Status: Am still trying to write, but school is keeping me really busy
Hopeless Wanderer
Nine
“Come on. We gotta talk.” He turned his back on me, a sign he knew he held the upper hand, and headed back where Carl was standing. Like an idiot, I followed him with my palms still in the air.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked softly. Terror permeated my question. There was still time to run. I could probably embed my axe in his skull before Carl could get off a shot. Would he chase after me or try to save this man? I flexed my fingers, preparing myself for the worst. I would die before I let anybody else get to me like Pete had. He must’ve sensed the real meaning to my question as he stopped and turned to face me.
“We’re not going to do anything to you. We’re just gonna talk, you got that?” I nodded solemnly while my brain conjured up contingency plans. “Carl, gun down. We have a guest.” He did as he was told but his eyes radiated contempt at me. I’d sure hate to see what this little man would do to somebody who actually crossed him.
“If you’re looking for supplies, I have none. There’s a coat, a water bottle, maybe a foot or two of nylon rope in my pack. That’s all I’ve got.” I found I was less likely to attract human attention if I traveled light.
“We don’t want your crummy stuff,” Carl spat. “Sit down.” I looked behind me to the man. He nodded and motioned for me to sit. “What’s your name?”
“Well, Carl, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not get too personal here. Makes it easier to forget about you. No offense.” Carl shrugged, unphased by my lack of interest in him. So we talked, or rather, the man asked a bunch of questions I just didn’t have answers for until finally I’d had enough of the interrogation.
“Look, we both know there’s not much day left. I have to go out and find shelter for the night. So just tell me where your camp is located so I can go around it tomorrow.”
“How do you know we have a camp?” Carl asked, one hand tipping that oversized sheriff's hat up and out of his eyes.
“You’re gathering wood but there’s no shelter here. It must be somewhere else, but somewhere close. You’re too clean. Too well rested. Too well fed. There’s no way it’s just the two of you roughing it out here in the woods.” The man ran a hand through his thick hair, worry replacing the earlier relatively calm appearance. “Listen, I don’t want your crummy stuff, either. I just want to be left alone.” The man’s hands rubbed his face.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t do that. Like you said, it’s getting dark and I still don’t know if you’re a threat. You can come back with us or I shoot you right here. Your choice.”
“Not much of a choice is it?” He nodded slightly, clearly sorry for what he was doing. It wasn’t a far walk back to a Prius. Then it wasn’t too long a drive before we were driving up a small dirt road towards a prison. Rotters walked up and down the fence, with more slowly coming out of the woods. Fear truly gripped me. “No. No, no, no, please. No,” I begged. My fingers fumbled with the door handle. I’d rather take my chances exiting a car at thirty miles an hour then go in there. I found the latch to unlock the door but not before Carl could climb into the backseat and place a knife at my ribs.
“Don’t even think about moving,” he warned. He must have something awfully precious in there to prefer outright murder over letting me take my slim chances.
“Please don’t make me go in there.” My wish fell on deaf ears. A young asian man and a slightly older woman pulled open the gate so we could drive in. The car stopped and the man got out first.
“Rick! What’s going on?” The man was staring into the window straight at me. I grimaced a bit at Rick’s name. I had preferred Stranger. My hands went to my ears, willing to keep any of the others from becoming permanent. Without names, they were just nightmares.
“No, no, no,” I softly whimpered to myself. Rick opened the door for me, motioning for me to follow. I focused my attention on the heels of his shoes, hoping to avoid any more faces. We entered a cell block. Muffled voices permeated my hand ear muffs. My eyes stayed glued to the back Rick’s feet until he stopped at the other end of the block.
“Home sweet home,” he joked and motioned for me to enter the cell. “Hope you understand. We just don’t know you.” He locked me in. My heart practically stopped.
“Please, Rick. Please keep your friends away from me. You and Carl, only. I don’t want to see or hear the others.” He gave me a strange look. One I understood pretty well. He thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. “Remember, I told you I wouldn’t come here. Maybe now you’ll see that I meant it.” He nodded and promised he would do his best. His footsteps echoed away. I lay down on the cot, hands clamped back in place over my ears, and tried to sleep it out. It took so long for exhaustion to flood the adrenaline out of my system enough to fall asleep. I held onto the hope that maybe I could go in the morning and did everything I could to coax my body out of high alert. I didn’t know really know Rick. He said he wasn’t going to do anything to me. What reason did I have to believe that was true? Here I was, exactly where I didn’t want to be. Trapped inside with a bunch of strangers I never wanted to meet.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked softly. Terror permeated my question. There was still time to run. I could probably embed my axe in his skull before Carl could get off a shot. Would he chase after me or try to save this man? I flexed my fingers, preparing myself for the worst. I would die before I let anybody else get to me like Pete had. He must’ve sensed the real meaning to my question as he stopped and turned to face me.
“We’re not going to do anything to you. We’re just gonna talk, you got that?” I nodded solemnly while my brain conjured up contingency plans. “Carl, gun down. We have a guest.” He did as he was told but his eyes radiated contempt at me. I’d sure hate to see what this little man would do to somebody who actually crossed him.
“If you’re looking for supplies, I have none. There’s a coat, a water bottle, maybe a foot or two of nylon rope in my pack. That’s all I’ve got.” I found I was less likely to attract human attention if I traveled light.
“We don’t want your crummy stuff,” Carl spat. “Sit down.” I looked behind me to the man. He nodded and motioned for me to sit. “What’s your name?”
“Well, Carl, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not get too personal here. Makes it easier to forget about you. No offense.” Carl shrugged, unphased by my lack of interest in him. So we talked, or rather, the man asked a bunch of questions I just didn’t have answers for until finally I’d had enough of the interrogation.
“Look, we both know there’s not much day left. I have to go out and find shelter for the night. So just tell me where your camp is located so I can go around it tomorrow.”
“How do you know we have a camp?” Carl asked, one hand tipping that oversized sheriff's hat up and out of his eyes.
“You’re gathering wood but there’s no shelter here. It must be somewhere else, but somewhere close. You’re too clean. Too well rested. Too well fed. There’s no way it’s just the two of you roughing it out here in the woods.” The man ran a hand through his thick hair, worry replacing the earlier relatively calm appearance. “Listen, I don’t want your crummy stuff, either. I just want to be left alone.” The man’s hands rubbed his face.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t do that. Like you said, it’s getting dark and I still don’t know if you’re a threat. You can come back with us or I shoot you right here. Your choice.”
“Not much of a choice is it?” He nodded slightly, clearly sorry for what he was doing. It wasn’t a far walk back to a Prius. Then it wasn’t too long a drive before we were driving up a small dirt road towards a prison. Rotters walked up and down the fence, with more slowly coming out of the woods. Fear truly gripped me. “No. No, no, no, please. No,” I begged. My fingers fumbled with the door handle. I’d rather take my chances exiting a car at thirty miles an hour then go in there. I found the latch to unlock the door but not before Carl could climb into the backseat and place a knife at my ribs.
“Don’t even think about moving,” he warned. He must have something awfully precious in there to prefer outright murder over letting me take my slim chances.
“Please don’t make me go in there.” My wish fell on deaf ears. A young asian man and a slightly older woman pulled open the gate so we could drive in. The car stopped and the man got out first.
“Rick! What’s going on?” The man was staring into the window straight at me. I grimaced a bit at Rick’s name. I had preferred Stranger. My hands went to my ears, willing to keep any of the others from becoming permanent. Without names, they were just nightmares.
“No, no, no,” I softly whimpered to myself. Rick opened the door for me, motioning for me to follow. I focused my attention on the heels of his shoes, hoping to avoid any more faces. We entered a cell block. Muffled voices permeated my hand ear muffs. My eyes stayed glued to the back Rick’s feet until he stopped at the other end of the block.
“Home sweet home,” he joked and motioned for me to enter the cell. “Hope you understand. We just don’t know you.” He locked me in. My heart practically stopped.
“Please, Rick. Please keep your friends away from me. You and Carl, only. I don’t want to see or hear the others.” He gave me a strange look. One I understood pretty well. He thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. “Remember, I told you I wouldn’t come here. Maybe now you’ll see that I meant it.” He nodded and promised he would do his best. His footsteps echoed away. I lay down on the cot, hands clamped back in place over my ears, and tried to sleep it out. It took so long for exhaustion to flood the adrenaline out of my system enough to fall asleep. I held onto the hope that maybe I could go in the morning and did everything I could to coax my body out of high alert. I didn’t know really know Rick. He said he wasn’t going to do anything to me. What reason did I have to believe that was true? Here I was, exactly where I didn’t want to be. Trapped inside with a bunch of strangers I never wanted to meet.