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Promising? Did he just say it looks promising for me to walk again?
~Desirae~
Waking up to the morning dew resting over my now aching body, I sigh. My night was spent restlessly waking to every noise in the woods. However, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
Fear.
Sadness.
Anger.
Desperation.
All of these emotions held me still. I have no way out. They know I saw them. I saw what they did to her. To my sister, my precious baby sister. They know I can identify them. I can testify. I’m a liability.
What the hell am I going to do?
Slowly, I stand and stretch, feeling helpless. Then I take in my surroundings and find my direction. By now, they have found my car.
Knowing I can’t go back to it, I set my mind to the local direction and head out, knowing the forest comes out along two different highways. I can come out on Highway 24 and get to a gas station to call Tank or come out on Highway 58 and make my way to Haywood’s Landing without issue.
The walk is long, and my body aches, but I push through my discomfort and make my way to a boat ramp rather than the highways I was hoping for.
Apparently, I shouldn’t be on a survival challenge. I would most definitely fail.
Dawn is just breaking as two old men drop their boats in the river. I see their gaze hit mine, and I blink. After taking what feels like one long look at me, they rush over.
I can’t imagine the thoughts in their heads as they see the scraped up mess of a woman I am right now. My hair is wild around my face, my body is weak, and my eyes are swollen from crying. I’m sure I have tear streaks and dirt running down my cheeks as well as the scratches covering every piece of exposed skin.
“What’s your name? We need to call you an ambulance,” one of them says immediately.
Fear grips me. “No, I just need to call my friend for a ride.” My mind isn’t thinking rationally. My single thought is of the Hellions. I don’t feel safe, and I know they will protect me.
I don’t know anything about the two men who killed my Suzie. What if they have someone at the police station who works for them? What if they are waiting for me to end up at the hospital?
My sister! I gasp.
I need to call the police so they can get her body, but then I have to answer questions. I need help. I need to calm down and think this all through. In order to do that, though, I need to feel safe.
The other man reaches in his overall pocket and hands me his cell phone. “Call your people, girl. Then we’ll getcha to the hospital.” He spits his chewing tobacco out on the ground next to me as I take his phone with shaking hands.
I call the one person I know I can trust in this situation.
“Tank,” he barks into the phone.
“It’s Des. Come and get me,” I whisper.
“Where ya at? What the fuck happened?”
“I’m in Croatan. I’ll explain when you get here.” I rattle off the name of the boat ramp, fighting to keep my emotions at bay, knowing I won’t be alone soon.
“Don’t move. I’m on my way.”
I fold the old flip phone closed and hand it back to the kind stranger.
What takes less than fifteen minutes on a regular day seems to take an eternity. I can’t help looking around me, waiting for the bad guys to jump out and get me, while the two fishermen watch me intently before the first one goes to his truck and comes back with a sweatshirt.
“Put this on.” he tosses it to me. “You’re shaking something fierce.”
The rumble of the Harley hits my ears, and tears fill my eyes. Tank pulls up, and the two old guys actually move to stand in front of me as a sign of protection. I almost laugh … almost.
“He’s here for me. Thank you.”
They both move back, and Tank looks at me cautiously as he cuts off his bike and drops the kickstand.
I’m over to him before he can dismount. He holds me in a one-arm hug as I sob on his shoulder. “Shhh …” he comforts. “You gotta calm down. Where’s your sister?”
I shake my head and cry harder.
He pulls away. “You’ve gotta tell me, Desirae. Where is your sister?”
Looking over my shoulder, I see the two older men have gone back to their boats, but they are keeping their eyes on me and Tank. I’m sure seeing the big, tattooed and pierced biker has a multitude of questions running through their minds.
“Suzie …” I choke out. “She’s … she’s…” I stutter, unable to control myself. “She’s dead, Tank. They killed her in front of me. They know who I am. They’re gonna get me next.”
