Dark Hunt (EMP Lodge Series Book 2)

by Grace Hamilton

  She was trying to hide the panic in her voice but there were so many variables. Replacing a magazine only took a few seconds but she suggested getting in position and shooting while he was reloading.

  Brenda didn't like the idea at all. There was a good chance Megan would be shot trying to get to the window.

  “I can distract him,” Caitlin said. Her small voice was difficult to hear over the gunfire.

  “No, Caitlin!” Brenda and Megan said in unison.

  “Mom, I can make a wolf sound. Me and Brenda hear wolves out here all the time. If he thinks I am a wolf, he might get scared and run away.”

  Brenda put her hand on Megan's arm when she started to object.

  “It's a good idea. I have heard Caitlin's wolf impression. She is really good. You taught her well.”

  Megan knew Caitlin was an expert at making animal noises. Kids were like sponges and thanks to working with the others on her wilderness skills, her immersion into the forest had given her an advantage at a young age.

  “Fine. But how is he going to hear you?”

  Brenda pointed to the wall directly behind them. “There is a small opening back here. It isn't big enough for us, but I think Caitlin can squeeze through. I think whoever lived here had chickens and that was their way in and out. I put a board over it when I first got here. I can pry it off.”

  “I don't want her out there alone!” Megan couldn't believe what Brenda was suggesting.

  “Megan, this is our best shot. She can make it to the trees, make the wolf call, and then run if it doesn't work.”

  It was then Megan realized they were trapped. If she didn't kill this man, they would all be at his mercy. Caitlin would likely be killed or kidnapped. She didn’t want to imagine what he would do with her baby. Caitlin had a chance if she could get away. It would take the man minutes or longer to realize she had escaped.

  If Caitlin could get back to the lodge, she would be safe. Wyatt and the family would protect her. Megan's heart skipped a beat at the thought of her daughter in the forest alone, running for her life but she knew it had to be this way.

  Megan hugged Caitlin. “I love you, baby. You be safe. Don't you stop. You keep running until you find Chase or Jack. They will be looking for you.”

  Brenda was running her hands along the wall, trying to find the thin piece of wood covering the hole. She found it, yanked a few times and pulled the board off.

  “Stay against the building until you hear one of us tell you to go,” Megan instructed. “Caitlin, if it has been a minute or you don't hear anything, you start running anyway. Do you hear me? You run as fast and as far as you can.”

  “I hear you mom. I will.”

  Caitlin crawled through the hole, tapping lightly on the wall to tell them she was pressed to the outside wall of the barn. Brenda had her hand out the hole to signal Caitlin when to make the wolf call and when to run. Megan belly crawled as close as she dared to the window. The bullets were still flying, but most seemed to be concentrated to the window and door area.

  There had been a few close calls but fortunately, the man was aiming pretty high.

  Finally! There was a pause in the firing. Within seconds, Megan heard Caitlin's wolf call. It was amazing how much it sounded like the real thing. She didn't hesitate. She jumped to her feet and ran for the window.

  She prayed the rifle wouldn't jam. She got the barrel into the windowsill, scanned the area and quickly saw the man. He had his gun barrel pointed to the ground and was staring into the trees. Caitlin's wolf howl echoed through the area again.

  Megan didn't wait to see what he would do next; she took a breath, exhaled and fired. It only took a split second for the man to drop. He fell backwards as the bullet entered his skull, killing him instantly.

  She couldn't breathe. Megan stared at the man lying on the ground, the AR-15 still in one hand. A magazine had dropped beside him as he fell. The eerie sound of the wolf call cut through the air again.

  “Is he down?” Brenda asked in a hushed voice.

  Megan couldn't immediately speak.

  “Megan? Are you okay? Are you hit?” Brenda's voice was calm, but the panic was bubbling to the surface.

  “Yes. I mean no. Yes, he's down. No, I'm not hit.”

  She looked around. There was no movement. Did they get them all? Megan was disgusted by the carnage that lay outside the barn. Three bodies littered the once pristine area.

  “Tell Caitlin to stay put. We need to get out of here. Can you make your way back here?”

  Brenda was already moving towards her.

  “I have to have my glasses, Megan. I can't possibly live without them in this world.”

  Megan knew what she was saying. They had to go back to the cabin. Did she dare take Caitlin past the dead men? Did she dare leave her daughter out here by herself?

  “You stay with Caitlin. I’ll go. I don't want her near those men and there is no way I am leaving her out here. I'll be right back.”

  The two women went in opposite directions once they left the barn. Brenda had one arm out, using the barn to guide her around the back to where Caitlin waited. Megan ran as fast as she could with the boot hardly slowing her down. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, giving her strength and speed.

  She skirted the men, hoping they were truly dead. She went in the front door of the cabin, being careful not to slide in the oil that had been dumped on the floor. Megan scanned the floor, looking for the glasses that enabled Brenda to see.

  She made her way back to the bedroom, stepping over the man lying dead on the floor. She kept waiting for him to reach out and grab her ankle like she had seen so many times in the movies. He didn't. She found the glasses in the corner, just outside the room. Megan grabbed them and rushed towards the front door.

  The bag of medical supplies may be needed to help treat Wyatt she realized and quickly ran back to the room to grab them. On her way back to the door, she heard men's voices. She nearly puked. It was like a punch to the gut.

  She hadn't gotten out in time! More men were on their way and once they saw the bodies, all hell would break loose. She prayed Brenda and Caitlin were already on the move. Megan reached into her pocket, grabbed another round, loaded it into the gun, and slid the bolt into place. If she only got one shot, she was going to make sure she took out at least one of them.

  Megan popped her head out the door, looked left and right and saw nothing. She could hear the voices coming through the trees to the right of the cabin. The sounds were coming from the meadow area. The barn was on the opposite side. She could use the cabin as cover and get to the barn. She hoped.

  She didn’t hesitate and ran, once again as fast as her legs would carry her.

  26

  “Megan, stop!”

  It was Chase's voice. Megan froze and spun around the sudden shift in her momentum almost sending her sprawling to the ground. Chase, Jack and Ryland were all racing through the trees.

  “Oh my gosh. Please tell me there are no other men out there?” Megan shouted. Even she could hear the hysteria in her voice.

  “No. Not that we saw. Are you okay? Did you find Caitlin?”

  Megan nodded. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. Jack hugged her before Chase pushed him out of the way and wrapped his arms around her.

  “We need to get you back. Where is she?” Jack asked, looking around. His eyes stopped on the first man Megan had killed.

  “What the hell happened here, Megan? We heard a lot of gunfire. It sounded like a war zone!”

  Chase pulled away from Megan and looked her over.

  “Dad, look over there!” Ryland shouted pointing to the area where the other three men lay.

  “Megan, where is Caitlin?” Chase asked. His voice was calm. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word.

  Megan rolled her eyes. “I'm fine. She's fine. She's with Brenda behind the barn. I came to get her glasses.”

  “Who's Brenda?” both men and Ryland asked i
n unison.

  “Come on, I'll introduce you. Jack, Brenda is the Green Woman. It's a long story, but she is a doctor. We need to get her to Wyatt.”

  The men walked behind her. She knew the moment they saw the side of the barn, riddled with holes.

  “You were in there?” Chase asked. Megan could tell by how tense he was that he knew the answer but still didn’t believe it.

  “Yes. We're all fine.”

  She called out to Brenda and Caitlin. It was Brenda who came around the side of the barn first. Megan knew she couldn't see anything. Probably just four giant blobs moving towards her.

  “Brenda, it's me. Jack, Chase and Ryland are here.” She knew she didn't have to explain who they were. Caitlin had probably told her plenty of stories.

  Caitlin burst around the corner, “Ryland!” she screamed and ran towards them.

  Ryland ran towards her. When they met in the middle, they both started talking so fast it was impossible to hear what the other was saying.

  Chase and Jack waited a few moments before interrupting the exuberant reunion. They each grabbed Caitlin and showered her with love. Brenda had her glasses back on and was watching it all unfold. Megan knew the woman felt horrible for keeping Caitlin from the people that loved her so deeply.

  “Jack, Chase, this is Brenda. Brenda, this is Jack, Chase, and as you probably figured out, Ryland.”

  Brenda extended her hand. All three of the guys shook her hand in return. Megan could tell they were holding back. They were being polite but she knew they weren't entirely on board with her plan to take Brenda back to the lodge to help Wyatt.

  Caitlin and Ryland were in their own world. Talking so fast it was impossible for the adults to keep up.

  “How's Wyatt?” Megan asked.

  Jack looked away. Chase, always the one to tell her straight, looked her directly in the eyes, “It's pretty bad. He insisted we come back for you. The man is stubborn, even with his leg nearly cut off.”

  Megan cringed. She knew Chase was angry with Brenda for setting the trap, and she didn’t blame him. Right now, it was about getting Brenda to Wyatt.

  “I'll grab my supplies,” Brenda said, rushing back to the cabin.

  Chase and Jack waited until she was out of hearing distance before they peppered Megan with questions.

  She held up a hand “I trust her. She is a doctor, like a real doctor. She does stitches and all of that. Let her help Wyatt and we can go from there.”

  “Fine,” Chase said. “But she isn't leaving my sight.”

  Brenda was back within minutes, carrying a medical bag along with the weapons from the dead men, which she handed to the guys. She had a pack on her back as well.

  “I'm ready. Let's get moving. The longer that wound is open and untended, the higher the risk of infection. We don't want it to go beyond twelve hours.”

  As they moved through the thick trees, Brenda asked questions about the injury. Megan could see her formulating a plan as they walked.

  “Chase, can you please take Brenda on ahead. I'm slowing you guys down. The kids can stay with Jack and me. Just get her there, please,” Megan pleaded.

  She was trying to move as fast as she could, but there was no way she could go as fast as Brenda and Chase. They were both light on their feet. Brenda was extremely athletic and could move faster than any of them.

  Caitlin's ankle was still bandaged and Megan didn't want to risk injuring it any further. The little girl was still weak. She just didn't have the strength to move as fast as the rest. There was no reason to make Wyatt suffer any longer, than he had to.

  Jack backed her up, “Go. We'll be behind you the whole way.”

  Chase nodded and the two of them jogged out of sight. Megan figured it would be a good chance for Chase to see what Brenda was capable of. He needed to see she could be an asset to their group even if she didn’t stay. Brenda needed to realize they could help each other.

  Megan couldn't help but laugh at the irony of her trying to convince another person to depend on others. Been there, done that, she thought to herself. Hopefully, Brenda would see the benefit, like she had, and decide to give the group a chance.

  27

  By the time the rest of the group made it back to the lodge, it was well after sunset. Megan went straight to the room she shared with Wyatt. Brenda was just finishing up.

  “How is he?”

  “Good. I know it looked bad, but it was a clean cut and you did a great job stopping the bleeding. Thankfully, he didn’t hit an artery or he wouldn’t have survived the trip back here. I cleaned and stitched it and reset the bone but it’s going to be painful for a while. Rosie is already preparing herbals to fight any infection, which is going to be our biggest concern.”

  Wyatt sat up a little more in the bed. Brenda had given him an abbreviated version of what had happened.

  Megan smiled at him. “I got her back.”

  He nodded, “Yes, you did. There was never any doubt.”

  Brenda carefully pulled the covers over Wyatt's legs and excused herself.

  Megan practically pounced on the bed snuggling up beside him. The past couple weeks had been extremely difficult. She missed holding him, spending time with him, and simply being together.

  Caitlin's absence had nearly torn them apart. Now she was home. Megan was healing and Wyatt would heal quickly thanks to Brenda. Life could get back to normal. At least she was praying it would.

  “How ya doing?” Wyatt asked as he stroked her hair. Megan pressed herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

  She hiccupped trying to will herself to stop crying. The weeks of pent up fear, anger, pain and finally, happiness all collided at once and it took her several minutes to respond.

  “Better now. So much better.”

  “When you are ready to talk about what happened at Brenda's cabin, let me know. I know it wasn't easy for you.”

  She nodded against his chest. “It was awful. I cannot believe I shot and killed those men. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself doing something so horrific. I don't want to ever take another life.”

  Wyatt could understand what she was going through. His first few kills on his first tour had been devastating. Even though he knew it was a matter of his life and the lives of his men, it was still hard to get your head around.

  His commanding officer had told him when it stopped bothering him, he better get out before all of his humanity was gone. While it never got easier, he was able to compartmentalize the killings a little faster. He didn't dwell on what he did. It was always in an effort to make the world a little safer.

  Megan was not used to death or evil in general. Those men would have killed her, Caitlin and Brenda or worse. He knew it was only a matter of time before they encountered the group Evan had warned them about. Wyatt was just sad it was Megan that had to do it.

  They sat in silence a while longer.

  Wyatt needed to talk to her about Brenda. Chase had briefly told him about her plans to bring Brenda into the group. While Wyatt trusted Megan's judgment, it was still a decision that deserved some thought and the whole group needed to be on board.

  “So, tell me more about Brenda,” he started.

  She wiped her face before sitting up to look at him.

  “I know what you guys are all thinking but she isn't Kyle. She isn't like that at all.” Megan quickly gave him all the information she knew about Brenda and how she ended up with Caitlin.

  Wyatt hadn't gotten any weird or dangerous vibes from the woman but they still had to be leery. They truly could not trust anyone.

  Megan told him all about what had happened at the barn and how Brenda had used her body to shield Caitlin when the bullets were flying. The three of them working together had enabled them to survive.

  Wyatt was convinced but they still would have to convince the others.

  “We need to talk to the group but I really don't see an issue with it. However, does she want to be here? Sh
e sounds pretty independent,” he commented.

  “Honestly, she was hesitant at first, but Wyatt, she won't make it by herself all winter. Those men destroyed her home. Maybe she can live here through the winter and take breaks throughout the summer if she really wants to be alone.”

  Wyatt nodded, “It would be nice to have a doctor around here. My mom is great but nothing can compare to the knowledge and experience Brenda has and she is obviously very smart. I can see her really being an asset.”

  They laid side-by-side on the bed for another thirty minutes chatting about everything they had been through over the past few days. Megan seemed to be on edge.

  “So, wanna tell me what is bothering you?” Wyatt asked, knowing she probably wouldn't.

  She sighed and then actually answered, which surprised him.

  “Those men. What if there are more? I mean, the way Evan described the group, there are more. When they see what happened to their friends, they will want revenge, right? Wyatt, they had AR-15s. They opened fire on two women and a little girl. They have working ATVs. What if they come here or raid Evan's camp? It isn’t as if we can outrun them, not if they’re on the four-wheelers.”

  Wyatt was also concerned, but there was no way to predict the future. Everyone in the group was an excellent shot. Sometimes, it didn't matter if you had fifty bullets or only one, he explained to her. It was about taking the shot at the right time.

  She nodded, but he could tell she wasn't completely comforted. He imagined it would be some time before she was able to relax again. She had been through something traumatic. All summer they had looked over their shoulders waiting for Evan to retaliate for Kyle's death.

  Now that the threat was resolved, they had to worry about men who were far more threatening than Evan and his group. Wyatt had a sinking feeling it would be like this for the foreseeable future. Things were not going to be easy. People would always be raiding, trying to take what they wanted instead of actually having to work for it.