Mavis walked toward the tractors, paused then held out her hand to him.
He laced his fingers through her. “I knew you would sway them.”
“I’m glad one of us did.” She squeezed his hand then jogged along the road.
They rounded the green and yellow tractor and stopped.
People carried bundles in their arms and sang about unbroken circles. Young and old, dark haired and white, men and women, girls and boys. Brother Bob hung from the open door of a snow plow, conducting them. Trucks pulling animal trailers brought up the rear. Sick, coughing people crammed the beds of some, bungee cords strapped blue tarps across others.
The Marines formed an orderly queue, carrying the heavier bundles as they helped the survivors into the backs of the personnel carriers. As she’d ordered earlier, the servicemen allowed the people to separate into their own groups.
The snowplow belched black smoke as it stopped. Two young men hopped aboard the John Deeres and backed them down a driveway.
No sooner had they cleared than Brother Bob strode toward them with his hand outstretched. “Doctor Spanner, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Mavis shook his hand with her free one. “You were worth waiting for. Are you sure you wish to leave behind members of your flock?”
“Noticed that did you?” Brother Bob offered his hand to David. “Twenty-seven folks remained, hard-headed relatives of some of the town’s founders. There’s a few mine shafts they can hide in, plus they wanted to help those who follow you.”
David shook the man’s hand. “I’m glad you made it.”
“We would have been here sooner but it took about twenty minutes for me to remember what I did with the keys to ol’ Bertha.” Brother Bob pointed to the snowplow. “My old bones tell me we’re going to be blessed with snow all the way to Colorado.”
Blessed was not the word David would use. Still, it might not be so bad with Bertha clearing the road.
“Would you like to ride with us in the Humvee or would you prefer to ride with the others?” Mavis practically glowed with happiness.
“I always wanted to ride in one of those.” Brother Bob winked at her and offered his arm. “Besides, now I can grill you on how you plan to help us survive.”
Grill Mavis. Good luck with that. David reluctantly released her hand. The Doc would reveal her plans in her own time. Anyone who tried to find out beforehand just ended up with a headache. He’d watched Lister chew his way through half a bottle already.
“I’d be glad to, Brother Bob.” Mavis’s eyes twinkled. “And I really hope you’ll consider being one of my advisors.”
“Well, I don’t know…” Brother Bob rubbed his chin.
Damn, she was already at work. David secured her in the vehicle then climbed behind the wheel. Rogers jumped in the passenger seat as he started the engine.
Mavis pulled her laptop off the floor and opened it. “Sergeant-Major, I’d appreciate it if you could inform the General of our current status.”
“With pleasure.” A snowplow, Brother Bob and survivors. Lister was going to be eating crow at the Doc’s success. Perhaps things had finally turned in their favor.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The scream ripped from Audra’s throat and flew past her lips. Blood pounded through her veins. Had she finally lost her mind? Was she seeing a ghost? There was only one way to know. She leaped forward and poked Tina the Teacher’s Assistant. “I thought you were dead.”
Audra encountered soft flesh and warmth. She wrapped her arms around her friend and felt the wetness on her cheeks.
Tina hugged her back. Black hair slipped out the braid running down her back. “You’re not the only one.”
Audra held her away. “How did they miss? I saw you fall then that odious cretin planted his foot on you like he was on some African safari.”
Inserting her finger in her left ear, Tina wiggled it. “They fired next to my head then pushed me down.” She turned around, showing the dusty footprint on her jacket. “This was to hold me down.”
It had been an illusion. Audra rubbed the red marks on her wrists. Well, not all of it. “What do you suppose it means?”
Tina turned her head so her good ear faced Audra. “That they want their women alive.”
Becky, the high school student, wrapped her arm around her waist and shivered in her jeans and tee-shirt. “They’re going to rape us.”
Nodding, the two teenagers next to her sobbed. By the light of the bare bulb hanging from the exposed rafters, Audra watched the bleak reality settle over the faces of the ten women. Friends or newcomers, it was her duty to protect them. Lead them. She drew herself up to her full five seven. “No they won’t. We’re getting out of here.”
She scanned the small room. Bare wood. Jagged nails on dark studs. Wind whistled through the gaps around the door, ripped off the peeling green paint. She acknowledged two shiny brass deadbolts and their keyless locks. No way out there.
Rose print curtains dry rotted where they hung from a drooping black rod. Curtains! She squeezed Tina’s shoulders then released the young Asian and slipped through the group. Curtains meant windows. And windows meant an exit.
Audra flung them open and coughed on the cloud of dust. White bars molded around the frame. Maybe they could be loosened. She slapped open the latch and shoved up the sash. Her arms trembled but the stupid thing didn’t move.
“It’s painted shut.” Tina ran her finger over the green wood.
Audra rubbed the glass with her sleeve. Grime smeared across the pane and turned the Kelly green fabric gray. Snow gathered on the brown leaves of the overgrown hedge.
“Do you see them?” Tina rose on her toes as if to peer around the plant.
Following her friend’s example, Audra tried to see over the top. Nothing doing. “All I can see is the bush.”
The muffled sobs continued.
Like crying helped anything. She clapped her hands, waited until everyone faced her. “Alright ladies. Let’s look around and see if we can find any weapons.”
Not that she held out much hope. Her gut was telling her their kidnappers were experience in abductions. She swallowed despite her dry throat. Now that was a depressing thought, especially as there was no one else here but the women who had traveled with her.
Had they raped and killed their previous victims?
Or worse?
She shook her head, clearing it of speculation. Paralyzing herself with fear wouldn’t help anyone and these women needed her, depended on her. Fisting her hands, she set them on her hips. She would not disappoint them again.
“The walls are bare, Missus S.” Becky bit her lip.
Audra squeezed her cold hand. At least the high schooler wasn’t crying. “What about those nails?” She grasped hold of the rusted metal. It slipped through her damp fingers. Gritting her teeth, she wiggled it back and forth.
“What good is a nail going to do?” One of the girls collapsed to the ground and hugged her knees.
Tina focused on the nail.
Sighing, Audra sunk to the ground and set her hand on the girl’s knee. Blond hair hung from the two inches of brown roots. Mud clung to her purple Van’s and the hem of her DKNY jeans. Free of make-up, her smooth cheeks and four pimples put her age around fourteen or fifteen. Not much older than Audra’s students. The bastards were pedophiles. “What’s your name?”
“Cindy.” The girl hiccoughed. Blood pooled around her thumbnail where the French tip had been destroyed.
“Well, Cindy.” Audra swept the girl’s bangs out of her green eyes. “A nail can kill.”
Doubt wrinkled Cindy’s brow. “How?”
Audra stuffed a brittle leaf between her index and middle finger, forming a fist with it sticking out. “When your attacker gets close.” And the bastards would, as they would no doubt rape the women they’d selected. “You shove it into their eye.” She punched the air, then with her free hand caught the leaf and held it. “Then hammer it home with the base of your palm.”