemade ladder nailed into one of the biggest trees. The watched for a few minutes and listened for any sound coming from above. When they detected nothing out of place, they moved forward and climbed the ladder up into their tree house. As soon as they entered it, they knew someone had been there. In one corner there was a tarp and it was covering something that didn’t belong in the tree house. Alex held up a hand to Emily and motioned with her hand that she was going back out the door to circle around the balcony. Emily nodded and went to one of the two windows as a lookout and held her rifle ready. Alex slipped back out the door and made her way around the house, peering over the half rail they’d completed last summer.
The tree house had gone through many transformations as they’d grown up. It had started with a sloppy lean-to against the trunk to gradually raising higher and higher with their ages and capabilities. The latest version was started the summer they were fourteen and involved many ladders and much hauling of wood planks. They had used a pulley system to get the boards up into the thick branches and had built the floor out into a twelve-foot platform before building the walls up and around the branches. Last summer they’d added a narrow balcony all the way around the house and erected the half railing for safety. Alex and her friends had worked hard to create the tree house and she remembered how proud they’d been when they invited their families out into the woods to see the completed project. She felt a pang of longing when she remembered her and Josh’s dad climbing all over it as he inspected every board to make sure it was secure, while Quinn’s grandfather had stood on the forest floor nodding his head in approval. The few tweaks his father had suggested had made the roof waterproof and they had a mini celebration picnic.
Alex completed the inspection around the balcony and didn’t find anything else out of place so she entered the house and the girls moved over to the tarp to see what was under it. Pulling the tarp aside, they saw two plastic bins and two garbage bags that had been tied off. Opening the two bins they were confused to find all of their camping gear. Alex recognized items that belonged to Quinn and Josh as well as gear that she used. The garbage bags also held their sleeping bags and two tents. Emily leaned back and frowned thoughtfully.
“It had to be one of our fathers that put this stuff here but why? They knew we wouldn’t be using it so why bring it out here?”
Alex stared at the bins for a moment before reaching in and pulling gear out. When she got half of it emptied, she found food and water. Nodding her head, she looked at Emily with a frown.
“It’s a fallback point. They cached this stuff in case they had to leave the houses. They used our stuff because they didn’t know if we would be back and they were using their gear at home. I just can’t believe that none of our families got away!”
They quickly repacked the bins and covered them back up with the tarp. They had all they needed back at their campsite and they wanted to leave the supplies here in case someone from their families managed to get away and needed it. Alex contemplated leaving a note in the bin but decided it would be too much of a risk if someone else found it.
“Let’s have something to eat before we go any further. We could be stuck in place for a while depending on what we find.”
Emily nodded and pulled out a couple of granola bars and some beef jerky before settling on one of the camp chairs that she took down from the wall. Alex studied her friend while they ate. It was so good to have Emily back but she could tell that her friend was different. She was quieter and more watchful, and there was a ghost of sadness that came and went from her eyes. The biggest change though was Emily and David being together.
“Soooooo…David?” Alex asked in a teasing tone.
Emily’s cheeks turned pink and a soft smile came across her face.
“I was so blind, Alex. David was such a rock for me through the journey home. I don’t know why I didn’t see him like that before. It was because I was just so caught up in Mason that it didn’t even come to mind. It took so many horrible things happening for me to finally see what was right in front of me all along.”
“Well, I’m happy you finally realized he’s the one for you! I’m so happy you’re here, Em,” Alex said.
Emily nodded. “I owe you an apology, Alex. I never should have left you guys in California. I can’t even tell you how many times I was sure I would never see you again. I’m happy we’re together again but I just can’t wrap my head around what’s happening here. I mean, how did these guys take over the town so easily? Are they really going to
hold our families and everyone else hostage for the long term? I just can’t see that lasting. How are they going to feed everyone and keep them under control? I just don’t get it!”
Alex turned her head and looked through the forest in the direction of the fields. “We don’t know a whole lot of what’s going on but we know they are using a lot of them for labour to work the farms. Hopefully, by the end of the day, we’ll have a better idea of what’s happening. We’re only guessing that they are planting Quinn’s, Josh’s, and our farms because they’re the biggest in the area. We need information and that’s what we’re doing today.” Alex faced Emily again and a hard look came over her face before continuing. “Listen, we need to be prepared for what we might see. We have no idea what kind of condition our families are in or how they are being treated. We have to stay strong and not do anything stupid. No matter what we see, we can’t go charging in. We have to stay hidden if we have any chance of making a plan to free everyone. No matter what we see today, we have to stay quiet and just watch. Can you do that?”
Emily swallowed hard before nodding. “Do you really think we can save everyone, Alex?”
It took a minute before she answered and when she did her voice was quiet and full of concern.
“I don’t know but I won’t give up until we do or I die.” Alex made a fist and looked at it thoughtfully before standing up. “Come on, let’s go.”
Emily quickly closed the backpack and slung it over her shoulder before grabbing her rifle and following her best friend down the ladder. They made quick time through the rest of the trees and when they were close enough to see the first field, they started to take cover and crawled to the edge of the trees.
Quinn’s grandparents’ farm was straight ahead of them and Alex could see the roof of the barn in the distance. There wasn’t anyone near them so they rose and skirted the field, staying just in the tree line for cover. Just as they were coming in line with the barn, a shot rang out and both girls flattened to the ground. Alex met Emily’s wide-eyed stare and gave a quick shake of her head. She didn’t think they’d been spotted and the shot had come from the vicinity of the barn which was still a full field ahead of them. They stayed down a few minutes just in case and two more shots rang out.
“What are they shooting at?” hissed Emily in frustration.
Alex scanned the closest trees around them and reached for the backpack that Emily had dropped. She pulled out a pair of binoculars and pointed at a thick tree and motioned at herself and then up. Emily nodded in agreement but her heart was pounding in fear for her friend.
Alex stayed in a crouch as she went to the tree she’d pointed at. Putting the tree between herself and the barn, she put the binoculars strap over her head and tucked the glasses into her shirt so they wouldn’t bang against the trunk of the tree as she climbed. Scanning the branches above her, she found the one she wanted, and using a knot on the trunk, launched herself up to the lowest branch. Alex had been climbing trees all her life and with her gymnastic conditioning, it was no effort to haul herself from branch to branch until she was twenty feet up. She freed the glasses and brought them to her eyes and focused them on the barnyard. It took a few moments for her brain to catch up with her eyes and with all the uncertainty and fear she felt over the well-being of her family, the scene through the glasses made her stomach lurch from horror. The blood she was seeing was from three steers that were being butchered, not slaughtered. Alex watched as groups of four men hauled ropes attached to the carcasses to get them hanging. Once she got her emotions under control, she started to scan each face she could make out, and her heart leapt with joy at the broad shoulders she recognized. When the man turned in her direction, she felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked at the face of Harry Dennison, Quinn’s grandfather.
She had to lower the glasses for a minute to clear her eyes. That man meant so much to her. For as long as she could remember he had been in her life. He was the kindest man and so many times she would sit on his fence and chatter away a mile a minute and he would just patiently listen to all she had to say. She reached up and tugged at one of her red-gold curls, something he had done ever since she’d wandered over to his fence for the first time when she was five. Alex wiped away her tears and looked down at Emily’s upturned face. She gave a reassuring smile and a thumbs up which eased her anxious expression before training the glasses back towards the farm.
There were a lot of people working around the farm. There was a huge area around the barnyard that had been cleared and tilled and at this distance; Alex guessed that they’d planted garden crops. It was also easy to tell the guards from the workers because they all held some sort of long gun. After scanning the entire area, she was surprised to only count six guards. Taking another look around, she tried not to focus on the workers’ faces, but it was hard not to look at each one to see if there was anyone else she recognized. After another careful count, she came up with over sixty townspeople on the farm and still only six guards. After thinking about that for a minute she realized that they didn’t need more guards while the families of all these people were being held hostage. No one would cause any trouble if their children were being threatened.
Alex looked out into the far fields to see if there were any others working further out but didn’t see anyone. Deciding that she’d seen all she needed to on this first scout, she couldn’t help but bring the glasses back to the barnyard to have one more look at Quinn’s grandfather before moving on. Her breath caught in a gasp when she focused on him and he seemed to be looking right at her. She knew that he couldn’t see her from so far away so she just watched him for a minute and was confused when he slowly brought his hand up and pointed in her direction and then ran his finger over his throat in a cutting motion. What was he doing? Why would he make that gesture? She scanned the men around him to see if anyone had noticed what he was doing but the two guards were watching the men wrestle with the beef carcasses. When she trained the glasses back on Mr. Dennison, he was still looking in her direction and with his body blocking the guard’s sight was using his hand in a shooing manner.
Alex lowered the glasses and leaned back against the tree in confusion. There was no way he could see her from that distance so what was the meaning of his actions? Without using the glasses, she looked back out at the fields and had to shade her eyes from the sun’s bright glare. She squinted into the distance before her eyes widened in realization. Before the thought had fully formed in her head, she was wiggling down the tree. She dropped down beside a surprised Emily and grabbed her backpack and quickly shouldered it.
“We have to go! Mr. Dennison saw me. I don’t think anyone else did but I don’t think we should take that chance.”
Emily looked at her doubtfully. “Alex, there’s no way anyone could have seen you from that far, calm down!”
Alex shook her head and held up the binoculars. “Not me, these! The sun is shining right at us. Every time I moved the glasses around, there would have been a flash. If I hadn’t had some of the tree for cover, it would have been as clear as a signal flash! What a stupid mistake!”
Emily grabbed the glasses from her and ran to the edge of the tree line. She carefully shaded them with one hand and looked towards the farm. After a few anxious minutes, she turned and came back.
“Okay, no one is headed in this direction but I agree we should move on just in case. What did you see up there? Did you see anyone we know?”
Alex took the glasses back from her and packed them away. She knew what Emily really wanted to know. “Our families weren’t there. The only person I really recognized was Quinn’s grandpa. It looks like there are around sixty people working the farm and six guards with rifles and shotguns.” She threw her pack back on and started to walk back the way they’d come. “Let’s get deeper in and then head north. We can cross the road where it dips down and then head to my place. After that, we’ll have to leave the trees and cross over one of our fields to get to your land. That
will be the hardest part as the grass isn’t very high yet so we won’t have much cover.”
The two girls made their way deeper into the forest on silent feet. They had traveled these woods so many times while playing, exploring and hunting throughout their childhood that they felt confident and moved quickly. They moved deeper into the woods before turning north and travelling parallel to Quinn’s homestead. Alex was nervous about what they would find at her home. She had been so happy to see Mr. Dennison alive and well that her heart was filled with hope at the prospect of seeing her father.
The girls caught sight of the road through the trees so they slowed down and approached it cautiously. They stayed inside the tree line following the road until they came to a section that dipped down. They could cross there without being seen from a distance. After waiting a few minutes and listening for any sounds of people nearby, they dashed across and were quickly concealed in the trees again. Alex and Emily continued through the forest without speaking. Both of them were consumed with worry and hope for what they were about to see. It had been so long since they’d seen their families, and now they were close to getting some answers.
As the girls moved through the trees, they started to hear a faint rhythmic noise. At first they couldn't make out what was causing the sounds, but the further they walked, the louder it got. They finally came to a stop. Emily pulled out a water bottle and took a drink before handing it to Alex.
STRANDED: Box Set: Books 1-6 Page 45
