After tossing the guns into the trailer he jumped back in the Humvee. “Let’s go!”
Both Christopher and Wilbur just stared at him.
“Drive, let’s go!”
“Ah, where?”
“Go straight, then turn left about two blocks. We’ll maneuver through these back streets. We’ll figure it out.”
“Aren’t you worried they’ll send more people after us?” Christopher asked.
“Yes, I am, that’s why I’m asking you to fucking drive. Now go!”
Christopher put the Humvee in gear and stomped on the accelerator.
Nelson had passed out on the floor of the barn from pure exhaustion. Macintosh’s cold, damp muzzle against his face woke him up.
He sat up quickly and saw that it was getting dark outside. He jumped to his feet, brushed off his clothes, and went back to the house.
Inside he found Samantha and Lucy, who had just returned from looking for Haley.
“Hi,” he said to both ladies as he walked in with a sheepish expression on his face.
“What happened to you?” Samantha asked.
“I’m so sorry. I literally passed out in the barn. I went down there looking—”
“You don’t have to defend yourself. I know you were wiped out. Eventually, our bodies just shut down. Remember, I have experience with this stuff,” she said, interrupting him.
“No, Sam, I’m really so sorry that I let you down,” he said somberly.
“Nelson, don’t apologize. It’s this world, this place, me, I don’t know; I wish I did,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Anything new?” he asked.
“Nothing, it’s like she just… vanished into thin air,” Lucy answered.
A car horn blared from outside the house, startling all of them.
Nelson ran to the front window and looked out to see Eric waving from behind the wheel of the old truck.
Samantha jumped up and ran outside. Nelson was close on her heels.
Eric yelled out the window of the truck, “I need you both to come with me now!” Samantha and Nelson slid into the truck without a word as Eric sped off toward the community’s main entrance.
As they drew closer, Nelson could see the large gathering of people outside. Then he spotted a little girl standing in the middle of the fray. “It’s Haley! I see her!”
“Oh my God, they found my little girl. Oh my God, thank you, thank you,” Samantha cried out, looking up toward the sky.
Something wasn’t right, though. Eric wasn’t saying a thing. He just drove and wouldn’t say a word. To Nelson, that was unusual. He’d known Eric long enough to sense when something was wrong. He continued to scan the crowd, trying to identify something out of place.
Eric pulled the truck to a stop just behind Mack’s car and they jumped out.
Mack was standing at the gate with a shotgun pointed at the group. Standing on the other side of the gate with his hands on Haley’s shoulders was Truman.
Samantha’s excitement melted away when she saw who had Haley. “Give me back my daughter!”
Truman smiled and said, “You have a sweet little girl here, so polite and nice. You must be a good mother.”
“Leave her alone! Give her back, she’s just a child!” Samantha screamed.
“I want to give her back, because I wouldn’t be as good as a parent as you would be. You see, I don’t want to hurt her.”
Nelson counted ten in Truman’s group. He looked around for more. If Truman thought anything like him, he’d have people hidden with rifles trained on them.
“If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you! She’s just a little girl!”
“Mommy, I’m scared!” Haley cried out in fear.
“Baby, it will be fine. I’ll get you.”
“Here’s the thing. We have something you want and you have something we want, so how about a trade?”
“What do you want?” Nelson asked.
“Oh, if it isn’t the Peeping Tom!” Truman laughed.
Nelson scrunched his face in confusion.
“I saw you two weeks ago watching us from your little perch in the hills. You think that we’re just some dumb group of hicks! Well, you pegged us wrong.” Truman laughed.
Ignoring Truman’s comment, Nelson asked again, “What is it you want?”
“Here’s the thing. I want something you might not be able to give. I want my brother back!”
“We told you, we don’t—”
“Shut up! We’re not idiots. We know he came here. I already went through this with you.”
“It was an accident!” Samantha lied, hoping a retelling of Raymond’s death would be convincing.
“Samantha, don’t,” Nelson whispered.
“Tell me what happened, blondie,” Truman said.
“He fell down the stairs, he was really drunk and fell down the stairs. We didn’t know what to do so we buried him. We didn’t know anyone was looking for him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this the other day when we stopped by? All of this could have been avoided,” he stated, holding up his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she begged. “We were concerned you’d be angry with us and try to hurt us. I didn’t, um, I tried to help him but he slipped and fell down the stairs and broke his neck.”
“You look like you have a face I can trust. If you say he died by accident, then I’ll collect my brother’s body and leave you all alone.”
Samantha had now boxed herself in. She didn’t know how to backtrack to get Haley back to her safe and sound. She was afraid that if she told him that she had been the one who had killed Raymond, Truman might not return Haley. She just couldn’t take that chance.
“Let me have my daughter and I’ll take you to his grave,” Samantha offered.
“How about we all go together? A little group outing!” Truman laughed.
Nelson reached back on his vest but didn’t feel his pistol. He couldn’t remember where he left it, but not having it made him feel very insecure.
Truman’s offer put Samantha in a bind. She wanted Haley back, but what would happen once he saw Raymond had wounds that countered her story? He would know it wasn’t an accident. She wished she had told him something else and silently cursed herself. Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest and she resisted the urge to vomit.
No one moved. They were all waiting for Samantha to say something and she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want it to escalate into a firefight, because Haley would be in the middle. Her mind raced.
“Well, are you letting me go get my brother’s body?” Truman asked.
“Mommy? I’m scared!” Haley squealed.
Truman bent over and whispered something in her ear. The look of terror that washed across Haley’s face gave everyone an idea of what he must have said.
“Yes, we’ll let you in, but we can’t let you all in!” Nelson shouted.
“I’ll tell you what, me and little Haley here are going to go back to our new home together. I’m sure I have some books to read to her,” Truman said with a vicious grin.
“Truman, please don’t hurt her. We’ll let you get your brother’s body, if that’s all you want. Just give me back my daughter,” Samantha pleaded.
“Little lady, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. My baby brother has been my responsibility since he was a boy. You see, he is or was a bit touched. In other words, he had to take the short bus. I’ve had to do everything for him since our parents weren’t model ones, like yourself. I had to feed him, fight his fights, and stand up for him when he was bullied.”
“Truman, just please let her come to me now, I promise I’ll show you where he is!” Samantha begged.
The commotion had drawn the remaining members of Eagle’s Nest. Many came with guns ready to fight.