Taken

Chapter Thirty Five--DENNY

I woke Haven and Grady, thankful he wasn’t still loopy, and we all gathered by the cracked open door while Jeremiah went out, preparing to use his bathroom excuse.  When we saw him motion quickly from the tree line, we darted out, free once more.

          I had to help Grady maneuver through the trees, but one soldier had set his ankle and told him it should heal soon.  It was broken.  I thought it odd that someone who would most likely try to kill us the next day was helping us.  Then again, I didn’t think they had a choice about joining the army or not.

          “I should have stayed back,” Jeremiah said once we reached the cabin.

          “No,” I replied sternly.  “You would’ve been killed.” Then after I glanced around, “Where’s Haven?”

          My stomach dropped as I realized she wasn’t with us.  It would be morning before they figured out we were gone, but we still couldn’t go shouting through the trees.  Had she stayed at the house? Did we  lose her on our run here? Was she hurt?

          “Grady!” I said frantically, running to go get him.  He had went ahead into the house, whereas me and Jeremiah stayed on the porch.

          “What?” he asked, quite bitterly. 

          “Haven’s gone,” I replied, ignoring his bad mood.  “Come on, we have to go find her.”

          “You mean you and Jeremiah, right?”

          “Don’t be like that,” I said, remaining calm even though I felt torn.  “Don’t you dare start on me too.”

          “It’s always him,” he continued, despite my attempt at heading off the conversation.  “It’ll always be him.”

          “What did you expect Grady!” I shouted back, throwing my hands in the air.  “You aren’t the one stuck in the middle here!”

          He was quiet now, but probably only because he was drinking his water.  “Now, Haven need us. So can we just forget about this?”

          “How could you say that?” he fought back, and I just rolled my eyes.

          “You know what I mean Grady, now I’m leaving.  It’s your choice whether you follow or not.” I left the room quickly, but not quickly enough to hear his reply.

          “That’s what you’re best at. Running away.”

-

          Grady didn’t end up coming with us.  In fact, I heard his bedroom door click shut when I was walking away.  I didn’t want him to go anyways.  He just needed to sleep before he said anything else he’d regret in the morning.

          “What happened back there?” Jeremiah asked, when we were halfway back to Sarah and Ladd’s old house. 

          “Nothing,” I replied. 

          “You’re an open book Denny.  I know you better than you may think.”

          “He’s just mad. Okay?”

          “Figures.” Jeremiah shrugged and called Haven’s name, not loud but not quiet. 

          The sky had just started to lighten up with the dawn of a new day and I knew if we didn’t get there soon we would be too late.  I grabbed Jeremiah and pulled him with me as we began to run. 

          “So what happened with you anyways?” I asked, a little breathlessly.

          “Long story.”

          “Will I frown upon it?”

          “I tried to get our parents. I snuck in the compound…” He huffed a little before continuing.  “…and got caught.”

          “Smooth.”

          “This place was huge.”

          “Did you see anyone you knew?” I asked eagerly.

          “Your mother.”

          I slowed a bit, staring at him.  “And you didn’t get her?”

          “I was about to,” he explained, matching my pace.  The house was coming into sight just beyond the tree line, and we started walking.  “That’s when I got caught.  She was so close, and then it all just slipped out of my grasp.  General chose me to help fight against the kids.  He told me I should know the ways of them, where they stayed, et cetera.”

          That was when I put two and two together.  “Wait, so you led them here? How could you Jeremiah?”

     “Whoa now, hold up.  I didn’t tell him about you guys.  Some soldiers beat me when I stopped by the house we found Haven in.  They demanded information about where she was. I bet they gave him the information about Oklahoma City.”

          “Why would they need Haven?”  I was curious now.

          “Supposedly they need her grandmother for something and she won’t do it… Oh God.”

          “What?”

          “Denny, they needed her.  She didn’t make it out of the house.  There could be only one reason. And that’s because…”

          “They got her,” I finished, chills running all over my body and not from the cold.  I couldn’t believe my own words, even as they spilled out of my lips and into the still night air.  They have her, and it’s going to be a dog fight to get her back.