Strive

Chapter 6

MAN’S POV

            I held my daughter, Haley’s, hand and we walked further into the forest. The wind was light, allowing us to only need thin jackets and the sun was bright. It’d been so rainy recently; it was nice to get such nice weather. “It really is lovely out isn’t it?” My wife, Lindsey hummed, wrapping her hands around my arm and smiling up at me.

            “Yeah.” I grinned, loosening my hand a bit and allowing Haley to walk freely, without my hand. Instantly, she bounced ahead of us, kicking the leaves, which had fallen beneath her feet. “Be careful!” I called nervously. “Make sure I can still see you!” Haley nodded energetically, and bounded forward, picking up every flower along the way. I tilted my head, making sure I could still see her, when I noticed Lindsey rolling her eyes at me. “What?” I asked, with a small crack of a smile.

            She held my arm tighter and rested her head on my shoulder. “You worry too much, Phil. Haley’s a smart kid; she’ll be fine.” She purred lightly, looking lovingly at our daughter.

            “I know.” I sighed, relaxing a bit. “But you never know. I just don’t want her getting hurt.” I argued. “I know she’s smart, but she’s also easily distracted. Remember when she got lost at the zoo?” I said, remembering one of the worst days of my life. She was fine, of course, but for a good hour I didn’t know if I’d ever see my daughter again.

            Lindsey rolled her eyes again and took my hands. “Phil look at me. That was a whole year ago.” She soothed. “Haley is practically young lady now. She’s going to be fine.” Lindsey assured me, kissing my lightly.

            I relaxed more and wrapped my arm around her, continuing our walk, so we could catch up to Haley. “You’re right.” I grinned, returning to enjoying the breezes.

            “I know.” She teased, kissing my cheek.

            “Mommy! Daddy!” Haley called, snapping us out of our moment. My head shot up to her, standing a few yards in front of us, looking intensely at a tree. “Why did they paint the trees?” She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side, causing her brown braids to fall to the side.

            I looked down at Lindsey and we both shrugged. “Let me see Haley.” I replied, walking over to the tree. “Maybe they painted it, so they know what kind of tree it is?” I guessed completely. Honestly, I had no idea what she was talking about. “Okay which tr-“ I froze when I saw what she’d been talking about. There was a large oak tree amongst the others. Several low branches were broken and there was faded red splattered both on the trunk and on the ground. But it wasn’t paint… it was blood. I hands instantly shot to Haley, turning her away front the tree and walking her, as fast as I could, back to Lindsey.

            “Daddy what’s going on?” Haley asked, as I forcefully, yet gently moved her away.

            “N-nothing honey.” I assured her shakily. “You and mommy are just going to go back to the car, okay?”

            “Why?” She asked.

            I looked to Lindsey for help even though she was just as confused as Haley. “Your father will tell you later sweetie. Now let’s go. Daddy will meet us up soon.” I nodded at the last part, and without another question, Lindsey took Haley back to the car, occasionally shooting me confused glances.

            Shooting back to the tree, I slid behind it, desperately following the trail of faint blood behind it. After about five minutes, I found a small clearing along a dirt path. Pushing past a branch, I found two children who couldn’t have been older than fifteen, on the ground. There was a boy and a girl. The boy lay motionless against the tree, but the girl was awake… crying. She hovered above him, completely oblivious to my presence, pressing a red and brown cloth into the boy’s shirtless side. Looking closer, I noticed that the boy was in fact awake. With each push that the girl gave, his chest heaved, making his ribs press against his chest. Blood, both dried and new, was dragged and splattered over the boy’s entire torso and up the girl’s boney arms.

            My legs shook as I neared them, my stomach turning, trying not to vomit from the horrid sight. “Miss.” I mumbled slightly, barely audible, lightly taping the girl’s shoulder. As soon as the tip of my finger met her skin she froze, dropped the cloth, and shot in onto a protecting ball, crossing her arms over her head. Her body trembled and her breath was short and frantic. “No. I’m sorry. Please don’t be afraid.” I shook, raising my arms, like I was surrendering. “See? I’m not going to hurt you.” I said, trying to remain calm for the sake of the kids. She looked up at me cautiously, revealing her beaten face. Her bottom lip still trembled, as she uncurled and backed up against the tree. “What’s your name?” I asked softly. No reply. “Are you hurt?” I asked, taking a step closer, making her flinch. The wounded boy shot forward, in a painful attempt to protect her. Unable to fight, he dropped forward, crashing into the cold ground and knocking off the cloth, revealing a deep wound. I gasped, recoiling back a step. Along with the deep wound, his back was nearly completely carved. It was as if he’d been whipped. What happened to these children?

Blood poured from his wounds and I could tell how lightheaded and flushed he was, yet he refused to let me get anywhere near the girl. His teeth grit, as he looked hatefully up at me, unable to move. His muscles tensed as he tried to stand, but he couldn’t get the strength. The girl leapt forward to help him up, shooting me a warning glance, yet I could still see the deep fear in her face. “Don’t worry.” I said, still with my hand in the air. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to get you help.” I repeated slowly. She tensed, as I lowered my hands to my pocket, taking out my cell phone. “I’m going to call you help. Okay?’ I asked slowly. She didn’t fight me, but I knew she didn’t trust me. If it weren’t for the boy’s fatal wounds, I could tell that she’d’ve ever let me call anyone, let alone get near them.

My hand shook, as I dialed 911, praying that my voice would stay steady enough for the police to understand. Luckily, they understood and they could also hear the urgency in my voice. I suppose it’s not everyday that two beaten children are found in a forest in such a small area. It took the police a little longer to get to us, since they hand to go through the forest, but I was so thankful once I saw the break through the trees. Unfortunately, due to their fear and panic, the children had to be sedated. My eyes remained fixed on their motionless bodies, as they were hauled into the ambulance and sped away in a heartbeat. I tried my best to explain to the police everything that I knew, but honestly, I didn’t know much and what I did know went in a blur. “Just please make sure that they make it.” I begged breathlessly, as they began to leave. They’d better make it.

It was dark out by the time, we all go to go home, and the sweet soft wind and changed into a harsh, brisk one. “Daddy…” Haley asked, once we’d gotten home. “What’s wrong?” She asked, looking up at me. She was so oblivious. I’d begged the officers to keep her away form everything and to tell her nothing. She would find out about what happened one day, but it would be when I thought she was ready.

I forced a smile trough my teary eyes and picked her up. “Nothing.” I sighed through tears, holding her tighter than I ever had before.