The Haret (The Haret Series) (12 page)

              With his last bit of strength he scooted over and fell from the truck inching his body as far away from the burning vehicle as his strength would allow. Then with much effort he pulled his phone from his pocket and blinked his eyes clearing his vision trying to focus in on the screen. He laughed relieved; choking on the blood forcing its way into his throat.

             
One bar…enough to place a call. He closed his eyes to retrieve a mental image of something he had seen only hours before. The old rotary phone he used at Rosie’s house and the black numbers printed on a narrow strip of white paper fastened to the front. His fingers shook in his feeble attempt to press the keys. A click and then a ring….a second…..a third…..a fourth.

             
“Hello?”

             
David gasped for air choking on his blood.

             
“They‘re coming.”

             
His hand lost all strength, the phone fell beside him. The stars were no longer visible, there was only utter darkness.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

             
Grant made sure the shotguns were loaded before going outside. He tossed one to Rosie who caught it like a pro keeping it aimed high as they headed out doors. He would not allow Felicitas to stay behind insisting that they all leave together just in case the cry for help was a trap to lure Grant away. Felicitas wouldn’t hear of staying behind anyway, once Rosie woke her and suggested that David might be in trouble she jumped out of bed and nearly beat both Grant and Rosie out the door.

             
It was four-thirty in the morning and the night sky was slowly making its transformation from deep black to violet. The chilling night left a light frost on the ground; Felicitas could see her breath when she exhaled. She didn’t want to waste a moment changing clothes, so she threw on a short silk robe her grandmother gave her over her borrowed gown. She shivered as she climbed in Grants truck her bare legs touching the cold leather seats.

             
Grant peeled out of the driveway and headed down the one lane road with Rosie directing him which way to go. She reasoned if David had made the call from his cell then he had to be at least a mile away in order to get service. Anything past that was a dead zone. She also instructed them to look for smoke, saying the caller did not hang up and she distinctly heard a roaring fire in the background.

             
Felicitas strained her eyes looking into the dark sky. Smoke would be almost impossible to see. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep her body from trembling as uncontrollably as it was. Grant had cranked up the heater but the warm air blasting through the vents could not calm the dread she was feeling over David.

             
Felicitas had been sleeping soundly and never heard the phone ringing. According to Rosie David called and tried to say something but she couldn’t make out what it was. She could tell by the look on Grants face that he feared the worst. His words to David earlier that evening, that he had been marked for death, kept playing over in her head. If anything had happened to him she would never forgive herself for getting him involved.

             
Grant jerked the truck off the road and headed across an empty field.

             
“Fire.” he said pointing in the distance.

             
Seeing the orange glow of flames ahead caused her heart to drop into her stomach.

             
Grant floored the truck driving it as fast as he could across the uneven terrain. The second time her head hit the roof of the cab Rosie reminded Grant of Felicitas pregnant state; asking him to take it a tad slower. He navigated a couple more bumps and plowed through a bit more brush before the sight of the burning truck came into view.

              The vision of the old beater in flames nearly caused Felicitas heart to stop. She climbed over Rosie scrambling to get out of the truck and raced barefoot through the wet grass toward the burning vehicle. Grant and Rosie followed close behind still aiming their guns in caution.

             
Felicitas spotted his body first.

             
“David!”  She fell onto the ground beside him, screaming in protest as she cradled his head in her arms. “Oh my God is he dead?”

              Grant knelt beside her, examining David’s wounds.

             
“He’s lost a lot of blood. If we don’t get him to the hospital he will be.”

             
Scooping David’s lifeless body in his arms, Grant raced for the truck carefully laying him in the bed. Felicitas climbed into the back never leaving David’s side. Grant opened his mouth in protest but one look from Felicitas and he knew he could not refuse her. He climbed in joining her and told Rosie to drive instructing her to take it easy across the field so the imbedded bullet wouldn’t dislodge and travel.

             
Felicitas placed David’s head in her lap cushioning it from banging against the cold metal bed of the truck. Tears poured down her cheeks as she looked up at Grant.

             
“Who did this to him?”

             
“My guess is the Drakes.”

             
“Where are they?” She screamed her words over the wind now that Rosie was on the main road and driving at an increased speed.

             
“Where are they? I want to see them!”

             
“You don’t know what you’re asking.”

             
“Yes I do! I’m not afraid; the oracle said they weren’t allowed to kill me while I’m pregnant. I want to talk to them.”

             
Grant laughed. “You want to talk to them? Honey they aint much for talkin’ or listenin’.  They can’t kill you now but it doesn’t mean they can’t take you with them. Some things could be worse than death. They want one thing and they’ll stop at nothing’ to get it and by the look of your friend here, I’d say it took them awhile to get what they wanted.  They have ways of finding out things. They knew David helped you and knew where you’re hidin’ place was. I’d say it took some time but they finally beat it out of him.”

             
Felicitas closed her eyes trying to block out the mental picture of what David must have gone through for her. Her heart grew sick.

             
Rosie pulled into the emergency entrance of a small one story hospital and gave a couple of loud blasts from her horn.               Grant scooped David up and ran towards the door as an attendant came running out with a gurney.

             
Rosie left the truck and joined Felicitas running alongside the bed.

             
“Whad’ ya bring me Rosie?” A burly bearded man asked while placing his stethoscope on David’s chest.

             
“Gunshot wound. He‘s lost a lot of blood.”

             
“Looks like a kid. What’s the age?”

             
“He’s seventeen” Felicitas answered.

             
“A friend of yours?”

             
“Yes.”

             
“Did you see what happened?”

             
“No.”

             
“By the looks of him he got a pretty good beatin’ before he was shot.” The burly doctor removed the stethoscope from his ears and began directing orders to his nurse. “I’m going to need to take him in surgery right away to save him. Assemble the team, take the girl to admitting and get his information, we’re gonna have to notify the parents. Tell them to notify the sheriff too.”

             
Felicitas heart faded as she was hustled to the small admitting office.  How could life take such a horrible turn?  Only a month ago she celebrated the start of her final year of high school with her friends, taking senior pictures, deciding on colleges, planning their futures. This was the year she had anticipated since elementary school yet, the past two weeks her life had gone from bliss to chaos. Now she was a run away and at a small country hospital looking at David lying on a gurney bleeding to death from a gunshot wound. How could all of this have happened?

             
An attendant escorted her to a small empty room and offered her a seat on a cold metal chair. Shivering nervously and trying to warm up against the icy cold temperatures of the sterile hospital, she drew her arms toward her chest and for the first time noticed the sticky red blood covering the silk robe. She shivered again and nearly vomited. Grant noticed and yelled out into the hallway for some assistance just as a woman entered walking slowly, trying not to spill the hot coffee over the rim of her mug. One glimpse of Grant and a delighted smile formed on her lips. She placed her coffee on the desk and with her free hand fluffed her hair.

             
“You the one who brought in the gunshot victim?”

             
“Before we start answering your questions can you get the girl a warm blanket or something? She’s freezing cold not to mention traumatized by everything.”

             
The woman glanced at Felicitas and cocked her head.

             
“Aren’t you that missing girl? I saw your picture in the paper last week.”

             
“That’s none of your business.” Grant was blunt. “Just get the damn blanket will you. This is supposed to be a hospital for Christ’s sake, do your job and help the girl.”

             
The woman blushed a thousand shades of red before she picked up the phone and ordered a blanket and hot tea to the admitting office.  She sat at her computer and began a series of questions her acrylic nails clicking on the keyboard as she typed.

             
When the blanket arrived Grant took it and wrapped it around Felicitas and for a second time another fleeting memory flashed through her mind. Grant was with her, standing beside her in some sort of corridor, his arms were wrapped around her and he was holding her close. No doubt these images were memories of her missing week. The thought was frightening and brought with it extreme anxiety causing her body to tremble even more. She smiled at him through her clenched teeth hoping he hadn’t noticed.

             
The woman finished typing in all the information then looked at Grant over the top of her monitor.

             
“That’s all I need from her but she’s gonna need to stay and talk with the sheriff when he arrives.”

             
Grant was quick to question the reasoning of her statement.

             
“And why does she need to talk to the sheriff?  Rosie’s the one who received the phone call.”

             
The woman blushed again.

             
“Well the girl’s a runaway and it’s her friend bleeding to death in ER.  I assume he’s gonna want to talk to her.”

             
“So it’s just your assumption then?” Grant was irritated.  “In that case I’m taking the little lady home so she can clean up and get some rest.  If he needs to talk to her, then he knows where we are.”

             
Rosie agreed to be the one to stay behind and talk with the Sheriff. She walked them to the truck and promised her anxious granddaughter that she would call as soon as there was any news on David. She patted Felicitas on the knee before closing the door.

             
“This is not a good turn of events but we did what was best for David. The Sheriff’s a good friend of mine and I’ll ask him to keep us out of this but I’m afraid it’s gonna lead the police and your folks right to our door. Your hidin’ place has been breached; no doubt the careful scheming of the Drakes. They got themselves a plan and their workin' it.”

             
Rosie’s words made Felicitas uncomfortable. At this point nothing mattered to her but David’s survival.

Rosie turned her words to Grant. 
             

             
“You two may need to run if it looks like it’s gonna get out of our control.”

             
Rosie’s statement made Felicitas heart falter even more. Although she felt somewhat comfortable around Grant she still had only known him for a few hours and wasn’t sure she was ready to run off with him besides there was still a shroud of mystery surrounding the man not to mention the hazy memories that kept flashing through her mind. Running away from home was to escape being committed to the crazy farm. Now she felt she may be trading one insane experience for another.

             
She leaned her head against the window; her thoughts racing through her mind as fast as the truck passing the trees lining the side of the road. It was Sunday morning and she could picture all the people gathering for church, and her father stepping on the large platform to deliver his sermon. Her heart ached at the thought. She knew all her friends would be there, sitting in the same spot where they always sat; everyone but her and David. She wondered when her friends would hear the news. She figured David’s mother was already on her way to the hospital and more than likely overwhelmed by the gruesome discovery. It would only be a matter of time before everyone would link David to her. There would be so many accusations, so many questions to answer after all she was the last person to see David….and then a terrifying thought. She glanced over at Grant driving the truck and the gun lying across his lap. He had walked David to his truck last night and she had gone to bed before he returned home. What if? She shook the thought from her head. If that were true why would David call the house instead of calling the police?

             
Her eyes grew heavy. She was exhausted. The heater had done its job well filling the cab with warmth. She relaxed and soon began to doze. She felt the truck spinning. Her eyes fluttered open but there was no spinning or swerving of any kind. Grant was in complete control his eyes focused straight ahead. She closed her eyes again and leaned her head against the cold glass of her window. The dizziness resumed, and then there it was, a strange circle of trees, all spinning like the horses on a carousel. Their speed increased until their gnarled trunks became a blur and then disappeared. A door appeared where the trees once grew. It opened slowly, an unshaven man stood in the doorway his hand beckoning her inside.