Chloe and Derek sat in the comfort of one another, smiles of happiness and affection on their lips, as they watched the crackling fire before them die out. As it did, clouds rolled in and darkness arose.
"If every night were like this, I could stay here forever."
Derek cracked a smile at the thought, but was interrupted before he could speak.
"What's that?" Chloe shot up and out of his arms.
"What?" He was just as silent then, but heard nothing. However, he knew that her instinctive senses were more acute. The girl squinted and gave a quick survey of the nearly black surrounding, the feeling of perfection now replaced with an eerie unease.
"Chloe, relax. I do..."
"Shhhh..." She cut him off quickly. "Move Johnny inside and start the engine."
"But..." He started to object, but he knew better. Derek quickly moved the sleeping child into his car seat, carefully buckling him in, trying not to wake him. He then gathered up as much as he could and got behind the wheel.
Chloe rose slowly to her feet, looking all around, hardly breathing. Something or someone was out there observing them; she could feel it on her skin. Derek watched from inside, keys in hand, as she slowly pulled out both guns. He held the ignition and with one hand loaded the shotgun in the front seat, and he watched. As with the girl, he saw nothing. But she knew they were there, possibly four or five men, she could not be sure. The girl then closed her eyes and fell to her knees.
"What are you doing?" He whispered to himself from inside the vehicle.
Seconds, seeming like forever, ticked by. Sweat trickled down both foreheads. Then, without warning, Chloe raised one of her guns, pointing toward a tree about ten feet away. The gun shot shattered the silence as a body fell from the branches.
Flashlights in the distant forest blinked on, as did a set of headlights from behind Derek's jeep.
"Chloe!" In an instant Derek had the engine roaring to life. As soon as she was in by his side he hit the gas pedal and bolted forward.
"Go, go, go!" She yelled as he looked frantically around.
With the jerk start of the jeep, Johnny was now awake, screaming at the top of his lungs. They moved forward over the uneven terrain and into the darkness.
"Where am I going?" Derek kept his eyes straight ahead.
"I don't know."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know!" She wondered why he thought she would know these answers.
Truck lights appeared in the rear-view.
"What do they want?"
Chloe snapped her head to look around and to try and asses the situation. "I-Don't-Know-Derek." She was getting mad.
She had to give him credit though, it was a bumpy ride in the dark, and he was driving quite well for not knowing where he was at or where he was going, or being able to see all that much. Chloe worried more about Johnny. She leaned over the front seat to reach for him with a reassuring touch, but he was better off staying where he was; safely strapped in. Just then a bullet whizzed through the rear window, shattering glass. Chloe sunk down into her seat.
"They're shooting!" Derek sounded manic.
"Thanks for stating the obvious." The corner of his eyes flickered at her sarcasm and he almost laughed; and would have if not for the situation. At that moment two motorcycles pulled up alongside the Cherokee. They had guns and were getting ready to take aim.
"Chloe."
"I see them."
They were quick, but the girl's movements were faster. She raised up her two hand guns, one at either open window, and Derek leaned back into his seat. And before the bikers could react, Chloe shot. Both figures slumped over, falling to the ground, and the bikes veered off. With a shared look of relief Chloe grabbed at the shotgun and slithered over the seats to the very back of the vehicle. Derek swerved to avoid rocks and trees with one hand on the wheel and one hand reaching to comfort the small boy in back seat.
As the jeep moved from side to side and bumped on through the surrounding darkness, Chloe had a difficult time at steadying herself with the gun to get off any kind of shot. It was also hard to make heads or tails of who was following the trio. But from the bright white headlights Chloe determined that their tail was a pick up and a couple more motorbikes.
She then reached into a nearby duffel bag that held a riffle, but only grabbed for its scope, she preferred using it to binoculars, which seemed large and clumsy in her small hands.
The trailing truck loomed sometimes close, within feet, and then would fall back. Derek was driving as fast as he could.
Looking through the scope, Chloe could not make out much, but she definitely confirmed her thoughts on the number of following vehicles. She could also see multiple, shadowy, faceless figures standing in the back of the pick up as well as two in the front.
"What do you see?"
"Not much." It was aggravating to the girl.
When Chloe quickly glanced at the front she was struck with a surge of satisfaction seeing that Derek was simultaneously driving the jeep and trying to sooth Johnny. He was actually doing this rather well. Johnny was only crying at a minimal and their vehicle had not collided with a rock or anything, so that was a positive.
A stray bullet once again pierced the back window but hit no one. Chloe wondered why they were not shooting at them more then this. She looked to the scope for an answer, and what she saw put her stomach in a knot.
The following pickup showed a hood ornament, the silver colour of it catching the reflection off the high above dimly lit, quarter moon. It was a small statuette figure of a sprawling eagle, two small hand guns at its wingtips, and the word 'DIE' in block lettering across the top. Chloe had seen this before, but not since her years growing up in Valley. She took a few double takes to be sure.
"How could it be?" She thought out loud.
"What?"
She ignored the question. "Keep driving."
Drake was dead. How could his pickup be following them? She recalled that horrible night when she had shot him four times. She was certain he was dead; but there was no mistaking the hood decoration she saw. Randy was in her thoughts next, it almost made her sick to think that he might still be alive. She recalled the rescue she had made for her Dad and Sally after she had broken out of prison. Sally had shot Randy, and he in turn, her. But Chloe never saw his last breath leave his body the way she had watched with Drake or felt when dealing with Richardson.
"Could it be?" She asked the question to no one.
"What?"
Ignoring the front seat question again, she strained to look through the scope to get more information to confirm her suspicions.
If it was Randy what would he... The conclusion in her mind hit her in the chest like a wrecking ball. "The Baby!"
"What?" Derek and his questions remained ignored. His concentration on driving in the dark kept him from arguing this with girl.
Chloe now scrambled through bags to gather up weapons; it was a panicked reaction. But if her adversaries wanted a fight, she would give them one; she was not going to allow anyone to lay a finger on Johnny and she silently vowed that death would not even stop her. Just then Chloe heard a thud and felt the jeep slightly falter to the left.
"They took out one of the rear tires." Derek yelled back but continued looking and driving forward without hesitation.
Chloe let out her frustration in a grunt; how she wished to be back in that field enjoying this night in Derek's arms. She almost got lost in the thought.
"Chloe."
She did not look up from the two hand guns she once again clutched at and loaded with bullets.
"Chloe!"
"Kind of busy back here, honey." She then felt the jeep slowing even more to a stop. Looking up out of the rear window, she wondered why Derek couldn't keep going, even with the flat. The trailing headlights slowed too, even faster then them, and turned off into the opposite direction. The jeep then came to a complete halt. "Derek, what the..." As she turned to face the front she lost her words. She sat, propped upon one elbow with her mouth a gap.
Derek too was frozen.
Bright white illuminated the entire front window. Big spotlights were directed into their vehicle.
Chloe quickly gathered herself, and like a snake, contorted her body and slid back up to the front seat. "Derek, what's going on?" she questioned with caution. Johnny too was surprisingly caught up in the silence.
"I think umm, I think we are in their territory now."
"What?" Chloe now had the questions Derek had earlier. But her mind came up with her own answer. As per her character, she crinkled her nose when in deep thought or confusion. "The Upper Region," she breathed.
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