Chapter 4 #2
But that hope died as soon as he was inside the tent.
Mandy had warned him that she and the girls hadn’t had a lot to work with, as far as cooking items went, and she hadn’t lied.
There was one large stockpot, which wouldn’t be practical to take, and two smaller pans.
There were a couple of spoons and a pair of tongs.
One fork, and two dull kitchen knives. Anything he took would definitely be missed before too long.
However, he did spot a backpack lying in the corner. It had seen better days, the seams were coming apart, but it was better than nothing.
Working quickly, Buck packed one small pan, the fork and a knife. He padded them with the random dirty cloths lying around the tent so nothing would rattle as he walked.
Even though there wasn’t much in the way of cooking items, Buck was extremely pleased with the amount of food.
Mostly canned goods, which wasn’t ideal, but once empty, the cans could be used to hold water and as cook vessels.
That was why he didn’t bother taking both pans. The cans would do in a pinch.
Better yet were the several matchbooks scattered haphazardly on the ground.
But the best item he found was the packet of purification tablets. They made water taste funky, but would kill any bacteria that could otherwise make them extremely sick.
Voices outside alerted Buck to the fact that his scavenging mission was quickly coming to an end. He needed to be gone by the time whoever was coming his way entered the tent. He shoved the backpack under the canvas at the back, then quickly lay down and crawled out himself.
He made it out just in time. Freezing in place, not wanting to make any noise whatsoever, Buck held his breath as two men entered the tent.
They were speaking Spanish, of course, and complaining about having to make breakfast for everyone. Thankfully, it didn’t seem as if they noticed anything missing; they obviously hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen tent, so they didn’t know what supplies were normally available.
Moving slowly, Buck eased the pack onto his back and carefully moved away from the tent. There were more items he would’ve liked to have taken, but he’d have to be satisfied with the things he’d managed to grab.
Moving as stealthily as he could, Buck crept back through the trees to where he’d left Mandy.
For a moment, he panicked when she wasn’t crouched behind the large tree.
Then a soft sound had him spinning around, and every muscle in his body sagged when he saw her.
She’d moved away from the tree a little and was lying on her side in a ball, snoring lightly.
The fact that she’d felt safe enough to fall asleep wasn’t lost on him. Or maybe it was just sheer exhaustion. Whatever it was, he felt horrible that he had to wake her, but they needed to get as far away from the rebel camp as possible before they could truly rest.
He put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.
She woke instantly, eyes wide with panic as she lurched away from him.
Feeling sick that he had to grab her to keep her from making any noise, Buck was on top of her with a hand over her mouth before she could let out even the smallest squeak.
“Sorry!” he apologized immediately. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Awake now?”
When she nodded, he quickly dropped his hand. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Did you find the things we need?”
Buck nodded. “Got us some good stuff. But we need to go. Now.”
She was on her feet almost before he’d finished speaking. Obviously more than ready to leave a place that was a source of some horrible memories.
“I’ll lead. Stay right on my ass. Hold on to the backpack if you need to. Step where I step. Try not to make any noise. Understand?” He was being extra brusque, but the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. It was too light outside now, even under the canopy. They needed to be gone.
“Yes.” Her reply was short and to the point.
Taking her at her word, Buck turned and headed north. They’d go that way, then circle back around to the east. Taking the long way around the camp, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.
Just when he thought they’d done it, that they’d gotten away without anyone knowing someone had been left behind by the chopper, a shout rose from the direction of the camp.
“Someone’s been here. There’s food missing!”
“Fuck. We need to run,” Buck said. “Can you do that?”
“Yes!”
He didn’t hesitate, just took off at a jog. They were still way too close to camp. And from the yelling he heard, Buck could tell the rebels were both pissed and excited.
The thought of them getting their hands on Mandy was enough to spur him to run faster. He could hear her breathing hard behind him, but she didn’t complain, simply did her best to keep up.
At least the rebels had no idea who or how many people they were looking for, or what direction they’d gone. They probably thought they were looking for a kid or two—which again would work in their favor.
Still, the more distance they could put between them, the better off they’d be.
Buck had no doubt the rebels wouldn’t give up easily, but eventually when they didn’t find anyone, he hoped they’d second-guess themselves…
think perhaps the kids had stolen food before they’d been rescued, and just give up the search.
How long they ran, Buck had no idea. But it wasn’t until it occurred to him that he didn’t hear Mandy’s breathing that he looked behind him.
His heart literally stopped beating when he didn’t see her anywhere.
“Shit,” he whispered, spinning around to backtrack.
He didn’t have to go far. When he found her, he knew immediately they weren’t going to be able to go much farther. Her face was bright red from exertion and tears were streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry!” she whispered. “I’m coming. I’ll do better.”
“Shhhh. I’m sorry,” Buck told her, as he wrapped an arm around her waist, taking some of her weight. “I’ve got you.”
“I can keep going. I just needed a second to breathe,” she told him. “And I didn’t want to call out to let you know in case someone could hear me.”
She was being smart, but Buck still felt bad that he’d been so focused on escape that he hadn’t even noticed she’d fallen behind.
He vowed to do better. To be better. He wasn’t in this with one of his Night Stalker pilots or a special forces operative.
Mandy was a civilian. One who’d been through hell and was nearing the end of her rope. He wouldn’t let her down again.
“Come on, I’m pretty sure we lost them. We need to find a place to hole up anyway. Rest. Eat something.”
“Are you sure? What if they find us?”
“They won’t.” Buck didn’t know that for certain, but at the moment, he’d say whatever he needed to in order to reassure Mandy.
Keeping his arm around her waist, Buck headed back in the direction they’d been going before Mandy fell behind.
As they walked, he looked for a place they could hole up for the day.
It was more dangerous to travel at night, but the cover of darkness would also help hide them in case the rebels were out searching.
What Buck really wanted to do was circle back around and kill each and every one of the bastards.
It was a bloodthirsty thought, but he could feel Mandy trembling against him.
They’d put her and the children through hell, and they deserved to suffer.
But his only concern right now was the woman at his side.
Making sure she survived. Getting her to safety.
Being this up close and personal to someone he rescued was a new thing for Buck.
As a helicopter pilot, his role was usually only to transport people from one place to another.
Anyone who’d been a prisoner of any kind was usually accompanied by a team of special forces.
He and his fellow pilots rarely even spoke to whoever they transported.
He felt out of his element right now. Unsure what to say to reassure Mandy.
He wasn’t good at this. He was good at flying, not soothing traumatized victims.
“How are you holding up?” he asked, immediately wincing at the stupid question.
“I’m okay,” she surprised him by saying.
“I don’t want you to tell me what you think I want to hear,” Buck replied. “If you feel like shit, tell me that. If you’re scared, I want to know. The only way we’re going to make it through this is if we’re honest with each other.”
He was used to being on missions with his Night Stalker brethren.
They had no problem telling shit like it was.
They were probably a bit too honest at times.
But one weakness could actually get the entire team killed if it wasn’t dealt with or brought to light.
They were stronger together than they were individually, and right now, he needed Mandy to be his teammate. A team of two.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, turning the question around on him.
“I’m pissed. Not at you,” he said quickly, “but at the situation. At the men who thought it was okay to kidnap children and force them to become soldiers for their cause. I’m irritated they realized so quickly that things were missing from the kitchen tent.
I’m worried about you. It’s obvious you haven’t been eating enough, and the last thing I want is for you to faint from lack of sustenance.
I’m hot and uncomfortable in this flight suit.
And I’m stressed because we need to find a place to hide so you can get some food and rest.”
Her eyes had widened when he first began to speak, and by the time he was done, she was staring at him with an expression he couldn’t read.
“Too honest?” he asked, as he looked down at her. Buck wasn’t a very tall man, only five foot eight, but Mandy was still tiny compared to him. She only came up to his shoulder, and with his arm around her waist, he could feel how skinny she was. He was worried about her physical and mental state.