“How does it look?” said Carmen.

“He’s extremely lucky, but it's not a surprise,” another older woman answered. “At the range he was at, a low powered gun and a frail old man, the odds were in his favor.”

“Huh? What?” Hugo said. A sharp pain in his chest grew like he was stabbed with the stem of a rose. He tried to lift himself from where he rested but the pain kept him down. “Agh!” he cried.

The older woman ran to Hugo, helping him down again. “Come on now. Easy. Easy.” She squatted beside Hugo, making sure he was okay.

Hugo’s pain became tolerable and he opened his eyes to grasp his surroundings. He was in a large tent somewhere. The outside seemed like a blazing dessert as rays of sun leaked in from the cracks. The sound of footsteps and revving engines could be heard.

Hugo squinted and looked at the woman. “Where are we?” Hugo asked.

“A camp just north of Bakersfield. Cawelo.” The old woman said.

Hugo looked at her as his vision started to unblur. She had black hair and skin. The name tag on her shirt said Cherryl. The tent had several other foldable beds, one of which was occupied by Mordecai with Genesis sleeping on the ground beside him. He had a cast around his face.

“Your friends told us about you. They said you're looking for your sister? What was her name?” said Cherryl.

“Lila,” Hugo said. He felt something in his throat and coughed up a clump of mucus, then spit it to the ground.

“Lila? She’s safe with us,” Cherryl answered..

“What?” Hugo said. His eyes opened and he tried to sit up quickly, but the pain stopped his momentum. “Ugh!”

“Careful! Don't ruin your stitches,” Cherryl commanded.

Hugo looked down and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead he had a cast that wrapped around his chest and over his shoulders. Where most of the wraps covered was a bloody stain, under it was where Hugo felt his pain.

“Oh,” Hugo said. “Take me to her,” he asked.

“I can't,” Cherryl answered, “You’re not fit to travel.”

“I am!” Hugo lifted his leg, enduring the pain for a second before dropping his body once more. “Please,” he said through a breath. “Let me see her.”

Cherryl shook her head, “I’m sorry, it's not up to me.”

“Take me to whoever is,” Hugo answered.

Cherryl got up from beside Hugo. “You need to rest. We can talk about this when you get better,” she said.

Hugo looked up at her. He flung himself from the bed and took two steps before falling to the ground. Cherryl and Carmen caught him and brought him back to his bed.

“Ah!” Hugo wailed. The pain was almost paralyzing. Blood started dripping from his wound.

“Dammit,” Cherryl sighed. She turned to Carmen, “Can you watch him for a sec?”

Carmen nodded and Cherryl walked out of the tent.

“What are you doing here?” Hugo asked Carmen.

She took an unoccupied foldable bed and brought it beside Hugo’s. “Jacob told them where we were and they came to get us.”

Hugo grumbled at the thought of Jacob. “Where is he?”

“He’s here. He’s doing fine.” Carmen answered. She looked at Hugo with a face of hope. He noticed but didn't seem to care.

Hugo took a second to breathe. “Why did he follow us? He said he would watch you guys.”

“I'm not helpless,” Carmen answered. “Rosy is fine by the way. They’re taking her to where the other children are.”

“Other children?” Hugo asked.

“They have more bases up the freeway. Their main one is in Tulare. That’s where Lila is,” Carmen told him.

“Tulare? Have they left with Rosy yet?” Hugo said, more interested. He breathed heavily as he tried not to trigger his pain.

“No, but-” Carmen was interrupted by Cherryl walking back into the tent. A couple other people were behind her with medical equipment.

“Okay, this might hurt,” Cherryl warned. She and her two assistants kneeled beside Hugo, forcing Carmen to get out of the way. The two assistants quickly strapped Hugo’s limbs to the bars of the foldable bed.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Hugo asked. They didn't respond. Cherryl took Hugo’s wraps and pulled lightly on them, triggering a slight pain. “Ow!” Hugo said, almost with a flinch. Cherryl began to cut the wraps with medical scissors, revealing the stitches in Hugo’s chest. They were bleeding.

“Okay, ready?” asked Cherryl.

“No,’ Hugo answered nervously. Once he saw Cherryl reach out to his stitches, he moved his face to avoid looking. All he could feel was a burst of pain for several seconds. “Ah!” he screamed.

The footsteps and revving of engines stopped for a moment. When Hugo was silent the noises resumed.

They wrapped him in a new cast and packed their stuff up again. After untying Hugo Cherryl and her assistants headed for the door. “Wait!” Hugo said to Cherryl. She turned to look at him. “Bring me your leader,” Hugo said weakly.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“No,” Cherryl answered and she walked out of the tent.

“Just rest my guy,” said Mordecai with a slight lisp. He was lying face up on his foldable bed.

“Mordecai?” Hugo said. “You alright?”

“Wanna guess?” Mordecai answered.

“Probably not,” Hugo answered. “I think I was shot.”

“No kidding,” said Mordecai. “So when are we gonna get outta here?”

“Soon.” Hugo answered. “You think you can walk?”

“Hugo no,” Carmen chimed in.

“What?” Hugo responded, confused at what Carmen just said.

“You both need rest, so rest,” Carmen said.

Hugo paused, “I'm only resting because I know I can’t get past all of you.”

“Sorry girl, only woman who can tell me what to do is Genesis,” Mordecai added,

“Whatever,” said Carmen with almost a grumble. She walked out of the tent somewhat quickly.

“What’s her deal?” Hugo asked.

“I don't know,” Mordecai said. “But I woke up a while ago, and she was right there beside you.”

“Oh,” Hugo said. He began thinking of what that could imply but refused to believe it. “Hey, when we were in the pharmacy, why did you try to overdose?”

“Why do you think? Ain't nothing worth it any more. Gotta go out with one last high.” Mordecai answered.

“I'd rather not lose another person. Not now,” said Hugo.

“Good luck,” Mordecai scoffed.

Jacob entered the tent. His shoulder seemed just fine, like nothing had happened to him. “Hey bro, you okay?”

“Mostly. I can't get up though.” Hugo said. He faced the ceiling in his bed. “Hey, you've talked to the leader, right? Have they gone yet?”

“He’s more like a general. The leader is up in Tulare, but he hasn't left yet. They are considering waiting until tomorrow to leave the camp,” said Jacob.

“Okay. I need to talk to the leader,” said Hugo.

“Why?” Jacob asked.

“I want to go see Lila,” Hugo answered.

“Come on bro you know you can't go anywhere,” said Jacob. He opened his mouth to speak but then another woman stepped into the tent and spoke to Jacob.

“Check in with Martin. We leave in the morning,” she said and quickly left.

“Check in with Martin?” Hugo questioned.

“Yeeaahh,” Jacob said, with his arm to his neck. “Look. I was helping them out after they helped us out, and Martin offered me to be a part of their group,”

“So what, are you ditching us?” Hugo answered.

“No. But dude, there isn't really an us. We’ve just happened to survive until we got saved by people who know what they're doing.”

“Damn, I thought yall were like a gang,” said Mordecai.

“But don't worry. Once Martin sees you guys in action, he’ll offer you to join too!” said Jacob.

Hugo sat up, enduring his pain. “I don't care for this little club. I want my sister and I need you to get me to her.”

“I’m sorry, I can't do that,” Jacob said. He turned around and shamefully left the tent.

“Damn, that's tough,” Mordecai said.

“I know right,” said Genesis, sitting up from the floor.

“It’s whatever. There’s nothing I can do about it,” said Hugo. He laid back down on his bed.

“Whatever you say,” Mordecai answered.

That night, Hugo listened as the footsteps and the revving of engines died down, and people started to head to bed. In the dark of the night, he sat up. Mordecai was motionless but Hugo could hear his heavy breathing through the cast.

Hugo lifted his legs over the side of the bed. His pain had numbed but if he wasn't careful it could give himself away. He scooted forward on the bed, sliding to his knees, and lifted himself into a stand. Breathing heavy, he snuck out of the tent. Looking around the outside, he was located in a cluster of tents in a dirt plot of land beside a gas station. He glanced around the corner to see the freeway in walking distance, and a sign that said Cawelo.

Sneaking through the tents, some had people sleeping inside and others were for food, emergency, storage. The perimeter was mostly guarded by heavy duty trucks with people standing on them who watched over the area.

One unoccupied truck had several crates and boxes in the bed. Hugo, seeing an opportunity, lifted his foot onto the bumper to climb in.

“Hugo? What are you doing?” Carmen whispered. She came up behind him in what seemed like an extra blanket.

Hugo almost jumped but caught himself before triggering his pain. “I'd rather you mind your own business,” Hugo answered. He stayed facing the truck.

“Could you not do that? I know you want to see your sister but I won't let you mess this up for us,” said Carmen.

“Us?” Hugo stopped. “I barely know you, okay. We are just people who happened to survive together.”

Carmen looked at him, her eyebrows straightened.

“Hugo you saved me and dad from those horrible people,” Carmen started.

“That wasn't me. People died in that park. I lost people,” Hugo said, grimly.

“I know, but after that you didn't question if you should stick with us, but you did. I held Rosy when you didn't want to because I trusted you. Jacob wanted to leave you but I didn't.”

“I know about that,” said Hugo. “You agreed to go with him.”

“And I felt terrible about it. Hugo, I want you to stay with us. With me.”

“Where is all this coming from?” Hugo asked, finally turning to Carmen. He was between upset and nervous.

“I didn't know if I should tell you, because you seemed so focused on your sister and I didnt want to add to your stress and I-”

Hugo interrupted Carmen, “What is it!?”

“Hey!” said a man standing on a truck across the path. He shined a flashlight on the two. “Get back to bed! Are you wounded?”

The other tents started lighting up, with people getting out of bed. “Who’s out there?” a thunderous voice shouted.

A man walked up to the two, the same man that Hugo talked to in the pharmacy.

“It’s you!” said the man. “Why aren't you in bed?!”

Hugo leaned his back against the truck with his hands up, almost paralyzed in fear.

Cherryl ran up from behind the man, “I’m sorry Martin. He should not be out of bed.”

Martin turned around to the rest of the gang who were peaking at the commotion, “Go back to bed chismosos!” He shouted. “And you,” he said, turning back to Hugo and Carmen. “Get back to bed,” he commanded. He looked to Cherryl beside him, “Make sure he gets there.” Martin took a step to walk away but Hugo spoke up.

“Wait! Martin, sir!” Hugo said. Martin stopped walking and looked at Hugo from the corner of his eye. “I want to go with you tomorrow.”

“No,” Martin answered plainly. “You need to rest.”

“Make me,” Hugo challenged. Carmen gave him a side eye.

“What?” Martin turned around to Hugo and stepped up to him. He towered over Hugo by a good 12 inches and shoulders that hid Hugo from the spotlights.

“You have my sister. I’m not wasting another second to see her,” Hugo said. He stood up straight, almost touching his chest with Martin’s. His stitches started to hurt but he had to keep up his stance.

“Respect. We leave in the morning,” Martin said. He turned around and left. Hugo and Carmen looked at each other. In amazement at what Hugo just did, they smiled. Carmen stepped toward Hugo and kissed him on the mouth, holding him for a second. Hugo was happy with it.

“Okay come on,” said Cherryl, annoyed. Hugo and Carmen separated for night, excited for the morning.