BROKEN

Chapter 35 - Lauren

"No!" I scream as I see Daryl crumple in a heap on the ground. I try to go to him, but this crazy man grabs me by the arm and won't let go. "We're not here to hurt you! Please let me go to him! Daryl! Daryl!"

"You do as I say," the man demands.

"The hell I will!" I yell at him and go for my gun. The big man is faster than I anticipate and I feel the hard butt of his shotgun barrel hitting my head. I join Daryl on the dirty ground – unconscious.

My head is pounding as I slowly regain consciousness. "What the hell happened?" I ask myself. I don't think I've moved yet, so I want to be more awake before I let anyone know that I've come to. As my mind slowly clears I remember the big man with the beard. He knocked out Daryl, and he must have done the same to me.

A million things are going through my head. Focus Lauren. Focus! I need to think like a survivor... like Daryl. I try to take stock of the situation. I don't hear anything around me... no animals or people or much of anything. I can tell that I'm sitting up, with my arms tied behind me, maybe to a pole or something, but I'm sitting on something scratchy. Slowly I open my eyes just a crack, and I can tell that I am in a barn. I open them wider and see the man at a workbench with his back is to me. I slowly look around, and there is no sign of Daryl. My gun and knife are also missing. Damn it!

The man turns around and sees that I'm awake. He walks over to me, and I tense in anticipation of an attack. My heart starts to race, which doesn't help the pounding in my head and my palms are sweating. I struggle to try to free my hands from the ropes, but they are just too tight. He crouches down in front of me, and I get my first good look at him.

He's a big guy that's for sure, tall and large. His brown hair is long and tied back with a string, and he has a backwoodsman beard...large and bushy. He has piercing blue eyes that somewhat seem familiar. I'm trying to remember him and I just can't. He's just staring at me not saying a word.

"Where's Daryl?" I growl at him. "What have you done to him?" I continue trying to struggle with ropes, but they won't come loose.

"I have you two separated. There're be no planning between you two on how to get me. I told you, people, a long time ago to leave me alone. I wasn't going to any camp then, and I still won't go. You government people need to stay out of my life and leave me alone!"

"What are you talking about?" I yell at him. "We're not from any government. We were just out hunting and stumbled upon your place." The more I struggle, the more the rope digs into my wrists. So much is running through my head ...Where is Daryl? Is he okay? What on earth is this guy talking about?

The man stands up in front of me and paces a bit. "No, no...you are trying to get me to tell you my secret and I won't. The government came in and made everyone here leave quick like...took them out in big military buses, but not me. I wasn't going, and you can't get to go now."

I could see he was getting really agitated, but I didn't care. "We're not with the fucking government! I'm sorry we trespassed, but that's all we did. If you just untie me and take me to Daryl...then we'll go. You'll never see us again. I promise." I tried to calm my voice hoping that would help.

"Promises...promises...nobody keeps promises anymore. You want my secret, and you aren't going to get it!" I could see the rage taking over his body. His fists were clenching as he paced more and more. This man had a few screws loose and I certainly haven't helped. I was starting to get really nervous.

Suddenly a flash flew by me, and I saw Daryl tackle this enormous man. My heart jumped into my throat as I saw them wrestling for control. Daryl had the heart, but this man outweighed him considerably. It didn't take long for Daryl to be caught in a choke hold. I feared for his life.

"Don't kill him please!" I screamed. "We're not from any government! I love him, don't kill him please!" I was crying now, watching the man choke Daryl. "I swear, I'm not lying! Why can't you trust me?"

The man swung his eyes to me. "I don't trust anyone but Big Jim, and he said not to trust the government!"

"Oh my God!" I thought to myself. Big Jim was my father. Everyone called him Big Jim his whole life. While he was a large man, he also had an over the top personality that drew people to him bees to honey. This man knew my dad. Who the hell was he?

A light bulb went off in my head. "Charlie? Are you Charlie Loomis?" I asked. The man turned to look at me in surprise. He was Charlie Loomis. Thank God I remembered. "Charlie, my name is Lauren... Lauren Delaney. Big Jim is my father. Let's talk this out. Please let Daryl go. My father wouldn't want you to hurt him. Please, Charlie!"

I could see his hold on Daryl was loosening, but Daryl still couldn't get loose. "Your daddy is Big Jim? How do I know you ain't lying to me? Where is Big Jim? He ain't been around in a really long time."

"Charlie, I was a little girl when I last saw you...maybe 10 or 12. When I'd come to visit the cabins, I'd go into town with Big Jim, and you'd always give a peppermint candy. Do you remember that? I wore pigtails. My little brothers were Ryan and Jake. Do you remember?" He had to recognize me. Leave it to my Dad and his anti-government views to get me in this position. I looked at Charlie again with a forced smile, "C'mon Charlie, you have to remember me."

Charlie let Daryl drop to the floor. I could see Daryl trying to catch his breath and planning his next move at the same time. "Daryl, it's okay. Charlie knows me, right Charlie?"

The big man stood up and smiled. "Miss Lauren! You're Big Jim's girl. You're all grown up now."

"Yes, I am Charlie. Can you please untie me? I need to check on Daryl."

He was pretty fast for a big man and ran over to me cutting through the ropes that were around my wrists. "I'm so sorry Miss Lauren. I didn't know that was you."

"That's okay, Charlie," I told him with a hesitant smile. "It's been a long time. I'm going to Daryl, okay?" My wrists burned from the rope, but my main concern was Daryl.

"Sure thing, Miss Lauren." Charlie just smiled at me. He was an entirely different person now.

I got up and ran over to Daryl. His eyes were full of fire, even though I could tell he was still weak. I pulled him to a sitting position and held onto him. "Are you okay?' I asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be good in a few," he said gruffly. I stroked his hair as he slowly got back his breath.

I felt Daryl tense up and realized that Charlie had squatted down in front of us. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he said to Daryl. "I didn't know that this was Miss Lauren. She grew up."

"That she did, man...that she most certainly did," Daryl grumbled.

The three of us stood up. I wiped off the old straw that stuck to my pants. I then noticed through the barn windows that the sun was going down. It was too late to head home.

"It's almost dinner time," Charlie said. "I have venison stew, and it's late for you to walk back home."

"We appreciate that Charlie," Daryl said. "Maybe over dinner we can ask you a few questions, okay?" The three of headed out of the barn towards the farmhouse. Daryl had one hand on Charlie's shoulder and the other held mine tightly. Today certainly had been no easy walk in the woods.