End of the Line

by Ottilie Weber

I moaned as I came into consciousness, my mind still swirling around. I tried to put the pieces together as many scenes spun around in circles within my mind. I tried to figure out what was going on. My hand went to my throbbing head which felt like it was being torn in two.

  “I told them it wasn’t necessary to hit you, but you know, they just couldn’t help themselves,” a strong voice said matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you really cared about me getting smacked in the head,” I muttered, trying to comprehend what his followers had hit me with, something heavy and solid.

  The bat I had? It sounded reasonable. Maybe I got another kick to the head? I blinked a few times to get my vision straight.

  “You look a lot different from when you got me arrested,” Manson spoke nonchalantly.

  I stared up at him; I couldn’t figure out if I should be afraid or furious. What kind of comment was that anyway? Was that supposed to be an insult? Or was he just stating a fact from everything that everyone had been through.

  “I didn’t get you arrested. You got yourself arrested,” I snapped.

  He smirked, but without the same gleam in his eyes he possessed only a moment a before.

  “You had some help with that, but you're not as much of a hero people make you out to be,” Manson continued carelessly.

  The embarrassment of the event started to resurface. If I didn’t need to keep my guard up, I would have glanced away in guilt.

  “So, how many of you are there?”

  I raised an eyebrow at him because I did not understood what he could possibly mean.

  “What are you talking about?”

  His happiness returned as he sneered down at me.

  “The girl from the cabin is with you. I know that much. And there are some others, I don’t know though how many there are exactly with you. The numbers seemed to keep changing. Poor pathetic souls just don’t know what they got themselves into.”

  My muscles tightened as he mentioned the others.

  “I have no idea what you are talking about,” I responded, refraining from speaking through gritted teeth.

  His gray eyes darkened like a horrible tornado was approaching.

  “She’s such a lovely girl. It’s a shame to put her to waste like that. To have her wander the woods to get dirty and starve to near death.” His voice was even, but I could not take the bait.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about. I travel alone.”

  “There were a few other little children, one that the girl seemed especially fond of, a brother possibly?” Manson’s voice rose at the end to fulfill the question.

  I aimed to keep the poker face as my insides were on fire with rage. He had better not touch them or he was a dead man!

  “I can tell by your body language you are very fond of the girl.” His words were smooth as he talked and stood up to walk closer to me. “I’ll make you a deal, Aaron. You give your life to me, and I’ll make sure the girl has a roof over her head for the rest of her life.”

  I glared up into his stormy eyes as his dark brown beard formed around his evil grin. I couldn’t have hated anyone more then I hated this so-called man in front of me. I had to escape from him and to get back to them if I wasn’t already too late.

  “Oh, don’t worry your tiny mind. We haven’t touched your little friends.” Manson spoke as if he could read my mind. “We just have them surrounded by men with guns. We’re actually not far from the abandoned house, if it helps settle your nerves in the slightest bit. It pays to be powerful and have people fear you.”

  Glaring daggers at him, I stared at the man who circled me while I sat on a cheap card table chair. I tried to formulate a getaway plan as I sat there and waited for him to attack.

  “I know I’ve said before I wanted to get you, that I couldn’t wait to get back at you, but I think I have a better plan. The old, ‘use the ones they love,’ card. Now, before this whole mess, I’d have used your parents, well your foster parents. That isn’t an option now since they’re both dead, yet I can see by just observing you that there are other ones you care for. Oh, yes I can see your eyes betraying you as I speak. Specks of fear are shining through,” Manson taunted.

  I began to panic, not realizing how much this guy could read people. I’d noticed his power over people, especially when I had to go to court to be a witness. I’m usually strong willed, but now it wasn’t just me and he knew it.

  “I'll keep you here to rot forever as I take the girl to be mine, to be a follower of mine, or even as my wife perhaps?”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. Not only did he have two inches on me, but he was also solid. He pushed me against a wall and knocked the wind out of me. Recovering fast, I nailed him in the face. I grabbed Manson’s shoulders to ram my knee into his lower stomach and then ran for the door as he fell over.

  Dean Manson let out a frustrated roar as he attempted to get up. I pushed through the door as the few men in the hall jumped out in order to stop me. My heart raced as I shoved through the men while they stuck their arms out to get a hold of me. Barely escaping, I ran down the stairs from the second floor to the first. A gun shot blared as a bullet skidded into the wall next to me. Nearly falling down the stairs as I sprinted, the front door came into view as stomps and shouts sounded right behind me. They were hot on my trail.

  More voices echoed from another part of the building. I flew out the door, darting down the steps and skipping half of the stairs, practically leaping. There was nothing but flat farming land around here. So if we were to escape, we wouldn’t have anywhere close to hide. I rushed around to the back of the house to see a crowd of angry men with guns, and I knew there wasn’t much hope in me taking care of them at that moment. The odds were truly against me on that.

  With a curse under my breath, I jogged down the field to wait ‘til they left so that I could save the others. I saw the barn was not too much farther, and I picked up my pace. Out of breath, I clenched the barn doors, and with a great deal of pulling, I finally got the door open enough so that I could slip in. Though the hiding spot was obvious and may not have been very safe, I was able to keep an eye on them ‘til I was ready to go release the others.

  The men wandered through the fields, waiting for me to come out. My heart thumped against my ribs and began to beat faster to a new rhythm as I tried to figure out a plan to get out of here without being stupid. I couldn’t fail, I thought as an adrenaline rush kicked in and I slid toward the ground. Crouching through the overgrown plants, I made my way out of the barn. The tall wild plants kept me hidden as I proceeded back near the house.

  I knew this wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but it had to be done right away. When I got close to the house, I stopped. I observed as the men paced around with their hands on their guns, ready to shoot me without a second thought. I stared at the broken porch thinking if I could just get to the hole without getting myself killed, I would be one step closer to the others.

  If I could get to the porch, maybe I would be able to dig under the porch to get to the cellar. Could it possibly be that easy to just tunnel through that to get to the group? I mean wouldn’t there be cement and stuff? At this moment that was the only option I had and I was going to take it. I just had to wait for the right opportunity to get to the porch. I mean, how long could they possibility stand there waiting for me?