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"Are you sure?" I asked. I hoped he was mistaken. With everything that had happened, his presence here now didn't give me a good feeling. Some things are too coincidental to be a coincidence.
"I know I was young, but I'd never forget that man's face," Matty swore.
I believed him. If he was here, Bailey could be in trouble. We never should have left her alone.
"We need to get to Bailey," Pike said urgently.
"First, we need to make sure he doesn't escape," Ethan growled. He was right. We had the man in our sights now, and he was too dangerous to risk missing the opportunity to capture him. Henry was walking by the barn just then, and we called for him to join us inside.
"Do you know that man?" I asked him.
Henry looked to see who we were talking to. "Just someone who stumbled upon us and is looking for work in exchange for a hot shower and a meal," he replied.
"That's the man that took me and Bailey in as kids and abused her," Matty told him.
Henry paled as he looked at the man speaking to his youngest daughter again. He called over more men and his wife. "Susan, I want you to return to the house and call Alice in for lunch. Once you get her inside, I want you both to stay there. If that man comes into the house, you kill him on sight, understand?"
Susan nodded and ran to the house to do as he said.
"Men, go spread out. I want you to move in on him as soon as Alice is inside. He doesn't leave this farm," Henry ordered.
Susan called Alice into the house, and Scott was so busy watching her leave that he didn't notice the men approaching him until it was too late. He tried to run but was tackled to the ground. When he was secured, Matty rushed from the barn toward the man. When he reached him, he punched him in the face. I grabbed him before he could hit him again.
"We will have time for that later, Matty," I told him.
"Well, if it isn't little Matty," Scott said, licking his split lip. 'My condolences on your sister." My blood ran cold as Caleb sprinted to the truck. Scott looked at the rest of us next. "You really shouldn't have left her all alone. Oh, how she screamed for you," he taunted.
I saw red, and as much as I wanted to beat the man to death, I knew we had to get to Bailey. Caleb fired up the truck, and we all ran to jump in as he revved the engine. "Lock him up, but don't kill him yet," I yelled over my shoulder as I jumped into the truck's bed, and Caleb gunned it.
Caleb pushed the truck to its limits, and the short drive over was silent and tense. Please be ok, Honey Bee, I prayed silently. I didn't know what we would do if we lost her. As we got closer, we heard a truck horn blaring, and I saw the gate wide open. As we pulled into the yard, I saw a few zombies shuffling around, and my stomach dropped. Oh, God, please don't let us be too late.
"Matty shut that fucking truck off," I yelled as I ran for the house. "Ethan, kill these fuckers before they become a bigger problem."
I run into the house with Gray, Pike, and Caleb. "Bailey!" I see the broken bedroom door at the end of the hall, and the weight of what that could mean nearly knocks me over. As we approach the door, I can hear moaning and growls. Bracing myself for the worst-case scenario, I burst into the room. Relief surges through me, quickly replaced by worry. I take in the scene in front of me quickly. Bailey is alive but naked, bloody, bruised, and tied to the bed. Witch growls at us as she crouches across Bailey's stomach. There is a pool of blood beneath her body that is concerning. Witch also looks injured, so I don't know how much of the blood is Bailey's and how much belongs to the dog.
We reach for Bailey, and Witch's growls get more fierce as she snarls at us. I don’t doubt that she will bite us if we touch her. Witch is in full protection mode, and everyone but Bailey is the enemy.
"It's ok, Witch," Gray croons softly. "We're friends, remember. Who's a good girl protecting her mama like that? You did good, Witch, but we need to help her now."
"Come on, girl," Caleb says, snapping his fingers. "Come here, Witch. It's ok." Witch whined, tucking her tail as she backed away from Bailey to allow us near her. She almost looked apologetic for growling at us.
We quickly untied her, but as soon as we touched her, Bailey freaked and thrashed to escape us. Her eyes were wild as she looked at us without seeing us. She was still locked inside her nightmare. We released her immediately so that she would stop fighting us. I didn't know the extent of her injuries yet, but she was covered in blood, and I didn't want her to injure herself even more.
"Hey, Honey Bee," I said softly. "It's Boone, baby. We're here. You're safe. Come back to us, sweetheart." Now that she wasn't moving, I cataloged her injuries. Her face was bruised and swollen. She had a cut on her neck and a deep gash across her stomach that worried me as blood flowed freely. Bruises speckled her body, and her inner thighs were covered in blood. A burning rage brewed inside me, but I kept a lid on it as I focused on Bailey.
I heard the screen door slam. "Bailey!" Matty screamed as he rushed toward the room. This seemed to break Bailey out of her state, and she looked around, surprised to see us. She starts to panic as Matty gets closer.
"Please, I don't want him to see me like this," she rasps.
I move immediately, blocking the door and Matty's view of her. Gray moves as well to further block her. Matty looks betrayed as he tries to push past me. Ethan grabs him, holding him tightly as the boy begins to cry.
"Let me see her! I have to see her!"
"Matty, she's alive. She's alive and stronger than ever, but she doesn't want you to see her like this." I tell him.
"I don't care what she looks like. I need to see her," he replies, fighting against Ethan's hold on him.
"Matty, listen to me. It's important that we respect her wishes right now. We need to give her back her control. I promise you'll see her soon, just not right now." The fight left him as he hung his head and slumped against Ethan. He nodded, wiping away the tears still tracking down his face.
