Highway Part 42

Highway Chapter 22

            Matt was smiling at me, despite my situation. He looked to my father, asking him to give me back. My father sneered, turning to me. He asked me if I hadn’t learned the first time someone tried to protect me. I replied snarkily, telling him Matt was better by far. I could see his muscles tense and shift as he moved, and I remembered him telling me about getting into fights. He may not have done it in a while, but he still remembered everything.

 Matt called to me, asking me if I could come over, unless I was having fun. I scoffed, finding it funny he still had a sense of humor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father move. I jumped out of the way, hopping to the other side of the desk. He told me he would deal with me in a minute, and turned to Matt. Now that he had his back facing away from me, I could attack him. He was engaging in a dance with Matt, both of them circling with predatory grace.

I spotted the comb glinting off to the side, and grabbed it. Matt tripped on a stool, and I cursed. He wasn’t getting up, and I began to worry. Just before my father struck at Matt, I leaped onto his back, tearing at his hair. There was no way I was going to let someone else die because of my father. He threw me to the ground, and turned towards me, furious.

Matt lashed out from behind, kicking his knee out and elbowing him. He went down, and Matt called for me to run. I leaped over his form, only to get caught as he shot out a hand to trip me. I landed face first, and shook away the dizziness from my head. Matt moved to help me, but I was already in action.

Screaming, I rammed the comb into my father’s leg as hard as I could, feeling it sink into his flesh. He screamed. Matt pried away his hands, lifting me up bridal style. He asked me if that had been my father as we raced out of the hallways, and I told him sarcastically he was great.

We came upon a room as the man inside woke up to angry radio calls. Matt punched him before he could react, and told me to hurry through the open window. With his help, I slid through. The heels hindered me greatly, but I didn’t know whether to chuck them or not. He grabbed my face in his hands, shouting instructions to get away over the wind.

Had he lost his mind? Like I was going to leave him here alone! He shook his head when I asked him if he was crazy. I heard voices inside, and I knew he was right. We could only go one at a time really, for they would be on to us now and the horse couldn’t ride as fast with two people.

I reluctantly agreed, but not before telling him I was going to free the girls that were still here. They had been put in the shed nearby, and I wouldn’t leave them to fend for themselves. He said okay, and told me to hurry up. As turned to leave, I thought better.

Spinning around, I pulled him into the tightest hug I could give, telling him he better not die on me now.

I ran off towards the shed, my dress sticking to me as the rain fell down. The storm had reached its climax, and was becoming intense. I found my way to the building, almost slamming into the wall. It was locked from the outside, but someone had left the keys on the door. What kind of idiots got away with such an operation? Thinking I shouldn’t question my good luck, I unlocked the door.

I flung it open, stepping inside as quickly as possible. It closed behind me with a click. I scanned for guards, but there were none. A group of about ten huddled girls lay on the floor, shivering. I was sure I wasn’t just because it was cold. They started at my appearance, but went back to normal when they saw I was only a girl with a bruise on her face. They thought I was just another prisoner.

“Hey.” I called, trying to get their attention. They were still huddling, and whispering among each other.

“Hey!” I tried again, this time attracting a few stares.

“Shut up!” one of them hissed, “They’ll hear you. We all get in trouble.”

I would have to show them they were being stupid. I stepped up on a box in the corner, so that I was above them. Putting my fingers in my mouth, I whistled to them.

Then, I simply held up the keys. They broke out into a murmur, all speaking in languages I couldn’t understand. I had taken Spanish in high school, but I never really learned much and graduated early. They pushed a girl to the front, and I recognized her as the one who spoke to me earlier. I was glad somebody understood English here.

“Where?” she asked, her English slightly halting. It was only something she had picked up, but at least she could understand.

“Outside.” I replied, “My friend came to recue me and I found the keys, so I decided to let you out."

I walked over to the door, unlocking it again and holding it open. They stood there strangely, as if they couldn’t figure out where to go. Suddenly, the girl shouted something in Spanish, and it travelled through the pack, being translated to the other languages. They all rushed forward at the same time, a wave of girls screeching as the rain hit them. They scattered, and I was glad the town was close enough they could all find it.

I ran out myself, scanning for Matt. I couldn’t find him, and so I just ran to where the horse was supposed to be. I spotted the girl who knew English up ahead, and I called to her. She turned, following me. We reached the horse at the same time, and he reared at our unfamiliar faces. But as soon as I swung around his other side to avoid his hooves, he quieted down just a little.

“Shh! It’s okay horsie. Matt sent me, the man you took here. Can’t you smell him on me?”

I was worried the scent had been washed out by the rain, but he sniffed me and settled down. I got on, pulling the girl up beside me. I wasn’t sure how to ride exactly, but he was a very tame and calm horse. I pulled on his reins to lead him out of the shed, and got ready to gallop.

Suddenly, there was a scream behind me. A girl's, it was surprising it rose from above the wind. What was I doing? I was leaving behind not only Matt, but also defenseless girls. I was doing exactly what I had done with my brother, and that had only led to him getting hurt.

No, I wouldn’t leave Matt behind, even if that meant I had to get a bit more beaten up. He was probably too busy stopping the others to save the girl, and that only left me. But still, someone needed to alert the town, and they had to know how to speak English.

“I’ve got to go,” I said to the girl behind me, sliding off the horse, “I’m needed here.”

She looked at me incredulously, looking as if I had taken leave of my senses.

“You crazy?” she asked, “is bad here. Come with me.”

I shook my head, telling her I had to help a friend. I told her to say what Matt had told me, and I sent her away. She looked reluctant, but nudged the horse on. I flung off the heels, wincing as the gravel dug into my feet. Still, I had better mobility now. But the dress was still too long. I saw a box opener in the corner of the shed, and cut off the layers on the dress until about my knee. That was better.

I raced back into the storm, heading for the direction of the scream. She was in the building somewhere, but I needed to be careful. Matt may not have taken out all of the men yet.

He’s going to be furious, I thought, but he’ll just have to deal with it. I reached the window I had come in quicker than I could have imagined, thinking about what could be happening to the girl. I slid through, pausing to make sure the man inside was still unconscious. To my surprise, there were two men passed out here. I swiftly made my way through the complex, searching for the girl. Nobody seemed to be inside, and I was grateful. Not finding her anywhere inside, I concluded she had run up to the roof.

I searched for a flight of stairs, and found them in the corner. I sprinted up them, coming to a door. I opened it very slowly, peeking through. If she was screaming, it meant there was one of the men. To my surprise, I saw Matt circling another figure. A bolt of lightning flashed, and I saw it was my father.

Matt told him he wasn’t a teenager, referring to my brother. My father arced his knife down, and Matt barely parried with his smaller one. The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air.

Did I try to help him? Should I distract my father? But Matt didn’t seem to be doing too badly, despite a cut on his face. The last time I had interrupted a fight like this one, it ended badly. I decided I would wait until absolutely necessary. Matt head butted my father and tackled him to the ground. He grabbed Matt’s shoulder, making him cry out in pain. Matt shoved him back, putting pressure on the wounds I had inflicted.

Suddenly, Matt cried out, lying still on the concrete. He looked up as my father rose, and I wondered what was wrong. He didn’t look particularly hurt, so why was he just sitting there? My father leaned on his ribs, crushing them. Each one made a loud snap!

What was happening? Did Matt need help? Why on earth was he just sitting still? I moved to attack my father, but Matt’s behavior made me think. He had done something similar inside, and I had been too late to notice it. Perhaps he was drawing him in? I waited to see, wincing each time I heard a crack. When he leaned in, I stepped away from the door to be ready to strike. But as I suspected, Matt grabbed his hair, slashing his face with the small knife still in his hand. He fell to the ground screaming, tearing at his face.

Matt gestured to the girl I had heard screaming, now huddled in the corner of the rooftop. Suddenly, my father lunged towards Matt, just missing his side. He looked down, surprised.

My father swayed dangerously, attempting to attack Matt again. He tripped on the girl’s foot, landing on the rail. Matt tried to reach for him, but it was too late. He fell off, and I could hear the crash as he landed.

I got ready to call to Matt, but he suddenly fell to the ground.

I rushed to his side, seeing the blood pool around him. I had thought the knife had missed, but it had hit him after all.