Highway Part 34

Highway Chapter 19(continued)

As soon as I was out of view, I began to run. I needed a map, and something to transport myself with. I didn’t have a car, but I couldn’t run for 45 minutes. Even if exhaustion wouldn’t have been an issue, it still would take me far too long. The longer I took to find Veronica, the more the probability of never finding her again increased. I would sooner die than let that happen.

I raced through town, looking for any shop that was open in the storm. A pocket of light attracted my eye, and I saw the man running the shop put up the closed sign. But before he could lock the door, I rammed through it. Gasping for air, dripping, and a fervent look in my eyes, I couldn’t have been a pretty sight. I asked the man if he had a map of the structures around town. I expected a fight, but I must have surprised him, for he just handed me one. He fled the room, not asking for payment. Not believing my good luck but not wanting to question it, I quickly scanned the map.

There were two storage building about an hour’s drive from the town. I didn’t know which one, but I had at least some sort of idea. I could have used the stuff at our hotel, but I didn’t have time to get it.

I raced back into the storm, galloping through the streets. Surely there was a taxi, perhaps a bus. But the cars had all tucked themselves away from the storm, which was getting even more violent. I spotted a horse stable, and I knocked on the door. Nobody answered, and so I tried again, pounding and shouting.

One of the stallions was fussing about in his stall, banging against the doors. He didn’t like the narrow space during the storm. Feeling terribly guilty but entirely resolved, I hopped over the small fence.

I approached the beautiful black horse, avoiding his kicking hooves. I let him smell my hand as he whinnied. He stopped his bucking, and allowed me to come close. I placed my hands on his snout, placing a soft kiss there. Horses were included when it came to animals loving us. I would be slower than a car on a horse, but I would be faster than if I walked.

I hastily saddled him up, and opened the horse gate. I mounted his back, gently nudging his sides to make him go. We sped off into the storm, whipping by the town. The horse’s hooves clicked on the concrete, and soon we were in dirt. I was worried he might slip, for the ground had become muddy, but he just kept going.

We galloped across the field, keeping a brisk but not pushing pace. I didn’t want to tire the horse out. He wasn’t mine after all, and I wanted to make sure he got back safely. I’m coming, Veronica, I thought. I will save you.

I cursed myself for letting her leave at all. I should have just pulled her into a hug, or gotten so close she had to look at me. That had always worked before, and yet I hadn’t done it then. Why? Was I just too confused? I didn’t even understand why it was important to say anything anyway. We weren’t normal in general, and I didn’t plan on being the same any time soon. She loved me and I loved her, or at least that’s how it used to be.

I didn’t know what I had done to her, if I had ruined our relationship. She had become an all consuming part of me now. I had always felt lonely, but I hadn’t felt strange about being lonely until I met her. Then, it started to seem as if there was something missing in my life. As we grew closer, I felt the void begin to fill. It was almost as if the path was telling me to find her and care for her, and to no longer be alone. I knew now that I couldn’t live without her, but I might have understood too late. I immensely hoped I could salvage the situation.

Either way, it didn’t matter right now. Even if Veronica hated me with every fiber of her being, I couldn’t leave her. I had contributed to this mess, and it had snowballed. She could hate me all she wanted, but I was going to get her out of there, alive and well.

I had given up all hope of staying dry, my clothes sticking to me. The wind caused the rain to smack me in the face with a painful sting, but I pushed through. I gently urged on the horse, hoping to get close. I found the first storage house, getting off the horse.

I looped his reins around a nail in the wall, sheltering him from the rain. I looked into the windows stealthily, but it appeared as if nobody was there. I cautiously peeked into the doors, and then embarked on a more thorough search.

Exclaiming in frustration, I slammed my hand into the wall. I had picked the wrong one. I had spent too much time already, and now I would have to make it over to the next one. The map didn’t even specify exactly where it was and which route to take, so I would have to stumble in the dark until I found it.

Quickly coming back outside, I climbed onto the horse again, trying not to pull on his wet coat. At least the weather seemed to be clearing up a bit. As I looked to the sky, I realized that we were actually just in the eye of the storm. It would get exponentially worse soon, so I needed to hurry.

Patting the horse gently, I urged him on again. He was remarkably resilient, not showing signs of exhaustion.

It was hard to see now without the constant lightning, and I searched for any clue on how to get to the second house. A flash came from behind, and I glimpsed something colorful. Slowing the horse, I got off to examine it. It was muddy, but appeared to be a piece of torn cloth. I looked at it strangely, and almost discarded it.

Wait, I thought, didn’t Veronica have a green undershirt that color? I had seen her pack it. There was a piece of torn cloth from her on the side of the road. The sight of her shirt made me angry, for I could only think of the men who kidnapped her and their possible actions. But then, it wouldn’t be outside of where she was being held. This had been deliberate, something left by Veronica.

She was leaving me a trail! Her shirt is bright enough to see in the gloom, and she tore it off for me to follow the strips. I felt a feeling of warm pride well up in my chest. She was absolutely genius. How did she get away with that? Hang in there, I thought. I’m coming.

I got onto the stallion again, following the direction the cloth had come from. I spotted a few more along the way, each time becoming more reassured she was near.

The rain was starting to pick up again, the lull ending. The wind was increasing in ferocity, almost blowing us over. Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the whole area, an ear shaking and sky shattering crash sounding above me.

The building was big for a storage unit, closer to a warehouse than a shed. Still, it wasn’t big enough I couldn’t search it quickly. I hid the horse in a nearby shed, giving him a pat and another kiss on the snout.

“Thank you,” I said to him.

He only neighed his indifferent response. I cautiously approached the unit as I had done before, slipping by the windows lithely. This needed to be clandestine. I didn’t know how many people could be in here, and it could be fatal if I just rushed in. I spent as little time as necessary to study the layout of the building. If I needed to split with Veronica, I would have to know the exits and escape routes. I was a good fighter, but I couldn’t take on more than a few guys at a time. I also didn’t have any other weapon than the pocket knife, which wouldn’t fair well against a gun. Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, it’s said.

The place was mostly quiet, except for a few lit windows. A few drunken men were laughing at something, asking for more liquor from the serving girl. As I had guessed, they were using girls as objects and selling them. The waitress was dressed in skimpy clothes, the scarcity disgusting. She had bruises on her arms and legs, and I looked away. Not only were they selling these girls, they were abusing them too. These men were the lowest of the low.

If I had to make a run for it with Veronica, I would definitely set the police after them after she was safe. Although there could have been more inside, it seemed there were only about eight guys here. If I took them out in small groups, I could rescue Veronica without suffering any major injuries. I just hoped they didn’t have guns.

I noticed a smaller container off to the side, and headed over to it, thinking they kept the girls there. But as I turned in that direction, I heard a shriek come from inside the complex. It had to have been Veronica’s, for I had heard it before and it sounded familiar.

Gritting my teeth angrily, I wound my way back. One of the windows to a darker room was slightly ajar, and I stealthy opened it. I cut open the screen with the pocket knife, and slid my body through the small window. It was a bit of a tight fit, but I was soaking and slippery, so I slid through.

It was dark, but I could pick out the shapes of a few belongings. Someone was using this as a temporary hideout. Suddenly there was movement from the bed, and I jumped back. I hadn’t seen the man when I came in, and I froze. I didn’t dare to breathe, my hands gripping the pocket knife tight. If he woke up and saw me, I would have to do something, and fast. I wouldn’t kill him, but I would need to silence him before he sounded an alarm and alerted the rest of the people. When the man relaxed again, rolling to his side, I let out a breath.

This was a dangerous situation to be sure, and I only hoped I would make it out of here relatively unscathed. I wished for Julian, for he would be the one to offer me wise council. Do I make my way through as quiet as possible? Do I start to knock them out? His experience in combat wouldn’t have hurt either. I wondered if I could phone him, but I didn’t know where one was. Besides, if there was even a phone at all, the connections wouldn’t be working in the storm.

I wanted to rush to where I heard her scream, but that could get me killed. More importantly, if I got killed, she would be left here. I shuddered to even think about the things that would happen to her. No, she wouldn’t fall prey to such people. She was going to have a happy life as a drifter, and she would help so many people. Life had sent me here today to protect her, and I wasn’t about to screw up her only chance of help.

I opened the door slowly, sliding through the crack. I could hear the men laughing raucously, whistling at the waitress. I didn’t want to confront them yet, as I still had the element of surprise. I felt the walls on my way through the narrow passages of shelves. Right, right, left, right, left. I was memorizing the way to different places, creating a map in my head.

I came upon a room separated from the rest of the area. Perhaps a small office, one that was used for their so called "boss." This had been where I heard Veronica’s voice come from earlier. If he had done anything to her, I wasn’t sure I would be able to control myself.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed away the anger from my head, making it clearer. I didn’t throw it away however, transferring it to my limbs. I was a much better fighter if I thought clearly, but still had the strength that only comes from a heated situation.

I could feel her now, so I knew she was in this room. She didn’t feel hurt, as there wasn’t a stream of conscious pain. It was strange, for I could also feel her paralyzing fear and distress coming off in waves. This was a scary situation, but it wasn’t as if she was scared of the men.

“Just hold on, baby girl”, I thought, “I’m here to save you. It’ll all be over soon.”

I grasped the knob, and prepared myself for a fight

I opened the door.