Chapter 19
As quickly as her scream and the sound of the shot had filled the air, it was gone again, leaving behind a silence that was equally terrifying.
Before she could spin to make sure her companion was okay, Veronica saw the man on the motorcycle clutching his chest, a large red stain expanding from beneath his fingers with deadly speed.
He toppled forward, slumping first over the seat before falling to the ground.
His lifeless eyes gazed up at the sky as Veronica tried to wrap her head around everything that had just transpired.
When she managed to snap out of it, she spun around to face Bella once more.
The girl’s hands were trembling, the pistol still extended in her grip.
Veronica carefully reached out, prying Bella’s fingers away from the weapon before flipping on the safety and tucking it into her jeans once again.
She would have to be more careful with it in the future, but she was thankful for the girl’s quick thinking, nonetheless.
Yet the traumatic experience was one that was going to live with Bella for the rest of her life.
Veronica could tell from the look in the young girl’s eyes she would be haunted forever by the image of the man’s corpse now lying just feet away from them.
“I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now, but everything is going to be all right. You don’t need to keep looking at the man,” Veronica said, turning Bella around. “We’re going to jump back on the motorcycle and get the hell out of here while we still can.”
“I-I never got the chance to finish getting the gas we need to make it to the farm. The only thing we have as far as fuel is concerned is what is left in the tank.”
“I’m not worried about how far we can make it. I’m just more concerned about us getting the hell out of here right now. You stay here while I get everything ready to go again. There’s no way of knowing how close any of these people are.”
“I didn’t know what else to do. I saw the man bringing the gun up in our direction, and I did the only thing I could think of. I’ve never killed anyone before. I don’t know that I’ve ever killed anything before.”
Veronica shrugged. “I know it’s going to be almost impossible to do, but you shouldn’t try to think about it too much. You made the only decision that got us both out of the situation without being injured ourselves.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right, but that man is dead because of me, and I don’t know how to feel about it right now.”
“You should feel proud that you saved both of our lives by doing what you did. You made the right choice, and now we’re both able to move on with our lives. I’d rather it be that man lying there dead on the ground than you or me.”
Leaving her young friend still standing in the road, she quickly went through the man’s belongings, grabbed the weapon, and strapped everything down before pushing the bike over to where Bella was standing.
The last thing she wanted was to traumatize the girl again by making her look at the body of the man she had just killed.
Though it was clear to anyone who would hear about the story later on it was self-defense, Veronica knew there was no reasoning with Bella at that moment.
The wounds were still too fresh. It would take time for them to heal.
“I got everything packed up and ready to go. The only question now is whether you are ready to head out with me.”
Bella shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what the man tried to do to us. It’s just not right we leave him lying in the middle of the street like that. Because of him, I’m a murderer now. I have to turn myself in to someone and tell them what I did.”
“You protected yourself from a man who was going to kill you. Even if you turned yourself in, or there was a place that you could turn yourself in, it’s still going to be considered self-defense.
It’s going to be all right. I promise. If it makes you feel any better, we can figure everything out when we get to the homestead. ”
“You can figure it all out when you get to the homestead. I think it would be best if you just went on without me. I’m obviously a danger to anyone who is around me.”
Veronica scoffed. “The only danger around us right now is because of men like that. You did absolutely nothing wrong, and I sure as hell I’m not going to leave you out here on your own.
If you want to stay, then you must know I’m going to stay right here with you.
I’m letting you know right now that this is the best way to take care of the situation.
We need to get back on the bike, and you need to be on the back of it with me right away. ”
She knew the young girl was shaken. It was obvious she was in shock and had no idea what she was saying.
It was completely understandable, given the circumstances.
Veronica knew men twice her size who wouldn’t be handling the stranger’s death as well as her young companion.
The stranger’s death had not come without some rewards, though, no matter how morbid that seemed.
They were fighting for their survival, and every form of defense counted.
After rifling through the man’s pockets and backpack, Veronica had found several more shotgun shells to accompany his weapon, along with a first aid kit and a few MREs.
Veronica didn’t want to think about where the man had procured his stock nor how many lives he’d taken to make sure he was the one surviving.
Someday she would point out that detail to Bella, sharing with her that she likely saved more lives down the road by eliminating the man.
Yet taking a life was not easy on the conscience.
Veronica had never been placed in that situation before and wouldn’t pretend to know what Bella was going through.
When they made it to the homestead, though, her father would be able to offer Veronica some guidance in helping Bella.
A former soldier, he had seen more than his fair share of traumatic events.
“Listen to me. Whatever is going through your mind right now is not going to stop anytime soon. Someone must have heard the gunshot, and they’re going to come looking. We need to get out of here.”
“You’re better off without me around. The only thing I seem to be any good at is putting your life in danger, and I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
“I know you’re only doing what you think is best for me, but if you were really being honest with yourself, the best way to save my life is for you to get on the back of that motorcycle so we can leave before other people show up.”
Veronica noticed that something she said must have snapped Bella out of her self-destructive thoughts. The girl nodded and instantly jumped onto the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
“I’m glad you finally were able to listen for some reason,” Veronica said. “Are you ready to get the hell out of here?”
“I am now. I guess we can just figure everything else out later.”
As Veronica gunned the motorcycle away from the body in the road, she prayed they would make it to the homestead without further incident.
Bella had already been traumatized enough.
If the god her parents believed in was real, he wouldn’t make an innocent girl suffer even more.
She would push the bike as far as they possibly could before stopping again to get fuel.
The next time, she wouldn’t be letting Bella anywhere out of her sight.
Veronica was still kicking herself for allowing the girl to be put in that position.
She had vowed to protect her when she had taken her on as a rider but had failed.
Veronica wouldn’t blame Bella if she no longer trusted her.
Hopefully, over time, Veronica would be able to restore Bella’s faith in her, but until that time, the guilt would weigh heavily on her shoulders.
It was a harrowing and dangerous new world they lived in; Veronica had learned her lesson.
She would never turn her back on Bella again, at least not until she knew the girl could protect herself both physically and emotionally.
Bella deserved some sense of stability, and that was why Veronica was going to give her a family, no matter how long it took.