Page 63 of Lily's Eagle

“You sure?” Lily asks and I wish she hadn’t.

The man looks up, directly at Lily, and she gasps and takes a step back, a look of recognition on her face. He clasps his hands behind his back, revealing beadwork of some sort peeking from behind his belt.

My father’s knife!

I reach to the back of my jeans for my gun, but get twisted and almost lifted off the ground as a bullet I didn’t even see coming pierces my left bicep. Lily is screaming, the guy looks as rabid as one of his dogs that keep on barking louder and louder, and I’m on one knee, looking up at him as he grabs Lily and points a large silver pistol to her head.

I manage to point my gun at him, but I’m pointing it at Lily too and that’s no good. My ability to see is quickly deteriorating, darkness closing in from the sides of my vision.

“That’s right, kid,” he says as I lower it. “Why don’t you toss it too, while you’re at it?”

His voice is familiar too. I’ve heard it before or something very similar to it, but I don’t know where.

“Shoot him,” Lily demands, but I think even she knows that’s not a good idea. He’s much wider than her, but even if I were at my hundred percent, I wouldn’t trust myself to shoot him without hitting her as well.

I toss the gun, but only far enough so I can still reach it if I lunge. Hot blood is streaming down my left arm and I’m getting lightheaded. My vision is growing fuzzier and fuzzier. Not a good sign.

“Get up,” the man barks at me.

I do it, and sway as the world flips and flops in front of my eyes. But my legs are taking my weight. Good.

Lily’s eyes are so full of fear and concern, I can barely stand looking at her. “I’ll take care of it,” I promise her.

“Yeah, boy, sure,” the man barks and chuckles darkly. “Now start walking. That way.”

He points with his head at a spot behind me. There’s a small, dark walled structure there, hidden by the trees.

“What is this? Where are you taking us?” Lily asks.

“To see your friend,” the man says in a carefree voice that sounds creepy as fuck. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

My only chance of us getting away now lies in taking that gun away from him between here and that cabin he means to lock us into. So I start walking. Lily seems to be putting up some sort of a fight, because the man is groaning and breathing hard behind me.

“Keep still, or I’ll kill you right here,” he finally barks and I feign stumbling and crashing down on my knees, but manage to catch myself on my good arm before I actually do. The world is so fuzzy, I don’t feel any pain.

The man is surprised enough that he just keeps walking a few more steps with Lily in tow, passing me. I use the last of my strength to rip my knife from behind his belt slashing down at what should be his femoral artery.

And miss.

Because the next thing I know is the sensation of his steel toe boot against my temple. Even Lily’s panicked yells aren’t enough to chase away the gathering darkness of unconsciousness. They’re not even enough to pierce it.

* * *

LILY

“No!” I scream as he kicks Eagle in the head and the scream just keeps echoing in my mind, growing louder and louder.

I’m thrashing about, don’t care about the cold gun barrel pressed to my head as the smelly, black haired man shoves, pushes and prods me towards the trees and away from Eagle.

I have to get to him, I have to get him to a doctor, I have to save him. He’s lost so much blood from the bullet wound that his entire sleeve is bright red. And now he’s lying face down in the dirt, and he can’t breathe like that, he needs me.

“He’s a goner, little lady,” the man huffs. “Best to just say goodbye.”

“Who the fuck are you? What do you want with us?” I demand, trying hard to stomp on his feet or kick him in the shin or knee, or elbow him in the stomach, but it’s not working. I don’t let up.

Eagle needs me and if this guy was gonna shoot me, he would’ve done it by now. So I need to get that gun and shoot him instead. But for all his huffing and puffing and cursing at me to be still, his arm around my torso is iron, allowing me almost no wiggle room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about myself in good time,” he says in a sickly sweet voice that gives me goosebumps of the worst kind.

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