"Daddy?" Jamie asked, whispering so the faceless men couldn't hear them.
"Shh, I know this is scary baby, but I need you to listen to me." He said, picking her up of the ground.
The moon wasn't out tonight. It was hiding. The forest was like a maze of darkness with endless dangers.
"Daddy, are those the same men who hurt mommy? The ones that made it so she had to go to Heaven and be an angel before she was suppose to?"
Her father stared at her for a moment, worrying about his baby. He had already lost his wife, if he lost his baby girl too, he didn't know what he'd do.
"Yeah, they are, baby. Listen, daddy needs you to do something. Do you think you can, Jamie?" He whispered.
"Ok, what do I do?" She asked.
"I need you to go back to town and get the Chief of police for me. I want you to get him and bring him back here. Tell him I'm with the men who hurt mommy, and that he has to come right away. Can you do that?" He whispered, wanting desperately to grab her and make a run for it. But his stubborn pride was preventing him from going after the ones who had taken his Susan from him.
"You can't come with me?" She asked, instantly scared of having to leave him with the faceless men.
"No, baby, but Chief Renaldo will listen to you. When I say go you run, ok? No arguing, no waiting, you run, and run fast, baby."
"Ok." She said, promising to herself that she would come back in time to keep daddy from having to be an angel early too.
"Wait here." He said, slipping deeper into the shadows. A moment later he appeared at the edge of the clearing, his only a weapon being Jamie's old wooden baseball bat.
"Hey! Who are you?" One of the faceless men demanded.
"My name is Ralf Foster," He answered calmly, now that he had every one of the men’s attention. "And I'm Susan Foster's husband. You are?"
"My name is Budd, and I'm going to have to kill you." The biggest one said, moving to stand right in front of Ralf.
"I'm not scared of you. And I'm not going to run." Ralf answered, looking toward her, giving the signal in a subtle but risky fashion.
"Oh? Well, that just means your stupid."Budd said.
Jumping up and turning on her heel, Jamie heard the sounds of men grunting, heard her father scream, her a gun go off, but didn't once look back. She had to get to Chief Renaldo, and save daddy.
Before she was out of hearing range though, she heard another shot, and another, then she heard Budd say; "Not so tough now, are you?" Another shot accompanied the words, and Jamie knew she was too late. But she couldn't stop running.
She ran straight to the Chief of police and grabbed his hand, yelling her excuses as she pulled on him. Then telling it calmly when he and the rest of the cops came back with a big black bag.
She knew daddy was in the bag, but she didn't cry. She stood there with her head held high, but one lonely tear escaped her blinking lashes to slip down her cheek when Renaldo put a hand on her shoulder.
She would never cry another tear, she vowed to herself, not even on the day she would die. Crying was for the weak, and she wasn't weak. She was six, but she was tough as nails. She wouldn't cry.
She wouldn't, no, couldn't.
She couldn't cry, never again.
But she would be a murderer'd worst nightmare.