“We’ll take the long way around,” Will said softly, almost to himself. “We’ll reach the building from behind, using the forest as cover.”
Beth wasn’t sure of this plan. She’d seen the traps in the forest. She remembered what happened to Ron. In her gut, Beth suspected the killer had a plan in place in the event one of the campers reached the lodge.
“What about the dock?” she asked. “It’s not far from the lodge.”
Will looked at her as if she were crazy. “We’re not risking being exposed just so we can get to some boats that may not even have fuel in them. The lodge will have working phones, and if not, I’ll be close enough to the road to use my cell phone.”
Will was hoping someone had left their keys at the lodge, but Beth found the possibility unlikely. Now that Zack was out of the picture, their plan to use the van was no longer feasible.
Beth hesitantly followed Will farther away from the trail. For a while, she had truly convinced herself that everything was going to work out. Zack had checked in with them every so often, shining his flashlight down from the peak. When he reached the top, Beth found herself holding her breath. As she crouched in the bushes waiting with Will, she had finally started to relax. Then the sound of gunshots echoed above the thunder. Beth felt her skin crawling just thinking about it.
She looked again at Will. He seemed surprisingly unaffected by his friend’s death. The man she was with now under the cover of darkness stood in sharp contrast with the one who had flirted with her earlier that day in front of Ron. There was something in his eyes that made her uncomfortable. He was slowly becoming unhinged right in front of her.
“Come on,” her companion said.
Will carefully made his way down the steep incline where erosion had eaten away the hillside, exposing mud and rocks. He extended his hand and helped her down, all the while looking past her beyond the forest. Having taken his eye off the ground, Will stumbled and slid down the hill. He landed softly in the mud at the foot of the hill. Beth stood above him, holding onto a small tree for support. She reached for the shotgun, which had slipped out of his grip.
Will’s eyes grew wide. “Don’t touch that,” he said in a hiss.
Before she could respond, the sound of dry leaves crunching sounded nearby.
Someone was coming. Beth saw a dark figure emerging from the trees below, approaching Will. Dizzy from the fall, Will tried to regain his footing, but slipped and fell back against the muddy earth. The figure drew nearer. Pale light glinted off the handgun the man was holding. Will reached into his pocket and grabbed the cell phone. He pointed the light at the intruder as if warding off an evil spirit. The light did nothing to deter their silent stalker, who was almost on top of him.
A shotgun blast echoed across the trail.
“Stop right there!” shouted Beth, who had fired the shot. The figure looked up and saw her holding the shotgun on him. “Don’t come any closer!”
In response, the man held his hands in the air, as if in surrender. Beth noted that he continued holding onto the gun.
“It’s okay,” the man said. “I’m not here to hurt you.” He stepped into the moonlight.
It was Austin Fields. Beth’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Thank God,” she whispered. She lowered the shotgun.
The park ranger let out a sigh of relief and returned his handgun to its holder. As Beth made her way down the hill, Fields helped Will out of the mud.
“Thanks,” Will said flatly, a vacant expression on his face.
“You’re alive!” Beth exclaimed. Fields turned to face her while listening for sounds in the forest behind them. “We saw your vehicle turned over on the trail. We thought something had happened to you.”
“It almost did,” Fields muttered.
“Where were you?” Will demanded. He snatched the shotgun back from Beth, now clearly angry. “We tried radioing in, but you never answered. Why did you give us those things in the first place if you couldn’t even be bothered to pick up?”
Fields glared at Will, and Beth could sense that the camper had picked the wrong person to tangle with. Will probably sensed it too, because he quickly backed down.
“Believe me, I was on my way,” the ranger answered. “Hickory Johnson wasn’t answering his phone, and I couldn’t find him at the lodge.”
“Did you call the police?” Beth asked hopefully.
Fields shook his head. “I decided to check the trails first. I heard your group radioing in, but couldn’t make out what you were saying. When I tried contacting you, no one answered. Then I overturned my ATV in the mud. I finally found your trail earlier, and I’ve been following you since then.”
“Everyone else is dead,” Will said. “The Hunter came into our tent and killed one of my friends. Then he blew up my friend and a poacher we found next to the river. He killed my other friends, and her boyfriend,” he said, animatedly gesturing at Beth. “We’re the only ones left.”
“Get a hold of yourself,” Fields said sternly. “The only way we’ll all get out of this is if we stick together.”
“We’re headed for the lodge,” Beth interrupted. “We’re going to try to find a phone or a car to get out of here.”
Fields nodded. “That’s a good idea. The keys to my car are still on my desk.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Will demanded. “Let’s go.”
“Okay. I’ll cover you,” the park ranger said, facing the rear. “Whoever’s hunting us will have heard the blast from your shotgun.”
Beth looked over her shoulder nervously before nodding in agreement. The trio began making their way through the sparse edge of the forest toward the lodge. There was only one way to go now, and that was forward. Beth occasionally glanced back and forth at her two companions. Will seemed somewhat stabilized by the park ranger’s appearance, though he continued to hold the shotgun so tightly his knuckles were white. Fields kept a watchful gaze trained on the forest behind them. Beth thought he looked distracted, like something else was weighing on his mind.
She tried telling herself that with two guns, they were more than a match for the Hunter, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was very wrong. She regretted firing the shotgun into the air, which probably alerted the killer to their path.
“We’re almost there,” Fields said a short time later.
They huddled at the edge of the forest and stared at the specter of the dark lodge. Clouds were once again beginning to conceal the moon. Beth prayed more rain wasn’t on the way.
Fields turned to Will. “See if the back door is unlocked. I’ll stay here and keep watch.” He took out his gun. “You stay here with me,” he said to Beth. “If anything happens, run to the lodge.”
“It should be her,” Will protested. “She should go.”
“You’re the one with the gun,” Fields said. The park ranger gritted his teeth, and Will relented. He emerged from the woods and slowly crept toward the lodge. A short distance later he reached the back door.
So far, so good, Beth thought. She watched as Will tried opening the door. It was locked.
He turned around, looking to Fields for guidance. Under the cover of night, it was hard to see them from the lodge.
Then Beth heard the gunshot. The bullet splintered the wooden façade of the building just next to the door. Beth saw Will’s mouth drop in horror. He glanced into the forest surrounding him on three sides. The shot could have come from anywhere.
Beth watched as Will shot the door with the shotgun. He smashed through the frame and spilled into the darkness inside.
“Go after him,” Fields said, turning around. “Run!”
“Don’t leave us!” Beth begged. She grabbed his arm tightly.
Fields looked her over for a moment and pulled his arm fr
ee.
“I’ll be back,” he said before vanishing into the trees.
Her heart pounding, Beth took off for the lodge. The roar of another gunshot echoed loudly behind her. She was dimly aware of the bullet passing through her leg before she felt the pain. Beth stumbled and fell to the ground. She could see Will in the doorway, watching her from the darkness. His eyes gleamed in the pale light.
“Help me,” she begged.
He watched her for another moment before turning and disappearing into shadow. Beth glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t see any sign of the killer out there, but she knew he was there all the same. Fighting through the pain, she clawed her way toward the door.
***
Rodney Crowe licked dry lips. He watched the woman crawling slowly closer to the safety of the lodge through his one good eye. She would never set foot in the lodge alive. He would see to that.
The killer took aim with the rifle and prepared to take the shot. He was done playing games. His finger slid over the trigger.
At that moment, Zack stepped out from behind him and bashed the killer’s head with a sharp rock. Disoriented, Crowe dropped the gun. It fell down the hill out of his reach. He tasted blood.
“You,” the killer whispered. He pulled the hunting knife free and pointed at the camper. “I’m going to make you wish you were never born.”
Zack rushed the man before he had a chance to do anything else. He smashed the killer’s face with the rock, knocking several of his teeth out. The killer collided with him, and the two rolled down the hill and fell apart. Crowe jumped to his feet, still gripping the knife. Zack regained his footing and looked for a way out. He saw something gleaming on the ground in the moonlight and moved sideways, keeping his eyes on the killer.
“Do it,” he muttered. “If you think you can.”
The killer spit out blood and fragments of broken teeth before rushing toward him. Zack pivoted, and the killer reached out with the knife.
The bear trap snapped shut around Crowe’s leg. Zack could hear the sound of bone breaking. The killer was caught in one of his own traps. Zack didn’t stick around long enough to see what the killer would do next. He took off running toward the lodge, to freedom.
Rodney Crowe watched the camper until the man disappeared from sight. His legs buckled. Crowe forced himself forward, his mangled leg dragging behind him along the ground.
I’ll kill them, he thought amid the pain. I’ll kill them all.
Crowe’s face was covered in the blood of his ruined eye and missing teeth. The blood sparkled in the moonlight. He hobbled along, knife in hand. It was all he could do to keep his balance. The bear trap clanged against the earth where he’d uprooted it. The metal teeth pinched his leg more with each step.
A form moved in the forest ahead of him. The killer gritted stained teeth and readied his knife. When he looked up, the figure was gone.
“You let them get the best of you.”
The cold words cut him. Crowe spun around, wincing from the pain in his leg. The Hunter stood before him. Crowe lowered the knife. The man watched him with black eyes.
“Look what they’ve done to me,” Crowe said. “And now they’re at the lodge. We have to take them now. Together.”
The Hunter moved closer to him. Crowe could smell the man’s foul breath on his face. Under the moonlight, the Hunter’s silver necklace seemed to glow with an eerie hue.
“You’re too injured to finish the hunt,” he whispered. His words sounded like a hiss. “Your blood is everywhere. The authorities will find you, and they’ll make you talk.”
Crowe’s lower lip started to quiver. He kept the knife clenched tightly in his hands. “I won’t say anything.”
His friend smiled. “No. You won’t.”
Crowe tried thrusting the knife into the man’s side, but the Hunter was ready for him. He caught Crowe’s wrist and snapped it like a twig. The blade fell to the ground, and Crowe sank to his knees.
The Hunter stared down at his protégé with a slight feeling of disappointment and picked up the hunting knife.
“Did you really think you could play this game and never become a part of it?” he asked while spinning the knife in his fingers.
Before Crowe could answer, the Hunter cut his throat. He could hear the whispers murmuring in approval. In death, his friend would still have a purpose. When the police came, they would find Rodney Crowe’s body. The serial killer responsible for dozens of deaths in state parks around the country would finally be laid to rest. The case would be closed, and after enough time had passed, the Hunter would resume his deadly game.
Only one thing remained. There were still campers left alive.
It was time to finish the game.
Chapter Eighteen
5:00 am
Tears stung her eyes. Beth’s fingernails scraped against the black pavement, producing a shrill sound that echoed in her ears. Ahead, the empty doorway beckoned elusively where Will had stood only seconds before.
“Help me,” she cried again. She hoped a sudden surge of conscience would compel Will to return, but no form appeared in the darkness of the doorway. She was alone. Each second felt like an eternity. The distance to the lodge, ordinarily an easy one, seemed vastly magnified. Beth was exposed under the full light of the moon. Any second now the next bullet would echo, and that would be it.
Blood poured from her leg. Oddly enough, the pain felt muted. Instead, her entire body burned like it was on fire. Her strength threatened to give way, but Beth renewed her efforts to crawl to the lodge’s entrance.
Someone was moving in the brush near the forest behind her. Beth’s hair stood on end. Her shallow breathing sounded like the thunder of drums. A shadow materialized on the lodge wall against the backdrop of the moonlight. He had come for her.
Don’t look back, she thought. Beth trained her sights on the door, which slowly but surely drew closer. You can make it, she thought, repeating the mantra over and over inside her head. You can do it. She quickened her pace.
It was too late. A hand grabbed her from behind. Fingers gripped her shoulder tightly, and Beth screamed.
“It’s okay,” Zack whispered. “I’m here.”
“Zack?” Beth replied weakly. Zack looked like he’d been through a war since they’d parted. He was covered in mud and debris, and his clothes were torn.
***
“Relax,” he said. He quickly glanced over his shoulder at the woods before returning his attention to her. Based on what happened minutes earlier, he doubted the killer would be catching up to them anytime soon. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to take any chances.
Beth turned over, and he spotted her leg.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I’ve been shot,” she whispered. Her voice was faint.
“Join the club,” Zack muttered. “Come on,” he added as he helped Beth to her feet. “We’ve got to get you inside.” She leaned against his shoulder, and Zack put his arms around her. They walked toward the lodge, Beth hobbling on one leg.
If the frayed wooden lodge seemed creepy to the campers the previous morning, in the darkness it was like something out of a nightmare. Shadows twisted around each unfamiliar corner. Pictures and photographs mounted on the walls were disfigured by the blackness. What little moonlight filtered into the lodge served only to highlight the grotesqueries lurking within.
It was quiet. Zack watched Beth’s blood drip onto the wooden floor. He eased her to the floor and propped her against a wall.
“What are you doing?” she asked, a faint hint of panic in her voice.
“Closing the door,” he said. Zack tried his best to shut the splintered door to seal away the horrors outside. “What happened? Where’s Will?”
He found a table in the adjoining snack
room and pushed it against the door. The sound of the wind banging against the doorframe died down.
“He left me,” Beth said. “He saw me get shot, and he vanished in here.”
“That bastard,” Zack muttered.
Will had always had a cold side, but this was a part of his friend he’d never seen before. Turning his attention back to Beth, he smashed through the glass of a drink machine in the snack room and retrieved a bottle of water. He paused on the way back. Something caught his eye outside one of the windows, where a dark shape moved outside the screen.
It’s just a tree, Zack realized. Pull yourself together.
“Here,” he said, handing her the water. “Drink this. You’re losing fluids.”
Beth grabbed the bottle and almost drained it in seconds. “There’s something else,” she said. “We found Fields. When the shooting started, he ran into the forest after the killer. I haven’t seen him since.”
There was fear in her voice. Zack wanted to tell her about his confrontation with the killer, but didn’t want to raise her hopes in case the man returned. He couldn’t put the killer’s green eyes out of his mind, and how different they were from the black eyes of the man who’d held a knife to his throat in the tent.
He studied her wound in the dim light. “It looks like the bullet passed through.” Although her leg was covered in blood, it appeared the projectile had actually entered her lower thigh. “I need to find some bandages,” he whispered. “And a phone.”
Beth’s eyes grew wide in the darkness. “Don’t leave me here,” she pleaded.
“I can’t take you with me. Not yet.” Zack handed her another bottle of water. “You need to rest.” He hated the idea of leaving her alone in the hallway, but he couldn’t think of any better options. He could move a lot faster unhindered. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
A Sound In The Dark Page 17
