It was the most frightening thing I had ever done, my hands shook so fiercely I was surprised I was able to cut through the restraints. Even as we fled into the darkness my mind still ran through scenarios of us being caught. I had removed myself so far from reality I almost ran straight over the crouched figure in the grass in front of me.
Daria, Jesse, Max and Nick were waiting for us when I unceremoniously stumbled upon them; I'm not sure who got the bigger fright me or Max. Whilst checking the cabins, Daria and Jesse had stumbled upon the rest of our group; they had been hiding not far from the cars. After the emotional reunion, we sat and listened to Jane while she retold her story.
She had been taking a shower when the gun went off. She hadn't heard it, completely unaware she had finished bathing and readied herself for bed. No sooner had her head hit the pillow, the front door had burst open and two large men entered.
"I had no idea what was going on. They charged in, their weapons drawn and pointed a flashlight straight into my eyes; it completely blinded me." Jane inhaled sharply and unconsciously rubbed at her lacerated wrists. "They were shouting. They kept asking me where the rest of my friends were. I told them I was alone; that I was just a runaway and I broke into the room so I'd have a proper bed to sleep in for the night." Jane grimaced then dropped her head and gazed into her lap before stifling a sob. "They called me a liar and when I told them it was the truth, they hit me across the back of the head and knocked me out." She paused and drew a ragged breath. "I can't be sure how long I was out, but when I came to they had tied my hands and feet together and were dragging to the truck. At first I had forgotten what happened. All I knew was that I was being dragged through the dirt; the dust filled my mouth and the rocks scraped my back. I was helpless and I did the only thing I could. I screamed and they hit me again, then threw me into the back of that truck and tied me to the seat." Jane looked up and gazed at the rest of the group, they were listening avidly, hanging on her every word. "I was sure they were going to kill me… or worse… I thought that they were going to…to…" Jane broke out in a fresh bout of tears.
Daria moved closer and placed an arm around her friend. Jane inhaled sharply at her touch and drew back quickly on instinct before looking apologetically at Daria.
"I'm sorry, I just…" Jane trailed off.
"It's okay." Daria replied soothingly and gave Jane a worried look, before tentatively saying, "Did they… do anything?"
Jane shook her head quickly and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve, "No. But if Trent and Quinn hadn't rescued me when they did, there's no doubt in my mind that they would have."
The group sat in a stunned silence, unsure of what to do or say. It was Jane that broke it.
"There's something else," She said quietly and looked up. "They were American."
"Are you sure?" Daria asked, her brow furrowed in confusement.
Jane nodded, "They had thick southern accents, they were most likely locals."
"What… What does that mean?" Quinn asked quietly.
"I'm not sure; they could just be a group of looters taking advantage of the situation." Daria replied, she was doubtful and it showed.
"What exactly is the situation? We drove half way across the state and besides the night of the blast we haven't seen or heard anything. I'm starting to lose my fucking mind here. I'm starting to think that what we saw was a mass hallucination since no one else seems to have seen or acknowledged it. Then tonight after three fucking days, a truck full of redneck soldiers come through, shoot the shit out of the motel clerk and then run us out of the cabins." Nick piped up; his voice was hard and riddled with frustration.
"They're not soldiers." Trent said. It was first time he had spoken since handing the knife to Quinn. During Jane's story he had remained quiet, void of any discernible emotion as he examined the gun he had stolen.
The group looked at him questioningly. "What?" Max asked.
"They're not soldiers," He repeated. "At least not in the traditional sense of the word," Trent nodded to the rifle. "This is just a run of the mill twelve gauge double barreled shotgun. Every man and his dog has one of these, it's not an army issued rifle."
"So what does that mean?" Quinn asked timidly.
Trent shrugged. "Either these guys are just having some fun in the chaos, or we're looking at the enemy issue from the wrong point of view."
The group grew silent as they thought. Jesse gazed at Trent then turned to the rest of the group, "So what do we do now?"
"Not much we can at the moment. The best thing is to try and get some rest. Look at things in the morning, maybe the men will move on and we can go and get the cars." Daria said.
The rest of the group gave non committal nods and shrugs as they began to find a place to lie down.
"Who is going to go on sentential duty?" Quinn asked, she was answered by confused looks from the rest of the group, "You know look out duties?" she turned to Daria in time to see smirk grace her sisters lips.
"I'll do it." Trent said. None of the others objected.
I don't know how the others were able to sleep; maybe they were just pretending, trying to bring some normalcy back into our now chaotic lives. Whatever it was I couldn't do it. Having to lie in the thick grass with no padding to sleep on, allowing the bugs to bite me I just couldn't do it. After half an hour of tossing and turning I had had enough.
Quinn approached Trent slowly, she was careful not to make any sudden movements.
"Hey Quinn," He said, not bothering to turn his attention away from the road. He had picked a perfect spot for lookout, from his view point Quinn was able to see down to the motel, and at least a mile down the road in the opposite direction.
"How'd you know it was me?" Quinn asked as she sat beside him and glanced uneasily at the rifle he still cradled in his arms.
Trent shrugged, "You're the only one that wears perfume; I could smell it a mile off."
"It's better than smelling like crap," Quinn shot back.
"Not when it means the difference between life or death." Trent replied sagely, his attention still on the road.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Quinn asked, drawing her knees to her chest.
Trent shrugged again, "This isn't a beauty contest. Standing out could mean your death." He replied simply. "If I can smell you approaching, an enemy soldier could as well, and as far as I can tell, they seem pretty trigger happy." He replied as he turned to face her.
"Good hygiene isn't a joke."
"Who's joking? I'm deadly serious. Jane had told me how into fashion you are, nothing against you wanting to smell good, but you have to understand that from now on, we're in hiding. We have to do as much as possible to stay undetected. Do you understand?"
Quinn huffed before answering, "Sure I guess."
The two sat in silence for a short time before Trent turned to the somewhat sullen teen, "I never thanked you before; you saved Janey's life."
Quinn shrugged and smiled, "All in a day's work. How are you going? You're taking this awfully well."
"There's not much I can do at the moment. I've got to be honest I'm suppressing a murderous rage, but…"
A low drone of engine noise made its way to Trent's ears. Both Quinn and Trent looked down in time to watch two more troop carrier vehicle slide down the road. Both pulled into the motel parking lot. Trent and Quinn looked at each other with similar expressions of unease. The same thought filled their heads- This wasn't a couple of trigger happy rednecks passing through having a bit of fun with the locals; this was real, these trucks held enforcements.
Trent's brow furrowed, something had to be done, and it had to be done soon.