Alex's (POV)
It's now 4:45 P.M.
Mack and I are in the process of spreading a tablecloth on each of the two picnic tables that are outback, Don over on the deck grilling burgers.
Lucy had insisted we have a picnic today for supper, even inviting the farmhands to come join us.
Frowning, I look up over at the hill where you can see the four buildings in the distance.
Hopefully they don't bring the dogs.
I see Mack look over at me, then up at the hill. "Don't worry, they aren't bringing them." Mack assures as if he could read my mind, looking back at me.
I would've thought after this-mornings little fiasco, things would be a bit awkward between me and Mack.
But it's not. Surprisingly, it actually seems like we're getting along better.
I just continue smoothing down the corners of the tablecloth that keep blowing up because of the breeze.
After Mack finishes with his, he sits on top of the table.
I raise a brow at him in confusion.
With a smirk, he gives me a answer. "It's to keep the wind from blowing the tablecloth off." Pausing, he looks around. "Also gives you an excuse to not help with anything else."
I give a small, amused smile.
Of course Mack would find a way to get out of extra work.
"Mack! Get off your lazy bum and go help your Aunt." Don shouts without even looking over at us.
Sighing, Mack hops off the table. "Come on." He mumbles out, heading for the door.
Shaking my head, I follow him inside.
Once we're in the kitchen, Mack asks Lucy what we can do to help.
"You've already finished the tables?" She questions.
Mack gives her a nod in affirmation.
She raises a brow in amazement.
"Well alright then, you two can start taking the side dishes out." She points over at the dining table, it's surface littered with bowls.
Walking over to the table, we both grab a couple dishes before heading back towards the door.
Setting the bowls on the picnic table, I look up when I hear a vehicle approaching.
My mouth goes dry, sweat pooling down my back.
It's the farmhands.
Ben steps out of Jacks' truck, Mr. March having driven a separate vehicle.
I feel myself relax when there's no sign of the dogs.
They reach the back of the house, greeting Don before they get engrossed in a conversation with him.
Ben looks over at us, his eyes lighting up.
Walking over, he stops in front of us. "Lucy got y'all doing kitchen duty?" He asks with a smirk, looking over the tables.
Mack rolls his eyes. "Shut-up."
Ben holds his hands up defensively. "Geez, I was just asking." Smiling, he looks over at me. "Hey Alex."
I give him a nod.
Right as he makes a move to sit down, Lucy's voice comes through the backdoor. "Ben! You get in here and carry these drinks out." She demands.
With a groan, he throws his head back. "Yes ma'am." He yells back, heading towards the door.
"Now who's on kitchen duty?" A now smirking Mack teases.
Ben gives Mack an irritated look before going inside.
Jack, and Mr. March make their way over.
They stop in front of us. "Alex, I want to apologize for the other day." Jack says.
Looking up at them, I see Jack has an apologetic look on his face. But when I glance over at Mr. March - who's staring at me, I'm surprised when I see a look of hate on his face. But before I can double check that's what I'd seen, he quickly reverts back to his usual frown.
Weird.
I swing my gaze back to Jack. "It's fine." I quietly tell him.
It wasn't his fault.
He didn't know.
They take a seat over at the other picnic table, Jacks back to me, and Mr. March facing me.
Ben shows back up with the drinks, setting them down on the table. Then Lucy comes out caring the last few things.
Don brings the Hamburgers and Hotdogs over.
After everyone's taken their seat, Don says the blessing. And as soon as he finishes, Ben and Mack grab their plates, filling them up.
I just get a simple hotdog, and a glass of Pepsi.
Me, Lucy, and Mack sit on one of the picnic tables while everyone-else sits on the other.
As I'm slowly eating, I can't help but repeatedly glance over at Mr. March. Who's always either staring out over the fields, laughing with the rest of them, or just sitting there with his signature frown.
"Hey Don, did you hear about that other farm that got hit over in Oklahoma?" Ben questions, taking a bite from a chip.
Without meaning to, I feel my curiosity spike.
Dons' face stays unconcerned, and he finishes chewing his food before giving a answer. "Yes, I did actually." He takes another bite from his hamburger.
"Your not worried they're going to target your farm?" Ben takes a breath. "I mean, they've destroyed at-least a dozen so far. All in the US, within just three months."
Don clears his throat, giving Ben a look.
Ben doesn't notice, his eyes lighting up as his voice speeds up. "Some think the new business called...uh...Fountain. Yeah, Fountain, is hiring a group of underground criminals to destroy the farms. Then they buy them all up when the owners can't make their payments."
Noticing's Don's futile attempt at quieting Ben, Jack nudges him on the shoulder.
Ignoring him, Ben continues. "The police haven't found any evidence about that theory yet, but I think it's true!" He rambles on in excitement.
"Oh and-"
"Okay! Thank you, Ben, for that lovely piece of information." Don finally blurts out, looking from Ben, back to our table.
Bens' eyes widen in understanding, his mouth clamping shut before he goes back to quietly eating.
I also got the meaning.
So Don doesn't want all of us to hear about this farm trouble. He probably doesn't want to worry Lucy.
Looking over at Mack, I see he's trying to hide a smile behind his second burger. Lucy spoons more corn onto her plate, a thoughtful look on her face.
Taking the last bite of my hotdog, I triumphantly push my plate away. I actually ate the whole hotdog with my stomach only giving a slight protest!
Picking up my pills, I place them in my mouth, getting a drink to wash them down.
Mack looks over at me while chewing his burger, his eyes lighting up. Looking over at Lucy, he begins talking with a full mouth. "Can I take Alex out on the ATV?"
She stares at him a moment, then looks over at Don. A secret message passing between them.
He wants to take me out on the ATV?
I feel a bubble of excitement.
Lucy looks back at Mack. "Two things." She holds up one finger. "First. Don't speak with your mouth full." She holds two up, a smile making its way on her face. "Second. I guess it's alright for you to take the ATV out."
Mack smile. "Thanks!"
"As long as Alex wants to go?" She looks over at me.
Deciding I wouldn't mind it, I give a nod.
"The keys are in the box." Don adds, not bothering to even look up from his food.
Mr. March suddenly gets up. "I'm sorry to eat and run, but I've just realized I have something to do." He glances over at me before quickly looking back at Lucy. "Thanks for lunch y'all."
"Anytime." Lucy replies with.
Once he's pulled out of the driveway, Don looks over at Jack. "I thought y'all already did all the chores for today?"
Jack shrugs. "I thought so too." He scratches his beard. "Maybe it's personal?" He suggests, going back to eating.
After a few minutes, Mack gets up. "You want me to drop you two off at the barn?" Don asks.
Mack shakes his head. "Thanks, but we can walk." He looks over at me, asking a silent question.
I give him a slight nod.
I'm pretty sure I can make it to the barn.
"Thanks for lunch." Mack tells Lucy.
I look over at her. "Thank you." I quietly say.
She gives me one of her bright smiles. "Your welcome."
Following Mack, we start walking up the driveway. After we're a good distance from the house, Mack slows down so he's walking beside me.
"So I guess your curious about what Ben was talking about?" He stuffs his hands in his pockets.
Not able to resist getting more information about that, I nod my head.
His eyes light up. "Okay, so it all started about three months ago." He kicks a rock.
"There's this....gang or something that showed up out of nowhere, only targeting large farms all over the US. Apparently they come in the night and take all the animals, steal all the expensive farm equipment....even killing a couple people."
"They're relentless, they're stealthy. No evidence, no witnesses." He looks out over the fields. "No nothing."
Looking back at me, he continues. "The cops are clueless. Can't even figure out a stinking pattern." He shrugs. "Except, they only seem to be interested in the big farms with all the land." He frowns.
"Like here. That's what Don's secretly worried about. That they might decide this farm is good enough for them."
I feel my heart speed up.
What if they did target here?
"I've done some research, and I actually figured out they haven't targeted two farms in the same state. They've all been in different ones!" Mack excitedly says.
Impressive.
And the police haven't figured that out? Or either they're just not sharing that bit of information.
"Don had a friend over in Tennessee....Jacob. They were one of the first farms they targeted." He pauses. "Before people began to realize that this was serious."
He sighs, looking at the ground. "They burnt his house down....while the whole family was inside."
My breath catches in my throat.
"Like I said. They don't care about how it's done. But they usually only kill anyone who witnessed them, that's why I think Jacob must've figured something important out. Something so important they killed his whole family."
This sounds too familiar.
"Alex, are you alright?" I look over at Mack. He's staring at me with a bewildered expression, his speed slowing down.
That's when I realize my breathing has noticeably sped up, it coming out in quick gasps.
I'm getting myself all worked up because it reminds me of my situation before.
Calming down, I take some deep breaths.
Coming back to myself, I notice we're already in front of the big barn.
Mack takes the lead, me following him through the maze of tractors and equipment.
He stops in front of a wooden workbench. Reaching up, He opens a box that's attached to the wall, pulling out a key.
Shutting it, he continues walking.
We stop in front of two ATVs. There's a small blue one, and the other is a large green one. The large ones seat looks like it could easily hold two passengers, the wrack on the back made to sit three more.
Mack walks over to a large door, opening it. Then he walks back, mounting the big one.
He motions for me to get on behind him.
Getting on, I hold onto the handles that are built into the wrack.
Mack turns the engine on, the barn amplifying its loud motor. He then guns it through the doorway.
After about five minutes, we make it to a gate that leads out to one of the wide open grassy fields.
Braking, he motions for me to open it.
Hopping off, I quickly open the gate. Mack drives through, and I shut it. Making sure to lock it tightly.
Once I'm back on, Mack takes us down an old, worn pathway.
I feel myself relax.
With the wind blowing in my face, the evening sun gently shining down, I smile. It's been too long since I've done something like this.
After we've gone about five miles, the path begins to ascend downhill.
And so does the evening.
I notice it right before it happens. The front left wheel gives a small awkward jerk, the ATV slightly tilting to the left.
But that's not what alarmed me.
What alarmed me, was when I saw the bolts that fasten the wheel on, start popping off. One at a time.
It would've been funny, comical actually, if it weren't for the fact we're going down a hill at fifty miles per-hour.
My eyes widen as I watch the tire wobble before completely falling off the axle, it all seeming to go in slow motion.
Before I know it, I'm tossed off into the air as the front of the ATV plows into the earth.
I roughly hit the ground, the back of my right shoulder taking all the impact.
I nearly cry out as my shoulder smashes into something hard, pain blurring my mind for a few seconds. I continue rolling down the steep hill we'd been driving down no more than seven seconds ago, tucking myself into a ball.
After what feels like forever, I finally come to a stop.
Laying on my back, I open my eyes, looking up at the sky. Everything's moving around in a swirl of colors, nothing holding still.
Suddenly feeling sick from the dizziness, I slowly sit up in a attempt to keep the bile from completely surfacing.
I gasp as there's a deep, painful jab in the back of my right shoulder, a throbbing starting up deep inside it. Forgetting my sickness, I grit my teeth, slowly rotating my shoulder.
Good, nothing's broken and it's not dislocated.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
Groaning, I use my left arm to cradle my right. Turning, I place my forehead down against the cool grass, still trying to repress the urge to vomit.
I must've hit it on a rock when I fell off....
When I fell off the ATV...
Mack!
I quickly look up, my eyes scanning the area. There! About three-fourths of the way down the hill.
Hesitantly, I get up.
Still cradling my throbbing shoulder, I practically trip over towards the flipped ATV. Everything still moving around in a sickening way.
As I get closer, I find there's no Mack laying around the flipped over ATV.
I stop.
Where is he?
Looking around, my eyes land back on the flipped ATV, a lingering suspicion in my mind.
There.
Walking closer, I see a leg sticking out from underneath the ATV.
My chest tightens.
He's okay.
He has to be.
Turning, I walk around the ATV over towards the other side.
I feel myself relax.
There. Laying on his back, with his legs pinned underneath the ATV. Is Mack.
"Good thing there hasn't been any cows in this field for awhile." He grimaces. "Or we might've landed in a few fresh cow patties."
I crouch down beside his legs, using my left shoulder in a attempt to lift the ATV up so Mack can possibly scoot out.
It doesn't budge.
"Oh yeah, that's real stuck." He places his hands behind his head, closing his eyes.
"And I think my leg is broken." Frowning, he glances down at his pinned legs. "Definitely does not feel good."
I stand back up, Mack's gaze focusing on my arm I'm still holding. "Are you okay?" He questions as I walk around, trying to find another spot to lift it from.
"I'm fine." I simply say.
"I'm really sorry." I look over at Mack. "I don't know what happened." He glances over at the front wheel that's down at the bottom of the hill. "And it just got back from the shop." His voice goes up in volume. "I don't know what happened." He repeats.
Knowing he must be in pain, I try lifting up the front of the ATV this time.
I stop as I notice the ATV is barely budging, the back of my shoulder feeling like it's on a hot burner.
Panting, I walk back over to Mack.
"I can't move it." I gasp out.
A smile starts to stretch across his face, but it quickly turns into another grimace as he gets hit with another wave of pain. "Of course you can't move it." He pauses. "It probably weighs more than five-hundred pounds."
His eyes widen before he frantically digs through his pockets. Pulling out his phone, he turns it on. "Come on." He whispers, staring at the screen.
He frowns. "No service." He throws his hands up. "Of course there's no service, we're in the country!" Frustration seeps into his voice. "Great, we've crashed on a ATV that just got back from getting its wheels replaced....I even test drove it. And I don't have any cellphone service!!"
"I'll go get help." I quickly tell him.
His eyes snap back up to me.
I check my watch.
7:45. P.M. Only another hour, and a half until dark.
He settles back down. "Okay." He mumbles out, his energy depleting.
"Hopefully I'll be back before dark." Thinking of the wild animals I'm sure are out here, I grab a large stick. "Here, in case you need it." Catching my drift, he takes the stick.
"Thanks." He says.
Nodding my head, I turn so I'm facing the path we came from. Rotating my shoulder a bit, I grimace.
Yup, that still hurts.
Taking a deep breath, I prepare for the five-ish mile run.
This isn't going to end well.
Grimacing, I head out at a steady jog.
After about thirty minutes, I finally make out the farmhouse in the distance, the fading light not helping much.
With my head hammering and my heart pounding, I stop. Bending down, I place my hands on my knees as I take some deep breaths.
My stomach's been turning and twisting for the last fifteen minutes, a uncomfortable knot growing inside. My shoulder on fire.
I look over at the sunset, examining it. Only another thirty-forty minutes of sunlight left.
Straightening up, I take another deep breath, wincing when it only further irritates my stomach. Then I continue up the path.
Another fifteen minutes, and I have to stop again.
Falling to my hands and knees, I throw-up all the hotdog I'd been so happy to eat earlier. All my hard work gone, just like that. Groaning, I wrap my left arm around my torso, putting some pressure on my aching stomach.
Panting, I use my other hand to wipe the huge amount of sweat from my forehead, my feet already walking again.
Stupid stomach.
I look ahead at the farmhouse in the distance, wishing I could just poof over there in a cloud of smoke.
Ignoring the familiar stabs of pain in my stomach every time I move, I pick my pace back up to a run.
Finally, after another thirty horrendous minutes, I make it to the fence. Opening the gate, I head up towards the house.
In the fading light, I make out that Jack's truck is no longer here. With no one around outside, I run up to the backdoor.
Standing there, I double over, trying to catch my breath. Both my shoulder and stomach complaining.
Once I can sorta breath again, I open the door. Heading into the living room, I spot Lucy and Don sitting on the sofa.
They both look over at me as I come in. I just stand there, still catching my rapid breathing.
"What is it?" Lucy stands up, Don joining her.
"ATV.....flipped...over." I gasp out, wrapping my arms around my stomach as it gives an especially large spasm of pain.
Lucy's eyes widen. She scans me, then the empty hallway behind me. "Where's Mack?" She urgently asks, taking a step forward.
Don walks to the front-door, putting his shoes on.
"He's...stuck underneath." My breathing finally catches up to me, my words coming out clearer.
Don pauses. "Everyone in the truck." He decides.
Lucy frantically slides her shoes on. "Do we need more help to move the ATV?" She questions Don.
"No we'll be fine." He heads out the front door.
Lucy and I follow him.
Once we're back in the truck, I show Don the path we took. Switching on the trucks headlights, he drives down as fast as he dares.
Anxiously, I sit in the back. My fingers drumming the seat.
After about fifteen minutes, Don slows down once we're at the top of the hill, his lights shining on the form of the flipped ATV.
As soon as he parks, everyone jumps out.
I see Mack has a big, relieved smile on his face. Still in the same exact position as when I left him.
Although, there isn't really anywhere to move when your stuck under a ATV.
"About time you got here." Mack teases, though his voice tells me he's close to tears.
Lucy immediately kneels next to his head, stroking his cheek. "Are you alright, sweetie?" She checks him over.
"Well besides the fact my legs are pinned under a five-hundred pound vehicle. I'm just dandy."
Don checks around the ATV, a thoughtful look on his face.
He looks over at Mack. "We'll be talking about this soon enough." He says.
Mack groans. "Looking forward to it." He mumbles out.
Don grabs a spot on the ATV. "Come on you two, grab a spot."
I go stand on the other side of Don, Lucy on the other.
Don starts counting down. "Alright. One, two, three." We all pull up on the side of the ATV. Slowly it lifts up, and Mack uses his arms to drag himself free.
Right as I feel it start to slip, Mack moves all the way out from it.
We all let go, and it falls back with a crunch.
Leaving them to care for Mack, I head down the hill towards the tire.
Stopping, I stoop down to examine it.
I run my fingers over where the bolts would be if it was attached, frowning as I notice something's not right.
Walking back up the hill, I go over towards the left side of the ATV. I check the front axle, where the tire attaches.
Fresh scratch marks.
I could totally be over thinking this....but.
The tire had fresh scratch marks where the bolts go, and so does the axle.
It looks as-if someone was in a hurry....a hurry to unscrew the bolts?..... To loosen the Bolts?
Mack had said they'd just gotten it back from the shop, and that it was in the shop getting new tires. But Mack had already ridden it once since getting it back, and it was fine.
It almost seems like.......No!
I shake my head.
It can't be. I'm just over thinking this.
And yet, I can't help but repeat the same thing over, and over in my head.
Someone did this on purpose.
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A/N
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🍽🍗🍪
Hey y'all, hope your having a good thanksgiving. (Well those that celebrate it)
Okey, I'm really sorry for not updating when I was supposed too. I was really busy helping to get ready for today, and I had a horrible headache all day yesterday. (Apparently I wasn't over that cold yet, and I went out yesterday to help my sisters move our Electric fence. And ended up sweating in the cold weather, so yeah it made my cold come back with vengeance.) (not fun)
Anyways, hope y'all like this Chapter!!!! Ive been working on it for the past three days.
COMMENT.......VOTE!!!!!!!! I love hearing from you!!!
Special thanks to Wallflower29!!! Thank so much!!😁😍
Next update: Either Saturday or Sunday.
Have a good one.😃
Maggy
Edited: 6/10/17