“Clarisse…it’s leverage,” Rick said. “They want a guarantee until we get back. Think of it as passage. The guy said no harm would come to him. When we exit, we get to pick him up.”
Bang recognized bewilderment when he saw it, and Clarisse’s mouth hung open and her eyes were huge. That didn’t happen very often. “Since when do we trust strangers? Who the hell are you? No. They can’t just take one of our kids, goddammit,” Clarisse said
“He’s not a kid. What choice do we have? Look around. You need that equipment. I tried to offer you or Sam, but you heard him…they don’t want you,” Rick said.
“Why do they want Bang? Why not Hunter or you? Why the hell won’t they take you?” she said.
Rick ignored the dig and shook his head. “I don’t know why they want him in particular, but they specifically want him, and Tonto will accompany us to the weapons depot. It’s insurance.”
“Absolutely not. What will we tell Graham, for God’s sake? ‘Oh sorry, they wanted your son for passage.’ I’m not having that conversation,” Clarisse said, her voice raised so high her glasses began shaking.
Bang always hated it when the adults argued. It didn’t happen often, but he could tell this was going to get out of control quickly.
“Stop!” Bang shouted.
They all looked at him, but not like Addy looked at him. She didn’t utter a word. She knew what he was going to do before he knew himself. He could tell, because she just pulled away from him slightly. It was as if he’d betrayed her by agreeing to be a hostage before he even knew it himself.
“It’s fine. I’m going,” Bang said.
“It’s not fine. You can’t. You don’t get to decide that,” Clarisse said.
He’d never spoken back to Clarisse ever, until now. “It’s only till you guys get back. It’ll be okay. Graham will understand. It’s what he would have done. I’ll tell him myself when we return, so you don’t have to.”
“You can’t…” Clarisse said.
“He’s right.” Sam stepped in. “Look…if anything happens to Bang, we’re keeping the Indian guy. It’s not an equal trade by any stretch but let’s try to look at the situation from their point of view. We came here with a crazy story and they have equipment we need to help us all stay alive. We might have to come back this way again and making trades with them will help us in the future. It might work to build that trust now, like we did with the folks in Sandpoint, Idaho.”
Rick nodded his head but didn’t look happy with the situation either.
Meanwhile, Clarisse’s eyes watered behind her glasses. “The Indian guy isn’t even Indian. He’s from New Zealand.” As if that helped matters.
“Hurry up, mates. Chief Bob doesn’t like to wait,” Corey yelled.
“I’ll be all right you guys. Maybe I can learn a few things from them while I’m with them.”
Clarisse rubbed her nose. “We won’t be gone long enough for you to learn anything. A day or two, if that. I hate this. Rick…there’s got to be another way.”
Before Rick could answer, Bang reached for her and pulled her into a hug. He towered over her height now. She was the closest thing he had to a mother since Tala. He knew it was an impossible decision for all of them. Only he could make it easier. The one thing he could do was ease their pain. “I’ll be fine, Clarisse. Please keep Addy safe. She’s not going to talk to me right now.”
Clarisse nodded. “She’ll be fine. She knows why you’re doing this. She knows exactly what’s going on.”
Addy sat seething in her father’s truck. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. They were saying he’d betrayed her. Not exposing her to the virus. Not ruining her hearing for life...but this…this act of sacrifice was where he’d betrayed her. Knowing this gutted him.
“Do you want me to get her for you, Bang?” Sam said.
“Just get her out of here,” he said to Sam. Not taking time to wait for a reply, he looped his rifle over his arm, grabbed his bow and walked toward the man on the horse.
“Wait,” Clarisse said. “Don’t just leave. You have to say goodbye to her.”
“Clarisse,” said Rick, “let him go.”
Somehow, Rick knew. He understood that he couldn’t say goodbye to Addy. He couldn’t bear to say any words at all. He didn’t trust himself to speak.
Hunter, however, said, “I’ll take care of her for you, Bang. Don’t worry.”
Bang knew it was one of the sincerest strings of words to ever come from Hunter on the surface, but at the same time something inside him wanted to punch Hunter right in the throat.
Another horseman approached the first. This guy’s darker skin tone actually looked like he might be a true American Indian.
Corey descended from his horse and held out the reins to Bang. “You know how to ride, mate?”
“Yes, but…where’s the saddle?” Bang said.
The guy gave Bang a closer look and chuckled. “It’s bareback, my friend. No saddles. I’ll be needing these,” he said, taking the rawhide carbine by the loop from the horse’s braided rawhide reins, and the rifle with it. He rubbed the horse’s neck and murmured something softly into its mane that Bang couldn’t hear. “Her name’s September. She likes sweet clover. Take good care of her or I’ll have your ass, mate,” he said with a lingering smile and after slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Corey weaved his fingers together and held them low in front of Bang. “Up you go.”
Bang nodded. “I’ll take good care of her,” he said and meant it but couldn’t help but notice how the words stung his throat coming out.
Corey boosted Bang’s leg up despite his attempt to mount alone. “Just listen to what they tell you, lad. Do exactly what they say, and you won’t get hurt. Their rules are straightforward. You might even enjoy yourself. You were chosen miles back a-ways.”
Bang turned to look at the man with the funny voice as he settled his legs around the horse’s middle, already feeling the short spiky fur weave into the denim of his jeans. “How long have you lived with them?”
“Since right after the die-off. I was a student at a college in Idaho and worked at a restaurant there. Tried to make my way west to catch a boat home but well…life can be hairy after the apocalypse…sometimes death can be hairy too. They’re good people. Intuitive in a way I didn’t expect. Work hard and they’ll respect you. Show weakness…and they’ll respect you. It’s a choice and you have to make it yourself. You understand?”
Bang nodded. “Thanks, I think.” He looked at Addy through the glass then, and caught her eyes. In that last moment, he signed goodbye to her.
She didn’t sign back.
“Rick, no. This isn’t right. Graham will be furious,” Clarisse said as the other man on the horse turned to leave. Bang turned the reins to follow before anyone could change their minds. He slid a little and struggled to remain upright. Grabbing the reins, he held on a little tighter with the strength in his thighs after nearly sliding off. He was used to a saddle; this was going to take some getting used to.
“Bang, two days tops, buddy! Hang in there. We won’t be longer,” Rick yelled after them.
Bang attempted to catch up to the guy he was supposed to go with, keeping pace with the guy on the horse for a while as they rode toward the others, but his escort kept going faster and never once looked at him. Riding a horse at increasing speeds took a toll on certain places he wasn’t used to yet. He’d ridden before. Many times, in fact. McCann had trained all of them but riding this fast with nothing to grip onto and the hard earth fleeting by only feet away, was something new.
Without looking back, the lead guy slowed when he slowed but rode faster when he attempted to get anywhere near him.
Let the games begin, Bang thought. He’d already learned they were going to play games. He would learn a lot more in time to come.