The human touch was almost too much to bear. Harper felt the walls caving in on her and she almost stumbled, her knees faltering. Joe was on his feet in an instant and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed her hair and released her. “Thank you for saving me,” he said. He smiled, trying to bring some lightness to the room. “Thankfully it was you firing that gun and not Sara.”
At the mention of her friend’s name, Harper blanched. “Where is Sara? We need to find her.”
A darkness crossed Joe’s face. “They took her somewhere.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. We need to speak to the other guy.”
“Jozef? I don’t know… I’m not sure if he’ll be able to help us.” They crossed to the kitchen and stood side by side next to the laminate countertop. Jozef’s eyes were closed, his body still. “Is he dead?” whispered Harper.
Joe approached the man carefully, his hands out. The man didn’t shift as Joe bent down and placed his fingers on the man’s throat, feeling for a pulse. Then, without warning, the man’s arms flew up and grabbed hold of Joe’s wrist. Harper heard herself scream and Joe jumped back, held tight by the man.
“Let him go,” yelled Harper, taking hold of Joe’s other arm. Joe twisted and finally snaked his wrist out of the man’s grip. The man lay on his side, one hand pressed firmly against his abdomen, unable to get up. He’d fought his last fight and his eyes burned with fury at the knowledge.
“Where did Natália take my sister?” asked Joe. He crouched down to be closer to the man’s eye level, but stayed just out of reach.
“I will never tell you. You can cut off my fingers. But I will not betray my own flesh and blood.”
“Where did you take my sister?” repeated Joe, louder this time. Harper could feel the tension radiating from him. She put a hand on his back.
“He’s not going to help us.”
“What the hell do we do now?”
Harper looked pointedly at the man, who had closed his eyes again. “Let’s step outside.”
She filled up two glasses with water and took a packet of potato chips that she saw on the bench top. They picked up Sara’s bag and the gun and went out the front door. Harper passed Joe one of the glasses and they both took a long drink. She opened the crisps and they ate quickly, sharing the food between them as they talked.
“They’ve taken her toward the city,” said Harper. “I saw a white utility vehicle leave the property just before I got here. It drove down the highway toward Bratislava.”
“I’m going back. I’ll find them.”
“How? How will you find them?”
Joe looked up. The sun had reached its peak and was lowering in the sky. “It’s past noon. We’re totally screwed, Harper. We need to get to the quarantine center. But we need to find Sara. I have no idea how to find her. But I won’t give up.”
“Little Tomas is missing somewhere, too,” she replied.
“I need to find my sister before anything else.”
Harper paused. She knew Joe wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “I think we need to look for the boy, too. I can’t just leave him out there. What if he needs our help? And Zuzana and Lukas.”
“I don’t give a fuck about Lukas.” Joe clenched his fist and turned to the door, punching the wood hard. He cursed loudly and Harper took his hand in her own, looking at his bleeding knuckles.
“Easy, Joe. We’ll figure this out.”
“I need to get Sara,” he replied obstinately.
“I know. I want to find her too. We won’t leave her behind. I would never desert either of you.” Harper drew a deep breath before continuing. “I have an idea. Maybe you should try to find Sara, and I can search for the boy. If you don’t find her by dusk, come back here. We can meet under the footbridge back at the highway. I’ll come and help you find her, whether I find the others or not.”
“We shouldn’t split up!”
“It’s the only way. We can’t leave the boy.”
Joe bit his bottom lip and then pulled Harper roughly toward him. His lips met hers and she kissed him deeply, tasting the salt of her tears. He pulled away and stared toward the smoking, smoldering remains of Bratislava.
“Okay,” he finally said.
Harper pressed the gun into his hand. “Here’s the safety. Remember?”
“You take it,” he replied.
“No. You’ll need it if you find Natália again. The others are probably just lost in the forest somewhere. I’ll take a knife. We’ll meet again under the footbridge before nightfall.”
Joe looked at her for a long time before taking her chin and tilting her head up to face him. “I’ll see you then. Be safe. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“Promise me you’ll find Sara.”
“Promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Harper watched Joe’s scooter disappear down the highway. She held a sharp kitchen knife in one hand that she’d taken from the farmhouse. Jozef hadn’t opened his eyes when she searched the kitchen for it, and she hadn’t bothered to check if he was still breathing.
Anxiety roiled her as Joe disappeared from sight. Natália was going to be out for revenge. They’d been responsible for one brother’s death and grievous injuries to the other, as well as the death of one of her henchmen. The thought of Sara with that madwoman caused her physical pain. And if anything were to happen to Joe… She had to shut down her thoughts before she was paralyzed.
It was already afternoon and the heat of the day was simmering, settling over the landscape, intensifying the infernal smell of smoke that was everywhere. She could hear birds chirping close by, but there was no hum of traffic, no babble of voices. The countryside was devoid of human life.
She crossed the highway, jumping over the metal barrier, and reached the restaurant. She moved with caution, pressing herself against the wall of the building as she traversed the space, whistling for Erik every few minutes, hoping to hear the little dog.
She glanced at the bloated dead bodies on the surface of the pool, giving thanks to the woman who had sheltered her. The smell of rotting, decayed things carried on the breeze and the smell made her gag. She tried to breathe through her mouth and continued along the building.
She reached one of the wide windows and cupped her hands, peering into the darkness within. Eva’s form was just visible on the sofa. She wondered sadistically if her own mother would be driven to take her life if Harper didn’t make it out alive. It was an odd thought, and not one she could reconcile with the image she held of her mother.
A memory hit her. She was nine and waiting in fear for her father to return home. She and her mother had argued. The usual threats had ensued: “You wait until your father gets home. I can’t deal with you, with your excitability, your need to always push boundaries. You’re a wicked child.”
Harper rested her head on the glass of the restaurant’s window and closed her eyes. For a moment she was transported out of Bratislava. A memory, long suppressed, came bubbling to the surface. She was back in her four-bedroom family home. She was in her room, waiting. The waiting was always the worst. She heard the door open. She heard her father drop his bag by the front door and hang up his coat on the stand. Then she heard her mother, her voice shrill from emotion, relaying Harper’s transgressions.
The footsteps down the hallway made her whole body tense. Reliving it now, hearing those steps coming closer, she could feel her fists curling into balls. By then she knew there was no point hiding. If she slid under her bed, or in her cupboard, he would find her and pull her out of the dark, and into a place much darker.
He opened her bedroom door, his anger and frustration distorting his features into a macabre version of himself. “Your mother told me what happened today.” He sighed deeply. “You bring this on yourself, Harper.” He unbuckled his belt, then slid it out of the loops in his pants one-by-one, until he held the belt taut between both hands.
She could feel the fe
ar, even now. The memory threatened to engulf her. She could feel her hands shaking, and she tightened them to the point her knuckles were white, her fingernails cutting deeply into the flesh of her palms.
“Don’t you dare move, you are being punished because you deserve it.” He was coming closer—
From somewhere close by, Harper heard a dog bark. Her eyes flicked open and she was back by the pool, her head resting on the glass. Did I imagine it? She waited a moment and there it was again. A dog was barking close by. She whistled and paused. The bark grew louder, and from through the pine forest emerged a tan and white dog bounding eagerly toward her.
“Erik! Here boy! Good dog, good dog!” Erik closed the distance between them and leaped up on her, his front paws on her stomach. She put the knife down and leaned forward to pat him. He licked her enthusiastically and she felt her eyes beginning to water. His unconditional happiness and joy at seeing her was infectious, and for a brief moment she allowed herself to luxuriate in the dog’s softness and love.
She bent down into a crouch and Erik licked her cheek. “We are going to find Tomas, aren’t we boy?” The dog licked her again, and she patted his head before picking up the knife and standing. With renewed enthusiasm, she headed for the pine forest.
They walked several hundred feet into the woods, the rich, clean smell of the trees all around her. As before, the ground was uneven, with steep gullies cutting the land. Around her, the tall, straight trunks rose high into the air. The sun filtered lazily through the canopy and the noise of insects and birds filled the space with a tranquility that was at odds with the apocalyptic destruction of the city.
They continued on, Harper letting Erik lead the way. He seemed to walk randomly through the forest, changing direction and sometimes doubling back on himself. After some time, Harper felt her legs grow weary. The sun was setting lower toward the horizon. They needed to head back to meet Joe soon. She was glancing anxiously at the sky when Erik let out a low bark and sniffed the ground enthusiastically.
“What is it? Did you smell Tomas? Let’s go!” Erik picked up speed and began to power through the forest, his little legs propelling him so fast that Harper found it difficult to keep up. They scrambled up a steep rise and on the other side there was a wooden cottage nestled sweetly between the pine trees. It was painted brown and had small, square windows and a steep, pitched green roof.
Erik started to growl and Harper felt a growing sense of unease. “Quiet, boy,” she whispered. She put her hand on Erik’s collar and held on, pulling him away from the cottage so they could loop around and approach from the side. They got to within twenty feet and Harper heard a faint cry coming from within. Erik was instantly alert, straining against her hand. She knew: Lukas and Tomas were inside.
She could feel her heart beat ratcheting faster. Who had them? Were they being held captive? She crouched low, still holding onto Erik’s collar. They crept up to the side of the cottage and Harper ducked below the window. She listened carefully and heard another cry. Erik, unable to contain himself any longer, let out a loud, anguished bark. There were muffled noises coming from within and Harper released Erik’s collar, running toward the front door with her knife out. She wouldn’t get another chance to ambush whoever was inside.
She stood by the door with her hands raised above her head, ready to strike. Her hands were shaking, her heart thundering, but she locked her knees and focused her eyes on the doorknob. It turned slowly and there was a loud creak as the door hinges protested. Harper tensed her arms and started to swing forwards when a familiar face appeared in the doorway.
“Lukas!” She dropped the knife and wrapped her arms around him. She could see the surprise on his face and the smile underneath his neatly trimmed beard. He let her hold him for a moment before gently pushing her away. He stepped out of the doorway and stood with his hands on his hips.
“Are you with Tomas? What happened to you both? Sara’s been taken. We need to get back to the highway to meet Joe.” Harper’s words tumbled out one after the other.
Lukas paused. “Tomas is here, but he is sleeping. Let him rest for a moment and then we can continue on. Should we take a walk?” As he spoke, Erik streaked toward him, darting through the front door. Lukas stuck his leg out and kicked the dog away from the open doorway.
“What are you doing?” asked Harper, horrified. Erik got to his feet unsteadily and growled.
“I do not want him to wake the boy.”
Harper felt her stomach flip. “Let me see him.”
“Give him some time to rest. We can come back soon. Let us go for a quick walk.”
Harper felt a deep discomfort and glanced at the knife on the ground. Lukas saw her, and before she could bend down, he was rushing at her, a mad look in his eyes. He reached her and knocked her to the ground. She was pinned under his weight, his face mere inches from her own.
“Get off me,” she gasped out, his weight heavy on her chest.
“We are all alone here,” said Lukas. “We could have all the fun in the world.” She could see the lust in his eyes, felt his hands moving over her chest, down between her legs. She thrashed wildly, trying to get free of him. “Settle down, you wild thing,” he said, laughing. He reached the top of her pants and popped the top button.
“Let me go, please,” she begged, tears falling down her face. Terror had wrapped its familiar, greedy hands around her.
She strained again, desperate to be free of him. She felt his hand tugging on her zip and she screamed, heard Erik barking loudly close by. He started to edge her pants down her hips when a shadow fell on them. There was a loud crack, and a thud. Lukas looked stunned, his eyes opening wide, before falling sideways, his body splayed over hers. Harper’s chest heaved as she struggled to control her panic.
You’re okay. You’re okay.
She looked up and blinked into the sunlight. There was Zuzana, a heavy metal bar clutched in her hands. Zuzana dropped the metal bar and kneeled down, pushing Lukas off her. “Oh, Harper,” said Zuzana. “That man. He was going to… he was going to hurt you.”
“You saved me. Thank you.” Harper got to her feet and looked at Lukas warily. He was unconscious on the ground, but who knows how long he would be out.
“What happened to your face?” asked Zuzana.
Harper touched the place where the man in the farmhouse had punched her. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you soon. But we need to get inside, Tomas is in there. I don’t know what this sicko has done to him.”
“I will stay here and watch him,” said Zuzana, bending down to pick up the metal bar once more. She positioned herself next to Lukas, ready to strike if necessary.
Harper squeezed Zuzana’s arm and sprinted toward the cottage, hiking up her pants and redoing her zipper and button. Bile burned her throat. She felt violated but there was no time to let the feelings linger. She hurried into the cottage and looked around the dim room. It was sparsely furnished with two wooden chairs and a table, a thick rug on the ground and a low bookshelf against one wall. “Tomas!” she called out. She heard Erik bark from deeper in the building and she hurried toward the sound.
She passed a small, old-fashioned kitchen and reached the end of the hall. There, she found Erik in a narrow bedroom at the foot of a low bed. Tomas was on the bed, his small body stretched the length of the mattress, his hands and feet bound and tied to the bed frame. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes, and Harper felt a deep ache of sadness for everything the boy had been through.
She kneeled down next to him, her voice soft, “Tomas. Let me get you out of here.” She tugged on the ropes, trying to undo the knots, and saw him wince. Finding a knife in the kitchen, she returned quickly, cutting the rope close to the bedframe, and then untangling the knots from his thin wrists. She helped the boy up and hugged him tightly, trying to ignore the fresh burst of anger brought on by the raw rings of chaffed skin where the rope had rubbed.
“Did he hurt you?” she asked. “Are you hurt?”
She released him and looked down, brushing his brown locks off his face. His eyes were brimming with tears but he shook his head. “Let’s get you out of here.” She picked the boy up, grabbing the length of cut rope in one hand, and carried him outside. Erik trotted along beside them at her heels.
She put Tomas on the grass and bent down next to Lukas. “I’m going to tie him up so he can’t come after us,” she said to the others.
She made short work of binding him, tying his hands tightly behind his back and then lashing his feet together. They left him lying face down in the dirt and started out for the footbridge to wait for Joe.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The golden light of dusk was settling over the lush, green forests and wide, flat fields that surrounded the highway. Harper was bouncing on her feet nervously, staring in the direction of Bratislava.
Where is he?
“The sky is still heavy with smoke and ash,” said Zuzana. She was sitting on the asphalt with Tomas beside her. Erik lay by their side, his head in Tomas’ lap.
When they passed the pool restaurant earlier, Harper had gone inside to the kitchen and found some bread that was not yet stale and some ripening bananas. She’d filled a couple of bottles with water, covering her nose as best she could to block out the smell of death and bodily fluids. She walked past Eva and smoothed her hair back from her face. “I’ll take care of Zuzana,” she whispered to the corpse. “I hope you’re in a better place now, with your children.” Then she hurried back to the others.
Harper calculated that they’d been waiting at the footbridge for at least an hour already. They exchanged a smattering of conversation but long, tense moments of silence stretched out as she scanned the road for any sign of Joe. Even though Zuzana and Tomas were with her, Harper felt alone in her worry for Sara and Joe. It was like being a kid again. She was alone with the big, dark, scary fears, just waiting for something bad to happen.
Zuzana had squashed a banana between two slices of bread and Tomas was eating in silence, his mouth full of food. He fed small pieces of bread to Erik between bites. “Harper, did you hear me?” asked Zuzana.
Death City: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure (Dark Resistance Book 1) Page 18
