Copperhead Road

Chapter:15

As soon as I was in the middle of the road the dogs were on my tail. I was able to go through water before turning my direction. First stop. The barn. I got up into the loft getting to my guns stuffing them in pockets before going back down and running again. Paws behind me pounded the ground. I grabbed a branch just before my pants were grabbed. I let them go thankful I had kept my shorts on. The dog ripped them.

I watched as two men came from the darkness. "Heel." One yelled. The dog stopped tearing my pants up. That's my favorite pair! One clipped a leash on before the other went to digging in the pockets. "Extra clips. Two hand guns... With bits of straw on them?" The guy chuckled. "You go on back. I'll take care of this." The other guy disappeared with the dog. "Blaze." Josh said in a sing song voice.

"I know your here. Your the only one I know that has been near straw in the past twenty four hours and that knows where they were hidden." He said leaning on the tree. "I just want to talk to you princess." I stayed put. He looked up before chuckling. "Are you cold?" He asked. I stayed put. "If you don't come down, I'm coming up and you will not like it." He said. As much as I didn't want to comply I had to.

I climbed down slowly before he pulled me into his arms. "What do you think you were doing?" He asked his grip harder than previously. "Not wanting to be at my house where he could get me." I told him. "That doesn't explain why you trespassed." He said. "Ok. I went somewhere I knew he wouldn't go. Saw three men that would have stolen over hundreds of dollars from your family. Then made them fall into the pond to be caught." I told him.

He grabbed my arm starting to walk. I had to make quick steps to keep up with him. "You honestly want to know why they were there?" I asked him. "Why don't you inform me. Because you don't know the term of stay away and off that land." He gritted. "They were planning on stealing several plants and would have gotten away with it if I wasn't there." I told him. "Oh. But if you would have texted me then they would have been caught by us." He said.

"One would have gotten away. If both dogs would have gotten a man each, then one would have gotten away and think it would be OK to keep coming back over and over again." I told him. He didn't say a word until we came to a clearing. "Keep walking. You'll reach your house by morning." He said. Oh heck naw. "How bout you keep walking and I'll stay right here." I told him. The cold look on his face never faltered.

"You go home and get some sleep so you can go to school tomorrow." He told me. "As long as you go with me." I said quietly as he kept walking back the way we came. He looked back before stopping. "What?" He asked. Hot tears were falling. I don't feel safe at home with him still loose. He came back seeing the tears. He wrapped me in his arms holding me as close as he could. "Let's get you home." He said walking with me.

I buried my head in his side as he kept his arms around me. I could tell he had guilt building up. Once at my house I saw all of the vehicles parked out front. My brother's included. Tears started pricking my face again. He rubbed my shoulder before pulling his phone out. A few minutes later a whole line of trucks pulled in. "Stay right beside me." He said holding me closer.

He started for the front door. "Go in first. I'll follow." He said. I nodded before unlocking the door quietly. I left my keys in the door before I entered closing the door and pulling my shoes off. The light went on. "Where were you?" My brother asked. "Out with friends." I told him. "Not anymore. Room now." He told me. I thought for a minute. "No." I told him. He got right up in my face.

"You will go straight to your room and you will not come out. Do you understand?" He asked just before the backdoor was opened. He shoved me towards my room before pulling a gun out pointing it towards me. "One more step and she's dead." He yelled. I could tell Johnny and Alex had came through the backdoor. A gun met his head. "You pull that trigger, you'll be full of lead faster than you can pull it." Beau told him.

As soon as he cocked it, four more did too. A fifth one did too. "You try anything, I guarantee you will be dead." Josh said before standing over me in the way of the gun. I tried to back up. His heel caught my foot. "I don't think so little sis." He gritted. I could feel Josh's foot press down on my heel as if saying pull it out. I pulled my other foot away before pulling it out. I don't know which gun went off first.

Josh held himself up as my brother fell to the floor. He lifted his shirt up before dropping it. "Get him out of here." Johnny said. "Take her back to the house. She doesn't need to be here." He said. I watched as Josh nodded before picking me up. He set me on my bed before going through my drawers grabbing jeans, socks, shirts and a few other things. He slung the bag over his shoulder before picking me up.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked. "My toothbrush." I told him. He went and got it before picking me up. "Dad may not like it." One said. "He may not, but she honestly can't stay here. Not for tonight." Josh told him. "Ok. It's your funeral." He said before Josh glared at him.