“Venus wasn’t missin’ her tits, asshole.”
Pressing my back to a large tree, I peer out cautiously. Less than a hundred feet away, down in a small ravine, six men gather in a lopsided circle, crouching slightly to get a better look at something on the ground.
From this vantage point, I can’t see whatever it is they are gathered around. I drop low to the ground and move to my left and behind a fallen log. I listen carefully to make sure I haven’t been heard, then again look down at the group.
They have someone pinned to the ground, face down in the leaves. I can only make out dirty jeans and a pair of boots. The figure on the ground struggles fruitlessly, and I catch a glimpse of a soft, curved cheek and full lips within a blur of long, dark hair.
Female?
My heartbeat picks up.
I haven’t seen a female in months and then only from a distance. There are so few left. I was starting to think I would never see another one.
A female. A real, live, apparently healthy female.
She continues to thrash on the ground, kicking at her captors, but she’s completely pinned and grossly outnumbered. The group taunts her.
“You think she’s a breeder? I bet she’s a breeder.”
“Looks fertile enough to me!”
“Only one way to find out!”
“We gotta take her back to camp. Gary’s gonna want to see her.”
My ears perk up at his words. They must have a camp nearby. It could even be the one I came out here to find. It’s the perfect opportunity to follow them back and gather more information on the group before I make a move.
“If we have some fun first, we won’t have to wait later. Won’t have to pay for it, either.”
“Good point, man! Tie her hands! Hold her legs!”
I glance away for a moment, silently shoving the rage down as far as it will go, boiling inside of me. I’m not about to get involved in this—not now. I need to follow them back.
The woman is rolled to her back and then hoisted up by her armpits until she’s sitting. They wrench her arms up over her head and tie her wrists together with nylon rope. She struggles and kicks as her ankles are grabbed and held to the ground. One of the men starts fumbling at the top of her jeans.
I lick my lips and breathe slowly through my nose. I need to stay quiet and out of sight so I can follow them back. I can’t watch what they are going to do to this woman, and I can’t get in the middle of it, either. That shit doesn’t concern me. Besides, it would be six against one. Getting involved in something that isn’t my business is just going to get me killed. I can’t risk that. I push myself onto my knees, planning to move a little farther out until they’re finished with her. I stand slowly before taking a slight step back.
She must see the movement because her eyes suddenly lock with mine.
My stomach clenches as she stares at me. For my own sake, I should sneak away and pretend I never saw any of this. It’s the tactical thing to do. I don’t know these people. I have no quarrel with them. I only need to follow them and get my hands on their pack leader.
A woman’s voice echoes in my head as her face flashes through my mind. If she were here now, she’d want me to do something about it. She would never let me just stand by while this happens. She knows what it is like, and I know what it did to her.
This woman isn’t my problem.
Her eyes are still locked on mine, her expression pleading as a dirty hand covers her mouth and muffles her cries. The rage I’d been shoving into my gut resurfaces. I can’t do it. I can’t just leave this woman to her fate.
I raise a single finger to my pursed lips. The woman’s wide eyes show understanding. She looks back to the men surrounding her and doesn’t look in my direction again.
I scan each of the men in turn, searching for any weapons. The only obvious one is the assault rifle strapped around one man’s shoulder. One of the others has a slight bulge under his arm. It could be another gun. The others have knives at their belts but no obvious firepower.
I’ve got nine bullets in the gun. I don’t want to waste them all, but I need to increase the odds in my favor. The men are all thin, undernourished, and from the way they speak, uneducated. They are probably used to using their numbers to overwhelm adversaries and don’t think about tactics.
If I take out three of them with the gun, I can handle the other three melee.
I can’t take any chance of hitting the woman. I’m a good shot but not perfect, and she’s far more valuable than bullets. If I aim for the men on the far side of her, I’ll decrease the chances of a stray shot getting near her. I’ve also got to take out the guy with the AR. He’s standing closest to me, which puts the woman right behind him. He needs to go first, and I’ll need to go for the head shot. The second will be the one with the suspicious bulge under his left arm. My last distance target will be the one guy who looks like he could give me the most trouble physically. He’s bulky and taller than the others by several inches.
Flicking my finger over the safety, I raise my arm and take aim. I breathe deeply, slowly exhale, and pull back on the trigger.