The Dead Among Us

9. The Great Escape

Sabin's POV

I stayed downstairs the rest of the time. As the end of the day gets closer and closer, my anxiety is soaring. I literally just brought a slave home a few weeks after Bri's disappearance, and soon, the whole family will know.

It's getting close before I expect everyone. I don't feel like cooking dinner, so I reluctantly decide to make Fa do it. It's kind of her job now, anyway. But when I open the door to my bedroom, she's gone, and the window is open. 

Fuck!

I dash out of my room, nearly trampling Benji, who's just awoken from her nap, as she exits her room, walking straight into my warpath.

"Sorry, baby girl!" I apologize after she falls to the ground on her sore rump. She lets out a pained squeal, and I keep zooming down the stairs. 

I need to find Fa before someone else does, and I don't even know how long ago she left.

When I open the front door, I hear Manny's motorcycle accelerating up the street. I'm not in the mood to deal with him and take a quick dive behind someone's place before he sees me. After he parks at the house, I take off again.

I have no fucking clue where to go. I find myself feeling completely lost, standing at a crossroads in Bronzeclaw with no idea where to turn.

There are only two ways out of this town: the gate and the ocean. I highly doubt she would have taken a plunge into those turbulent, frigid waters. So I decide to make my way towards the gate.

Why didn't I bring my truck?!

As I'm running down the street, I suddenly come upon Jon. His expression as he looks at me through the windshield is almost comical, a mixture of genuine concern and perplexity etched in his widened eyes. His focus completely leaves the road in front of him and rests solely on me. At once, he hits the brakes, creating a cloud of dust as the tires screech to a halt.

"The hell you running from, boy?" he yells out the window. 

He's going to find out regardless, and I can deal with him more than Manny. I hop in the passenger seat while he stares at me.

"Go to the gate!" I bark, slamming the door shut behind me. 

He doesn't have to ask questions before acting, which is one thing I appreciate about him. The Jeep Gladiator lurches into reverse, and we tear off, my hand gripping the handle above me as we speed away. And to top it off, he hasn't asked a single question.

As we get closer to the gate, she's nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, I see Chief engaged in a conversation with someone, and his piercing gaze suddenly locks on to me, sending a shiver down my spine.

He strides purposefully towards us, my heart quickening its pace.

"You good, son?" Jon's deep, gravelly voice catches me off guard for a moment. He can sense that something is not quite right. 

I steal a glance at him; his hand is casually resting on the stick shifter, ready to take action at a moment's notice. His intense brown eyes are fixed on me, searching for a sign to proceed.

By the time I look back out the window, Chief is only about ten feet away.

"Missing you're T-rex already?" Chief taunts menacingly, resting his arms on my open window.

My lips instantly curl in disgust. "The fuck you call her?" I answer, my tone laced with annoyance, not finding any amusement.

He tucks three of his fingers in, mimicking her severed hand with a stupid grin on his face. I really want to smack it off.

I roll my eyes, my blood starting to boil. This is precisely what I didn't want. I look like a man who can't control a woman.

"Where is she?" I demand.

"You're lucky I stumbled upon her, not say Bryant...or...Finn."

He's kinda right... which is precisely why I'm searching for her...

"Just tell me where she is!" I growl.

"If you're serious about not wanting her, I'll take her off your hands. She put up one hell of a fight; it kind of excited me, I must admit. My ole Lady can't move like that anymore. I could use someone with more agility," he laughs and smacks my chest playfully like I'm supposed to find the gross humor. 

I don't care for this woman, but if she's mine, I'm not passing her off to him of all men. I have a little sister and I had Bri. This shit isn't funny to me. God, the sadistic look in his eyes and perverted smirk is irking me, too. 

"Did you touch her?" I ask, scared to hear the answer. 

"Oh, come on now, Sabin, you know me better than to touch another Man's woman. Not below the belt, at least," he laughs obnoxiously like he can't breathe. He sounds like someone dying of lung cancer. I wish that were his actual fate.

I think Jon senses I'm seconds away from beating him to a pulp because I detect his hand brush against my left balled fist, trying to calm me down.

Finally, Chief reveals, "She's at my place. Go get your T-rex... Oh, and Sabin, take a couple of days to tame her, huh?" The horrendous laugh resumes as he walks away, leaving Jon and me in silence. 

Again, Jon does not ask anything; he merely drives towards Chief's place. It is one of the nicest homes in the town, second only to Pierre and his disciples. 

As Jon rolls up the driveway, I finally offer him something out of respect for him and his help.

"It's not Bri." 

Man, if only it were. Those words just crushed me, forcing me to reality. 

"Oh, I know," he replies, leaning back into the seat. "No way in hell I would have been able to stop you from killing him if it was."

He's a thousand percent right. I guess I don't need to explain anything else. I hop out while he waits in the car.

I knock on the door and Chief's housekeeper answers. When she sees me, she already knows why I'm there and lets me in.