She had no idea where she was or which direction to run in. All she knew was she was out from under the watchful eyes and horrid hands of her captors.
Hiding in underbrush, Mattie afforded herself a few hours of rest. The moon shone brightly through tops of waving trees. The air turned cold, and she huddled in secrecy under the cover of darkness.
Mattie familiarized herself with calls of the wild. Her thoughts turned back to James. She wrapped herself in her arms, protecting herself from the cold.
Her teeth chattered, and she knew exactly what she was going to say to him. Face to face, she planned to confront the scheming, rotten, handsome man. How could he lead her down a road of hope with intent to deceive her with tender words and kisses to leave her wanting more?
Mattie shrugged the thoughts of James and shivered until the sun came up. She cautiously worked her way from her night’s haven and crept along through the shadows of the dense woods.
Her cold feet stung from the sharp rocks and dried sticks until she scolded herself for not bringing her shoes from the cabin.
A glimpse of movement near her feet suspended her breath. The snake uncoiled in its jump, hitting the side of her calf. Backing away out of its range, she watched its retreat then inspected the damage and found the two tiny holes from the bite.
Clutching the knife, she carved across the holes and tied a piece of cloth she cut from her skirt. Her pace picked up as she wandered aimlessly until she came to a clearing. Darkness surrounded her in the glow of a bright sun overhead. She slumped to the ground and barely heard the thud when she hit.
Fitful images of a dark haired man filled her mind. She floated across the ground and into a house where she lay on a soft comfortable bed. Words above her were softly spoken, but she couldn’t make them out. Fuzzy faces swam in front of her eyes, and she tried to focus. Succumbing to darkness, she no longer found strength to fight.
Her head began spinning from daylight to dark. Unable to clear the uncertainty of her mind, to make some kind of sense of what was taking place, Mattie grew more confused.
A cold, damp rag magically appeared and wiped her brow. Nice warm covers tucked in around her when she shivered from the cold. Yet, her eyes and her mind refused to help solve how the mysterious things were accomplished.
“James,” she called out until despair overcame her. “Why won’t you come for me?” Tears ran down her cheeks.
Powerless to follow voices she heard somewhere near, she continued to fight until the fight was gone from her body, and she slept in darkness again.
“What is wrong with her?” Mattie heard a woman’s voice.
“Appears she’s been bitten by a snake. Do you know her?”
“No. She came out of the woods into the clearing, where our boy found her. He carried her home with him.” Mattie listened to the conversation when she regained her senses. She didn’t know who the woman bitten was or how she came to rest in the same place. Perhaps it’s some kind of hospital somewhere. Why was she here? What happened to her? Where is the other woman?
“Have you heard of anyone missing? She’s been held captive from the marks on her wrists and ankles. I’m sure someone is looking for her.” Mattie cried for the other woman no one knew anything about. She knew how she felt, scared and alone in a place of mystery.
The voices stopped, and Mattie tried to glance around. She wanted the other woman to know she was not alone, and she would help her as soon as she was strong enough to leave.
“I have to go to Linden today, Pa. I’ll ask around. We know she’s not from Atlanta or we would’ve found her people,” the scratchy voice said. Mattie jerked when the door slammed.
****
James and Ed listened to the boy telling his story of a woman from the woods. “What does this woman look like?” James asked with renewed hope of finding Mattie.
“She has dark red hair and a blue dress. She’s pretty, I guess, for an older woman.” The freckle-faced kid smiled.
“I’ll get a wagon,” Ed said. The three of them exited the sheriff’s office.
“I hope it’s the woman you’re lookin’ for. She’s in awful bad shape. Talks out of her head a lot and calls for somebody named James,” the kid said. “Ma, Pa, and me, we just don’t know what else to do for her. She needs her own people, ya know.”
James ruffled the boy’s hair and told him to lead the way. They followed him to a remote cabin between Linden and Atlanta. “Which way did she come from?” Ed asked. James entered the house.
“Mattie.” James’s excitement pumped in his mind. Turning his attention back to the kid, Ed repeated the question with urgency.
“She came from there,” the boy pointed to the woods where Mattie came into view.
“I’m going into the woods. Maybe I can backtrack to find where her captives hid her. You take her back to town. Rose should be able to watch her and help the doc,” Ed said as he helped James load Mattie into the wagon.
James thanked the family; he grabbed the hand of the woman and placed several dollars in it. With Mattie wrapped in thick blankets, James nudged the horses forward and waved at the family.
Rose fussed over Mattie. She continued her vigil, wiping her brow to break the fever and squeezing cold water onto Mattie’s parched lips. “Tell me, when will the doctor get back to town?” Rose asked.
“Mother, have patience,” James admonished her. His shattered heart ached. He was in a deep depression. He needed Doc to come mend Mattie as much as his mother did.
With tears rolling down her face, Rose raised her head to her son and said, “I don’t know what to do, and I could sure use someone who does.”
James snapped into the seriousness on his mother’s face. His own hurt reached so deep he failed to see the pain in his mother’s heart.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I can’t help but feel guilty for letting her be kidnapped in the first place. I shouldn’t have let her go outside that night.” His voice turned shaky.
“You couldn’t have known, son. You came to help me when it happened. It’s her fault she was taken.” Rose reached up and stroked James face.
“It’s not your fault for not knowing what to do for her. We’re both feeling a tad bit helpless right now.” James was aware that the door opened, and Helga entered the room.
“Mattie! It’s so good…” Her words cut short. A panic-stricken Helga stared at Mattie.
“Can you help Mother watch after Mattie? I want to go help Ed look for her abductors.” James turned to Helga. “Mother, is your gun loaded?”
Rose pulled her gun from a pocket on her apron.
“Well, if hers isn’t — mine is.” Helga pulled her gun from her pocket and waved it in the air.
“I’ll go with you,” Mr. Church said. “I’m safer facing kidnappers than I would be here with two mad women.” He kissed his wife, and Helga agreed to help Rose.
“Don’t worry, son. No one will take her unless they kill us first.” Rose’s face held determined and relentless.
Riding out of town, James and Mr. Church met Ed. “What did you find?” James studied Ed.
“I found the cabin they stowed her in. How’s she doing?”
“She’s still holding her own. Helga is helping Mother watch after her. Mother is overwhelmed with guilt for not knowing what to do. When is Doc coming back?” James tightened his grip on the saddle horn his hand was resting on.
“Should be tonight. Let’s go look at the cabin. I think there is enough there to find out who is behind all of this. Although, I think we all know who, we just don’t know why.” Ed turned his horse back to the cabin.
“They won’t be able to get close to Mattie.” Mr. Church turned to Ed. “Those two women are armed. I hope we find the responsible party before they do.”
James entered the cold cabin. He eyed the contents. His chest pounded with fury. He knew who kidnapped Mattie, and now he was out for vengeance.
Another room caught James’s eye. He slithered along the wall, gun drawn, and kicked the door open. The dried blood on the bed tore at his heart, and he fought the urge to kill.
Turning, he somberly strolled from the cabin. “Mattie’s shoes,” he said and ran back to the room. He shifted his head and moved to the wall. He heard footsteps outside the tiny window. Quietly, he shut the door and crept with his gun drawn to the outside of the cabin. He motioned Ed and Jessie Church to be quiet.
Ed dismounted and silently crept along to the other side of the cabin. James continued on his way to the back. Peeking around the end, the four stood there. They took turns looking in the cracks of the shuttered window. James and Ed walked up behind them. The four flinched when they heard the clicks of the guns being cocked.
Charles Howard laughed with Joseph Frazier. Both attempted to swing at the armed men. Dorothy and Jane turned to run, and they met the wrong end of Jessie’s gun. Charles pulled out a knife and attacked James. Joseph drew his gun.
Dorothy and Jane rushed Jessie. The smoke stung the air. The Howards and Fraziers lay dead in the cold, dark dirt.
Ed heard horses milling near the woods. Walking to bring the wagon closer, the three men loaded the bodies and their belonging from the cabin and headed to Linden.