‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
135
It took Taylor some time to register the screaming. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Get him out of here!” he heard Carlson ordering.
“Tay? We gotta move,” Zac put a hand on his shoulder making him open his eyes again.
“Can you get up?” he registered Isaac on the opposite side for the first time.
He nodded as his brothers took his arms and pulled him up. While he was standing he took in the scene properly for the first time.
A trail of blood led from his shirt and where he’d been laying a few feet back to where Nate was now laying on the ground. Despite his very vivid injury and obvious lack of use of the leg Taylor had attacked, they still needed three officers to pin him down.
“TAYLOR!” he was screaming as he fought.
“Tay?” Isaac’s voice snapped him out of another trance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Taylor’s voice was shaky.
Two SWAT members led the brothers back through the trees toward the vans, Nate’s voice echoing eerily into the darkness. They got about halfway back when Taylor felt Zac tense up.
“What?” he asked instantly.
“Trent,” Zac realised, “he left on foot just before Nate did. He’s gotta still be around here somewhere.”
“Trent’s here?” Isaac looked worried.
Zac was already trying to explain to the SWAT member by his side.
“He was supposed to be watching me when I escaped,” Taylor explained, “I stabbed him with a tranquiliser but it definitely would have worn off by now.”
“Go Tay,” Isaac mused, “two in one night.”
Taylor didn’t want to dwell on how easy he’d found it to be, or how being covered in Nate’s blood didn’t make him at all squeamish.
As they made it back to the clearing Taylor and Zac both froze.
“What is it?” Isaac asked.
“The car’s gone,” Zac looked to the officers again, “there was a car here. Nate drove it back from the gas station. It belonged to the attendant there.”
“I remember,” one of them nodded, “don’t worry, he won’t get far.”
The brothers made it to the back of the one of the vans and all sat side by side in the back. Taylor went to cross his arms over his stomach defensively, but stopped when he felt the wet patch.
“So this could be it,” Zac said out loud, “Bernard’s dead, Nate’s out of commission… if they catch up with Trent, it’s finally over.”
“Only took eight years,” Isaac pulled a face.
“Define ‘over’,” Taylor’s eyes stayed to the ground.
“’Over’ meaning we don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Zac refined.
Taylor remained silent, and Isaac’s brow furrowed.
“What is it?” he asked, trying to catch his eye line.
“Them,” Taylor shrugged, “the keyword. There’s a lot more people involved now.”
“True… which reminds me,” Zac began fishing in his pocket.
Taylor watched curiously before Zac suddenly produced Taylor’s wedding ring. He paused as he stared at it for a moment before cautiously taking it.
“Thank you,” he said softly, holding it in his hand and not moving to put it on at all.
“Get him out of here!” he heard Carlson ordering.
“Tay? We gotta move,” Zac put a hand on his shoulder making him open his eyes again.
“Can you get up?” he registered Isaac on the opposite side for the first time.
He nodded as his brothers took his arms and pulled him up. While he was standing he took in the scene properly for the first time.
A trail of blood led from his shirt and where he’d been laying a few feet back to where Nate was now laying on the ground. Despite his very vivid injury and obvious lack of use of the leg Taylor had attacked, they still needed three officers to pin him down.
“TAYLOR!” he was screaming as he fought.
“Tay?” Isaac’s voice snapped him out of another trance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Taylor’s voice was shaky.
Two SWAT members led the brothers back through the trees toward the vans, Nate’s voice echoing eerily into the darkness. They got about halfway back when Taylor felt Zac tense up.
“What?” he asked instantly.
“Trent,” Zac realised, “he left on foot just before Nate did. He’s gotta still be around here somewhere.”
“Trent’s here?” Isaac looked worried.
Zac was already trying to explain to the SWAT member by his side.
“He was supposed to be watching me when I escaped,” Taylor explained, “I stabbed him with a tranquiliser but it definitely would have worn off by now.”
“Go Tay,” Isaac mused, “two in one night.”
Taylor didn’t want to dwell on how easy he’d found it to be, or how being covered in Nate’s blood didn’t make him at all squeamish.
As they made it back to the clearing Taylor and Zac both froze.
“What is it?” Isaac asked.
“The car’s gone,” Zac looked to the officers again, “there was a car here. Nate drove it back from the gas station. It belonged to the attendant there.”
“I remember,” one of them nodded, “don’t worry, he won’t get far.”
The brothers made it to the back of the one of the vans and all sat side by side in the back. Taylor went to cross his arms over his stomach defensively, but stopped when he felt the wet patch.
“So this could be it,” Zac said out loud, “Bernard’s dead, Nate’s out of commission… if they catch up with Trent, it’s finally over.”
“Only took eight years,” Isaac pulled a face.
“Define ‘over’,” Taylor’s eyes stayed to the ground.
“’Over’ meaning we don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Zac refined.
Taylor remained silent, and Isaac’s brow furrowed.
“What is it?” he asked, trying to catch his eye line.
“Them,” Taylor shrugged, “the keyword. There’s a lot more people involved now.”
“True… which reminds me,” Zac began fishing in his pocket.
Taylor watched curiously before Zac suddenly produced Taylor’s wedding ring. He paused as he stared at it for a moment before cautiously taking it.
“Thank you,” he said softly, holding it in his hand and not moving to put it on at all.