I was proof of this by lying there as the next Vee meal.
Hannah was right. It was trap; a twelve-year-old girl saw it and I didn’t. The blockade of Vee forced us to move forward and we walked right into the trap.
I heard her voice in my mind.
“You know Vee look for food, right. I highly doubt animals are such a plenty that the Vee don’t need to move.”
“What are you saying Hannah? Someone is feeding them?”
“Yep.”
To me, she was being absurd that someone was feeding them to keep them in one place. Yet, there I was the next meal. Who were these people as to be so cruel to do that to someone? Were my belongings worth more than my life?
Apparently so.
It stunk. Rotting flesh mixed with a sour odor. It was thick and I was in the middle of it.
About six of them encircled me. Part of me wanted one of them to be Leah. If any Vee killed me, I’d rather it be her. Leah had her fill; she took a good bite out of Diana.
I knew it was a matter of seconds before rest came. Then I felt it, the gun in the waist of my pants. They hadn’t taken it. They didn’t even know I had it.
I reached for it, shifted the chamber and with a trembling hand put it to my head. I would pull the trigger before they took their first bite.
The moment the first hand reached down and touched me, I didn’t want to die. I thought about shooting them, but I didn’t know how many rounds I had in the gun and I wasn’t all that good of a shot.
This was how it ends… no. Not yet.
Edward was possibly unharmed or unnoticed. For all I knew he was in that basket screaming for help.
And Hannah… I promised her I would watch her, take care of her.
If I were going to die, then I would go down fighting.
I swatted away the first hand and kicked another Vee out of my way, enabling myself to roll to my knees and then stand. I thought again about shooting, but if I were going to try to get Hannah, then I couldn’t let them hear the shots.
My best way out was to fight and run.
They came for me. Hands grabbing my clothing. I spun and fought, trying not to get bitten or scratched. I knew I had speed and they didn’t. I was like a football player, charging my way through.
I broke free to a clearing only to trip over something. My hands smeared in the thick substance as I tried to stand up and my eyes caught the portion of the arm.
That was what they did. They didn’t barter a safe night. They convinced people to stay, knocked them out cold, took them to the Vee pen and kept their belongings.
I wasn’t out cold and I vowed I would not be one of their statistics. After making it to my feet, I dodged another. I believed it was only by the grace of God that I was able to fight my way out. By way of only a moonlit night, I pushed, shoved, kicked, and focused to get off that highway. I aimed for the Value Store tractor trailer; that was my goal to get to.
Finally, I did. There was an opening between that truck and another, and once I slipped through, I stopped to catch my breath. I had about a mile and a half good run to get to Trent’s place, because surely, that was who took Hannah.
I had to come up with a plan and do so quickly. I was the meal that was getting away and the Vee were pursuing me. They never slipped through the openings between the trucks because they were given incentive to stay.
Now they had incentive to leave.
They were going to make it difficult. Fending off the Vee while trying to figure out a way to get Hannah and get the people that took her.
Then, once more, I heard the voice in my head of that wise twelve-year-old girl.
“The only way to get them is to lead them. So lead them out.”
With that thought, her words, and the Vee right before me, the lightbulb went on and I smiled.
23
PSALMS
It was perfect. A mere fifty feet of level area separated the highway from the road I needed to take to get to Trent’s. Funny how twelve hours earlier I was worried that the Vee would spot us, now I wanted them to.
I moved slowly. Occasionally darting close to them to catch my scent, then backing up enough for them to see and follow me. The slow pace allowed me to gain my focus, not get winded and figure out what I needed to do.
One thing that worried me was the guard on top of the truck. Would he be able to see the Vee heading his way, would he even look? I know they mentioned seeing people cross the overpass… was the road out of their range of sight?
In case it wasn’t, I stayed near the side of the road.
My plan was to get close enough to that truck without being spotted, then make my way quickly into their camp, while bringing the Vee near enough to catch the scent of everyone there.
I didn’t worry or feel guilty about the Vee attacking them. Surely, they’d be able to fight them off. I could and they had weapons.
I just wanted Hannah back and hopefully, they had Edward. I didn’t even want to process the idea that they murdered him in that basket back at the underpass.
Moving at a snail’s pace, I made it just to the edge of the truck, certain, he didn’t spot me. He did however, I assumed, spot the mob of Vee.
He whistled once and called out, “We have trouble.”
He wasn’t looking my way and I raced around the front of the truck to the single lane road into their camp.
Sure enough there was my horse, still attached to the cart. Our belongings, including the red wagon were sprawled out everywhere and Trent along with two others were picking through them.
“What do you see?” Trent, standing above my wagon, asked the man on the truck.
I pulled the Glock and raced his way.
“Hard to count, we have a lot of them headed this way.”
Trent was preoccupied exchanging words with the man on the truck so I took that as my opening.
The moment he moved to walk toward the truck, I aimed the gun.
“Where is she?!” I blasted, arm held out.
He seemed annoyed and waved a couple of his men to go to the truck.
“Well take a look at the second person ever to get out of the pit. Congrats for having bigger balls than I gave you credit. Now if you don’t mind…”
“I do mind. Where is she?”
“I don’t have time for this shit!” he yelled.
“Neither do I! Where is she?”
“Calvin!” Hannah raced down the hillside. Even at a distance I could see her bruised and bloody face. As soon as she got near, Trent reached out, and with a single swat sent her flying back.
“You son of a bitch!”
“What are you gonna do, shoot me?” he asked.
“Give me the girl and I’ll be on my way.”
“She’s better off here, you know it.”
“Oh, yeah she looks it. Come on Hannah.”
“She got out of control. She is still better off here!” Trent yelled. “Diana told me about your dead tag along. You think that’s better for her?”
“Mr. Trent!” someone hollered. “They’re in.”
A scream somewhere in camp rang out.
Hannah again tried to get to me and when Trent reached for her again, I fired.
The bullet didn’t hit him. It hit the ground. He did step back though.
“Let her go!” I shouted and fired and again. I missed.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re a joke,” Trent said.
I fired again.
Trent laughed. “You gonna waste your bullets on me, at least try not to miss those things.”
Another shot. Another miss. My finger stayed on the trigger. I could hear the pandemonium and gunfire; the others were too preoccupied to worry about me.