Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) (21 page)

"We don't even know you," Anita added

with the same look of disregard in her dark eyes

that painted her face when she mentioned

Refuge Inc.

Elliot clasped his hands together before

him. "Look, you need my help and I need yours."

"I need to ind my daughter, okay," Tami

interrupted. "She's only eleven. She's been

missing for a couple days now without food or

water. It's my fault she left the compound." She

turned to her friend. "I should've never

mentioned Gabriel. I should've never told her he

wasn't coming back. He was everything to her."

"I know. I know." Her friend placed a

hand on Tami's back to console her. "Most dads

are to their little girls."

"But the way I said it," Tami went on,

tears running down her face. "I just came out

and told her not to bother curling her hair for

him, because he'll never see it. What kind of

person am I?" She balled on her friend's

shoulder. "I deserve to just die already."

"You were scared, Tami," Anita said,

speaking softly, tenderly. "I'm sure she'll forgive

you. She loves you."

"Please, help me," Elliot interjected. He

pressed his palms together, eyes begging,

pleading. "We don't have a lot of time and …" He

paused, rewound their conversation in his head

and realized the ultimate tragedy. "You said

your daughter had curly hair?"

"Yeah?" Tami said, sniffing.

"Was it really long and blonde, kinda like

yours but lighter?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Did you see her? Where is

she?" Tami's eyes lit up with hope. Elliot's heart

sank. He saw the girl, but her body lay under a

mound of debris drenched in a pool of dried

blood. She was the first dead body he'd laid eyes

on hours after he started his trek. That poor

little blonde girl.

12: Lying for Gain

The walk back to Adam was tedious. The

entire time Elliot refused to make eye contact

with the women, staying considerably ahead of

them so they wouldn't want to engage in

conversation. He knew once they learned the

truth, that Tami's daughter was likely dead

instead of locked safe inside of a home, they

would be infuriated. More lies upon lies would

do too much harm so he tried his best to avoid

saying anything at all, using his haste to convey

his urgency.

He hated lying about such serious things,

but Adam was in critical need. If he didn't tell the

women that lie and encourage them to help him

save Adam in exchange for details on where the

girl was, Adam wouldn't have a chance at all.

Elliot felt like an evil manipulator, like a deceitful

prick preying on two poor women for his own

gain. But the girl was dead. There wasn't a life or

death issue with her, even if her mother didn't

know that yet. Maybe they would understand

and have pity on him when he did tell them the

truth.

When they inally reached Adam he was

unresponsive. His lashlight was still illuminating

the area, showing the burned car resting on its

side and on top of Adam's arm.

"Oh, my God!" the women said in unison

as they came around the car to where Adam lay.

He was motionless on the slope

underneath the bridge and in an awkward

position. It was as if he'd been struggling to free

himself while Elliot was gone. Elliot knelt down

beside him. It seemed as if Titan knew Adam was

hurt and somehow tried to soothe the pain with

licks to Adam's face, but Elliot pushed the dog

aside. "Adam?" He quickly tapped the side of his

face with his fingertips. "Adam, wake up."

Adam groaned, opening his eyes. "Did

you find it?" he murmured.

Did he mean the wet painted R, the

people who painted them or Refuge Inc.? Elliot

didn't ask for clari ication, instead he said, "I

found some help. You're gonna be okay."

Anita handed her oversized bag to Tami

and went to Adam's side. "I'm Anita. Don't

worry. We're gonna get you out of here." She

stood and walked around the car, examining it.

Tami and Titan stood off to the side as if

waiting for the right moment to step in. Tami

kept both of her hands clasped over her mouth,

watching.

Elliot caressed Adam's sweaty forehead.

"You okay?"

"I'm tired," Adam mumbled, with eyes

closed.

Elliot wiped the dust and dirt from

Adam's cheek, seeing a red and slightly swollen

bruise on his temple where he had punched him

earlier. He leaned down and planted a kiss on

the exact spot. He sat back just in time to see a

smile curl Adam's lip.

"Okay." Anita came around the darkened

corner from behind the rear of the overturned

car. "Looks like most of the weight of the car is

against the wall. That's what's holding it up. All

we have to do is lift it just enough for one of us

to pull him from under it."

"Good." Elliot stood, readying himself.

"But—" Anita started.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"But we're on a slope with all this loose

gravel, so the slightest movement might cause

the car to slide either down the slope, or on its

roof or both. Not good."

"We just gotta be careful and quick."

Elliot nodded, happy with his decision.

"How did this happen?" Tami whispered,

probably talking to herself rather than directing

the question to anyone in particular. "Poor guy."

She had tears in her eyes, probably from the

fears of losing her daughter and watching Adam

in so much pain. It had to put a huge amount of

stress on anyone in that predicament.

"It was an accident," Elliot frowned,

dusting his hands on his shorts. With a irm look

he pointed to Tami, seeing the absolute terror in

her eyes and for a split moment he felt her

anxiety in his gut. "You grab a hold of his good

arm and you pull as fast and as hard as you can

when I say so, okay?"

Tami nodded and cautiously went to

Adam's side. Adam's eyes were still closed and

he looked as exhausted as a sprinter who had

ran several laps. She leaned over and wrapped

her dainty hands around his wrist while Elliot

and Anita went to the front of the car.

"Alright," Elliot continued passing out

orders, even though he felt guilt trying to stop

him and force him to come clean about her

missing daughter. "Anita, on the count of three

we'll lift the front of the car as high as we can.

Tami, you grip his arm tighter and pull him with

everything you got as far away from the car as

possible just in case it wants to fall or slide."

"Right," Tami said and rearranged her

arm, hooking her and Adam's elbows for a

better grip.

"Okay," Elliot knelt down and slid his

ingers in a crevice under the front of the car

near the tire. Anita did the same but on the

underside of the front bumper. He looked at the

woman beside him who looked as ready as he

was. "Lift with your legs not your back, okay?"

Something he learned while stocking boxes of

goods at Food Plus. "You ready?" Anita nodded,

but he couldn't count. It was on the tip of his

tongue.
One, two, three.
But instead of counting

he stood. "I'm sorry." He looked down at Tami,

staring at the dried bloodstain soaked on the

knee of her pants.

"Why?" Her bottom lip trembled.

"I saw your daughter a few miles from

my neighborhood." Elliot refused to make eye

contact no matter how hard he tried. No, he

didn't refuse, his body just wouldn't let him.

"She was buried halfway under rubble. Sorry."

Anita gasped. "What?"

"She's dead." He clari ied. "I'm sorry. I'm

so sorry."

"You said you passed her taking shelter

in an abandoned house." Tami stood from

beside Adam and stepped forward, eyes wide as

a maniac ready to strike. She pointed her

narrow inger like a loaded gun. "You lied to me,

you bastard. You used us."

"No, no." Elliot tried pleading with his

eyes. "I need your help and I feel bad for lying to

get you here but…I need you. That's why I'm

telling you now. I couldn't live with myself if I

didn't…" The anger in Tami's eyes showed

through her tears and suddenly replaced any

trace of heartache on her face, even though he

knew the pain was still there. "Please

understand why I lied." His voice caught as he

pleaded, palms pressed together before him,

eyelids heavy from threatening tears. He

swallowed and looked down at Adam, knowing

time was slipping away. "Please."

"We're already here." Anita took her

place in front of the side turned car and

squatted, ready to lift. "On the count of three."

Tami sniffed and wiped her wet eyes with

the back of her dirty hand. Even so, tears lowed

from them and anger shown through them. She

knelt beside Adam and locked her arm around

his. "On three."

Elliot slid his inger back in the crevice

and positioned himself. "One, two, three."

They moved together like a

luid

choreographed dance. He felt his thigh muscles

burn, the wound on his leg ached something

ierce, and his ingers did the same—but the car

slowly lifted.

Adam let out an agonizing howl above

Tami's demands. "Keep lifting," she shouted. "Go,

go, go!"

The shouts and cries that echoed through

the streets rattled in Elliot's ears. Before the last

echo faded, Tami had pulled Adam and his limp

arm several feet away from the car.

"Now," Elliot grunted through clenched

teeth and he and Anita let the car fall back down

to the earth. He was lightheaded. He must have

been holding his breath. Even so, he quickly

rushed toward Adam and his agonized

whimpering. In his haste he slipped on the

gravel beneath his feet and fell on his ass once,

stumbling twice after. He dropped to his knees,

feeling the small rocks dig into his skin as he

crawled over Adam, straddling his body.

"Adam." Elliot planted a chaste kiss on his

cheek. "I'm so happy," and another kiss, "you're

okay," and another. Awkward behavior? Who

cared? As soon as he felt Adam's hand on the

small of his back, he couldn't care if another

asteroid hit then. He had Adam in his arms.

That's all that mattered.

Adam brought his trembling hand to

Elliot's face. "Now who's the hero?"

Elliot snorted. "I'm not the hero because

that would make you the sidekick."

"The problem?"

"The problem is you make a shitty

sidekick." Elliot looked down into Adam's tired

eyes. "You don't know how to stay by my side."

"Never again." Adam pulled Elliot

forward and delivered a brief kiss to his

forehead. "I'll never leave you again. That's a

promise."

Elliot over lowed with the sudden

euphoric feeling of relief. Everything would be

okay. It all would be okay.

Then Tami's voice shattered his relief.

"Now tell me where my daughter is."

When Elliot glanced back at her, she held

her and Anita's bags on her shoulder, and an

impatient look in her eye.

He stood and gently pulled Adam up to

sit. Adam's swollen arm dangled beside him. It

looked broken with a huge purple bruise over

the length of it. The skin on it had cuts and

bloody punctures where small stones h a d dug

into it. Adam grimaced and groaned in pain. "I

need something to use as a sling."

Elliot gathered up Adam's backpack and

flashlight near the car.

"Where is my daughter?" Tami's voice

was loud and demanding.

"Uh, she's …" Elliot unzipped the pack,

overturned it and emptied most of its contents

onto the loor. There's was nothing that could

double as a sling. He dropped the bag. "You can

use my shirt."

"No, use my headscarf," Anita said,

stepping forward. She unraveled it from her