by Mark Mathews
He had taken point this time, letting Sarah stay in the back to cover their rear. As he began moving down the trail, he saw a large animal print in a soft patch of mud to one side. It was larger than his fist. From the time he’d spent recognizing tracks on hunting trips with his father when he’d been a little boy, he knew that one belonged to a bear. Judging from the size of the pad on the paw, it was a large one. He only could hope they were heading away from the beast rather than toward its den, because bears were very territorial indeed. He purposefully stepped on the track with the heel of his boot and smudged it beyond recognition. He didn’t want to frighten Emily, and he really didn’t need Tom losing his head here in the woods for predators to hear. Not too much farther down the trail, he saw what looked like dog tracks. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. There were no dogs this far up the mountain, and that meant these had to be from a wolf pack. Sweat beaded on his forehead. There were too many dangerous animals here now to hide the fact from the rest of the group. He needed their eyes roaming through the foliage to watch out for danger along with him. He couldn’t keep his eyes on everything at once.
“Alright guys, hold on. I need to talk to you. Gather around please.” There was a defeated tone in Wade’s voice, and it instantly put everyone on edge. Emily looked as though she’d been waiting for him to speak up, and it instantly set Sarah on edge. With Emily’s sixth sense about danger, and Wade’s voice full of worry, she knew Wade was about to tell them something bad.
“What’s up? I hope this break means that we finally can sleep.” Tom was completely oblivious to the clues around him that something wasn’t right. Even including the people that Sarah had known before, she was pretty sure Tom was the most clueless, selfish person she’d ever met in her life. Sarah had the urge to slap him just for being stupid, but right now she needed to know what was going on.
“I’ve seen a few tracks while we’ve been travelling, and it’s got me worried. I’ve seen bear tracks and wolf tracks that I can recognize for sure, and something that I think was a lynx. I’m hoping we can find a safe place to sleep tonight. I’m not sure what we’re going to find that’s going to keep us all safe, but we’ll think of something. Until then, we just need to keep moving. I know that I’m asking a lot of you, but bear with me. I just want to keep us all safe.” With those words, Sarah and Emily nodded, closing the gap between them as they walked.
Tom just rolled his eyes and fell behind. He was tired, and he just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. He didn’t really care where he slept, so long as he got to lay down. He groaned as he walked, muttering to himself. He didn’t like how this was turning out. He should have stayed home and never come with these people. Yes, they’d saved him from the troubles that they’d encountered, but the trouble never would have happened if he’d stayed at home. He blamed them for everything. He failed to remember that most of the trouble had come because of some action of his own. Playing the victim wasn’t attractive, but he had done it so often that he didn’t know how to not do it anymore.
Another half an hour down the path, Wade found a cave with a narrow opening. It looked like an animal den of some kind, but it also looked abandoned. Thinking this might be a good place to sleep, provided it was uninhabited, he put up a hand to halt the group.
“This looks like an abandoned den. I’m going to check it out. If it’s empty, we can spend the night here.” Tom sat down on a rock near the entrance, grumbling about his feet hurting him.
Wade ignored him and pulled a lighter out of his pocket. The opening was narrow, just big enough for a bulky animal on all fours to make it through. Crouching down, he lit the lighter and started crawling through the entrance. The air grew stale and musty as he continued crawling. When the tunnel opened up, he saw what looked like a bed of leaves and pine needles. Next to that was a pile of small animal bones. It looked like rabbits mostly, but that was enough to let him know that someone did indeed still live here. He quickly backed out of the cave to give the group his findings.
“We’ve got to keep moving. This place still belongs to someone, and now that our scent is here, they might come looking. We’ve got to get as far away from it as we can.” Tom groaned as he got back to his feet. He’d been dozing there on the rock already. Sarah lost it. She grabbed the back of his jacket and roughly yanked him to his feet. She shoved him headfirst down the path. He stumbled and would have fallen face-first into the dirt if he hadn’t managed to right himself at the end.
It was getting to the point where they almost couldn’t see through the gloom anymore when Wade burst through the tree line to find an outcropping with a steep drop. He got on his belly and crawled toward the edge slowly and carefully. When he looked down, he could see the cliff wall was steep. Unfortunately, this was the only place they probably would find that would offer them any safety for the night. When it came to places like this, animals usually stayed away because they knew what kind of danger this terrain would offer them.
“We should sleep here tonight. It’s a steep drop over the edge of that cliff, and that will give us some protection. The animals know it poses a threat, so they won’t come out here. We’ll be okay in just our sleeping bags.” Sarah and Emily nodded, implicitly trusting Wade’s words. Tom, on the other hand, was terrified. Sleep on the edge of a cliff? What if he rolled over the edge? He’d be dead before he hit the ground. There was no way he was going to sleep there. If the animals were smart enough to know that cliff was dangerous, then why the hell were they going to sleep on the edge of it with nothing to stop them from rolling off it? It wasn’t smart! He couldn’t stay silent on that.
“We can’t sleep here! It’s not safe! All it takes is a little roll one way or the other and that’s it! Lights out!” Sarah gritted her teeth.
With Tom raising his voice in a panic like this, she was sure he would attract the attention of every predator in the area. Granted, she didn’t have a woodsman’s sense like Wade did, but she was scared of sleeping on the cliff, too. It was bad enough that she was afraid of that, but if Wade said it was the safest place, then that was where she’d sleep, no matter how she felt about it. She walked straight up to Tom and slapped him across the face.
“Shut your mouth. Didn’t you hear him say there were wild animals around? Dangerous animals that could kill us without even trying? How about you listen to what he says? He’s just trying to keep you safe, but if you bring any predators around because they heard your caterwauling, then I swear I’ll leave you right here to feed them while we get away. I’m not too thrilled with sleeping on a cliff either, but I’m sure Wade has some plan to make sure we don’t fall to our deaths.” She looked pointedly at Wade, waiting for him to verify her statement. Wade nodded, taking control of the conversation because he could tell Sarah was getting ready to just throw Tom over the edge of the cliff and be done with him.
“We’ll have to take turns keeping watch through the night. Whoever’s on watch will be watching for danger, as well as watching the people who are sleeping, just to make sure they don’t get too close to the edge.” Sarah nodded gratefully at him.
“See? He has a plan. He knows more about the woods and the animals that live here than anyone else in the group. So shut up and listen, and do what you’re told.” Sarah walked away and started unrolling her sleeping bag. Emily came up next to her with her own, trying to put it to the right of Sarah’s, but Sarah promptly picked it up and threw it to the left, putting herself between the edge of the cliff and Emily’s sleeping bag. Tom only could stare after her with his mouth hanging open. He really hadn’t seen the business side of Sarah. Now that she’d put him in his place, he was not only shocked, but a little in awe, too. She really could get anyone to do what she wanted, whether it was with sweet words and a smile, or a slap to the face and a staccato order to be followed. He pointedly took his sleeping bag and put it as far away from hers as he could. Sarah bared her teeth at him in the darkness, personally agreeing with his choice.
Wade to
ok the first watch. He felt responsible for this little family of his, and he looked at each of them in turn with a fondness that he’d felt growing during the last few days. His eyes rested on Emily. She lay on her side, head pillowed on her arm, her hair draped over her face like a silky waterfall. He wondered what was going on with her. It was obvious to him there was something special about the little girl, but he had no idea who she was, where she came from, or even what her last name was. Ideas about her kept chasing each other through his head, but each one seemed more fantastic than the last, so he decided to throw all of them out. Part of him wanted to ask her some questions to get a clearer picture of who she was, but part of him thought that would be rude. So he entertained himself with ideas that probably were so far from right that he would be laughed at if he voiced them.
Sometime in the night, Wade went over to wake Tom for his shift. Tom sat bolt upright, instantly awake, looking around to make sure he wasn’t too close to the edge of the cliff. Once he saw he hadn’t moved, he felt a little better and calmed down.
“You’re up for watch.” Wade yawned widely and walked over to get into his own sleeping bag.
Tom watched him go, then let his gaze wander over Sarah and Emily. Neither of them had moved, either, so he didn’t need to wake them up and tell them to move away from the edge of the cliff. He sat down on a twisted stump and stared off into space. He put his head in his hands, letting his mind wander. He wished again that he was home instead of here, and his mind wandered to Christina. Had she left to help the two of them as she’d claimed? Or had she finally had enough of him and, instead of slapping him, like Sarah had, just picked up and left as soon as she’d had the excuse? He pictured her doing a victory dance as soon as they’d learned about the changes in the world, plotting her escape from him at that very moment.
Tears pricked his eyes, and he quickly dashed them away. The changes in the world were to blame. Yes, that was it. His life had been perfect until the world had gone to hell. He would have married Christina, they would have had a quiet, but happy, life together, and possibly have had some babies added to the mix. Now he was here, in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on a cliff that he was sure Sarah wanted to push him over, watching for wild animals. If some did pay them a visit, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t shoot straight, or fight, or anything that was useful now. Again, he thought of leaving, but he couldn’t do it while they depended on him to keep them safe. When he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, he went over to Sarah to wake her for her turn.
She sat up, looking around wildly for Emily. Seeing that the little girl still was asleep, she calmed down and got up, stretching to limber herself up. Tom made his way to his sleeping bag as soon as he knew she was fully awake. Just looking at her made his cheek sting. He was still incredulous about her slapping him in the face, but it was something he had to let go. They already viewed him as being childish, and not letting this go only would strengthen that impression. He lay down and was asleep in minutes. Sleep was the escape that got him away from Sarah, and when he slept, he still dreamed of Christina. The good times, though, not the fact that she’d left him. She couldn’t have really left him, and he wasn’t going to believe that. So, it took everything he had in him to keep those thoughts away. Sarah walked around for a little while before sitting down and starting her shift.
Memories flooded her mind. She thought back to when she’d been a newlywed. The two of them had been happy, and they’d had a great little mini-vacation. He’d been so sweet, loving and romantic that she’d thought she’d married a fairy tale prince. When they had time for each other, things were great. When Sarah’s job took that time away, things went horribly wrong. There was a night that still lived in her memory, when they’d gone to a couples’ only resort. The room was two stories, with a large champagne glass-shaped hot tub on the second floor, letting the stem reach down to the first floor. They’d ordered a package from room service with scented bubble bath, imported chocolates, and some fresh strawberry wine. The two of them had been in the hot tub, cuddled together, feeding each other the chocolates and taking sips of their wine before things got steamy. Sarah blushed just thinking about it. Shaking that from her thoughts, she wondered if things would be different if the two of them met in today’s world. Part of her wanted him here now, maybe playing house with her and Emily, and doing the things they’d always said they would do before Sarah’s job got in the way.
It was painful to think about it now, so she shoved it back into the furthest reaches of her mind. Something rustled out in the night, and she spun around to face the tree line, her hand on her pistol grip. Heart pounding, she scanned whatever she could see, willing herself to get the night vision of a cat. Every nerve ending was alive, and suddenly she felt as though it was the brightest day, and she could pierce the darkness with her steel gaze. Nothing else moved, and no other sound reached her alert ears. Something didn’t feel right, though, so she made sure the strap that held her pistol safely in its holster was unsnapped. That way, she could reach it quickly if she needed it. She put her back to the people she was protecting, knowing that no threat would come from behind her in this position. Her eyes scanned the tree line slowly, looking for any hint of movement or different shade of darkness. Sarah was so caught up in trying to figure out what had put her on such high alert that she didn’t even realize at first that dawn was breaking. When the sky began lightening, she let out a huge yawn. How long she’d been awake, she had no idea, but it was dawn now, and the chance for more rest was gone. They’d be cleaning up to move on soon, and then maybe the feeling of being watched would leave her.
Wade shook himself awake, then was startled when he saw that Sarah still was awake, and light was pouring over the ground. Clearly, he had expected to be woken up again for another shift. The surprise on his face said he didn’t feel right with letting her sit through the majority of the night on watch. She made her way over to him, noting that Emily and Tom still were asleep.
“I think something or someone was watching us through the night, but I’m not sure. I heard something rustle, but nothing else after that. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, or if it was just the wind, but I wanted to tell you what I was thinking.” Before Wade could answer, Emily sat up, stretching like a little cat, and Sarah hitched a big smile on her face, making her way over to the little girl to wish her a good morning.
Wade didn’t know what to think about Sarah’s report. He hadn’t felt that way, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. The animals that lived on this mountain knew their territory, and they would take out anyone who crossed their border. Wade and his group were the intruders, the outsiders, and if they’d crossed into something’s territory, he was pretty sure they would be watching them and thinking of a way to get rid of them. For their sake, he hoped it was something small that wouldn’t pose a threat to them as they continued their journey over the mountain. Given their luck, however, he didn’t think that was going to be the case.
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah was yawning quite a bit during the day, but she kept up with everyone else. She knew she w9uld be sleeping well the next night because she was exhausted. Emily was spritely and skipping along with a smile on her face. That really was what kept Sarah going. It really impressed her to see Emily happy and not thinking about what had happened to her recently. It was the kind of attitude she tried demonstrating to crime victims who she’d dealt with when she still was a detective. That thought hit her, and she realized it felt like a million years ago since she’d been normal. A little gasp caught her attention. She thought it had come from Emily, but Emily was just as surprised as she was. It turned out the gasp had come from Tom. Sarah couldn’t help the first thought that came into her head.
“Now what?” She followed his gaze and saw a lone wolf standing in front of them on the path. Sarah’s heart raced and her blood turned cold. This must have been what had been watching her from the tree line last night. It also would explai
n why she only had heard that one rustle. Wolves had a way of moving stealthily enough so their prey didn’t pick up on their presence. One wolf wouldn’t be a problem, though, because there were four of them and they outnumbered it. Even a rabid wolf wouldn’t like those odds. Wade swore out loud.
“What? It’s just one wolf. He wouldn’t dare attack us. We outnumber him. We’ll just keep moving.” Sarah thought she was making sense, but Wade just shook his head. She still had some anger remaining in her toward Tom, so she wanted to take this opportunity to argue with someone and let it all out. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Wade cut her off.
“It’s just one wolf now, but it’s never just one wolf. There will be more.” Wade was scanning the surrounding area, looking for more danger.
Almost as if on cue, three more gray shapes appeared out of the dark foliage. Sarah drew Emily closer, doing her best to shield the girl from the hungry glares of the beasts around them. Their beady yellow eyes were like a vortex, pulling them in on a long, hopeless journey to their empty bellies.
“What do we do?” Sarah was businesslike, trying to come up with a plan of attack. All thoughts of arguing suddenly were gone from her mind completely. Options always were available, it just was a matter of which ones were available to them at the moment. Her hand was on her pistol, and she was wondering if maybe it would be good to waste a few bullets on the wolves just to keep going.
“I’m not sure. We can try running and see where that gets us.” Wade sounded defeated for the first time, and that broke Sarah. If he would have said that in a joking manner, then she would have felt a little better about the situation. When Wade couldn’t even joke, it meant things were very serious indeed. When she had been ready to give up, he’d been there to save them. Since then, she’d associated him with being their saving grace. She’d listen to whatever he told them.
