Sudden Independents

“You two. I’d ask Jimmy if it was serious, but he’s always serious, isn’t he?”

“Pretty much,” Ginger said. Jimmy mocked wounded pride and pulled away from her, but she held onto him tightly. “That’s why I like him,” she added.

“Just like?” Mark asked.

A smile grew on Ginger’s face, bright as any wheat field on a sunny day. Her transformation mirrored Jimmy’s own.

“Yeah…” Mark said. “I better get home and see how Vanessa’s doing.”

“Do you want somebody to watch over Molly tonight?” Jimmy asked.

Mark glanced toward the sheriff’s office and then at his shoes. “She’s not going anywhere.” He hiked up the collar of his heavy coat against the cold wind, stepped onto the cobbled street and hopped over a pothole. “Come get me if anything else happens. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” Jimmy and Ginger said together, and then they giggled.

• • •

Jimmy woke with the night pressing down on him, unsure of where he was, surrounded by the scent of flowers. Muffled whispering behind a closed door tugged at his consciousness. When a loud thud sounded and someone hissed, “Be quiet,” he became fully awake.

He jerked upright, realized he was still dressed, and recalled lying down next to Ginger and falling asleep. In his head, he heard Samuel laughing. Ginger was still dressed too. Her eyes were open with fear shining in their depths.

“Someone’s in the house,” she whispered.

Jimmy pushed his finger to his lips and signaled for her to climb out of bed. He pointed to the closet, but she shook her head in refusal. He frowned until she folded her arms across her chest, convincing him that her hiding wasn’t going to happen.

“What are you doing in my room?” The wall dampened Catherine’s voice. “Oh, it’s you.”

Jimmy and Ginger stared at each other. Jimmy broke eye contact and searched for a weapon. He was out of luck unless he wanted to hurl flowerpot projectiles.

“I’m not going to let you ruin this for me by saving that tall farm boy,” Jimmy heard Chase say. “Grab her and let’s get out of here.”

Panic flashed through Jimmy. He pointed at Ginger. “Go get help.” And then he shot through the door, rounded the corner and slammed into a solid mound of flesh. Patrick used Jimmy’s surprise against him and flipped him to the ground in the narrow hallway. Faster than Jimmy could react, he was being pummeled by heavy fists, first in the face, and then on the body, as if the big kid were wielding a sledge hammer.

A break came in the beating as Patrick tumbled over Jimmy into the living room with Ginger riding on the big kid’s back, pulling out fistfuls of his red hair. Without much effort, Patrick reached behind his head, grabbed hold of Ginger’s arms and hurled her into the wall. She hit the floor, flipped over and bounced up instantly, ready to get right back into the middle of the fight again.

Anger and a protective instinct channeled through Jimmy with a furious roar. He charged in low, heaved the big kid up and plowed him to the floor like he was trying to bury him under the crawlspace. Jimmy plunged a knee into Patrick’s stomach, satisfied by the boy’s anguished cry, and started swinging wildly. A couple of his punches bashed into Patrick’s chest with the similar feel of punching a tree trunk.

“Run! Go get help!” Jimmy yelled at Ginger.

She stumbled for the door while Jimmy kept laying blows. The big kid twisted underneath him and tried to buck him off, but Jimmy was not letting him up. He knew his life depended on keeping Patrick down.

Something hard slammed Jimmy in the side of the head and knocked him into the wall. His eyes blurred as he caved to the floor.

“Thanks for the help,” Patrick said.

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

The voice-female-sounded familiar. Jimmy struggled, focusing his blurry vision to look around and raise himself up.

“Now let’s have a little fun,” Patrick said.

Jimmy cried out once when Patrick began kicking him. Then he tried to cover up as his ribs gave way. He lay trapped in a heap against the wall and the big redheaded kid laughed like a maniacal serial killer while kicking him over and over.

“That’s enough,” Chase said.

Jimmy suffered through each breath he took. He never knew that this kind of pain was possible. Every inch of his body, inside and out, felt busted.

Chase bent down to face him. “We’re leaving now and we’re taking the girl. If you come after us, I will kill Michael and David. Or should I call them, Hunter and Scout.”

Terror flowed uncontained throughout Jimmy’s wracked body. He coughed and felt something wet on his chin. He brushed his long sleeve across his mouth and saw the dark blood staining his shirt.

“That is what happens when you send babes into the woods where the big bad wolves dwell. I’ve seen what affect their presumed deaths have on you and Vanessa. If you don’t follow us, I’ll release them when I’m ready.”