Dead Paper Birds

by Megan McKinney

  He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. I didn’t argue or fight. I grit my teeth hard enough that they made a grinding noise in my head. I allowed him to lead me out into the hallway. The other blonde grabbed my other forearm. He gripped it so hard I could already feel the bruises forming. I had the strongest urge to just rip my arm out of his grasp and throat punch him. But I eyed the other three men. The dirty blonde guy was watching me with squinted eyes, as if he knew what I was thinking. My chances of that idea succeeding were somewhere near zero. I forced myself to just calmly follow them. The dark-haired man led us out through the door and down the hallway while the dirty blonde man brought up the rear. We marched down the hallway, through several turns and past door after door. Each door had a square cut out of them for windows but all the glass had been broken out of them. The odd thing was this place looked clean, there was no dirt or trash. Not even any graffiti, at least not that I could see. Dark hair guy marched us through a set of double doors that led us into the fresh air of outside.

  Instead of feeling better about being outside my anxiety only increased. The sky above us was dark with grey clouds. The wind hit me and pulled all my loose clothing taunt behind me. It hit me hard enough that it made me gasp. The men faltered for a moment before pulling me with them. The wind went right through my clothing and chilled me to the bone. They marched me around the buildings and everything was strangely quiet except for the wind. Everything was grey. We were the only things that were out moving against the wind. Nothing else was out there. There was no one to stand around and watch, it was empty and for some reason it just made my nerves stand on end. I need to get out. Panic bubbled up inside me, straining in my chest tightening it and making me want to run. I dug my feet into the ground and tried to pull my arms out of their hands. I struggled using everything I could think of. They grabbed me with both of their hand and kept dragging me along.

  Something cold wrapped itself around my neck. I froze. “Keep struggling. I won’t hesitate to bleed you dry.”

  I nodded. My mouth was devoid of all moisture. He then pushed me to keep moving.

  That planned failed. I hung my head, staring at the ground. Where was the rest of the people? Were they waiting like sick perverts somewhere? What were they planning? I gulped and tried to pull my fear back in reign. If I let it go it would only get worse. I calmly walked with them, sweat building up on my palms. As we walked, we passed other buildings that used to host other businesses. These buildings had been cleaned up and maintained far better than the other buildings that I had seen. The ones with broken windows had neat boards covering them up. The trash was kept to minimum and there was not buildup of leave and plant debris like there was everywhere else. The buildings were all single-story buildings that generally had more than one business present in each building much like a shopping center. There was even a small cinema that we passed. Through the windows I could see small faces presses against the glass. We passed by them all. At the end of the block I could see a fence. It was easily a six-footer with razor wire wrapped along the top of it. We headed steadily towards the fence. I didn’t say anything to my captors. I didn’t want to show them any fear that I had. Even though inside I was screaming.

  At the fence we turned to follow it. We followed the fence till we came to a large warehouse. The warehouse itself was giant. It looked big enough to house several private airplanes. I balked at the sight. No. Not in there. They grabbed my arms and dragged me. We stopped in front of the door where there was a large group of people, predominately made up of men. From what I could see to be younger than mid-thirties was unusual. I couldn’t see if Rick, Dean and Richard was here or not. Vince was standing right in the middle of the door. He sauntered up to us, grinning from ear to ear. Even Vince I’m guessing was somewhere in his forties. Dark eyes to go with his dark complexion. He stood only a little taller than myself but he had power and knew how to use it. Everyone looked at him with respect. He didn’t even have to give orders for people to do what he wanted. I pulled myself upright to stand at my full height.

  He jerked his head and my four guards left to join the group of people waiting for me. Not giving me a chance to run Vince grabbed my arm and intertwined his arm with mine. Lacing his fingers through mine. His hands were warm against my clammy ones. He didn’t comment on that. Amiably, he led us down to the door that everyone had congregated around. In an undertone he stated. “I never was given your name.”

  After a brief silence. I responded. “And you’re not going to get it.”

  He chuckled. We stopped at the door. “If you had been more polite, I might have given you a coat to combat the cold. Then again I doubt that you’ll have too much time to get cold.”

  At the mention of the cold the wind picked up again and I shivered violently. His arm was warm and even as grotesque as he was, I couldn’t help the thoughts of asking or even demanding a jacket. He nodded his head at two men who were standing to the side of the door. At his nod they started pulling on a chain. With a groan the door started to lift off of the ground. They opened the door halfway before Vince gave them the order to stop. He jerked his arm out of mine before he gave me an unfriendly push towards the warehouse.

  “Now all you have to do is run.”

  I looked back at him. “What?” Run where? What was going on?

  “Run little girl. Run fast because whoever catches you gets you for their prize. Now run!”

  Fear. Real fear blossomed. I hesitated only a moment before sprinting away. I ducked under the raised door and wasted little time in running across the warehouse. It was completely empty. My footsteps echoed all around me. It took only seconds to cross it but it felt like minutes. I reached a normal sized door on the other side I grasped onto the handle and I looked one last time behind me. They were still grouped around the door watching me. Resisting the urge to give them the finger I slipped through the door. I pushed the door shut behind me. Since the door opened towards me, I could block it. I looked around me for anything I could use to block it. It was then that I noticed my surroundings. It looked like I was in a junk yard with how much garbage was thrown back here. There was even a car that I could see just from entering. There were multiple pathways through the rubble that I could follow. Some of the piles were as tall as the building that I had just left. Under my feet it was loose gravel with glass mixed in. I grimaced. Don’t fall on that. My eyes scanned my surroundings and I almost scanned right over the few people that were in there with me. I gasped and stepped back.

  They were all in bad shape. Most of them sported cuts and bruises. The three men that were in there were all carrying weapons that they had found from in here. One of the women was cowering behind them while the other was holding her side, as if in pain.

  I didn’t have time for this. I grabbed the closest object, a broken chair and shoved it in front of the door. I ran back to the pile and dragged a toilet out of the pile. The woman who had been holding her side grabbed the other end of it and helped me carry it and deposit it in front of the door. Between the two of us we were able to build a small barrier that would slow them down. I turned around to ask the others to jump in and help but they had disappeared down one of the pathways. I groaned internally. Thanks guys. Your help could have saved our lives. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped and turned away from them. It was the woman. She stared at me intently, I stared back matching her intensity.

  There was a thud on the door, followed by another. We both jumped back. The door started to open but it could only open an inch or so before the barrier that we had built stopped it. The woman jerked her head for me to go. I shook my head and grabbed her arm so she would come with me. She ripped her arm out of my hand and picked up a steel pipe from the ground. She held it like it was a baseball bat. Pointed at me then at a path. Behind her the door started to open further. What was I supposed to do? I can’t make her come with me but I don’t want to stay here. She pushed me away from her and turned back to the door. Rea
dy for them to come spilling out. I wanted to scream but instead I turned and ran. I picked the path that was to my left and ran down it.

  I didn’t know how much time I would have before they would get through the door and overcome her. I ran down along the path having to dodge objects that stuck out of the walls of junk and objects that had fallen down into the path. A piece of wood was sticking out of the wall and it caught my arm. I barely felt the sting of it. All I knew was that I had to keep moving. If I stopped, they would catch me. Everything you could possibly think of was piled in here, bathtubs, garbage including rotting remnants of food, shower curtains and everything else in-between. The path twisted and turned back on itself to the point that it felt like I was going nowhere. It absorbed other paths periodically. If I stayed on this one, I wasn’t sure of where I was going but it was better to keep moving than to stay still right? Even if it meant I was going in circles. Right?

  I came to a stop. The woman back there gave me a chance. I can’t waste it. First of all, I need to figure out where I am. To keep running in circles and I would get killed for sure. If and that was a big if, if that was what they had on their minds. I shuddered and it wasn’t from the cold. There was a SUV that was half in and half out of the pile in front of me. I used the window frames, where the glass used to be to climb up on it. I pulled myself onto the roof where I slowly stood up. It wasn’t much but it gave me enough to give me some sense of direction. I hadn’t just been going in circles I’d been slowly making my way away from the warehouse. And by slow, I mean slow, the path was like a snake, all twists and turns. I could see the door from here. It was wide open and no one was in sight. My heart was thumping a million miles a minute in my chest. Anyone could come around the corner at any moment.

  I jumped off of the car and stumbled. In trying to correct my momentum I ran into a piece of fence that ran itself across my face leaving lines of fire behind. I pushed myself off of the ground where I had bounced onto. I stood and forced myself to a sprint. My face burned and it felt like fire was being drawn in lines across my face. Starting at the bridge of my nose to right underneath my left eye. I was lucky that it had missed my eye entirely.

  The path curved on itself a few more times. So far, the only advantages I had were the head start, the path was never straight enough to give them sight of me for long and the piles of trash hid me from view. As I ran another path joined mine but didn’t branch off this time, like a few of them had done before. I ground my teeth together. That must mean that all paths come together at some point. The paths must dead end at some point where there is no way out. I have to get out of here. Out of their playground, out of their control.

  As I came around another corner, I caught a glimpse of the top of the fence. There! There was my escape point. Instead of following the path I turned and started clambering over the piles of trash. As I climbed over it, objects started to shift and move under my feet but I didn’t stop moving. There were a few spots where a foot would break through entirely but I pulled it out quickly enough that I didn’t get sucked in. Behind me I could hear them shouting but ignored it. The only way I was going to stop is if they shot me. They were not going to get me. Not this time. Most of the trash had been here long enough that it was compacted enough that it didn’t sink too much under my weight, not that I weighed a whole lot. I kept my profile as low as I could while climbing. If I could keep from being spotted then that would be the best part of today.

  I reached the top of the hill and I slid down the other side, trying to avoid glass and any other sharp objects. At the bottom I crossed the path and began climbing again. This pile was right next to the fence so at least I wouldn’t have to climb it all the way from the bottom. My feet felt like they flew over the trash. I didn’t slip or fall through anything. I just climbed it. Ignoring my pounding face, I grabbed the fence and started climbing. It was a sturdy chain link fence that hardly rattled as I climbed it. I had to use my toes for most of my leverage. My feet were too big to fit into the links. Gravity threatened to pull me back down but I kept pulling myself up.

  This was the weakest part of the plan, I was in plain sight for everyone to see especially near the top. I pushed myself to move faster. Once I get off the fence I could move faster and find a place to hide and come up with a plan. I was so focused on where to put my hands and feet that I didn’t look at the top of the fence until I reached up to grab it. I gasped in shock and pain. I yanked my hand back. There was razor wire on top of the fence. Crap. I looked around and the whole top of the fence had razor wire wrapped around it. It covered every inch of it. No gaps to sneak through it without being cut up. I looked behind me and I could see some of them pointing at me. There were some that were climbing the trash to get to me. I reached in and grabbed where I could fit my hand without it getting cut up anymore. I pulled myself over the top.

  The wire grabbed my clothes, ripping them and my skin but I forced myself through. Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself over the top and over to the other side. In my rush I almost dropped to the ground but I grabbed on, just barely with my fingertips on the fence right below the wiring. I looked down it would have been almost an eight-foot drop. I readjusted my feet and climbed down as quickly as I could, trying to ignore the pain that my body was sending me. I was leaving blood trails all over the fence. I had to get it to stop or they really would have no problems tracking me down. One of them hit the fence startling me, I dropped the last two feet or so. I landed on my feet but I lost my balance and fell onto my butt. I flipped the guy the bird before getting up and running away. Behind me he rattled the fence and screamed. I smirked.

  There were several buildings out this way and I weaved in between them. I couldn’t stop here, it was way too close and I would be found in minutes. These guys knew the ins and outs of each building and the area around them, I had to get far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to find me. I glanced down at my bruised and bleeding body. The last thing it wanted to do was to keep running. I had no choice though. I promise body, if you hold out on me. I’ll find a place where we can sit and rest. Not have to worry about moving for a few hours. You just have to get through this. I grit my teeth and pushed myself to go faster. Something hit the top of my head causing me to look up. Dark clouds were hanging low and rain began to fall. Hopefully this works in my favor and they won’t be able to track me. I sighed. No way I could get that lucky. I was going to get wet and very cold.

  I ran out of the network of buildings and flew into the tree line. There weren’t very many bushes up here that I had to worry about leaving a blood trail on but that meant they didn’t hide me either. The deeper I ran in the trees the more foliage there was on the ground. Thankfully they didn’t go above my thighs were the majority of the bleeding was. The ground gently sloped downwards and I followed it being as careful as I could to avoid slipping in the damp dirt. I was leaving footprints behind me which was just as good as leaving a blood trail. The rain fell heavily on my head. Plastering my hair to my skull and my clothes to my body. I needed to find firmer ground so I wouldn’t leave such an easy trail to follow. Even as I was thinking it the ground leveled out and even more foliage sprouted everywhere. Covering the dirt. Hopefully this is enough to keep them off of me. I grinned to myself. That’s done now throw them off their guard. I took a sharp right and instead of running directly away from them I ran parallel to their camp. But I can just leave. They had at least one of them back there. At least that’s what it seemed like it had been hinted at. I shouldered myself past a tree. Well they’ll have to wait for nightfall at least.

  At this point I knew I could find my way back but with me being hunted I couldn’t just go back there and hide. I slowed down and let my breathing even out. My body was exhausted, I couldn’t keep going at this pace. My body felt numb from fatigue. I just couldn’t keep going. In the short time I’d been out here I was already soaked from the rain. I shivered and my teeth started chattering. There were faint shouts in the distance behind
me. I glanced around me. I was surrounded by trees that still had full foliage on them. Granted they were in varying degrees of reds and oranges with small patches of green left. But it was better than staying on the ground and waiting to be found. I walked up to a tree with a thick base and being very careful to leave no mud or blood on the bark I climbed up as high as I dared. I picked a branch that was thick and offered some concealment from below. I carefully sat on a branch with my back against the main trunk. I’ll just stay here for a little while. I shivered as the rain fell harder on my head. My shirt was in ruins, so were my pants. Wherever my clothes were ripped blood had welled up and discolored it. I ached everywhere. There was so much pain clambering for my attention I tried to not to think about it. It was harder to ignore the rumbling in my stomach and my dry mouth. I sucked the water from my hair to give my mouth something to do.

  I just want to fall asleep and wake up safe and warm in my own bed. I’ll take my sister’s glares over this any day. Lily’s silly bantering about her friends that lived next door. I missed her most of all. I missed her birthday, she would never forgive me for that. I dropped my head into my hands. They probably think I’m dead. I really hope they’re alright. I wish I could have seen them one more time before coming out here. I don’t think I’ll be making it home. I started to cry. I cried only halfheartedly, I didn’t even have enough energy for that. I felt sleep pulling me down. I forced my head up, no sleeping. I would fall out and hit every single damn branch on my way down. And no more thinking about home. I wiped the tears from my eyes.