“Oh my,” Nathan said, reaching down and pulling out an HK Mk 23. It had a suppressor on it with a laser. “What the hell are you doing with this?” Nathan asked the corpse. When he didn’t answer, Nathan laid the pistol down and frisked the body and felt something on his thigh underneath the six-sizes-too-big pants. Grabbing the pants legs, Nathan pulled the pants off. On the leader’s naked thigh was a tactical holster for the Mk 23, attached to his waist with a regular belt.
“You have no concept of tactical. Deception yeah, but not tactical,” Nathan said, undoing the holster and seeing it had two magazines and another dual pouch on the belt. Throwing them down with the gun, he continued frisking the body and found a bag of what looked like crack. Rolling Leader on his back, Nathan looked at the gold necklaces. “Dude, they’re fake,” he said, standing up and kicking the body.
Grabbing the pistol and its supplies, he left the drugs and bodies where they lay. Stepping up to the door, he tapped it. “Amanda, it’s Nathan, can Ares play today?” he called out. He saw her peek out from behind the counter. “Hey, I see you, open the door please,” he told her.
She smiled, limped over to the door and let him in. “You did very well, young lady,” he told her, making her smile bigger as he locked the door. “You hungry?” he asked and she nodded her head. He carried her over to the diner and sat her on the stool and fixed them breakfast.
“It didn’t bother you to kill them?” Amanda asked Nathan as he cooked.
“No, I would rather them be dead than us,” Nathan answered truthfully.
Amanda looked down at her lap. “You don’t feel bad?” she asked.
Turning around, Nathan reached over and lifted her face up. “No I don’t,” he answered.
“You’ve done that before?” Amanda asked, just a little scared.
Nathan hopped up and sat on the counter, looking at Amanda. “Yes I have. I have been in several shootouts as a cop. When I killed my first man I was terrified I would be haunted about it, but an old cop came up to me and told me, ‘Boy, if you feel bad about killing someone who wants to kill you then you don’t need to be livin’ anyway. They made the choice’,” Nathan told her. “So that’s how you look at it.”
“Has Ares killed before?” Amanda asked as Ares stood up, putting his front paws on the counter.
“Not a person but several dogs, a deer, and a skunk that wouldn’t leave his dog bowl alone,” Nathan told her, and Amanda giggled. “Hey, don’t laugh. Ares had to have a bath that lasted a whole day.” Amanda looked at Nathan and smiled.
Nathan took a deep breath. “Amanda, I only fight to protect, not to rule. I hope you understand,” Nathan told her with a serious face.
Amanda thought about it for a few minutes then looked away. “I do,” she said then looked at Nathan. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, little lady,” Nathan said, trying to impersonate John Wayne, but not pulling it off. Amanda didn’t know who John Wayne was, but Nathan sounded funny saying it so she laughed. “Well let me get to cookin’ us some groceries,” Nathan said, sliding off the counter.
When the food was put out, Nathan watched her eat four eggs, nine pieces of bacon, five pancakes and three biscuits till she didn’t ask for more. He undid the bandages on her feet and hands, relieved that they looked better and not worse. Coating her feet and hands with ointment, he rewrapped them then moved up and down her body, putting on ointment and using another two tubes.
Carrying Amanda to the casino room, he sat her on the cot and put socks over the bandages on her feet. Then Nathan grabbed one of the shirts he’d found for her. “It’s a little big but it’ll have to do,” he told her. “Arms up,” he said, putting the shirt on her over the towel. Grabbing a pair of undies, he handed them to her and watched her try to use her wrapped up fingers and hands. Taking the undies, Nathan held them open and she stepped in them as he pulled them up.
She took off the towel since the shirt came to her thighs. He grabbed the shorts and put them on her. Next, Nathan grabbed the boots and put them on her, not wanting her to get dirt on her bandaged feet after all the work he’d done. Telling her to follow him, he led her to the store and grabbed a hairbrush and comb set, a toothbrush and toothpaste then led her to the shower room and he brushed their teeth. Then Amanda laughed as Nathan held down Ares and brushed his.
When they were done, she followed him to the diner. He sat her up on a stool and started brushing out her hair. Halfway through, he knew he should’ve wet her hair first. “Amanda, I need to ask you some questions, okay. They are going to make you remember stuff you don’t want to, but I have to know the answers please. I need to know if someone is looking for you,” he told her gently.
“No sir, nobody’s looking for me,” she said.
He spun her around on the stool to face him. “Are you my friend, because I’m yours,” he told her and she nodded. “Then don’t call me sir. It makes me feel really old,” he said and she grinned.
“Okay Nathan,” she told him.
“What happened to your mom and dad?” he asked.
“They died,” she told him in a low voice.
“Do you remember the day the power went off?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said softly.
“I want you to tell me what happened from then to now. Can you do that?” he asked.
“I don’t remember some,” she admitted.
“Tell me what you do,” he said and started to brush her hair again.
“I was at school in math when the lights went out. The teacher kept going until we heard a loud screeching noise; then a loud boom made the ground shake and blew the windows in on us. The water started shooting out of the ceiling and the fire alarm went off. That’s when I saw outside was nothing but fire. I moved with my class into the hall and heard another boom that shook the ground. Then the hallway in front of us just came down on top of a bunch of people and there was fire. Everyone turned and ran down the hall but I could see fire through the windows so I ran across the hall to another room. Looking out the window, I didn’t see fire but lots of smoke. I opened the window and crawled out. My brother’s high school was right beside my school so I ran to it.
“I ran around calling for him, hearing lots of screaming. He always told me to meet him at the flag pole so I stayed there. I don’t know how long but it was hurting to breath in all that smoke when I felt someone grab me and take off running. I was fixing to hit them when I saw it was my brother Johnny. He ran with me to my dad’s office which was a long way away. The entire time we were running loud bombs kept going off in those gray metal cans on the telephone poles, throwing fire out.”
“At my dad’s office, we found him and my mom. Fire was everywhere so my Dad said to follow him. His car wouldn’t start so he started walking us home. Some mean men jumped out with guns and told my dad to be quiet. He tried to give them money and they shot him. Johnny ran at them and they shot him. Momma picked me up and they dragged us to a building,” she said, stopping to wipe tears off her face.
“They started being mean to Momma and one was holding me. She bit one really hard somewhere and wouldn’t let go. The man holding me let go and Mama yelled for me to run. I turned and ran, hearing her scream and then shooting. I heard yelling as I reached the door and more shooting,” Amanda stopped and wiped her face and Nathan gave her some water which she gulped down.
“I ran back to my house and went to my best friend Casey’s house. When I got there I saw a big piece of a plane in the middle of my street and all the houses were on fire. I saw the girl next door, Paula, laying in her yard on fire, yelling. Someone grabbed me and started pulling me but I got away and just ran. It was dark when I stopped running so I walked till I came to a playground. It had a water fountain and I drank till my stomach hurt but I wanted more.
“I heard guns shooting so I ran into the woods. I kept falling but I got up and ran. It was day when I quit running and I saw the highway out there and stayed beside it. At one of the pla
ces you get off I saw a picnic table, laid down on it and went to sleep. I don’t know when but a woman came out and I jumped off and was fixing to run away till she said food. She went into the house by the picnic table and I sat down. I hurt so much but Momma said run.
“The lady came out and I jumped off the table and she put down a bottle of water and a sandwich. I don’t even remember eating it or drinking the water. She came over to me but I wanted to run but she said more food so I stayed. She came back with a bag and sat it on the table. She wanted me to come with her but I heard shooting so I grabbed the bag and ran. The sun was going down when I stopped by a bridge and opened the bag to see two sandwiches and a bottle of water. I drank the water when a man came up pushing a shopping cart,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks again.
“He was wearing a green coat and had a white dog in the cart. I walked over to pet the dog and the man hit me in the face really hard. I don’t know how long I was on the ground but when I sat up he was eating my sandwiches. I held out my hand and said please and he hit me again. He told the dog to bite me and when I tried to push it back it bit my hands. He laughed till I kicked the dog. I tried to run but he caught me, picked me up and threw me down and stepped on my back. When he got off I ran. He told his dog to bite me and it did on my feet till I ran into the mud beside the road. I looked behind me and saw the dog was stuck and I had to swim out of the mud.
“When I got out the other side the mean man was holding up my teddy bear necklace my Momma got me, saying thank you. I turned and ran through the woods. I fell down and went to sleep. I woke up and started running but I couldn’t go fast anymore and I kept falling down no matter how hard I tried. I came to a place where you get on and off the highway and saw a school with a whole bunch of people. I went under the bridge and saw trucks leaving here. I ran around the building and hid, watching it. Then you came out,” she told him.
Nathan took the story in and smiled at Amanda. “You want me to braid your hair?” he asked.
“Yeah, like the French kind,” she said with a smile.
“I can do that,” he told her and started French braiding her hair. “Amanda, what did the men that shot your family look like?” he asked.
“Like the ones you shot out front,” she answered.
“You watched?” he asked as he stopped braiding her hair.
“Yes, I wanted to make sure they didn’t hurt you. I was going to tell Ares to get them,” she told him.
He spun her around to look at him. “If something happens to me, you take Ares and leave. To make him listen you say his name then a command. Watch,” he said. “Ares, here,” he told Ares. Ares came over and sat down beside him. “Ares, beg,” he said and Ares did. Nathan petted him and rubbed his belly.
“He knows how to guard a person or place. To guard a building like this, you tell him ‘house’,” he told her. “If you want him mean looking and growling at people, tell him it’s ‘time to work.’ When you want him to guard someone that you don’t want to get away, tell him to ‘watch them.’ If you trust someone, introduce them by calling his name and say ‘friend.’ When you want him to just attack, say ‘get 'em,’ and if you want him to kill, say ‘kill.’ He is trained to kill dogs and people,” Nathan told her. “Remember, the first command is his name then the action,” he added.
“You mean he will do that for anyone he thinks is a friend?” Amanda asked.
“No,” Nathan answered. “Ares only listens to some people. He will listen to Tim and Sherry; they live on my land. There was a girl here yesterday that he listened to, her name was Renee,” he told her. “It’s only someone special he listens to. He knew you were my friend before I did and he really likes you,” Nathan told her.
She looked up at him, smiling. “He’s a good dog, and he’s so fluffy,” Amanda said.
“Where’s the rest of your family?” he asked.
“I have a grandmother that lives in New York but I’ve only seen her once. I have an uncle that lives in Miami that we visited a few years ago,” she told him.
“Anyone else?” he asked.
“No.”
“If I take you to some people I trust, will you stay with them?” he asked.
“Are you staying?” she asked.
Nathan thought about it then said, “No, but if I make Ares stay with you would you?” he asked, feeling his heart break just thinking about leaving Ares.
Amanda looked at Ares then at Nathan. “I don’t want to,” she told him.
“Okay. How about I take you to someone that can get you to your uncle?” he asked.
“He’s mean and stinks. I want to stay with you,” Amanda said firmly.
“Sweetie, I’m going over two thousand miles to get home. You can’t go that far,” he told her.
“Yes I can. You shot the men that got Momma, Daddy, and Johnny,” Amanda said with confidence.
Nathan just pursed his lips up. “They were gang members but we don’t know if they were the same gang. Hell, I don’t even know what gang they’re in,” he told her.
“Then they were their friends,” she told him.
“Okay,” he told her and she smiled. Nathan figured she would change her mind or he would do it for her. “Let me show you your backpack,” he told her, helping her down.
“Want me to braid your hair?” she asked.
“Ah no, I’ll wear a ponytail but no braiding,” he told her, leading her to the casino room. He picked up the pack and handed it to her. When she grabbed it she almost let it fall.
“It’s heavy,” she said.
“Yes it is and you’ll have to carry it. I can’t. I have my own bag and it weighs more than you,” he said, pointing to his pack and she gasped. “Even Ares has a pack,” he told her, pointing to it. “You sure you want to come? The people I’ll take you to will take care of you and they have kids to play with,” he told her.
“If you stay, I’ll stay,” she replied in a tone that told Nathan leaving her wasn’t an option.
Giving up, he sat her down on the cot. “I want you to go through your pack to learn where everything is. Food is on top, next is hygiene then clothes,” he told her.
“Hygiene?” she asked.
“Oh, bathroom stuff,” he said. “The outer pockets are for small, frequently used items. Lighters, forks, spoons, eating kits and stuff like that,” he said as she opened up her pack. “We’ve got to find you some pants.”
“It’s hot outside,” she said.
“Yeah, and pants will keep you from getting burned and the sun from cooking the water out of you,” he told her. He helped her pull everything out and put it back. No easy feat for Amanda, with the bandages on her hands looking and acting like boxing gloves, but she did it. “When we camp at night, always repack your bag in case we have to leave fast,” Nathan told her when they were done. “Come on, let’s eat.”
She followed him to the diner and he fixed them lunch. Nathan wondered why a deputy hadn’t stopped to ask about the bodies. After all, that’s why he’d left the damn things there. When Mitch came tomorrow he would get him to give him a ride out to Jessie’s. He would stay there for a few days and convince Amanda to stay. It would add a lot of days but he didn’t have much choice. Nathan went to his bag and started Amanda on antibiotics since she had been bitten by a dog. Rabies wasn’t that prevalent down South compared to home, but the wounds had been packed with dirt.
That afternoon he showed her his .38 revolver after he set up the foldable solar panel to charge the radios he had taken. Nathan figured he would run across someone to travel with, just not a little girl, and the radios would come in handy.
After Amanda showed him for an hour that she could work the pistol safely, Nathan took her outside and let her shoot it. After getting her hands unwrapped, Amanda squeezed the trigger and the small pistol let out a loud Bang. She looked back at him. “It’s really loud,” she said.
“Yes it is, but that’s normal,” he said.
“Your big g
un didn’t sound like that,” she informed him.
“It has a suppressor; what most people call a silencer,” he told her.
“I didn’t make it silent,” she pointed out.
“Did it hurt your ears when it went off?” he asked.
“No,” she answered.
“Then it did its job,” he told her.
They went inside and she played with Ares while Nathan looked at a map of Atlanta. From her story, Nathan traced her route to him. Amanda had run almost sixty miles through hell, in three days. He had to admit she was tough. He watched her play with Ares, noticing she wasn’t limping anymore but she wasn’t really running either; just sort of trotting.
He took out the pistol he’d gotten off Leader and broke it down then cleaned it. He was surprised to find it was in excellent shape. There was no way that punk could get an approval for a suppressor. Taking off his vest, Nathan mounted the holster for the pistol with the suppressor attached on his left side, with the drop platform holding his six magazines for his M-4.
Amanda came over and sat down beside him, watching what he was doing. “Why is the barrel so long?” she asked.
“This is a suppressor that screws onto the barrel like the one on my rifle,” he said, showing her.
“I want one for my gun,” she demanded.
He looked at her and started laughing. “Let’s get you gun-wise first,” he told her. He stood up and took off his concealable ballistic vest. “Stand up,” he told her and he put the vest on her. Looking at her, he was sure he could fit two and a half of her in it. Taking the vest off, he took out the front and back plates. Then he put it back on her; he took the straps from the right to lock on the left then did the same for the other side.
Spinning her around and checking out the fit, he shook his head. She still had inches of slack inside. “Wait here,” he said, walking over to the store. He came back with a roll of Velcro. Putting Velcro across the back of the vest, he pulled the straps around, sticking them on. The front panel almost met at her spine and the back did the same on her chest. She was almost wearing two level-three vests.
Dark Titan Journey Book 1 Page 17
