From Dusk Till Dawn

Chapter 44: The Reveal- Louise's Pov.

When I awake Joseph is gone. How long had I been asleep? Looking around, I'm taken aback when I discover that the sky isn't completely black from the night, but rather a blazing red color. It appears to be glowing, almost. Hartley sits behind the reins snapping small pieces of sticks.

"Where's Joseph?" I make my way up to the front. Sitting next to Hartley, I can't help but feel an unsettling feeling in my gut. "Him and Barry are taking a leak back that way?" Hartley points down the hill near a quickly streaming river.

"Are we in France?" My gaze follows the crimson horizon. Why does it look this way? "We arrived about an hour ago," says Hartley before disposing of his snapped sticks to the grass.

"Why is the sky so red?" My eyes trail the skyline by the hill where it's the most red. "I suspect a forest fire from bombing."

"Why did you let them go? What if there's an enemy out there," I exclaimed, hopping down. My legs feel weak but I'm strong enough to walk on my own. "Louise, don't worry that fire is a lot further down than you think. They'll be fine. Come sit down, you still don't look well." I'm not. There's this uneasiness in my stomach.

"Do you mind getting me some food from Joseph's bag if you're going to stay back there," Hartley asks a second later. Shuffling through Joseph's bag I searched for some food that my cousin would actually digest. He's the world's pickiest man.

After finding something he'd consider eating, my hand pauses. The gun. It's missing. "Did you see Joseph take his gun with him?" I ask with nervous cracks in my voice. Oh, how I have a sickening feeling about this.

"I didn't know Joseph had a gun in his possession?" Hartley's head spins back to me. "It's his grandfather's. He's not very fond of using a gun, let alone a weapon," my voice trails off. "I believe you since he and I are almost the same person," smiles Hartley with a light chuckle.

"Did Barry or Joseph go first?"

"Joseph did actually. Barry said he was going to grab some food to take with him while he was out there." He took the gun.

"Oh my God," I mutter. I don't know how I came to this conclusion this fast but it's there. "He's going to kill him." Barry's mission, finally revealing it's true path. How could I be so stupid? I shouldn't have left the two of them alone.

He was always planning to kill Joseph and take me back to America with the diamond. Jacob and mother must have come to an agreement: if he returns with me and the diamond, Barry can marry me and inherit the diamond's riches.

Just as I'm about to dash after them a dozen of army trucks drive up the dirt road. American flags fly through the wind on the back of each truck.

Once they come to a halt, an older man jumps out. When he spots Hartley, he waves to him. Right behind him a few women dressed in nurse uniforms hop out.

Then I see her. It's like I'm looking at a ghost. It's Dorothy. In the very flesh. Her smile grows when she sees me. I want to run to her and wrap my arms around my alive friend but I can't. Joseph's life is on the line. For all I know he's already dead.

"Louise!" Hartley's baby blue eyes watch me with uncertainty.

"Hartley, do you have that knife the colonel gave to you for your birthday?" I quickly yelled at him.

"Uh, yeah it's right here." Hartley reveals the shiny, hand knife that was folded up in his pocket. "What's going on?" He shouts as I steal it from his grasp. "Barry is going to kill Joseph!" I weakly sprint off the cart into the direction Hartley said they went. For Joseph's sake I push on harder despite the need to vomit.

Please don't be dead Joseph.

~ ~ ~

Chapter posted: 9/19/2021

Shorter chapter this week! Do you think Barry is going to actually kill Joseph? Let me know what y'all thought of this chapter and have a good week :)

Until next time...