An Uncivilized Romance

by Elliee Atkinson

  “I have to make it through this,” Sarah grumbled, angrily. “I have to take my house and my land back and get rid of that man. I won’t allow him to do this to me. I won’t die out here.”

  She ripped the rest of her skirt off from the waist down and leaving the seam just under her breasts to keep the upper “shirt” half of the dress intact. She ripped through the fabric and tied the two pieces separately on each of her feet, putting the longer piece around her left leg so that that she could more easily drag it without pain. She couldn’t bend the knee so she swung the leg out and around when she wanted to go forward or just let it drag behind her.

  Slowly, she made her way to the first area where it was leveled off somewhat. The entire way up, she had used the surrounding trees and sometimes a large rock to pull herself up some. It was much easier than trying to go straight up. She rested once she got to the level spot. Trees surrounded it, almost like a small oasis. There was a spacing that made it seem like a door let into a small private cave made of trees. It was almost a perfect circle of trees. She smiled and sat down on the dirt. There was no grass because the sun never hit that particular spot. It couldn’t because the trees shaded it.

  “This is the place to be should it rain,” she mumbled. “I wouldn’t get wet at all.”

  She was thrown back into a memory of being out with her father hunting deer or squirrel when she was very small. He had a deer hunting rifle for himself and a smaller version for her. He told her that she wouldn’t be able to kill a deer with that rifle because the bullets weren’t big enough and wouldn’t penetrate the tough hide of a deer. However, it would kill a squirrel and if she got one, they would have a fine feast, an even bigger feast if she shot two squirrels.

  She’d been apprehensive at first, not sure how she felt about killing a living creature but she knew the taste of the meat was something she loved, so she was willing to sacrifice her queasiness in order to eat well.

  “You can’t just live on fish, my dear,” she could hear her father saying. “And those are alive, too. You don’t mind fishing with me. This shouldn’t be any different.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t eat anything that lives, Papa,” she’d said, as innocent as a raindrop. “Doesn’t everything deserve to live?”

  Her papa was seated next to her and they were whispering quietly, though no deer were around at the time to disturb. He leaned close to the little girl and responded in a very soft voice, “Everything deserves to live, dear. But not forever. Even humans don’t live forever. Everything has a time to go and when we kill a deer to feed our family, that deer served its purpose on this earth. It was not going to do anything productive other than feed people. It might as well feed our family.”

  That made perfect sense to Sarah and she’d never forgotten it. “We could just eat plants and stuff from the garden.”

  “Those things are alive, too,” her father countered.

  Ten-year-old Sarah had giggled. “No they aren’t, Papa. They don’t have legs and arms and mouths to breathe through.”

  “That’s true,” her father nodded. “But it is a proven scientific fact that we derive the oxygen we breathe from the trees around us and that anything that grows is alive. The plants grow. The seedlings turn into large carrots and peas and beans just like babies turn into adults and kittens turn into cats. Am I not right?”

  His words made Sarah’s eyes widen with realization. “Oh, Papa! I never thought about it like that.”

  Her father nodded. “Yes, we must realize that everything on this earth has its purpose. Even though man still walks about in life trying to figure out what his purpose is, everything is here for a reason. That is why we come out and hunt for food. Because we must survive. All creatures hunt for food; it’s just that some don’t particularly eat other animals. They eat plants. We eat meat.”

  “That’s why we hunt,” Sarah had nodded, fully understanding her father’s reasoning. He looked proud of her. She would always remember the look on his face.

  Thinking about it now, so many years later after her father had passed away, she felt a warm sensation in her heart that rivaled the pain in her body. It gave her some motivation and she stood up to move to the next level of the hill she could reach. She peered out from the circle of trees and searched for the next best place to rest. There were two. One was not far from where she was but it didn’t go up the hill very much. The second one was further up the hill and slightly farther away than the first.

  Logic told her to go to the first one and then try to make it to the second. Determination told her to head toward the second one.

  She didn’t want to fall and injure herself further. She moved slowly away from the circle of trees. “You can do this, Sarah,” she murmured. “You can do this, just keep trying, and think of the baby.”

  As she moved, ever so slowly, ignoring the pain slipping through her and the fatigue threatening to take her over, she decided to think of baby names. She tried to speak out loud. The sound of her own voice was reassuring to her.

  “If it’s a boy…” she said breathlessly. “I could name him… Jeremiah… or Peter… or… or…”

  Sarah was so tired. If she made it to the next level area, she was going to have to rest longer than a few minutes. She pushed on, gripping the walking stick with all her might. Sweat was pouring over her forehead and into her eyes. She reached up and swiped it away, ignoring the stinging sensation that burned her eyes.

  She squinted. The area in front of her was swaying back and forth. She tilted her head, trying to figure out why it would be doing that. In a panic-induced sensation of aggression, she hurried to reach it, realizing she was the one who was swaying and she could not afford to fall back down the mountain, even if she hadn’t managed to make up very far yet.

  She stumbled into the cleared path, falling on her face with an “oof!” and crying out when pain zipped up through her left leg. She turned over onto her back and lifted the leg in the air, holding it in between both her hands, crying. The knee had come down on yet another rock. It must have hit directly on the exposed bone, causing every nerve in Sarah’s body to burst in chilling agony.

  She laid there for a time, crying in pain, cursing Jason, and begging God for mercy and help.

  “Why, Father God?” She cried out. “What have I done to deserve this pain, this horrible agonizing pain, oh, Father God, why?”

  She wasn’t going to get an answer, not directly from heaven. That she knew but she looked up into the sky anyway, her eyes pleading, her tears flowing.

  Eventually, the pain ebbed away and settled on a constant throb all through her body. She didn’t want to try to make it up to the road. She didn’t want to go back down to the stream. She didn’t want to move at all. She wanted to lay there until the animals came and got her. She didn’t ever want to see anyone or do anything ever again.

  The pain overwhelmed her to the point that she was moving in and out of consciousness. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, it was dark. She panicked for only a moment before the fatigue and pain made her lose consciousness again. When she next opened her eyes, it was light again and she could hear the locusts, the birds, the frogs, the water streaming below, and small sounds from little critters running through the woods. The sun was above her, beside her, and then the moon came out again. On the third day, she woke up, her body weakened from malnutrition, blood loss, and exposure. Her left leg was burning worse than it ever had been and she knew it was infected. She would not be able to move again. She would die there.

  She had given up on her baby and on being rescued.

  She attempted to turn over because a rock was pressing into one of the muscles in her lower back but her right arm prevented her from turning that way and her left knee wouldn’t let her turn the other way. She settled with scooting her body over, trying to find a flat spot where no rocks or twigs were sticking into her. If she was going to die, at least she could die on flat ground. She pictured her body rotting into th
e dirt, becoming nothing but dust that blew away in the wind. Though there was no wind. She was surrounded by trees. She was on the side of a mountain. She would likely be eaten by woodland creatures down to the very bone and then the bones would stay where they were until the earth reclaimed them. There was no sun to bleach them, nor to burn her eyes as she waited for her death to come.

  She continued to move in and out of consciousness until a sound in the distance snapped her back to reality. The sound of footsteps through the woods. Something two legged. Deer sounded different. Anything that walked on four legs sounded different. Big cats were nearly impossible to hear as the pads on their paws gave them a silencing effect. This was the sound of a person.

  Her heartbeat sped up and she wondered if she might be able to bring herself to sit up or call out. What if it was Jason? Had he come back to check on her? To make sure she was dead?

  Tears streaked down over her cheeks from her closed eyes. She dared not open them. If she saw Jason and he saw that she was still alive, he might brutalize her until she really was dead. She couldn’t take any more pain. She just wanted to slip away. Jason wouldn’t let her do that.

  The sounds of footsteps came closer. She kept her eyes closed.

  She heard the steps very close and then they stopped. Several more slow steps closer to her. Then they stopped again.

  “Good God in Heaven.” She heard a man’s voice. It wasn’t Jason. Her eyes flew open. She lifted her head and saw a man standing a few feet away from her.

  “Please,” she breathed out weakly. “Please help me.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  MIKE TO THE RESCUE

  MIKE TO THE RESCUE

  Mike knew something strange was in the air as soon as he got to the stream. Something was different about it. It looked like it had been disturbed. He looked out over the water and enjoyed the rippling sun reflected off the surface of the water. This was one of the most peaceful places he had ever found. He enjoyed it here more than anywhere else on his land. It was probably the government’s land, he surmised. However, in his mind, it was his and it always would be. No one ever came up to Windy Gap Mountain. Not for any reasons that he could fathom. He’d never had visitors or trespassers. It was peaceful, it was quiet, and it was sometimes lonely. It was what he wanted, though.

  He turned to look at the pile of sticks he had gathered the last time he’d been down this way. He’d intended on making a fire but had tired out too soon, so he left the sticks for another day. Today seemed like a fine day for it. He went to the sticks but they were scattered all over, as if they had been gone through by someone else. He stared at them in confusion, trying to figure out what kind of animal would do this. It looked almost deliberate, as if some sticks were chosen while others were set aside to be used later or not at all.

  “Ain’t no animal gonna do this,” he muttered under his breath. He scanned the land around him, looking up at the tree circle and beyond. There was no wagon or sign of life up at the top of the ravine where the road was.

  Everything around the place looked different to him. It had definitely been disturbed. He had seen the same land for years now and something had changed.

  He took a few steps up the side and spotted something strange above him lying on the ground to his right. He peered closer. It looked like a body.

  He frowned in confusion. He took a few more steps up, digging his boots in so that he would not slip down. It was a body. It was a woman.

  He moved faster now, climbing up to where she was easily, stepping on the large rocks and tree branches to reach her.

  “Good God in Heaven,” he murmured. He was about to reach out to her when she lifted her head and looked at him. He froze in place. It wasn’t a body. She was alive.

  “Please,” she said in the softest, weakest voice he had ever heard. “Please help me.”

  He was by her side in moments, leaning over her, scanning her body.

  “What has happened to you, miss?” He used a gentle voice, thinking of his beloved Rachel, how frightened she would have been if this had been her situation. “What has happened here?”

  He looked over her, noticing the blood in her auburn hair where a split in her skull had come open. Blood was streaked down her face, mixing in with the dirt and sweat. Her lip was busted open and swollen, with blood caked around the lower part and covering her chin.

  Her right arm was twisted awkwardly and was also swollen near the elbow. She had fashioned herself a splint for her left leg, explaining the disturbed pile of sticks he had left beside the stream. She was wearing only her bloomers from her waist down. He immediately thought how smart she was to tear apart her skirt and use it to bandage her wounds and make the splint with two pieces of wood. Another long stick lay on the ground beside her. It was nearly as tall as she was and very thick. She must have been using it to lean on as she tried to make it back up to the road.

  “How did you fall, miss? How did you end up down here?”

  Sarah didn’t respond. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt thick. She shook her head, looking at him with pleading eyes. “I need water.” She said as loudly as she could, which was barely audible.

  Mike nodded. “You need a lot more than just water, my dear. I’ll help you. Can you move?”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said.

  Mike was afraid to touch her for a moment. He didn’t want to do more damage. He thought about how he would get her back to his cabin, which was much closer than Wickenburg or any other town at the bottom of Windy Gap Mountain.

  Deciding that he had to move her, even if it hurt her, he got down on his knees and pushed one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees.

  “Try to keep your leg straight. Your splint is a good idea but it isn’t going to keep your leg from bending without some effort from you.”

  She nodded.

  “How long have you been here, dear?”

  She shook her head. “At least a couple days,” she whispered.

  “I’m going to take you back to my cabin. It’s closer than town. I have everything you need to clean up and I’ll bandage these wounds for you. You will have to trust me. Can you do that?”

  Sarah looked at the scruffy mountain man, his large arms feeling warm and secure under her, his eyes behind the thick eyebrows and long eyelashes looked kind and sincere. She nodded.

  “Good. Hold on to me if you can. I’m going to pick you up and it’s probably going to hurt a lot.”

  “I am already in pain,” she breathed. “You can’t do more damage.”

  “I could, but I’m going to try not to. All right. I’m ready to pick you up. Hold your breath and get ready.”

  Sarah nodded, closing her eyes, and mentally preparing herself for the pain that would seize her body as soon as she was moved. She felt herself being lifted from the ground easily. The agony in her body heated up, centralized around her broken knee. She tried to keep it straight but it hurt so much, she wasn’t able to for long. It bent and she shrieked.

  “It’s all right. You can do it. Let it rest where it is. Don’t try to move it. Woman, you are small and light. You are no burden to me.” He said reassuringly. She had never liked it when Jason called her “woman”. He’d always said it in a condescending tone. When it came from this man, she felt a warm comfort slide through her. She buried her face in his large chest and let her tears soak his shirt. He spoke soft words of comfort as he carried her, taking large steps. He knew where he was going, that was apparent. She had never felt so much pain and so much security all at the same time.

  “My name is Mike. I’ve got a cabin near here that I’ve lived at for years. I have relatives down in Wickenburg but I never see them. I don’t know if I’d want them to see me like this after all the time it’s been. I hunt for my meat. I’ve got a garden with vegetables and several fruit trees. I make my own cider. I think you will like some of that. I’ve got some trunks with clothes you can change into. They belonged
to my wife. She died several years ago and I’ve been living up here by myself ever since. Never saw no need to be around anybody in town. Don’t like the city, don’t like the noise. I like to be up here where I’m alone and comfortable.” She realized he was talking so much to distract her from her pain and couldn’t help smiling, though her face was hidden in his chest. “I won’t mind havin’ you around though, dear. I’ll help you get better and then take you down to Wickenburg. That where you’re from?”

  She nodded but couldn’t find the strength to tell him she didn’t want to go back to Wickenburg. Jason would be there, living in her home, probably having laid claim to it and all the property. There was no telling what he had said to her friends or told the people of Wickenburg. Surely someone had inquired about her? She wondered what Alice and Adam would do, knowing that Jason had taken off with her and returned without her. Would they come searching for her?

  They wouldn’t get any information about where she went from Jason. That would make a search nearly useless.

  “Well, I’ll take you back there when you’re ready. First, we gotta take care of this leg. Looks like its infected. That’s not good. You know, they used to cut people’s legs off when they got lookin’ like that.”

  Sarah stiffened, thinking about how horrible it would be to have her leg cut off. He shushed her saying, “Aw, now, we ain’t gonna do that to you, dear. My wife was an herbalist and she made this weird stuff, like an ointment that will take the infection right away, long as it hasn’t gotten too bad yet. We’ll use that. You’ll be right as rain in no time and you’ll be heading back to your home. I’m curious to know how you got out here. I can wait until you’ve got some soup in your stomach and a warm bed to lay in first. How does that sound?”