Rene returned to full consciousness in the car on the way back to the cabin. He looked around in confusion, and saw Ari’s and Emory’s worried faces peering back at him. His body was sore again, and he had a throbbing headache. Thankfully, he hadn’t bitten his tongue this time.
“I had a seizure?” He asked vaguely, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah.” Said Ari. “It’s very dangerous for us to be out here without your medication.”
“It’s more dangerous to go to a doctor.” Rene muttered.
An image flashed into his mind. An image that had played over and over as he had been post-ictal, apparently. Only, it had changed a little each time. Small details of a terrible day in a past life when he was Nita, a Choctaw woman forced from her home like so many other unfortunate souls when the American government had passed wildly unfair laws to remove her and her tribe from their land.
It was the day where her family set out on the Trail of Tears, as it would become known. The day she woke from her bed with all her packed belongings in one small satchel. She hustled around as the army arrived, grumbling officers shouting at them to hurry up and get a move on already. Nita rushed to wake her cousin’s son and daughter, Koi, and Fala, and get them ready for the journey. Her cousin had passed the previous winter, and she had no siblings of her own as her parents had died not long after having her, victims of a severe illness. Koi and Fala had become like her own children. She had helped raise them from babies.
After some stressful wakeups and tearful farewells to their beloved land, she managed to get Koi and Fala moving along with the envoy. They were beyond upset, sobbing at having to leave the home they had known all their lives. Fala kept asking why they had to go? Why were they being forced out? Nita glanced around at the soldiers anxiously and warned Fala not to discuss it any more. She wasn’t sure how many soldiers spoke the Choktaw language, and what they might do or say if they were in a mood to cause trouble.
They were but a few hours into their journey when disaster struck. One of the army men was galloping past on his horse, not paying attention to where he was going as he rushed to the front of the line. Little Koi was spooked, and accidentally ran in front of the man and the great black stallion. Immediately, his tiny body was trampled, tossed and turned every which way. Nita and Fala stared horrorstruck as Koi lay still, blood running from his mouth, his eyes staring blankly into nothingness. The soldier who had accidentally run him down turned around, frowning at the circumstance.
“He ran in front of my horse. Stupid boy.” The soldier looked haunted, perhaps, but rather than say or do anything more, he turned and his horse trotted off to the front of the line.
Nita screamed, scooping up Koi’s body and carrying it limply to the side of the road, Fala sobbing on her heels. Nita lay the dear boy down on the ground, cradling his head, as though that might yet protect him. But the light in his eyes was gone. He was gone, never to share his sweet laugh again.
Nita sucked in a breath, and screamed again. She screamed the scream of a mother who had lost her own child. She lay her head on Koi’s chest and cried until she was hoarse. Many passing by paid her no mind. Those that might help were ushered on by impatient soldiers. Fala stood over her, deep in stuttering tears.
“I should have saved him.” Nita breathed. “I should have saved him! I should have saved him! I should have saved him!” The words grew louder until she was screaming them, and suddenly she was standing, and an army man was riding his horse too quickly down the road. And poor Koi went the wrong way again. Nita reached for him too late.
She gasped. Staring in startled awe at the moment. The moment she was so sure had already happened. The moment she couldn’t stop. Then she was carrying him to the side of the road, sobbing once more with the cries of a mother, once the shock wore off.
“I should have saved him.” Whimpered Fala.
“No, no sweet girl.” Nita gripped Fala’s hand. “I should have saved him. I should have saved him. I should have…”
And once more, she was back reliving the moment of his violent death. Once more, the pained yet indignant face of the soldier who accidentally killed him. Once more, Fala’s heartbreaking sobs. But, Nita did not give a cry this time. For she was stunned, feeling as though in a nightmare that kept reliving over and over. She quickly grabbed Koi, a desperate thought in her mind, and took Fala’s hand and rushed to the side of the road where she had now kneeled twice before.
She once more leaned her head against Koi’s still form, and whispered, “I should have saved him.” She repeated it over and over, forcefully. And then she was standing on the road, and there was the horse, running, and she had a fraction of a moment to grab Koi by the arm and drag him backwards so that he toppled into Fala and they both fell off the side of the road, startled.
They both looked up at her, in awe of her sudden reflex. She stood there, gasping, staring in astonishment at the soldier on the horse, who suddenly turned around and looked at her.
He whistled, and shook his head in clear amazement at her quick action. “That was close.” He muttered, nodding to her, then continuing on down the line.
Nita fell back onto the grass, pulling Koi and Fala into a tight embrace as she began to cry tears of relief. It was a miracle, surely. A gift from the Great Spirit. A dream perhaps of what could have happened, allowing her to change what did happen.
Rene held tight to this memory as the fuzz of the seizure slowly began to fade away.
He looked at Emory, who was looking at him with a sad smile. She seemed to have aged ten years in the last year. The worry of the world was in her eyes. He wished it didn’t have to be like this for her. That he could go back to a time before all of this pain. Before Khal had murdered Misha and destroyed their family.
“I managed to grab a couple groceries.” Said Ari. “After some of the kind men at the store helped me get you into the car. I could have done it myself, but I didn’t want to show off.”
Emory chuckled a little as Rene cast an eye at the groceries sitting next to her. Some more essentials. How long would they be able to live like this? They would run out of money soon, and sooner or later, someone would return to the cabin.
Should they keep running? Or should he return, distract Khal, and give them a chance to run away to somewhere else. To…
To where? Khal had eyes in literally every country on the planet now. He had control of systems they could only begin to dream of. Eventually, there would be no more running, and Rene had the horrible thought that eventually would end up being sooner than later.
Still, as a father, he would do whatever he possibly could to protect his child, and their beloved Ari.
*****
One more week passed at the cabin. Piles of snow came and went, replaced by rain, freezing sunshine, and then more snow. Emory was growing horribly sick of fish, no matter what way Rene or Ari cooked it up. Water, crackers, and beans weren’t terribly exciting either. Aset, the sweet furry bundle, didn’t seem to mind the fish, ever. Rene managed to find an old set of rabbit ears in the attic, and hooked them to the TV, which finally brought in some news. He immediately wished he hadn’t.
The very first thing to pop up on the evening news was their faces. Wanted by the FBI, fugitives on the run. Contact authorities Immediately if spotted.
Shit.
“What do we do?” Ari muttered, shaking her head, and cuddling an anxious Emory.
“I think we need to go North. To Canada. As far off-grid as we can get. Hike through the woods if we need to. Hell, Aset can help us catch dinner.”
“With a six-year-old?” Ari looked at him with wide incredulous eyes.
“It’ll be like camping.” Emory said, clearly trying to sound braver than she was.
“Yes, Sweetheart, and I’ve got lots of skills to help us out. As does your mommy, for that matter.”
“When do we go?” Ari asked.
“Tomorrow, we’ll head into town for a few more supplies. We’ll wear sunglasses, caps, and stay in separate buildings. We’ll hit the second-hand shop for some winter wear, maybe sleeping bags and a tent for when we can’t stay in the car. We’ll figure this out.”
Rene looked at the TV, and his heart broke as he saw the climbing death toll on the bottom of the screen counting those who had been caught in the nuclear bombings. 109,410 people that they knew of had already lost their lives around the world. This didn’t include the shootings, and every other issue they hadn’t accounted for.
Well, maybe Khal had accounted for them.
Maybe he’d had this in mind the whole time, misanthropic little narcissist that he was. Of course he would believe he was right. He’d had over 500 years to crawl into the worldly minds around him and be drowned in the rot of the deepest darkest thoughts of others.
It didn’t make him right. He didn’t get to unilaterally decide who lives and who dies. Rene had been under the misguided notion that he was helping to save everyone by policy, by positive change. He understood now it was another of Khal’s manipulations. Playing on Rene’s naivete and want to make the world a better place. And Rene was not innocent. The moment he had decided to take part in the scheme, he was just as complicit in the deaths now ticking up on the television. And the changes for the worse, across the globe. It didn’t matter what good intentions he had when he’d removed choice from the matter.
“Tomorrow.” He muttered. “We’ll get a move on. We’ll figure out what to do next. There has to be a way to make this better.”
He didn’t believe that. How could he believe that?
It didn’t matter. The most important thing to him now was getting his family to safety.
*****
Ari was anxious about leaving him alone at the Goodwill, worried he might have another seizure, but he assured her he would be fine. He had gotten plenty of rest for the occasion. As much as he could manage anyway. And if something did happen, she would only be a few doors away. He’d written her burner phone’s number on his wrist for someone to call in case he did sieze.
So, Ari dropped him off at Goodwill. He pulled his cap down low, grabbed a cart, and hurried through the store for thick winter coats, thermal blankets, a lantern, and other important supplies.
It took no time at all until he was back up at the checkout, three people in line ahead of him. He was glancing anxiously at his burner phone where he saw a text that Ari was buying Emory some ice- cream before they left. Rene smiled, putting the phone back in his pocket. He glanced up in time to see a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye. He subtly scanned the area to his right and saw a man with dark clothes watching him closely.
A glance to his left found another individual clearly keeping an eye on him. Rene pulled out his phone and with a trembling hand, he sent the text he had typed and copied for this occasion, but hoped he wouldn’t have to send.
Take Emory. Run. They found me. I love you both.
Then he turned with his cart and headed back down the aisle toward the back of the store. He abandoned the cart and sprinted into a full on run, straight out the back door of the facility where the donations were dropped off, startling two busy employees arms deep in dusty neglected donation boxes. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, snapping the phone in half as he went, and tossing it violently into a large puddle created from a stopped up grate.
Rene harshly brushed the marker on his arm showing Ari’s number, until it was indecipherable. There was no chance that he would get away, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for them. And he was going to give Ari and Emory the biggest headstart he could.
He took off for a bridge in the distance, finally hearing the shuffle of shoes on asphalt following him. Chancing just a small glance back, he saw the two men running after him, and a dark vehicle pulling around the corner of the building.
He had to get over the walking bridge. Get away from the car. Maybe he could hide in the woods about a half mile up the road. They had thoroughly researched the town the night before on Google maps so they would know all the exits in case this exact situation happened. His legs burning with the speed he was flying, he booked it across the parking lot, over the bridge to the other side, and down along the way toward the relative safety of the trees.
Not 100 yards from the forest, a black SUV skidded out in front of him, slamming on their brakes, doors flying open as two men in the back jumped out. Rene’s arms swung forward as he came to a sudden stop and attempted to reverse, only to turn around and find another black SUV block the road behind him. There were no lights, just men in dark clothes jumping out and surrounding him, making sure he had nowhere to go.
He fought anyway, punching one man in the face, and just managing to slip past him before another grabbed him by the neck of his sweater and dragged him back until he lost balance and fell on the ground with a dazed crack of his skull.
Rene lay there, seeing stars for a moment, before strong arms were picking him up, shoving him bodily into the nearest SUV as he struggled to break free. He kicked, growling with the effort of fighting. One man shoved him violently into the center back seat of what turned out to be a Cadillac SUV, and he continued to brawl until the man on his left pulled him into a headlock, and he suddenly heard five voices in unison speak.
“Stop fighting, or I’ll have to put you under.” Said all five of the other men in the SUV at once. Rene knew exactly who spoke through them as he watched one of the men in front of him open a black case, and pull out a full syringe of some, no doubt, anesthatizing liquid. “Relax, or I will make you relax.” Ordered Khal through the mind of five unsuspecting saps.
Rene coughed as the arm over his throat gripped pretty tightly. He forced himself to nod his head, and put his hands up, showing he wasn’t going to fight anymore.
“Good. Now, my boys here are going to bring you home to me. So sit tight, and enjoy the ride. You might even get a treat if you’re really good.”
Rene swallowed as the arm was released around his neck, and he quickly scooted to the far right of the back row, fingers brushing over his throat as all the men sat down in their seats in unison, buckled up, closed the doors, and the car took off down the road.
“You don’t have to do this.” Rene muttered, not bothering with his own seatbelt. He didn’t particularly care if he lived or died now. He only hoped that Ari and Emory had managed to get away. He prayed that even now, their Carolla was miles down the road, Aset screaming her head off in the back, as they got far away to safety.
“I have no choice.” This voice came only from the man in the very back seat opposite Rene, the one who had held an arm around his neck. “I didn’t want it to be this way. I never wanted this.”
“You lied to me.” Rene knew these words were dangerous, but what more could Khal do to him at this point?
“We’ll finish this conversation face to face, my love. In the meantime, anything you need, you let my friends know. Bathroom break, burger, I’ll make sure they treat you right.”
“Khal…” Rene muttered, looking deep into the eyes of the man next to him to see if he could sense Khal’s influence there, but Khal was silent for the remainder of the trip.
It seemed to take forever, but they made it back to the city in good time. Rene was surprised to see that they didn’t take him to his house, but to a large beautiful property. The one that Khal had shown him before, the one he’d begged Rene to move to with him.
Rene was ushered out of the car, his heart hammering an erratic beat as two men held him, and Khal’s slight, but imposing frame strode across the driveway to meet him.
“Do you like it?” Khal asked, gesturing to the house. “Our new digs! You’re going to be here with me, forever, so I hope you like it. Anyway, let me give you the tour. We’ll keep to the interesting bits. Where you’re going to be staying.”
Khal turned and walked rapidly towards the back of the house, the men guiding Rene along behind him. When they got there, Rene could see a huge mound of dirt, and a backhoe. Rene hesitated, but the men holding onto him practically knocked him off his feet moving him toward the recently dug hole in the ground. He was brought just to the edge of it, where he had a perfect view inside of a dark mahogany coffin, with stunning silver satin lining the inside. Nothing good could come of this. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Khal.
“Khalid, please. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t. Please.”
The men he was with turned him around so that he was facing Khal, but they kept him mere inches from the edge of the hole, which was several feet deep.
Khal slowly walked over to him, placing his hands gently on Rene’s cheeks and pulling his face in so that they were intimately close.
“At least it wasn’t you who killed me this time.” Khal whispered.
“She didn’t know.” Rene muttered, feeling faint. “She didn’t understand what she was doing. It was an accident.” He so badly needed Khal to believe him, but it didn’t matter.
“The outcome was the same.” Said Khal. He was staring so deeply into Rene’s eyes, and Rene could see tears running down his cheeks. “I have fought, for so long, for you to love me. And every time you did before, all the special times when we so madly fell for each other, it was all ripped away so violently. It ripped a piece of me away with it, each time. My sweet Asim, my precious Charun, my innocent Ling, my pure Lestari. Every time one of them died, I died too. A bit of my soul left every time. But you. What you’ve done, is so much worse than Aidan and Cody. You betrayed me from the beginning. You fell so deeply for another that it blinded you to the man waiting five centuries to be with you. You used me in a way I had never been used before, and even now I see the loathing in your eyes as you have decided me unworthy of being your family. So, I made this plot for you, my dear Rene. You can die along with your beloved Misha.
“And when I find you in the next life, and I will find you…I have eyes all over the world ready to find you, you will have no memories of this life. Of these betrayals. We will start afresh, and we will find love before you run out of time. No matter your betrayals of me, I still love you. More than any person has ever loved another person. I still yearn for you with a pain, with a hunger that feels never sated. You, my dearest, are the love of my life, and I am the love of your lives. And we are running out of time.”
Khal gave Rene a gentle kiss on the forehead as Rene took in what he’d just said. He shook his head softly.
“Khal, please…”
“It’s unfortunate, what I’ll have to do to Ari. But life goes on. For some of us, anyway. And don’t worry about Emory. She’ll be protected until our goddess has need of her. I’ll see you in the next life, my love.”
Rene’s breath was ragged now. He could feel the grip on his arms growing tighter from the men in black, as though Khal himself was squeezing his arms. He shook his head pleadingly.
“Khalid, don’t do this!” He begged.
Khal smirked, then planted a gentle kiss on Rene’s lips. A moment later, Rene was in free fall, yelling in surprise as he landed painfully in the coffin. Then, before he could get his bearings, someone had jumped down and slammed it shut. He immediately went to push on the lid, but it appeared to be latched shut from the outside.
“No!” Rene cried, banging on the lid of the coffin. “No! Don’t do this! Don’t do this! Please! Please!”
He heard the horrifying sound of a large pile of dirt being dropped onto the coffin. He screamed. Screamed until he was hoarse, banging away, refusing to give up, to stop from releasing himself, from stopping Khal from murdering Ari and giving Emory to Aset.
His breathing was ragged, panicked, his fingernails struggling to find purchase as he was buried alive, dirt pile by dirt pile.
It was no use.
There was no getting out of here.
Rene’s heart beat a crazy tune as he lay there finally exhausted, running low on oxygen from all his panicking. A million thoughts were racing through his head, but one stood out above all the others.
Emory.
His sweet Emory.
He wouldn’t be there to protect her.
An image came to him then, the billowing curtain on the beach. Emory was there, as an adult, a sad smile on her face. He knew her now, where he could not truly see her before.
Then she was right in front of him, eye to eye, taking his hand in hers.
“I guess I’m saying goodbye.” Rene said.
Emory was not attached in that moment to the other woman. To Aset. Rene briefly wondered where the goddess was.
Emory shook her head, “I know you remember. You have to go back.”
“Go back.” Rene repeated.
“You have to save her. You have to save Ari.”
“I have to save her.” Rene repeated.
He had to save her.
He had to save her.
He had to save her.
Rene closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was not on that beach with Emory and the bungalow, nor was he lying in the coffin, buried alive. Instead, he was above ground still, Khal planting a sweet kiss on him, then he was falling right back into the coffin with a painful thud.
Stories From Montana 