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He sighed and nodded. “It’s okay. Elizabeth will watch over Marcia. But be back before we have to move. We don’t want to have to look for you.”
She smiled, nodded, and walked off. As she passed by Ted, she noticed he was staring at her. She didn’t look at him though. And she hoped he wouldn’t follow. She felt so embarrassed as to how she poured her heart to him the previous day. She smiled. It felt so good to confide in someone, though it was a new feeling for her. She did what she always did: enter the main city to see the emptiness of it. She passed by the short buildings and gazed on the snow-topped maple trees around her. It was a small settlement, nothing too attractive.
She heard footsteps and she paused. Listening closely, she noted that the footsteps were from more than one person. The footsteps were coming from the other side of a building. She wondered at it. As far as she knew, her group was the only one still around that area at that time. The footsteps were getting closer. She noticed an abandoned car just ahead, close to the turn, and she ran to it. Finding it open, she slipped in and peered through the rear glass.
Three men came around the turn. Behind them were eight children and two teen girls, all bound by the hand to one another with thick ropes. Their mouths were gagged. Aaliyah gasped. They were kidnappers. Aaliyah didn’t get it: why had kidnapping become the order of the day? Why were people so desperate? What did they get from kidnapping little kids and ladies?
Then she remembered the words of the woman she found back at Vermont. She gasped again. It had to be an organized activity. Something else was going on.
The people who are being kidnapped are the lucky ones.
What was going on?
She knew the men were probably armed. She wanted to help out but she didn’t know what to do. She decided to getaway. Then another thought crossed her mind: the day of her abuse. She remembered how it felt to be used and her heart went out to the children and girls who were being captured. She had to do something. She looked around her for anything that would help. There was nothing She got out of the car since the men had gone quite a distance. She looked in the boot. She smiled.
“We’re already late, Bruce. We’re one day behind schedule. I think we should let these people go and return to base. That was the instruction,” Andy said. He was an average-sized red-headed man.
Bruce, the tall and blonde man turned and shot Andy a glare.
“Do you know how much we would lose if we returned to base without a catch? Besides, the list says some descriptions are yet to be turned in. It must have been due to the technical black out on the first day. Don’t worry, Andy. We’re well within schedule.”
“But you know it was all your fault, Bruce. You just had to get the teens, didn’t you? You made us have to hide for a whole day so as not to be noticed by the migrants,” Samuel said. He was the third man in their company. Black haired and short, he was the most muscular of the three.
They had barely passed by a white wooden building when one of the girls stumbled and the three men turned.
“What’s your problem, girl? Keep up, would you?” Samuel said.
“Keep up with this, short stuff,” Aaliyah said as she ran out from around the corner of the building and slammed the face of the metal skateboard into Samuel’s face. Turning swiftly, she kicked Bruce’s hand, sending his gun flying out of his hand. She swung the skateboard and it struck Andy on the head. Andy fell to the ground, rolling and groaning in pain. She poised herself, ready for another round of the fight. The men stood up, full of anger. They folded their fists. Aaliyah turned quickly to the children and the teenagers who were behind her.
“Go now. Run!”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Samuel said as he pulled out his gun and shot at the girls, Aaliyah used the skateboard to block the bullets. The three men, enraged by the escape of their prey, ran towards Aaliyah. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take them all on but she decided she would have to try. She had to give the girls and children a chance to escape. She wondered why she was pawning her own life but it was too late to turn back.
She flung the skateboard at Samuel. He dodged it easily, returning with a punch. Aaliyah managed to dodge the punch but Bruce’s kick on her stomach sent her stumbling backward. She ran towards the wall and, using it as a spring, she brought her right knee hard against Andy’s face. She bent quickly, missing Bruce’s kick. Using the opening, she kicked his thigh, sending him to the ground. Samuel’s large palms went hard against her throat, lifting her up and slamming her to the ground. The pain was unbearable for her. She rolled on the ground. Samuel and Andy kicked her repeatedly, while Bruce picked up his gun and came towards her. He pointed in at her.
Aaliyah’s eyes widened in fear… the same fear she had fought all year long.
“Don’t kill me, please. My grandma would be devastated if I died before she did,” she cried.
Brian spat out blood.
“You should have thought about that before pulling this stupid stunt, don’t you think? Say bye-bye,” he said as his finger curled around the trigger.
“Bye-bye.” The words were followed by three gunshots. The next second, all three of the men fell dead to the ground. Aaliyah’s eyes that had been closed shot open as the muscular one fell over her. She pushed him off hurriedly, surprised that she was still alive. She got up slowly to see the dark woman standing with an outstretched pistol.
“It’s you again,” Aaliyah said.
“I must say, girl, I’m not sure what to think of you. It was stupid fighting three armed men alone still I admire your bravery. Then you ruined it all when you began to beg.”
Aaliyah got up, grimacing as pain danced all over her body. She gave the lady a smile.
“Thanks for saving me.”
The lady returned her smile.
“Well, considering you have a knack for being alone and you have the skills to sustain yourself, I think I might have need of you. What do you say you join me? You’d be saving the whole of America, you know,” the lady said as she walked up to where the men's bodies lay. She reached into their pockets and pulled out a white mini-tab from each.
“I don’t even know your name,” Aaliyah said, wondering at the lady.
