Page 80 of The Captive Missing

They were all so very different from one another, yet all shared one common thread. Captivity in any form was abhorrent to them. So abhorrent, in fact, that they were willing to risk possible imprisonment and outrageous fines if caught harboring her.

When she asked them about this, for it was a question she often found on her lips, their eyes all clouded with equal fervor. Chins tipped up, a touch of pride was displayed. No human should be the possession of another, no matter what the cost. It was a risk they were all willing to take, and would continue to take, until the end came on. Whatever the end may be.

The route itself was winding and long. Some of her protectors preferred to drive her at night, while others took her across state lines with the music blaring and five kids yelling in the back of a minivan. No one ever stopped them. No police officer pulled them over, no border check searched the car.

These seemingly average, everyday people were actually brazen warriors. They had done this hundreds of times. They were bold and fearless risk-takers who battled the rising tide of laws and society in order to do what was right. Doing the right thing meant more to them than almost anything else.

Val was humbled to be among them. Humbled and ashamed at how little she had done with her own life these past four years. She could have been helping… instead of hiding. By the time she counted the eleventh house, she had crossed into no less than five states, working ever south and west.

Traveling now through the Blue Ridge Mountains, Val marveled at the peaks and valleys. A never-ending forest blanketed them all. It was so green at times, the towering pines lining the highway almost covered the sky. Then the road would take a sudden turn, and an opening would reveal the vast blue-tinged range that rolled out into the distance.

It was breath-taking. Just the earth and its natural undisturbed glory. They were growing more remote with each progressing stop, until finally Val found herself bumping along an old dirt road that clung desperately to a sharp mountainside.

Her driver was a young man, stout but soft-spoken. When he did talk, his drawl was slow, almost like he had to really consider each word before he let it roll out of his mouth. He wore a button-down plaid shirt and tan canvas vest. The weather had turned cool, so he offered her his over-sized jacket. She wore it now, one arm braced along the open window of his old green truck. The wind felt good whipping at her hair, tangling it, and she didn’t care how she looked. There was nothing in the world like an open window.

“This ain’t where I normally take you all,” he said.

“Oh?” Val turned to appraise him, but saw nothing dark about him.

“Got specific words about you, though,” he continued. Grabbing the stick-shift, he shoved at the clutch with his foot and worked to slow them down.

“Should I be worried?”

“Nah,” he gave his head a shake, but said no more.

They bumped steadily down the road until a fork appeared and they turned sharply left. Ahead of them, the trees cleared just a bit to reveal a rusty gate. It hung across the single lane, swaying slightly with the breeze. Val could hear the occasional clank of the chain latch as it came taught against the bracing pole of a barbed wire fence.

The young man came to a stop and hopped out, walking to open the gate just about as slowly as he talked. Val waited, eyes squinting as far as she could down the path, but it made another turn and she lost it amongst the trees.

When he got back in, they lurched forward only to repeat the entire process with the closing of the gate behind them. With the truck idling, it was hard to make out any other noise, though she swore she heard what sounded like running water somewhere off to her right. When they finally got moving again, Val’s pulse jumped a bit with each new bump in the road.

Deciding that she needed more information, she turned on her driver and opened her mouth. Before she could speak, he pointed out the windshield.

“There,” he said.

Shifting her head to look, Val gaped at the sprawling complex that unfolded before her. The land had been cleared in places. It was lush and smooth and green, with neat rows of corn and what appeared to be an orchard. On her left stretched a collection of low buildings that were tucked into the tree line. Off to the right was a large red barn and enormous old farmhouse. A wooden porch wrapped all the way around it.

As the truck drew closer, Val noted a collection of men and women walking casually in the open. They crisscrossed the grassy area that housed cows and sheep. A cow mooed. A few pigs grunted.

Leaning her head out the window, Val spied the edge of an enclosed pen. Several happy pink beasts paced lazily in the sunshine. Nearby, a man stood over a wooden trough and dumped a bucket of scraps over the side. The oinking increased. A smile tugged at the corners of Val’s mouth, but then she looked closer. The man had a large rifle slung easily across his back.

Sitting back in her seat, Val’s gaze swept the others. They all had guns. She blinked, then squinted. Yes. Every person, even the women, were armed. Some of them more obviously then others.

“What is this place?” Val whispered.

“Gonna have to ask him that.” Her driver nodded towards the farmhouse.

Under the shade of the porch, stood a man. He had one shoulder braced casually against a wooden pillar, his legs crossed at the ankle. As the truck pulled to a stop in front of him, he kicked up to standing, but did not step down. Val stared up at him a moment, watching as he assessed her.

Though his skin was fair, his hair was dark, which made the intelligent gleam of his hazel eyes pop all the more. His mouth was drawn in a firm line and although he did not smile, he didn’t look upset either. Val had been trained in the ways of men all her life and this man, whoever he was, owned everything she saw around her. In fact, she would wager he owned a whole lot more.

“Welcome.” The man spoke but did not move from his stance on the porch.

In this way, he forced her to look up at him, a position that he liked, a position that he was used to. Her driver had already exited the pick-up but was strolling around to her side with his usual lack of speed. Val tilted her head to one side, giving the powerful man a final lingering look before she opened her own door and got out.

The wind whipped at her loose hair, swirling it around her face as she crested the steps and came to a stop before him. She had been given ill-fitting boots and a cheap pair of jeans. Her loose cotton t-shirt was comfortably hidden beneath the black canvas jacket the driver had lent her.

Giving the man a quiet smile, Val stared into his eyes, wondering what his reaction would be. Wondering what he wanted from her.

---