Chapter 18 #4
He tried to quiet that nagging voice that rattled around in his skull.
He needed to focus on getting these people out of this prison cell.
He couldn’t imagine how horrible it was for them in there, and the smell that wafted out through the steel was enough to make his knees weak.
He wondered how long they had all been in there together, sweating and stinking on top of one another.
It was vile, inhumane treatment, and it made him hate the remnant soldiers all the more.
That general had stood within the tent, talking about honorable imprisonment, and this was how he was treating the people under his care? When he thought about Deb and Jimmy living in this squalor, Vin was almost glad that Chainz had buried a bullet in the man’s head.
Almost, but not quite.
The door to the pen was held closed by a large chain with a thick padlock. Vin didn’t have a key for it, nor did he have a pair of industrial bolt cutters handy. There was only one option.
“All right, y’all!” he cried out over the roar of the gathered crowd.
They quieted down as their potential savior spoke, many holding their breath to wait and hear what this stranger was going to say.
“I’ma need y’all to back up away from the door. I ain’t got no key, so the only way that I can getcha outta here is to blast this lock off.”
As he said that, he drew one of his pistols from his side holster. The message was instantly received, and the mass of bodies pushed back farther into the cell. Once Vin was satisfied that the prisoners were far enough back, he pointed his gun at the lock and fired.
Despite knowing he was friendly, the people still recoiled at the loud bang. The lock instantly shattered and fell open, allowing Vin to quickly pull it off and throw open the door.
Instantly, there was a stampede of human life rushing the entrance and nearly bowling over their savior. There were shouts of gratitude and cries of relief as they surged past him. But Vin was focused on trying to find the one person he came here for.
“Deb!” he called out over the sound of rushing relieved bodies. “Deb, you here?” He was shouting at the top of his lungs now, and the sound of the gunshot coupled with the roar of the escaping prisoners was enough to draw several armed Chain Gang members to the area.
“What the fuck?” one of them yelled, but there were many of their comrades rushing out of the cage as well, so no action was taken at the moment.
“Deb!” he called out again. “Deb, where are you?”
There was no direct response from the crowd, and Vin wasn’t sure if Deb was just not there or if she hadn’t heard him. Then, as the last stragglers shouldered their way past him, Vin felt the pit in his stomach grow. He hadn’t seen Deb or Jimmy anywhere, and their absence was gnawing at him.
Then, once the pen was cleared, Vin noticed something on the far end, crouched in the corner, completely unmoving. It appeared to be a body, and he could make out the bright-blond hair that he had come to know so well over the years. It was a color he could identify anywhere.
“Deb!” he called out, running into the pen without a second’s hesitation.
She was just sitting there, unmoving and unresponsive. Was she hurt? Was she…worse? The world seemed to crystalize around Vin as he dashed forward, calling her name over and over again as he moved.
To his great relief, he saw her move at the sound of his voice, her head uncurling from her chest and looking up with wide unfocused eyes as though she couldn’t even fathom what she was hearing.
“Vin?” she called out, confusion clouding her tone. Then her eyes focused on him, and she scrambled to her feet. Deb rushed forward toward him, her legs nearly giving out under her as she collapsed into his arms.
Vin wrapped Deb in the tightest, most desperate embrace of his life, his legs giving way to his relief as they fell together into the dirt and trampled grass left behind by the mob of prisoners.
Vin knelt there, holding her close, enjoying their first embrace in years with a desperate, clutching need for her that he hadn’t known still existed within him.
“You’re all right,” he said, his relief overcoming all other senses as they clutched each other on the ground. “I can’t believe you’re all right. Thank God.”
Deb didn’t respond. She merely clutched at him with extreme desperation and sobbed into his chest. She cried so hard that Vin worried she might hurt herself.
“Deb?” a familiar voice rang out. “Deb!”
Sean raced into the pen to find Vin holding Deb as the two of them knelt on the ground. Vin’s initial instinct was to pull away, to allow Sean to have this moment with his wife. But Deb wasn’t letting go of him. She clung to him as though he were the only lifeline that kept her from drowning.
Vin looked up at Sean apologetically, but Sean was paying him no mind. His eyes were locked with concern on Deb, and his face twisted in a look of relief and worry as the two emotions wrestled for control over his face.
Then, suddenly, Vin had a horrible realization.
A realization so dark and earth-shattering that the breath in his lungs got stuck, and he coughed until he could breathe again.
“Deb,” Vin practically screamed, looking down at his ex-wife as she continued to sob and cry into the night. “Where’s Jimmy?”