Just One More Yesterday

We had been walking for a couple of hours now and had come across nothing but a few places in the snow that potentially could have been footprints but otherwise led to nothing. It felt like with every step that I took the bag on my back was becoming heavier and heavier and I was hurting more and more, if that was even possible. I wasn’t feeling too hot right now either, a result of the inflammation process of the body I was sure. If we didn’t find the guys and get out of the woods before too much longer, as in the next day or two, I was going to have big problems on my hands with infection. The bleeding seemed to have stopped though, and I was going to do everything in my power to prevent either wound from getting dirty.

“How about a short break guys? Charlie, you’re looking pretty white.” Pete said, breaking the long silence that had fallen over us since shortly after we had started walking.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” I agreed, finding a tree to prop up against. “You guys just stay alert.”

“I can’t believe we haven’t come across anything yet. I didn’t feel like we had walked that far, but maybe we did.” Patrick said.

“Well, It’s very easy to get tangled up and turned around out here. You don’t know which direction you came from so we’re out here blind.” I pointed out.

“That’s true. I’m going to have a look around.”

“Are you holding up? You look horrible.” Pete said as we sat down against the tree.

“Thanks, butthole. I love you too.”

He chuckled. “So you love me, huh?”

Great. “It’s just part of the expression.”

“So you don’t love me then?”

Why did I always have to go and dig holes for me to fall face first in? “Let me just say that, I’m pretty sure if we weren’t fighting for our lives and the lives of two others, it would be easy to like you. Not that you would have ever looked twice at me if things hadn’t happened like they have.”

He looked at me as if my words had hit a soft spot. “Believe it or not, I don’t see a lot of girls my age range in my busy life. They are way too young or older bringing their daughters to see us. I very much would have looked twice if we had ever crossed paths. There is no doubt in my mind.”

“Hey, I think I may have found something.” Patrick said as he jogged back over to us.

I was thankful for his return and the subject change because I honestly didn’t know what I would say back to Pete after what he had just said. After I had gotten pregnant and went through that trauma at just thirteen, I didn’t even want a guy speaking to me. Then when I got out of high school, I knew I had to do something with my life so that I could pick up and support myself and Raegan instead of my parents supporting us, so I dedicated my life to college and making the best grades I could and then medical school. Guys hadn’t been on my priority list for a very long time and I felt as if I was just starting to have feelings for guys again and of course, I was starting in the awkward stage.

“What did you find?” I asked Patrick.

“Well, I noticed this strange mark on one tree that I didn’t think looked natural so I just ignored it and went on. But then I found it on several more trees and I think it may be some sort of pathway.”

“Yeah? Let’s check it out.”

I pushed myself up off the ground and Pete and I followed Patrick to the trees he had found. After checking out the marks which looked like they had been carved into the tree, I definitely had to agree that the marks were there for a reason. Whether it was blocking off a trail that might lead us to where Andy and Joe were being held or if they were to mark where someone had been, I figured we might have more luck tracking the marks then just wondering around like we were doing now.

“Let’s see if we can keep following them.”

We set off again in search of the other half of Fall Out Boy and surprisingly we were able to keep following the marks, but had no hits on anything yet. I had dropped back a little from Pete and Patrick, for one because we had fallen silent again and for two because it was getting more difficult to keep up with them. I had a million thoughts running through my head and I wondered what was going on back in town after I had shot two cops earlier today. I wondered what Raegan was doing at her grandparents right now. Knowing her she probably had them taking her out shopping and buying her all things music related. One thing that was for sure, I couldn’t wait to -----

My thoughts were interrupted by an arm wrapping around my neck from behind, much how the cop had done earlier today. He made an attempt to cover my mouth with his hand, but not before I was able to scream out Pete’s name. Him and Patrick turned around quickly and raised their guns.

“You must be the pretty little thing from the police station this morning.” The voice snarled in my ear.

“That’s me.”

“Why are you wanting to cause so much trouble today?”

“I didn’t go looking for trouble but it called me and I’m answering, bitch.”

His grip tightened on my neck and the gun I now realized he had to my head, he pressed harder into the side of my head.

“Now you listen here. You’ve created a shit storm for all of us out of here and you’re going to pay for it. You and your four little faggot friends.”

“Be my guest then. Kill me. I’m not going to stop you.”

My mind was turning as I tried to figure out what to do. I knew a thing or two about self defense because Raegan and I had taken classes not long ago, but I didn’t know If I was in shape enough to do anything with this prick. He had said ‘four’ friends though and there were only two of them out here now so he knew where Joe and Andy were and I wanted to keep him alive so he could take us to wherever they may have been.

“Let go of her now or so help me god, I will blow your fucking head off.” Pete said through clenched teeth as he inched forward towards us, Patrick right behind him but from a different angle.

The guy chuckled. “Well isn’t this cute. Have you made a boyfriend out of one of the fags?”

I was getting really sick of him calling them fags and my boil was starting to boil. I looked at Patrick trying to relay a message to him with my eyes, that he thankfully picked up on. He swung out quickly to the side of where we were standing getting a very clear shot on the guy’s head without putting me in any kind of danger. Patrick’s movement spooked the idiot and he moved the gun away from my head to aim at Patrick and that was exactly what I wanted. Despite the pain, I turned my body enough so that I could ram my elbow into the guy’s face. He released his grip around my neck and I spun around, grabbing his arm he was holding the gun with. I drove my foot hard between his legs and by that point Pete and Patrick had made it to us which I was thankful for. I fell to the ground and curled up into a ball, praying for the pain to stop.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” Pete asked as he knelt down beside me.

“I’m okay. Just fucking hurting.”

“You’re bleeding again.”

I leaned up and saw that blood had leaked through to the outside of my thick hunting clothes. “Fuck.”

I laid my head back down and concentrated on breathing before I even thought about what to do with the bleeding. Pete beat me to it though, digging some gauze out of his bag and pressing it down firmly against my stomach. I let out a scream of pain, muffling the noise quickly by biting the sleeve of my jacket.

“I’m sorry. I know it hurts. Just breathe.” Pete said softly.

I laid on the ground for about five minutes listening to Patrick arguing with our hostage. Daylight was fading fast and darkness would definitely bring an increased risk for danger since we seemed to be nearing their territory which they knew and we didn’t. I had a feeling we weren’t far and I had another feeling we would probably have a fight on our hands when we got to where we were going.

“Let’s go.” I said as I picked myself up off the ground. “Patrick, keep your gun on the asshole and watch your sides. Pete, walk with your back to us and watch from that direction. I’ll lead and watch our front. Now, for each question we ask that you don’t answer, you get a bullet. Your fate is in your hands. Despite you trying to kill me I’m willing to let you live so we can get what we are after. With that being said, which direction do we need to go to find our guys?”

“Straight.” He said with a shaky voice now that the tables had turned.

“Alright. That wasn’t hard was it? Now, how far are we?”

“Not far.”

“I’ll take that.”

My adrenaline started to surge as we started walking again, knowing that we weren’t that far from Andy and Joe. This night was going to end very badly for some people and unfortunately for whoever got in my way, it wasn’t going to end badly for me today.