by E A Chance
Brooks shot her a quick glance. “I’ve been questioning my loyalty to him, not that I have much choice but to stay if I want to stay alive. Branson has changed since the attack at the church. We were just supposed to threaten the group and grab some people as laborers, but Jepson started shooting, and the others joined in. I stopped it as fast as I could, but the damage was done. We got the hell out in a hurry. Branson was furious and warned Jepson, but that was the end of the punishment until he shot your daughter. You know the rest.”
“Agonizingly well.”
“I’m no fan of Jepson. He shot an unarmed mother carrying her infant in the back. He deserved more than losing a finger, but the way Branson handled it was disturbing. Seemed like he enjoyed it.”
“Dr. Cooper said the same thing. I have to admit I’m torn over it. Jepson almost killed Julia, but Branson’s brand of wild-west justice is alarming.”
“When I signed up with Branson, he talked about elections and fair government, but he’s turned into nothing more than a mafia boss or petty dictator.”
Riley was concerned to hear Brooks speak so candidly about Branson and wondered what he’d ask in exchange for her secrecy, but since she’d already opened the flood gates, she decided to go with the flow.
“Do you plan to do anything about Branson? Who knows how far he’ll go if no one stands up to him?”
“What can I do? The guards are armed to the teeth, and I don’t know who to trust. I’m hoping Branson will come to his senses. I’m putting together a proposal for how we can form a democratic government if he’s still willing.”
She had no doubt that his proposal would fall on deaf ears. It’s impossible to reason with a sociopath, and it was far too little, far too late.
She steered the conversation to less controversial subjects for the rest of the drive and was relieved when the medical supply warehouse on the outskirts of Charlottesville came into view. Brooks pulled up to a door with a broken chain dangling from the handle.
She got out and followed him. “How did you find this place?”
“Dashay told us about it. She’s been the driving force behind getting the infirmary set up and stocked. Mendez, too, but we couldn’t have done it without her. Finding you and Dr. Cooper was the last piece of the puzzle.”
Finding us? You mean stalking us and dragging us against our will into forced servitude?
Brooks pulled the chain out of the handle and took a set of keys from his belt loop to unlock the door. She followed him through a set of metal double doors to the central part of the warehouse. Her jaw dropped at the sight of rows upon rows of twenty-foot high shelves loaded with every kind of medical implement imaginable.
Brooks picked up an empty bin and held it out to her. “Get your list and stay on task. Let’s finish this so we can be back before it gets too late. I don’t like traveling these roads in the dark.”
Riley took out her two lists. One was for the infirmary, and the other was to stock the truck for their escape. She felt a pang of guilt, knowing the infirmary would have to go without until Branson sent someone for Brooks and to get more supplies. She planned to be long gone by then.
She studied the warehouse map to get her bearings before telling Brooks which supplies she wanted him to collect. She kept him in sight while she ran through scenarios of the best way to incapacitate him. He had a handgun holstered at his hip, but she wanted to reserve that as a last resort.
After working for an hour, she told Brooks she needed the bathroom and picked up her pack on the way to the staff restroom. She locked the stall and took out the syringe and vial of Midazolam she’d lifted from the infirmary that morning. She filled the syringe with a big enough dose to give Brooks a blissful nap that he wouldn’t remember and recapped the needle before stashing the syringe in her front pocket. She’d worried about getting close enough to him to administer the drug, but he’d relaxed with her and hopefully wouldn’t notice when she moved in for the attack.
Brooks had their lunch laid out on an empty sorting table when she returned. He talked comfortably while they ate, and she considered reaching under the table and stabbing the needle into his thigh but was afraid he’d choke on his food. She’d have to act soon to make it back to camp in time for the rendezvous, so she psyched herself up to inject him when lunch was over.
When Brooks shoved the last bite of sandwich in his mouth and stood to repack the lunch containers, Riley picked up a plastic container with leftover pear slices and popped the lid on it. “I’ll do this while you work on the second page of the list. We still have a lot to get.”
As he turned to head back to work, she whipped out the syringe and sank the needle into his neck just above the clavicle.
“What the hell?” he said and took a swing, but the medication was kicking in, and he missed her by two feet.
Riley reached out to catch him as he started to go down, but he weighed more than she’d estimated and slipped through her hands. The crown of his skull struck the sharp edge of the table on the way down. Blood immediately pooled into a gruesome halo around his head.
Riley stared at him and debated what to do. The logical thing would be to turn and run to the truck, leaving Brooks to bleed to death, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even though he was her captor, he was a decent guy. She wasn’t Branson and couldn’t let herself descend to that psycho’s level, no matter the circumstances.
She rolled Brooks on his side to examine the wound. The cut was substantial and would need extensive suturing. A quick glance at her watch told her she needed to hurry. She pressed gauze to the laceration before gathering the required tools to stitch him. She worked at a record pace to close his wound, then propped him against a support column so he wouldn’t aspirate if he vomited. She checked his vitals and covered him with sterile blankets before laying food and water within his reach.
“Thank goodness you won’t remember this when you wake up,” she said, as she fished in his pocket for the keys.
She left the outer door unlocked and was on her way with a full stock of medical supplies ten minutes later. If she broke her thirty-mile-per-hour rule and sped back, she’d make it to the compound in time to meet Coop. Her plan had worked, and they’d soon be free.
Julia was getting worried. She’d had dinner more than three hours earlier, but her mom still wasn’t back. She glanced at Claire snoring in the chair and sighed as she reached for the stack of books Dashay had left for her. She was contemplating knocking the books on the floor to wake Claire when Coop came in and held out his hand for a fist-bump.
She crossed her arms and slumped against the bed. “Where’s Mom? Shouldn’t she be here by now?”
“She won’t be back until after eleven. It’s only nine, and you know how these things go.”
“I do and that’s why I’m worried. Did Mom really say she’d be back after eleven?”
He pressed his fingers to her wrist to take her pulse. “Why would I lie?”
“To keep me from worrying.”
“You know that’s not my style. I’m too honest. Your mom says painfully honest.”
That was true. Coop had a way of blurting out whatever came into his head. Julia had the same problem sometimes, and her mom was always telling her to think before she spoke.
“No need to worry. Your mom’s in an armored truck with Brooks. She’ll be fine.”
“Brooks? Isn’t he one of the guys who kidnapped us?”
“Yes, but he also stopped Jepson from killing you. He’s not a bad guy.”
Claire snorted herself awake and looked around in confusion.
Coop gave her a half-grin. “Nice job keeping an eye on Julia.”
Claire jumped up and smoothed her disheveled hair. “Sorry, Dr. Cooper. I’ve been here since morning and I’m not as young as these other nurses.”
“Relax, Claire, I’m not going to fire you. In fact, I need your help.” He reached through the makeshift door and picked up a pair of crutches. Holding them u
p to Julia, he said, “I have something to take your mind off your mom. It’s your ‘get out of bed free’ day.”
Julia shifted away from Coop to the far side of the bed. “You want me to stand up? I’m not ready. Does Mom know?”
He rested the crutches against the bed and crossed his arms. “Her idea. You need to get up to prevent blood clots and pneumonia, and we don’t want your muscles to atrophy. Goodness knows you’re going to need them the way things are nowadays. If you’d been your mom’s patient at home, she’d have had you up the morning after surgery. But don’t worry, I’m not going to make you walk a marathon. We’re just going to get you standing and see how you do.” He took a filled syringe from the tray and uncapped it. “You need this first.”
Julia frowned. “More drugs? I don’t like those. They make my stomach hurt and I get all goofy and sleepy.”
Coop winked at Claire. “She’s the only patient on the continent refusing pain meds. You’ll want this, Julia, trust me.”
She pushed up her sleeve and held her arm. “Like I have a choice.”
Coop brushed her arm with alcohol and gave her the injection.
She jerked her arm back and unrolled her sleeve. “That burns.”
“Give it second. Then, you won’t care about anything.”
Coop was right. Once the meds circulated into her system, everything was hilarious, and she couldn’t stop giggling. Coop nodded at Claire, and they turned Julia so her legs were sticking over the edge of the bed. He handed her the crutches and gave her quick instructions on how to use them.
Julia held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. I broke my ankle when I was eleven. I’m a pro.”
“Perfect. Put your good foot flat on the floor, but don’t put any weight on your bad leg. We’ll help you push yourself off the bed. Go slowly. Your body needs to adjust to you being upright.”
Julia ignored him, grabbed the crutches, and lifted herself to a standing position before they could stop her. She beamed at Coop until burning pain like a knife twisting hit in her thigh, and the room started to spin. Coop and Claire put their hands on her arms and shoulders to steady her.
Claire shook her head. “He told you to take your time. Why do kids always think they know everything?”
Julia didn’t feel like giggling anymore. “I’m going to barf.”
Coop lowered her to the bed while Claire grabbed the trash can. Julia leaned over it and deposited her dinner. They got her settled back under the covers after the heaving stopped.
Coop handed her a pill. “Put this under your tongue and let it dissolve.”
Julia stared at the small white tablet. “What is it?”
“For nausea. Claire, go back to your tent and stay there ‘til morning. You need rest. I’ll keep an eye on WP. I grabbed a nap earlier.”
Julia watched Claire practically run out of the room before turning to Coop. “Sorry. That medicine made me feel like I could do anything. Guess not.”
Coop grinned at her. “Do you know how to play chess?”
He had a dizzying way of flitting between topics. She scrunched her eyebrows and said, “What?”
He took out a travel chess set and laid it on the bed. “Have you played chess?” She shook her head. “Then, it’s time you learned. Playing chess hones your brain and teaches logic. You’ll care about that when you get old like me.”
She shrugged and watched him set up the game. Her brain was still fuzzy, and her gut was doing summersaults, but at least playing a game would distract her. She tried to focus as Coop rattled off the rules, but his face started to fade and finally went dark.
A voice called Julia’s name from far away and ordered her to open her eyes. She willed her eyelids to lift, but they wouldn’t budge.
“Julia, wake up right now,” the voice said, louder this time.
She took a breath and focused all her energy on raising her eyelids. When her vision cleared, she saw a man was leaning over her.
“Daddy,” she muttered groggily.
“No, sorry, it’s only Coop.”
Who’s Coop, she thought, still trying to clear her brain. Stupid pain meds. “Stop that, Coop, whoever you are. Let me sleep.”
Coop chuckled and patted an ice-cold hand on her cheek. “I know you’re confused, but you need to fight to wake up now. You can sleep soon.”
Julia rubbed her face, then opened her eyes wide, but everything was pitch dark, and she thought she’d gone blind. Seconds later, a cold rush of air hit her in the face. She tried to get off the gurney, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Why am I outside and who are you? I want my mom.”
She yelped when she felt a searing cold sensation in the center of her back. Her breath caught, but her head cleared, and memories of her bum leg and Coop flooded over her. None of that explained why he’d had dragged her into the forest.
Coop leaned closer to her, and said, “Awake now?”
She pushed him away and frowned. “Yes. Why are you torturing me in the woods?”
“I drugged you to get you out of the infirmary. We’re making a break for it. Your mom will be here soon with a truck to take us to freedom.”
“Escaping? But I need to be in the hospital and I like it in this camp. There’s food and it’s so warm.”
Coop unstrapped the bands binding her legs and chest, then raised the head of the gurney until she was in a sitting position. “There are dangerous people here who want to hurt us. We have to go. We’ll explain everything in the morning.” He pointed to a fence ten feet away. “See that hole? I need to carry you through that. Put your arms around my shoulders and hold on tight.”
She did as he said, grunting at the pain when he slid his hands under her to lift her off the gurney.
“We have to work together to keep your leg immobile, but it’s going to be tough moving over the uneven ground. Breathe through the pain and try not to tense your muscles.”
She closed her eyes and focused on her breath. It helped but didn’t block out the stabbing heat in her thigh.
To take her mind off it, she said, “Is Mom waiting for us? Have you seen her?”
“She’d better be there or we’re going to freeze to death.”
“We could die?”
He slowed his pace and propped himself against a tree. “Don’t worry. We’ll have at least five minutes before that happens.” She stared at him in shock until he said, “Only kidding. We’ll have ten minutes, at least.”
She rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. “You said you never lie.”
“That was a joke, not a lie. I need to take a break. I’m going to sit you on that big ass log over there.” Julia gritted her teeth while he lowered her onto the broad trunk of a fallen tree. Coop straightened but held onto her ankle to keep her leg level. “You’re heavier than you look.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
“Hush,” Coop whispered. “Did you hear that?”
Julia listened and heard the faint sound of footsteps crunching on the snow.
They leaned their heads together, and Coop whispered, “That could be your mom or one of Branson’s men. We need to hide.”
“How am I going to hide?” she asked in a harsh whisper.
“I have a dark blanket in my pack. I’ll throw it over you. Scoot forward while I lower your leg. Rest your heel on that rock.”
Julia stifled a whimper, but once her leg was still, the pain faded.
Coop put his lips to her ear. “I’ll be in the underbrush right behind you. Breathe quietly and don’t move.”
She heard him scuffle into the bushes and did her best not to move, but she was freezing and terrified. Her whole body started to shake. She prayed whoever was coming wouldn’t notice.
After what felt like hours, she heard a woman’s voice whisper, “Coop.” It was too muffled with the blanket covering her ears to tell if it was her mom. “Coop, Angie. It’s Riley.”
Julia threw the blanket off and said, “Mo
m, over here.”
“No, Julia,” Coop said in a harsh whisper.
“Julia!” Riley cried. She ran to her and pulled her close. “I was so afraid I wouldn’t find you. How are you? How’s the leg?”
Coop jumped out of his hiding place and threw his arms around both of them. “Thank God it’s you, Riley. Julia, you should’ve waited until we could see her. It could have been someone impersonating her.”
Julia freed herself from her mom’s grasp. “Don’t you think I know my own mom’s voice? I’m glad to see you too, Mom. I was so scared. My leg’s killing me, but it’s fine. Coop’s being careful.”
Coop straightened but kept his arms around Riley’s waist. “You’re early,” he said.
“No, you’re late. I got lost and was afraid I’d miss you.” She turned her head and searched the area. “Where’s Angie?”
Coop rubbed his chin. “Didn’t show. I waited as long as I could. She must have lost her nerve.”
Riley shook her head. “She was dead set on getting out of here.”
“Maybe she’ll catch up with us at the truck. We better get moving. Branson’s men were getting antsy. They came to Julia’s room and grilled me over why you weren’t back yet. I put on a good show, but I’m not sure they bought it.”
“Men came to my room?”
Riley and Coop carefully lifted Julia off the tree stump. She was so cold and happy to see her mom that she didn’t notice the pain in her leg. She put her arms around their shoulders and dug her fingers into their coats. She wasn’t going to let them drop her, no matter what it took.
Between breaths, Riley said, “I think the truck is only a half-mile from here. I’m not sure because of all the wandering while I was lost.”
“Good to hear,” Coop said between puffs. “Although this is much easier with two of us.”
“Mom, Coop called me fat.”
Coop raised his head and eyed her as he walked. “That is so not what I said. I said she’s heavier than she looks. That means you don’t look heavy.”
Riley chuckled. “Don’t bother, Coop. For future reference, avoid the word heavy around teenage girls. Or any woman for that matter.”
