Chapter Fourteen

“Elin!”

Anna jerked awake at Kael’s frantic scream, and her heart jack-hammered in her chest. She sat against a fallen log near the smoldering fire in the middle of their impromptu campsite. Kael rested only a couple of feet away, close enough so that Anna could hear her if she needed anything.

From Kael’s screaming re-entry into waking life, it was clear what she needed—she needed the same thing that Anna’s soul had been missing for the past half day.

“Oh God, Elin!”

Anna scrambled to her knees and crawled over to Kael’s writhing body. Kael struggled against some unseen force as she tore into consciousness, bruised limbs striking out in a weak attack. Anna was relieved to hear Kael’s voice, her words, to know that she was still capable of speech.

And that he remembers something.

“Kael, honey, calm down.” The sky she glimpsed through the trees was dark, and she wondered just how late it had gotten. “You’re okay, but you were knocked out. You need to keep still so we can figure out how hurt you really are.”

“Oh God, Anna. Oh God,” Kael sobbed. “Elin—” She struggled to sit, and Anna reached out to steady her as she slumped to the side.

“Please, honey, you’ve got to keep still.” She wrapped her arms around Kael’s torso and tried to guide her back to the ground. Kael lurched forward and vomited onto the dirt next to them. Anna cringed but held on tight, afraid that Kael would hurt herself in her panicked state. “Try to calm down, baby, please. Take deep breaths.”

Kael sobbed uncontrollably, broad shoulders shaking within Anna’s embrace. “Anna…Elin…” She vomited again, face twisted in agony. When she could retch no more, she grew limp in Anna’s arms. “My fucking head hurts so much. There were men—”

“I know,” Anna said in a soothing tone. She rubbed a gentle hand over the back of Kael’s torn and dirty T-shirt. “I know.”

Kael released a piteous moan and collapsed within Anna’s embrace. “I failed her…I failed her. God, what are they doing to—” She retched once more.

Anna felt utterly helpless. She needed Kael back, mentally, even though she knew it was asking a lot. She didn’t know how to help Elin alone. “Baby, please try to breathe. Please. I need you to calm down. If we’re going to get Elin back, we need to start thinking about what to do next.”

At once Kael grew so calm, so still, it was almost eerie. The change was instant and startling. She withdrew from Anna silently, putting distance between them. When she spoke again, after some time, her voice was flat, emotionless.

“They won’t rape her tonight.”

Anna had to fight the urge to recoil at the matter-of-factness of Kael’s statement. “If what the leader told Elin was true, I think you’re right. They won’t.”

“They’re Procreationists. They don’t believe in rape. Or at least they think they don’t. If a man forces himself on a woman who is not his wife or who is not in service to him, he’s punished. Imprisoned.”

“In service?” Anna folded her arms over her stomach, sick from the implication.

“That’s what they called what they did to me—to all the unmarried women or orphaned girls. Marry by sixteen or go into service. When I got there…well, I was damaged goods by that point. I didn’t get to wait until I was sixteen. Young girls who find their way into the community often don’t.”

“That’s so evil.” Anna’s stomach flip-flopped at the despair that radiated from her lover. “You’re sure these are the people who took Elin?”

“When the first two surprised us, they acted friendly at first. A man and a woman, so I thought—” Kael shook her head, then winced. “They asked us where we were going, why we were traveling. Where were we from? Asked us what we thought about Procreation, had we ever thought about making it our life’s goal, they have a great community we could join.”

“I heard that guy Trey tell her she would have a purpose in Pennsylvania.” Anna stood to gather their gear so they could move fast as soon as Kael was able. “Did you know they were the same people who had you?”

“No, but they were spouting the same rhetoric, and I got upset…I told them to go fuck themselves. I shoved the woman out of the way, and we tried to get past them. The man grabbed Elin’s hand…her burned hand, and I just saw red—”

Anna was trembling, imagining the scene before she had stumbled upon it. “There were just the two of them?”

“At first.” Kael brought shaking fingers to her face and gave her bandaged head an experimental once-over. “But then there were more. It’s hard to remember. I think there were a lot more.”

“I counted at least twenty-five,” Anna said quietly. “Maybe thirty.”

“I guess the odds weren’t in my favor.”

Anna nodded at the truth of that statement. “The leader said that they would go back to their base camp so a medic could look at the men you and Elin injured. Then he said they’d leave. He said they…had enough.”

“Base camp.” Kael struggled to stand. “We need to find her. We’ve got to get her back before they make it to Philadelphia.”

Anna placed a steadying hand on Kael’s arm as she rose to her full height. As much as Kael would kill herself trying, she wasn’t going anywhere tonight. Her skin was sallow, her breathing shaky and erratic, and her speech remained slightly slurred. She was pouring sweat in the cool breeze of the evening. She had lost so much blood—not to mention taken quite a blow to her head—that Anna was shocked she was on her feet at all.

Kael tore her arm away from Anna’s gentle grasp. “We’ve got to get her!” She took a step away, then grabbed her head and let out a soft groan. “And if you’re not willing to go, then I’ll have to do it alone.”

Anna blinked at the angry words. I’ll cut you some slack here, tough guy, but watch what you’re implying. “I agree, baby, we need to get her back. But not tonight.”

“Goddamn it, right now!” Kael growled. “We start walking this-fucking-minute, and we don’t stop until we kill every single one of those assholes.” Without waiting for a reply, she grunted in disgust and turned as though to walk away, only to double over as pain consumed her.

“Kael, what can you do tonight?” Anna kept her voice neutral, not wanting to further provoke her fury. “Look at you, honey. You just got knocked unconscious for hours. You probably have a concussion. At the very least, you’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m fine,” Kael snarled, still bent low at the belly. Only a moment passed before she turned her head to vomit one more time. When she was done, she spat on the ground in anger. “I’m fine.”

Anna finally stood and placed a hand on Kael’s uninjured arm. “What would happen if you found her tonight? If you tried to rescue her feeling like you do right now? Do you think we’d get her back? Or do you think we’d just get ourselves killed, and Elin would be hurt even more?”

Kael’s lower lip trembled. “But—”

“I don’t like it, either. Trust me. The odds will be against us anyway, but I just want half a chance to succeed. So we can live with Elin, rather than die for her. Because I don’t think our dying for her would make her very happy. Do you?”

The corner of Kael’s mouth twitched as she no doubt relived some memory of Elin. “No. I don’t think it would.”

“So we rest tonight. And then we get up tomorrow, and we go find her.”

A tear leaked from Kael’s left eye and snaked a lazy trail down her cheek. “All right.” She shifted a little, then leaned heavily on Anna. “But only because I’m pretty sure I’ll pass out if I don’t sit down right now.”

Anna helped her to an undisturbed spot next to the campfire she’d just started to build. I need to go kick some dirt over quite a few patches where Kael was sick before I go to bed. And hope that we don’t run out of real estate before the night is through.

“I only have my sleeping bag,” she said. “They took most of your stuff.”

“Great.”

“They left your bow and arrow. But they took your sword.”

Kael managed a weak nod. “We’ll try to find another on the way. If not, well, I’ll figure something out.”

Anna bit her lip as she remembered one last piece of information. “Oh…and the leader had a gun.”

Kael sighed. “You’re right. We’re going to need our rest.”

They walked in silence for most of the next morning, Anna following Kael as they discerned the trail together. Twenty-five men couldn’t move through the forest without leaving evidence of their passage. Anna allowed Kael to guide them, but covertly watched her for signs of illness or pain.

She had a sudden, startling thought. “You said they went through your bag? Do you think they found your…dildo?” Anna couldn’t imagine what those men would think of something like that. How much trouble might Elin be in?

Kael cracked a smile, doubtless over Anna’s tentative use of the word. “No, thank God.” Her cheeks turned light pink.

“You don’t think they saw it?”

“I know they didn’t. If they had, they’d have checked me out more thoroughly before they left. Two women would have been a lot more valuable to them than one.”

“Jesus, Kael.”

“I know. I’m goddamn lucky I had it on me instead of in the bag.”

Anna raised an eyebrow.

“I had plans.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry. It’s in Elin’s other bag, now. The one you’re carrying. I put it away this morning.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Anna tried for a smile, but she knew her face was as tense as Kael’s.

They climbed a gentle hill that ended on a wide, paved highway. As Kael examined the gravel on the other side, Anna stepped out onto the road, taking in the broken yellow line in the center of the asphalt that seemed to go on forever. Autumn colors framed a path she hoped they wouldn’t have to take.

“Fuck!” Kael cussed.

“Trail doesn’t continue on the other side?” Anna already knew the answer, but she felt her stomach clench in anticipation as the implications hit her.

“No. I’m guessing they’re traveling along the highway.”

“Well, we can assume they’re heading northeast.”

“Yeah.” Kael checked the compass she carried in her pocket. She pointed to Anna’s right. “That means we go this way.”

Anna stared off into the distance where the road curved, wondering what lay beyond the terrain she could see. A lone billboard stood fifty feet in front of them, the faded advertisement for Dr. Pepper tattered from years of weather. Next to it, a car sat abandoned with the front doors standing open.

“You should walk on one side of the road, and I’ll walk on the other,” Kael said. “We’ll keep our eyes open for where they may have left the highway.”

“You’re doing okay?” Anna asked.

“Lay off, all right?” Kael snapped in response. When Anna drew away from her side, Kael turned with a tired sigh. “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

They didn’t speak as they continued to walk.

It was at least three o’clock in the afternoon before Anna had to force Kael to take a break. For nearly an hour, her lover had been stumbling every few steps. It was painful to watch and impossible to ignore.

Kind of like how much I have to pee right now.

“Kael.” Anna stopped walking on her side of the highway. “It’s time for a break.”

“No chance.” Kael kept walking. “We’re not making good time as it is. If we ever want to catch up to them, we need to keep going.”

Anna could allow Kael a lot of things, but on this she would be firm. “We need to keep up our strength, and you know it. We need to eat.”

“We can eat as we walk,” Kael called back over her shoulder.

Huffing in exasperation, Anna jogged to catch up with her. At no time did she stop searching her side of the road for clues as to the movement of the men who had taken Elin. “Goddamn it, Kael, I need to rest for a minute. I’m about to piss myself here. You can bet that those guys who took Elin are taking breaks. If we don’t, how long do you think we’re gonna last? Even if we caught up to them—”

“All right!” Kael exploded. “I get it. Fine, we’ll take a break. You go piss, and I’ll make some lunch.”

Anna blinked at Kael’s fury. Unwilling to be intimidated by her lover, she resisted the urge to overreact. “I’m not the bad guy here, Kael, and you know it.”

Kael’s eyes softened. “I’m trying. I swear I’m trying.”

“So am I.” Anna touched Kael’s shoulder, then looked up sharply as a weak whining sound filtered through the trees around them. Puzzled, she tipped her head. There was something oddly familiar about the sound. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes, but I don’t know what the hell it is.”

“I think it’s a dog.” She’d only ever heard one dog, back in her tribe, and this brought back the memory of Lucky immediately. Anna stepped off the highway, intent on heading toward the mewling sound.

Kael drew her knife and lumbered reluctantly across the highway with her, calling, “Anna, we don’t have time for this.”

They had ventured only a few yards into the forest, when Anna saw a dog lying at the base of a tree, its golden hair matted with blood. She dropped to her knees next to it, knowing they were too late.

“The poor thing,” she mourned, stroking its plush coat.

This dog looked nothing like Lucky, who had been sleek and black. This one had longer hair and a more earnest face. Anna felt truly sad that they had not been here to save her.

“Looks like wolves,” Kael said, grimly surveying the wounds to the dog’s back legs and throat. “Let’s go. They could be hanging around.”

Anna stood up, and they started back toward the road when she heard another mewling whimper and halted. The noise from the forest just barely tickled her senses, and she tried hard to pinpoint the source, quickly forging a path through the trees.

“We don’t have time for this,” Kael hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I hear something. Hurt…or maybe…Kael, it sounds like a baby.”

“Just great.”

Anna dropped her gaze to the forest floor. The little noises of distress grew louder, and she stooped low to search through the vegetation.

“I hear it, too.” Curiosity tempered the frustration in Kael’s tone.

Anna pushed back the thick, leafy branches of a squat bush and gasped at what she found. Three tiny, still forms were scattered on the ground. Baby dogs—puppies. I think momma was protecting her babies.

From her left, beyond a large oak tree, a small squeal demanded her attention, and she pushed the undergrowth aside urgently until she saw a small pale shape. He was tiny. Stumbling. His eyes were open and alert, but he seemed confused. Anna’s mouth dropped open, and she bent to scoop the puppy up, bringing him close to her chest to warm him. She pressed her lips to silky golden fur and chuckled as the puppy licked her face with a tiny pink tongue.

“Absolutely not.”

Anna looked up at Kael with a goofy smile. “I think he’s the only one who survived.”

“Good for him,” Kael said dryly. “Wish him luck on his journeys.”

Anna cooed into the puppy’s floppy little ear. “Don’t listen to him. Kael’s just grumpy.”

For the first time in days, a genuine smile tugged at Kael’s mouth. “He’ll slow us down.”

Anna held the puppy away from her chest, wrinkling her nose as he began to squirm. “He won’t. I’ll carry him until he can keep up.”

“He’ll need more bathroom breaks than even you.”

“It’ll slow us down maybe, what…twenty, thirty seconds every few hours? Think of what Elin will say when we get her back.”

Kael’s face softened. “She’d love a puppy, wouldn’t she?”

“Of course she would.” She held the puppy up to Kael. “When’s the last time you even saw something like this? A puppy?”

“I’ve never seen one that small. I remember a few bigger dogs, when I was a kid.”

“Elin would be furious if she thought that we just left this little guy out here to fend for himself.” Anna maintained a straight face even as Kael’s eyes flashed with mild panic. “Don’t you think?”

“How would she find out?”

“We’re bringing her this puppy. End of discussion.” Anna handed the puppy to Kael, who accepted it awkwardly. “It’s my decision, and I’ll take care of him, I promise.”

“Anna—”

“Besides, he’s a good omen. I can feel it.”

Kael lifted the puppy into the air, staring intensely into his tiny face. The puppy squirmed and panted in her hands, staring back. At length, she rolled her eyes and thrust him back into Anna’s hands. “We should name him Zep,” she said as she started the short walk back to the highway.

“Zep?” Anna stared into the puppy’s blue eyes, trying to see whatever Kael had seen.

“Short for Led Zeppelin,” Kael called back over her shoulder. In a quieter voice, she added, “Elin will love that. She says they’re the best rock band ever.”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14