Page 61 of Burning Escape

The man tossed her into one of the canoes. She blinked, looked up at his face. It blurred and then finally came into focus.

It wasn’t Jeremiah or Razor or Wayne, but she knew this man’s strength and determination. If only she’d realized in time that he was sick too.

“You can’t ignore me now. Finally, we’ll have some alone time, and you’ll see how perfect we can be together, Tori.”

Her eyes closed and everything faded into oblivion.

FOURTEEN

If the militiadidn’t kill him, the fire might.

As it was, they used the snare to cinch Orion’s wrists together and marched him at gunpoint back to the commune. A glance behind him showed the fire devouring the forest, flames shooting high, sparks flying even higher. The men holding Orion kicked it into double time while three others ran for the ATVs.

“We’ll drive them upriver and meet you at the commune,” Vlad said.

Orion could breathe a little easier once they passed the fire line they’d broken. Hopefully it would be enough to deviate the roaring monster away from the Refuge. Still, the air was all ash and smoke. And their line was hastily done, sacrificing width to get more distance around the structures.

“We need to get to shelter.” Orion had to yell over the fire to be heard.

Wayne yanked on the cable, pulling Orion behind him. “You’re not calling the shots here.”

As if that wasn’t obvious.

Okay, so maybe going at it alone hadn’t been the smartest thing to do.

We’re a body for a reason. We don’t fight alone.

Amos was stubborn, but he was right too. No amount of training or strength was going to help him overpower all these men. He should’ve listened to his father.

We know it’s a dangerous job, but that’s why there’s a team. It’s not a solo gig. And as your family, we’re part of your team too.

But what about everything Orion wanted to prove? That he was a worthy son, a grandson Grandpa Jack could be proud of and not ashamed.

The legacy that is most worth achieving is a life surrendered to God. It’s not all up to you.

But Orion was used to being on his own. For so long, he’d been the only one there for his mom. He’d had to hold it together and be there for her.

But then again, look at all she’d done for him. Maybe it really hadn’t been on his own strength. And the two of them had had a lot of support over the years from their community and friends.

Okay, Lord, I get it. I’ve been pretty focused on what I thought You wanted from me instead of surrendering to You and being a part of the team You brought me to. Help me now. And keep Tori safe.

They followed the trail to the chapel and spilled onto the grassy common area, now marred by muddy tracks and a couple ATVs. But the situation was a little different here. Abraham and Amos held a bald man. Three others from the militia were sitting on the ground, surrounded by men from the commune.

Hannah and Mara ran down the steps of the chapel.

And the fire was roaring toward them all.

Amos yelled over to his wife, “Are the other women and children safe?”

Hannah coughed and nodded. “All the women and children are accounted for if Tori is out here with you. But we should all be inside. The smoke?—”

Orion scanned the area. A fist-sized lump lodged in his throat. “Where’s Tori?”

“I didn’t say you could talk,” Frank said. “Doyle, are all our people here?”

The man Amos had in hand looked around. “All except Damian.”

“Good riddance. That idiot thought this was Tristan. He’s the one that sent us on this messed-up chase.” Frank kept his gun pointed at Orion.

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