The Bare Truth part 2

Chapter 16

It was the longest night of Sierra's life.

The truck bumped along in the dark for hours. The guards had tied a stained drop cloth down over the top of the cage, hiding all of them from questioning eyes. For a long time, this made it pitch black inside. With no moon, and no street lights out in the woods, they couldn't see more than an inch in front of them. Eventually, when they reached the highway, the occasional street light or headlights illuminated the scared and tear stained faces of the children clutching each other inside. By that pale yellow light Sierra saw that fear and panic in their eyes and wished in vain there was something she could do.

Sierra sat in one corner on the hard truck bed. The children had gravitated towards her, grateful for any grown up presence. She held a baby in her arms while another child sat in her lap. The girl in her lap had peed in her pants. Brenda was next to her, hugging her arm, and a small boy she didn't know leaned against her other side. They all cried continuously. They said they were cold. They were scared. They wanted their mommies. The baby in her arms just screamed and screamed until Sierra thought the sound would drive her mad.

She did her best to reassure them, but the words rang hollow. Still, she continued to repeat them, like a mantra, willing them to be true.

"It's okay. You're okay. It's going to be alright. Everything will be alright."

There was no sense of time in that cold, dark cage. Only movement, as the truck sped along the night road, the roar of traffic ringing in their ears.

After some time most of the children had gone to sleep. Sierra would doze off only for moments before snapping awake again. She was too aware of the danger they were in to fall asleep.

She had a long time to think on that sleepless night. She thought about that hopeless look in Joe's eyes as he had stared at her through the bars. Would she ever get back to him? Would they even see each other again?

Now she understood why none of the other packs had wanted to help them. With a pang of sadness and recognition, she remembered the way Pearl had neatly dodged Joe's inquires about the whereabouts of her grandchildren.

None of them would fight. Not with their children at stake. The price was just too high. And now, with her and all the children of Sleuth in Dorrian's clutches, Joe wouldn't fight either. He couldn't.

She was never going to see him again.

It was only with that realization that she allowed herself to cry.

After some time, she became aware that it must be dawn. Slowly, the light inside the cage brightened. The morning light corresponded with a change in the movements of the truck. They were slowing now, moving off the highway, and following several turns before bumping off of the paved road and slowing to a stop.

Sierra heard the sounds of men getting out of the truck and the thud of their footsteps as they walked to the cage. One of them flipped up one side of the drop cloth. Sierra squinted at the sudden influx of light. Most of the children woke up, rubbing their eyes.

They were somewhere in the desert. From her limited view Sierra couldn't see any buildings or other signs of civilization. Just sloping brown sand dunes dotted with cactus. Probably no use yelling for help.

The two men were armed. One had his gun at the ready, pointing it directly at Sierra. The other was holding a grocery sack.

"Any of you kids allergic to peanut butter?" he asked.

Sierra blinked in surprise. No one answered him.

"Hey!" he yelled, and banged the butt of his rifle against the cage with a clang for emphasis. "Peanut allergies? Any of you got 'um?"

Several of the kids shook their heads and a few managed a quiet "no".

"Alright then." he said, and unlocked the door of the cage.

Sierra had a split second to decide if she should try to escape. She pictured herself barreling into the guy with the bag. Maybe she could get his gun away in the confusion and take out the other one.

The man with the gun pointed at her looked her dead in the eyes. That look said he knew exactly what she was thinking about doing, and he was not going to allow it to work. Defeated, Sierra dropped her gaze.

Bag guy tossed in the grocery sack and shut the cage again. The kids tore into the sack. It was filled with peanut butter sandwiches and bottled water. There were bottles and formula at the bottom for the babies. The kids began to devour the sandwiches. Sierra set straight to feeding the baby in her arms. Once she had a bottle in her mouth she was finally, mercifully quiet.

Bag guy lowered the drop cloth again, plunging them back into darkness. Sierra listened to the crunch of their footsteps as they moved back towards the cab.

"Okay," bag guy said to gun guy. "Call it."

"Tails," gun guy said.

There was the metallic ping of a coin being flipped. Bag guy cursed.

"Damnit. I'm exhausted," he said.

"Too bad. You've got first watch."

There was a slight creek as bag guy leaned against the truck. Gun guy got into the cab, presumably to sleep. Then it was quiet.

Eventually, Sierra slept herself, too exhausted to worry anymore. Most of the kid's seemed to have adopted the same mind set. They weren't talking anymore, or crying. They were just still; waiting to see what happened next.

What happened next is as soon as night fell, the truck started again. Another long, cold night. Another stop at sunrise in the middle of no where, this time surrounded by trees that reminded Sierra with a pang of home. Another bag of formula and peanut butter sandwiches.

"Where are you taking us?" she asked, and received no response.

But she already suspected where they were going.

Two more nights of driving. Two more days of sleeping in the cage. Every muscle in Sierra's back had cramped painfully from not being able to stand.

And then on the fifth night, they arrived.

The drop cloth was pulled back, and it was Dorrian's smiling face that greeted them this time.

"Welcome to New York" he said.