After about twenty minutes, dogs barked in the distance.
Foster turned around and stopped. Nick nearly stumbled into her. Foster’s full lips gaped. “The K9 units found something.”
Nick looked away from her. “Let’s go.” He went around her and ran toward the barking. The helicopters and the dogs both grew louder. They came to a steep incline with barely a path up. He turned back to Foster and Alex. “This is going to be tricky. Be careful.”
After no more than fifty feet up the path, Nick’s legs burned and he was gasping for air—and he was in good shape. He hoped Alex could keep up. Or maybe it would be better if he couldn’t, because then he might actually go back home where he should’ve stayed.
Finally, they all made it to the top. Nick leaned against a tree, gasping for air. Alex and Foster also breathed heavily.
“How did they get an entire cult up there?” Alex wiped his forehead.
Foster pointed across the way, where a group of officers were gathered together. “Looks like they found an easier path.”
“Lucky us.” Alex glanced up to where the helicopters were. They were all staying in one place, aiming their lights in the same spot.
“Looks like the commune is just beyond those trees.” Nick pushed himself from the tree. “Time to bust in.”
Inside
Luke pulled on the wide board, ignoring the gashes in his hand and the blood dripping down his arm. He would get through the fence no matter what. The irony wasn’t lost on him. More than a decade earlier, he’d worked equally as hard on a similar fence trying to get out of the commune, but now here he was fighting to get back in. But it was all for the same reason—to protect Macy.
Everything he did since he’d met Macy had been for her. She was his first and only love, and as before, he was willing to die to keep her safe. And now he had even more at stake with his mother and baby in danger, as well. He couldn’t let any harm befall any of them.
The board snapped in half, sending slivers flying in all directions. He ducked and covered his face, barely missing some headed right for him. Luke wrapped his hands around the remainder of the thick wooden plank as best as he could and pulled, pressing both feet against the bottom of the fence. The board gave a little, but not enough.
A shot rang out in the distance.
Luke gasped and let go of the board. He stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance. He reached out and caught himself by pushing against a tree. Heart thundering against his chest, he hurried back to the fence and pulled on the board again. It popped out.
Luckily, he’d lost significant weight over the last month. He’d be able to squeeze through the space. Before, there wouldn’t have been a chance. He maneuvered himself through the tight space, scratching himself even more.
Another shot sounded, this time louder. Closer.
He sent up a quick prayer for the safety of his family. Maybe the gunfire was from someone in the helicopters or the cops taking aim at Jonah and the other leaders.
The helicopters circled overhead, shining lights beyond trees and buildings.
That was where Luke needed to go. He pulled up his sleeves and ran, staying near trees as much as possible. He couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself—not from the community and not from the police.
He made his way to where the lights shone down. Men and women danced in an open field, but none were any of the leaders.
Luke’s stomach sank. That meant they were only a distraction—decoys. He ran away from them, desperate to find the leaders. Wherever they were, his loved ones were bound to be.
Three shots rang out. Luke skidded to a stop and spun around just in time to see one of the dancing decoys fall to the ground.
His throat closed up and adrenaline pumped through his body. He spun back around and ran through a neighborhood of tiny log homes—exactly like the one he’d lived in so long ago.
A dog barked nearby. In the distance, cows, sheep, and horses cried out. Luke ran for the nearest house and threw open the door, knowing there would be no lock. He pressed himself against the door in case anyone tried to come in after him. The barking grew quieter, and Luke’s breathing returned to normal. They hadn’t seen him.
He peeked out the window to make sure no one was outside. It was hard to see without any lights, but as far as he could tell, nobody lurked in the shadows.
Luke gripped the doorknob, his skin sticking to it thanks to the dried blood. He hurried outside and glanced around. A tall building—nearly as high as the trees themselves—loomed in the distance. That was different. Everything else was almost an exact replica of the old commune, but not that.
He headed straight for it. Shouts and cries sounded just beyond the high structure. Luke slowed as he reached it, and crept around it, staying close to the building. Once he rounded the corner, he froze in place. His blood ran cold and he couldn’t breathe.
A group of people dressed in the traditional community white garb stood in front of a platform with three gallows. Each one had a person hanging from the rope.
Someone addressed the crowd—Jonah. Luke would know that voice anywhere. Luke’s gaze landed on the group standing behind Jonah. Two women hugging each other caught his attention. Macy and his mom. His throat closed up. They were still alive. There was still time to save them. He had to do something.
Luke ran over to the group. Jonah didn’t notice him. Not until Macy cried out.
Jonah turned to him. Luke stood taller.
“Get him out of here.”
Two of the robed men, both of whom Luke recognized from years before, marched toward him. Luke stepped away, raking his mind for ideas. He held up his flashlight, switched it over to a rapidly blinking mode and shone it in the eyes of the larger of the two men.
“Hey!” He covered his eyes.
The other man rushed for Luke and grabbed the flashlight. Luke clung to it and tried to shine it in his eyes but the man’s grip wouldn’t allow that. Instead, Luke punched him with his left hand. It was enough to surprise him into letting go of the flashlight. Luke pulled it away, aimed the flashing light to the man’s eyes, and then struck him across the face with it. He stumbled back a step.
Luke jumped back, but the other man had recovered and ran toward him. Before he knew what had happened, he and the other man were both on the ground. A fist struck Luke’s jaw. He hit the other man across the face with the flashlight. Blood gushed out of his nose, spraying on Luke.
“Enough!” Jonah shouted. “Bring him to me.”
Luke hit the man again as he struggled to get up. Both of the men grabbed Luke, pinning his arms so that he was forced to drop his only weapon. The flashlight bounced on the ground, the light reflecting in the crowd and the gallows. He froze when he realized the three hanging bodies were people he’d grown up with. They’d all attended the community’s small school together.
Jonah’s men took advantage of his shock and dragged him over to the leader.
“Let him stay,” Jonah said. “He wanted in. Let him watch everyone hang—especially his mother and Heather, who he married without my permission or her father’s.”
“I had her father’s blessing!” Luke yelled. He tried to free his arms, but the two men only gripped harder. “Her real father.”
Jonah shook his head. “Look how far you’ve fallen—how much you’ve let yourself become polluted by the world.”
“Let them go, Jonah. They don’t want to be here!”
“They need to be punished, but your outburst gives me an idea. Take Lois to the platform.”
Dread washed through Luke. Lois was his mom’s community name. He struggled harder to get free. “No!”
Jonah just laughed.
Two men grabbed his mom and pulled her away from Macy. “Lottie!”
“Stop!” Luke glared at Jonah. “Take me instead. In the place of both Macy—I mean, Heather and Lois.”
“No,” both women cried out.
“Luke, don’t!” His mom turne
d to him, her eyes wide and begging.
He turned back to Jonah. “Take me.”
Jonah raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Half a dozen men pulled out guns and aimed them at Luke.
“Last chance to walk away,” Jonah said.
A sense of calm ran through Luke. He shook his head. “I’m serious. I want to take their place.”
“Luke, no!” Macy cried.
He held her gaze. “I need to protect my family.”
Her mouth gaped and her hands moved to her stomach.
Luke gave a slight nod, acknowledging he knew about their baby.
Macy’s eyes widened, but nobody else seemed to notice the hidden level of their conversation.
“This would almost be sweet,” Jonah said. “If you weren’t all heathen criminals! Take them all up to the gallows.”
Close
Alex stayed behind Nick and the others, not wanting to draw attention to himself as the only non-cop. Nick and Foster spoke with a group of officers while others swarmed the enormous fence, looking for a way in. In the distance, helicopters hovered, their propellers kicking up a breeze and making Alex’s ears ring.
“Ow!” An officer jumped back from the fence, shaking his hands and swearing profusely.
“What happened?” A couple cops ran over.
“The fence has spikes, and I think they’re covered in poison. Look at this swelling.”
The three of them rushed away. It was a good thing there was an ambulance already in the parking lot, and that they had an easier way to get there than Alex had taken with Nick and Foster.
Alex turned his attention back to the fence. Nobody was paying attention to him. Maybe he could sneak away and look for another way in. Something less conspicuous that wouldn’t be smeared with toxins.
He crept away to go around the fence.
Shots rang out from inside the compound. Alex shuddered. Would they get to Macy and Lottie in time? Did Luke manage to break in? Maybe if Alex jogged around the perimeter, he could find Luke or the entrance he’d made.
Whack, whack!
Alex spun around. A group of firefighters were wailing on the fence with axes. Shards of wood flew through the air, and before he could turn back around, they had broken through the fence.
Nick shouted orders, but from where Alex stood, he couldn’t make out what he said. The firefighters pried boards off, throwing them to the side. There was a big enough gap for people to get through. Police ran over and squeezed through.
Before Alex could decide if he would enter there or try to find a different place, yelling came from inside. More cops rushed in, followed by the firefighters. A commotion of yelling and gasps sounded on the other side of the fence.
Terror gripped Alex. He ran for the hole and pushed his way through. Several officers were down—but not just lying on the ground. Two had long rods sticking out from their midsections and another had been impaled by one, and he hung from it, not touching the ground.
Alex’s stomach lurched. He covered his mouth. Was dealing with this type of thing something they taught in the academy? His stomach lurched again, bringing up his last meal. He turned away and vomited out the contents of his stomach. So many years of watching violent shows and movies couldn’t prepare him for the real thing. The images of the dead cops wouldn’t leave his mind, and he threw up again.
“Watch out!” someone yelled.
Alex spun around, wiping his mouth. Spikes rained down from above. Everyone scattered. Alex ran toward a log cabin. Something grazed the back of his head. He jumped to the ground, sliding on his stomach and crashing into the cabin. Alex scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. It was unlocked.
He ran inside and closed the door behind him, gasping for air. He sat in a wooden rocking chair. The cult was far more sadistic than he’d imagined—a poisoned fenced, and rods and spikes coming down from above. What else did they have in store?
Once he caught his breath, he needed to head out and find where they had Macy. A cold chill ran through him, thinking about what they would do to her. Probably something far worse since they’d gone to all the trouble to break Chester out from jail and kidnap her. And would Lottie still be alive after all this time?
Would either of them be alive?
Alex pushed himself away from the chair. He didn’t have time to catch his breath. If they were still alive, they probably didn’t have much time given the helicopters, K9s, and the police barging in. The leaders would freak out and want to hurt or kill them.
He flung open the door and ran, heading toward the helicopters. They wouldn’t be hovering overhead for nothing. Macy had to be close to there. He ran down a dirt road with tiny log cabins on either side until he reached the helicopters.
They shone lights down on a group of people wearing all white. Alex paused, scanning the faces. Neither Macy nor Lottie were in the group. Hopefully that was good news.
Alex ran on, hearing shouts and cries in the distance. He darted across mini-lawns and in between the cabins, following the voices. He came to a group gathered around a platform. But it wasn’t just any platform. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing it correctly. Gallows? These people really were backwards. It was like he’d stepped into a time warp.
Three people hung from the ropes and three more were being led up onto the platform. Each one was tied up.
Alex ran closer, careful to hide behind trees, bushes, and buildings. Once he got close enough, he stopped and watch the scene before him. A short, stocky man with dark hair was yelling to the crowd about the price of rebellion. Alex scanned the crowd for Macy and Lottie, but didn’t see them.
Then he looked on the platform. The three people tied and headed for the ropes were Macy, Luke, and Lottie.
He couldn’t breathe.
Three men were loosening the nooses of the people who’d already been hanged.
Could he get to them in time? If he did, would he even be able to save them?
He had to try. Alex surveyed the scene before him. If he went around the long way, staying behind a trail of bushes, he could stay out of sight. Then he could surprise them and rush onto the platform. Maybe he could push the men down to the ground below, giving the captives a chance to run.
Alex rushed out behind his hiding place and hurried over to the bushes. Nobody saw him. They were all listening to the short, loud man. Once he got closer to the gallows, he could see his family members clearer. Macy had tears running down her face.
It gutted him. Anger surged through him and he burst into a run, stumbling as he reached the lopsided steps.
Macy’s eyes widened and she shook her head at him. Alex ignored her and shoved the man closest to him off the stage. The man reached for Lottie, trying to take her with him. Alex grabbed her and pulled her away. “Run!”
“Stop him!” someone yelled.
People spun around, looking in all directions. Alex took advantage of the confusion and shoved the closest white-clothed man off the platform. He reached for Luke, who he’d been guarding, but Luke jumped back and shoved the man holding Macy. He stumbled, but caught himself before falling.
Bang! Bang!
Alex’s ears rang as gunfire sounded. Police swarmed the area.
“Come on!” Alex waved Luke and Macy.
The man who’d been holding Macy jumped up and wrapped his arms around her. Luke punched him in the nose. Alex ran over and hit the man in the back of the head. He stumbled back, reached into his robe, pulled out a rifle, and aimed it at Luke.
“Shoot!” yelled the annoying short man.
Alex shoved Luke out of the way and then reached over and pulled Macy down.
Gunfire sounded from all around. Luke jumped on top of Macy, shielding her from any bullets. Cries sounded. Bullets flew through the air.
Luke turned to Alex. “Find my mom! I’ll get Macy out of here.”
Alex rolled over and crawled to the stairs. The short, loud guy stood there, aiming a gun at him.
Alex’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t let him get to Macy. He jumped to his feet.
The crazy man cocked the gun. Then he pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to stand still as Alex waited for the bullet to release. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.
Cease
Macy tried to break free from Luke’s hold, but he wouldn’t let go. “Alex!”
She couldn’t pull her gaze from her baby brother. Images from his short life flashed before her eyes—them playing chase through the yard as kids, birthday parties and Christmases, playing hide-and-seek while camping, fighting as teens, then growing close after her abduction, and finally watching him grow as a dad with Ariana after moving back home.
Macy gasped for air. Her brother still stood at the edge of the platform. He hadn’t fallen.
Jonah studied his gun, holding it at various angles. “Empty already!”
Relief washed through Macy. Her body went limp. It was a good thing Luke had such a tight grip on her.
Alex flew through the air, gliding over the steps. He crashed into Jonah, knocking him to the ground. Dust picked up as the two men hit and kicked each other.
“Come on.” Luke pulled Macy in the other direction.
“I can’t leave Alex!”
“We have to find Mom.”
Macy looked back and forth between her brother and husband. How could she choose between Alex and Lottie? They both needed their help. “You help Alex fight Jonah, and I’ll find her.”
Gunfire rang all around them. A bullet breezed past them.
Macy flashed back to the night they escaped the community before.
Luke pulled her to the ground. “Alex can handle Jonah. I have to get you off this platform.”
Police ran toward Alex and Jonah, aiming their guns at them.
“No!” Macy managed to free herself from Luke’s protective hold and ran toward her brother.
“Macy!” Luke cried.
Turn Back Time Page 23
