Anthony Newman - American Survivor

They ate a light lunch and headed another half mile east up a hill until they came to a gravel road that appeared to be well used.

“I thought we would avoid people by heading this way. We’ll let’s scout the area then head back down the hill to the valley and hunt there,” Cobie told her daughter as they watched the road for several minutes before crossing.

Cobie and Cloe walked for another half mile when unexpectedly they were on the edge of an enormous clearing on the top of the mountainside. They walked south while staying in the cover of the forest until they saw a small ranch up ahead of them.

“Baby girl, stay here so I can scout the ranch. If anything happens head back to the cabin. Do not come to try to help me. I promise I will make it back and meet you back home.”

“But Mom, I…”

“Girl, trust me and do what I say. Now I’m going over to that house and check it out. If I’m not back in an hour, go fetch our stuff and get your tail back to the cabin. If I’m not home in two days, I won’t be home. In that case, go find that couple we saw in the woods and try to get them to take you into their home. Make sure they know that you can hunt and fish and won’t be a bother,” Cobie said with a tight smile on her face.

Mom, you are scaring me.”

“Sorry, but as usual I want you prepared for anything. Now, hide until I come back.”

Cobie went deeper into the woods and came out on the opposite side of the house to make sure anyone that saw her would think she came from that direction. She crept along the side of the barn and then a large storage shed before arriving about 25 feet from the house. She heard sounds coming from the back door. She crept closer, listened to a woman crying, and opened the kitchen door. She saw a naked woman hiding behind the kitchen table with a cut lip and blood flowing from her nose. The woman had bruises all over her body and several cuts surrounded by dried blood.

Cobie moved toward her, but the woman waved frantically for Cobie to go away. Cobie grabbed a paper towel and began cleaning the women’s face as she asked, “What happened? Who did this?”

“Get out of here before he comes back. He just went to the barn and will be back in a minute,” the desperate woman pleaded.”

“I won’t go without you,” Cobie answered.

The woman lifted her leg and showed Cobie the chain around her ankle that was bolted to the floor and urged, “Go, he will kill you, if you are lucky!”

Cobie heard a noise coming from the back porch and hid along the wall as she watched the man walk into the kitchen.

The man was older, had a large salt and pepper mustache, was dressed in camouflage print pants and shirt, and had a pistol in a holster on his belt. He sang a song that Cobie didn’t know as he stood over the poor woman. Cobie patiently waited for the right opportunity when the man squatted down over the woman waving a pair of pliers in her face.

He said, “You will tell me what I want, and then I will mount you and leave you with child, Allah willing.”

Cobie raised her rifle and butt stroked the man on the side of his head, and he fell to the floor dead. A large pool of blood formed around his head and the pungent odor of iron mixed with urine filled the room. Cobie choked back her desire to vomit and went on to help the captive lady.

Cobie was excited as she said, “The asshole is dead. I’ll get the chain off you, and we can get the hell out of here.”

Cobie searched the man’s pockets, found the key to the lock, and took the chain off the woman’s leg then said, “Grab a few clothes while I stuff my backpack with any food and let’s get out of here to safety.

The woman stood on wobbly legs and left to her bedroom to fetch the clothes. Cobie found several cans of meat, vegetables, and tuna, which she added to her backpack. She tucked the man’s 9mm Beretta into her waistband, and they left quickly heading to Cloe. They had only traveled a short way when there was a loud crack behind them, and the woman’s head exploded. Blood, bone, and bits of brain matter splattered the side of Cobie’s head. Before Cobie could turn around another crack of gunfire sounded. She felt a burning sensation on her right shoulder, and the bullet knocked her to the ground. Her shoulder throbbed and the pain was unbearable.

Cobie rolled over to see two men standing over her with pistols pointed at her.

“Bitch you killed my father. You will die and burn in hell for this sin against Allah. Abdula, shoot the cur dog.”

The one called Abdul stood over Cobie and loosened his belt, “help me get her pants off. We might as well have some fun with this piece of crap.”

The other one tried to unbuckle Cobie’s belt, but she bit him on the arm as she tried to draw the Beretta from her belt. He grabbed her left hand and held it while taking the pistol. He then slapped her, pulled her pants and panties down to her knees, and dropped down on her. There was a loud explosion, and the man fell off her, then another and the remaining thug fell to the ground. Cloe shot both men in the chest and ran to help dress her mom.

Cloe helped her mom pull her pants up then held her mom’s head on her lap and asked, “Are you okay? We need to leave now in case someone heard the shots. I’ll grab their pistols and then we need to get out of here.”

“Baby girl, my arm hurts like hell.”

Cloe examined the wounds and saw a small entry wound in the fleshy part of her shoulder that wasn’t bleeding and a more extensive exit wound that was bleeding. She tore a hunk of cloth from her t-shirt, pushed the wadded cloth against her mom’s exit wound, and tied it in place. She helped her mom to her feet, and they headed northeast to their camp as fast as her mom could walk.

They arrived at their camp, and Cloe checked the wound and then hid anything she couldn’t carry. They plodded north instead of heading straight to the cabin so Cloe could try to throw any trackers off their trail. She found a rocky area to hide their tracks and doubled back to a tall ridge where she could watch for anyone following them. She then took care of her Mom’s wound the best she could with the small first aid kit. She applied antibiotic salve and used gauze and surgical tape to bind the wound. She then lay prone on a rock with both deer rifles for the next several hours as she watched for anyone following them.

“Baby girl, if there were anyone following us we would have seen them. I can walk now so let’s follow this rocky terrain for half a mile then head southwest to the cabin. I need to get home and rest.”

“Mom, we should find a safe place and rest. The jarring keeps your wound bleeding. Please stop here and rest until morning. We are two and a half miles from that house, and there is no way anyone can track us across those rocks with the sun going down.”

“Okay, you win, and I’m exhausted. Move over to that ledge over there and let’s hide in those boulders where we can see anyone coming for 200 yards. I’ll take turns on guard duty.”

Cloe gave her mom several nonprescription painkillers and helped her into her sleeping bag. Even the rocky ground couldn’t keep Cobie from falling asleep. Cloe fought sleep all night long but knew they might be killed in their sleep, so she walked around the area and stood the entire time to make sure she didn’t fall asleep.

Cloe watched her mom sleep as the morning light crept its way over the mountains. The shadows were long, but there was enough light for them to travel, so she shook her mom until she woke up for the day.

“Thanks for taking my turn… girl it’s daylight. You must be dead on your feet.”

Cloe yawned and then smiled, “I’m good to go. I’m not old like some people who need their beauty rest when they get a boo boo-ouwie.”