“You need your head examined,” Rick says, exasperated with me. “I’ll pass along your wishes to leave protective custody, but I can assure you that my parents will fight that. You might not care if you live or die, but they do.” I note that he doesn’t say he does. Which is fine since I could do without him, too.
Turning back to Matt, I make the only concession I’m willing to. “Take me with you to look for Eden, and I’ll share one thing about Camp Carroll and the massacres with you. One thing.”
“Fine. Don’t jerk me around, if you’re coming with me then I expect real information and not some make believe bullshit meant to pacify me.” My respect for Matt might be growing, that or I really do need to have my mental health checked.
4. EDEN
I can hear the crows circling overhead before I even open my eyes. The cawing sets my nerves on edge and my breathing accelerates automatically.
“Help! Hel…” My voice cuts off choking in my throat. I don’t know where I’m at, other than lying on the ground, surrounded by trees. Dusk is painting the sky in inky shades. My head feels heavy, and panic sets in when I’m not able to move my limbs.
I try and turn my head to look at my outstretched arms, but the effort it takes brings tears to my eyes. I’m tied to something. Both my arms and legs. When I try to remember how I ended up here I can’t. The last thing I remember I was in my room with Keir and Caleb. Oh no. Oh, no no no. Did Caleb do this? Why can’t I remember? Sobs wrack my body, and the circling birds are dipping lower towards me. When I try to shout for help again my voice is weak and hoarse. No one will hear me.
Think. Eden, think. How can I get out of here? The vision in my left eye is being obscured by blood. It’s not helping me remain calm. I could have a head wound; I may be dying as I struggle to come up with a solution. There is no give in whatever has me tied down. I make myself close my eyes and slow my breathing. Humming Amazing Grace. I don’t want to die. I don’t want it all to end this way.
After humming through the song a couple of times, I hear something. Stopping, I try and listen closely. It sounds like someone calling my name, but that could be my mind playing tricks on me.
“Eden? Eeeeddeeenn…” No. It’s definitely someone calling for me.
“I’m here! I’m over here. Help!” The reedy mess my voice consists of right now won’t carry far. The person seems to be moving in my direction and they’re still calling my name. I bristle when I recognize the voice. It’s Caleb. A new panic sets in. If he did this to me, I don’t want him to find me. Wait. He’d know where I was if he was responsible. Right? Why can’t I think straight?
“I’m here… Caleb, over here!” I fight against what feels like corded plastic tethers and they tear at the flesh of my arms and legs. “Help! Caleb, help!” Movement seems to pick up and his voice sounds closer.
“Eden, I’m coming. I hear you; I’m coming!” I can’t see anything other than the sky above me and the moss-covered tree trunk a few feet to my right until I see his shoes running into my line of sight. “Oh… God help me. We have to get out of here… how…” He crouches down next to me and wipes away the blood on the side of my head.
He looks rough. I probably don’t look much better. He’s holding his arm and two of his fingers are dangling oddly like he’s broken them. His clothing is streaked with dirt and blood, and he has a bleeding wound near his collarbone. “Can you move at all?” he asks me.
“No. Can you get me loose?” Based on the distress on his face, I’m guessing he’s working with one hand and arm. “What… do you remember what happened?” I don’t mean to break down crying again, but none of this seems real.
Slightly wild eyed, Caleb shakes his head no. “I woke up with one arm cuffed to a chain link fence and… I… I think I’ve been shot.” He moves his black t-shirt that is soaked in the shoulder area, it looks like he has a gunshot wound. “The only thing I remember is going to the bathroom in your room. It's…” He stares up at the circling crows. “I don’t know what’s happening.”
“How did you get free of the handcuff?” I don’t need to ask; I can see he must have broken bones in his hand and fingers. My stomach turns. “Okay… never mind. What am I tied to?”
“You’re laying on a section of a chain link fence…” His eyes widen. “Eden…you’ve been shot, too. Oh… oh… my God.” Caleb stands and then trips backwards slightly. “Dear heavenly father…,” his murmured prayers sound like a buzzing in my ear.
“Caleb… please, please stop. I need you to help me. Stop with the prayers.” There isn’t a God somewhere willing to smite my enemies and magically free me from my current situation. “Snap out of it!” I gather as much as I can muster to yell at him.
He's back at my side in an instant apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just… Eden, I don’t know what to do.” With his one good hand he’s pulling at what he tells me is thick nylon ropes knotted a few times around my wrists and ankles. Now would have been a fine time for Caleb to have his knife. No… no, I didn’t just think that. Except, yes, I did. Screw it.
He manages to loosen one of my arms enough that I can start to pull. It burns and hurts like hell as it bites further into my skin. “Someone could be watching us; we have to move faster.” Caleb pauses briefly to give me a sad look. He doesn’t have much faith in our survival either at this point.
Full darkness moves in quickly and it’s hard to see anything now. I have no idea how long we work at freeing just one of my arms, but once it’s free and hurting like some wild animal used it as a chew toy, I set out to get the other arm free, even though I can’t see what I’m doing. Where’s Keir? He was with us. Is he shot and tied up in the woods, too? When I consider the possibility, I have to bite back another onslaught of tears. Especially when I remember his fear of the dark. Stop. Don’t think about it.
“Eden… did you hear that?” Caleb freezes and looks behind him. “What was that?” It might be an animal moving around, or whoever is responsible for our current hell. My heart hammers in my chest.
“Move faster, just move faster.” Ignoring the pain in my body, I even try to tear at the industrial strength rope with my teeth. I’m feeling faint and without knowing the extent of my blood loss or what’s wrong with my head, I can’t tell if it’s fatigue or death taking over.
Once I’m able to sit up and look at my lower half, I see the bullet wound to my upper thigh. Caleb had already told me it looked like the bullet was still in my leg. “I want to try standing.”
Caleb shakes his head at me. “No. Not with that injury.” He stands up and looks over the whole piece of chain link wedged between two fallen trees. “I’ll carry you. When I kneel in front of you, grab ahold around my neck.” He’s a big guy so I know my weight won’t be too much, but the fence still tied to my lower half is awkward and who knows how heavy.
“Will that even work?” There isn’t time to rethink it. Once I put my battered arms around his neck he stands and the whole piece of metal fencing comes with me. “I hate to ask you to do this, but can you move as quickly as possible?” I want to close my eyes and sleep. That’s just one more hint at how much blood I’ve lost. The damage done to my body seems at the periphery of my mind.
Thankfully, the crows don’t follow us as Caleb half jogs away from where he found me. I almost laugh at myself. Clive always said that crows were the most intelligent birds that God made, and they’d remember people. Maybe they’re back to help finish me off. So much of what Clive said was complete garbage, but during a trivia night in college I learned that they do indeed remember people. It chilled me to the bone.
“Which way should I go?”
“I don’t care, just go fast.” My voice sounds muffled to my own ears, and I cling to Caleb. Willing myself to keep holding on when I feel my arms start to shake and slip.
