by Mathews,Mark
“Remember the old days when we just used to watch movies and know that everything was going to be okay in the end? That’s kind of how this is. It’s just a movie. Everything always works out in the end for the good guys, and we’re the good guys.”
He was trying his best to put her at ease, and to get her to talk, but it wasn’t happening. She now was staring out the window, shaking and whispering something to herself, under her breath. He couldn’t hear it, but he thought it might be better not to ask her what she was saying. Not with the sad expression on her face. After a few more attempts at conversation, he let it drop completely. Suddenly, Jenny broke the silence.
“Brooke loves you, you know. She’s going to be so happy when you guys are back together.”
The words went in one of Nat’s ears, and reached his brain rather quickly. He almost slammed on the brakes when the words sank in. He pulled over on the side of the road. He wanted to ask Jenny how she knew this information, but he didn’t want to push the poor girl further than she already had been. He had to approach this delicately.
“Do you know how to drive?”
Jenny had learned how to drive a little with her dad. He’d let her drive his boat when they’d gone fishing before, so it couldn’t be very different, right? She nodded and he looked over his shoulder at the town. There was a longing in his eyes that Jenny wished someone would have when it came to her. There was no way she was going to be selfish and take him away from Brooke when she might need him.
“You want to go back for Brooke, don’t you?” Her round eyes were solemn, and Nat felt like she was sizing him up, trying to figure out if he was really in love with her sister or not.
“Yes, I do. I don’t want to leave her somewhere where she’s in danger.” She smiled at him, trying to forget the night’s ordeal.
“Then you go ahead and get her, Prince Charming!” Nat smiled at her and hugged her tightly.
“Thanks, little Cupid.”
Jenny giggled at the nickname and shooed him away. Nat waited until he’d watched her back up the truck slowly, then start driving forward toward the factory. He turned around and jogged back to town as quietly as he could, focusing on his feet to make sure he didn’t snap any branches that would give him away.
Back at the factory, Garrett had dozed off while he was watching over Wren. She started to toss and turn, spitting out random words, talking gibberish. Garrett couldn’t make out the words, but he didn’t know if he wanted to, either. What if she’d changed her mind about him? Could she have read too much into Alice’s actions? Could she be second guessing how Garrett felt about her? If she was, she might say some things that she didn’t mean, and he would rather not hear anything like that. He had a bucket of cold water and a pile of rags. He’d been methodically soaking the rags in the cold water and putting them everywhere on Wren’s body, mainly on her forehead; but he was doing what he could to cool down her whole body. She’d developed a fever, and her skin had been boiling hot to the touch. Supposedly, when a fever reached a certain point, it made a person’s blood start boiling in their own veins. He didn’t know if that was quite true or not, but he wasn’t going to be taking any chances. He made sure he had a fresh supply of water and rags at all times. The few times he forced himself to sleep, he gave Kayleigh strict instructions on how to care for her and how to check to see if her fever had broken.
Kayleigh, on the other hand, resented being treated this way, as if she didn’t know anything at all about these little ailments that all children get. Her son had been through this, and she’d known what to do then, so why was this any different? She kept her thoughts to herself, however, because she knew Garrett was going through a tough time. She just did as he asked her and tried helping out as much as she could. However, she still was worried that Wren wasn’t going to make it. That, too, was something she didn’t dare say out loud.
The hours ticked by, and all they could do was watch, and wait, and do their best to keep Wren from dying of the infection they both were sure had settled in her wounds. The two of them had kept her hydrated, warm when she was cold, and offered her food, but she refused to eat, and she couldn’t stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. Garrett felt his heart dying with her, but he pushed his will into her, mentally begging her to fight. He knew she was tired, and that in this world it wasn’t quite so easy, but she didn’t strike him as the type of girl who would take the easy way out. He just hoped she remembered that and fought to stay here with them all…especially with him. He promised her everything while she slept, hoping that some of it at least would penetrate her consciousness and help her muster her strength and will to survive. He painted pictures of their future together, telling her how he had started falling in love with her, and even though he had been conflicted, he knew he was in love with her now. He added something that he thought might make her try to fight just for spite. He told her he’d never even been in love with Alice like this, and she’d opened up parts of his heart that he never knew existed. The corners of her mouth looked like they lifted a little, but it was so quick he didn’t know if he’d actually seen it or if he’d only wished he had.
Chapter Fourteen
Garrett was sitting with Wren when the factory door burst open. His heart raced and his hand went instantly to his pistol. Unconsciously, he held his breath. Security had become mighty lax now that there were holes in the factory, mirroring Swiss cheese. Jenny’s head popped around the door, and he got to his feet, running flat-out to get to her, even though the space wasn’t that big, and walking would have been fine. He fell to his knees, gathering her in a bone-crushing hug. He realized suddenly that he hadn’t fully appreciated the fact that she’d been gone, and that there had been a fear of her not coming back. Now that she was here, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight, no matter what. It took him a few minutes to realize Jenny was alone. A vice gripped his heart and threatened to crush it.
“Jenny? Where are your mom and sister?” His voice was gentle, but it made the little girl burst into tears.
“Austin has them! I got away, but then a man tried to…to do things to me, and I shot him!” He hugged her tight, whispering little reassurances to her to try calming her down. Do things to her? What could she mean? She was a ten-year-old girl. No one in their right mind could look at her in that kind of way. Could they?
“What do you mean he tried to do things to you?” Garrett was poised on a razor’s edge, waiting for her answer. Jenny gulped down her tears, took a deep breath and looked her father in the eyes with the bravest face she could muster.
“He wanted to rape me, Daddy. But I stopped him. I took the gun and I shot him. Then Max told me and Nat to get out of there. I think he died, but Max didn’t let me see, so I don’t know.”
A crushing weight settled on Garrett. Some bastard had tried to hurt his little girl. That realization sank in with needles anchoring it down. But pride blossomed in him, too. Jenny was only ten, but she’d assessed the situation, known the danger, and taken out the threat all by herself. He made a mental note to thank Max when he got back for not letting Jenny watch the man die. Then something else she’d said hit him. Nat. He’d been with her when she’d left. But where was he now? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kayleigh glancing anxiously at the door, expecting to see her son coming in.
“Where’s Nat, Honey?” Jenny looked at the floor. She had romantic notions, and even though she didn’t have a love interest of her own, she thought the story of Brooke and Nat was adorable. She didn’t want to hurt it before it had a chance. But she couldn’t lie to her dad, either.
“Don’t be mad at me, Daddy. He was supposed to drive me here and keep me safe, but I know he really wanted to go back and help Max find Brooke. He’s in love with her, you know. So he asked if I could drive, and I said yes. I remember everything you taught me in the go-carts. I let him go back for her and I came here.” Fear rushed through Garrett that she’d driven to the factory herself, but she’
d made it fine, and relief soon pushed aside the fear.
“You’re not allowed to drive again, do you understand? It’s too dangerous! But I’m glad you got here safe.” Jenny went over to Kayleigh, maybe to try comforting her, since Nat hadn’t come back yet.
“What if Max needs help? I should get down there and try helping him find Brooke and Alice.” Jenny was still within earshot. She came back now to hold her father’s hand.
“Daddy, you have to stay with Wren. You made your choice, and now you have to stay here with her in case she needs you.”
It amazed him that a child of her age was so intuitive. She was right, of course. Part of him already had been thinking along those lines. What if he went to go help Max and Wren died while he was gone? He knew it was silly, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Wren would die if he didn’t stay there with her. But that didn’t mean he had to like the fact that Max was out there alone. Okay, so Nat was with him, but he was a teenager, and that didn’t really make Garrett feel any better. He felt like he was shirking his duties to his family by not being there with them. Guilt was eating at him, and he came to the conclusion that no matter what he did, he would feel guilty about something.
Nat made it back into town easily, and began looking for the girls. He had the feeling he was being watched, and just couldn’t shake it. He was hoping to find Max, but he had no idea which way the man had gone. Logic told Nat that if it was Max who was watching him, he already would have come out and gone to Nat’s side. That made him nervous. The eyes that he felt on him were not friendly. A building loomed up to his left, and he snuck inside as quietly as he could, doing his best to get to a window so he could look out at who was after him. Doubling back on himself, he tried to lose whomever it was, hoping against hope that it was a little easier than what he’d seen in the movies. He grinned to himself. On the plus side, if they never got electronics back, he wouldn’t have to watch any more bad movies that would freak him out in future situations like this. It was a small consolation, but it was there nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Max had been checking every building he came to for Alice and Brooke, but he also was conducting a mental inventory of what was left in each building that they might be able to use once they got the girls. There was a church at the end of the street. Max thought it was as good a place as any to hide some people. He made his way in, heading down to the basement. Max was completely unaware of the fact that Austin had entered the premises behind him. Something caught Max’s eye just ahead of him, but it looked like it had been trapped by some fallen debris. He put his gun down on a small table so he could dig it out. The grating sound of metal on metal made him instantly regret his decision. It was a sound he recognized very quickly; the sound of a weapon being drawn and cocked to fire. Mentally cursing his bad luck, Max turned around to see his captor. He kept his composure as best he could, but his heart sank when he recognized Austin’s face. This jerk was as far from reasonable as it was possible to get.
“If you get out of town now, I won’t kill you. I expect you never to come back, though.” It wasn’t so much a reprieve as a threat, and Max was quick enough on the uptake to realize that.
“Can we talk about this? Fighting back and forth for pieces of the same family is just a little ridiculous, isn’t it?” Max’s tone was calm, but it was his words that struck a nerve with Austin. His eyes bulged with rage, and the knuckles on his fist whitened as he tightened his grip on his pistol.
“Talk? Your fearless leader took my wife and my son! Talking is the furthest thing from my mind! I knew my offer would be rejected! I tried to let you leave with your life. Now it looks like I’ll have to kill you anyway because you just can’t be trusted! You have no one but yourself to blame for this.”
Austin’s demeanor had changed in an instant. Max knew he was in trouble now, but he’d expected to be when he was talking to someone so unstable. He kept his voice calm and tried to talk Austin down. He wasn’t having it. Austin’s voice rose until he practically was screaming at Max with all he was worth. Max only could hope someone would hear him and come find out what was going on. If there was a distraction, he just might be able to get himself back out of this in one piece.
Nat was wandering aimlessly through the town, trying to find the girls and shake his shadow when he heard the yelling. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but it obviously had to be some kind of problem. Maybe it would help him get some information. The church was right in front of him, and it sounded as though the yelling was going on inside of it. Creeping around as quietly as he could, Nat snuck into the basement. He had a good vantage point from his hiding place, and he was able to see that Austin had Max at gunpoint. That wasn’t good. Max saw him immediately, but turned his attention back to the irate Austin. Nat’s hands began to sweat. Yes, he had a gun. Yes, he knew how to use it. But if he shot a former neighbor, wouldn’t that make him just like his father? That was something he’d hoped never to be. His hands began shaking as he thought back to the way his father had treated both him and his mother.
As quietly as he could, Nat put the gun back in his holster. A large rock lay not two inches from his left foot, and he picked that up as quietly as he could. Advancing on Austin, he swung his arm back and hit him in the head instead. Austin crumpled to the ground without another word. Seeing the gash on Austin’s head, Nat dropped the rock, thinking he was going to be sick. Max immediately jumped in, grabbing a piece of rope to tie Austin’s hands together.
“What happened?” Austin was slurring his words, almost as if he were drunk. Nat and Max had been sitting there, waiting for him to come around.
“You got knocked out.” Max answered, because Nat still was feeling a little queasy.
“No one is going to kill you, but I need you to tell me where Seth and the girls are.” A nasty smile spread over Austin’s face. Slowly, he shook his head back and forth. The look on his face said that he now had all the cards, and he was going to enjoy playing them one by one.
“I’ll never tell you where they are. And if you kill me, you condemn them, too.”
The smugness on his face was getting to Max, and he wanted nothing more in the world right now than to wipe the expression off of Austin’s face. It would set a bad example for Nat, however, so he decided to let it slide…just this one time.
“You better hope you find them soon.” The threat hung in the air, and it made Max clench his hands into fists that were itching to land some punches on Austin’s face.
Back at the factory, Garrett was sitting with Wren, as he usually did. She twitched a little, then began thrashing around violently in the bed they had rigged for her. Putting a hand to her forehead, he noticed she was burning up with fever. He wished for the millionth time they had had some kind of antibiotic for her. He started to hold her shoulders down, keeping her from hurting herself, while he whispered sweet little nothings in her ear. Eventually, he thought he actually might start believing what he was telling her. If he said she was going to be fine, and that everything was going to work out in the end, over and over again, then it had to come true, right? He was lost in thought when he realized with a jolt that her eyes were open.
“Wren?” She smiled at him, putting a hand up to his face. Tears of joy came to his eyes. She was lucid. He didn’t know how long it had been since she was, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He just wanted to spend as much time as possible with her in case they didn’t have the rest of their lives together.
“Garrett. Thank you for being in my life. I hate that it was only here, toward the end, but you made me a better person for having known you. Thank you for giving me the feeling of love and hope that I didn’t believe in anymore.”
Now his tears were of sorrow. She was letting go. She wasn’t fighting anymore. He wanted to get mad at her for letting go, but he really couldn’t blame her. With the way her life had turned out so far, and the way that it was going now, he couldn’t make her fight if she didn’t want
to do so. Just because he needed her in his life didn’t mean she needed him as much. He couldn’t make her stay just for his sake.
“No, Wren, it’s going to be okay. This isn’t the end. You’re going to get better, and we’re going to figure out everything from there. Right now, you just have to focus on getting better, okay?” His voice cracked, and a single tear slid down her cheek.
“Garrett, it’s not going to happen. I know I won’t get better. I’m ready to let go now. I just wanted to thank you before I lost the strength.”
Her hand scrabbled weakly on the bed, trying to get to his, and he instantly took hold of it. It felt so lifeless and cold that he knew she was going to slip away soon. He wanted to rant and rave, he wanted to shoot up what was left of the factory, but he couldn’t ruin these last few moments with her. He leaned down and kissed her, softly and gently, as if she were a newborn baby. She closed her eyes, the smile still on her face, and when she breathed her last, he felt the spark go out of her. At first he was numb. He couldn’t comprehend what just had happened. She couldn’t be gone. Not like this. A sharp pain lanced through his chest, splitting his heart in two. He let out a bellow of pain and sorrow like no one ever had heard from him before.
Chapter Fifteen
Garrett sat with Wren’s body for what seemed like hours. How long it really was, he didn’t know. Eventually, though, his tears dried up, and he knew he had to tell Jenny. The two girls had become close, and it was only right. She’d want to grieve, too. He did his best to wipe the snot and tears from his face with the hem of his shirt, but it was already grimy, so he doubted it did little more than wipe dirt across his face. When Garrett stood up, his legs were shaky, and his vision was still blurry from his tears. He needed to get himself under control before he could do anything else, and that meant he needed a minute or two more before he went to find the girls.
