The Defiant: An Unbeaten Path

by John W. Vance

  “You’re asking me to agree to something I can never agree to. No, I will not pack up and head north.”

  “How about this? We keep a small team to go look, say…”

  Bryn raised her hand and said, “Count me in.”

  “Me too,” Rob said.

  “I want to go,” Abigail chirped.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Colin said to Abigail.

  “I agree, you’re not going out there,” Becky said to Abigail. She could see the anxiety in her, and the fear for her father was written into the deep wrinkles of her furrowed brow and pursed lips.

  “Bryn and Rob will go. The rest of us will press forward in the Suburban and trailer. We’ll leave them the old car,” Colin said.

  “I can’t agree to this,” Becky said.

  “Please listen, we’re not safe sitting here anymore. We need to go, you need to go. There’s nothing you can do, so why not be heading north at least,” Colin explained. He was deeply frustrated and the conversation he was having was not a surprise. He knew this was going to happen and didn’t have any ideas just how to handle it if they refused.

  “I think Colin has a point,” Frank said.

  “We’re not leaving Nic and Proctor,” Becky said, shooting a harsh look at her father.

  “His plan doesn’t leave them; we send these two looking for them while we begin the last leg of our trip. Sitting here and waiting won’t change the outcome of what those two find out there,” Frank replied.

  “Here’s the deal, while you all sit and debate this, Rob and I are heading out,” Bryn declared as she opened the back of the Suburban. She opened the back cargo space and began stuffing food, water and extra ammunition into a backpack.

  Rob followed her lead and started doing the same thing. As he stuffed his pack, he hoped Abigail would come to him, but with each item he stuffed, his desire turned to disappointment as she stayed by Becky’s side.

  With her pack now on her back and Rob ready to march in search of Nicholas and Proctor, Bryn turned to the bickering group and said, “We’re off.”

  Frank came up to her, dangled the keys to the Dodge Dart and said, “You’ll be needing these.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And I removed the battery. It’s stashed over near the highway sign,” Frank said.

  “Good thinking,” Bryn said. She stuffed the keys in her pocket, gave the group a sloppy salute, headed down the embankment and disappeared into the woods, with Rob following just behind.

  “You see, they’re off to find them. Now can we get off this road, please?” Colin begged.

  Katherine leaned into Becky and said, “I don’t like saying this, but they have a legitimate point. Sitting here makes us vulnerable, and there’s nothing we’re going to accomplish by sitting here.”

  Becky chewed on her lip, her mind racing.

  Marjorie then added, “I agree with Katherine. Now that we’ve sent some people to look for them, let’s get off this road.”

  Becky turned to Abigail, took her hands and asked, “What do you think?”

  “Just leaving feels wrong, but what I’m hearing makes sense, and if it’s what Dad wishes, then we should go.”

  Becky turned to Colin and said, “We go, but not too far. Somewhere we can get off the road and hide.”

  Not wanting to debate anymore, Colin begrudgingly agreed, “Fine. Let’s load up.”

  Vista, CA

  Vincent took the earlier incident in stride and even found it humorous. Here he was, a big, bad Marine and he allowed himself to get held up by a woman and her child. At first, he did think that his time was up, but it took him only a few minutes to come to the conclusion she didn’t want to kill him, but might if she felt threatened. He counted his lucky stars that the person who managed to catch him off guard wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Like he did most of his life, he never looked at the negative, he always found the lesson in anything, and this lesson stood out like a massive neon sign for him.

  He had inspected the cabinet refrigerator they had raided, and noticed Noah had done as he was told and took every bottle and packet. The problem was he didn’t know what he was grabbing, and they didn’t get what they had come for. This made him wonder if they’d come back, probably not, he imagined, but nowadays he just couldn’t be sure. When people were desperate, they were capable of desperate measures. Plus, she seemed very paranoid and she had to figure the odds of getting a jump on him again would be slight. However, he wasn’t going to take any chances, so he barred the doors and nailed the windows shut.

  He hadn’t eaten yet today, and the hunger pangs were becoming stronger by the minute. He hurried to the kitchen and began to browse for food. He found a jar of crunchy peanut butter and an unopened jar of jelly. His mouth watered thinking about the combination. As he prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the last two slices of stale bread, which he toasted to make it more palatable, he caught a figure moving near the gate. He placed the butter knife down and stared, just waiting to see the movement again. It was like déjà vu for him.

  The gate was two hundred feet from the main house, but after his experience, specifically with the mob, he knew someone could clear it and be at the house in less than a minute.

  Without taking his eyes off the gate, he reached behind him and grabbed his rifle, which he’d laid on the center kitchen island.

  A head appeared over the top of the gate, looked left and right and disappeared.

  “Twice in one day, things are getting bad out there, I guess,” he murmured to himself.

  Again the head popped up, and with catlike reflexes, the person jumped over the gate.

  A smile stretched across Vincent’s face when he recognized that it was the boy, Noah.

  Noah rushed towards the barn and disappeared.

  “Going for the garage, are you?” Vincent said to himself, his smile still wide. He left the kitchen and made for the garage.

  In the garage, Vincent found a chair and placed it in the shadowy corner opposite the exterior door and cabinets. He draped himself with a large moving blanket and just waited.

  He heard the turning of the doorknob followed by a slight creak of the exterior door that came into the garage from outside. For a brief moment, the sunlight splashed into the garage as Noah slipped in and closed the door. He paused for a moment and looked at the door that led into the house. Seeing it was closed, he dashed over to the cabinet and tried to open it but found it locked. He looked around but saw nothing. On the opposite wall, a long built-in workbench spanned the length of the garage. Noah rushed over there and began to search for something that would help him break in. What he didn’t notice was just six feet away in the dark corner, Vincent sat quietly watching him.

  “Oh, c’mon,” Noah lamented at not finding something.

  Not able to contain himself any longer, Vincent said, “The keys would make it easier.”

  Noah screamed and scurried back away from the bench. “Don’t hurt me.”

  Vincent stood with his rifle slung across his body, holding a single crutch in the other.

  Noah kept taking small steps backwards away from Vincent. “Please don’t hurt me.”

  “Did you come to find the medicine you thought you took?”

  “Yes,” Noah answered, his voice quivering.

  Just behind him several small boxes sat in his way.

  He took two more half steps away from Vincent and fell backwards over the boxes. He landed on his butt hard and yelped in pain and surprise.

  Vincent approached, genuinely concerned for Noah.

  “No, leave me alone.”

  Vincent stopped and said in a reassuring voice, “I won’t hurt you. Trust me, I’m a Marine and I’m actually one of the good guys.”

  Noah held up his trembling hands and begged, “Please don’t hurt me. I messed up. I got the wrong stuff and, um, my mom is so mad at me.”

  Vincent held up his hands, his palms out and replied, “Noah? It’s Noah, r
ight?”

  Noah nodded.

  “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I was wondering if you or your mother would come back. And what do you know, here you are.”

  Noah scooted away and got back to his feet. He looked at Vincent; then out of the corner of his eye, he looked towards the exterior door.

  “Go, you can run. I won’t chase you or hurt you, but you’ll just leave without the medicine you need. Or you can stay for a few minutes while I get you what you need.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “You swear?”

  “I already promised, but I’ll swear too if that’s necessary.”

  Noah looked at Vincent apprehensively, but didn’t know what to do. He thought about making a run for it but was too frightened.

  “Does your mother know you’re here?” Vincent asked as he hobbled over to the exterior door and opened it.

  Noah didn’t answer.

  Vincent stepped outside, turned and said, “Follow me.”

  Noah took one cautious step after another until he was outside. He looked for Vincent but didn’t see him. He knew all he had to do was turn left and he’d be within a quick dash towards the gate. He thought about making that left turn but stopped when Vincent called out.

  “Do you want the medicine or not?” Vincent called out from around the other corner. He stood next to one of the SUVs, which was covered with a thick tan car cover.

  Noah looked at Vincent but hesitated.

  Seeing how scared Noah was, Vincent tried to reassure him that he was safe. “Noah, I won’t hurt you, but if you feel nervous, I understand. How about this, I’ll get the medicine and put it in the bag you brought? Just toss it over here.”

  Noah took off his pack and did as Vincent asked.

  Vincent picked up the bag and laughed when he saw it was a superhero backpack. He imagined Noah wearing this to school or taking it with him on a sleepover at a friend’s. It reminded him of a more innocent time. He found himself feeling bad for Noah and the question came to mind to ask him who was ill. “Can I ask who needs the antibiotics?”

  Noah was still frozen to the spot just outside the garage door. He looked at Vincent with his sad green eyes and said, “My daddy needs it.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Vincent said, then pulled off the cover and unlocked the SUV. He made a mental note to temper his comments. He grabbed a box from the backseat and opened it.

  “My daddy was shot.”

  Vincent stopped and wondered if he had been in the mob attack. He thought about what to ask but decided to just stay quiet.

  “He, um, is in a bad way,” Noah said sadly.

  Vincent finished putting in the medicine and tossed the pack. “Everything your mother will need is in there. I even put in some prescription pain meds.”

  Noah snatched the pack and said, “Thanks.” He looked, took a step away but stopped. He turned back around and said, “I have to go. I know my mom’s looking for me.” He then sprinted away.

  Vincent couldn’t help but wonder if Noah’s dad had come to the property that day. Maybe that was why she didn’t trust him, but her comments didn’t make sense. She had clearly mentioned hating men. However Noah’s father had been shot, it had been traumatic for the entire family. He hoped that what little help he gave would be enough, and if it wasn’t, he couldn’t imagine the pain of loss Noah would experience by losing his father. Vincent could feel his foot throbbing and the hunger pangs came back. He rested against the SUV and began to think about all the children out there who had suffered, who had witnessed such horrific things. For him he hadn’t yet truly seen what had become of the world, but soon he’d be right in the middle.

  Wellsville, Utah

  Nicholas opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room. He looked to his right and saw a body draped with a white sheet; he looked to his left and saw a woman wearing medical scrubs. He opened his dry mouth and asked, “Please tell me you’re here to help me?”

  “Yes, we’re here to help.”

  “Who’s that?” he asked, motioning to the body next to him.

  “Your colleague.”

  “He’s dead, right?”

  “Was he a friend?” she asked.

  Nicholas nodded. He could tell he was on some type of narcotic by the way he felt. “Will I be okay?”

  “I think so, but the doctor can answer all your questions. Let me go get her,” she said and left the small room.

  Nicholas looked again at the draped body and felt so sorry for Proctor and for his wife, Katherine. What a tragic mistake going out to help Luke. Even though he hadn’t voted to authorize it, he found himself feeling guilty.

  A tap on the door jolted him back from his remorse.

  The door opened, but a woman didn’t enter like he expected. Two men came in.

  “We heard you were awake,” the first man said. He was average height, his black short thinning hair was cut in the style of what Nicholas used to know as a flattop. The man had a burly deep voice, which Nicholas recognized as being the man who had spoken to him in the forest.

  “Hi,” Nicholas replied.

  The man looked at the far bed, which housed Proctor’s body, and said, “He had a weak pulse when we got him here, but he didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

  “He was alive out there?” Nicholas asked, surprised to hear this revelation.

  “Yeah, we thought he was dead too, but he had a bit left in him. He had lost too much blood by the time we got him back, and well…you know the rest.”

  “Who are you?” Nicholas asked.

  “My name is Brock, and this is my cousin Logan. We’re scouts for the town of Wellsville. We had been tracking those savages who took you since they came through our town a few days back. They robbed a couple farms, took some food, and kidnapped those two kids.”

  “So it was just a coincidence you came upon us?” Nicholas asked, genuinely curious.

  “We came across the Summers kid and his sister not a couple hours before we ambushed those guys. He told us where you might be,” Logan replied. He was taller and leaner than his cousin and without a doubt the younger of the two. The family resemblance came from jet black hair and green eyes. His voice had a similar tone but slightly higher.

  “Luke?” Nicholas muttered.

  “Yeah, that’s his name. Their parents reported them missing, so when we ran into him and he had word on those guys, we killed two birds with one stone,” Logan said.

  “Enough of what happened out there. We stopped by to check on you and,” Brock said but hesitated; he looked at Logan, smiled and continued, “we have a surprise for you.”

  “Guys, I’m very thankful for you saving me, but I need to get back to my group.”

  Logan stepped over to the gurney where Proctor’s body rested, unlocked the wheels and with a heavy shove began to push it towards the door that Brock was now holding open.

  “Where are you taking him?” Nicholas asked in a somber tone.

  “Just down to the coroner’s office at the end of the hall,” Brock informed him.

  “Take care of him. I need to take him back with me,” Nicholas said with a concerned look.

  “No need to worry,” Brock said then left. He stuck his head back in and said, “I’ll be right back with that surprise.”

  Nicholas exhaled deeply and laid his head back onto the thick pillow. He hated being there, and being wounded was just a plain inconvenience. Thoughts of Becky and Abigail filled his mind. He prayed they were safe and cursed the entire situation that had led to his being there.

  The door opened slowly.

  Nicholas didn’t raise his head because he assumed it was Brock.

  “Can this surprise just wait? I need to get the doc to check me out. I really need to go.”

  “And where would you be going?” Becky asked.

  “Huh?” Nicolas blurted out. He shot his head up and saw Becky and Abigail standing there.

  “
Daddy,” Abigail cried out as she rushed the bed and hugged him tightly.

  “What, how? Don’t hug me too hard, Abby, you might pop a stitch.”

  Becky hurried to his side, took his hand and held it firmly. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. Several tears streamed down her face and her breathing increased with each second she sat there looking at him. “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.”

  “How is it you’re here?” Nicholas asked, unsure if he might be in a drug-induced hallucination.

  “It’s a long story, but after all the shooting and Bryn killing some guy in the woods, Colin told us we were leaving and that it was your instructions to do so. I didn’t agree at first, but we couldn’t just sit there, especially after that guy.”

  “Who was this person Bryn killed?” Nicholas asked.

  “I don’t know, must have been with those guys who had you and Proctor.”

  Nicholas now remembered Cam mentioning one of his men were watching the group.

  “Katherine is a mess,” Becky said.

  “And Evelyn[PN7] ?” Nicholas asked, referring to Proctor’s eighteen-month-old daughter.

  “It’s so sad, all of it. She’ll never remember her father,” Becky said.

  “I understand what you’re saying,” Nicholas replied.

  “Daddy, I was so scared,” Abigail whimpered, her embrace unrelenting.

  “It will take a lot to take your old man out.” Nicholas laughed. He continued, “How are you doing, though?” He caressed her hair.

  “Better now,” Abigail answered.

  “How’s everyone else?” Nicholas asked Becky.

  “Frazzled.”

  “I bet. I’ll be out of here soon and we’ll be on our way.”

  “We can’t leave until they come back,” Becky said.

  Nicholas raised his brows, curious as to who she was talking about.

  She picked up on his facial expression and said, “Bryn and Rob.”