by James Hunt
“Excuse me, my dad and I ran out of gas and we’re stuck. Do you have any fuel we could use?” she asked in an exhausted tone.
She had startled him because only moments before he was in deep concentration. His eyes were fixated ahead, searching for signs of Greg or Paul. Edwin tilted his head slightly to address her.
“Not much I can do for you, little lady,” he answered.
Edwin took a careful look at Julie and then thought to himself for a moment. “Where’s your car?” he asked.
“Way down there,” Julie pointed. Edwin turned around, shifting in his seat. About a quarter mile down the road he saw a familiar-looking Passat with a familiar-looking man pushing it to the side.
“I don’t have any extra fuel on hand, but I may be able to help.”
“How is that?” Julie asked.
Edwin leaned over and opened the passenger-side door. “Why don’t you hop in and I’ll give you a ride back to your car?”
Julie looked around and hesitated. “Um. No thanks. I should be fine.”
Edwin shut the passenger door and shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said.
“Thanks anyway,” Julie said walking away.
Edwin followed her movements in his rearview mirror. He gently guided his Lincoln over to the side of the road and parked.
“Push her to the right,” Paul commanded as he leaned along-side the driver’s side door while steering the car. The boy pushed from the back, giving it all his might. They carefully maneuvered the car onto the side of the road, over the white line, among the dirt and pieces of tire rubber. Once stopped, Paul put the car in park and shut the door. He approached the boy with one hand extended in gratitude.
“Thanks so much for your help,” he said, smiling.
The boy wiped the sweat from his brow and shook Paul’s hand back. “No problem, mister,” he said.
“Do you guys happen to have any extra fuel on-hand?” Paul asked.
“I already asked them, they said no,” Julie said appearing out of nowhere.
“Perfect timing,” Paul said sarcastically.
“Sorry, we don’t have any extra fuel,” the boy said.
“That’s okay,” Paul said back to him.
The boy walked back to his truck with a sense of satisfaction. He felt fortunate to not be in their situation. His father always kept a full tank of gas just for emergencies and it had clearly paid off.
“We have to get some fuel,” Paul said to Julie.
I know,” she replied. “I’ve asked a bunch of people. No one has any.”
“They have it, they just don’t want to give it up,” Paul said.
“Would you?” Julie asked.
Paul looked to each side of the road. They could always hitch a ride. Someone was bound to help them somehow.
“I don’t know, Julie. I think I would.”
“Well, we can always take the back road on foot,” Julie suggested. The road was close. The barricades could easily be maneuvered around on foot. The path to the back road looked inviting in its solace.
“We can’t just leave the Passat here,” Paul said, scratching his head.
“Why not?” Julie said.
“Because we need it,” he answered.
“What about the Tahoe?”
Paul thought for a moment.
“We get the Tahoe then we can get fuel for this one,” Julie suggested.
The Tahoe was Samantha’s car, left behind whenever she went on business trips. Now it could be their solution. Paul looked at Julie in agreement.
“Are you okay for some walking?”
“I think so,” she said.
“Get the map out of the car. We’ll have to make it home on foot.”
“How far?”
“A few miles. Might be worth a shot.”
Julie took a moment to comprehend exactly what a few miles might look like.
“So what happens when we get the Tahoe?” Julie asked.
“We get out of this town as soon as possible.”
Chapter Eight
Nowhere Bound
The problem with walking through the forest in Beech Creek was accidentally being shot by a hunter. This could be a problem if it was hunting season, and sometimes even when it wasn’t. Other times there was the risk of accidentally walking on private property and not noticing the “No Trespassers” sign. Paul took this into account as he and Julie walked along the narrow one-lane back road that, according to the map, led back to the other side of town and to their house. Paul walked ahead holding the map as Julie followed.
“It looks like this goes to the creek and stops. I guess it was supposed to be a shortcut back into town, but they never completed it. Or they never made the bridge to go over the creek,” Paul said, staring at the map
“So what does that mean?” Julie asked.
“It means that we’re going to have to go through the forest,” Paul said.
“Great,” Julie said.
Paul held up their guide like a precious commodity. “We have the map,” he said, “and it’s only a few years old.”
“Lead the way,” Julie replied.
The sound of alert sirens had dwindled. Paul tried not to think about the danger they were in, still faced, or what possibly awaited them. He was driven by pursuit. All they had to do was get to their house—by way of the forest—get Samantha’s car and get out of town. It was possible that things could go back to normal, but despite anything else, his greatest concern was for Samantha. Her absence left them especially hollow and directionless.
“I’m thirsty,” Julie said.
“I know. Just try to hang in there for just a little bit longer,” Paul said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I’m hungry too. But more thirsty than anything,” she said.
Paul pointed to a small path off the back road that led into the forest. “Let’s take this path down the hill.”
“I miss my mom,” Julie said.
“Me too,” Paul said. He took her hand as they walked down the hill together.
“You should try to call her again,” Julie said.
“Julie, I’ve called her more times than I can even count.
There’s something wrong with the signal. We’ll hear from her soon, I know it.”
Edwin stood over the front of the abandoned Passat and examined it. There was no one in the car, or anywhere around it. He knelt down beside the car and looked at the gravel below. There were some footprints of varying sizes that led to a side road with barricades in front of it. Edwin stood up, adjusted his hat and walked towards the barricades, whistling with each step.
There was no turning back now. Lush forest, tall trees, and winding vines, surrounded Paul and Julie from all sides. Sun trickled through the openings of the looming redwood overhead. Dusk was approaching. The darkening pink sky radiated the misty woods. The map made getting home seem like a brief walk through the woods, but he knew that inches on the map equaled several miles in actual distance. He looked at Julie and wondered if they should consider going any farther.
“Maybe we should go back to the car,” Paul said.
“Why?” Julie asked.
“I’m having second thoughts. These woods are no place to get lost in.”
“I thought that was what the map was for,” Julie said with clear frustration in her voice.
“Yes, it’s our guide, but it’s not going to feed us or keep us warm,”
“Well if you had put gas in the car we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place,” Julie said.
It was a cheap shot, but she couldn’t resist. Paul was taken aback at her sudden tone.
“Hindsight is—”
“I just want to get home, okay?” Julie interrupted.
“We’re going to be fine as long as we stay calm and determined,” Paul said.
His words faded as Julie looked around. The trees, brush, and rustic hills ahead looked constrictive. She felt dizzy with a sense of claustrophobia comin
g over her. Paul noticed her lagging behind. He stopped and turned around.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. Julie didn’t respond.
She placed one foot in front of the other at a monotonous pace. Paul held up the map and waved it in the air. “Look, if we stick to the map, we can’t go wrong.”
He looked back again.
“Come on!” he shouted.
Julie looked up from the ground as if coming to some realization. “I’m going back to the car before we get stuck out here,” she said.
Amazed, Paul watched her walk away without looking back.
“Julie, get back here,” he said.
She continued to backtrack without acknowledging him.
“Young lady, stop right now. Don’t make me have to run after you,” Paul said trying to sound authoritative.
His tone failed to deter her from her stubborn path back to the car. Julie’s pace quickened. It felt good to ignore Paul, but it would be all for naught if she ended up getting lost. They hadn’t traveled that far, maybe a mile or so, but with no compass or sense of direction, things would get even more complicated.
Paul folded the map and stuck it in his pocket. He balled his fists and breathed in deeply. His authority only stretched so far in her eyes, and he knew it. Samantha, on the other hand, had been able to control Julie with a simple look of disapproval. Paul had been working on his methods. He had offered incentives and other rewards for good grades and took away her things when she misbehaved. At heart, Julie wasn’t a bad kid. She made good grades and participated in extracurricular activities. The main area of contingency had always been her relationship with Paul. The issue before them was rising again to the surface.
Julie turned to look for Paul and wasn’t surprised to see him hurrying through the forest after her. She accidentally made eye contact and could see that he was angry.
“Julie! We don’t have time for this nonsense,” Paul shouted.
Again, she ignored him and continued walking away. The road back to the car was within range. One part of her questioned her actions, raising doubt. But another part of her enjoyed seeing Paul get upset. Why then and there, she couldn’t understand. As she continued her walk back to the car, Edwin stepped out in front of her from behind a tree. His immediate appearance stopped her dead in her tracks; though she didn’t recognize him, at least at the moment. A chill shook through her, immobilizing her, and rendering her helpless. Edwin smiled without saying a word. His eyes were concealed behind dark sunglasses.
“I was thinking that maybe I can help you out after all,” he said.
Julie looked at Edwin carefully as she began to recognize him. “What are you doing out here?” she asked.
Edwin glanced behind her at the sound of someone stumbling through the forest. Julie turned quickly around to look for Paul. His pending presence brought comfort to her amidst the unusual situation.
“I haven’t introduced myself properly, my name is Edwin, and you are?”
Julie turned back to face Edwin. She was unresponsive, and observed him with a blank stare.
“Are you okay?” Edwin asked with feigned concern. “Is there something wrong?”
“My-my dad is right over there,” Julie said pointing behind her.
“Excellent,” Edwin responded.
The time waiting felt to Julie like an eternity. It was similar to the times she waited for Paul to pick her up from soccer practice. Back then, it seemed that whenever she stood outside the school, nearly every car that passed looked like his. But they never were, until she had long given up. Edwin had one hand in his side pocket and the other held out as if to beckon Julie.
“Why don’t you come over here so we can talk?” he asked.
Julie wanted to run, but her legs had seized. She was frozen. All she managed was to do was to shake her head in disagreement. Edwin was undeterred.
“Come now, don’t be like that,” he said in a calm voice. He lunged at her like a hawk, grabbed her by the shoulders and swung her around in front of him. She started to scream, but was silenced by his large hand over her mouth.
“There, there,” Edwin said, forcibly pulling her against him. Paul came jogging around the bend out of breath and slowed down. He stopped immediately upon seeing Edwin, much with the same confusion as Julie had.
“Julie?” Paul said.
“Ah, what a lovely name,” Edwin said. “A lovely name for a lovely flower.”
“Let her go,” Paul demanded.
“In time,” Edwin said.
“No. She has nothing to do with any of this. It’s between you and me.”
Edwin slowly removed his hand from over Julie’s mouth.
“Paul,” she said. Her eyes widened with fear and worry. Paul held his hand in the air, pleading for Edwin to take it easy. At the moment, the panic, the sirens, fires and explosions were nonexistent. The only thing that mattered was what was happening right in front of him. The rest of the world was going to have to wait.
“Please,” he said slowly. “I’m begging you to let her go. We can work out whatever we need to work out without involving a child.”
Paul’s plea failed to reach Edwin. Julie shook in his grip as he reached to his side and pulled his Beretta from its holster.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to hold on to her. You see, in my business, children make great collateral damage.”
Paul felt his desperation growing. He wondered if there would be any reasoning with Edwin. He was certain that he would have no choice but to charge Edwin at that point, like a mad dog. But then what? Edwin would shoot him, just as he did the man in the parking lot, then there would be no hope whatsoever for Julie.
“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know about Bill. I’ll take you to him. Anything you want.”
“This isn’t about Bill anymore. It’s personal now,” Edwin said with his pistol steadily aimed at Paul.
“How is this personal?” Paul asked.
“You offended me,” Edwin said. “And the damage has already been done. The only question is, will I be leaving one body or two? The decision is all yours.”
Paul tried reasoning once more, but with a more forceful tone.
“Do you not see what is going on right now? Do you even care? Power outages, mushroom clouds, radiation alerts. None of us may see tomorrow, do you understand that?”
“Well we can be certain that you’ll be the first,” Edwin said, clicking the hammer of the pistol back with his thumb. Tears streamed from Julie’s eyes.
“No!” she shouted.
Paul flinched at the sight of the barrel. His life, it felt, flashed before his eyes in fragments that made little sense at the moment. He could see his own death while feeling an odd mixture of pain and relief. The inside lining of Edwin’s coat brushed against Julie’s shoulder. She felt something metallic, like a pocket knife. She reached inside his pocket, quick and stealth-like, and pulled the knife out without Edwin taking notice.
“I’ll give you an address,” Paul said.
“Your services are no longer needed in that area,” Edwin said.
“Just listen to me for one second. I can save you a lot of trouble, just promise that you let my daughter go.”
Paul’s voice grew louder and cracked as he begged for mercy.
“Just give me that option. It’s all I ask,” he continued.
Edwin lowered his pistol while shaking his head. He studied Paul with a perplexing look and laughed to himself.
“You really are a marvel of sorts,” Edwin said. “Here you are, a man in no position to barter anything and you’re still making demands. I have you at gun point. I have your daughter, and then you offer me a trade? Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to kill you, and then, if she’s nice, I won’t kill your daughter—”
Suddenly Edwin felt an instant jab of cold steel go straight into his stomach. At first, its origins felt unusual and deeply foreign. He glanced down at the source of the intense pain. A pocket k
nife protruded from his stomach. Julie’s small hand gripped its handle. She yanked it out with force and blood quickly flowed from the wound. For Edwin, the pain had still not fully settled in. What felt like a pin prick soon grew into agonizing shock. Edwin stumbled backwards with both hands clasped over his stomach. His pistol fell to the ground in a small pile of leaves near Julie’s feet. In the midst of his stagger, Edwin tripped over a dead branch and fell on his back. His hat and sunglasses landed nearby. He had been rendered unarmed, helpless, and in a calamity of pain.
Julie backed away while holding the knife. She stared at Edwin emotionless. He gritted through his teeth and formed into a fetal position. His eyes darted to the pistol on the ground only a few feet away.
“Julie!” Paul shouted, snapping her out of her daze. She turned to him and was met with an intense embrace.
“Are you okay?” he asked throwing his arms around her.
She nodded and rubbed her hand across her face to remove some tears.
“Come here,” Paul said. He pulled her closer and hugged tightly. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
Edwin crawled towards them like a wounded animal. He held one outstretched arm in the air and grabbed at the nearby pistol. Paul and Julie took quick notice of Edwin’s approach. Paul pulled Julie away and placed himself between them. Edwin moved closer, grunting along the way. Paul looked at the ground to see what Edwin was lurking towards. The pistol lay there like a prize.
Paul lunged forward as Edwin pushed himself over to the pistol. Paul nearly stumbled as Julie ran in front of him. She rushed to the ground and landed on her knees to Edwin’s side. He lay on his stomach, concealing the pistol in a protective manner. Julie raised the knife into the air and brought it down into Edwin’s back. The stabs brought screams of pain from Edwin. Blood gargled from his throat and out of his mouth into the sullied ground below.
Paul ran behind Julie, grabbed her arm and held it tightly.
