L Akers - Shoot Like a Girl

He picked up the shotty and banged it against the metal of the tractor. “You may as well come up front, little missy. I know you’re back there,” he yelled over his shoulder in a loud, gruff voice.

Moments later, he saw a hay bale disappear and Emma’s head pop out.

She leaned against the remaining wall of hay. “Um… hi, Elmer. How’d you know I was here?”

Elmer laughed, long and deep, until it rolled into a coughing fit. He spat off the side of the tractor again and cleared his throat, speaking loudly over the whine of the tractor. “I’m old, girl. Not stupid. Why else would you be asking me how far my house was from Southport, North Carolina? I was there when your brother-in-law told you where your son and husband were, after all.” He turned to give her the dirty eyeball. “And you didn’t say goodbye to me when I left. I know your mama and daddy didn’t raise you like that.”

Emma sighed as she looked around at the passing scenery; Trees, trees, and more trees. “I’m sorry. I should’ve asked before hitching a ride.”

“I would’a said no. You should ‘a stayed home.”

Her eyes widened. “Then why you’d let me stow-away back here if you didn’t want me to come?”

“I believe you were gonna go, one way or the other. Weren’t ya?”

“Yes.”

“Then I would ‘a been stupid, to let you go alone. I’ve already told you I ain’t stupid, girl. We’ll make a side trip to check on Edith, and then I’ll take you the rest of the way.”

Emma vehemently shook her head, her long chocolate-brown hair swinging behind her, sending hay flying, although Elmer couldn’t see her; he had his eyes on the road again.

She sneezed. “No, Elmer. I can’t let you do that. I have a bike back here. You get me as close as you can without missing your turn for home, and I’ll take it from there.”

He turned and yelled over his shoulder, “No-can-do, missy.”

She bulled up. “Elmer, I mean it. Edith needs you at home. If you won’t agree to my plan, I’ll throw the bike off and jump. I’ll be on it and gone in a flash through the woods. You won’t find me,” she warned.

Elmer took his hat off and slapped it against the steering wheel. “Dammit, girl, don’t be stubborn. You’re gonna get yourself killed out here. While you’ve been tucked up back there for the past hour, I’ve passed all sorts of hooligans. They let me go by because I’m an old man with a wagon of hay. I’m useless to them. But do you think they’re gonna do the same for you? Have you forgotten the hell you and your sisters just went through?”

Emma held her tongue. She couldn’t argue with that. She’d known she’d have to be careful. But she couldn’t risk Elmer… or risk leaving Edith alone any longer than they already had.

They all owed Elmer their lives. He’d risked his own hiding them from the biker gang that was surely looking for them, and taking them home. She wouldn’t risk it again any more than she had to. Besides, as slow as the tractor was going, she felt like she might make better time on the bike. She was only riding with him as far as she could to reduce her chances of running into more men like Trunk and his gang. She was sure there were plenty out there.

After looking at Grayson’s map—which she’d pilfered for her bug-out bag since theirs had been lost at the rest area—the best she could figure, she could split off from Elmer twenty-five miles from his house the other way. That put her only an hour or so from Southport by bike. She’d figure out how to get on the island once she got that far. She also had her gun and her bug-out bag, once she’d found where Olivia had dumped them.

She was armed for bear and nothing would keep her from her cub now.

Elmer would just slow her down, and she couldn’t waste a minute. Every minute she was away from Dusty and Rickey now, knowing they weren’t safe at Grayson’s like she’d thought they were, was like a knife in her heart. She had to get there… fast.

Elmer didn’t give up. “How ‘bout let’s barter. You go with me and check on Edith. I’ll get the tractor refueled, and we’ll pick her up and bring her with us—after she makes me a sandwich. We’ll leave right after. Then none of us will be alone,” Elmer said, a note of finality to his words.

He wasn’t used to anyone arguing with him.

Emma bit her lip. She didn’t want to make the old-timer mad… or hurt his feelings. But she had to be firm. “No. Not gonna happen. Not negotiating. When you turn off for your house, I’m going my own way. Alone .”

Elmer threw his head back and wobbled it to and fro. “Blah blah blah… all right then!” he yelled grumpily. He pulled the tractor over to the side of the road after checking for traffic behind him. No one in sight… “You girls’ve been a pain in my ass anyway. You got a map? Let’s see the plan.”

Emma disappeared, and in few moments reappeared beside him. She climbed up the tractor until she could reach him, and gave him a one-armed hug. “I’m sorry, Elmer. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

Elmer acted as though he barely tolerated the hug. “Watch out for my teeth,” he said, and patted his pocket.

“Here’s the map.” She handed him a map of the Carolinas, her route highlighted.

Elmer reached into his overalls, into yet another pocket, and pulled out a pair of ancient square reading glasses and shoved them over his nose. He ran a grimy finger over Emma’s highlighted route, nodding his head.

“That’s right. That’s the best way for you to go. Now look, if you’re gonna be out on the road alone, you need to lay down. I know you haven’t got a whit of sleep since you found out your boys weren’t home. So, go back there and get a nap. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for you to unload.” He jerked a thumb behind him at the wagon, not sparing her another glance.

Emma hurried back and climbed in, laying down on the hay, and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been dreading this conversation with Elmer. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about it. And she did need sleep. It’d been a long while since she’d ridden a bike any distance.

As Elmer muttered under his breath, he pulled the tractor and trailer back onto the road, and Emma curled up on top of a blanket thrown over the hay. Even this pitiful excuse for a bed was comfortable to her right now. She pulled her bug-out bag under her head and nodded off to sleep, not knowing that at that very moment, Elmer was slyly smiling.

Graysie sat on the spare bed, and pulled her long, curly red hair to the side. As she braided, she wiggled uncomfortably and rolled her eyes. The teenager was miserable dealing with her first grown-up female infection. “You want me to literally sit in Apple Cider Vinegar? Seriously, Aunt Gabby?”

Gabby nodded her head. “If you want to get rid of that problem, yes. There’s no more running to the doctor or the pharmacy for a quick fix, Graysie. This is a home remedy. It works . I tried it. Honestly, it’ll give you almost instant relief. Just be glad Jake and your dad are figuring out how to get us hot water—more bathing will keep it from happening again.”

Graysie had awoken with the female issue, and after a few hours of working outside in the heat helping her dad out with some projects, she was itching and burning. She was so embarrassed; she didn’t want to talk to her step-mom, Olivia, and especially didn’t want to tell her Dad.

She’d checked the bathroom, hoping by some chance Olivia had over-the-counter Monistat or some sort of prescription cream. Finding none, she’d come to her Aunt Gabby with her problem.