by Cari Hunter
Snatches of conversation between the three men filtered through to her and Sarah as they stood hand-in-hand with the sleet pelting their faces. Aaron was getting ready to leave, and Deakin, aware that the caves made an obvious shelter, was intent on moving to a location less likely to be targeted as a priority by genuine rescue teams. While the other men began to rearrange their packs to accommodate their extra supplies, he brought a map and his own GPS over to Alex.
“Is this the hut?”
She took time to consider the map, although she had immediately recognized the hut as the correct one. If he was eager to leave the caves, it might mean that search parties were a little too close for his comfort. It was only when he tapped his gun against the map in an unsubtle hint that she nodded her confirmation.
“Yes, that’s the one.” She was so disoriented now that she couldn’t work out how far away the hut was. They had spent three nights out in the open since leaving it, but an entire day had been lost chasing down Merrick, and Aaron would no doubt cover the ground more quickly than she and Sarah had. All three of the men had radios clipped to their belts. One call from the hut to report the fruitless mission was all Deakin would need to act upon his earlier threats.
A sharp jab in the middle of her back prompted her to follow Deakin as he walked out of the clearing in the direction of the river. Aaron took a left and was swiftly swallowed up by the forest.
“We don’t have long, do we?” Sarah murmured. Her eyes were still tracking the path Aaron had taken.
“No, we don’t,” Alex said, unable to put a falsely positive spin on anything and certain that Sarah wouldn’t want her to.
They walked as slowly as they dared, one man in front of them, one man behind. Although the huge trees and scruffy undergrowth would make life difficult for anyone attempting to find them, Alex knew that Deakin had been in too much of a hurry to bother concealing the remnants of their campsite. Bearing that in mind, she deliberately stumbled and fell to one knee, slamming her hands hard upon a rock. It flipped over, its lichen-coated upper half turning to the side. She pushed down on it when she stood, leaving it at a noticeably odd angle. The man bringing up the rear shoved her to keep her walking, but Sarah caught her eye and gave her a quick nod. Fifty yards farther along, Sarah slid in a puddle of slush and snapped an overhanging branch as she grabbed hold of it. The branch hung low, the green wood of the fresh break obvious to anyone who might know what to look for. It wasn’t much, Alex was well aware of that, but right at that moment, it was all they had.
*
Dusk brought snow with it. Thick flakes the size of Sarah’s palm drifted down, melting upon contact with the wet ground at first but then beginning to settle as the flurry developed into a more persistent fall. The gentle rustle of snow on the pine needles had an almost hypnotic effect on Sarah, enabling her to block out the throbbing in her jaw and the hot ache that was gradually worsening in her side. The din of the river seemed to lessen, and the occasional burst of static from Deakin’s radio no longer set her pulse racing. She stuck her tongue out as she walked along, not catching enough flakes to quell her thirst but feeling better just for the soothing chill of the ice melting against her parched throat. All too soon, the clouds broke apart, the snow tapered off, and then stopped altogether. She sighed and watched their boots churning mud into the pure white layer that covered the path.
“We’ll have to stop soon,” Alex said in an undertone, as if sensing the change in Sarah’s mood. “Gonna lose the light.”
Sarah nodded, her mouth suddenly dry again. Although she felt utterly worn out, continuing to walk in the dark seemed preferable to stopping. The men had largely ignored them while they were hiking, but recent experience had taught her that things were likely to change for the worse as soon as they stopped to camp. She stared at Deakin’s back as he marched ahead of her. He didn’t seem in the least affected by the strenuous nature of the pace he was setting, or by the path he was breaking. He rarely allowed them to rest, and when he did it was mere minutes before he ordered them to move again. His demeanor betrayed nothing. He had yet to raise his voice above a level she had to strain to hear, yet the man walking behind them obeyed him without question and deferred to him with the utmost respect. In the hours since leaving the caves, he had barely touched her, but she was more terrified of him than she had ever been of Merrick.
“Hey.”
Alex’s voice made Sarah jump. She was unable to guard her expression quickly enough, and Alex wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into an embrace. Sarah clenched the material of Alex’s jacket in her fists and struggled to stay silent when all she really wanted to do was sob and scream and tell her how scared she was. She stayed there, breathing in the familiar smell of sweat and damp hair, until the man behind her pushed her so hard that her teeth clashed together. Alex dropped her arms away and they walked on without saying a word.
*
Alex obediently handed over the pack she had been carrying and then took the opportunity to study the site Deakin had chosen as a camp. The small patch of grass and gravel was in an excellent strategic position. On one side it opened out to the river, allowing easy access to water. Tall boulders surrounded the rest of it, providing shelter from the wind and concealing it completely from view. Anyone who might have noticed their trail and managed to track them up river would still have difficulty spotting this location.
Unlike Alex, Sarah didn’t appear to be analyzing the layout of the terrain; her attention was fixed on the tent that Deakin’s companion was laying out.
“It’s too small,” she said.
“The tent?” Alex frowned, confused, but Sarah shook her head.
“No, the clearing.” She crossed her arms tightly, trying to stop herself from shivering, and Alex slowly realized what she meant. Deakin had forced Alex to bear the weight of Merrick’s tent for the entire day, but she could see now that the site had only enough flat ground for them to pitch one. It didn’t take a genius to figure out whose would take priority. Her suspicions were confirmed when Deakin dropped a filthy tarp and two blankets at her feet.
“Don’t go any farther than those two rocks over there,” he said, indicating an overhanging slab of granite that nestled snugly against a smaller boulder. “Tanner will be building a fire. I suggest you stay as close to that as possible.” He made his instructions sound entirely reasonable, as if they were all out for a weekend excursion and he was trying to make everything run smoothly.
There were plenty of ways in which she would have liked to respond. None of them were polite, most of them involved profanities, and any of them would have earned her, or most probably Sarah, some kind of punishment. Thinking better of it, she said nothing but merely picked up the tarp and waited until Deakin walked away. Before Alex could stop her, Sarah stooped low and gathered up their blankets. She grimaced as she stood, attempting to conceal the support she was giving her right side by covering her hand with the thick wool. The wound there had obviously been troubling her throughout the afternoon, but she had made no complaint and seemed determined not to make any now.
“Just a twinge,” she said through gritted teeth. “Don’t worry.”
Alex nodded, deciding not to push the issue, since they had been set a task that needed completing in what little daylight remained.
It took them several attempts to spread and anchor the tarp, arranging it over the gap between two rocks so that it formed a roof but also hung with enough left over for them to sit on. Lying down would leave them partly exposed to the elements, but it was the best they could muster, given what little they had to work with. Sarah didn’t appear to care. Wrapped in a blanket, she sat in the darkest corner of the tiny shelter, rested her head back, and closed her eyes. Alex inched down beside her, and for a while there was nothing but the rush of the river and the splatter of sleet falling onto the canvas above their heads. A hint of orange light from outside the tarp gradually increased in intensity and Alex felt a feeble warmth begin t
o ease the numbness in her hands and face.
With her eyes still closed, Sarah stretched her hands toward the opening of the shelter as if that alone would be enough to make her comfortable. She shuffled down until her head rested on Alex’s thigh. Her legs were sticking out into the sleet, but it didn’t seem to trouble her, and within minutes, the cadence of her breathing told Alex she was asleep. Sitting in the darkness, Alex tried to ignore the low conversation of the two men beyond the shelter, men whom she and Sarah would somehow have to outwit and overcome if they were to have any chance of surviving. Beneath her palm, Sarah’s forehead felt unusually warm. She shook her head in dismay. Not only were they running out of time, they had long since run out of luck.
*
Sarah jolted awake when the beam of a flashlight hit her face. She blinked rapidly, shielding her eyes from the worst of the glare. The glow from the fire had barely changed, suggesting that only minutes had elapsed since she dozed off. Alex’s hand was on her shoulder, the grip harder than Alex probably intended as she tensed in anticipation. Something heavy thudded onto the canvas. Half-blind and still stupefied from sleep, Sarah couldn’t immediately distinguish the object, but the hitch in Alex’s breath was enough of a warning.
“You.” It was Tanner’s voice. He flicked the light toward Alex. “Tie her.”
Without the light obscuring her vision, Sarah saw that he had thrown down two lengths of rope. She had expected this, but even so, the prospect of being bound again made sweat break out on her hairline. Alex reached for the rope, misery etched on her face.
“Hands behind, then her feet,” he said. “No fucking around, unless you want me to do it.”
Not wanting Alex to have to tell her, Sarah turned her back and brought her wrists together. That mild pressure was enough to make her feel faint, but she managed to stay compliant as Alex secured the rope over the dressings.
“Tie it tighter. If you make me do it, she’ll lose her fingers,” Tanner warned her, and Sarah heard Alex smother a curse. A moment later, the bindings dug into her flayed skin, the severity of the pain knocking her off-balance so that Alex’s hand on the back of her jacket was the only thing that stopped her from pitching headfirst into the rock.
“Do her legs,” Tanner said.
“Give her a fucking minute, you asshole.” Alex somehow managed to keep her voice from rising, but the sound of flesh striking flesh told Sarah that he had slapped her.
“Sarah, you okay?” Alex murmured.
Sarah nodded quickly. “Are you?”
“I’m fine. He hits like a girl.” Alex projected the insult over her shoulder, having apparently abandoned their earlier plan of keeping a low profile.
Sarah turned around and winced at the blood dripping from a cut just below Alex’s eye. “You’re going to have a right shiner,” she said, trying to distract herself from the sensation of the rope cutting into her wrists.
“Huh?” Partway through binding Sarah’s legs, Alex paused.
“Black eye,” Sarah clarified.
“Oh.” Alex touched her fingers to her cheek and frowned at the blood. “Damn. His ring caught me.”
Impatient at the delay, Tanner shoved her aside and finished the knot at Sarah’s ankles. When he was satisfied she was secure, he grabbed hold of Alex’s right arm and wrenched it awkwardly behind her back, using it to push her to the ground. She heard him fumble with his belt and tried not to hyperventilate when seconds later she felt the cold bracelet of a handcuff cinch around her wrist. She surrendered her free hand without protest, but that didn’t make him go any easier on her. The metal drew blood as soon as she tried to test the limits of the connecting chain. He lashed her ankles together with his belt and left her lying facedown, her entire body trembling with remembered and fresh terror. Dizzy from breathing too rapidly, she turned her cheek onto the cold canvas and closed her eyes.
“He’s gone, Alex.” The canvas rustled as Sarah edged across to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” It took almost all her remaining strength to push herself onto her knees. The rock felt reassuringly solid when she leaned against it, and she managed to straighten her legs and sit reasonably comfortably. Unable to control her movements effectively, Sarah swayed into Alex as she attempted to adopt the same position. A series of bangs sounded from the clearing, and they startled before Alex shook her head in recognition.
“He’s pitching the tent.” She kept her lips a hair’s breadth from Sarah’s ear, keen to take advantage of the noise Tanner was making. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“This isn’t your fault, Alex.” The volume of Sarah’s reply was just as guarded.
“No, I mean about hiding the keys. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I meant to and then it just got lost in everything else.”
Footsteps came close to the shelter and they both froze, instantly falling silent. When the footsteps had faded, Alex could still feel her pulse hammering in her chest.
Sarah took a deep, steadying breath. “We’re in quite a lot of shit, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, we are.”
“Do you think Merrick was working for these guys?” She pushed herself even closer to Alex, her words hissing directly into Alex’s ear. “That these are the ones who broke him out of jail?”
“I guess so,” Alex said. The day’s forced march had given them no chance to discuss what was going on, but she had drawn the same conclusions as Sarah.
“So this is what white supremacist pillocks look like,” Sarah muttered with unfettered disgust, apparently not too concerned about the men overhearing that one.
Alex wasn’t sure what a pillock was, but it sounded like a good enough insult, and she nodded in agreement. It seemed like a lifetime since she had told Sarah about Merrick’s links to the groups; given Sarah’s condition at the time, Alex was amazed she had managed to retain the information.
“How long till Aaron gets to the hut and figures out that you lied?” Sarah whispered as the banging started up again.
Alex jerked her head around, but then wondered exactly why she was surprised that Sarah had been able to read her so well. “I bet your life on that lie,” she said, the words almost choking her.
“You saved both of our lives with that lie,” Sarah told her without a hint of recrimination. “There was nothing else you could do.”
“I guess not.” Reassured, Alex leaned against the rough granite and tried to think like a cop instead of a frightened, half-starved, exhausted hostage. “We probably have another thirty hours or so before he reaches the hut,” she said at length. “And that’s being optimistic. He’s in much better shape than we are.”
“All he’ll need to do then is radio through to Deakin.” Despite being barely audible, Sarah’s voice was tight with fear.
“I know. I don’t think we should wait till the last minute. If we’re gonna do something, we need to do it soon.”
There was a shuffling noise as Sarah turned onto her left side. Alex lifted the blanket with her teeth and tried with only partial success to rearrange it over her.
“Any bright ideas?” Sarah said, already sounding half-asleep.
“Rest. The state we’re in right now, we can’t do anything.” Alex kissed Sarah’s forehead, tears filling her eyes when she thought of the last time she had done that and how different the circumstances had been. “Might be easier if we lull them into believing we’re going to behave ourselves.”
“And then we misbehave?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah.” Alex chuckled at the drowsy enthusiasm Sarah had managed to muster. “Then we—” She cut her reply off as footsteps approached. They sounded quicker and more purposeful than the last time, and without even thinking, she pushed herself slightly in front of Sarah just as Tanner’s large form blocked out the light from the fire. He bent low and unsnapped the belt at Alex’s ankles before dragging her up by the collar of her jacket.
“Move,” he said, not giving her the opportunity to protest.
Smoke and warm air caught in her throat as he propelled her beyond the shelter. The momentum made her lose her balance; unable to right herself in time, she skidded onto her knees.
“Alex!” Sarah’s attempts to follow them were abruptly cut off when Tanner kicked her squarely in her chest.
“Bastard,” Alex spat, “you fucking bastard.” Rage had left her beyond caring about her own safety, and all she felt was gratitude when Tanner turned his back on Sarah and pulled her up again. He spun her around to face the tent. Deakin was sitting on the far side of a blazing fire, eating from a tin plate, and the flames illuminated the satisfied nod he gave Tanner. Thick, cold fingers brushed Alex’s as Tanner gripped the chain at her wrists. He raised his arm deliberately, slowly lifting both of hers and forcing her to her knees in an effort to prevent her shoulders from dislocating.
“You kneel,” he said, his voice shaking with barely suppressed violence. When he tugged viciously on the chain, she moaned and then hated herself for giving him the satisfaction. “You kneel in front of him, you fucking dyke.”
“Fuck you,” she whispered, with all the vehemence she could muster. His fist clouted the back of her head, jolting her arms upward, and she retched without warning, dry heaving against her empty stomach.
