Page 14 of Fury

Oh, Hope.

Pushing to my feet, I glance over at the bedroom where my husband is asleep. Generally, once he’s gone to bed, he doesn’t wake until morning, but leaving is still a risk. Still, I can’t leave Hope alone, scared and feeling like she has nobody she can turn to. “I’m coming,” I tell Bonnie, rushing over to take my keys before slipping out of the house.

The drive over is quick.

Arriving at the club, I can see that they’re having a party. There are people everywhere and a large fire in the middle of the lot lights up the sky as people sit around it, some dancing, some smoking, all of them drinking. Parking my car, I get out and hesitantly walk toward the entrance. I’m not sure if I’m meant to be here or at Myla’s house next door, but I don’t think on it too long.

“You must be the teacher.”

A rumbling voice has my head whipping around to see a man that everyone knows. Western Aiken. His name was the talk of the town for so long, his face all over our screens and in the papers. Up close, though, he is far more daunting than I ever would have expected. He’s big, taller than I thought, and all the tattoos and scars make him seem that much scarier. His hair is pulled up in a bun atop his head, and the sides are shaven, making him look like some sort of Viking. Oh, boy, he’s something entirely.

“Ah, yeah,” I answer. “You’re Western.”

He nods. “Let’s go.”

He turns without another word and walks through the crowd of people. Nobody stops him—they don’t even try—as if the way he walks with such purpose is enough to tell them he’s on a mission. I follow along, desperately trying to keep up with him, his large strides difficult to follow without getting into a jog. We approach the back fence, and I see flashlights shining around as the faint sounds of people calling Hope’s name can be heard.

Poor Hope.

“Bonnie,” Western barks, and a moment later, Bonnie appears out of the woods, sweat coating her forehead, her face concerned.

“Oh thank gosh, you’re here.”

Rushing over, she stops in front of me.

“Do you have any idea where she could be?” I ask, my eyes scanning the thick woodland.

“No. She just ran in there. I don’t know how far she went, but she’s not answering our calls.”

Of course she’s not, she’s scared.

“Can all of you stop and leave?” I ask, carefully. “Let me go alone.”

Bonnie’s brow furrows. “But ...”

I offer her a reassuring smile. “Trust me, yeah?”

Nodding, Bonnie disappears, and I follow Western toward Myla’s house where we wait for everyone to come back in. Fury comes striding out from behind a row of large trees, his face tight as he waves his flashlight around. The moment his eyes connect with mine, something inside me jerks. Like an electric bolt going through my body. As he approaches, a certain type of nerves grip me. He makes me anxious.

“She won’t come out.”

Those are the first words he offers me.

I nod, extending a hand for the flashlight. “She is overwhelmed; all the screaming will be making it worse. Let me try.”

Slowly, everyone returns to the house, and they watch in anticipation as I go down the front steps alone, walking off in the direction that Fury pointed to. Once I reach the line of trees, I turn on the flashlight and step in, softly calling Hope’s name. With every step, I call it again, but I also tell her it’s okay, that she’s safe, that I won’t let anything happen to her and she can trust me.

It takes a long time, but patience is my strongest point.

Eventually, a soft sob can be heard coming from behind a large tree.

I don’t rush over; instead, I go over to the tree and sit down, pressing my back to it. I can hear her whimpers on the other side. It breaks my heart, to know she’s so afraid. It’s hard enough to understand your mother going, let alone the fact that you might not see her again for a very long time. She’s only young, she doesn’t know how the world works, and she feels like she has lost everything.

“It really sucks, the news you got tonight,” I say, my voice soft and understanding. “That must have really upset you.”

A small sob.

“I know you’re scared right now. You’re with people you don’t really know, and your mom isn’t here. I would be scared, too.”

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