Anthony Newman: American Survivor

Joe finished dressing and took his gear and rifle to the door. He turned as he saw Cobie coming over to him. She said, “Be careful and don’t get hurt.”

He left the cabin and found tracks leading north toward the top of the ridge where the old Forest Service road ran across the top of his property. A few minutes later, the tracks headed due east along the ridge. After half an hour, he heard Bennie howling and knew he was close.

“Baby girl, I need to go help Joe. Lock the door and keep your rifle beside you. Joe and I just made up, and I’m not about to lose him to some dumb assed lion,” Cobie said.

“Mom, my guess is your discussion with Joe went very well since you both ran out of the cabin half dressed. Please bring Joe back. He is more important than Bennie. Be careful,” Cloe said.

Cobie put her hiking clothes on and shouldered her backpack. She strapped her Glock to her hip and slung her AR-15 over her shoulder before waving bye to Cloe. She began following the tracks but missed seeing them turn east and kept going north. She burst out of the woods onto the Forest Service road and didn’t see the two old trucks heading east.

She was in such a hurry that she slipped on wet leaves and stumbled out in front of the lead vehicle. The driver saw her at the last second and slammed on the brakes. The vehicle came to a stop but not before hitting Cobie. Her rifle flew through the air and landed in the woods. Her body was thrown clear of the truck and struck the ground violently. She lay there as blood flowed from a gash on the side of her head leaving her unconscious.

“John, you hit that man. We need to check on him,” Gail said.

“There might be others. It could be a trap,” John replied.

“I’ll watch the woods with my gun ready. Please check on the man,” Gail replied.

A man and a woman came running up from the trail vehicle and asked, “What happened? Did you hit something?”

“Hey Gail, come here. It’s a young woman, and she’s barely alive,” John replied.

“Pick her up and put her in the back of the truck. I’ll tend to her so we can get back on the road. She can join us. The poor thing looks like she’s had it rough living in the woods alone,” Gail said.

A third man came from the other truck and helped place Cobie in the back of Gail’s truck. He looked at Cobie and said, “She sure is a pretty young thing. Gail, tend to her. We’ve got another ten miles to go before it gets too dark to travel.”

Joe shot the lion and left it at the base of the tree where it fell. He planned to come back and skin it the next day. He grabbed Bennie by the collar and forced the dog to go with him as they walked back toward the cabin. Joe heard a noise coming from the direction of the Forest Service road and ducked down into a crouch behind a tree. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw two trucks speeding east. He stayed hidden until they were long gone.

It took a lot of effort, but he was finally able to drag Bennie back to the cabin and knocked on the door. Cloe came out, hugged Bennie, and smothered Joe with kisses.

“Joe thanks so much for saving my dog. I love you, Joe. Hey, where is my mom?”

“What do you mean? Your mom is here with you.”

“Joe, mom took off after you. Oh no! Go get my momma,” Cloe said as she broke down into sobs.

“Cloe, this is important. Do not follow me or leave the cabin. I will bring your mom back in a few hours. Stay in the cabin. If for some reason it takes me longer than I think it will, go to Dan and stay with them until we get back.”

Joe left the cabin and tracked Cobie’s footprints to the road. He saw the fresh tire tracks and followed them east for a few yards until he saw numerous footprints. The sun was going down as he found the pool of blood in the gravel.

He fell to his knees crying because Cobie’s tracks ended in the mass of footprints beside the pool of blood. Joe cried for several minutes as he tried to clear his head. He had to find Cobie. He knew she had to be alive or he would have found her body. He searched the entire area and found her rifle in the weeds just inside the forest. The stock was bent, and the handguard was shattered. He also saw where the gravel had been pushed as the trucks braked hard just a few yards from the pool of blood.

Joe now knew that Cobie had been run over by the lead truck and taken by the people in those trucks. His mind raced through the possible things that could have happened and couldn’t come up with a good one. The best he could pray for that the truck accidentally hit Cobie and the people took her with them and were caring for her. Joe would not admit to himself that Cobie was gone and chances were that he would never see her again.

Joe followed the trail using his flashlight until he lost the tracks several miles from where he found the blood on the road. The road split in two, and it was too dark to see the tracks. He wanted to pursue the trucks until he found Cobie but knew he couldn’t find the tracks in the dark and Cobie would want him to go back to Cloe and make sure that she was safe. It was now five hours since he had left Cloe, and he stopped by the cabin for some water before going to Dan’s to get her. He opened the door to find a rifle pointed at his chest and a frightened girl.

“Where’s my mom. You said that you would bring her back,” Cloe asked.

Joe had thought about what to tell Cloe on the way back from his search. He didn’t want to mention the blood and the accident. He said, “Cloe, your mom has been kidnapped, and I’m going to find her and bring her back.”

“Who took my mom? I’ll kill those bastards,” Cloe said between sobs.

“Darling, I don’t know, but I will find her. I promise,” Joe replied.

“Why would they take my mom? Was it those Muslim terrorists?” Cloe asked.

“I don’t think so. The tire tracks were from a pickup. The terrorists drove military-style vehicles,” Joe said.

“What do we do now, Joe?” she asked.

“I need you to stay with Dan and Ginny while I search for your mom. I can travel faster by myself,” Joe said.

“I won’t go, and if you make me, I will follow you after you leave. I have shot men that tried to hurt my mom before, and I can do it again. Take me with you,” Cloe pleaded.

“Damn, you are hardheaded enough to do just that. Okay, we get some rest and head out in the morning. We will tell the others what happened and ask them to watch over my cabin. Cloe, this won’t be easy. We will plan a two-week trip to be on the safe side. We’ll take Bennie with us to help pack some gear and to be our watchdog at night. Now get to bed so we can get up early,” Joe said.

Joe lay in his bed thinking about how unfair life had been to him when he said to himself, “Grandma, I need to read a letter that tells me how to save the woman I love.”

His mind heard,” Joe, g o find your woman and kill the assholes that took her. Get off your ass and get moving before it’s too late.”

“Yes Grandma,” Joe replied.

Joe fell asleep thinking that he was crazy for talking to a dead woman. The next morning Joe gathered supplies while Cloe slept a while longer. It took another couple of hours for them to leave on their quest.

Joe looked back at the cabin and wondered if they would ever return. He looked at Cloe and said, “We’re burning daylight. Let’s go find your mom and my best friend.”

Cloe took his hand and said, “Joe, I’m not coming back without my momma.”

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