Zero Visibility

by Sharon Dunn

  “We need to treat that wound,” she said.

  Nathan shook his head. “We can’t stop. Did you see Hawthorne’s eyes? He’s really angry.”

  She opened her mouth to protest. The raging voices of the thieves assaulted her eardrums. Nathan was right. They had to keep moving.

  They ran for a full twenty minutes, until both of them were out of breath.

  Merci bent over and clamped her hands on her knees. “I don’t hear them anymore.”

  Nathan leaned his forearm against a tree. He stuck his hand inside his coat. “Maybe we lost them.” He sucked in a breath between each word.

  If her lungs hurt from running so hard, he must be in horrible pain.

  She dug through her backpack and pulled out a glove liner, which she handed to him. “To stop the bleeding.”

  He nodded and placed the cloth inside his coat.

  A twinge of empathy pain caused her to shudder. “Nathan, we have to slow down long enough to get that wound to stop bleeding. You’re a paramedic. You wouldn’t let someone walk away with an untreated cut like that.”

  Though he squared his jaw, she saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “I suppose we can double back to the cafeteria. If there are any medical supplies, they would be in there.”

  Merci nodded in agreement. “It’ll throw them off, anyway. They think we are running deeper into the woods.”

  She turned, trying to orient herself.

  “This way through the trees.” He gritted his teeth as he spoke. He was in way more pain than he was letting on.

  That he had managed to scoop her up and get them out of danger was a testament to his strength and courage. They moved at a slower pace. Within twenty minutes, the far side of the cafeteria came into view. They had done a wide arc around the camp and come out on the side where they had previously broken the window.

  “We can just use the door the thieves broke through.”

  The door had been almost completely broken apart with the ax. She pushed it open. By the time they got inside, Nathan was leaning against her for support.

  “Guess I lost more blood than I realized.” His voice had a faraway quality.

  She led him back into the office and helped him down onto a wooden bench. His eyelids slipped over his eyes. “Nathan, you can’t pass out. You have to tell me what to do.”

  She unzipped his ski jacket and unbuttoned the shirt. The cotton fabric stuck to his chest where the blood had soaked through. She swallowed the cry of anguish as she peeled back the blood-soaked fabric of the glove liner. Now she had a clear view of the cut. It looked as if the knife had been driven straight into his pectoral muscle.

  He closed his eyes, and his head bobbed forward. She patted his cheeks. “Stay with me. Tell me what to do.”

  By sheer force of will, he raised his head and opened his eyes. “Compress to stop the bleeding.”

  Her stomach clenched. “It looks like you need stitches.” She had no medical training beyond a first-aid class, but the gash was pretty deep.

  He bent his head, placing his fingers close to the still bleeding wound. “No,” he said, gulping in air. “It’s better to leave it open so the pus can drain.” He touched the wound, shuddered and closed his eyes.

  She gathered his cheeks into her hands. “That’s a really big open cut. You’ve got to tell me what to do.” If her voice didn’t give away her fear, her trembling hands did.

  He looked at her with wide vulnerable eyes and wrapped his hand around hers. “Stop the bleeding first, then draw the edges of the cut together, place a sterile airtight dressing on it.”

  Merci searched frantically. Where in this place was she going to find anything resembling a sterile cloth? She opened and closed drawers. “I don’t suppose there is a first-aid kit in here somewhere. That would be way too easy.”

  She found a box of outdated ibuprofen in a desk drawer. Nathan slumped over on the bench, still clutching his pectoral muscle. She pulled her water bottle out of her pack and approached Nathan, kneeling beside him. “Here, take these.” She gave him three pills. He opened his mouth. She held the water bottle to his lips. He gulped the water. She placed the bottle of pills in his coat pocket. “In case you need more later.”

  “Check the kitchen,” he said between breaths.

  She shook her head, not comprehending what he was saying and wondering if he had started to become incoherent.

  “Maybe there is a clean cloth in there, tin foil and some kind of tape.” His words sounded weak as he rested the back of his head against the wall.

  What on earth did he want her to do with tin foil?

  “I’ll explain.” He took in a gulp of air. “Just find them.”

  Merci raced to the kitchen, taking a moment to look out the big window for any sign of the thieves. The landscape was empty. Maybe the men would give up.

  Once in the kitchen, she opened and closed cupboard doors. She found a dishrag, but it was too dirty. She opened the drawer underneath the stove and found a small piece of tinfoil left on the end of the roll. She was on her way to the bathroom to search when Nathan called out to her.

  When she returned to the office, Nathan lifted his head. His gaze was unfocused, and his face had a chalky pallor. “Look where that rifle was. Dad had cleaning cloths,” he said.

  Again she wondered if he was losing coherence. A cloth that had been used to clean a gun would hardly be sterile. She opened the drawer in the gun rack and found an unopened package of white cotton cloths. You don’t get any cleaner than that.

  He pulled his bloody hand away from the wound so she could place the cloth on it.

  She remembered seeing some packing tape in a desk drawer. “Now what?” Her voice trembled. The cloth was already saturated with blood.

  “Tear off a piece of that cloth for the bandage. The tin foil will keep it airtight.” He sucked in a breath. “But first you have to draw the sides of the cut together, so it heals right.”

  She took in a breath that felt as if it had glass shards in it. His face had completely drained of color, and he slumped to one side. She peeled the blood-stained shirt off his skin. He pulled back the bloody compress and winced.

  His hand rested over the top of hers. “A gash this deep could get infected.” His Adam’s apple moved up and down. He squeezed her fingers. “We want it to drain but don’t want it exposed. Draw the edges of the cut together and hold them together with tape.”

  She nodded. “Won’t that hurt you?”

  “Let’s just do it.”

  She stared into his glazed eyes. He’d lost so much blood. Was he going to die? And what for? They still didn’t have Lorelei. What had even become of Lorelei? There hadn’t been time to ask Nathan if he had seen her.

  All the uncertainties were like waves of panic washing over her. She gripped the arm of the bench and took in a deep breath. So much she didn’t have control over. She needed to focus on helping Nathan.

  Nathan lifted his head and offered her a forced smile that didn’t hide his anguish. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll force the two pieces of skin together, and then you place the tape over them. Tear off narrow pieces first so it goes faster,” he said.

  Merci’s throat went dry, and her stomach somersaulted, but she managed a nod.

  He must have seen the fear in her eyes. He reached up and touched her cheek. “You’ll do fine.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I know.” She tore off three strips of tape.

  “Let’s do this.” He gritted his teeth and drew the skin together. His back arched. He tilted his chin toward the ceiling and inhaled through gritted teeth.

  Merci picked up the first piece of tape. For Nathan, she needed to do this. For Nathan, she needed to get past her fear.

  “Quick is best,” he said. His breathing had become labored.

  She grabbed another piece of tape. Nathan’s hands trembled. His face turned red, and his mouth drew into a flat line. She had to separate he
rself from his pain or she would fall apart.

  She placed the white cloth over the wound and then the tin foil. Finally she taped over the whole dressing.

  He let out a whoosh of air and slumped forward when she finished. He rested his glistening forehead against hers and cupped her neck in his hand breathing heavily. “You did it.”

  The victory was short-lived. From the front of the cafeteria, the sound of the battered door opening and someone stepping inside floated down the hallway to the office.

  EIGHT

  “Nathan, we have to go, they’re coming.”

  Merci sounded as if she was talking to him from the next room, even though he could open his eyes and see her lovely face. He had enough coherence left to know that the loss of blood had made him lightheaded.

  She placed his coat over his shoulders. When she helped him to his feet, the room spun. “You should go without me. I’ll slow you down.”

  She slipped in under his good shoulder. “No, I’m not leaving without you. Come on, we can make it to the back door.”

  Though he still felt dizzy, Nathan willed himself to move forward. They pushed through the back door and into the forest. The cold air hit him almost immediately. His shirt was unbuttoned. He had only one arm in his jacket.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Merci headed toward the cover of the trees.

  “Can you see them?”

  “Maybe they came back looking for more food.” She stuttered in her steps. “Oh, no, I left the backpacks there.”

  “All our food.” Nathan heard the words, but it didn’t feel as if he had spoken them. It took a moment for it to sink in how dire their circumstances were without food.

  “Once they find those backpacks, they’ll know we were there.” Merci’s voice filled with anguish.

  Nathan fought to get a deep breath as he continued to lean on Merci. The chill had sunk clean through his skin. “Merci, you’ve got to stop.”

  She looked up at him, concern etched across her features. “Oh, Nathan, you’re in really rough shape.”

  Merci helped him pull his coat on and then zipped it up.

  Nathan summoned what little strength he had left. “I don’t hear anything. Maybe they are not after us. Are you sure you heard them coming through the door?”

  Her expression changed as though doubt had crept in. “I’m kind of jumpy. Maybe I was hearing things.”

  Nathan slid down to the ground. “Let me just rest for a minute. We’ll go back for the backpacks.”

  “And then what, Nathan?”

  He stared at her for a moment weighing options. He still hadn’t told her about Lorelei. “If we go back to the cabin, they might come there looking for food.” He took in a breath. Icy slicing pain riveted through his chest. He wasn’t so sure he could make it back to the cabin at this point. He needed rest more than anything.

  “If we can get the backpacks, we can survive a day, maybe two, even if we can’t make it to the cabin. Help will come by then.” Her pretty features grew tight. “But what are we going to do about Lorelei? Do you think she is still alive?”

  Nathan cleared his throat. “I saw her.”

  Merci sat down beside him and grabbed his arm. “Where is she? Is she tied up? Is someone watching her?”

  Nathan wrestled with how much he should tell her. Perhaps his suspicions were unfounded. “She wasn’t tied up. She was walking around.”

  Merci let go of his arm. Her gaze probed and she spoke slowly. “So we could get her out pretty easy?”

  “There was just something weird about what I saw. She seemed hesitant around that Hawthorne guy, but…” He shook his head. “Something in her body language suggested affection for him.”

  Her voice leveled out. “What are you saying?”

  His physical weakness made it hard for him to form the question. “Do you think there is any possibility that she is somehow connected to these people?”

  Merci shook her head. “No, that can’t be. She’s been on campus for at least two years. She saved my life in that truck.” Merci rose to her feet and turned her back to him. “There must be some goodness in her. Maybe you weren’t seeing things for what they were.”

  “That is possible.” He had expected resistance from her. The look on her face told him that the news had crushed her. If Lorelei was involved, it meant that all this sacrifice and risk had been for nothing. They would have been better off waiting at the cabin and preparing for an assault from the thieves. “I don’t know if trying to free her is worth our efforts.”

  Merci lifted her head and then stood up.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Give me a minute. Get your strength back.” She sounded upset.

  They shouldn’t be separated. “Wait, I’ll go with you.” Nathan tried to push himself to his feet. He felt instantly lightheaded, and the pain was excruciating. Black dots filled the corners of his vision. A moment later he could see nothing. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of the cold snow on his cheek.

  * * *

  Merci moved through the trees away from Nathan. She needed a moment to calm down. His suspicions of Lorelei had opened old wounds. When he spoke, it was as if she was hearing her father talk to her in his judgmental way. She could picture him looking over the top of his half glasses. “Merci, your Pollyanna attitude, always thinking everyone is nice, is why you will never succeed in business. You are too trusting.”

  But Nathan wasn’t her father. Over and over, she had seen how kind he was. He could have blamed her for the loss of the backpacks and he hadn’t. He’d saved her life more than once. She needed to get back to him.

  Ahead of her, a branch broke and she saw a flash of color. Her heart pounded. The thieves were moving through the forest. She stood paralyzed by uncertainty. She had only stepped thirty feet away from Nathan, but evergreens blocked her view of him. He was in no condition to run. She had to lead the thieves away from where Nathan rested. She dashed into the thick of the trees, breaking branches to alert them to her whereabouts.

  She leaped over a fallen log. She could hear them behind her, growing closer. As she ran, she put together a plan. She’d lead them far enough away to keep Nathan safe and then find a hiding place or maybe double back to get him.

  She glanced over her shoulder, but couldn’t see anything. As she turned her head, she slammed into a solid mass. A hand went over her mouth. Leather Jacket’s sour breath enveloped her. “Don’t you dare scream for help or I’ll shoot you.” He pushed a gun against her lower back. “Now tell me where your friend is. He must be close by.”

  The thieves must have split up in their search for her. She had to keep Nathan safe. “He didn’t make it. He was bleeding really bad.”

  The man let out a satisfied chuckle. “That cut I gave him must have done the trick.” He leaned closer over her shoulder so his cheek nearly touched hers. The odor of dirt and cigarettes repulsed her. Her back stiffened. “He doesn’t matter to us, anyway, but you do.”

  He grabbed her hair and pulled it so her head tilted toward the sky.

  She drew her hand up toward her hair as her eyes rimmed with tears. Her whole body felt as if it was being shaken from the inside. What did he mean to do to her? “Please…please you’re hurting me.”

  “Am I now?”

  He pushed her forward. When she turned to sneak a glance at him, she saw the bloody strip of wool tied around his leg where she had hit him with the arrow from the crossbow. He walked with a limp.

  “What are you staring at?” Leather Jacket barked at her, then yelled over his shoulder. “Check around for him just in case she’s lying.”

  The other thief must be close by.

  Please, dear God, keep Nathan safe.

  A blindfold went over her eyes and a moment later, her hands were bound behind her. Her feet sank into the deep snow. As she was led through the camp, she lost all sense of where she was.

  * * *

  When Nathan awoke with his cheek resting
against the snow, he was chilled to the bone, but the pain seemed to be subsiding. He willed himself to sit up. How much time had gone by? The sun had moved to the midpoint in the sky.

  He waited a moment to ensure he was not going to pass out again from getting up too quickly. He pulled off his glove and gripped the tree trunk for support. The pain radiating through his shoulder threatened to send him toppling again. He gritted his teeth and straightened his back. If he didn’t lift the arm that was connected to the injured pectoral muscle, he’d be okay. The trauma to his body had taken its toll. Under normal circumstances, a doctor would have loaded him up with antibiotics and advised him to stay in bed for a day. But these were not normal circumstances.

  Where had Merci gone? He had upset her. Maybe that was why she had stomped off. He stumbled through the forest reaching out for tree trunks for support.

  He almost cried out for her, but decided against it. When he came to the edge of the forest, he stopped. He had a view of the meadow. By now there were so many sets of footprints through the snow he couldn’t determine how many comings and goings there had been.

  His eyes wandered up to the cafeteria. His heart thudded in his chest as he studied the bleak empty landscape. Something had happened to her. He could feel it.

  Leaning to one side from the pain, he made his way up to the back door of the cafeteria. The door was ajar. Each deep breath he took sent another jab of pain through him. He slipped into the hallway and pressed against the wall, listening for any sound. If someone was in here, they were being very quiet.

  He eased down the hallway toward the office. His footsteps sounded as if they were being broadcast through a loud speaker. Once inside the office, it only took a moment to see that the backpacks were gone. The blood all over the bench where Merci had dressed his wound was evidence of the severity of his injury.

  Maybe Merci had decided to go and get the backpacks on her own. He slumped against a wall. Somehow that theory just didn’t seem to hold water. Their paths would have crossed if she had headed back to where he was resting after getting the backpacks.