No Place for Females

Chapter Sixteen

I had just shot a guy. This was the second person I had killed--killed--in my life. I felt shaky and wired. My arms tingled. For a moment, I felt oddly, utterly euphoric.

He was a freaking bad guy. No matter which side of the war you're on, it's safe to say that good people do not try to kill kids. Still, I wasn't a warrior and my euphoria soon gave way to disgust. I didn't relish taking a life. I was a corpsman. I was supposed to save lives. At least, that's what I thought I would be doing out here. Didn't matter now. All that mattered was saving Khalesia and her brother.

I looked over at the dead man's truck. Please let there be keys in the ignition. This was the first break I had gotten in the last forty-eight hours. I went over to the truck and opened the door. Great--it was unlocked, but the key wasn't in the ignition. I placed my rifle in the truck and went over to the body, my pistol drawn, just in case. After a minute or so of searching in various pockets, I found the keys. I had to get on my knees to find it, and moving around was becoming harder and harder for me.

I felt dizzy as I bent down over Khalesia. I had a strong urge to vomit, but I held it back as I checked her pulse and looked for wounds. She wasn't moving. Ignoring the pain I felt, I continued to check her. She was still breathing, and still had a pulse, although it was weak. There were dark bruises on her neck, but she didn't appear to have been shot.

"Hey," I called out to her brother. My voice sounded like I had swallowed a frog. When had that happened?

I couldn't remember her brother's name, but I figured he would get the idea that I was calling for him. I needed to get him and Khalesia out of there right away. By now, I was certain that this man wasn't related to the children. He had come back, so others were sure to follow. And even if they weren't already on their way, when this man failed to return, they would definitely come looking for him.

Even though Khalesia was probably as light as a feather, I wasn't sure I could lift her by myself right then. I was starting to feel shaky, like I was in a dream. Everything was catching up to me. And I still had so far to go.

It hit me then. No one was coming for me. Or if they were on their way, they wouldn't get here fast enough. The boy peeked out from inside the house.

"Help," I said as I pointed to his sister.

His eyes widened and he came running out, still clutching the AK-47. He looked so small and innocent. It nearly broke my heart. How did these kids end up like this?

He ran over to his sister and cradled her head in his lap. He was stroking her face, as if he were trying to get her to wake up. I grabbed Khalesia under her arms and lifted her. He set his rifle on the ground and grabbed her ankles. I started leading us to the truck. Khalesia couldn't have weighed more than fifty pounds, if that, but it felt like a thousand. Still, nothing was going to stop me from helping her to safety. Wherever that might be.

Together, we put her in the passenger seat of the truck. The boy ran back to the house. I wondered if I could leave a signal that I had been here, in case our guys were still coming for me. I thought about leaving behind my jacket, as my name was stitched on the nametape. I should have been wearing a battle shirt like everyone else, but in the haste to replace Cassidy, they'd forgotten to order one for me. My jacket was all I had left to protect me from the elements. But I needed to leave a message. So I did the next best thing. I took a stick and scratched my name into the ground.

The boy came back with his rifle and climbed in beside his sister. I got in on the other side and put the key in the ignition. I was just about to turn it when my phone rang.

###

"Hello?"

"Lena?"

"Ben?"