In One Fell Swoop, page 23
"Die, you evil…woman. DIE."
When it didn't help right away, he pulled off the lid and poured the contents down, while screaming. The vine hissed, then let go of the wheel and the tractor sprang forward.
"Ha!" I yelled triumphantly while we bumped ahead. "We're almost out. I think I can see the road from here. Oh, wonderful, beautiful black asphalt."
Chapter 91
They could still hear the cries for help as they walked, guided by their flashlights and their ears deep into the forest. The car and the girls were completely out of sight now and Billy prayed and hoped his little trick with the pearls would help them get back. He was not going to survive getting lost again. The thought terrified him to the core, but he kept it to himself as he walked with Danielle.
"It sounded like it came from over there," Danielle said and pointed to her left. She had that look on her face like she was scared to death, and Billy knew he had to remain calm and collected for her sake, even though he jumped inside every time he saw a branch move or heard a tree moan.
He knew he had to keep his eyes out for every movement, ‘cause when Mother Nature struck, she did it swiftly. There was no time to act or fight. He had seen it when Mayor Ingram had been pulled into the ground. There was no joking around with these plants, whatever they were.
Danielle took a turn left and they heard the scream again.
"Help!"
"Allen? We're on our way," Danielle yelled back.
"Stay put," Billy yelled. "Do not move."
"We can't!" The guy Billy assumed had to be Allen, yelled back.
Danielle turned and looked at Billy. Her mouth shaped a We?
Billy shrugged. He didn't know how many there were, but they were in trouble and so was Billy going to be if they didn't hurry up. He didn't like the way the trees were moaning around him; it felt like they were planning something.
"Let's speed up," he said.
They did. They started to run. Billy lit the way for them while keeping an eye out for any movement around them or even beneath them. Danielle had been pulled up into that tree by a vine that had grabbed her leg when she wasn't paying attention. So had the mayor's wife. That wasn't going to happen to Billy.
"Hurry up," he told her when she lagged behind. Billy was in good shape, he was happy to see. Especially since Danielle was the fitness type, the stay at home wife who always seemed to be in great shape, but still he managed to endure a lot more than her.
Boy, what he wouldn't give for a cigarette and a beer right now. Just kicking it back on the couch or on a porch somewhere and relaxing, maybe chatting with Emily. He missed just hanging with her and not having to run for his life.
I told her not to make that turn. But, oh no, Darlene wanted to hide in Central Florida. Billy wanted to go south instead. Now, where had that gotten them? Darlene was gone and he was running for his life, while nature was trying to kill him for the third freaking time!
"I think it's right over here," Danielle said and pointed. "Right where all those big rose bushes are."
"Allen?" she yelled.
"Danielle?" he answered. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, Allen, it's me," she said with a sigh of desperation. "We're trying to find you. Where are you?"
"Stuck," he said. "Please help. I'm stuck in between the roses."
Billy gave Danielle the flashlight, then lifted the reaper in the air and walked to the roses. Their stems were like trees, and they were as tall as those Redwoods over in California, where his sister lived. Luckily, they weren't as massive; they were hollow in the middle, so he could cut them with the reaper. Billy swung the reaper and one after another went down. They fell to the ground, rumbling like thunder. Billy told Danielle to stay as far back as possible.
It took maybe twenty minutes before Billy finally cut a row down and Danielle's husband appeared. And he wasn't alone. With him, very closely embraced in his arms, was a small woman.
Chapter 92
The tractor's massive wheels rolled back onto the asphalt. I wanted to kiss the black substance if only I had the time. But I didn't. All I wanted was to get as far away from the swamps as possible, find Julia, and reunite her with her son. She hadn't been picking up her phone ever since she left the house, but I kept trying. I couldn't believe I had this wonderful news, that her son was alive, but I couldn't get ahold of her. It was like torture. I grabbed my phone and found her number again, but never got to push the button.
"What is that?" Harry asked and pointed.
"What is what?"
In front of us, steering right at us, was a big military tank. My heart literally stopped.
Pete stood next to me. He grabbed the wheel and pulled it. The tractor turned onto the grass. "We gotta turn around," he said, "fast. Go the other way. We can't let them get us."
I turned to look, just in time to see another military vehicle drive up behind us, then two more from each side. They stopped and soldiers jumped out of the back, then ran towards us, surrounding us, weapons pointed at us.
"Crap," Pete said.
I swallowed hard. "You don't think…"
"They won't hurt us, at least not if we do as they tell us to, but they will try and keep us away, especially from the media. The last thing they want is for us to blabber on about what happened in there. Not to mention why."
"W-w-what is happening?" Sam asked. "Nanna? Who are these soldiers? Why are they here?"
"I don't know, Sam," I said, my heart pounding. "But try and keep calm, no matter what, all right?"
He nodded, biting his lip. "All right."
"They want us to come down," Harry said. "I'll go first. I'll ask them what they want. We haven't done anything wrong. I don't see what they can possibly want from us. This has to be some mistake."
Pete protested, but Harry insisted on talking to them. He walked down, arms over his head, yelling, "I'm unarmed. We all are."
A man (not knowing what else to call him, I named him the General because he seemed to be the one in charge) approached Harry as he came down and they talked for a little while. The talk soon turned agitated. Harry was gesticulating wildly and, seconds later, Harry was on the ground, two soldiers on top of him and a weapon pressed against the back of his head. The General, (whom I now named the Grumpy General because of the temper he was already displaying) then turned to look at us and yelled.
"Everyone, come down. Now!"
Sam gasped. "Harry!"
Harry was yelling and fighting them, and soon he was hit by the end of a rifle and immediately knocked out. They dragged him across the asphalt and left him in the grass. I looked to Pete for guidance. He looked terrified. "Whatever you do, make sure they think we're nothing but trespassers. We don't know anything."
"I don't like where this is going," I said.
My feet were shaking as I walked down the steps and landed on solid ground, arms above my head. The others followed. I kept Sam right behind me at all times, to make sure, if they tried to shoot him, they would have to go through me first.
Like sheep, they shooed us to the grass on the side of the road, then had us all lie down. I felt like a prisoner of war. Never had I been treated like this.
Grumpy General walked to me, then asked, "Name?"
"Patty McGee."
"All right, Patty McGee, you have trespassed into military territory. That is a very serious offense."
"Last time I checked, the swamps were a public area," I said. "And I have lived here all of my life."
"What were all of you doing out here in the middle of the night, riding a…tractor?"
"Looking for a cornfield," I said.
Grumpy General stared at me. He looked so angry. I wondered if he had a wife and I felt sorry for the woman, in case he did.
"Don't be a wise head," he said. "They never make it very far."
"I'll try my best," I said.
Grumpy General moved on to Sam, who was lying next to me, whimpering. He was in really bad shape. I wondered how long he was going to last.
"And your name, son?"
Sam hid his face in the grass.
"Look at me, son," Grumpy said.
"He's scared," I said. "His name is Sam. Sam McGee. There. You have his name. Now, leave him alone."
Grumpy smiled, then grabbed Sam by the hair and pulled him up. "Hasn't anyone taught you to look at people when they're talking to you?"
"Leave him alone," I said. "He's just a young boy. He's been lost for days in the swamps. He's one of the missing campers. You know the ones you were supposed to be looking for?"
"Patty, no!" Pete said.
Grumpy looked at me, then let go of Sam. I knew I was compromising everything, but I needed Grumpy to let go of Sam. That's all I wanted. For him to let go of my grandson. He could torture me as much as he wanted to, but not Sam. Sam had been through enough.
"Really?"
"Yes, now please just let us go."
Grumpy left, angry steps as he walked, then conferred with someone else and made a phone call, while Pete hissed at me.
"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?"
"I'm sorry," I said. "But I thought that was why they were here? To find the campers and get them out?"
Pete shook his head. "Don't you understand? They'll take them away. Maybe all of us, just to make sure we don't talk. It happened in North Dakota. The only eyewitness that survived was drugged and put in a mental institution. No one will ever believe us and we'll spend the rest of our days drooling in a chair."
Chapter 93
"Lisa?"
Danielle looked at her husband and the woman he was with. Billy didn't really know what to say. He could tell something was off here, but to be frank, he no longer cared. He just wanted to get back to the car and to his daughter. He cut the last roses down surrounding them, to make sure they could get out without hurting themselves. Then he helped them out.
"Danielle?" Allen asked as he stepped out to her. No kiss, Billy noted.
Billy held Lisa's hand, so she wouldn't stumble. "Let's get out of here," he said and started to walk, hoping the troop would follow.
They did, in silence, the air loaded with awkwardness. Billy thought it was an odd situation for all of them and sped up. He had taken the flashlight back from Danielle and searched for the pearls in the soil. He found the first one, picked it up and continued. The next was as easy as the first and after that, it went fast. The three silent people rushed to keep up with him, but it only lasted till after six pearls. As expected, it was Danielle who broke the silence.
"How did you end up in there together?"
Allen sighed. "There was an earthquake or that's what it felt like, so we went to look and then heard screams."
Lisa took over. "We thought maybe it was a bear or something that had attacked the workers; we couldn't have…I mean there was no way we could have known…" she stopped to catch her breath. Talking made her agitated and she was hyperventilating anxiously.
"We couldn't have known what really happened to them," Allen said. "If we had, we would never have gone in there."
"So, what did happen to them?" Danielle asked.
Silence again. Then Lisa spoke. "They…we found them…they were…" she broke into tears.
"They were all dead," Allen said. "Hung up in the trees. Not one survivor. It…it was…well, ugly."
Billy could hear in Danielle's voice that she was calming down. He figured, since she had been hung up herself, she knew exactly what they were talking about. Hopefully, she counted herself lucky to not have died.
Billy spotted another pearl, and bent down and picked it up. They were going the right way. Still, he could see no sign of the lights from the car, but they had to see it soon. He worried about Emily. He was taking her to Miami after this, or some other big city where trees and plants were a rarity.
"Could you speed up a little?" he said to the others. Meanwhile, he saw a vine sling threateningly above their heads. Billy wasn't letting his guard down. Not again. Not ever. From now on, he was keeping an eye out for every plant. He wasn't even going to have one in his house ever again and never a lawn. No grass. No trees. Nothing green, nothing alive. Only dead things, like concrete, asphalt, and tiles. He wasn't even going to eat lettuce (not that he did before unless they put it on his burger).
"I just can't help…" Danielle said. She stopped. "No, it doesn't matter now. Now we need to focus on…" she stopped herself again. "It's just really weird that you would end up together like this. I thought she didn't work for you anymore. Not since…"
Allen groaned. "Not now, Danielle, could we just…"
"Wait, what?" Lisa said. "You told your wife I didn't work for you anymore?"
"He said he fired you," Danielle said.
Billy was about to explode when he found another pearl in the beam of the flashlight. He picked it up as the voices grew louder behind him.
"You did what?" Lisa asked.
"After the Christmas party," Danielle said. "You know…when I caught the two of you."
"You knew about that?" Lisa asked. "You never told me your wife …oh, my God, Danielle, I am so sorry. What happened then was an accident. I was drunk. I would never have…I mean…I don't normally do those types of things. Why didn't you tell me she knew, Allen?"
Allen sighed, annoyed. He even sounded annoyed when he spoke. Made him sound guilty too.
"Apparently, she walked in on us in the copy room, when we…and we didn't see her. She told me when we got home. I told her you were out of the picture, to shut her up. She wouldn't leave it alone. There you have it, both of you. That's it, end of story."
Both women spoke at the same time, their voices agitated and hurt. Billy looked at them and shone his flashlight at their faces.
"The copy room, really? The Christmas party? You said you had fired her and you believed him? Really? Do you have any idea how much of a cliché you all are? Could you please just save your small-town-rich-people problems till we get out of this place? We have real problems, you know, trying to get out of here…preferably alive."
Just as he said it, the ground beneath them started to rumble.
Chapter 94
Grumpy came back. His expression hadn't changed. I wondered if it ever did or if he simply looked like that all the time.
"What are you going to do with us?" I yelled. I was tired of lying on the ground and felt so violated. I had rights too. Plus, the grass was tickling my face and I wasn't particularly fond of anything that had to do with nature right now. Just the smell of the grass made me sick.
"We have a right to know. We have done nothing wrong."
Pete chimed in. "I demand we at least get to call our lawyer. You cannot deny us our rights."
Grumpy laughed. It wasn't an evil laugh like you'd expect from someone like him. It was more like a shrill giggle. It sounded really strange.
"Oh, yes, I can," he said. "As I said, this is a military area now, and you people are trespassing."
Sam was crying badly now. I had a feeling he had finally cracked under the pressure. It worried me. It annoyed the man as well.
"Make him stop, will you?"
"Sam. Please," I said. "You have to stop."
But Sam wasn't a boy you could reach at this point. He was crying, sobbing helplessly, and there was nothing I could say that would make him stop. Grumpy was obviously annoyed with it and the last thing we wanted was for him to get even grumpier, since he sort of held our future in his bony hands.
He walked to Sam and stood, his boot in front of Sam's head. "Stop. Stop it. You hear me? Stop. Stop. Stop."
It reminded me of one time when my parents took Julia to the zoo and she had her eye on a big stuffed tiger that she wanted. Of course, she started to cry when she couldn't get it, that's what kids do, but my dad freaked out completely and just started to yell at her to stop. Very much like this guy was doing to Sam right now. Some people simply didn't know how to handle a kid who was crying. It was ridiculous to watch. Of course, my parents never let me hear the end of it. Every time we were together, later on, they would let me know how badly behaved she was and tell me to discipline her more. You'd think they never had kids of their own.
"Don't you know anything about children?" I asked. "The more you yell, the more he cries."
Grumpy shrieked, annoyed. "Just get him to stop."
"Sam, it's okay, buddy," I said. "Everything is going to be just fine. Don't worry. It'll be all right."
I looked up at Grumpy.
"It didn't help," he said.
"Well, it is kind of hard to comfort a boy when you have us lying in this position," I said.
Grumpy stared at me, then at Sam. "Well then, I have another idea."
He then grabbed Sam by the hair and pulled him across the grass, kicking and screaming.
"Leave him alone! You bastard!" I yelled, but as I was about to get up, I felt a gun pressed against the back of my head. A soldier stood behind me, making sure I didn't move.
Grumpy dragged Sam away from me, and all I could do was watch. I felt such anger I almost considered just running, let the soldier try and shoot me, but I didn't dare to. Rage rose inside of me to a whole new level, and as it did, my body started to shake. At least that was what I thought it was, but soon I realized it wasn't only me. Everyone around me was shaking, and underneath us sounded a thunderous rumble, like the ground was roaring.
Chapter 95
While the ground rumbled beneath him, and everyone was screaming, Billy—completely unaware of his actions—jumped backward and threw himself on top of Danielle. He stayed on top of her, creating a dome above her, protecting her face and body from anything, should it fall. A branch fell from a tree and landed not far from them, crashing to the ground.
When the shaking ceased, Danielle looked at him, slightly anxious, but with a hint of gratefulness.
"What was that?" she asked and brushed off her shirt as she got up. Her hair was tousled, but she still looked great.
