Devil Hunters (Tales of the Crypto-Hunter Book 2)

by Rick Gualtieri

  The misshapen man’s profile was to Derek. He lined up the side of his head in his crosshairs, but then hesitated. Shooting him would save the life of one of Zeist’s men, but it would give his team’s position away, and he doubted this was the only member of the Lesterfield clan out in the dark woods this night.

  But why?

  He could understand Zeist and his people being out here, but why the Lesterfields? Surely their booby traps could dissuade a group of unwary trespassers. Was this typical behavior of them, patrolling their territory after dark?

  Derek considered the two lines of lights converging on each other. There was a deliberateness to it. Had the Lesterfields been aware of the incursion, much as they’d been when Derek and his team had first gone in? Or were they out here for a different reason?

  Was it possible that his friends were not only alive, but one or both had managed to give those bastards the slip?

  It seemed too much to hope for.

  But if so, then it would be in Derek’s best interest to remain unseen, so as to slip past both groups and search the surrounding woods for Danni and Francis.

  The mutated son of a bitch was nearly upon Zeist’s man. Another few seconds and it would be all over. If done right, the victim wouldn’t even have a chance to scream and alert his teammates.

  But then Derek remembered his hesitation to pull the trigger when the devil had spoken to them. It had resulted in them being caught unawares. In showing mercy, he’d potentially doomed his friends, and in doing so again, he’d likewise be responsible for the death of another man. Zeist was an asshole so far as he was concerned, but that didn’t mean his people should die.

  That settled it. Derek centered his shot, let out a breath, and squeezed the trigger ... unleashing death into the surrounding woods, as well as the chaos that would follow.

  CHAPTER 39

  Noah Lesterfield was trying to catch up to his family when he saw Jonathan veer off in another direction. There was a bog that way, the same one where they’d ambushed those strangers and captured his Sarah.

  But there was nothing there now save for perhaps the bodies of the two males – useless to the clan for anything except target practice.

  He heard a muffled curse coming from the direction Jonathan had gone, impossible as the man was a mute. Noah hissed and prepared to charge, but then his cousin Samuel stepped from the bushes ahead and turned east. A false alarm. The dimwitted fool had probably just wandered off to take a dump or something.

  Noah swallowed a heavy gulp of air and prepared to follow. He didn’t fancy his kin finding Sarah first. If their anger was still burning hot enough, they’d kill her. If their dander was up, they might instead decide to throw her down into the dirt and take turns with her. Neither would make him happy. She was to be his and his alone.

  He’d only had a woman once before – a lumpy, unpleasant-looking thing who his father decided to share with him out of pity. The others had gathered around to watch, but in his nervousness, he couldn’t finish. Then there’d been the laughter. Bad enough from his family, but she had spit in his face once he climbed off her in defeat. Such disrespect wasn’t tolerated among his clan. That particular Sarah hadn’t lasted long, not even long enough to take seed.

  But he didn’t want that fate for his Sarah. He planned to enjoy her in the privacy of his own den – take his time, get to know her right. And he didn’t fancy the idea of the others getting to her first.

  He began to follow after his cousin, but then stopped.

  Where was Jonathan? He should have been hot on Samuel’s trail. There was no reason for him to still be at the bog – unless he knew something the others didn’t, saw something the rest of them had missed, and wanted to keep it for himself.

  Noah growled deep within his chest.

  If he found Jonathan with Sarah, his Sarah, they were going to be burying three family members this night. It didn’t matter. More would be born to take their place. His father had taught him that much. It had always been that way, ever since his family laid claim to the abandoned paper mill they’d called home for generations.

  Yes, that was the way of his family, now and for...

  A booming crack of sound ripped through the woods – a gunshot, from the direction Samuel had headed in. Too high-pitched to be the shotgun Sarah had stolen from his pa. It was someone else firing at something, or someone.

  Sarah!

  Noah glanced toward where Jonathan disappeared, considered things for a moment, then turned toward the direction of the shot. If they hurt his Sarah before he’d gotten his rightful taste of her, there was going to be hell to pay.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Marcus Sullivan felt the warm, wet splatter against the back of his head before he heard the gunshot. He practically jumped out of his skin, spinning so fast he almost tripped over his own two feet. The sight that met his flashlight upon turning was nearly enough to make him piss himself.

  He wasn’t sure what was worse – that someone had appeared behind him as if out of thin air or that half that person’s head was missing. Marcus stepped robotically toward the still-twitching body and realized he was wrong. The worst part was the man’s appearance, if he even was a man. Even discounting the fatal head wound, he looked wrong. His body jutted out at all sorts of crazy angles, and his skin looked more like a tumorous mass gone wild than actual flesh.

  An old rifle was slung across the intruder’s back, but it was what lay in the man’s grasp that caused Marcus’s bladder to finally let go – a rusty machete.

  Was that meant for me? There couldn’t be any other explanation. Why sneak up on him otherwise?

  Realization began to dawn as he continued to study the body. Over six feet tall and heavily disfigured, a true monstrosity of a man.

  Holy shit. Jenner was right.

  Too late he heard the sound of branches snapping. He spun, bringing up his weapon just as a bright light was shined in his face. “Stop, or I’ll...”

  “Jesus Christ, it’s me, you idiot!”

  “Eric?”

  “Who else?”

  Eric lowered his light, and Marcus blinked the spots from his eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever been so glad to see his boss. “Thanks, man! You saved my ass from ... whatever the fuck this thing is.”

  Eric frowned from over his flashlight. “That wasn’t me. I thought one of you guys was shooting at shadows or something. I ... what the fuck is that?”

  Both men stared down at the corpse for several long seconds. Finally Eric asked, “Is that what I think it is?”

  “The Jersey Devil? No idea, but whatever it is, I’m pretty sure hell puked it up.”

  For several seconds Eric was silent, something that was entirely out of character for him. “I’m not a praying man, Sullivan, but I might have to agree with you there.”

  “You know what this means, right?”

  His boss nodded. “I guess Jenner wasn’t full of shit.” After a moment, he straightened up. “Still doesn’t change our job. We need to find him and his yahoos and get their asses out of Dodge. The governor can decide if he wants to rethink his stance once he sees ... this.”

  “You think one of the others got him? Maybe Hopper?”

  Eric shook his head. “If they did, then why haven’t they come and checked? Hell, I heard that shot and my first thought was to hit the deck and open fire myself. You’re just lucky I saw your light first.”

  “Then who took the shot? Do you think it was...?”

  “Probably. They’re the only other idiots stupid enough to be out here with us. I’m betting our invisible benefactor is feeling pretty smug about himself right now.”

  “He saved my ass.”

  “You think I don’t know that? We still have a job to do.”

  Marcus watched his boss cup his hands around his mouth, probably readying to shout for Jenner to come out and surrender. But then he remembered what else they’d dismissed as nothing more than a bullshit story.

  He grab
bed his boss’s hands and pulled them down before the man could speak.

  “What the hell, Sullivan?”

  “Don’t forget the rest of what Jenner told us.”

  “Listen, Mark. I know you’re shook up. I think we all are. Trust me, I’m probably going to be checking under my bed for the next month, but don’t go all...”

  “It’s not that,” Marcus hissed, his eyes opening wide. “Remember what else he said ... that whatever attacked him, it wasn’t alone.”

  Eric glared at him hard, but before he could say anything further, the forest came alive with the sound of leaves crunching, twigs snapping, and – perhaps most terrifying – footsteps headed their way.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “So much for subtle.”

  Derek shot Mitchell a look before motioning for the rest to follow him as he cut a perpendicular path through the trees, hoping to throw off anyone trying to triangulate where his shot had come from.

  He was moving slowly but purposefully, partially to keep an eye out for more traps, but mostly because he wasn’t able to move much faster. The kick from the high-powered rifle hadn’t been kind to his existing injuries.

  Julia caught up with him after a few minutes.

  “Not now.”

  “Yes, now,” she whispered. “What happened?”

  “I saw one of the things that ambushed us.”

  “So you decided to pick it off, just like that?”

  “He was going after one of Eric’s men.”

  “And you didn’t let it?” Derek threw her a glare to which she quickly replied, “I’m kidding, okay? Well, mostly, anyway. Those guys are bastards.”

  “Bastards who’ve bitten off far more than they can chew. That still doesn’t mean we should be feeding them to the lions.”

  “They’ll arrest us if they get half a chance.”

  “Maybe, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend ... and right now, I’d trust the devil I know versus the one who took my friends.”

  Julia appeared as if she wanted to say more, but she simply nodded and fell back to Mitchell’s position. Derek heard her ask, “This just got more complicated, didn’t it?”

  “Pretty much par for the course in this job,” Mitchell replied. “Thinking on your feet is kinda the number one job requirement ... that and shooting straight. Speaking of which, Arthur, make sure you don’t have that gun aimed at my...”

  Mitchell’s voice trailed off and Derek instinctively slowed down. He knew that tone. Had heard it before.

  “Arthur?” Derek stopped and turned. Mitchell had already fallen back a few steps. “Hey, kid?”

  Son of a bitch!

  Derek backtracked to where his teammate now stood. “Where’d he go?” Then he held up a hand. “Yeah, I know, if you knew that, you wouldn’t be calling for him.”

  “He was just here.”

  “Do you think someone grabbed him?”

  “Doubt it. I didn’t hear a thing. I was sure he was right behind me. Hold on a sec.” Mitchell tapped his Bluetooth earpiece. “Arthur, are you there? Come in.” He tried a few more times, but no answer came. “The hell?”

  Derek considered things. Heading back was stupid. He had little doubt someone – be they Lesterfield or government security – would soon be converging on their previous location. He’d used up the advantage of surprise. The only thing they had going for them was that their quarry didn’t know how many of them there were or how well-armed.

  Problem was, even with all of their firepower, Derek knew they’d be outgunned if the Lesterfields were out in force.

  The smarter course was to continue on their way, hopefully flank the Lesterfields and trace their trail back to wherever they’d likely taken his friends.

  Assuming they’ve taken them anywhere.

  Derek pushed that thought from his mind. It wasn’t helping. Besides, there was still the burning question left from what he’d seen a few minutes earlier. Were those bastards out here hunting Zeist and his crew, or was there another reason?

  He chose to believe the latter. If there was anyone who could have escaped from their clutches and given them a run for their money, it was one of his team.

  Of course, finding them was still the issue ... a veritable needle in this haystack of a forest.

  Make that two needles.

  Yeah, the smarter option was to continue on their current path, hope the kid got lucky and stayed off everyone’s radar, and try to find him afterwards. Smart, but not right.

  “What do we do?” Julia asked.

  Derek looked at the others. “We find him, of course. Lights low and keep your voices down. We’re likely going to be targets enough without drawing more attention to ourselves.”

  Mitchell and Julia both nodded grimly in the darkness.

  As a team, they turned and headed back in the direction they’d come.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Arthur could have kicked himself. He’d just wanted to take a look, see one of those things with his own eyes. The data that had come back on those secretions had been utterly insane. From the amount of toxins that the samples had shown, there should have been no way for these people – a term best applied loosely – to have survived infancy. Yet somehow, they had. It wasn’t pretty – if what Dr. Jenner said was true – but this family had not only survived but thrived, even if they’d become walking monstrosities in the process.

  The thing was, they were medical marvels, too, a testament to the adaptability of the human species in a hostile environment. Once this was over, he’d be buried under a mountain of paperwork, forced to keep his mouth shut. Even if not, who was going to believe a crazy story about toxic inbred mutations? That was B-movie material at best. He kind of wished he’d made copies of the genetic screen when he’d had the chance. Not that it would’ve helped his cause much. People would just think he’d falsified the results and, with little more than his personal testimony to back him up, he’d be a laughing stock, finished in his field before he even got a chance to truly start in it.

  But still, he’d wanted to see for himself if only to know the truth. So when Derek had led the others away, he’d taken a moment to fall back so as to try to take a quick peek. Arthur slung the shotgun off of his shoulder, momentarily getting the strap caught up on the items clipped to his belt. He gave it a yank to free it, then raised the night scope to his eye.

  There was definitely movement somewhere up ahead, but he was neither experienced enough with the equipment nor patient enough to focus and wait. Instead, he used the scope to quickly scan the surrounding area, only realizing he’d turned himself around – losing his bearings in the process – once he’d finished.

  He had no idea where the others were or how far they’d gotten. Unfortunately, for him at least, Dr. Jenner knew what he was doing. So there was no sound of their movement through the forest for him to home in on. There was barely any sound at all, except maybe what he was making.

  Arthur briefly considered shouting for help, but even a newb such as him knew that would be the height of stupidity. They weren’t alone out there. The last thing he wanted to do was make himself a sitting duck for unfriendly company.

  Truth be told, Arthur wasn’t a fan of the outdoors. He barely liked going outside to use the swimming pool at his parents’ home. But that didn’t mean he was an idiot. He’d watched enough TV to know that the smartest thing to do in a situation like this was to stay where he was and wait for rescue. Problem was, that assumed nothing bad was looking for whoever was lost.