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By the Writer of Pricey Diary: It’s Me, Jessica
Discover the earlier chapter right here.
Pricey Diary,
It’s me, Jessica.
Mother, Rae, and I have been on our strategy to 4 Corners to commerce once they took us. I don’t know the way lengthy that they had been ready for us. Hours? A day? Two? They ambushed us earlier than we even knew they have been there. Earlier than I might even unsling my rifle, a closed fist hit me upside my head, and that was the final I remembered.
After I awoke, my fingers and ft have been sure, I used to be gagged and a sack was over my head, mendacity on my aspect on the chilly floor.
I stirred and tried to take a seat up. Somebody roughly helped me up by the neck. The sack was eliminated, and I blinked within the daylight. I appeared as much as see the person holding me by my neck. He had a tattoo of a cranium on half his face. He smiled down at me in a means that made my blood run chilly.
It was the chief of the “Gang.”
Entry two
I shortly appeared round.
Rae was a number of ft away from me, sure and gagged like me, sitting upright on the bottom. The look on her face, her eyes screamed rage. Behind her was Mother, laying on her aspect a sack over her head. I couldn’t inform her situation.
“Jessica,” the gang chief stated as he pulled my neck again and introduced his face nearer to mine. “I do know your title is Jessica. And behind me, is Rae. The opposite one, I have no idea her title. What’s her title?”
I couldn’t assist it, however I panicked. It was my mom.
“Ah!” he stated and stood extra upright. “So, somebody you really care about. Extra so than even Rae. All the higher! You’ll inform me what I would like. You’ll give me what I would like.” He leaned down once more, near my face, and whispered, “I. Need. Jack. And you’re going to be the one who will give him to me.”
Rae gave me a slight, nearly imperceptible shake of the pinnacle, indicating to not give him something. No info. To not cooperate in any respect.
However that is my very own mom we’re speaking about.
Definitely, he would harm me and Rae. However he had a lot leverage over me with my very own Mom. And he knew it.
Certainly one of his males stated they wanted to go, to get off the street and away from 4 Corners.
The gang chief appeared aggravated however nodded in settlement. They hauled us all up on our ft. Mother was awake now and appeared scared. I did my finest to inform her with a glance that every thing was okay, however she nonetheless appeared scared.
I glanced round to see we have been on the aspect of the street, at concerning the midway level to 4 Corners. Together with the gang chief, there the place six of them. All armed, carrying physique armor, helmets with these radio headsets they wore within the Battle of 4 Corners.
One of many males saved repeating one thing into his radio a number of occasions. He appeared to the chief and shook his head, nodding towards the hills to the North of us.
They fashioned up with three of them within the entrance, Rae, Mother, and me within the center, the gang chief behind me, and the opposite two citing the rear. They led us into the woods. They meant to keep away from the street and hump it to wherever we have been going cross nation utilizing what appeared like a recreation path. It was going to be gradual going.
After an hour of humping, we topped the primary hill. It was not straightforward for us going uphill, nevertheless it was even more durable for the gang with their gear and physique armor. They stopped for a relaxation break, a number of of them have been winded from the trouble and brazenly sweating. They compelled us to take a seat on the bottom whereas they drank water. They didn’t provide us any water.
After a number of moments to catch their breath, they tried the radios once more. This time, they bought a response. The gang chief walked a number of yards away whereas he spoke to another person on the radio for a couple of minutes.
When he returned, he instructed his males that every thing was “okay,” however they must transfer sooner in the event that they have been to make it earlier than dusk. He stated he didn’t wish to should spend the evening within the woods and instructed monsters could be lurking about with a smile. His males chuckled on the thought.
We set out once more, however I didn’t really feel the tempo was any sooner than earlier than. I observed Rae was barely limping, dragging her foot as if she had harm her leg. Taking place the hill was simply as dangerous as going up it. I might really feel my shins on hearth as we climbed down. One of many gang slipped and fell, rolling down the hill earlier than a tree stopped his momentum. By the point we reached him, he was slowly getting up. The gang chief scolded him to watch out. If he had damaged one thing, he would have left him there for the monsters. This time, nobody laughed. The gang chief actually would have left him there, they usually knew it.
Within the lowlands between hills, the woods cover made it appear later within the day than it was. Solely after we have been midway up a hill or on the prime might we see the sky and the solar, because the timber thinned out. I guessed we have been to the East, parallel to North Outdated River Street, previous 4 Corners Northern barrier, however nonetheless a methods from the houses the gang used as a base earlier than the Battle of 4 Corners.
We had simply topped one other hill. Everybody was respiratory closely from the exertion. Even I used to be sweating closely. This time, they didn’t have to inform us to take a seat down on the bottom as Rae, Mother, and I all however fell down. They took off their helmets and commenced to drink water in gulps.
That’s when the monster appeared.
Entry three
I used to be sitting up, wanting round for a doable strategy to escape. Each Mother and Rae lay again in a number of the grass on the bottom, resting as a number of the gang sat on logs or previous tree stumps as they drank water.
I made eye contact with the gang chief and tried to say “water” by way of the gag with out a lot success. Nonetheless, he understood what I had stated,
“You’ll get some water after we get there. In case you are fortunate, possibly even one thing to eat,” he grunted. He turned and walked away to make use of the radio once more.
I appeared again at Rae after I heard one of many gang swear softly. His eyes have been vast in worry. I appeared within the path he was wanting in to see it standing there. The monster. It was not there a second in the past and all of a sudden there it was. Lined in lengthy inexperienced, black, and darkish brown hair, it was vaguely human-shaped, however there was no face. Only a black void. Daylight couldn’t penetrate the void. Besides the gang chief who was on the radio and didn’t hear the one swear, all of the others appeared to see the monster.
For a second, nobody moved. Then the monster did. In a fluid, nearly sleek motion, it pointed one arm on the nearest of the gang. And shot him within the face.
Almost as one, three extra pictures rang out and 4 of the gang have been down. I turned in time to see the gang chief and one different disappear down the hill.
Entry 4
Mother, Rae, and I didn’t transfer. We watched in worry because the monster walked across the lifeless our bodies and walked as much as us. It appeared to treat us with a slight tilt of the pinnacle, then the opposite arm reached up and pulled off its personal head.
It was Jack.
Mother fell again into the grass in reduction. Rae was speaking by way of the gag, and I simply stared.
Jack pulled out a knife from beneath the “hair,” and lower the gags from us, then the rope tying our fingers.
Rae rubbed her wrists and choked out,
“How?”
Jack grinned.
“HAM man. He has this passive scanner-like factor connected to his radios. He picked up on their transmissions from them again to their base. Their radios usually are not encrypted. They gave away their place and I used to be in a position to get a normal thought of what path they have been taking. Me and three others ran the complete strategy to get right here and arrange an ambush. It was no picnic, however we did it. I used to be to be the distraction within the ghillie swimsuit whereas the others focused the gang as they sat in confusion.”
With out a phrase, Rae gave Jack a giant hug.
“Whoa, Rae! You would possibly crack a rib!”
Mother and I then hugged him and Rae, too.
Entry 4
Jack and his crew took us again on the trail that they had are available in on. On the backside of the hill, they lead us west by way of a winding lowland path to North Outdated River Street. It was loads simpler and as soon as on Outdated River Street, we hump it South to 4 Corners.
I instructed Jack what the gang chief stated to me about giving him Jack. Jack simply nodded and stared into the gap because the 4 Corners Northern barrier appeared, his eyes considering.
“This time, issues are going to be completely different,” he stated. “He’s on the market,” Jack nodded behind him to the North. “He is aware of extra about me and 4 Corners. He’s going to be ready for us. You, Rae, and your Mother have been speculated to be the bait to attract me out. That failed. However he’s nonetheless there.”
“Can’t we simply keep away from or ignore him?”
“No. He would simply launch hit and run assaults on the Northern barrier. Perhaps even assaults from the East if he comes throughout the hills. We don’t have the manpower to protect each. Particularly the hills. It’s a logistical subject for each him and us. From what I’ve seen, they aren’t almost as tailored to dwelling off the land as we’re. We have to take the struggle to him. Will he have the defensive traces like we did within the Battle of 4 Corners? I don’t know. I’d count on him to be taught, although. He shall be on the defensive. We shall be on the offensive. It might value us lives. Lives we can not afford to lose if we’re to outlive as a group. I’m going to want some actual recon, actual intelligence, and to provide you with a plan to mitigate their defensive traces. However he desires me. We are able to use that to our benefit.”
Diary, I have no idea how I really feel about that.
About 1stMarineJarHead
1stMarineJarHead isn’t solely a former Marine, but additionally a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter.
He presently resides within the nice white (i.e. snowy) Northeast along with his spouse and canines. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, sometimes hogs, cows and generally geese. He grows varied veggies and has a bizarre fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys studying, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, goal capturing, and is presently increasing his woodworking expertise.
