Page 55 of Hero

We need to grab Rina, get behind that van, start shooting, and hope for the best.

I wait, still pretending to respond cheerfully to the woman’s conversation. It’s incredibly hard to sound casual when I’m nearly shaking with rising nerves.

We’re walking downhill now. When we’re within a few feet of the van, Zed releases his hold on the cart and reaches out for Rina. Before he’s gotten his hands on her, I start shooting, aiming for the back of the guy who I’ve decided is probably the biggest threat of the bunch.

He falls forward as I turn my aim toward another of them and start running for the van at the same time.

Zed is a step in front of me, holding Rina with one arm and shooting with the other. His shots go wide but at least they give us cover. Buddy is at our heels and growling fiercely, evidently sensing our mood and knowing there’s danger looming.

My second shot only wings one of them, but we’ve surprised them enough to give us a chance to get in position behind the van.

The other three shoot back. There’s more of them, and our only advantage is the cover the van provides. We shoot and duck. Shoot and duck. I think I get another of them, but again it’s not a killing shot.

“There’s nothing you can do,” the woman calls out. “There’s nowhere you can go. We’ve got friends waiting down the hill. They’ll hear the shots and come to help. You’ll be surrounded before you know it. Just come out, and we won’t hurt you.”

I don’t believe her, and neither does Zed. He shakes his head, his jaw clenched tightly. He darts up and shoots a few times before ducking down.

“There’s still two on their feet,” he mutters, crouching beside me again. “And more coming.” He puts a hand on Rina’s back. She’s curled up in a ball, hiding her head the way we’ve always taught her to do whenever anyone shoots a gun.

I hear her make a little whimper, and it’s then I know what I have to do.

“Take her and Buddy,” Zed tells me. “Run as fast as you can down that road.” He nods toward the smaller road that’s intersected the one we were on. “I’ll hold them off here for long enough for you to get away.” His voice breaks. “Just take care of her. Please.”

I’m trembling. Helplessly. I have to fight to keep my teeth from chattering. But I shake my head. “No. You’re stronger. You run faster. You’ll have a better chance of getting away than me.”

“No fuckin—”

“Yes!” I hiss out the word, my eyes starting to burn with tears. “You promised me you would if we got in this exact situation! You’re her dad. She needs you.” I raise my handgun and pull the trigger a few times, shooting wild in the hopes of distracting them. I think they’ve probably gotten out of range and are waiting for their friends to arrive so they can surround us. They’ll only advance early if we try to run.

“I’m not leaving you here to die,” Zed grits out. “I’ll never do that. Not for anything.”

“You don’t have a choice.” A couple of tears stream down my cheek, but I’m too caught up in bleak adrenaline to cry for real. “We have to keep Rina safe, and you’re the one who can do that best. I can dothis.” I gesture with my gun toward the van. “This is what I’m supposed to do. For her and for you. I know it now. I’ve survived this long to do this one thing. So please let me do it.”

“Esther,” he rasps, reaching out with his free hand to grab my jaw and cheek.

“You can’t be my hero here.” I swipe away a couple more tears impatiently. “But you can be hers. You have to be that for her. Save her. Do it for me.”

There’s still an unspoken argument on his face, so I rasp out, “You promised me, Zed.”

He did. And I now understand the intense conversation that evening in Givens was pointing us toward right now. This very moment.

If he’s in the position of choosing between saving me and saving Rina, he has to choose his daughter.

There’s no way to choose us both.

That’s what this world has become.

I see the anguished resignation on his face. He makes a weird choked sound and leans over to give me a hard, brief kiss.

I nod, wiping my eyes again since I need to be able to see. Rina is sobbing audibly now, still curled up in the ball.

Reaching over, I stroke her messy hair. “I love you, sweetheart. Never forget that.”

Zed makes another strangled sound as he gathers his daughter in his arms. He stands up, keeping low so he’s still behind the shelter of the van. He pulls the small pistol he always keeps in an ankle holster out and hands it to me.

Our eyes meet. We don’t say anything else.

There’s nothing left to say.

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