"Can you hear me?"
The words were muffled. The only thing Liz could focus on was the single light bulb above her. Was she dead? Did she burn up in that fire? The afterlife sure looked strange. It wasn't as pretty as she imagined. Death was weird.
Or maybe this wasn't death. Did she get re-captured by Jacob's men? She wasn't sure what fate she preferred. Both situations were terrible. Being stuck with Jacob was probably worse though.
There was music playing. It was loud. It wasn't Only You. It was some sort of rock music. Why would the Chosen be playing music?
Small hands wrapped around her leg. No. She wasn't going back to him. They would have to kill her before that happened. She kicked out and her foot collided with something. It let out a huff in pain. Another set of hands grabbed her. Liz thrashed out. She was kicking and screaming.
"Liz!" The music cut off.
"Lizzie!"
There was only one person in the world who called her Lizzie. Her Uncle. He called her that for as long as she could remember. She stopped kicking and let her muscles relax. Her body hurt, but no more than usual. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Her vision cleared and there he was. "Uncle Eli?"
His beard was much longer than before and his hair went down to about his shoulders. He had the same tattoos on his arms. The shirt he wore said Whitetail Militia.
"Hey kiddo."
There was someone else in the room with them. He was younger and had two long braids on either side. It was Wheaty! Wheaty had worked with Eli during his days during construction. He and Liz were about the same age. She had met him a few times in the past. He was moaning and holding his nose. Wheaty was the person she had kicked. Whoops.
"She didn't kick you that hard Wheaty. Go clean yourself up."
"Fine." He was still holding his nose. With an agitated huff, he left.
Liz was sitting in a bed. It was comfier than her bunk in the veteran's center but it still sucked. She was in someone's bedroom. All of the walls were metal. Eli was sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Are you real?"
He laughed. "Yeah I'm real Lizzie. Come here kid." He opened his arms for a hug. Liz really needed a hug right now. She crawled over the bed and into his arms. She buried her head into his chest and let out a sob. Eli stroked her head.
"Shhh. It's okay Lizzie. You're safe now." She was finally safe. Liz finally found her Uncle. Eden's Gate had no control over her. Jacob had no control over her anymore. All that suffering had led her back here. None of those things in the past mattered anymore. She was going to be okay. Those stars had been leading her back to her Uncle.
"Where am I?" The words were muffled into his chest.
"You're at the Wolf's Den. It's the bunker where most of the Whitetails stay. Jacob won't find you here."
The Wolf's Den. This was the place that Jacob was desperate to find. He had taken off the heads of several people trying to get the location. She was sitting in the heart of the resistance.
"Listen, this is important. Did you ever tell Jacob where this place was? I won't be mad if you did. I just need to know." She knew what he was asking. Was the location of this bunker compromised? Did he have to move his entire militia?
"No. I didn't even know this place existed. But… I did tell him where a few of your prepper stashes were. Sorry." She had told Jacob where half of their supplies were. Supplies that would have helped the Whitetails. At the time she didn't think she was ever going to get rescued. She had just been trying to save her own skin.
"It's okay Liz. We'll send the Deputy to take care of it. It's not your fault. You were just trying to stay alive."
"Where is the Deputy?" She had almost forgotten that the Deputy was the one to save her. His cowboy hat was very distinctive though.
"I sent him and Sharky to rescue some people being held at the Visitor's Center. But this morning I sent him to get you first. Making sure you were safe was the most important."
It was nice to know that her Uncle still cared about her. At least someone did. The number of people on this Earth that gave a shit about her was quickly dwindling. Her parents and brother were probably gone. Staci wouldn't even at look at her. Jacob didn't care about her…
Eli was all she had left.
"Thank you Uncle Eli."
"Of course. Anything you need, I'm here for you."
She nodded into his chest. She still hadn't let him go from the hug.
"Who's Sharky?"
Eli scoffed. "You'll know him when you see him. He's a good fighter but he's an idiot. He and Dep will be back soon. You get some rest now. But when you're ready you need to tell us everything. While it's still fresh in your mind."
She released him from her grasp. "Okay."
Eli left the room and she was alone again. Liz didn't like being alone. Most of her time through the past few weeks, she had been alone. There were other people around but no one she knew, no one that she cared about.
She was tired. The past few days had been very eventful and very confusing. She had grown closer to Jacob only for him to betray her. What was he doing right now? Probably not missing her. He was most likely glad that she wasn't his problem anymore. That's all she was, a problem. She was Jacob's problem and now she was Eli's.
Liz should rest but couldn't. The metal walls felt like they were closing in around her. She couldn't be alone. Her heavy boots hit the floor with a thud. Her body ached but she was okay. She was still wearing her Eden's Gate garb. There were a few burn holes in her white Henley, but everything else looked fine.
The bedroom she was in was simple. There was a nightstand and a dresser. On the dresser sat a photo of her cousin. This was Eli's bedroom. She couldn't look at the photo of her five year old cousin. It brought back too many bad memories. Eli always said that what happened wasn't her fault but he was wrong. It was. It was her fault that he had died. Her kill count was up to 9.
She shook the thoughts from her head. Dwelling on the past wouldn't help her right now. She left the bedroom. In the hall there were multiple doorways. It was hard to believe that she was underground. She wasn't really fond of the idea. She didn't like being in Jacob's Armory either. Being confined made her uneasy but that was something she would have to get over for now. She had to find Eli.
Where did he go? She heard some people talking down the hall and followed it. When she reached the room she saw a corner piled with electronics. The Whitetail Militia logo was painted on the wall.
Resist. Repel. Remain.
If only the Whitetails spent more time actually fighting the cult than they did putting their logo on everything. Then they would actually have a chance to beat Jacob's army.
Liz rounded the corner. Eli and some woman were arguing. "It was a bad idea to bring her here Eli. First the Deputy and now this…"
Upon further inspection, she realized that she recognized this place. Where has she seen this place? The layout of the metal walls were familiar to her. It kind of looked like the final room at the end of the hallucination. But that was impossible. Right? Jacob couldn't have known what this place looked like. She half expected to see a faceless man for her to shoot.
"Lizzie, you okay?"
Eli wore a concerned look on his face. The woman with him was giving her a dirty look. Liz had been staring at the spot where to word 'KILL' would have been written. Liz was standing in the middle of the room just staring at the walls. Clothed in the cult symbol, she looked out of place standing there among the resistance. She really felt out of place.
"Yeah… I… I'm ready to answer those questions you had for me."
She walked over to the table where Eli was standing. There was a map on it. Oh how this felt so familiar. Only this time there wasn't Jacob's piercing blue eyes to distract her. There were also TV monitors stacked high on the desk behind her. They showed almost every building of importance in the Whitetail Mountains. The resistance knew where she was the entire time but didn't do anything about it.
Liz didn't comment on it though. She had to be smarter than trying to pick a fight. Jacob was right about one thing, being smart was the only thing she had going for her. She sat down in a chair at the table.
"What happened to getting some rest? You probably need it."
"I can't rest. Can't be weak… Just ask me your questions." It came out colder than she had meant it to be.
"How'd you get those bruises?" Eli asked. Always concerned with her well-being first. Her Uncle always did his best to take care of her. She looked down and touched the soft skin around her neck. It was sore. Her neck and collarbones were covered in black and purple bruises. They were from when Jacob put his hands on her.
Liz scoffed. "What you don't like them? They were a little present from Jacob. He threw me into a cage and choked me."
"Did he ever…?"
She sighed. No one said it out loud but she knew what he was asking. Why was everyone asking this? She hadn't spent that much time him. But everyone always gets ideas when a woman gets captured by the scary bad guy.
"Assault me? No. He didn't hurt me in that way. He just enjoyed beating the shit out of me."
It was partially a lie. Liz didn't like lying. She never lied, but she was going to now. How could she tell Eli everything that happened? She couldn't tell him that she kissed Jacob on the cheek, sang to him, groped his chest, and somewhat cared about him. That wouldn't fly well with the Whitetail Militia. If she was going to survive here, she couldn't give them any reason to distrust her.
"Yeah that's probably not the only thing he did to her." The woman barked. Her gaze was cold. Liz wasn't intimidated by it though. This woman didn't scare her. Once you stare into the fiery gaze of Jacob Seed, nothing scares you anymore.
"Tammy… Come on." Eli was always the one to calm things down. Even when she was little he would help break up fights between Liz and her brother.
"Liz, this is Tammy. She is one of the Whitetails, she helps out around here. She's afraid that you've spent too much time in the chair. How many times have you gone through Jacob's trials?"
The answer was too many times. Way too many times. She had trained, hunted, and killed. There was only the sacrifice left.
"Three."
"Goddamn it Eli! She could snap at any moment. There's no telling how screwed up her mind is! I told you it wasn't a good idea to bring her here."
"That's not going to happen. Wheaty deprogrammed her. She's fine. Liz is family, we're not turning our back on her."
Tammy let out a huff. She was clearly not pleased with Eli. "Whatever. But when she turns on you, don't come crying to me."
The woman left with aggravation over her face. That was fine, good riddance. Liz did not like Tammy one bit. It was only their first meeting but she seemed like a bitch.
"Deprogramming? What's that?" Was that the song that was playing when she first woke up? Rock music didn't seem to be the type of thing that would cure brainwashing.
"It's what we used on the Deputy and on you. That mind-melting shit Jacob used on you won't work anymore."
Liz let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I was fucking sick of passing out all the time."
It was her best attempt to cover up her pain. It wasn't very believable though. Her mind was screwed up. She was broken but she wasn't going to let it show. If she did people would talk and they might get rid of her.
"You're safe now. Do you know anything about how Jacob's army operates? Anything that would give us an edge."
"Yeah, I actually know a lot of useful shit that might just help you. You got anything for me to write on?"
Eli nodded and handed her paper and a sharpie. Let's see if she can remember all that shit. For a while, she stopped memorizing the routes because she didn't think she would get rescued. She rememberd most of it though. Liz scribbled down a bunch of information on the paper: supply routes, reaping truck locations, cult schedules, helicopter convoys, and other things that would help them.
The map on the table showed the Whitetail Mountains. The outposts were on it already. Most of the markings showed attacks on them. The Whitetails have been wasting their time with the outposts. Jacob never went to them. Most of that work was left to his right hand man, Ramirez.
Liz marked the locations of the Stone Ridge, Grand View, Veteran's Center, and Jacob's Armory. If they wanted to hurt him, those were the four places that they needed to attack.
"When I first got here I was mostly at the Stone Ridge. That's where Jacob trains his army. I was there for three… weeks. I think."
"When did you leave school?" He asked.
It was strange to think about school. In reality it hadn't been that long since being at college but it felt so long ago. Liz wasn't the same as she was. She had changed.
"Like late-May, early-June. I honestly can't remember. Why? What's today?"
Eli gave her a grim look. "July 1st."
"Holy shit." Her eyes grew wide. She had been with Jacob at the veteran's center for almost 2 weeks. It certainly hadn't felt like it. Most days had been so routine that she forget them. Following around Jacob had been her reason for being. Now that was gone. What was her purpose now?
"I didn't think I had been there that long. Damn."
Liz told him the rest of her story. How she was there when Joseph got arrested, how she ran and Jacob found her, her job at the veteran's center, and her time in Jacob's Gate. She drew him two maps, one for the veteran's center and one for the bunker. There was a lot that she left out though. She didn't tell them about the jokes she and Jacob had shared, her time at Seed Ranch, and the times he saved her life.
Eli patted her on the back. "Thanks kid. This is really going to help us out. You're a Whitetail now. Jacob can't hurt you anymore."
She nodded. Being a Whitetail didn't protect her from the way Jacob had hurt her though. That was something that would have to heal with time. Eli brought over a stack of clothes.
"I know you're probably sick of that Eden's Gate shit. Bathrooms down the hall. You can go get yourself cleaned up."
She took the clothes from her uncle and left. She found the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Liz was safe for now. Safe. That was a word that didn't mean much anymore. The safest she had ever felt was in Jacob's arms that night he saved her life. Arms that would hurt her not long after that.
The clothes she wore hit the floor with a thud. As disgusting as they were, she was going to save the cult jacket, it might be useful someday. Her muscles ached when she climbed in the shower. She inspected herself. Her body was bruised and broken. The stiches were still in her leg from the bear attack. Bruises covered her arms as well as her neck.
She clutched at her sides. For so long the thing that kept her going was the thought of being rescued. Now that it had happened, it didn't feel real. Liz wished this was all some crazy dream and she would wake up in her apartment. She tugged at her hair trying to get a grip. But it did nothing, this was reality.
The water was ice cold as it ran over her back. The temperature didn't bother her that much, it was just nice to feel clean. She almost wished she had someone with her to keep her warm though. She scrubbed at her skin until it was raw, washing away the events from the past month and a half.
What was Liz going to do now? She wasn't being held captive anymore. Could she go back to school? Her life back down south was basically put on hold. Even if she tried to leave, she might not be able even leave Hope County. This was the place she grew up but it wasn't home anymore.
Eli might make her fight for him. She didn't want to fight. She wasn't a soldier. This wasn't her war, but Jacob had drug her into it. She might have any other choice but to fight.
She finished washing herself and shut off the water. The clothes Eli had given her were lacking the Eden's Gate symbol on everything, thank gosh. She put on a pair of jeans, a blue and black plaid shirt, and a pair of brown boots. When she was younger, she had a million plaid shirts in her closet. Of course, Eli would remember something like that. She had grown of that fashion phase when she moved down south.
The mirror was foggy but she could see her reflection. A sickly and beaten down girl stared back at her. There were dark circles underneath her eyes and even darker bruises on her neck. Her hair was shorter. A few inches were burned off. The tips of her hair were black and brown. Well shit. It looked like she got the world's worst ombre from blonde to black. Her hair had caught on fire during the explosion. As if her hair didn't look bad enough with the frizz now it had to be burned to a crisp too. She found a pair of scissors in one of the drawers.
'Here goes nothing.' She thought.
She did her best to cut her hair somewhat straight. It looked pretty terrible but it was better than the burn marks. Clumps of burned hair fell to the floor. She inspected her handiwork in the mirror. Her hair was so short now. It had flowed down her back before, now it went to just below her shoulders. The change was good. Elizabeth Palmer had long hair. She wasn't Elizabeth Palmer, not anymore.
Who was that girl in the mirror? Was she a prisoner, a fighter, a survivor, a killer, a niece, or a little lamb? Maybe she was all of those things. There was no clear answer. Truthfully, she didn't know who she was anymore. Jacob took that normal girl and broke her. Then he took the pieces and built something else entirely.
How could she have been so foolish to actually care about Jacob? To think he would be anything else than a killer. All Jacob did was hurt people, like they hurt him. He just wanted to watch the world burn. She was very close to have been burned up in his wake. It didn't matter now. Anything that could have been between them was burnt to ash now.
Liz shook the thoughts from her head and exited the bathroom. There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach. She peered out into the hall again. She still didn't know her way around but it couldn't be too hard to figure out. She followed the light to a room down the hall at the opposite end.
The room was a mix between a rec room and a kitchen. There was a stove and some crates filled with food. There was also a couch and a small analog TV. Wheaty was sitting at a table in the middle of the room. His head perked up when he saw her.
"Hey Liz."
She had been standing awkwardly in the doorway. She walked over to the table where he was sitting.
"Hey… You're Wheaty, right?"
"Yep. We met a couple of times a few years ago. Before all of this shit started."
There was a large bruise forming across the bridge of his nose. The imprint of a boot was still indented into his face. She pointed to it.
"Did I do that?" She cringed to herself.
"Yeah… Don't sweat it though. You didn't know what was going on."
"Sorry." Liz kind of felt like shit. She hadn't meant to kick Wheaty in the face. But she thought that he was one of the Chosen. Her reaction had been to lash out.
"It's okay. Hey, do you want something to eat?"
"Yes." She was starving. When was the last time she's eaten a whole meal? Probably too long ago. She sat down at the table across from Wheaty. He got up and fixed her a plate of food. He set down a plate with a hamburger and fries in front of her.
"Thanks…"
She bit down on the burger and let out a groan of approval. It had been so long since she had eaten good food. It tasted just like Mr. Chad's food. The Grill Streak always had the best burgers. It was too bad that place burned down.
"Ugh this is so good. I can't remember the last time I've had a burger." She was talking with her mouth full but whatever. Liz had done worse things than be a little gross.
"Really? I thought the Peggies would eat good food since they steal it all."
"Peggies?" Liz was confused. What the hell was a Peggy? She had never heard that word before.
"Damn. They really did grab you right off the road, didn't they? Peggies is what we call the cult. The Project at Eden's Gate- PEG."
"Huh. I've just been calling them assholes."
She shoveled more fries in her mouth. They were crinkle cut fries, a bit too soggy too. Not her favorite but damn, were they better than MRE's. That redheaded bastard wouldn't let them eat anything that was commercial and processed. He said they had to be 'strong', like ancient men. What she wouldn't give for a fast food place right now.
"What's he like?"
Her head perked up from her plate. Why did everyone want to know about him? Sure he's big and scary but he ain't the most interesting man in the world.
"Jacob? What is he like? He's a fucking asshole."
"Yeah I pretty much figured that. But like you're one of the only people to come face-to-face with him and walk away in one piece."
"Have you ever seen him in person?"
"No."
What was it like to meet Jacob? How could she describe a man that could make you feel protected and threatened at the same time? A man with icy blue eyes that were easy to get lost in. Eyes that could make you forget all of the horrible things he has done with a single glance.
"Have you ever thought about death Wheaty? I'm not talking about dying, but the physical form of death. Like the grim reaper wearing his hooded cloak. Except death doesn't wear a cloak, it wears a camo jacket and a sick smirk on its face. You look into his eyes and you see death in its truest form. That is what it's like meeting Jacob Seed."
Her voice was grim but it was the truth. That was exactly how she felt yesterday night. He had practically been the grim reaper to her.
"Yeah cool, but I was just asking how tall he was."
Liz couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. All of her pent up anxiety and fear went away. It was such a stupid thing to say, but it was kind of funny. Wheaty was pretty cool. He reminded her a lot of her brother, David.
"I mean I guess he's pretty tall…" Her laughter cut off the words.
"But seriously though, it sucks what happened to you. What'd you do to get those bruises?" His eyes were on her neck.
Liz bit her lip to try to halt the smirk growing on her face.
"My knee might have forcefully collided with the very sensitive area between his legs."
A grin grew across Wheaty's face. "Wait, are you telling me that you kicked Jacob Seed in the balls and lived to tell the tale?"
She nodded, excitement oozing out of her. "Hell yeah! He almost cried. It was awesome. Well, right up until he almost killed me. But everything before that was great."
It was partially a lie. Jacob wasn't even close to crying. He was only pissed off at her. But it was much more fun to tell the story this way and talk shit about him.
"Holy shit. Liz Palmer, you are my hero!"
Hero. Not soldier or meat or lamb. Liz was a hero to someone. It felt good to hear that. She really needed that right now. For the past month and a half of her life she had been a tool, not a person. Maybe there was hope for her to be a person again.
"Thanks. But I'm no hero."
"Sure you are."
Wheaty raised his hand to give her a high-five. She shook her head and laughed. Why the hell not. It had been a long time since she had done anything silly. She accepted the high-five. Sitting here talking to Wheaty was nice.
"Oh shit, Dep. They're giving out high-fives in here."
Liz turned her head to see The Deputy wearing his cowboy hat and another man she assumed was Sharky.
"What's there to eat? I'm starving." Dep said.
"We got burgers." Wheaty replied.
They both piled plates with food for themselves. Dep sat down next to her and Sharky sat on the opposite side. The four of them all sat silently, eating their food. Liz kind of felt awkward. Should she say something? She kind of talked to Wheaty, but she didn't really know any of these guys. She was just a stranger in this bunker, a stranger to this resistance. But she still should say something to The Deputy.
"Hey… um… Deputy? I just want to say thanks for getting me out of there."
It wasn't much of a thank you but it was something. He gave her curt nod. Dep seemed nice.
"Yeah no problem. No one deserves to be a prisoner to Jacob. I'm just sorry that somebody let you get caught on fire." He gave Sharky an annoyed glare.
Sharky looked offended. "Hey! You told me to blow the beacon up! What did you expect from me? And besides, she looked pretty badass on fire so…"
Dep turned to her, with a sympathetic look on his face. "This is Sharky. I'm just going to apologize for him right now. For everything he's done… and everything he's going to do."
Liz chuckled and shook her head. "It's okay… Ya know Dep… we've actually met before. You were just kind of, unconscious. I was the poor chump who carried you to Jacob's chair."
She didn't mention that his face had been up her butt. It wasn't really necessary. No one needed to know. It would just make her more uncomfortable than she already was.
"Oh yeah? Well thanks for keeping my hat safe."
"You got it." She smiled. It was so nice to talk to guys that were just normal. Ones that didn't talk about sinners, sacrifice, and The Father.
"Jacob's pretty pissed that you're gone. He called me and even made me an offer. He said if I bring you to him he'll leave me alone. Doesn't look like he's going to stop till he gets you back."
He wouldn't stop until he got her back.
Something inside Liz snapped. She scrambled up from the table, knocking over her chair. She had been so calm all day. But something about hearing Jacob taking her back made her panic. Dep's comment made her turn on a dime. Why would he want her back? Jacob did not want her. He didn't. He hated her.
Her hands were shaking. Her breathing became labored. She couldn't go back to him. Not again. The boys at the table became concerned.
"Dep please don't give me to him. I can't go… Not again…" Tears were welling up in her eyes. This is what Tammy had been talking about. She had spent too long in that chair. She may not snap and murder anyone. But, she was on edge. She was broken. Despite her effort to stay strong, she couldn't. It didn't take much for her to get upset.
"Woah, that's not going to happen. I'm not going to trade you to him to spare myself. I told Jacob he could go screw himself."
The boys walked over to her. She nodded into her hands. Dep wasn't going to trade her away. She was safe, for now. She needed to calm down. Dep, Wheaty, and Sharky were standing in front of her, all with concerned looks on their faces.
"Chika, I think Jacob's done messing for ya' for now. He's gonna screw up eventually. And when he does Dep and I are gonna stick my flamethrower up his ass and barbecue his guts. You can feel free to watch if you want." Sharky said.
Liz laughed through the tears. Sharky was an idiot, but he was pretty funny. The thought of Jacob being burned alive should have comforted her. But that had already happened to him. Several times from the look of his skin. Anytime she thought about what Jacob had been through, she felt sorry for him. She should never pity him. That was what got her into trouble the first time. She wiped the tears from her eyes.
'Stop being weak.' She cursed to herself.
"We'll keep you safe Liz." Dep said. She nodded. There was that damn word again. Safe. That confusing word that didn't have a single meaning.
"Yeah, we're definitely adopting you as our little sister. If anyone tries to get you, they'll have to go through us." Wheaty said.
Little sister. For some reason she didn't like the sound of that. It wasn't because she had a crush on any of these guys. They were all sweet, but not really her type. She didn't like the 'hero' types.
Being a little sister made her feel like a child. Countless guys thought of her as one. On first dates guys had told her that she was too young, right to her face. Most of the time she was the same age as them. No one would ever take her seriously.
"Thanks you guys." Liz smiled, despite her conflicted feelings. She didn't know what else to say. They had all been so nice to her and she couldn't even make small talk with them.
Dep patted her on the shoulder. "We got your back. It's been a long day, though. Goodnight."
Was it night already? It had been morning when the beacon exploded. She had been asleep all day. Holy shit.
"Night."
Dep and Sharky walked off to the back room where the mattresses were. She was alone with Wheaty. Dep was right about one thing, it had been a long day.
"Hey Liz, I got one more surprise for you."
Her eyebrow quirked. "More surprises? As if waking up the resistance wasn't a big enough surprise."
"Just follow me."
Wheaty led her back into the main room where she had talked to Eli. She hadn't paid much attention to the tables in the corner before. They were stacked high with different records, radios, and laptops.
"This all your gear?"
"Yeah. I collect stuff as I go. There's so signals going out of Hope County but I make stuff to help the Whitetails communicate with one another."
Wheaty was searching through a yellow crate. "What type of music do you like?"
"Classic rock."
Liz loved a lot of music from the 70's and 80's. That was result from her dad. Her dad went to all sorts of concerts when he was in his 20's. His music taste had rubbed off on her. When she was younger, other girls her age would be listening to Disney channel music. Liz would listen to Def Leppard.
"Really? You're just in luck. Here."
He tossed something at her. She caught the airborne object and inspected it. It was one of those old, chunky iPods and a pair of headphones.
"I figured you'd be tired of listening to the Peggie music. It's got the best class rock songs on there."
She scrolled through the artists on there. They were all ones that she recognized. There were at least five hundred songs on there.
"Oh my gosh. Thank you Wheaty! This is awesome!"
"You're welcome. I have a bunch of those just sitting around. I'm glad it's going to someone who will appreciate it. Now I just got to find a song for you."
He flipped through a box of records. "Hmmm. What song describes you? Hmm..."
Wheaty flipped through a few more before coming to a stop. "Yes. This is it."
She saw him pull out a record that had a 'VH' printed on the side. It stood for Van Halen. What song from that band could possibly describe her?
"I'm going to give you a shout out on the radio. Let everybody know you're safe. You okay with that?"
Liz nodded her head. "Yeah."
He loaded up the record. "I think they wrote this song about you, Liz. They just didn't know it at the time."
The red light on the radio turned on. He spoke into the microphone. "This is a shout out to my girl Liz Palmer. The Whitetails are real glad to have you safe and fighting with us. This song's for you."
The needle dropped on the record.
'Have you seen her? So fine and pretty.
Fooled me with her style and ease'
The song was Dance the Night Away. A big grin crossed her face. Liz loved this song. She had heard it a bunch of times. But she never thought of herself as the girl in the song.
'And I feel her from across the room
Yes, it's love in the third degree'
"Do you want to dance?" Wheaty was offering her his hand.
"Sure, Wheaty."
Liz was honestly a terrible dancer. She always felt awkward doing it. She didn't even get to dance at her prom. Pratt had broken up with her that night and she had spent the whole night crying in the bathroom.
'Oh, baby baby. Won't-cha turn your head my way?
Oh, baby baby. Ah come on take a chance. You're old enough to'
She put her hands on Wheaty's shoulders. His took place in the center of her back. Liz swayed her head to the music. It was a pretty amazing song.
'Dance the night away
Whoa-oh (ah) come on g-girl, dance the night away'
When Wheaty's hands brushed against her arm, they weren't calloused like she had been expecting. His touch had been soft. Not hardened and rough by time. His hands didn't make her feel safe. His eyes didn't offer her solitude and protection.
Wheaty was super nice, but she knew what this was. It was nice that they were dancing but it was more of a comforting gesture rather than anything else. This was her older brother patting her on the head and saying 'You're awesome Lizzie, some guy will see that one day.' She was that little girl again, always waiting for someone to come along and see her as something else.
'A live wire, barely a beginner, But just watch that lady go
She's on fire, 'cause dancin' gets her higher than-uh, Anything else she knows.'
Maybe Liz could be that girl in the song though. She was old enough to dance the night away. She deserved to be that special girl for once. All she had to do was find the right partner. Could that partner have red hair and striking blue eyes? She wanted him to be. But most likely not, he had hurt her. He wasn't a good man. There was nothing between them, she had just been a fool for thinking otherwise.
Despite the circumstances, Liz enjoyed herself. She was thankful for the comfort. Her body swayed to the music. There was a big grin on her face. She was happier than she had been in a very long time. A few days ago she didn't think she could even be happy ever again.
'Dance, dance, dance the night away
Uh, come on baby, baby, dance the night away oh, ooh, yeah
Dance, dance, dance the night away ah, ha ow'
They swayed to the song until it ended. It was fun dancing with Wheaty. But the whole time she wished she was dancing the night away… with someone else.
"What are you two kids doing?"
Liz turned her head to see Eli. Oh no. Her hands immediately left Wheaty's shoulders. She didn't want her uncle to think that there was something else going on between the two of them. Because there definitely wasn't.
"Just having a little fun. It's nice listening to something other than Set Those Sinners Free." Liar. Liz loved that song. She knew all the lyrics and had even sung it to its namesake.
"Well, I'm just glad to see you smiling again Lizzie."
"Me too. It's been a while."
Another lie. The last time she smiled before today, was at Seed Ranch. Being on that balcony with him made her smile. Kissing his cheek made her smile. Everything else after that with him, not so much.
"It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep. You can stay in my room. It will be a lot comfier than sleeping on the floor."
Liz was pretty tried. It had been a rough couple of days. "I will. Goodnight Uncle Eli."
"Goodnight kid. It's good to have you back."
She gave him one last smile before retiring for the night. The bed in her Uncle's room kind of sucked, but it was okay. How different was it than the beds in the veteran's center or the crappy dorm bed she's slept in for the past three years? She took off her boots and climbed under the covers.
Liz was safe. Whatever the hell safe meant right now. If it meant a warm bed and staying with her Uncle, then she would be okay. She tossed and turned for a few hours but eventually fell to sleep, letting dreams keep her asleep. She dreamed of white sandy beaches, ocean waves, and a man who was trying to destroy her. Because at the end of the day, she was nothing special. She was just another tool...