by Harley Tate
Eileen shifted and winced as her arm flopped to the ground. Blood stained the sleeve of her jacket and the familiar hole of a bullet wound came into view. At least she’d suffered for a while.
Walter motioned to her arm. “Hurt much?”
“Like you care.”
“I could fix it up. Give you something for the pain.”
She stared at him, wary. “What for?”
“Tell me where those little girls are. They don’t deserve to die out here.”
Eileen barked out a laugh. Thanks to the leaves and dirt her white hair took on a dingy hue, but she still carried an air of toughness. “Not a chance. Those kids will get what’s coming to them.”
“You can’t mean that. They are children.”
“Their parents are traitors. You think even if you find them, that they’ll let you help? Steph’ll stab you in the back the first chance she gets.”
Walter exhaled. If pain relief didn’t convince her to talk, maybe more pain would. He pointed the gun at her foot. “How about I take away your ability to walk?”
She scrambled back an arm’s length and Walter aimed at the dirt six inches to her right. He fired and her whole body jerked.
“I’m not joking here.”
“Then just kill me and be done with it.”
Walter stepped closer. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not going to kill you, Eileen. I’m going to make you suffer. Tell me where the kids are, and I might change my mind.”
Eileen spit on the ground. “Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Torture me all you want, military man. I’m not tellin’ you nuthin’.”
Great. Just what he needed. Walter exhaled and took aim. He put a bullet right through the top of Eileen’s hiking boot.
She screamed and rolled over on the ground, clutching her foot. “You bastard!”
“Tell me where they are and I’ll stop.”
“No.”
He stepped forward again, close enough to touch her. Eileen writhed on the ground, grabbing at her foot and moaning.
Walter leaned over and pressed the barrel of the gun into the wound on her arm. He pinned her to the forest floor and dug the barrel into the entry wound of someone else’s bullet.
Eileen gasped and fell back, flopping on the dirt as she struggled to breathe through the pain.
“Last chance. Tell me where they are.”
She sucked in a tortured breath and nodded. “All right. Okay. I’ll tell you.”
With every word, her voice faded until the last barely rose above a whisper. Walter leaned in.
Eileen lunged with a shout, knife in her hand. Walter responded on autopilot. The bullet that lodged between her eyes stopped her cold.
Damn it. Walter bent to check Eileen’s pulse as the knife rolled out of her hand. It was pointless. She was dead instantly.
He stood up and turned around in a slow circle. Forest stretched on for miles in every direction. Those kids could be anywhere. If all of the adults were dead...
Walter hated to think what would happen to the little girls and a boy barely old enough to take care of himself, let alone two toddlers. He kicked Eileen’s limp body in frustration. She didn’t deserve to die so quickly.
“Looks like you got one.” Larkin’s voice carried from down the hill and Walter spun around.
“The leader. She’s dead.”
“Good. We’ve got six on the property or near it.”
Adding the three kids, that left two. “Where are the other two adults?”
“Don’t know. No sign of the kids, either.”
“Maybe they changed their minds and left.”
“That’s what Anne hopes.”
Walter nodded. “And you?”
“I’d be fine with two fewer grown-ups causing trouble.”
“Same here.” Walter bent over Eileen and searched her body, pocketing the knife, but nothing else. She didn’t even have a gun. He shook his head. “I tried to get her to tell me about the kids, but she refused.”
“As soon as they contain the fire, Brianna’s getting the Jeep ready to go get Dani.”
Walter stood up. Dani. In the tumult of the last few hours, he’d forgotten about her tenuous claim to life and his wife’s role by her side. Walter wanted them back in his sights as soon as possible. “I’ll go with her.”
Larkin hesitated. “Don’t think there’s room, I’m afraid. Colt is insisting on going.”
Walter couldn’t argue about that. Dani was Colt’s family, not Walter’s. “All right. Then let’s get back home.”
Larkin fell into step beside him. “It could have been worse.”
“We’ll see if Dani lives. Then we can talk about the what-ifs.”
“Do you want to send a search party for the kids?”
Walter thought it over. “Let’s wait until Tracy gets back. She should be a part of that decision.”
Larkin nodded and the pair lapsed into silence. Walter hoped this was the end of the chaos for a while, but he wasn’t sure that would ever happen again. Peace might become a relic of the past instead of a promise of the future.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
TRACY
Northern California Forest
6:30 a.m.
Tracy checked Dani once again for any signs of infection. While the girl hadn’t woken up, she didn’t seem feverish or succumbing to any kind of sickness. With enough rest, she would likely recover. The duct tape on her head wasn’t the most attractive, but Tracy had seen worse.
Walter had patched up his co-pilot the same way and even though he almost died due to an infection, antibiotics cured him. Didn’t make him invincible, though.
The sun cleared the horizon and Tracy watched the forest brighten. They were sitting in a little valley between two hills, with four backpacks loaded up around them in a little circle. The sight would have been ridiculous six weeks ago, but now it made total sense.
Running her fingers over the closest bag, she thought of her husband and daughter back at the Clifton property. Had they defeated Eileen and her gang? Did they find the children? Tracy leaned back against a tree and exhaled. She could barely keep her eyes open. It had been way too many hours since she’d slept, and if Walter didn’t come back with the Jeep soon, she might pass out.
Dani and all the weapons and supplies would be undefended.
At the thought, Tracy jumped up and shook out her arms and legs. I have to stay awake.
She stretched her arms over her head and froze. Am I hallucinating? She swore she heard a child cry, but as she spun around in a circle, she didn’t see anything.
Tracy pulled the gun from her belt and eased away from Dani. The faint cry filtered through her ears again.
“Hello? Is anyone out there?” She stepped around a backpack and called out again. “Do you need help? Hello?”
All of a sudden, a small girl came running toward her. Blonde hair flowing in the wind, little pink dress ripped and torn. Tracy shoved her gun in the back of her waistband and crouched low. The little girl froze, eyes big and blue. Her pale cheeks offset the pink of her lips as she wiped a blob of snot from her nose. “Who you?”
Tracy smiled. “I’m Tracy. Who are you?”
“Becca! Becca come here!” A woman ran from over the crest of the closest hill, hands outstretched for the child. The second she saw Tracy, she stumbled and cried out. “Don’t hurt my baby!”
Tracy inched her way up to stand. “Are you all right?”
The woman motioned for the child again, but the little one shook her head and laughed like it was all one big game. “Na, mama. I no come. I talk Twacy.”
“Hey! Steph, where the hell are you?” A man’s voice called out from the same direction the woman had come.
Tracy reached behind her for the gun. She eased it from her waist, but kept it hidden behind her back.
The woman called out. “Over here, Sam.”
As Sam trotted down the hill, another little girl ran ahead of him. Half-stumbling, half-skipping, sh
e stopped beside the woman. A boy of about ten chased after her, but he retreated when he caught sight of Tracy.
All together, they were a family of five. Even with dirt and snot smearing their faces, Tracy could see the resemblance between them.
As the man approached, Tracy eyed him with wary eyes. Her gaze flitted between the children, the woman he’d called Steph, and Sam.
She spoke first. “Are you all okay?”
Steph glanced at Sam before answering. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
Tracy didn’t want to hurt them, not in front of their children. “Are you with Eileen?”
One of the girls laughed. “Auntie Eileen is the best!”
The woman rushed in. “We’re not with her anymore. We couldn’t... Once we found out what she had planned, we couldn’t go through with it.”
Tracy glanced up at Sam. “Is that true?”
He nodded. “Are you with the group who lives here?”
“Yes.”
He pointed at Dani’s prone form. “Is she… Did Eileen do that?”
“She’ll be fine. And no, your group isn’t responsible.”
“Good.” Sam exhaled in relief. “Eileen told us it would be easy to make it out here. That there was a lake and a river and we could find an empty cabin and claim it as our own. We never thought she’d try to take over someone’s place while they still lived in it.” Sam shook his head. “We’ve got kids.”
“Why come at all? Is where you left that bad?”
Steph chewed on her lip. “It was getting that way. When the FEMA trucks stopped coming, a lot of us freaked out.”
Tracy swallowed. They had FEMA trucks?
“I worked reception at the place Eileen lived. She’d always been so nice to us.” Steph reached for Sam and took his hand. “I didn’t know she was into drugs.”
Tracy didn’t know whether to believe them or not, but they told a convincing story and they didn’t take part in the fight, so that had to count for something. After a minute of awkward silence, she reached behind her with her free hand and pulled the sad little teddy bear from her pocket. One of the little girls squealed and ran up to her.
Holding it out, Tracy smiled as the little one took it and wrapped her arms around it. “Mama! She found bwear!”
Steph smiled. “Where did you find him?”
“In the camp after you were gone.”
Sam tucked his brow. “She’s carried that bear around with her for three years. When we couldn’t find him... It was horrible.”
Tracy managed a sad smile. “Are you hungry? Do you need somewhere to go?”
Sam shook his head. “We can’t ask for your charity. Eileen tried to take everything from you.”
Tracy bent down to the pack beside her and rummaged through it. She stood up with a bag of jerky and held it out. “Here, take it. It doesn’t look like a lot, but it’s calorie dense. It should tide you over for a while.”
Steph took it with downcast eyes. “Thank you.”
Tracy wished she could do more. She fought with herself for a moment before blurting out what she wanted to say, but knew she shouldn’t. “I don’t know if you’ll be accepted, but I can ask the group if you can stay.”
Sam shook his head. “No. We would never.”
“Are you sure?”
Steph nodded. “We’re going back to Truckee. It wasn’t great, but it was better than out here. We’re stopping by the camp, getting whatever we can, and leaving.”
Tracy understood. Rural life wasn’t for most people before the grid failed and she couldn’t expect city dwellers to change overnight. She wished them well and watched as the two adults and three kids trundled up the next hill and out of sight.
She wondered what they would do for food and shelter while making the trek all the way back to Truckee, but it wasn’t her concern. Tracy turned back around and busied herself with packing up.
Walter would be back soon with good news. She had to have faith.
7:30 a.m.
The sound of a barking dog cut through the fog and Tracy jerked awake. I fell asleep. She sat up and turned to Dani. The girl looked just as she had when Tracy sat down, unconscious and pale, but alive. The only difference was the tiny fluff ball perched beside her, yipping its little head off.
Tracy stared at the dog in confusion. Yorkshire terriers didn’t roam the wilds of Northern California. She reached out a hand, but the little dog retreated closer to Dani. The entire underside of her was covered in mud and bits of leaves and her ear looked a bit mangled.
Was she Dani’s dog? Tracy reached toward the nearest pack to fish out some jerky, but the scrap of a thing almost launched herself at Tracy’s hand, so she backed off. “All right. I won’t feed you.”
The pair of them sat there staring at each other until the growl of an off-roading vehicle cut through the tension. In moments, it bounded over the rough terrain and Tracy stood, gun at the ready. Please be Brianna. A hint of canary yellow fender came into view and Tracy smiled.
She waited for the Jeep to slow before scrambling around the packs. It lumbered onto flat ground and Colt jumped out of the passenger side before Brianna even put the vehicle in park.
He rushed up to Dani, but froze when he saw the dog. “Lottie!” Colt bent down and scooped the pint-sized bully into his arms. “You’re alive!” He turned to Tracy. “How did you find her?”
Tracy shrugged. “She found me. To be honest, I passed out a while ago. When I woke up, she was sitting beside Dani. I don’t think she likes me very much.”
Colt knelt beside the teenager and let Lottie onto the ground. “How is she?”
“Same as when I found her. No fever, still breathing. I think she’s just worn out. We all are.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You think she’ll wake up?”
Tracy nodded. “She’s lost a lot of blood. As soon as we get her back to the cabins, we can clean and stitch those wounds and give her some medicine. Once her body is out of crisis mode, she’ll come to.”
Colt stared at her, his jaw tense. “You hear that, Dani? You’re going to wake up and be fine.”
Tracy smiled. One minute of watching Colt tend to Dani and pet a scruffy little dog and her entire opinion of him changed. He wasn’t just a gruff military man out to shoot first and never ask questions. He cared.
She looked up at Brianna. The young woman was covered in dirt and sweat, but appeared fine. “Is it over?”
“Yes. Walter found Eileen. She’s dead. Hampton is, too. We counted four others killed on the property.” Brianna hesitated. “Two adults and three kids are missing.”
“No, they’re not.” Tracy pointed up the hill. “They came through here on their way back to Truckee. They never wanted to be a part of the raid. As soon as Eileen announced what they were doing, they left. It was a family.”
Brianna frowned. “You let them go?”
“I wasn’t killing a mother and father in front of their young children.”
“We can watch for them,” Colt volunteered. “If they come back, I’d expect them to be obvious.”
Tracy nodded. “The little ones aren’t the quietest hikers.”
Brianna sighed. “Whatever. I’m too tired to deal with it now. Let’s load up the gear and Dani and get back home. My dad wants a meeting.”
Tracy glanced at Colt. She assumed he would be discussing whether the three newcomers could stay. Thanks to their generosity today in stopping the attack, and their willingness to leave Dani alone to accomplish it, Tracy hoped it wasn’t much of a debate.
She walked over to the litter Dani still rested on and waited for Colt.
“On one.”
They lifted together and carried Dani over to the Jeep before sliding her into the backseat. Lottie scrambled in after and snuggled right up next to the girl. Tracy smiled. They were going home.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
MADISON
Clifton Compound
3:00 p.m.
Madison squeezed into the space between Peyton and her mom on the cot.
“Hey! I might be tiny, but I still have a backend!” Brianna gave Peyton a shove.
He turned to Madison, eyebrows raised, but it was her mother who spoke up.
“Just squish closer to me, dear. Unfortunately, this seat of mine’s a bit bigger than it was at twenty, but we can all fit.”
Madison smiled and eased in a bit tighter. “Thanks, Mom.”
Her mom wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Have I told you how thankful I am that you’re okay and back home?”
“Only a million times.”
“I mean it.” Her mom hugged her once more before letting go.
Madison thought about all the things that could have gone wrong over the past few days. If that camp hadn’t sent a man into scout, they would have never known about Eileen and her plans. If her father hadn’t come back with two military men in tow, they might not have survived.
Madison glanced over at the two men standing inside the door. From what Brianna said between hauling buckets of water to douse the chicken coop, Colt had been the one to keep the fire from spreading. Peyton said similar things about Larkin. When he’d come across the man in the woods, they worked together to secure the rest of the property without hesitation.
If her dad vouched for them, then Madison knew they would be good additions to the group, but it wasn’t her choice to make. Thanks to their help, everyone in their little group survived.
She hoped some of the luck would rub off on Dani. Between the head wound and the gash on her arm she looked like an actress in a horror film. Madison reached up and felt the bandage on her own head. Maybe they all were.
Barry Clifton interrupted her thoughts with a voice loud enough to carry through the entire cabin. “Now that we’re all here, we should get down to business.”
He leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we’re alive and the property is secure. But I think this entire episode has changed the way we do business. We aren’t an island in the woods anymore. People will be coming and when they see what we have, they will want to take it. We need to be ready for another event like this.”
