Fission

Chapter 7

Chapter seven

That night Camila turned in early for sleep. The simple task of bathing wore her body out. It needed rest in order to heal, in order to survive. Dale sat a few feet away tending the fire. He only paused when he noticed Russell approaching. Dale stood up to meet his friend with a smile, however, the smile faded when he noticed car lights in the distance.

"You seem to be getting sloppy in your old age Rus." Dale pointed to the approaching lights. The two knew this was going to be trouble. Russel was always so cautious in not allowing others to follow him, but the lack of people and his old age deceived him. There was no way these two old men could defend themselves less alone than an injured lady. All Dale could do was try and hide the sleeping beauty. Dale quickly covers Camila up as she sleeps as if she isn't even there. He placed the trash and tattered blankets on top of her. Before he covered her completely, Dale put the pages of the bible he had read to her in her pockets. Dale somehow knew that The two men would not survive this, but he would give her a chance. Dale then quickly acted as if he was peeing on the pile of rubbish as the truck pulled up to their camp.

Dust moved about making the headlights seem hazy as the men exited the truck. One came to the fire and squatted down to have at it as the others surrounded the homeless men.

"We don't have anything." Russell grunted. One of the men in the group punched him hard causing Russell to topple over.

"Oh, I am sure you have something." The man whistled for the others to search around the camp. They overturned the baskets and flung blankets into the fire. One man found a few cans of food and lifted them up for the main guy to see.

"Lying will cost you, old man." He glared as he removed a gun from his waistband. Another man was about to lift up the pile of trash and Dale hollered.

"It is just trash there, along with our poop." The man glared at Dale.

"I saw him pissing there before we drove up, just leave it." Another man called out as he went through the homeless men's turned-over baskets.

"So, three cans of food. Two water bottles and lookie here...a pack of jerky. So you lied to me six times over..." the main man cursed at the two men. Dale went to reach for the gun but was shot in the head. Before Russell could react, he was also shot.

"If I had more bullets, I would have made that last longer." He chuckled as he put his gun away.

"Let's go." The man spits on the ground before walking back to the truck. The others followed as they fought over the few scraps of food they had found. The whole scene played out in less than five minutes. The encounter, the pillage, and the death of the two men were quick and ruthless, a true showing of the world that now exists.

The morning sun peeks through the rubbish that lays on top of Camila waking her to the warm air. She sits up and wonders why on earth the two old men piled what looked like garbage on top of her. Using her eyes to scan the scene before her, she is horrified when she notices the two men's bodies. Camila tried to jump up from her pile, but the pulling of her stitches reminded her she was not able to do as she pleased. As she pushed the pain of the injury aside, Camila crawled on her hands and knees toward the bodies of Dale and Russell. Precious water in the form of tears escaped her eyes as she began to sob over her friends. A wave of depression hit her as the negative thoughts flooded her mind. It seemed like death followed her. The lies whispered telling her that it was her fault as she held Dale's hand. Camila wanted to stay there forever mourning her friends, but she didn't know if the people who did this would return or not. With what little strength she had, Camila retrieved her backpack and stood one basket up on its wheels. She needed it for leverage as she made her way into the wooded area. She knew the city would be a death sentence and she almost turned to face it, however, a still small voice pushed her forwards.

Throughout the next few days, that small voice of hope would be drowned out with negative thoughts. The unwelcomed kind that comes to you when you are at your lowest. Those thoughts that scream at you telling you that you're worthless and that everything is your fault. The thoughts that say you should just end it, that no one would miss you and that you would be better off. Camila was having a breakdown and there was no one around to help her. The pain in her side and the constant voices screaming for her to end it seem to have won. Spotting a house and a barn, Camila exited the tree-lined and headed for the buildings. She entered a small barn looking for a rope or anything she could use to end this existence. Anything to stop the pain and the voices from shouting. To stop the emotional pain from the world ending and hell on earth flourishing. Camila tossed hay aside startling a chicken as she looked for anybody to take her pain away. The squawk of the bird was followed by a male's voice.

"Hello?" The word made Camila stop dead in her tracks.

"Hello, is there anyone there...or is it just the same chicken I have been talking to?" As much as Camila wanted to run, she could not.

"Yes..I am here." Camila spoke with a soft voice, quickly regretting it as she rolled her eyes at herself.

"Hello, miss..is this your barn? I'm sorry, I just kinda stumbled in here and well, got stuck." Camila peeked her head around the corner to see a man tangled up in hay, ropes, and chains.

"I'm Jonah...and I swear I wasn't trying to steal nothing....hello."

"I am here." Camila was standing not that far from him. She wondered why he called out twice for her. Didn't he see her?

"I am stuck. I came in here just to rest and well, I kinda fell into whatever this is. I didn't mean to trespass on your property."

"This isn't my property..." Camila was about to give the man her name, but the images of her two dead friends flashed in her memory. Could this man be the one who killed them?

"Did you kill my friends?" She blurted out. Jonah's brow raised a bit in confusion.

"No, I told you I have been stuck here pretty much all day and night. The only company I have had is that chicken."

"How don't you know that?" She hisses.

"Well for one.I am sort of tied up as you can see. And two...I can't see." Jonah wiggles his head a bit to adjust the sunglasses on his face.

"What do you mean you can't see?" Camila takes a few steps towards him cautiously.

"We the bomb dropped in Houston, I watched the explosion. Idiot I know...the flash sorta burned my retinas. One of the guys I was staying with said my sight might come back and some of it has, but only slightly." Jonah explains.

"My bag fell down there, look in it if you don't believe me. My wallet with my name and everything is in there. Some water and food also, just please help me out of this tangled mess." Camila glanced at the backpack and walked over toward it. She dumps it out and grabs the canteen of water. Greedily she drinks the warm liquid down. She then wipes the remaining water off her lips with the back of her sleeve before picking up the wallet and bible lying next to it. She opened the wallet. From his picture, Jonah was a handsome man in his early thirties. He had dark hair and brown eyes. It looked like he had dual citizenship in, USA and Japan. Also, a legal license to practice law along with a business card... attorney at law..interesting. Camila then read the name out loud.

"Jonah Fox Gambino."