Page 3

Hyenas… Now she remembered. They were out by some buff. Zoe and she were arguing about going home when three boys approached them. They smelled like rot and sickness. Their teeth were yellow stained and broken. Dirt covered them from head to toe, and they were young, too. Though they were deceptively strong, Zoe had knocked one out while the others grabbed Bell. That was the last thing she remembered until waking up.

“W-Who are you?” she croaked.

He laughed. The rough, gravelly sound sent a chill down her spine. Fear clogged her throat. The man refused to step from the shadows so she could get a better view of him. “A friend.” The way he said those words left a bitter taste on her tongue. Hadn’t Daddy taught her, if a statement tasted like sulfur, and she’d know if it did, then the person was lying?

“No, you’re not.” She tried to gather her knees to her chest, but quickly realized the reason she’d had no ability to move before was because of being tied up. “You’re lying.”

He laughed again. This time it took on a crazed quality and was followed by several other people who must have been in the space with them. The weird cry-like sound made her heart race and her body tremble. “Untie her, it’s time.”

Time? Time for what?

Several pairs of hands came out of the darkness, grabbing for her. They tugged and pulled at her clothing while also undoing the ropes binding her legs and hands. Her stomach churned while they pinched and groped her. She refused to beg for them to stop because she knew deep down her pleas would only entice them to be rougher and do more to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out their lewd actions and gross remarks about her body. She was ten, not a woman.

A little kid.

They carried her out of their cave dwelling and over to a four-wheeler. The man was already on the machine, waiting for her. She didn’t know who he was. He was still obscured in shadows and the fading light of the day. The boys who carried her out put her on the back of the off-road quad.

“He should be there any minute, we shouldn’t leave him waiting...” The man started the vehicle, then raced away from wherever they were, forcing Bell to hold on to him. He smelled like death and decomposition. Bile bit at the back of her throat with each inhale.

She didn’t like this man. He took her from her sister and her family. She didn’t understand why. What made her so important? Suffice to say, if he wanted someone more important or stronger, Zoe was the better choice. She was tough and mean and reminded Bell of their father more than anyone else. Then she berated herself for thinking such. Neither of them should be or should’ve been kidnapped.

They came to a stop near an outcropping of rocks. A small area had been cleared, as though in preparation for the coming events. A bonfire was set ablaze, illuminating the area. There was nothing out there, just desert sand, sagebrush, and Joshua trees. Shadows from the fire played eerie scenes against the stone wall, casting long silhouettes across the ground. She didn’t want to be there. The knot of terror in the pit of her stomach expanded, consuming her. She tried to scramble away from the man who’d taken her, but he grabbed her long blonde hair and yanked her back to him.

Bell cried out. Her hands went to her head, to trying to ease some of the pain, but he only tightened his grip, causing her eyes to water and agony to wrack her body. She went still, sniffing back her tears. Bell wouldn’t cry in front of him. She had to be tough, like Zoe and her mother, Jasmine. Bell needed to get mean like her aunt Jenna. A pang of longing reverberated through her. Oh, how she wished she was like them. If she had been, maybe she wouldn’t have been in this situation. Perhaps she’d have gotten free.

Instead, she stood next to the man who smelled like rotten flesh and sickness, his hand wrapped in her hair, pinning her in place. He licked his lips and an unfamiliar smell assailed her. Adrenaline spiked in her veins. She was a caged. A frightened bunny among predators. She needed to run away, but where?

In the desert, there was nowhere she could hide.

“Hello, Rapier,” the man sneered, drawing Bell’s attention. “Where’s Mackenzie?”

Her father didn’t say a word. Instead, she could feel his eyes on her. He took in every inch of her, searching for injuries. Yet, she couldn’t see him.

“We’re not going to play games, are we?” The man shook Bell, but she refused to make a sound. “I know you’re there. Come out, or I kill her.”

“Let go of Bell,” her father said from the darkness surrounding her.

“And be left defenseless? No, I don’t think so. Come out and face me,” the angry man said. “Stop being such a coward.”

“Pot meet kettle.” Her father’s voice gave her some comfort and confidence, easing the horrible churn in her stomach.

The man’s sinister laugh sent a shiver down her spine. “I’m not the one hiding.”

“Let me ask you something, asshole,” Rapier spat. “When you were killing all those families and burning out our homes, what was the point?”

“Power,” the man said. “Cattle always need to be shown what happens when someone makes a mistake.”

“And starving people?”

“Another form of punishment for losing their way.” The nonchalant way he gave the answer didn’t surprise Bell, however it hurt. People didn’t deserve to be hurt because of some man who didn’t like them.

“Why me?” Rapier asked.

“You got in the way. You overstayed your welcome and interfered in a personal matter,” the man said. “Mackenzie was being taught a very valuable lesson, and you ruined ten years of instruction. I couldn’t let you get away with that.”

Surprised filled Bell. “Uncle Mac?” She didn’t understand. From what her mother said and what she’d seen, Mackenzie was a quiet, frail man. What could he have possibly done to provoke this type of rage?

“What was Mac’s transgression?”