by Sharon Sala
“Less than two miles,” Sheriff Marlow said, as he walked up behind them.
Quinn frowned, no longer confident the bear was still above them.
“Jake, what’s your thinking on this?” Quinn asked.
Doolen didn’t hesitate. “I say we split up. I send Cyrus and Avery with Blue and Red to go upstream with half the hunters, and I’ll take Zeus and the others with me and check the area around here to see if we can pick up sign.”
Quinn eyed the sheriff. “Are you in on this?”
“No. I’ve got another problem brewing down the mountain. I just came to bring the news and the skin Dawes gave me.”
Quinn eyed the skin and then turned to Jake.
“We’re already outside the reserve, so technically I have no authority here. However, I’m going with you. Split the rest of them up the way you want, but this is where I grew up. I know this country like the back of my hand.”
Jake nodded and quickly divided the men, sending half of them upstream with his sons and their dogs, while the rest of them stayed behind.
As soon as the others had moved out of sight, Jake untied Zeus.
“The creek runs into the river about a hundred yards downhill, as do a couple of other small creeks. I’ve a mind to take Zeus down there and see if we can pick up sign on any of those branches.”
“We’re with you,” Quinn said, referring to the eight other men who’d stayed behind.
“Then let’s get moving,” Jake said. “Hunt, Zeus!”
The hound leaped forward, straining at the leash, but Jake wasn’t turning him loose. They’d already seen what the bear had done to a pack of eight dogs. No way was he going to let Zeus go at him alone.
They reached the mouth of the river without finding any tracks. Last night’s storm had devastated any scat or sign they might have found.
“Spread out,” Jake said, directing a half dozen of the men to backtrack up one of the small creek branches, while he and the others started to track up the other. Between the three search parties, they were now covering every direction the bear could take.
Quinn was looking toward the east and the small spring-fed creek. If they followed this creek, they would be going back uphill. He took out the map and spread it on the top of a nearby bush.
“What’s up?” Jake said.
“We’re here,” Quinn said, tapping the map with his finger. “And this creek right here is the one that that feeds in from the east.”
He traced the path of the creek and then suddenly paused. The skin crawled on the back of his neck as he realized this creek originated at the small waterfall coming out of the mountain just above his place.
“Let’s move,” he said, and started walking without waiting for Jake and Zeus and the others.
The men fanned out, some of them on one side of the creek, some on the other. Quinn waded into the creek and began walking through the water, looking for signs like he’d found before.
About fifteen minutes later one of the men on the north side of the bank suddenly yelled.
Everyone converged to see what he’d found. When Quinn climbed out of the creek and saw the faint indentation of a large, oversize paw print partially sheltered by an overhang of bushes, he caught his breath. This print had been fresh right before the rain.
Son of a bitch, it was still ahead of them, and if it followed the creek all the way up to the waterfall, it would be the end of the ride. There was no more waterway to follow unless it backtracked, which he doubted it would do. The bear had to have heard Zeus and know it was being hunted.
“I got to let the others know,” Jake said, and pulled out a cell phone.
Quinn walked away as Jake began calling in the other searchers to their location. Anxiety grew as he thought of how isolated the cabin was. He didn’t have any livestock. All he had was Mariah. She’d promised to stay inside, and he had to trust that she would stick to her word. It was a good four miles up the mountain as the crow flies to get back to his place.
He took out his phone and tried to call her, but he couldn’t get a signal. Frowning, he put the phone back in his pocket with a mental reminder to try calling again soon.
Eight
Mariah was in workout mode and putting the stairs leading up to the loft to good use. After a brief test run, she’d opted to use the bottom three steps as her goal and was walking up and then down them, up three, down three, while holding on to the railing until her side was hurting and her muscles shaking.
Back at Fort Campbell, her physical therapist had worked her hard every day while impressing upon her the need to continue her exercises after she was released. She’d skipped yesterday, but that was her last lazy day. If she was going to get back to one hundred percent, she had to put in the effort to get there.
She’d found a radio and tuned it to a country music station, and after a steady hour of reps with fifteen minutes working and five minutes resting, she was sweating and in serious pain.
Finally she groaned and collapsed on the stairs.
“Oh, my sweet Lord,” she moaned, and dropped her head on her knees, too exhausted to move.
Her heart was pounding so hard its beat drowned out the song. The bottoms of her feet burned, and her muscles felt like they’d never hold her up again. In spite of all that, she was more than satisfied with the workout.
Finally she straightened and then stretched out on the steps while her breathing slowed and the sweat slowly dried on her skin. It was the need for water that finally made her move.
She eased up to a sitting position, then stood, slowly testing herself until she was certain her leg would hold her weight, before she turned off the radio and made her way to the kitchen. Two glasses of water later she was hunting around for something to eat when she heard a car approaching. After a quick peek she recognized Beth driving the SUV they’d come home from Fort Campbell in, but she wasn’t alone.
When Mariah saw the young pup get out of the seat behind Beth, she grinned. Rufus had come for a visit, too.
It was the second day in a row that she’d had unexpected company, and she was beginning to think there was nothing spontaneous about it. Instead of being irked that Quinn must think she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself, she was touched that he didn’t want her to spend all day alone.
She answered the door smiling.
“Hello!” she said, as Beth and Rufus came up the steps onto the deck.
Rufus saw the open door and bolted inside without waiting for an invitation, which made both women laugh.
“Just like a man,” Beth said. “Can’t take ’em anywhere. Do you mind? Quinn always lets him in.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Mariah said. “This is Quinn’s house. I’m a visitor, just like Rufus. Where’s the baby?”
Beth grinned. “Oh, I don’t think you’re just a visitor, but that’s only my opinion. Sarah is with Ryal. They’re visiting Grandma Dolly. I hope you haven’t eaten lunch yet. I brought chili for your supper tonight, and chicken salad sandwiches for us.”
“I was just poking around for something to eat, and that beats anything I would have come up with.”
Rufus bumped up against her leg until she acknowledged him with a pat on the head and a few words of hello, and then he was off, sniffing through the house, then up the stairs.
Beth rolled her eyes. “He’s looking for Quinn. They’re buddies. Can you make us something to drink?”
Mariah nodded, and proceeded to get ice cubes out of the old trays and put them in the glasses.
“Don’t forget to refill the trays,” Beth said. “It took me forever to get used to that. Ice makers are a thing of beauty, but they aren’t all that easy to come by up here. It has something to do with the mineral content in the water. They corrode and break so fast, it’s not worth the trouble to have one.”
Mariah absorbed that information. It helped to know stuff like this.
Rufus came running down the stairs and paused in the kitchen long en
ough to beg for food.
Beth frowned. “Not a chance, you big mooch.” She opened the back door. “Go play.”
Rufus happily obliged with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and what looked like a smile on his face.
Mariah frowned. “Quinn didn’t want me going outside until they caught the bear. Do you think it’s okay that Rufus goes out?”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure it’s fine. Now let’s eat. I hope you’re hungry, because I’m starving.”
They sat down and began to eat the sandwiches that she’d brought.
“Save room for brownies,” Beth said.
“I always save room for dessert,” Mariah replied.
Outside, Rufus chased around the deck several times before spotting a rabbit out in the meadow. He yipped, then leaped off the deck in wild abandon and gave chase.
* * *
The other hunters caught up with Jake’s team within thirty minutes of his call. It didn’t take long for all three hounds to pick up a trail, and they began moving double-time, anxious to put this killing spree to an end.
When it became obvious to Quinn that they had a bona fide trail that was still leading in the direction of his home, he had tried another call to Mariah. He placed it on the move, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the woods through which they were moving. The image of the young hiker he’d found flashed through his mind, and he said a silent prayer that they all came out of this in one piece.
Mariah answered on the second ring with a smile in her voice. “Hello, Quinn.”
“Hi. What are you doing?”
“As if you didn’t know. I’m having lunch with Beth. How many more of your relatives do you have lined up to drop in on me?”
“I didn’t tell them all.”
She laughed. “At least you’re honest.” When Beth waved and pointed at the phone, she nodded. “Beth says hi.”
“Tell her I say hi back.”
“She brought chili for our supper tonight.”
“Tell her I said thank you very much.”
“I will. How’s the hunt going?”
“We have a new kink.”
“Oh, no, did you lose it again?”
“No, it’s actually the reverse. We have the first real trail in days.”
“Then what’s the kink?”
“It’s moving along another creek. We’re tracking it, but we have no idea if it’s holed up somewhere or still on the move.”
“And?”
“The creek ends about a half mile above the cabin.”
She gasped. “This cabin?”
“Yes. You and Beth just stay inside. I’ll give you a call if we find it, and if you see anything suspicious, you call me.”
“Oh, Lord,” Mariah said.
Beth frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“The bear is moving in this direction along the creek.”
Beth’s eyes widened, then all of a sudden she gasped. “Rufus!”
She bolted for the door to call the pup back.
Quinn heard the uproar. “What’s happening?”
“Beth brought Rufus. He’s outside somewhere.”
“Shit. You tell her if the dog doesn’t come in, under no circumstance is she to go looking for him. I’m serious, Mariah. Do what I say.”
“Yes, yes, I get it,” she said. “I’ve gotta go before she gets away from me.”
She dropped the phone in her pocket and had started out the back door when something made her stop. She went back to the hall closet for Quinn’s rifle, checked to make sure it was loaded and the safety was off, then headed out onto the deck.
Beth was already running across the meadow, calling the puppy, who was nowhere in sight.
Mariah’s heart skipped. “Beth! Beth! Come back. Quinn said to stay inside. Hurry!”
* * *
The cave where the bear had taken shelter was in unfamiliar territory, but there was no indication that any other animals were living in it. The poison from the infected hip was spreading and it was weakening. For the bear, weakness always meant a need for food and rest, but time and recent feeding had not improved its situation. It had been sleeping fitfully and had been awakened only moments ago by the distant sounds of baying hounds.
Instinct surfaced, pushing past the pain as it got up and moved to the mouth of the cave, sniffing the air. The dogs bayed again, indicating a hit on the scent they were tracking. The bear rocked from side to side, swinging its head and huffing angrily. The scent of water came from only a short distance away, but to get to it, the bear would have to move toward the dogs.
All of a sudden Rufus burst onto the scene, startling them both. The pup barked in a wild, challenging attack, and the bear charged. The pup fell backward, regaining his footing only seconds before the bear would have disemboweled him. Instead the swipe of the paw just barely caught the pup on the side, eliciting a sharp, frantic yelp before Rufus made a beeline for the cabin.
If the bear had been healthy, the pup never would have been able to outrun it, but fate was on Rufus’s side as he tore off down the mountain.
* * *
Beth heard Mariah yelling and stopped.
Mariah could tell Beth was torn about returning without Rufus, but she kept shouting and waving until Beth finally stopped and turned back.
Mariah stood watch on the deck with the rifle in her hands, scanning the woods as closely as she had scanned the desert a world away. There were no hidden explosives here to worry about, but the danger here was as real and just as unseen.
All of a sudden they heard Rufus’s frantic barking.
The hair on Mariah’s arms stood on end. She knew in her gut what was happening, and when Beth stopped and turned toward the woods, Mariah screamed.
“Beth! Beth! Run, damn it, run!”
The panic in Mariah’s voice transferred itself to Beth in swift fashion. She turned on her heel, heading toward the cabin in an all-out sprint.
Within seconds the puppy flew out of the woods, his tail tucked between his legs and his ears plastered to his head. The minute he saw Beth, he headed straight for her and, in his panic, proceeded to knock her down.
Mariah groaned. The dog was frantic. The bear couldn’t be far behind.
“Get up, Beth! Hurry!” she screamed.
Beth was back on her feet and running again, with Rufus keeping pace at her side.
And then all of a sudden the bear shot out of the woods, bellowing and running toward them far faster than Mariah would have believed possible. At that point, instinct took over.
She swung the gun to her shoulder and took aim, only to realize Beth was in her line of fire. Dragging her weak leg, she stumbled to the far end of the deck as fast as she could go and once again took aim, this time at the side of the oncoming animal. Nerves almost took over when she realized that not only had she never fired this weapon, it was unlikely she would get a chance at more than two shots before it was too late.
“God help me,” she said, and squeezed the trigger.
The first shot went a little to the right, hitting the bear in the backside. It let out a roar as it spun toward the pain, but the shot had been a through and through without hitting an organ or a bone. It tried to charge forward again, stumbling as it went.
Mariah took a deep breath, adjusted for the pull and fired a second shot, hitting the bear squarely in the head. It dropped like a stone, and this time it didn’t get up.
Beth was screaming as she leaped up the steps and didn’t turn around to look until she realized everything was quiet. The bear was silent. Mariah wasn’t moving. Beth looked toward the meadow and saw the bear’s body partially hidden in the tall grass, unmoving. She dropped to her knees. Rufus leaped into her arms, shaking.
The smell of gunpowder sent a wave of nausea rushing through Mariah. The sound of gunshots was still echoing in her ears as she laid the rifle on the porch railing and pulled the phone out of her pocket.
Before she could make the call,
it began to ring. Her hands were shaking as she answered.
“Quinn?”
“What the hell? We heard gunshots and—”
“The bear… Beth’s puppy…” She shuddered and tried again to explain, but the deck was beginning to roll and she felt herself losing control. “It’s dead,” she said, then set the phone down beside the rifle, sank to the floor, curled up into a ball against the railing and buried her face in her hands.
The moment Beth saw Mariah go down, she knew something was wrong. She crawled over to where Mariah was sitting and pulled her into her arms, holding her close.
“I’ve got you, honey. You’re okay. You’re okay,” she kept saying.
It took her a few moments to realize Quinn was still on the line and shouting into the phone. She reached up and grabbed it.
“This is Beth. The bear is dead. Mariah shot it. Wherever you are, come home.”
* * *
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. Despite the good news, there was panic in Beth’s voice, and he was afraid he knew why. He dropped his phone in his jacket pocket as he yelled at the other hunters and ran to catch up.
“The bear’s down!” he shouted.
Jake was shocked. “You’re kidding.”
“No. I’m not sure what happened, but it wound up at my place. Ryal’s wife is there. I’ve gotta get home.” He singled out the other rangers from the hunters. “Can I ask a couple of you to bring my Jeep back to my place?”
“Absolutely,” one said.
Jake wasn’t ready to quit the chase. “Me and my boys have tracked this damn bear all over Rebel Ridge. I want to see it and the man who took it down.”
“It wasn’t a man. It was a woman…a friend I served with in Afghanistan. She’s going through a lot of what I went through when I came home, and this could seriously set her back. I’ve got to go. Any of you are welcome to follow, but I can’t wait for you to catch up, understand?”
“Understood,” Jake said. “Me and the boys will be along.”
Quinn nodded, then swerved away from the creek and struck out in a lope, heading in a southerly direction. He had a good mile to go cross-country, but given the anxiety in Beth’s voice, he couldn’t get there fast enough.
