Hearing the whispers of children wasn’t unusual but hearing them in a joyful tone was. Paige was conscious but lay with her eyes closed in the back seat of the SUV. She was with the too-kind people, bordering on oblivious to danger, and they were fleeing somewhere but she had no idea where they were going. There was an IV hanging out of her arm because she felt the line in her hand and when she gave it a little tug, she felt the pull from the inside of her elbow. Though everything hurt, she grimaced, knowing she’d have to pull the needle out soon, and she hated needles as much as she hated snakes.
She’d heard children talking earlier, had even seen the woman with dark hair and glasses glance past her to them, giving them that unmistakable mother’s look and shake of her head a few times when their voices rose above a defined limit. And then occasionally there was the whimper of an infant or two. But it was the girl with the rifle next to her she was concerned about. She was just a teenager. Did they think that was enough defense with these guys? They had no idea who they were up against.
Paige couldn’t believe how normal these people were acting, so she kept her eyes closed and just listened. She knew she’d fallen asleep but had no sense of how long she’d been with them. She had to make them stop so she could get out and find Cheryl. Light beams wafted over her like ocean waves, making her close her eyelids again, and the fight to stay awake rolled on a loop. The woman must have given her something. She felt a cozy warmth drifting its way through her body.
“We’re almost there. Should we wake her and let her know what to expect?” the woman with the needles said.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” the man without a dress said.
She felt a hand tug against her shoulder. “Paige…are you awake? We’re nearly there. Sit up if you can, but slowly. Careful of your hands. I’ve given you a painkiller but don’t push on the bandages. You’re still very dehydrated. That’s it, take it easy.”
With her head spinning a bit, she looked around and once her eyes came into focus in the bright light, she looked through the SUV’s windows. The first thing she noticed was the lack of trees and the widespread green she was so used to. A few distant buildings, an old neighborhood off in the distance, but more so wide-open fields of dry prairie grass. Paige said, “Wait, where are we?” A rising panic hit her. None of this terrain looked familiar. “How long have we been driving?”
“It’s been hours. You were out for most of it. We’re in Idaho now. We should be in Coeur d’Alene in about ten minutes.”
“No, no, no…wait. Stop! I’ve got to go back!” and then without warning, Paige grabbed the handle of the back door and flung it open.
Had Clarisse not lunged into the backseat and grabbed Paige around the waist and hauled her back inside before she fell out of the running vehicle, she’d likely died right then and there.
As it was, the back door hung open as Addy signaled to the rest of the convoy that they were making an unexpected stop.
Shouts came from the back as Clarisse tried to restrain Paige. “I’ve got to find her! You don’t understand. They’re coming!”
Dalton stepped out of the driver’s side door and said, “Wait just a damn minute. Calm down.”
A few minutes later, while the girl with the rifle just watched, she fought with the man and then the woman with the glasses shoved another needle into her arm. Paige was out again.