CHAPTER FIVE

Jacob led Emily on horseback out of the city and back to their farm. Many fearful eyes watched them as they disappeared into the dense surroundings of the forest. Once on the open road, they continued their journey in an uncomfortable silence, for Jacob felt a heavy sense of shame weighing on his mind; shame for the fact he had allowed his wife to be hurt and mamed; and shame for the fact he had murdered several members of a rabid mob. He was disgusted with himself. His stomach turned each time he thought about what had done and seen.

Emily rode quietly beside Jacob with a pain expression etched upon her face. The assault she endured was starting to ache and throb throughout her body. After awhile, each bump from the horse was its own new punishment.

After some time, the red glow of the sun vanished from the horizon and was replaced by peaceful twilight. Jacob was too busy going over the horrors of what he had done to notice Hank and several of his boys running up the road toward him. They were all armed.

When Jacob finally saw them, he startled and reached for his rifle, but his hand recoiled from the weapon in disgust when he recognized who it was.

"Jacob!" Hank greeted. "You made it?" His words were filled with both surprise and disbelief.

Jacob brought his horse to a stop in the road. He grimly nodded his head.

Hank's gaze narrowed in understanding. His eyes then moved to Emily. They flashed with concern when he saw her condition. Stepping forward, he took her horse by the reins. "We came to get you," he said, "we just wanted to wait until it was dark before we proceeded."

"I couldn't wait," Jacob said, his voice flat and without emotion, like a corpse whispering from a grave.

"I can see that," said Hank.

Hank passed the reins to one of his boys. "Form a patrol and let's return to the farm. Emily needs medical attention."

The boys broke into a line around the horses: two in front, two in back.

Jacob felt a surge of indignation rise within his body. He didn't like seeing Hank take command of the situation. It was he who had rescued Emily, and it would be he who tended to her wounds.

"With all due respect," Jacob said to Hank. "I can take care of my wife."

Hank locked eyes with Jacob. He took a careful, calculated moment to assess Jacob's state-of-mind. He could see the fires of protection buring deep within his pupils. Hank nodded his head slowly. "And so you shall," he said in a cautious, calming tone-of-voice.

From there, the group traveled back to Hank's farm. Godiva was waiting for them at the shack. Apparently, she had been knocked unconscious by the sentries. Jacob lovingly stroked her head when she came running up to him, but this caused Godiva to whine in pain, for a large welt rested at her temple. Jacob withdrew his hand to her backside, where he gave it an affectionate pat. Godiva followed them into Hank's shack. She settled in the bedroom Hank had prepared for them. Once the door was closed, Jacob could be heard crying as he undressed his wife and cleansed her wounds.

"I can't believe they did this to you," he said. "I can't believe they did this to you..."


The following morning, Jacob found Hank on the porch. Hank had been waiting for Jacob to stir across his path. Likewise, Jacob had been eager to seek him out.

"Emily asleep?" Hank asked from his rocking chair.

Jacob silently nodded his head.

Hank shifted in his chair. "Have a seat," he said to Jacob, "we need to talk." Jacob slowly responded to the request. It seemed the gravity of last night's events were still weighing heavily upon his mind. Usually, sleeping something off helped to reduce the importance of whatever it was that had been plaguing the person's mind--but not this. Jacob was still upset with himself, and it showed. Hank watched Jacob carefully as he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"I want you to know," Hank began, "your wife and child will be joining us in the New Republic, but I'm not so sure you can. We heard the gunshots, Jacob. What happened?"

Jacob drew a breath. After a pause, he sighed heavily. He knew this conversation had been coming. There was something about last night's events that had changed the course of his life. He was a murderer, now. Realizing this and admitting to it was like accepting a diagnosis of cancer... only for his soul. It was deep in him, growing... but not yet beyond repair. No scalpel could touch it, but the choices he made from here on out would either cause it to blossom or shrivel; ripen or decay.

"I went to get Emily with the guns," he said. "I did my best to restrain myself. When I finally had her out of there we were saddling up to get away when a mob came around the corner. They surrounded us. I shot at the ground to scare them off, but they just started laughing and threatening us and getting more and more out of control. So, I lost it... after years of living in fear of these people... and then finally seeing them surround me and my wife and child... I just lost my mind... I wanted them out of my way so we could escape; but they wouldn't listen. So, I shot at them... blindly... wildy... and I feel like a killer for it. I feel horrible. Just... horrible."

Hank nodded his head thoughtfully. "You love your wife, don't you?" he asked.

"More than anything," answered Jacob. "And when my child is born, I will love him or her even more than that."

Hank nodded his head again. "I get you," he said. "I get what happened. It's my fault, really. I put too much power in your hands. But, if you hadn't had that power, Emily might have died, your child might have died, and that mob... well... who knows what they might have done to you. The people that live in the city, they barely qualify as human. Rape. Incest. Murder. The have no concept of what a neighbor is, only take-take-take. You're different, though. How did you survive there long enough to make it onto a farm?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "I was home-schooled. My parents worked as enviromental consultants for several surrounding cities. They lost faith in what they were doing, but it was the only thing they were good at doing, and it was a relatively high position of power. They told me to take another path in life--to seek truth. So, I started looking for it. It led me to my job as a homeopathic provider. I helped heal the people of the city, and they respected me for it. Well, enough to leave me and Emily alone. I ignored the beastly things they did to each other. I just healed them as they came. In the meantime, I searched for more truth. But there's so much missinformation out here. Even now, I can't be certain the story you've told me is true. My gut says it is. But, seeing is believing."

A smirk perked up at the corner of Hank's mouth. "Seeing is believing," he repeated, "and see you shall. We'll make for the New Republic once Emily is safe to travel, okay?"

Jacob bobbed his head in acknowledgement. He then stood and returned to Emily's room. She was asleep. Jacob's hand moved to her pregnant belly, where for several minutes he felt his baby move and kick inside her stomach. He smiled.