Ghost Canyon (The John Decker Supernatural Thriller Series Book 7)

by Anthony M. Strong

  “Will that work?” Barnes asked.

  “I don’t know if any of this will work,” Decker said. “I’m only going on the information Travis Biggs wrote in his journal. For all I know, Karuk lied to Travis about how to return Shilah’s spirit to the other side and dissipate the energy that created the Baykok.”

  “We don’t have any choice,” Fowler said. “Crazy as this all sounds.”

  “I agree.” Robyn nodded. “According to what you just told us, Shilah’s remains need to be made whole again for the creature to go away. It shouldn’t matter whether there are some extra bones included that aren’t his.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Decker reached into the cabinet and removed the brittle bones. “I need something to wrap these and keep them protected.”

  “A bag would be good too,” Barnes said.

  “Coming right up.” Robyn stepped out of the room and quickly returned with a backpack and a towel, which she spread across the top of the display case. “Here, use this.”

  Decker placed the bones on the towel and wrapped them carefully, then placed the precious cargo into the bag and zipped it up. “I’m going up to the grave.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Barnes said.

  “Me too,” Fowler announced. “I’m having trouble getting my head around all this, but I’m not going to miss it.”

  “And me,” Robyn added. “It’s my mine. I have the most to lose.”

  “I think you should all stay here and let me do this on my own,” Decker replied, glancing around the group. “It might not be safe.”

  “All the more reason for us to come then.” Robyn met Decker’s gaze. “The Baykok might not want to slip quietly into the night. You might need a distraction.”

  “Is this how you all feel?” Decker asked.

  As one, they nodded.

  “Fine. We don’t have time to argue about it.” Decker started for the door. He crossed the hotel lobby with the rest of the group in tow. As he reached the front door, he heard a patter of feet. When he looked back, Tieg was standing watching them.

  The dog let out a single bark.

  “No,” Robyn said, crossing to the animal and patting its head. “You can’t come with us. Go back to your bed and lay down.”

  The dog looked up at her for a moment, then it turned and sauntered back toward the office, glancing over his shoulder once before turning the corner and disappearing.

  Robyn rejoined the group. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s vanquish a monster.”

  Chapter Sixty-One

  They passed through town under the cover of darkness and made their way to the trail leading up to the Ghost Canyon Mine with flashlights in hand. But they would not follow it all the way. At the midpoint, another less traveled path meandered up through the canyon and ended, finally, at a plateau overlooking the Colorado River. It was there the warrior, Shilah, was buried. And it was there the Baykok would be defeated. At least, if it all went to plan.

  Decker took the lead, with the backpack containing the last of Shilah’s remains slung over one shoulder. As they walked near Carlton’s shack he saw a light burning, but there was no sign of the old man himself. Decker eyed the old WWII Jeep sitting to the side of the cabin, wondering if it would be able to make it up the trail, then decided against it. The thing would probably roll over and kill them all on one of the steep inclines, not to mention how narrow the trail became.

  They continued on out of town, climbing until they reached the split. Here they turned left, away from the mine. As they went, Robyn spoke up, breaking the silence that had consumed them since leaving the saloon.

  “Do you think this will really take care of the situation?” She asked. “I mean, it seems so easy, just putting an old bone back into the ground.”

  “Maybe there’s some sort of incantation we need to recite,” Barnes speculated. “Some ancient words that will open the portal between our world and wherever that creature came from.”

  “If there is, I don’t know them.” Decker had wondered the same thing, but the journal didn’t mention any specific ritual. “We can only hope Travis Biggs didn’t omit any information.”

  “Or that his buddy, Karuk, didn’t withhold some vital tidbit in the same way that he concealed one of Shilah’s bones.”

  “Yes. But we can only go on the available data, and I choose to believe we will be successful.” Decker adjusted the pack on his shoulder and stepped over a boulder jutting from the earth. He played his flashlight beam over the ground ahead, aware of the danger posed by a careless misstep. The mountain pathway was treacherous in the darkness. If one were to slip and fall over the edge, it would be a long way down. Worse, the ground was uneven and scattered with loose rocks and gravel. But he didn’t want to wait for daylight. If the creature escaped the mine, innocent lives would be lost, and he would be to blame.

  “How far do we have to walk?” Robyn asked. “I don’t like it out here.”

  “It shouldn’t be much further,” Decker replied. “We’ve covered a good distance already. Maybe another half-mile.”

  “Which will feel more like two miles on this terrain,” Barnes said.

  “If you’re uncomfortable, I’m sure someone will take you back,” Decker said to Robyn. “You don’t need to accompany us.”

  “I’m coming, and that’s all there is to it,” Robyn replied with a determined look upon her face. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “Not trying to get rid of you. I’m glad you’re here. You probably know the landscape better than any of us.”

  “Damn right. Plus, I want to see that bone put back in the ground. That creature, the Baykok or whatever you called it, is living inside my mine. I intend to evict it.”

  “That’s the attitude.” Barnes chuckled. “Don’t give up. Fight back.”

  “I’ve never given up and I’m not starting now.” “Speaking of which, don’t you think this is too easy, us just wandering up here and planting a bone to solve all our problems?” Fowler said, glancing around nervously. “In my experience, nothing’s ever this simple.”

  “Honestly, it’s about time something was easy,” Decker replied. “I’m due one.”

  “Not sure it works like that,” Fowler said. “I think we should—”

  The screech that echoed down the canyon cut him off mid-sentence.

  Decker stopped and glanced skyward, searching the heavens for any sign of the creature. “I guess that answers your question. Happy now?” he said to Fowler.

  “Not in the least.” Fowler reached for his gun. “This is one instance where I would truly love to be wrong.”

  “It could’ve been anything,” Robyn said hopefully. “Coyote or even an owl.”

  “That wasn’t a coyote or an owl,” Barnes replied, drawing his own service weapon. “And I think we all know it.”

  “I like my interpretation better,” Robyn said, her voice cracking as she tried to swallow the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

  “I hoped the protection symbol I drew at the mine entrance would hold the creature back,” Decker said. “It appears I was wrong.”

  “Unless it found another way out,” Barnes said.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Fowler turned and looked up the trail toward the gravesite. “Creature or not, we must get that bone up there.”

  “Which is why we need to keep moving,” Decker said. He gathered the group together and nudged them forward. “Just keep walking, fast as you can, and be alert. Remember, it can fly.”

  “How could I forget,” Barnes said, hurrying along beside Decker. “The image of that thing dropping out of the darkness and coming toward us is burned into my memory forever.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t know we’re here,” Robyn said. “If we’re lucky, it will leave us alone.”

  “I wouldn’t bank on it.” Fowler was bringing up the rear, craning his neck to watch their rear. “Like I said, nothing ever goes easy.”

  As if to prove him
right, another screech ripped the air, this one closer.

  Fowler stopped. He motioned for the others to keep going and pointed his gun upward. “You guys make a run for it. I’ll see if I can distract the damned thing.”

  “Don’t be a fool.” Decker turned back. He took a step toward Fowler, hoping to dissuade him from his foolhardy plan.

  He never got a chance.

  Before Decker could reach the defiant FBI agent, a black shape dropped from the sky. Wings beating the air. Red eyes blazing. Then all hell broke loose on the ground.

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Robyn screamed. Bullets started flying as the two FBI agents opened fire upon the angry creature. Decker leaped forward and took Robyn’s arm, steering her further up the trail and out of harm’s way. By the time he turned back, the Baykok was blocking the path behind them. Then Decker realized something else. Agent Fowler had stopped firing his gun and now stood transfixed with the weapon held in front of him like some kind of deadly offering.

  Barnes was backing up, aware that his bullets were useless against the supernatural entity. He reached out and caught hold of Fowler’s collar, tried to pull him backwards, but the senior agent merely shrugged off his partner’s grip and walked forward, toward the Baykok.

  “Elton,” Barnes shouted, using Special Agent Fowler’s first name. “Don’t look at it. Keep your eyes down.”

  But if Fowler heard the frantic plea, he ignored it. And all the while, the creature stood waiting for its victim.

  “It’s no use,” Decker said, drawing level with Barnes. “He’s already under its influence. Take Robyn and get her to safety. I’ll do what I can here.”

  “No.” Barnes shook his head. “You take Robyn and get to that grave. You have Shilah’s bone in your backpack. You need to bury it again. That’s the best way to help. I’ll get Fowler, and if I can’t, I’ll follow along after.”

  Decker knew the FBI agent was right, even though he didn’t want to admit it. He hated leaving a man behind, let alone two. But there was no choice. He met the agent’s gaze, briefly, and then sprinted back to Robyn, who was standing in mute horror, her eyes wide.

  “We can’t just leave them here,” Robyn said, her voice strained. “We have to help.”

  “The best way we can do that is to get Shilah’s bone back in the ground.” Decker took her elbow and attempted to steer her further up the trail. “The faster we do that, the quicker we can banish that thing back to hell.”

  “All right.” Robyn nodded and started back up the trail, away from the stricken FBI agents. “Let’s do it, then.”

  Decker breathed a sigh of relief. He cast a quick glance backwards to see Special Agent Fowler standing before the creature, waiting for his death. Several steps behind, Barnes was standing with his gun leveled. Decker couldn’t tell if he was aiming at the creature, or at his partner, ready to put him out of his misery if the need arose. Decker didn’t wait around to find out. He hurried after Robyn, moving faster than he would’ve liked across the uneven surface. But he’d barely gone twenty feet when an angry shriek blasted through the night, accompanied by a whoosh of air above his head.

  Decker ducked instinctively and twisted sideways just as razor-sharp claws reached for the bag on his shoulder. The Baykok had abandoned its pursuit of the FBI agents and was now focusing its attention on him.

  “It knows you have the bone,” Barnes shouted from his rear. “It’s trying to stop you reaching that grave.”

  “I see that,” Decker replied, dropping to the ground, and rolling to the side of the trail as the creature made a second pass. It swooped overhead and then disappeared back into the dark sky.

  “Throw me the bag.” Robyn was gesturing wildly. “Quickly. I can run faster than you.”

  “Not going to happen.” Decker scrambled up and looked around wildly, wondering from which direction the Baykok would attack next. “You won’t stand a chance. It will rip you to pieces.”

  “Not if it can’t catch me,” Robyn countered. “It’s the only way.”

  “A fair point.” Decker considered his options. The only way to defeat the creature was to make sure it didn’t get ahold of the bag. If that happened, they would never put it to rest. It would roam through the ages, murdering with impunity. He didn’t have long to decide. He could hear the Baykok returning, the flap of its wings growing louder as it swooped down toward him. He dropped the pack from his shoulder and hefted it, ready to throw to Robyn. But just as he raised his arm, he felt a force like a freight train smashing to his back, sending him sprawling forward.

  Decker hit the ground hard. The bag jolted from his grip. His flashlight smacked against a Rock and went out with a tinkle of glass. He discarded it, rolled over and sat up, scrambling backwards toward the bag, even as the Baykok landed on the trail with a thud and started toward him.

  Decker reached out, averting his eyes from the creature’s hypnotic stare.

  His hand curled around the bag’s strap.

  “Look out.” Robyn screamed a frantic warning, too late.

  The Baykok sprang forward with a shrill hiss, deadly talons extended.

  Decker raised an arm in a feeble defense. He steeled himself for what was about to happen. A thought of Nancy flitted through his mind, and he felt a momentary pang of despair at the realization that he might never see her again. Then he heard a mighty roar, and his world exploded in blinding white light.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Decker shielded his eyes and squinted against the sudden onslaught of blazing light. The roar grew louder, and with it came a shower of gravel and dirt that rained down upon him. Decker twisted his head to avoid the worst of it, expecting to see the Baykok still dropping toward him with murderous intent. Instead, he saw a blur of tires, the twin beams from a pair of round headlights, and a hulking green shape that growled past at a clip.

  Carlton’s World War II era Jeep.

  And behind the wheel, his face crunched with concentration, the man himself. He was tugging at the steering wheel, sending the vehicle into a sideways skid that caught the Baykok in mid-air, crashing into it and driving the howling creature toward the edge of the trail.

  Decker scrambled backwards to avoid the churning tires. He scooped up the bag containing Shilah’s remains and jumped to his feet in time to see the Jeep, with the creature still pinned to the hood, reach the edge of the trail, and take a nosedive into the canyon below.

  “No.” Robyn rushed forward, a frantic scream on her lips. She shined her flashlight toward the precipice. “Carlton.”

  “He’s gone,” Fowler said, now released from his fugue state and running to stop her getting too close to the edge. “We don’t have time for this. We’ll come back for the old man. Right now, we need to reach that grave.”

  “He’s right,” Barnes agreed. “Carlton bought us the time we need, but the creature probably isn’t dead. It will be back.”

  “We’re not far away,” Decker said, brushing himself off and glancing around for his flashlight. He was disappointed to find the lens smashed. Even if it wasn’t, the barrel was crushed where Carlton’s tire had rolled over it. He stepped past the broken light and went to Robyn, then took her arm. “You have to come with us. We can’t leave you here. It’s not safe.”

  “We have to help him.” Robyn was desperate. “He sacrificed himself for us.”

  “He did,” Decker said. “And it will all be for nothing if we don’t put Shilah’s remains back in the ground where they belong.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Robyn said. She sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek. “But we’ll come back as soon as we’ve taken care of this?”

  “You have my word.” Decker met her gaze. “Carlton saved my life, and we’ll do what we can for him. But first we do this.”

  “Okay.” Robyn turned and followed the three men as they hurried up the trail.

  Decker glanced backwards, nervous. He was sure the Baykok was still out there, and it would now be in an eve
n worse mood than before.

  They reached a wide, flat area at the end of the trail, dotted with scraggy sagebrush. On one side the land rose steeply, scattered with boulders. On the other it dropped off into darkness. Decker could hear water running. The Colorado River, a long way below them.

  Toward the back of the flat area, partly concealed by creosote bushes and the remains of a dead Joshua tree, Decker spotted a rough pile of rocks, almost imperceptible against the backdrop of mountainous terrain beyond.

  “That must be the grave,” he said, pointing. “There’s nothing else here that fits the bill.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Fowler started toward the rocks. He pushed the bushes to one side and heaved the Joshua tree’s twisted carcass off the mound.

  “Let me in,” Decker said, stepping forward. “Help me with the rocks. And give me some light. I can’t see what I’m doing.”

  “Sure thing,” Barnes said, joining Decker.

  Robyn trained her flashlight on the grave as the three men dropped to their knees and began pulling rocks aside. “Hurry,” she said, glancing skyward. “I think it’s coming back.”

  And sure enough, Decker heard the steady drumbeat of wings high above, soon accompanied by the creature’s now familiar screech. He twisted around and looked up to see a dark shape flit in front of the moon. As suspected, Carlton’s Jeep had not kept the creature away for long. He turned back to the rock pile and continued with renewed urgency.

  The beat of wings grew louder.

  Robyn’s hand was shaking, the flashlight jumping. “If you’re going to finish this, now’s the time.”

  “Almost there,” Decker said. He heaved another large rock sideways and underneath, pale and white in the flashlight’s beam, he saw bones.

  “Get the remains out of the bag,” Barnes said, breathless. “Quickly.”

  Decker twisted sideways and dragged the bag toward him. He unzipped it and reached in. His hand curled around the bones within. But as he pulled them out, a set of powerful talons dug into his back and lifted him skyward, leaving the bag and his surprised companions on the ground.