I Hope You Find Me (32 page)

The whole area was weirdly quiet, not even
birds chirped from the trees. I hoped it would take a while before
the others realized I was gone. I slowly approached the door of the
back porch, straining to see inside the windows. It wasn't locked.
Once inside, I pulled the gun from my waist band, and moved quickly
through the rooms on the lower level, holding my arms out in front
of me...just like Fin had taught me. The sound of a car door
closing led me to the lobby. The open door flooded the entry way
with yellow sunlight and I recognized two voices out front...Bobby
and Alan.

I slipped unseen around the waist-high
counter and moved behind it, hunched forward until I could see out
one of the front windows. The two men were loading a truck with
bags and boxes. Bobby's hunting rifle was still slung over his
shoulder and his face was such a dark crimson I was sure his blood
pressure was going to blow his head clear off his pudgy neck. Alan
looked no better; his glasses were missing and his greasy hair was
stringy and plastered to his head with sweat. The dirty jeans he
wore hung off his bony hips, exposing naked parts of his backside
that I cringed upon seeing. Matt wasn't with them.

A string of curse words went through my head
while I squatted and leaned against the smooth surface of the
check-in counter, letting the coolness of the particle board chill
the hot skin of my back. The thumping sounds of Bobby's boots
vibrated through the floorboards and I tried to flatten myself
against the counter, hoping they didn't have a reason to look
behind it.

Alan's raspy voice spoke from just above my
head. “He's fucking crazy, man. You know that, right?”

“Shut up.” Bobby said tersely.

Something heavy banged onto the counter and I
jumped, biting down on the tip of my tongue. A strong odor filled
my nostrils, and I clasped a hand over my mouth to keep from
gagging.
Gasoline
.

“Just saying. He's fucking lost it, man.”
Alan squeaked, his voice a manic mixture of terror and
excitement.

“
Boy, you better shut your mouth. We ain't
got time!
” Bobby hissed under his breath.

Oh my god
, I thought to myself,
what are they planning on doing?
Something metallic banged
against one of the nearby walls and I jumped again. My foot slid
out from under me and the sole of my shoe made a small squeak
against the polished floor. I pressed myself into the flimsy
particle board even harder, pain shooting into my shoulder blades.
The swish of liquid splashed onto the top of the counter and
cascaded over the side. Fat drops of gasoline dripped onto my
shoulder and I attempted to lean away from it, horrified.

“That's enough in here; it'll burn.” Bobby
said, before throwing something against the wall.

A rusty red can rolled along the ground into
my view and my stomach lurched. When the sounds of their feet left
the room I stood up and turned, ready to bolt out the back door,
but stood face to face with Matt instead.

***

He seemed just as surprised to see me as I
was to find him standing in the middle of the lobby, his arms
holding a large plastic crate full of canned food. Without
hesitating, I raised the gun up level to his chest and pulled the
trigger. Nothing happened.

“Shit!”

Matt took a step toward me, the sinister look
in his eyes betraying the smile that curled his pale lips
upward.

“Don't move!” I barked at him. The safety, I
had left the damn safety on.

I inched around the counter, trying to fumble
the safety switch off while keeping my eyes on Matt. When the
hallway was behind me, I turned to run, and made it barely five
feet before slipping in a puddle of fuel and landing on my back.
The air expelled from my lungs like a popped balloon as dark stars
filled my vision.

A dull pain exploded through my right wrist
as a tremendous pressure squeezed down on my hand and fingers,
grinding them together. I tried to move my arm, but it was pinned
to the ground by Matt's boot. I groaned in agony and released my
grip on the pistol.

“Good girl.” Matt said from above me.

The room spun as he lifted his foot and
yanked me up to a standing position. Toxic fumes filled my nose,
and something sweet...Matt's breath. I wasn't sure what would make
me pass out first: the gasoline that was dumped all over the room
or the alcohol vapors escaping from his mouth.

“
Let...go...of me
.” I struggled to
talk as he slammed me against the wall, and held me there with his
hand around my throat.

“
What were you going to do with your
little gun, Riley?
” He hissed in my ear.

“Let
go
.”

No matter how hard I pulled and pushed on his
arm, it wouldn't budge. When he started digging his fingers deeper
into my throat I began to panic and thrashed against the wall, too
aware of how close his face was to mine.

“Stop fighting, you can't get away.” He said
flatly.

No longer able to speak, I lifted a knee
upwards as hard as I could, striking his left knee cap. He cursed
and reciprocated by punching me in the stomach. My abdomen
tightened in knots and the pain brought bile up my throat. I
thought I was going to die from choking on my own vomit until
Alan's shaky voice came from the front door.

“What the hell?”

“Go away.” Matt snapped, without turning to
look at Alan.

“What are you
doing
, man?”

“I said go the fuck
away
!”

Matt turned just enough to change the angle
of his stance, and I tried again to slam my knee into his groin,
but banged into his inner thigh instead.
Not close
enough
.

“
Bitch!
”

Spittle flew from his lips as he slammed me
against the wall, removing his hand just long enough for me to suck
in one ragged breath before he shoved his arm against my chest,
once again pinning me to the wooden paneling. A piece of molding
broke off the wall behind me and clamored with a crash at my
feet.

Able to breathe, I drew air in greedily, my
lungs hungry for oxygen. A zipping sound came from below me and I
snapped my head up. Matt was tugging at the front of my jeans with
his free hand.

“
No
.” I squeaked, my voice barely
audible.

“Shut up. You know you want it.” I felt the
fumble of his hand between us, and he managed to undo the button
before shoving the top of my underwear down with his
fingertips.

“
No, please stop
.” Tears streamed down
my cheeks and left dark spots on his sleeve as I thrashed
frantically under his arm.

“Matt!” Bobby's voice boomed from outside.
“They're coming man, gotta go!” The sound of a car door slammed
shut and an engine roared to life.

Matt leaned against me, cursing. His unshaven
face scraped my cheek and I heard the sound of his zipper close.
Tears flowed freely from my eyes with relief.
They're
coming
. I told myself.
Connor and Fin...Jacks...they'll stop
them
. When Matt released me, he gave me a hard shove away from
him and even though my body was stiff and sore, I rushed at the
doorway and almost made it outside when a sudden heavy weight
spread over the back of my head and a sharp pain rang through my
ears. The last thing I saw was the light from outside shrinking
into a far-away tunnel. And then...only darkness.

***

Connor cursed himself as he sprinted up
the path behind Fin. No one knew where Jacks and Ana were...big
surprise there.
What the hell was Riley thinking? Taking off
with the cart. What was she planning on doing to Matt by herself?
Fin slid on the trail ahead of him and he almost crashed into
the burly man.

“
Damn, Fin!” Connor yelled.

Zoey rushed past them, kicking up dust
clouds with her small lab-spaniel feet. Kris and Winchester were
somewhere behind them on the trail but he might as well have been
in the whole damn woods alone. He had one thought.
Where was
she?
As they rounded the last bend and the lawn opened up in
front of them, Fin sprinted the incline easily putting ten,
fifteen, twenty feet between them. Zoey yelped and barked at the
side of the building, like something spooked her, and she ran in a
wide arc away from the shrubbery that lined the wooden
structure.

The damn shade tree on the lawn was blocking
his view. Fin was already off the grassy area and running after the
dog. As Connor passed underneath the giant oak he saw why she
feared the building. The entire south side of the lodge was
engulfed in a massive wall of flames.

“
Oh fuck!” He panted.

He could hear Kris cry out behind him, but
he kept running. The dog and Fin had rounded the front of the lodge
and were out of sight. He ran up the drive way, just as they had,
putting plenty of room between himself and the fire which had
quickly spread to the roof.

“
Riley!” He screamed her name at the
lodge.

He heard the screech of tires peeling out
away from the lodge, heading towards the long gravel driveway that
led to the highway. Zoey was in hot pursuit, barking madly at the
truck as it rapidly shrank in size. He jumped when Fin ran at him
from his left, from the front of the building.

“
They torched it!” He exhaled loudly, and
waved his arms in the direction of the fleeing truck. “They took
her!” Fin bent forward, leaning into his knees and heaved.

“
What?” Connor stared at him, not
understanding.

“
They took her!” Fin stood and pointed
down the driveway. The truck seemed to slow before turning to the
right and then it was gone. “Did you hear me? That asshole has
Riley!” The veins in Fin's forehead popped out and he cursed,
kicking up a cloud of dust.

“
How do you know?”

“
Damn it Connor. I saw Matt carry her, and
put her in the back seat!” Fin swore a string of curse words into
the sky.

Connor bolted for his truck and slid to a
stop half way there. “Oh Jesus.” He spun around and collided into
Fin's chest. “I don't have the keys. They're at the cabin.”

“
God damn it!” Fin screamed.

“
Fin!” Connor ran over to Riley's Jeep and
peered inside, looking for keys. Nothing. “Search the other cars!”
He yelled.

Winchester ran up behind them,
“Skip's...take Skip's truck!”

Fin ran up to the passenger side and banged
his hands down on the roof, “Yes! Keys! Let's go!” Connor pushed
him aside and pointed for him to drive. He knew the roads better.
Connor whistled out the passenger window when he saw the black dog
and the dust that enveloped her like a cloudy aura rushing back to
them. Fin slowed to a crawl and after pulling Zoey up into the cab,
the tires spun, kicking up dirt and small rocks as Fin floored the
old Chevy up the driveway.

In the side mirror, Connor looked at the
reflection of the lodge. Fire flicked at the glass from inside the
lobby. Dark smoke poured out in coils from under the roof, which
meant the fire had spread to the second floor. Before he looked
away, he saw Winchester and Skip pulling a garden hose out and
aiming it at the front door. It was no use. Connor knew it was
hopeless.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Mommy? Mommy, wake up.

Baby, it's too early. Go back to bed.

Mommy? I had a bad dream, can I sleep with
you? Please?

Shannon, you slept with Mommy last
night...remember?

Mommy…please?

Mommy, wake up. Wake up!

My eyes fluttered open. “
I'm...awake.
”
I groaned, bringing my hands to the back of my head. They came back
wet with bright red blood. “What?” I blinked, but my eyes wouldn't
open all the way.

“Dude, she's awake!”

I bristled, trying to focus on the bright
light with flying shadows above my head. “Where...?” I tried to sit
up, but a hand pushed me down. And then I remembered. Matt slamming
me against the wall. Matt choking me. Something hitting the back of
my head. And then what? I couldn't remember how I got wherever I
was.

Rubber squealed and I slid into something
hard. A door. A car door. I tried to sit up again, this time
kicking at the soft person that sat near my feet. I was able to
right myself and flattened my back into the small cab window. Not a
car, a truck. The shadows outside were trees. And we were shooting
past them at speeds I was sure not even the local highway patrol
had ever matched on the winding high-elevation road.

Alan sat to my left, smashed up against his
own car door, watching me with horror. I wasn't sure if I should
kick him or Matt, who was driving. Bobby turned around from the
front passenger seat and poked at me with the end of his rifle.

“Don't try anything, sweetheart. Be a good
passenger now.”

His red face was covered in a layer of sweat
and he smelled foul, like he had soiled himself. I brought my knees
up to my chest and opened my mouth to speak.

“Stop, stop and let me out. I'll walk back.
You can just...leave.” Only a whisper of my voice was left.

Bobby looked over at Matt, who was driving so
wildly that the tires repeatedly went off the asphalt and tore
along the narrow dirt shoulder. A low hanging tree branch hit the
passenger side of the truck and I flinched. If he kept driving like
this, he was going to kill us all.

“At least slow down, please, Matt.” I tried
to sound calm, but my mousy voice squeaked like a rusty wheel. I
rubbed at my throat and swallowed.

“I don't know why you took her, man. Just
open the door and I'll shove her out.” Alan was gripping what my
Mom used to call the
'Oh Shit'
handle above his head. I
glared at him and grabbed my own handle, holding on for dear life
as the truck leaned, lurched and skidded along the highway barely
making the turns while staying on the road.