Inhuman - Book 1 Page 19

  Once I was done cutting down the last tree we required, I stripped all the branches off so it could be used as part of the frame. Next, we had to collect the leafiest branches we could find to cover it with. I checked my watch – 1:53pm.

  I turned to Olivia. “It’s almost two, so I’m gonna head to the lake. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

  “Yeah, I guess the time just slipped by. We’ve been so busy.”

  As I walked away she playfully remarked, “I can’t eat that stuff you’re calling jerky anymore.”

  I wanted to give some recognition of her humor, but something was on my mind. I was thinking about to point she’d made about Sacramento, and continued to dwell on it along the way.

  This whole time I’ve been out in the sticks wandering around areas with twenty or more miles in between towns and less than a thousand residents in each one.

  Once I get close to Sacramento I’ll be dealing with overpopulated areas… With people who had a lot more money.

  That means people with arsenals, masses of ammunition and countless hours spent at the shooting range or hunting.

  Probably won’t even last a fucking day.

  And I was responsible for them. Well not really, but I’d decided to be. I felt the need to ensure that Nina got to grow up, and that Olivia was there to see it. And I knew it was mainly because of what happened to my family – that it wasn’t because solely because I cared. In reality, I was doing it for myself – for my own conscience. I’d figured that out days ago…

  As usual, I took my shoes off, rolled up my pants and waded out into the water. It was cold, but since I only got wet from the waist down and could quickly get back to a fire it wasn’t all that bad. The worst part was forcing myself in for the first time. After a minute or so when my body acclimated it was almost refreshing – almost.

  Right as I threw the line out for the third time, I heard a single shot that was definitely close enough to have come from our camp site. My first thought – something like a wolf or a bear wandered around.

  I dropped the line in the water and rushed to the bank, put my shoes back on, grabbed my rifle and started running back.

  That definitely sounded like the revolver I gave Olivia…

  As I ran, other scenarios came to mind. Bad and good… Could it be people? Or maybe something like a deer came around. There might be fresh meat waiting for me.

  I had no idea, so I just kept running. Although, only hearing one shot led me to believe it had something to do with the wildlife – not other people coming around.

  Just when I started to relax a bit, I heard another shot, followed by a man’s voice. “I know you’re close by, Chris! If you don’t come out now, I’ma kill your little whores!”

  It only took a few words for me to recognize the voice… And he said my name… It was, without a doubt, Auron’s son, Jeff.

  It has to be.

  He’d never left the back of my mind, but I never actually thought he’d find me. A part me also believed that with a little time to think, he would have realized that I wasn’t the one to blame.

  And again, I was suffering the consequences of not listening to the warnings from my own subconscious…

  I was getting close, so I slowed down, hoping to get a look at the situation before he knew I was there. Another shot rang out.

  “You got ten seconds, otherwise one of these poor girls is gonna die! Maybe I’ll do the little one first – shoulda known a guy like you would want em young!”

  He has me…

  All I can do is give myself up and hope he’ll set them free.

  I spared him because of what happened. I understood why he blamed me for Auron’s death – why he was inconsolable and so full of hatred… but he’d gone too far. I’d already decided, for Olivia and Nina’s safety, that I’d have to kill him if I got the chance.

  I’m not gonna get the chance though… because he has me.

  I let out a deep sigh. “Guess this is it” I said aloud, fully expecting to have to trade my life for theirs.

  I slid my rifle around my back, put my hands up and made my way through the brush and into view. The moment he saw me, he threw Olivia to the ground and yelled, “Stay back, bitch! And don’t move or I’ll put one right in the side of your head!”

  Once I saw him standing there pointing a gun at me, my stomach turned and my heart went crazy. It was the fear of knowing that I had to face what was happening and take the chance that he’d just leave after he killed me – that I wasn’t going to get a chance to shoot him and save myself.

  I pleaded, “Please don’t hurt them! They have nothing to do with me. I just helped them escape some-”

  He didn’t even let me finish. “I don’t give a shit! I’m doing the talkin’ today and, if you go for that gun, I swear to fuckin’ god I’ll kill them after I shoot you!”

  I wanted to say, “This isn’t what Auron would want!” and it was true, but I knew it was a terrible idea to bring up his father so I just stayed quiet.

  He stood there, looking around like he was trying to figure out what to do next… He didn’t plan this out – he’s still in a blind rage. There’s no talking to him, just like when I had to tie him up.

  “So you care about these two, huh? Obviously enough to die for them! And don’t worry you will, but first-”

  I thought – He wants to hurt me like he thinks I hurt him.

  He walked over to Olivia and began kicking her in the side, smiling the whole time. I did my best to obey him, but when he leaned down and punched her in the face as hard as he could I started to run over.

  He had his gun back on me in the blink of an eye. “Don’t you fuckin’ move!”

  My feet dug into the ground as I came to a violent stop.

  “You don’t like it when someone you care about gets hurt do you?” He laughed and then excitably asked, “How about when one of them dies?”

  It’s not just mad at me… he’s lost his shit.

  I have to try and kill him.

  He’s gonna fucking kill her to spite me.

  While Jeff continued to scream at me and threaten them, I saw Olivia waving her hand at me. When I looked at her, she patted the side of her leg. At first I didn’t know what she was trying to tell me, but it didn’t take long to hit me… She has the revolver. She probably wants me to distract him so she could actually get it out.

  As Jeff ranted he paced back and forth, constantly glancing back at them – never giving her a chance.

  Even though it practically begged for him to shoot me, I moved forward again to gain his undivided attention. He lunged forward, brought up his rifle and fired a shot without hesitation. “I told you not to move!”

  I felt the familiar pressure and intense burning in my left thigh, just a few inches above my knee cap. I did my best to stay on my feet, but found it to be impossible. Jeff laughed and kept the gun on me as I limped over to the nearest tree so I could hold myself up.

  “If you just listened to me you wouldn’t have that bullet in your leg, dumb-fuck!” Jeff shrugged sarcastically and then said, “Actually, I lied… I was planning on doing that anyway, you sack of shit!”

  Without turning back, he addressed Olivia. “You know this is actually the second time I shot your little boyfriend over there. Third time’s gonna be the killer!” He started laughing hysterically, to the point where he almost dropped his rifle.

  He really has lost his mind.

  Jeff strolled over, meaning to taunt me, and began throwing his rifle back and forth between both hands. The fourth time, he dropped it and it went off. Without much of a reaction, he picked it up and continued laughing. His eyes bulged and his brow was covered in sweat. His smile was so wide that I could see almost all of his teeth.

  Should I just go for it?

  He’s fuckin’ crazy.

  What he said next made me feel a little better. “You see, if I killed them, I’d be a piece of shit murderer just like you, Chris!”


  When I looked past him, I saw that Olivia was slowly getting up and pulling the revolver out of her belt line.

  In order to keep his attention, I screamed, “Well then just kill me and let them go! Don’t be like me!”

  He stopped, raised his rifle and said, “Not gonna hit your shoulder or your leg this time, Chris.”

  I closed my eyes and prepared myself. Then I heard the shot. It came so quickly that I was sure he’d shot me and, for a moment, I felt like I was being freed.

  When I realized that I was still conscious, I only suspected that he didn’t shoot me in the head – that he just missed because he’s so erratic and enraged. I waited to feel the heat from another bullet somewhere in my body, but it never came. I could only feel the pain in my thigh.

  When Olivia called out my name, I opened my eyes just in time to see Jeff falling to the ground. I watched in disbelief as she ran up, clutched the revolver with both hands and fired a single, precise shot into his head – execution style.

  Looks like she’s done that before. She barely even hesitated – I thought as I fell to my ass and clutched the part of my thigh where the bullet hit. I could already feel that my pant leg was wet with blood.

  Olivia rushed over and made me take the rifle off from around my back. Then she unhooked the strap and said, “I know it’s cold, but you’re gonna have to take your pants off – we’ve gotta get that out.”

  After I did as she said, she tightly wrapped the rifle-strap around my thigh just above the wound. When she pushed on my leg to help tighten the belt even more so, I let out a groan. “Sorry, but I had to.”

  “I know, I know.” I sighed and cleared my nose, knowing what the next step was. “Fuck. Just use my knife I guess.” I handed it to her and leaned back so I could look at the trees and the sky. I knew it was going to really hurt – probably like nothing I’d ever experienced.

  I felt her grab my leg to steady it – she let go. “Oh shit, I need to sterilize it! Um…” She looked around and then panned back to me. She softly said, “I’m gonna have to use the fire.”

  I couldn’t help but raise my voice when she gave me the news. “So the blade’s gonna be burning hot too? Fuck me… sounds about right.”

  I could see the pity in Olivia’s eyes as she said, “Sorry” and then walked over and held the blade in the flames.

  After a few seconds I snapped, “Okay, okay! I don’t think you have to make the damn thing glow!”

  Fuck. I wish he’d just shot me in the head and left…

  “Hey! You’re the one who gave me a lecture about infection leading to death – remember?”

  I leaned my head back again. “Alright, alright, just hurry up and do it.”

  I tried to drift away, but as soon as she put her ice-cold hand on my leg again I came right back. Then I felt the heat of the blade adding to the already horrible amount of pain. She wasn’t wasting any time at all.

  I tensed up and dug my fingers into the ground. I gasped and yelled out as she really started digging in. “Jesus – what the fuck – fuck – holy shit!”

  My body was straining so severely that it seemed like my muscles were going to tear at any moment. Within seconds, my arms gave out and I fell to my back writhing in agony, though I managed to keep my leg somewhat still.

  It was worse than I imagined – much worse. I couldn’t even tell what she was doing anymore. It just burned in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. That’s why I was so happy when I began to feel dizzy and noticed it slightly numbing the pain. In my head, I was begging to black out...

  When I finally heard her say, “I got it!” I’d never been so relieved. My heart was racing and I was breathing like I just ran for an hour, but it was over. The intensity of the pain was quickly fading back to the original level.

  Wow.

  Fuck… me.

  I tried to think of something positive to take my mind off of it – If anything, I think it’s good that she burned it. That’ll really help it not become infected.

  Olivia dropped the knife and helped me back over by the fire. Nina was hiding in the shelter. I could just barely see her backed into the shadows – watching. I did my best to smile and then gave her a little wave… She’s probably too old to fall for that shit… But I tried anyway.

  It wasn’t long before panic came over me again – I remembered that I dropped the line in the water. “Olivia, I know it sounds crazy but you have to go to the lake and get my line. I dropped it in the water right near the bank – you’ll see a big patch of dug up ground right where I was.”

  She stopped me. “What the hell are you talking about? A fishing line? Just make another one!”

  I shook my head. “You don’t understand – I can’t. I can make more hooks but I have nothing else to use for a line except our shoe laces. And I already sacrificed the strap for my other rifle. You gotta go get it. I’ll be fine. You can’t do anything else for me anyway.”

  She said, “Fuck” under her breath and ran over to Nina. “I’ll be right back, don’t worry.”

  “Wait! Bring me the rifle, just in case.”

  She went over and picked it up, stopping before she got about a foot away. “I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but when I get back you’d better explain what the fuck just happened!”

  “I will, I promise – you’ll understand when I tell you the story. Just please go, it’s probably already floated pretty far away.”

  Her eyes narrowed with mistrust before she handed me the rifle and then took off running through the trees. I thought – Now my leg? If she can’t find it we are truly fucked.

  I panned over and saw Nina, still hiding in the darkness of the shelter. Her hands were barely coming out into the light and her ice-blue eyes were burdened with intense fear.

  “Don’t worry, Nina, she should be back in like five minutes. Everything’s going to be fine. Why don’t you come out and warm up by the fire?”

  I knew she wouldn’t. And I thought about really trying to talk to her – that maybe I might get a response if I stopped treating her like a baby. But it wasn’t my place and I really couldn’t understand the kind of trauma she endured.

  She probably just needs more time. She’s young and it hasn’t been very long… and I’m sure that fact that I’m a man doesn’t help…

  Within a few minutes, I could hear (who I hoped was) Olivia approaching, roughly cutting through the vegetation. I repositioned myself so I could aim toward the noise, just in case.

  As soon as she ran up, she went over to Nina. “See, right back.” She looked over at me. “We have to clean that and wrap it up somehow.”

  I shrugged. “I think there’re still some old t-shirts in my bag.” Then inched closer to the fire. The pain was really starting to set in and my pants were still off so I didn’t need to start shivering too.

  Olivia came back over with one of the shirts. After closely inspecting the wound, she poured water on it and did her best to wash it out. As she began wrapping it, she glanced up at me – smirking ever so slightly. “Oh yeah. So… is this really the second time that guy shot you? Which you need to start explaining by the way, because whatever you did almost got us killed.”

  Just as she finished her last sentence, she pulled tight on the shirt and I let out a groan. “Jesus, I’m gonna tell you! What the hell? Come on, that’s not funny!”

  She smiled innocently. “It’s supposed to be really tight.”

  It actually managed to make me laugh a little. “Uh huh. Well anyway, yeah, it’s the second time… Believe it or not.”

  She stared at me for several seconds and then threw her hands up. “Well?”

  Just like with Auron, I laid out the whole story, from the moment I shot that boy, to the moment I left Jeff tied up in that bed. I even told her about the egg and strip of Bacon. But I didn’t talk too much about Auron. He was another sensitive subject.

  I still wish I could have gotten to know him better...

  Olivia
sighed and brought her hands to her hips. “That’s really sad. I could see him blaming you at first out of anger, but not after all this time… he must have just snapped from being alone too.”

  “I’m definitely lucky to be alive.”

  When’s that shit gonna run out?

  Again, I noticed her smirking, and she said, “That reminds me. That’s twice that I saved your ass now.” She leaned her head forward mockingly.

  I let out a sharp laugh through my nose. “Yeah that’s right. If I didn’t bring you back with me, he probably would have just taken me out while I was sitting by the fire or something. I guess sometimes things just work out like that.”

  She turned her sights to the sky. “You know, now that I think about it, it’s almost like we were actually meant to save each other. I know it sounds stupid but, really, think about it. You saved two people and then they saved you. I mean, you’d definitely be dead if not for me… Strange, huh?”

  “Yeah, strange.”

  Following an awkward pause, she said, “Hey, so I really don’t want to eat that deer jerky unless I have to, and neither does Nina. You’re fine if I take her to the lake with me and try and catch a fish, right?”

  I waved her off. “Yeah, go. I don’t wanna eat that crap either and, like I said – there’s nothing more you can do for me. I just have to sit here until I can get around again.”

  Olivia began trying to coax Nina out of the shelter. When Nina refused, she turned back to me as if she believed I might be able to help. “She’s still scared.”

  How could she not be? That guy was acting like a fucking lunatic…

  What the hell could I possibly do or say to make her feel better?

  Are you serious, lady?

  I decided to give it a shot anyway – due to feeling guilty in general. “Nina, that man wanted to hurt me and he knew I was coming here. No one else knows. Not a soul. Nothing like that will happen again. You have my word.”

  Olivia added, “Remember what he did for us? We can trust him, Nina.”

  But you can’t fucking depend on me…

  To my surprise, Olivia reached her hand out again and Nina took it. I wasn’t sure whether it had something to do with what I said, but I was happy to know she was at least comfortable enough to come out.