Page 57 of Hero

“Are you all right?” one of them asks me. “You’re safe now. We got them all.”

I can barely get a word out. I’m shaking helplessly from the aftermath of crisis and the crash of relief and pure confusion. “Wh-what?”

“It’s done.” It’s a different woman talking now. She’s tall and attractive with dark hair and tan skin. “You’re safe. We’ve been tracking this crew for weeks. They’ve been hitting travelers across a hundred-mile region. I’m glad we got to them in time to save you.”

“Th-thank you so much.” I try to stand up, but my knees don’t want to work. I remember what Rachel and Anna told me about that group of women fighters in this region.

This must be them.

“I’m Maria. These women and I go around and help people who need help. Are you on your own?”

I shake my head and look behind me, toward the road where Zed and Rina disappeared. Buddy rubs against my shins, so I lean down to pet him. “I’m not alone. I’ve got… I’ve got… my family.”

“Then we’ll help you get back to them.”

8

What happens next is mostlya blur.

Those minutes by myself behind the van stretched on forever, and they’re chiseled into my memory with laser-sharp clarity. At that moment, I knew exactly what was going to happen. It was inevitable. Predestined. Irrevocable. And it would be the end.

But it wasn’t. It’s just… not. So the world doesn’t quite make sense anymore.

I’m vaguely aware of going with several of the women from the group who rescued me, heading down the road where Zed took Rina. Buddy is still at my heels. We move as quickly as we can, and soon I’m out of breath, nearly jogging in my urgency to catch up with them again.

Zed had a lengthy head start, however. When we reach the end of the road, he’s still nowhere in sight. Of course he’s not. He’ll assume those criminals would be the only people trying to follow. He’ll stay as far away from them as possible.

I might never find him and Rina.

I’m so tired and emotionally overwhelmed and terrified by the chaotic sequence of events that I stand at the bleak crossroads and scream out his name. Over and over again.

I never expect it to work. It’s an act of final desperation. So I hardly understand what I’m seeing when after a minute or two a figure comes limping out from a thick cluster of trees.

A man. A big one. And he’s carrying a little girl.

The lowering sun is behind him so he’s nothing but a silhouette. I stare blankly until he’s close enough for me to recognize.

Then the girl calls out, “Essie! Essie!” and squirms until the man lets her slip out of his arms.

She runs full speed toward me. I brace myself to catch her. Sweep her up into my arms for a hug.

I’m shaking helplessly. Maybe I’m crying. Maybe I’m saying something. I have no idea.

“You’re okay!” Rina says hoarsely when she finally loosens her arms. “I was so scared and Daddy was crying and I didn’t know what was happening!”

“I know you didn’t.” My voice sounds strange. Barely recognizable to my own ears. Zed is still approaching, moving much slower than Rina. Much slower than normal. He’s favoring his left leg. I still can’t see his face clearly. “I’m sorry it was so scary for you. I think it’s okay now.”

“Daddy hurt himself, and we had to hide.” Rina’s blue eyes are wide, and her face is red and tearstained with a swipe of smeared dirt down one cheek. She looks behind her at Zed. “She says it’s okay, Daddy.”

I squeeze the girl again, barely able to let her go, but I look at Zed over her shoulder. He’s finally close enough to see him better.

He’s just as flushed and dirty as his daughter. Sweat is still dripping down the sides of his face. His expression is stunned. Dazed. Searching but in a vague, unfocused way.

He’s in as much of a blur as I am.

“This group of women came to save me,” I explain, as much to him as to Rina. “The ones Anna and Rachel told me about. I guess they’ve been looking for those bad people for a long time, and they got to them just in time.”

“You should have run with me and Daddy,” Rina says, squirming, so I set her back down on her feet. She runs over to hug Zed’s legs. “We were running so fast. Daddy hurt his ankle.”

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