Chapter 6: Alone at night
Sometime later, two hours or so, I awoke again and saw a flash of light on the blanket in front of me. A second later it flashed again. I pushed myself off of my wet pillow and carefully stuck my head through the hanging blanket.
Three men were wading through the high grass of the field with flashlights, and they seemed to be looking for something in the grass. They couldn’t see me, it was totally dark outside, and they mostly weren’t looking this way anyway. I wanted to roll down the window, but they had been electric and wouldn’t work in such an old truck. I ducked back inside and laid down again.
Who were these men and what did they want? Why would anyone want to kidnap me? Where could I go to be safe?
I laid down and thoughts ran through my mind for about half an hour before I sat up again and looked out through the hanging blanket.
The men seemed to have given up their search through the grass, but there were some men now who were gathered by a car on the other side of the field and they all had flashlights. Probably the same guys. I couldn’t tell what they were doing, but I figured they were far enough away that I could sneak out of the truck safely.
I turned the handle and threw my shoulder into the door. It opened easier than it had on the way in, and I almost fell out of the truck. The only thing keeping me from landing face-first into the dirt was that I held onto the handle. I stumbled down out of the truck and onto the dirt. Then, walking carefully to the front gate by the light of the a street lamp, I squeezed through the gate.
Once out, I walked toward the lights from the men, but I did it quietly and kept in the shadows as much as I could. They were on the street on the other side of the field. There was a line of trees over there, so safest way to spy on the men was to go from tree to tree down the road. Thankfully the moon was out, so I could see some as I slinked through the shadows.
Once I got close enough so I could hear them talk, I moved even more carefully. Eventually I hid behind a tree, directly across from the car where they talked.
“The news said she was dead,” said one man, “so why are we still looking for her?”
“Because we know better. We saw her still on the loose.”
“But as long as they think she’s dead, we’ll be okay, right? The boss won’t know.”
“She wasn’t supposed to die,” said the first man again, “we were supposed to capture her and take her to the island.”
A third man spoke. He had a gruff voice that sounded like he had a cold. “I was so sure the fire would drive her out of the house so we could catch her,” he said. “We had planned this for so long. Even when we set the other fires, I expected her to show up, running to one of the firefighters or police. I’m surprised we didn’t see her.”
“Maybe she died in one of the other fires,” said the first man again.
“Okay men. No more arguing. Now we have a limited time to look for her before we need to leave. The general said that the government will be here by morning. So, we need to clear out of here by 5am at the latest. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” they all saluted. Or at least that was what I imagined they did since I couldn’t see from behind the tree. I sat down at the base of the tree and a few tears fell after hearing again about my family. If I had not been held after school and then went to see Gregorio, I would have been home when my house caught fire. I would have died with my parents and sister. Maybe that would have been better.
“I’ll drive the streets again while you three go through the debris of houses. She can’t hide forever.” I heard someone close a car door and I waited a few minutes before looking around the tree again. They were gone.
Fire, I thought. Little good my ability helps when the thing they use is fire. Am I alone? Did my family really die? If the military really was coming in the morning, maybe they could help.
I knew the best that I could do was to hide again and wait until morning. They were searching in the wrong place, so I thought I should be safe back at the Pick and Pull. Once men were far enough away, going in the opposite direction, I crept from behind the tree and moved toward the Pick and Pull, and toward the semi again. I was starting to shiver now from the cold and for just a second an image flashed in my mind. I thought of my mother, the way she would put ribbons in her hair like a little girl. That was her problem, she was too trusting. I would never see her again. Just as I thought I might give myself to tears, I pulled away. I needed to be alert. I needed to notice what was around me.
I neared the front gate again with the lamplight above it, but when I got to the chain, it was already broken off. Someone was in there already. My heart pounded at the realization. I ducked down and listened. I felt numb from tiredness and cold, but also scared and alert. I looked outside of the gate, but all I saw was open field and no better place to hide. Maybe if I waited long enough, whoever was in there would come out and then I could get back in. I needed a temporary hiding place again. I ducked down and moved toward the grass.
I got on my stomach in the grass and thought about how hungry I was. I hadn’t eaten at all since lunch yesterday. A drink of water would be nice too. I didn’t know how long I would have to wait here, so I closed my eyes and tried to nap, but I was freezing and the ground was even colder. At least this November we didn’t have snow yet. Snow in Virginia could be bad.
I couldn’t believe I left my coat at home today. My sweat shirt was helpful, but not nearly enough. Once I realized I couldn’t sleep, I rolled in a ball and hugged my knees and just shivered.
I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. The screen looked extra bright in the dark, so I turned it off as soon as I could, but not before noticing it was 3:16 am. That meant I still had two more hours before these men would clear out and the military would come in. Could I freeze to death in two hours?
I heard a crashing sound in the Pick and Pull and I was startled from my thinking. The rattling of chain at the front gate signaled me that someone might be leaving. I looked very carefully above the grass and I could see a shape closing the gate and leaving, but not before locking it again. How did he get through the lock? I wondered as I shivered. He turned on a phone. “Yeah,” he said. “I don’t see her here. By now she could be anywhere. Where should I meet you?…Okay. I’ll be right over.” He walked off away from the Pick and Pull, and disappeared out of sight within a few minutes. Finally, I crept over to the gate.
I turned sideways and pushed my way through again. My ears were still sore from the first time. If I stopped eating I suppose this would get easier and easier for all of me except my head. Looking around carefully, I headed toward the truck and back inside. It didn’t feel that warm the first time I got inside, but now it felt very warm. I guessed that meant it was getting colder outside. I got in the back and put all the blankets I could find on me. I didn’t care how bad they smelled anymore. In seconds I was asleep.