Life As We Knew It

Chapter Six: Run Ins

My eyes open and I feel my head pound. I moan and my hand reaches up to touch my head but instead it is met with an ice cold hand.
"Don't touch it." he whispers. I look up and find Carlisle staring down at me, my head in his lap.
"Where...how.."
"I found you lying in the dirt with your bleeding head on a rock." he says, looking up at my wound.
"So I carried you back to the truck and cleaned it and put a bandage on it. But I knew you would have a headache so-" he stops himself suddenly.
"So you put your ice cold hand on it. Why are your hands so cold?" I ask. He removes his hand and begins to buckle himself in. I sit up and let it slide.
"How long was I out?" I ask.
"Few hours." he says as the engine roars to life. We pull back out into the road and head down the way we were going.
"We need to find you some clothes." he says. I look down a smile.
"What, you don't like my outfit? This is the new style." I say in a light tone.
"Indeed it is. But you need to blend in." he says, pulling into a deserted parking lot outside of a sporting goods store. He grabs the pistol and slides it into his waist band.
"Let's go." he says. I step out and wait for him to walk around the truck to walk beside me.
"Stay close, okay?" he asks. I nod. There is a lock on the front doors but the glass on either side is broken. We step through and look around at the items that have already been sifted through. There are clothes and sports equipment covering the entire store, making the floor difficult to see. The lights are off, giving the store a creepy vibe.
Carlisle walks upstairs and I follow because that's where the women's clothing is. We separate once we reach the top and I sift through the clothes. I grab a pair of hiking boots along with a couple pairs of jeans and half zips. I grab a large jacket and place all of the items in one spot.
I look around before pulling my uniform off of my body. I grab a pair of jeans and pull them on, buttoning them. Grabbing the hoodie, I slip it over my head and turn around when I hear something move behind me.
With my sweatshirt still above my bra, I stare at Carlisle whose eyes are running up and down my body.
"Give me a sec!" I squeak, turning around to pull my shirt down. When I turn back around, he is closer to me. He grabs my hands and looks at the scars that crisscross the back of them from when the head mistress swatted me.
I pull them away and instinctively rub my throat as the memories flood back.
"What did they do to you there?" he asks in a whisper. I look up into his gold eyes.
"What do you-"
"I heard...when I got there, you were in the clean room. I heard your scream. I can still hear it." he says with concern.
"You want to talk about this now?" I ask, bending down to put the boots on. He grabs my arms and pulls me upright.
"What did they do?" he asks. I become angry.
"What did they do? You sent me here!" I tell him, ripping myself from his grip.
"I...i'm sorry." he says before grabbing his new backpack and walking down the stairs. I grab a backpack as well and shove the clothes inside before walking down the stairs to meet him.
"What did you find?" I ask.
"A tent, some food, a canteen. Let's go though. We've been here too long." he says. We walk outside and I watch as he glances around.
"Carli-"
"Shh." he hushes me. "Esme, run to the car please." he whispers.
"What?" I ask.
"Esme, please." he pleads. I look around and see the men approaching us.
"I'm not leaving you." I whisper.
"It's too late anyways." he says sadly.
"Hey!" the man shouts out. We stop and turn to them.
"Good morning." he says, walking toward us. He pulls his gun up and aims it at Carlisle. I hear the click and I flinch, squeezing my eyes shut.
"I say, good morning." he says again.
"He deaf?" the taller one asks.
"You deaf boy?" the one with the gun asks.
"No. I'm not deaf." Carlisle says calmly.
"Then why don't you answer?" he asks.
"I don't like to speak when a gun is pointed at me." he says.
"You're making our guests uncomfortable, Mike." the tall one says. Mike chuckles and lowers his gun. His gaze shifts to me and he looks me up and down, smiling.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" he asks. I glance at Carlisle as he slowly steps in front of me.
"Oh don't be stingy. Didn't your mama teach you to share?" Mike asks.
"Yeah, we just want to make her feel more comfortable. Why don't you come back to the trailer with us." the tall one asks, smiling at me.
"We need to leave actually. Thank you though." Carlisle says.
"Was we talking to you, blondie? No, we was talking to the lady." Mike says.
"I'm not leaving with you." I tell them, the words coming out sharply. Carlisle stiffened.
"It's alright, baby. Daddy will take care of you." the tall one says. Mike points the gun at Carlisle again and looks at me.
"Give us the girl and you can leave alive." he tells Carlisle.
"Esme, get in the car." Carlisle says sternly, not taking his eyes off of them.
"No, in not leaving you." I tell him.
"Esme, go!" he yells.
"Carlisle I'm not leaving you." I shout back.
The tall one reaches back to grab something from his waist band.
"I wouldn't." Carlisle says. The man ignores him and pulls the gun out to point it at him.
"All we want is the girl. Come on. Share your toys." he says smiling.
Carlisle grabs the gun from Mike and pushes it back toward him, knocking him in the nose, breaking it. The tall one pulls the trigger and I scream as the bullet hits Carlisle's arm. Except it didn't go through. It bounced off of his body and hit the tall one in the forehead. His limp body falls to the ground and I stare at it in shock.
"What the fuck, dude." Mike says, staring at his friend. He drops his gun to the ground and runs away from us. Carlisle turns back to me, gently grabbing my hand and pulling me to the truck. He pushes me inside and closes the door before walking around and getting in the driver's seat. He throws the bag in the back and places his hands on the wheel, staring or the windshield.
"How did...that bullet should have killed you." I say with disbelief.
"Why didn't you get in the car?" he asks gently.
"It didn't even hurt you. It should've made you bleed. You're perfectly fine." I say.
"Why didn't you get in the car, Esme? When I say, get in the car, you get in the car. They could've killed you. They wanted to rape you, don't you get that?" he asks.
"Wouldn't be the first time." I mumble under my breath.
"What?" he asks, looking at me.
"Nothing. Let's just...let's go. We've been here for too long." I tell him. He starts the car and drives back onto the road, toward North Carolina.