Smoke Stack

by Andrew Gruse

“Back off, Stack,” Pritchett said with a smug tone. “We got this.”

  “No offense, Stack, but you would only get in the way,” Tim Weber said. “We can’t look for Derek and babysit you at the same time.”

  “Babysit me?”

  Orb sensed Zack’s frustration and put his hands on Zack’s shoulders. “Zack, come with me. Let’s talk this over.”

  Zack saw Weber, Pritchett, Marvin, and Deputy Sam snickering at Zack as they each put on a backpack and turned for the forest. He looked at Orb. “Four guys? Are you serious, Orb? Over 600 acres, and you think four guys are going to cover it?”

  Orb pushed Zack away from the group. “It isn’t going to do any good to fight it, Zack.” Orb turned and watched the four men walk up the road Zack used to enter the forest. “I can’t let you go in there. The mayor already told us he won’t allow it for liability reasons. Too many people have been injured there. These four men know what they’re doing inside there.”

  “I’ve been trained by the United States Military, Orb. I think I know what I’m doing.”

  “I’m sure you do, Stack. But I have my orders. If you insist, I’ll have to arrest you.” They stared at each other, and Zack relented.

  Orb may or may not be on my side, but I can’t go on the wrong side of the law. Yet. “Fine,” Zack snapped, clearly upset. Zack still burned over the fight he had with Julie. “So, what am I supposed to do until they come back?”

  “You can wait here or come back to the station with me, so I know where you’re at.”

  Orb kept a firm hand on Zack’s shoulder.

  “Why don’t you just come back to the station with me. I’ll show you our armory. It’s impressive for a small town. Maybe that will keep you occupied.”

  Zack shook his head. “Orb, we need to find Derek. If he’s out there, we need to find him now.”

  “And we will. Come on. Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Zack understood Orb’s position, even if he was unsure of Orb’s motive. Nothing seemed right, and the anger in Zack built. He kept it in check, though. He had a plan. Orb showed him the station and showed him the armory, and Zack was impressed. What he liked most was the tactical gear.

  Black, plated, and perfect for a nighttime excursion deep inside a black supposedly haunted forest. Zack examined the material while Orb spoke about the weapons in the room. Zack didn’t hear most of what Orb said until a phone rang in the front of the station. Orb finished his sentence.

  “I better take that. Look around. I’ll be right back.”

  Zack watched Orb disappear and picked out what he needed. Complete outfit, boots, armor plates for the top, a Ka-Bar, flashlight, gloves and a poncho in case it rained later. He snuck it out of the room, found the rear exit, and stuffed it all in a dumpster behind the building. He was back inside the room before Orb was off the phone.

  Orb returned and didn’t miss a beat. “Like I was saying, I don’t know why most of this stuff is here. We only got three officers, and there’s enough equipment here for a squad of at least twenty. But,” Orb nodded, “at least we’re prepared for almost anything.”

  Zack smiled and nodded. “Yep. You sure are. I hope you never need it, though.”

  Orb nodded. “Me neither. You calmed down now or do I need to keep you company?”

  Zack shook his head. “Nah. You can take me back so I can get my car. I’ll go back to Molly’s and see what else we can learn from there.”

  Orb nodded. “Now you’re making some sense. As soon as those boys come back, I’ll be sure to let you know what they found.”

  “My hunch is they’ll find nothing.”

  * * * *

  They got back to the parking lot, and the four men were somewhere in the Miller Woods, the haunted forest of Clyde. Zack pretended not to care and walked back to his car. As he drove away, he kept an eye on the rearview mirror because the next three minutes were crucial to Zack’s plan.

  And it went exactly as he hoped.

  Now back to Molly’s, wait for dark, and see what they are hiding in the Deep Dark Scary Forest.

  * * * *

  The rain didn’t hold off long. It progressed from a drizzle to light rain to a thunderstorm. Zack stared out the window of Molly Lockett’s kitchen with a Pepsi in his hand and watched the wind blow the trees and shrubs in all directions. He took in the smell of rain; he had tried before but couldn’t describe it. The air just smelled like rain. Perhaps they’ll teach me descriptive words for the smell of rain at weatherman camp. But for now, it’s just a good spring rain smell.

  He looked at his watch, five-thirty in the afternoon. Julie worked on her computer and messaged Michelle back and forth. He didn’t know what they worked on, Zack assumed more information about the school or Ag Cen or the school fire. It looked, felt, and smelled like arson.

  That wasn’t important to him.

  Derek Willows was.

  The search ended near Hobby. Weber and his cronies claimed the Haunted Forest of Clyde produced nothing. No sign of anyone in that forest.

  The searches ended.

  It was declared that Derek ran away.

  As Zack sipped his Pepsi, he focused on one thought: The fake typed runaway note is bullshit.

  There is no way four guys searched that forest today. Zack wished he had never stopped in Clyde but now couldn’t get himself to leave. He had to find Derek.

  * * * *

  Julie looked at the report Michelle emailed her. She read it slowly while Michelle listened on a headset back in Fells Point. “You’re reading what I’m reading, right?” Julie asked.

  “I am,” Michelle said. “Something isn’t right. I haven’t looked at as many of these reports as you have, but something isn’t clicking.”

  “The man’s face was completely obliterated,” Julie said. “How does that happen?”

  “Beyond recognition. I mean, his head exploded.”

  Julie bit her lower lip. “And yet they identified him how?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question, Jules,” Michelle said. “You want me to get this over to our M.E. here? He does anything you ask anyway.”

  “Would you mind?” Julie asked. “I have my suspicions, but we need a professional opinion on this one.”

  “I’m on it, Jules,” Michelle said. “Hey, be careful, ok? I don’t like this.”

  “I will be. It’s Zack we have to worry about.”

  “The moment I get anything else, I’ll call you.”

  They disconnected, and Julie sat back on the couch. She looked around to see Molly on a recliner reading a book but no Zack. Julie didn’t like that. She walked into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there. She walked upstairs.

  She walked into the bedroom and saw Zack holstering his weapon under his shoulder, wearing clothes she never saw before. “Uhh, what are you doing?”

  “Heading out to look for Derek.”

  Julie crossed her arms. “No, you’re not.”

  “My backup Sig is in my bag. Keep it close to you.”

  “Is there something in my voice that prevents you from understanding the situation? I mean, Zachary, what the hell did we fight about last night? You slept on the couch instead of with me. And now you’re leaving me alone again?”

  “I have to find Derek.”

  “Zack, that is Orb’s job!” She nearly yelled. “Not yours.”

  “And he’s not doing it.” He stared at her and instantly regretted raising his voice. “So, I’m going to.”

  “I thought this wasn’t about clearing your conscience?”

  “It isn’t.”

  “Then what about me?”

  “I told you, keep the gun close. I’ll be back.”

  “Goddamn it, Zachary, no! You are not leaving me tonight.”

  “Honey, I love you. But I have to do this.” He stopped in front of her, but she crossed her arms and looked away. “Jules, honey, listen to me. We find him, we get out of here. And then I promise you things will change. Ok? I promis
e.” She didn’t look at him, so he sighed, kissed the top of her head, and walked past her and down the stairs.

  “ZACK!” She yelled, and he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Julie ran down and stopped inches from him. “If you’re going to go, then make me a promise. Promise me you’ll come back to me. We need to talk.”

  “I promise you, I will.” He paused and heard what she said.

  Julie put her hands on the sides of his face. “Why don’t you stay with me tonight. Let someone else save the day.”

  Zack felt attacked again by her and didn’t understand why. She never said things like that to him before. “Have you seen me sleep lately?”

  She shook her head no aware she upset Zack.

  “That’s why I have to find Derek now. Don’t let anyone in this house.”

  Zack kissed her again, left the house, and disappeared in the heavy rain.

  Julie watched Zack disappear down the street in the rain and fading daylight. She shut the main door and locked it.

  “Where is he going? Does he need a ride?” Molly asked.

  Julie sat down on the couch. “I don’t know. But it’s going to get worse now.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Julie sighed. “Because when he gets involved with something, it always does.”

  CHAPTER 34

  A chain-link barbed-wire topped fence was never easy to climb. Even harder in driving rain. And in the dark, Zack wondered if he’d see anything. But after his first venture into the forest, he hoped the cover of darkness would be his ally.

  Zack waited long enough.

  He got over the fence and squatted. There was still over an hour of daylight left, but the storm darkened the forest worse than the canopy did. Shapes were black and gray, and the shadows were even darker.

  Zack guessed he knelt less than a mile away from where he found the booby-traps before but didn’t head that direction. There was a house on the property, and he knew which direction to go. Crouched, he carefully stepped through the low foliage and underbrush.

  Zack crept from tree to tree. The sound of the rain and wind deafened, so he waited at each tree and watched. The one thing he didn’t care about was time. Something told him Derek Willows was there. Somewhere.

  Or was he just hoping?

  His thoughts betrayed him. Zack doubted himself, and he saw images of Claire, Meg, Hannah, and Ashley from the previous autumn. Derek’s face flashed in his mind. The smile from one of the pictures in his room vanished, and a terror-stricken look appeared.

  Zack shook the image out of his head.

  But his mind betrayed him. He struggled to focus. What does Jules need to talk about? She keeps saying cryptic things. We fought, but we’ve fought before. I promised her things would change as soon as I get back. How can she not see how important finding Derek is to me? He stepped forward. Because it’s not about her. She said that. She said it’s about more than just her. What does that mean? Is she pregnant? How can she be? Well, duh! That’s one thing we are great at. But if she is, why wouldn’t she tell me? That can’t be it.

  Steady your emotions, Zack. Keep alert, or you’ll be impaled on a tree. This is different. Get them out of your mind. All of them.

  Zack moved forward. The rain pounded the forest and pelted him, but the poncho kept him dry. Cracks and creaks of deadwood far above him echoed off the trees. Zack saw narrow trails but stayed off them. That’s what they want. That’s where the traps are. Whoever they are.

  Five minutes turned into ten. Ten turned into twenty. Twenty turned into forty and now deep in the forest and near dark, the rain lightened, but visibility was terrible. Zack couldn’t see far. He stayed low. He sat still for ten minutes and listened as the rain fell. What if she is pregnant? Is that what she’s trying not to tell me? She’s afraid because I’ve been a jerk about kids. Oh crap. Is that why she’s been acting strange lately? His ears picked up a noise.

  A rustling to his right.

  Zack looked. Movement. He saw it.

  Small mounds and large boulders covered the landscape amongst the thick based trees and saplings that rose high towards the sky. Lightning cracked. The area lit up briefly, and there, twenty feet in front of him stood a figure.

  A man!

  Lightning bolts stretched across the sky. The figure was gone.

  Suddenly, a man stood beside him to his left. Zack jumped as the man swung at him. In the darkness, Zack couldn’t tell what it was; a branch, log, bat? Zack hit the ground, rolled away, and was back on his feet, but the man was gone.

  Zack quickly dodged behind a boulder and pulled out his Sig. He wasn’t alone.

  Zack’s mind raced. He turned around and moved forward, crouched behind a tree, and waited. Patience, he told himself.

  Night descended on the area. Thunder returned. Lightning increased, and the wind blew through the trees with force. The rain ended, but it was about to return. Dead sticks and small branches crashed into the forest floor. Zack moved again. South by southeast. Toward the farmhouse.

  He heard footsteps to his right, knelt, and pointed his weapon. A deep, hollow knock reverberated behind him. Something beat on a hollow stump of a tree. The sound continued but faded as Zack moved south.

  A figure rushed him from Zack’s left. A shadow swung at him, Zack raised his arm and deflected the swipe of a branch. The dead stick shattered over his forearm, but just as quickly, the figure disappeared into the blackness of the forest.

  Zack knew his position was compromised. How? In this blackness, how the hell can they see me?

  He dodged behind a tree, jumped behind a boulder, rolled to another tree, and ran several feet away to hide behind another thick tree. Thunder shook the forest. Lightning struck a tree a hundred yards away and ignited the tree. The flare quickly extinguished, and the heavy rain returned.

  But Zack saw a figure. It’s back was to Zack. Finally, Zack had the upper hand. He crouched low and kept his eyes on the outline of the black figure near a large oak tree. Zack closed in and stopped.

  Something moved in the corner of his eye. More than one person is out here with me. Typically, he would have shot the figure ahead of him, but that was too dangerous. Instead, he lowered himself, so his body was level with the decaying leaves and sticks on the forest floor.

  A gust of wind bent trees over and blinded Zack with the driving rain and debris it picked up. The wind calmed, and Zack sprung from his position.

  He grabbed the figure and threw it to the ground, but something hit him in the back. Zack hit the ground. He rolled over and saw two men run away to the southeast. Zack ran after them. He jumped over logs and around boulders.

  The two men didn’t disappear, nor did they split. Zack gained ground. One of the figures was short, the other taller. He heard a noise from his right, just as the men stopped and turned.

  Zack felt the arrow. It pierced the armor plate but stopped short of wounding Zack. He fell to the ground and pulled the arrow out of the plate. His side hurt, but the pain was fleeting. Zack aimed his gun, but the figures ran again.

  Zack looked to his right but saw nothing. Nothing to his left or behind him. The figures led him deeper into the forest. This was a trap.

  Decision time. Fight or flight? They have the advantage. To press this fight is a bad idea, Zack. You need to get out of here and come back in the light with reinforcements.

  A dark figure ran from his right to his left only a few yards ahead of him. A larger man. It disappeared behind a boulder. Zack hesitated and thought of his predicament. A tenuous situation at best, Zack decided retreat was the safest. He stepped backward and began to withdraw when a different man ran straight at him and stopped.

  The figure raised his arms. Bow and arrow. Zack dodged around a boulder, and suddenly, he fell.

  It happened too quickly to react. Branches scraped Zack and then just air. The helpless feeling of plummeting towards a sudden hard stop overwhelmed him just as soon as the jolt and abrupt halt. He slammed into
the ground.

  He moaned and struggled to move, but he couldn’t. His lungs emptied, and his body reacted to the crushing blow by freezing. Adrenaline wasn’t enough, and his mind fogged. Zack blinked and rolled to his back slowly, painfully.

  It was the ground, but the ground was also above Zack. Several feet above him. A dim light in each direction confused him. The sound of the storm seemed distant. Zack didn’t feel the rain or the wind. Then he heard footsteps.

  And a voice.

  “So, this is the hotshot detective?”

  A shadow appeared directly over Zack, followed by two other men. Zack knew he had to fight. He had to get out of there. Wherever there was.

  Zack opened his eyes and moved, but the butt end of a long rifle met the side of his head.

  Unconscious.

  CHAPTER 35

  Julie Fletcher hated not knowing. It was a theme she had become used to with Zack, but with the stakes as high as they were, this was too much. Ten o’clock. Reports of straight-line winds and tornadoes all over the area filled the news. The bulk of the storms were gone, but there was no Zack. Gone for almost five hours.

  And more storms were predicted for the area the next day. With the storms came torrential rain. With the rain, the warning of flooding. This was the last thing the county needed and the last thing Julie needed to worry about.

  Where is he?

  She grabbed her cell phone and pressed the number for Zack. She heard the ring tone Zack programmed into his phone for her call. He left his damn cell phone here! That ruled out her next move to call Michelle and have her ping his cellphone.

  A loud crack followed by a crash boomed outside. Julie jumped. Molly screamed. Julie grabbed the Sig Zack left behind and ran down the stairs.

  “Oh My God!” Molly said.

  “What is it?”

  “The tree outside. It fell! Oh My God!” Molly said again.

  Julie looked out the window. A large branch, nearly half the tree fell right onto Zack’s car. Flattened it. Totally destroyed. She could barely see the vehicle beneath the tree but knew it was there. “Oh no,” Julie said softly.