Second Spirit -5- by Melanie Brown

Second Spirit

By

Melanie Brown

Advisor: Lisa Charlene
Copyright © 2024

Part 5

Kajika hung his head, his chin resting on his shirtless chest. “This is it. We’re done. I should have listened to my dad. I’d give anything right now to be working the farm.”

There was no airflow in the room we were in, and it was getting warm. My dress hung loosely over my shoulders. I continued my struggle with the plastic ties on my wrists.

I looked over at the boy. “Don’t give up hope just yet. I didn’t want to be trapped on a reservation, but I sure as hell don’t plan to be sold to some douchebag either.”

Kajika looked over at me and frowned. He said something in Navajo.

I shook my head. “I don’t understand the lingo.” I almost had my hand through the loop.

“Too bad,” he said grimly. “We could have at least have conversations those assholes don’t understand. But you’re being stupid, girl. You can’t break these ties.”

Nodding, I said, “Yeah. I saw Windtalkers, too.” One more twist and … ah! I pulled my hand free.

Kajika’s eyes grew as large as saucers, and his mouth fell open. “dóola bichąąʼ! How did you do that?”

I smirked at him. “Amazing what you can learn on YouTube.” It took a couple of minutes of fumbling with both hands, but I got my feet free as well.

“Untie me! Untie me!” he shouted as he rocked his chair back and forth.

“Shhh! You’ll alert them!” I hissed.

“What’s going on down there?” shouted the thug I recognized as Carl.

“Shit shit shit” I muttered. I heard the door at the top of the stairs open and a couple footsteps. Maybe this is good. I crept to the base of the stairs. The wall blocked any view of me standing to one side. I took a few breaths. If this doesn’t work, we’re all screwed, blued and tattooed as my dad was fond of saying.

I heard the steps as they were almost to the bottom of the stairs. I turned to look up the stairs and reached up to grab Carl’s shirt collar. I took him completely by surprise as I jerked as hard as I could on his collar. Losing his balance, he stumbled a few steps and fell forward off the stairs. There was a crack as his head hit the hard floor. He lay still.

Kajika asked anxiously, “Is he dead? Is he?”

I saw his chest rise slightly. “We couldn’t be that lucky.” There was a bag of ties lying on a table near our chairs. I pulled several ties out and secured Carl’s hands and feet. I doubted he ever watched YouTube.

“Are you going to untie me, girl? Are you going to leave me here?” shouted Kajika.

“Hush,” I hissed. “I’m going to go see if I can get a knife or scissors. “It’ll be faster. Hold on. Hopefully, there’s no one upstairs.”

I snuck up the stairs. The door to the basement was still open, and I carefully peered outside the stairwell. The other thug was gone. I hastily searched the kitchen. I got the feeling the thugs were squatters in this house. I quickly found a pair of scissors.

Before going back down the stairs, I glanced into one of the bedrooms. On the floor were a couple pairs of underwear briefs with skid marks. I grabbed one carefully by the edges and hurried down the stairs.

Before releasing Kajika, I stuffed the underwear into Carl’s mouth. We can’t have him calling out.

Kajika rubbed his wrists after I had cut the ties. While he was doing that, I grabbed Carl’s wallet. I let out a low whistle.

“This boy’s loaded,” I said as I pulled over three hundred dollars from the wallet.

Kajika knelt beside me and said, “Hey, don’t forget his credit cards.”

I tossed them across the floor. “Naw. They’re useless without the PIN, and besides, they’re traceable.”

“Hey, what’s this?” Kajika felt around Carl’s unconscious form. Without warning, he removed a Taurus .380 semi-auto pistol from Carl’s pocket. He then pointed it straight at me. “This is cool!”

I squealed as I dropped the cash and batted his hand away. “You idiot! Don’t point that thing at me!”

Scowling, he said, “Hey girl. I know about guns!”

I held my hand out towards him. “Gimme.”

“Why? You’re just a girl. I doubt it’s even loaded,” frowned Kajika.

He reluctantly handed me the weapon. I dropped the mag out and pulled the slide back. A chambered round popped out. “Unloaded, huh?”

“How would I know?” Kajika asked defiantly.

I slid the mag back into the pistol but didn’t cock it. I set the pistol on the table next to the ties. “Now, just leave this alone.”

Kajika scowled. “Who made you the boss? You’re just a girl.”

I shook my head. “Who freed us, huh?”

“I’m the boy.”

I shook my head. “Let’s get out of here first. Is that your shirt?” I pointed at a shirt lying on the chair back.

“Yeah. That’s mine,” said Kajika.

“Put your shirt on. We need to leave.” I picked up the money I’d dropped.

“You need to stop bossing me around, girl.” He folded his arms and glared at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Okay, you’re the boss. Will the boss put his damn shirt on?”

“That’s better.”

When I turned around, Carl’s accomplice was standing next to the table, pointing Carl’s gun at us. How the hell did he manage to sneak in?

“Where do you two brats think you’re going?” asked the man with the gun.

End of Part 5