by Sable Hunter
Thankfully, a woman exiting the store heard her cry and made the call. She came hurrying over. “What happened?”
“Hit and run.”
Journey knelt by the man. “Sir, are you all right?”
He winced. “I think my hip’s broken.” Another wince and a whispered curse. “Damn. Who were those maniacs?”
“I don’t know.” She felt so helpless. All she wanted to do was leave, but she wouldn’t go until the police came.
In the next few minutes, she ran back into the store to fetch the injured man some water. When she returned an ambulance had arrived. Just seconds later, a policeman pulled up.
Journey gave them what information she could. She wanted to make more of the scare the crazy men had given her, but the cops were more concerned about the accident. About five minutes later, the ambulance took the man away and the cops said they would put an APB out on a black double cab dually. Journey felt guilty for not having the license plate. The only excuse she could give was that she’d panicked – which was the gospel truth.
Reno
“Do you remember the time we went swimming in the Tennessee River and saw that huge catfish?” Reno said as he sat in front of the fire with Emory in his lap.
“I do. I do.” Clay sopped a biscuit in gravy. “Almost damn big enough to eat one of us whole.”
“Really?” Huck asked in a hush tone. “How big?”
“Big.” Reno confirmed Clay’s story, stretching his arms out as far apart as they would go. “We didn’t catch him, but the ones we did hook were mighty tasty.”
“Did you camp out by the river?” Saul asked as he poured both men a cup of coffee and replaced the pot on the coals to keep the remaining warm.
“You bet we did.” Clay accepted the cup Saul offered and blew on the steaming liquid. “Every chance we got.”
Reno chuckled, taking the other cup from Saul’s outstretched hand. “Until that night Spear-finger got after us. Right, Clay?”
“Who’s Spear-finger?” Huck asked, wiggling a little bit closer to Reno.
“Oh, I don’t know if you want to know about Spear-finger.” Clay shook his head. “She was scary.”
“I do. I do.” Huck nodded his head up and down as fast as he could. “Who was she?”
Clay leaned forward to whisper, cutting his eyes to make sure neither Emory nor Tess was awake to hear. “I’ll tell you because you’re older.” He winked at Huck. “Spear-finger was a witch.”
“A witch?” Huck’s voice was a mere whisper.
“Yea. Reno’s mother, Sojourner, was a Cherokee and she knew all about Spear-finger. Usually, Spear-finger just looked like a nice old lady, except…”
“Except what?” Saul asked, coming to sit near to Reno.
“She had to keep one of her hands out of sight.” Clay held up his hand with one the forefinger pointing skyward, his voice going from a whisper to a shout. “Because this finger was a spear with a long, razor sharp nail. And when she would catch little boys and girls who weren’t where they were supposed to be – she’d cut their bellies open and take their liver!”
Saul jumped. Huck hollered. And Emory and Tess woke up crying.
Reno laughed as he tried to calm everybody down. “Now, look what you did,” he admonished Clay.
“Sorry.” Clay tried to help with Emory. “It’s okay, bud. I just got carried away talking nonsense.”
“Then there isn’t a witch with a sharp finger?” Huck asked, still pale as a sheet.
“No. Not that I ever saw. Huh, Reno?”
“Nope. Spear-finger was just a legend.” He assured the kids, putting a hand on one after another until they settled down. “Is everything packed and ready to go? I want to hit the trail before the sun comes up.”
“We’re ready.” There was a sad note to Saul’s voice. “I checked in all the outbuildings to make sure we weren’t leaving anything important.
“It’s not permanent,” Reno said. “I’ll be back before you know it and I’ll come out here and spend a whole week with you. We’ll go camping out on Big Sandy. You’ll have two homes! Won’t that be dandy?”
Emory clapped his hands. “Can Mr. Clay come too?”
“Why sure I can…” He stopped talking and held up his hand. “Did you hear that?” He held Reno’s eye.
Reno put his finger to his lips for them all to be quiet.
Bump! Bump! Bump!
Tess squealed as Clay, Reno, and Saul all stared at the floor. Something was under the house. Something big!
“Give me that coffee pot?” Reno whispered to Saul.
Saul jumped up and brought the pot cradled in a folded rag to keep from burning his hands. Reno took it by the handle, then stood up. Staring down through the cracks in the floor, he shut one eye to see better. While everyone held their breath, he poured a stream of red-hot coffee onto the intruder.
To their shock, it wasn’t the squall of a panther or the howl of a wolf that met their ears – it was the gasp and cry of a human in pain. In the next heartbeat, the smell of burning kerosene filled the room and smoke began rising from the timbers beneath the house.
“God, they’re setting fire to the damn cabin, Reno!” Clay yelled as he picked Tess up under one arm and Emory under the other.
Reno tried to remain calm. “Grab the bags, Saul. We’ve got to get out of here now.”
“All right.” He picked up some things and motioned for Huck to get the rest. “My journal. I can’t leave my journal.”
“Hurry!” Reno urged them, taking some of Huck’s load with one hand and his rifle with the other. “Clay, we’ve got to get these kids to a safe place.”
Journey
Still shaking, Journey returned to her car and began the trip home. Heading back the way she came, she traveled about a mile when a horrible thought occured to her. What if she saw them again? “Highly unlikely.” After plowing into that guy and facing possible arrest, she was sure they were long gone. Regardless, she couldn’t help but glance into the rearview mirror every second or two.
Once she was out of town and heading north on 965, Journey finally felt like she could breathe. This road was far less traveled. Especially at night. When the state park closed down, there was no reason for anyone to come this way unless they lived out here. And since the residences were few and far between, traffic was always light.
Journey held on to this thought as the wheels turned. As one mile followed another, she gradually relaxed. This feeling lingered until she looked into the rearview mirror and saw headlights. Her heart jumped in her throat. “Stop it, Sojourner. Could be anybody.” No matter – she kept a close watch on the pinpricks of light in the distance.
About five miles from the ranch, she noticed the vehicle following her was much closer. To her absolute horror, she could see the same hulking black truck coming up fast behind her. “Oh, no. No. Please, no.” Horrible thoughts began to bombard her mind. What was she going to do? If she went home, they’d follow her. If she kept going, they might try to run her off the road. What they’d do to her next – she didn’t want to think about.
Frantic, she tried to come up with a solution. Like a gift from heaven an idea came. She’d go to the nearest neighbor’s house, Mr. Blue, the friend of Myra’s who took care of the horses. As neighbors go, his house wasn’t very close – but at the moment, that mattered not one whit. She just hoped they were home. “Where is their road? Come on, Journey, get a grip!”
Leaning forward, she searched for the reflectors that would announce the turn-off. Behind her, the truck loomed like a menacing dragon. The idiots would rev the engine, come right up on her bumper, then back off a bit. She could just imagine them laughing, knowing they were torturing her. Suddenly, up ahead there was a twinkle. A reflector. Boldly, she put on her blinker, hoping the idea that she might have family at home would cause the men in the black truck to think twice.
Scared to death, she made the turn too quickly – one wheel going off the culvert. The onl
y thing that saved her from wrecking was how shallow the ditch was – she just gunned the engine and the car jumped on ahead. Gravel flew as she sped down the drive. To her immense relief, there were two other vehicles parked in front of the brick house. Wanting only to get inside, she threw open the car door, slammed it, and made a mad dash to the covered carport. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the black truck had stopped also – it was just sitting there, engine still running – waiting.
With a clasped fist, she banged on the door. From the angle she was standing, the lights of the truck didn’t touch her. At this point, they couldn’t see her very well, if at all. When no one readily answered, she banged again. Journey bit her lip to keep from screaming. She didn’t want to alert the imbeciles stalking her that she was still alone and vulnerable. After one more round of knocking, she had to admit there was no one home. With the truck still parked at the end of the drive, Journey was effectively trapped. When she heard the engine cut off and a door open and shut, she knew she couldn’t wait around until they caught up with her.
Staying in the shadows, Journey dashed off the carport and into the yard. She moved slowly, allowing her eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness. A full pink moon gave off sufficient light for her to see the way. As she moved, trying to put distance between herself and the men who meant her harm, Journey tried to envision where she was in relation to Myra’s house. Hopefully, the men assumed she’d gone indoors. The last thing she needed was for them to start tracking her like an animal.
Biting her lips to keep from crying aloud, she darted across Mr. Blue’s property. As she rans, she passed an arbor with a swing, a small patch of vegetables, and an unoccupied doghouse. Soon she came to a barbed wire fence. Holding down the bottom strand, she crawled through it. She’d taken no more than three steps when she heard one of the men shout. God, no – they were coming after her. Journey choked back a scream and kept running. As far as she could tell, she was now on state park land. She’d have to cut across a wide swath of rugged terrain near Enchanted Rock to reach her aunt’s property.
CHAPTER FIVE
Reno
Reno was glad of the darkness. He kept the older two boys as close to his side as he could as he eased out of the cabin, rifle cocked and ready. “All right, Clay. Run to the barn. I’ll cover,” he whispered the words close enough for his friend to hear.
“Understood.” They moved together as Reno tried to figure out where their enemy was hiding. “Take off to the barn, but don’t go inside until we make sure there’s no one in there,” he instructed the older boys.
Clay ran with them. A heartbeat after they moved, an arrow whizzed through the air and landed in the ground at Reno’s feet. He took a shot in the direction from which it came. “Bastards,” he growled under his breath.
At the barn, Clay sat the little ones down next to their brothers. “Stay here while I check inside to make sure all’s clear.”
“Reno!” Tess cried out, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“I’m here, little one.” He joined them, standing at the corner so he could keep a lookout. His mind was racing, straining to come up with a plan that would keep the children safe.
“Clear.” Clay announced.
“Get the horses hooked up to the wagon,” he told his friend. “Saul saddle up Traveler and Clay’s horse.”
“What?” Clay asked. “Are we gonna try and outrun them or just shoot it out?”
Reno shook his head. “No.” His mind raced. What did they want? There was nothing of value except the horses. Were they just blood thirsty? Possibly. “I’m going to try to lead them away. If I can, you go in the opposite direction and take the children to Ela Blue’s. You can keep an army at bay from inside that cave.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Clay agreed. “Not a good plan – but a plan. How many of them are there?”
“I don’t know.” Reno frowned as he watched the cabin. There didn’t seem to be as much smoke as one would expect. “What the hell?” As he watched, two Indians in full warpaint rushed out the front door of the cabin. Their arms were full. They’d been ransacking the place of the few possessions the children had left. He raised his rifle and took two shots. One man went down with a yelp, holding his leg. The other one helped him up, drew a gun and fired in Reno’s direction.
“Dang.” He took cover as one of the bullets whizzed close enough to his head for him to hear it go by. When he peeked around to take another shot, there was no one in sight.
“Ready!” Clay announced. “Load up, young’uns.”
Reno’s eyes were still peeled when he felt small arms go around his waist. “I don’t want to leave you,” Huck whispered, holding him tight.
Taking just a moment, he returned the boy’s hug. “You have to. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” He reached out to touch each child in turn as they stood next to the wagon. “You all go on now and be good. I’ll take care of these bad guys and just as soon as I finish my business I’ll be back. Before you know it, I’ll be home.”
“We’ll miss you,” Saul said as he mounted Clay’s horse.
“I’ll miss you too,” he told them solemnly as he reloaded his rifle. While Clay climbed atop the buckboard, Reno kept watch to make sure no one slipped up on them as they readied to leave. “All right. You’re all set.” Reno touched Clay’s arm. You wait until I give the signal, then you haul ass. All right?”
“What’s the signal gonna be?”
“Once they’re hot on my trail, I’ll let out the same yell we used when charging into battle.”
“All right. I think I’ll recognize that.” Clay chuckled, then turned serious. “I’m ready for anything, I promise.
Reno nodded. “I know. Take care. I love you all.” He had to just ignore the hiccupping sobs, or he would’ve never been able to walk away.
Keeping low, Reno moved to the back side of the barn, nearest to the cabin. He ducked down behind an empty barrel. Where were they?” He’d no more than processed the question in his mind before he saw three men coming around the corner from behind the cabin. One carried a bow and arrow, the other two held pistols in their hands.
“Did you find anything, Kinsella?”
Kinsella? The name shocked Reno and so did the accent of one asking the question. These men weren’t Indians. They were white as snow.
“Not a damn thing. I checked the smokehouse and the tool shed. Roberts, you and Taylor head to the barn and start shooting until somebody talks.”
Talks? “What the…” He growled under his breath. “Gold. They’re searching for the damn gold that doesn’t exist.” Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do. Darting back to the front of the barn, he whispered to Clay. “They’re looking for gold. I’m going to try and draw them away.” Clay nodded that he understood. Reno mounted Traveler and yelled loud enough for the outlaws to hear. “I don’t care what you say, Clay. I’m taking the loot and you can’t stop me!”
“I wouldn’t dream of trying,” Clay muttered softly from atop the buckboard. “God speed, Reno.”
“Let’s go boy.” With a last nod and wave to his friends, Reno took off at a quick gallop, setting a course away from the cabin. He prayed greed would entice the fake warriors to follow. Sure enough, in a few seconds he heard the sound of horses coming from behind him. Taking a deep breath, Reno let out his own version of a war whoop. When he did a bullet flew right by his head. Turning in the saddle, he answered with a shot, urging Traveler to pick up speed. “Faster, boy. I want to ride like the wind.”
Giving the stallion his head, Reno followed a path to the canyonlands just north of Enchanted Rock. If he could find cover, he’d give these idiots a taste of their own medicine. He couldn’t believe those bastards killed their innocent neighbors and set up a situation that could lead to war between the settlers and the native tribes.
As he rode deeper into the canyon, the full pink moon cast an eerie glow around him. The steady drumbeat of his horse’s hooves on the rocky ground echoed on the grani
te walls on either side of him. Another shot rang out and again Reno responded in kind. Leaning close to Traveler’s neck, he tried his best not to give them an easy target.
Pop!
Another bullet flew over his head, ricocheting off the rock wall. Far too close for comfort. Unlike before, Reno didn’t take the time to return fire. Instead he kept his gaze focused on the path ahead. His goal was to lead the killers as far away from Clay and the children as possible. To his left, the granite mountain loomed large, a vast dark dome. The deeper he rode into the canyon, the thicker the shadows became. Soon, only a strip of night sky was visible overhead. Pulling up on Traveler’s reins, Reno slowed the horse for safety’s sake. Unfortunately, this gave his pursuers an opportunity to close the gap between them.
“This is our playground, Redskin.” Redskin? Reno shook his head at the irony as a warpaint wearing Kinsella kept shouting, “We know these hills and hollers like the back of our hand. You’re trapped. There’s no way out of this canyon.”
Reno couldn’t dispute their claim, sheer rock walls rose on either side of him. He seemed to be trapped. His only hope was to find a cave or a crevice, a place of shelter to make a final stand. No matter the outcome, as far as he was concerned his mission was a success. Clay and the children were on their way to safety.
Pop! Pop! Pop! A hail of bullets flew around him. With gritted teeth, he kept expecting one to pierce his flesh. He returned fire, but only once. His sixteen-shot Henry rifle was out of bullets, he needed to reload.
And then he saw it – thank God, they were wrong. Straight ahead of him, Reno could see an opening in the wall. Moonlight illuminated a pathway out of the canyon. If he could make it through without getting shot – he had a chance. “Come on, Traveler. Faster, buddy. We’re almost out of here.”
With a burst of speed, the black stallion lunged through the opening. To Reno’s shock, he heard what sounded like an audible pop – as if someone uncorked a bottle. Despite his urging, the horse came to a full stop as if it had come to the edge of a cliff. But there was no cliff – just a wide expanse of rocky terrain lay before him. He stared into the distance as the night air seemed to vibrate and an odd silence settled around him like a heavy blanket. Holding tight the reins, Reno tried to calm Traveler as the stallion sidestepped and danced in place. Something had spooked the horse. Stranger still, the hoofbeats of the raiders could no longer be heard. Turning Traveler around to face from whence they’d come, Reno eyes met an impossible sight.
