World in Tatters Ch. 20

Bam!

“Oof! Ow! Damn it! That was my nose!” Wait a minute, I know that voice.

“ALICE! Wait!” I shout just as Alice is about to drive her knife into Jason’s heart.

Alice freezes. It takes a moment before she realizes what she was about to do. Once she really sees Jason leaning there against the building pillar, she drops her knives to her sides. I drop my gun onto the stove and rush over to him.

“Alice? Steven? Oh, thank god.” Relief washes over him as he grasps who he’s looking at.

“Jason! What are you doing here? Did you know we were here?”

“We took shelter around the corner when the storm picked up yesterday.” He mumbles through his hand. Jason touches under his nostrils a few times checking for blood. “We heard someone come through a few hours later. I thought I’d offer help now that the storm is slowing, make sure no one was hurt. We had no idea it was you two. What are you doing back?”

“That’s a very long story.” Looking around the dark rainy night, “You keep saying ‘we’. Where is everyone else?”

“They’re close by. They’re probably still asleep.”

“You’re on watch, and you left them alone?”

“As I said, they’re close by. I didn’t go far.”

“Let us grab our stuff, then you can take us to them.”

Alice and I rush around getting the rest of our stuff together, throwing everything but our wet clothes into our packs. While I grab the rest of our gear, Alice tosses the ashes from the fire bowl out into the rain.

Now that the storm is passing, moonlight is starting to peak through the clouds. Jason leads us around the corner of the building in which we took refuge last night. And I do mean right around the corner. He leads us to the back side of the building where there are two heavy steel doors marked “Restroom.” Jason leads the two of us through the second door.

We try to slip in quietly so as not to wake the others, but as soon as I enter the room, I trip over some of Rachel’s gear making an awful sound. True to form, Rachel startles awake. In the blink of an eye, she pulls a knife from under her pillow, taking a defensive position on her bedroll.

“Damn it, Rachel. What have I told you about leaving your crap laying everywhere?”

Bertrand and Chris slowly rise from their sleep. Rachel lowers her knife and wipes the sleep from her eyes, looking up at the three of us.

“When did you guys get back?” Came the groggy rumble from Alice’s protector.

“Just now. We took shelter in the room next door.” Alice answers. “Jason came over and found us.”

“Found you? You almost killed me!”

“Details.”

“So, did you get what you were looking for in the city?”

“No.” The frustration evident in my voice. “It’s a long story, but we ended up having to leave with more questions than when we walked in. Oh, and by the way, we now have a special ops team coming after us.”

“What?!” Jason grabs my shoulder, turning me around to look in my eye. “What do you mean ‘special ops’? From where? Why?”

“I told you. It’s a long story. We had a run in with them a couple nights ago. We found out they’re tracking me. I think the storm bought us the night, but we need to be ready to go by dawn.”

“That’s only a couple hours from now.”

“I know. You guys should go back to sleep for now. I’ll wake you up when it’s time.” Suddenly, a thought washes over me. “Where are the horses?”

“We sold the spares.” Chris finally waking up enough to speak. “The rest are in the room next door.” Seeming to realize a mistake. “They’re probably freaking out right now. I’ll go check on them.” Chris squeezes by us and heads over to the other restroom.

“So…” Rachel chimes. “Where are we going next? Or are we just running?”

“Ultimately, Atlanta, I think. But Hattiesburg is on the way and only a half-day hard ride from here. That’s where the special ops unit was sent from, far as we can tell. Someone there has answers.”

“But if Hattiesburg sent them, shouldn’t we be avoiding Hattiesburg? Just a thought.”

“She’s right, you know.” Comes Alice’s lilting snark, but her voice darkens. “You saw what they did to Philip. We still don’t know where they took Alexander. He could be dead, too. Going to Hattiesburg is a huge risk. If they catch us there, we probably won’t be as lucky as we were the other night.”

“I know it’s a risk. I get it. But if we don’t find a way to get these guys off our backs, we’re never going to stop running.”

“Then we kill them.” Alice’s voice is almost a whisper. Barely audible. “Before they kill us.”

Tense silence washes over the room. Alice’s words hit home with me. I’ve only ever killed in self-defense. Or in defense of my family. And only in the heat of the moment. Technically, this would count, considering what these guys are after, but this feels different. The way Alice said that, it’s like she wants us to hunt them down.

“Look, I understand the impulse.” Jason pipes up before I can shape my thoughts. “But killing them isn’t going to do anything for long. They’ll just send someone else.”

“But it’ll delay them for a while.” Rachel says. “It might buy us enough time to get out of dodge.”

“I don’t like where this conversation is going.” I stress, “We are not killing anyone unless we have to. They’re hunting us, not the other way around. And we’re not talking about this again. Now, we leave in a few hours. Either go back to sleep or start packing.” With that, the others relent. Rachel lies back down. Bertrand falls back asleep almost instantly, snoring like a hog. Jason slinks off to assist Chris with the horses. I pull Alice aside, out of earshot of the others. “Alice, I know you’re trying to help, but Rachel is…impressionable. I want to keep her safe. Safe means not going headlong after people who want to kill us.”

“I stand by what I said. If you want to keep her out of it, that’s on you. But we have to do something about those guys. We should take them out before they get us. Before they get you. Or Rachel.”

“We are doing something. Something that preferably doesn’t involve killing.”

“Fine. But if they come after us again, I’m going to kill them.”

“When they come after us again, I’ll help you. But I’m not hunting them. That’s not who I am. I don’t think that’s who you are either. And, that’s not who I want Rachel to become.”

Without another word, Alice pushes past me and goes to stake out a corner for a quick nap. Frankly, I wish I could join her, but even now, my mind is racing far too much to sleep.

*****

Shortly before daylight, the rain completely stops. The clouds clear as the sun rises. Neither Chris nor Jason went back to sleep after Alice and I rejoined the party. The three of us took the time to clean and care for the horses. This may be the last time they’ll get to be properly clean for a while. As soon as everyone else is up and packed, we lead the horses out of their confinement.

I figured it would be more conspicuous if all six of us rode out at the same time, so I send Jason ahead with Bertrand and Chris. We decide to meet up about an hour’s ride outside the tent city. Honestly, with the tent city in chaos from last night’s storm, I doubt anyone would notice us. But better safe than sorry.

Alice, Rachel and I wait a little while before following the first group. The whole ride out of town, Rachel asks us questions about our time in Picayune. I expected as much, but she seems to have a lot more questions about Alice and me than she does about the guys who attacked us. She’s a nosey little minx, that’s for sure.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister, but sometimes she needs to learn to butt out.

Honestly, I think Alice feeds into Rachel’s curious nature. Any time the questions get close to personal, Alice very slyly redirects Rachel’s attention to me. Alice is really something else. She knows how to push my buttons unlike anyone else. The worst part, is that, with her around, Rachel is bound to pick up more than a few of her tricks.

That being said, I still like having Alice around. She seems to enjoy it too. Maybe it’s just having something normal again after everything that’s happened. Even if it’s only for the moment.

We must’ve taken a faster route, because we somehow beat the others to the rendezvous. They weren’t far behind, though. Before the group of us could head out Bertrand pulls Alice aside.

“I wanted to speak with you, my Lady.” Bertrand’s deep voice carries in this small clearing. The hulking giant stands erect at attention in front of her. The man looms over her, but his reverence for Alice is evident in his demeanor.

“You haven’t called me that in a while.”

“Until now…well, things are different now. I feel it calls for a return to our professional relationship.”

“Okay…? What’s wrong?”

“My Lady, I have been your protector for some time now. Not that you ever really needed me for that. And I have been your friend for much longer.” The man’s bearing darkens. He squirms as he struggles to look her in the eye. I think I see where this is going. Steeling his nerve, “I cannot accompany you any further on your journey.”

Alice just stands there, stunned by her friend’s declaration.

“My Lady, I can’t go back to Atlanta.” Dropping his head, his mess of dark hair falling over his shoulders. “Too many memories of too many people lost. During the coup, dozens of my friends were slaughtered in service to your mother. I do not blame her…or you. They did their duty as I have done mine.

“I ask you now to release me from that duty.”

“Bertrand, I…I don’t know what to say.”

“Lady Alice, I’m not going to Atlanta. Please release me. Please allow me to do this with a clear conscience.”

“Bert, you have been with me through everything. You’ve helped me, and protected me through this whole nightmare. I can’t ask you to go any further than you already have.” Alice steps back, standing upright as Bertrand kneels to the ground before her. “Bertrand Clearwater…my friend… I release you from service to me and my family.”

Rising from his knee. “Thank you, my Lady.”

“What will you do now?”

“I don’t know. I’ll probably stay here in Picayune. You and I made lives here. Such as they were. I plan to continue mine.”

“Good luck, old friend.” I can hear the emotion in her voice. She’s trying to keep it under control, but it’s slipping through. Without another word, she wraps her arms around the giant’s neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Bertrand enfolds Alice in a loving embrace, a single tear dripping from his cheek.

When the two release each other, Bertrand bows his head once more before taking his things and heading back towards the city. Alice hides her face and walks off into the woods. As she passes me, I see the pain in her eyes. She’s lost so many people, I can’t imagine what’s going through her mind now.

“Bertrand!” I shout to him, jogging to catch up. “I overheard your conversation with Alice. Before you leave, I just wanted to thank you for looking out for Rachel and Jason the last few days. Chris too.”

“It has been my pleasure.” He turns again to walk away.

“Wait…I have a favor to ask.”

Bertrand slowly turns to me, glaring skeptically. “What is it?”

“Well, sort of a favor and a half. You said you’re remaining here in Picayune. Some bad stuff happened while Alice and I were inside the walls. The folks that’re after us wiped out an entire cell. They burned a base of operations for another. Kidnapped Alexandre.”

He holds up his very large hand to stop my rambling, “What favor do you need?”

“First off…I need you to look in on George and Rowena. We had to go to them for help. We may have put them in serious danger.”

“They are my friends as well as Lady Alice’s. I would do that even if you didn’t ask.”

“Thank you. Truly. But there’s one more thing. I know it’s a lot to ask, but Corina and her cell need help. I don’t know what’s in store for them. They may have lost people, Corina’s cover was blown. They’re in bad shape. I’m asking you lend them a hand. Corina and her crew have a lot of people counting on them. Please.”

Bertrand turns his head to the ground, contemplating the gravity of my request. “Steven Tucker, I will do as you ask. On one condition.”

“Of course.”

“Take care of Lady Alice. She’s been through a lot.”

Smiling, “What was it you said before? I would do that even if you didn’t ask.”

“I think you misunderstand. I see the way she looks at you. You’re her oldest and dearest friend, but being near you puts her in danger.”

“I swear to you…I will do any and everything in my power to keep her safe.”

“Good.”

With a clap to my shoulder, the mountain of a man skulks away into the woods. With a sore shoulder I turn back to my own party. I have a feeling we’ll see Bertrand again someday. I just hope it’s at a much more peaceful time.