The End of the Line by Nate Johnson

Author:Nate Johnson [Johnson, Nate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Hanna

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Travis scamper back to the house. How could I risk their lives? But, I’d seen the anger in his eyes. He’d grown up watching his mother be abused. Been ordered around like a useless arm no one wanted.

Of course he was angry. I knew that feeling. The hopelessness, the fury, the praying for better, and never seeing any hope.

Brent pulled me back and sat me down then said, “When we get them. I want you to take them back to our horses. Saddle up. Leave Stinger for me then take them and get started for home. Take Duke.”

My stomach fell at the thought of leaving him behind. “No, you come with us.”

He smiled and shook his head. “You promised to do things my way. Remember?”

Sighing, I let it sink in. I knew Brent now. Or at least enough to know he’d want to be a hero and stay behind and make sure we got away clean.

We sat there in silence as I tried to think of something that would convince him to not do it but I couldn’t come up with anything except begging him and I knew that wouldn’t work.

Finally, I felt something change and realized the wind had shifted and was coming through a crack in the wall. That meant it was getting close to the sun going down. I got up and looked, confirming my worst fears. We were getting close.

“What if they can’t get away?” I asked.

He shrugged and a strange look came over his face as he pondered going in after them. Suddenly I just knew that if he did he would be killed. No way he could take on five armed men.

A burst of laughter from the house made me jump. Both Brent and I took turns looking through the knot hole. All the men were on the porch, passing a bottle of whiskey. Please, I begged, get drunk.

The door opened and Ellen stepped out with another bottle and handed it to Jack. He passed it to Steve then got up and pulled Ellen back into the house. My heart broke for her as I saw the fear and disgust on her face.

The other men laughed and continued drinking. An anger flared inside of me. An anger at them. At myself for abandoning my friends, at the world for ending. At everything.

Brent growled under his breath and shook his head. The anger in his eyes matched my own. “I swear, if they don’t get away I’m going in after them.”

“No,” I gasped, “They will get away. I promise.”

He growled again then pulled his pistol and made sure the magazine was fully loaded before slamming it back into his holster.

Swallowing hard, I prayed that they would get away.

Finally, Jack stepped out and said something that made the men laugh. A few minutes later, Ellen came back out on the porch, adjusting her dress then looked at the barn and I could swear she was telling me to wait.

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