“I used to play the tuba,” Chase grumbled.
Trevor started to laugh. “You look like a tuba.”
Chase grinned and flicked his middle finger.
“Look at us,” Alistair continued. “How isn’t this…how isn’t it funny? The four of us, just kids, in the middle of nowhere chasing some super soldier so we can save the day. It’s a bad plot in a movie. We’re just kids.”
“Nobody is a kid anymore,” Daniel said with a straight face, his mind drifting to friends he’d lost.
“No, that’s it,” Chase said in excitement. “We are kids…we’re just kids.”
“What?”
“He’ll never see us coming. We’re just kids, that’s how we can get close to him.”
“And then what?”
“And then we do what we came to do. We kill him. That’s why we’re out here in the first place, ain’t it?”
Trevor huffed. “Just give it up. That guys long gone by now.”
“I can track him. Shit, him shot up and bleeding…a blind man could find him.”
Trevor smirked. “This is a plan?”
Chase shrugged his shoulders. “Best I got.”
“Take this,” Daniel said and handed him a rifle. “I found it with these.” He held out a bag and a utility belt stuffed with magazines.
Chase grabbed the rifle and exchanged his bag with the new one. He ejected the magazine and opened the bolt then put it back like he’d done it a million times.
“You good?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah, yeah I think so.”
“Well, get the hell out of here.”
“What about you guys?” Alistair asked.
Daniel waved his hand. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll get her back. There’s a collapsible stretcher in the bag. We got this.”
Alistair grinned and as he turned around the floor started to shake beneath his feet. He fell into a tree and used it to steady himself.
“No!” Daniel shouted as his mind flashed back to the island.
The shaking stopped as quickly as it started, but for Daniel his nightmare had just begun. He curled into a ball, shaking and mumbling over and over.
“Make it stop. Please make it stop,” he cried.
“Daniel!” Trevor yelled.
He rushed to his side and pulled him into his arms. Cradling him, he rocked back and forth.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. It’s okay,” he whispered into his ear.
Chase stared at them with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. He’d faced the same horrors and had been with both through the worst. He’d never seen Daniel react so badly.
“It’s okay man. I got you. I’m right here,” Trevor continued.
“Is he okay?” Alistair asked with a worried guise.
“Does he look okay?” Chase replied. “He’s been through a lot.”
“We all have.”
“Yeah, well you still have one of your parent’s asshole,” Chase growled.
“That’s not what I was saying. I mean…we’re all there, at the same point. I know how he feels.”
Chase frowned. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Trevor helped Daniel to his feet then wiped the tears from his face. Taking stuttered breaths, Daniel hugged him and turned back toward Chase and Alistair.
“S…sorry,” he mumbled.
“Don’t apologize to us,” Chase said.
“Yeah, I get it.”
Daniel swallowed then let out a puff of air. “We um, we need to hurry up. It’s starts like that then it only gets worse.”
Alistair gave him a concerned look.
“I’m fine.”
“Daniel,” Chase started.
“I’m fine, just go,” he said.
Alistair stared at him with teary eyes. He wiped his face then shook his head in agreement. “You guys be safe. We’ll see you back at the Mayflower.”
CHAPTER 23
MISSING IN ACTION
“Where is he?” Melinda roared as she stormed down the hall.
Craig turned around in surprise. He gasped and held his hands in the air. “What? What are you talking about?”
“You know what the hell I’m talking about.” Melinda was a mess. Her hair was knotted and twisted together. He eyes were swollen and bloodshot red. And she had a look on her face that could’ve killed a man.
“Melinda…I, I’m sorry about everything. But I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you looking for.”
“My son!” she shouted. “Alistair is missing.”
“Calm down. He’s gotta be here somewhere.”
“He’s not! I’ve looked everywhere. He’s missing, and Ashley knows something about it.”
“Those other boys are missing too,” Cindy said as she turned the corner with Max. “You might wanna talk to the girls.”
Craig let out a deep groan and yanked at the red strands sprouting from his head. “Ugh!” he growled. “Come with me.”
He stormed down the hall, nearly running. Cindy, Max and Melinda rushed behind him. He stopped outside of Ashley’s room and banged on the door like he was serving a warrant.
“Ashley!” he shouted. “Open this door!”
He could hear rustling in the background then the sound of the lock being turned. Ashley cracked the door open and poked her head out.
“Major?” she asked.
“We’re coming in,” he barked then pushed the door open and marched inside.
Chloe, Amber and Sherry were sitting on the couch sharing nervous glances with one another. Ashley glanced back at them then stood in the foyer, blocking Craig from entering any further.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You know what’s wrong!” Melinda shouted from behind Craig.
“I’ll handle this Melinda,” he said softly then turned back to Ashley. “I need to talk to you…all of you. Go ahead and take a seat with the other girls.”
Ashley gave him a confused look. Wrinkling her face, she turned around and made her way to the living room. She sat down next to Amber and leaned back.
“Where did they go?” Craig asked calmly.
“What…what are you talking about?” Ashley replied.
Melinda charged toward them, but Max grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She snarled at him and he let her go.
“I know you’re pissed,” Cindy whispered to her. “Just, just let him do his job. If you scare them they probably won’t tell us a thing.”
Melinda looked at her sideways and swallowed. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head and looked back toward the couch.
“Daniel and the others,” Craig continued. “Where are they?”
“In their room? I don’t know.”
Craig took a step forward. “I’m not playing young lady. Where did they go?”
“She said she didn’t know,” Sherry jumped in.
His temper flared momentarily, and he swallowed it done and composed himself. “I don’t know what games you’re playing. I don’t know what they think they are doing, but people are dying,” he said and shot a hesitant glance over his shoulder. “Tell me where they went, now!”
“I told you…I don’t know alright! I don’t know where they went.”
“He went to catch him, to catch Koran,” Chloe said.
Ashley nudged her with her elbow and grumbled.
“Those are my brothers out there, not yours,” Chloe retorted.
“Ashley!” Craig snapped.
“Fine…fine. Yeah they went after Koran.”
“Who is they?”
“Alistair, Daniel, Trevor and Chase.”
“When did they leave?”
“I don’t know. Right after you sent your team.”
“Are you crazy?” Craig said. “That was hours ago. Why didn’t you come and tell me as soon as you found out what they were doing?”
“Tell you what? Tell you that I hope they find that fucker and kill him?”
“What?” Craig asked with a demented laugh.
“Koran is a trained killer. What the hell were you thinking? Do you know what kind of danger those boys are in?”
“Koran is a murdering piece of shit. Alistair deserves to get revenge, he can get revenge for all of us.”
Melinda pushed Craig to the side and charged forward. Lunging at Ashley, she slapped her across the face then stormed out of the room.
“What the fuck?” Ashley groaned and grabbed her cheek.
“Stay here!” Craig said and ran after Melinda.
He caught up to her in the hallway. She was pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself and swinging her arms from side to side.
“Hey,” Craig called.
“You have to get him. You have to send someone after them.”
“Who? We barely have enough people to guard this place.”
“I don’t care who. I lost my husband, I’m not gonna lose my son.”
Craig frowned. “I’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t have time for you to figure it out Craig. My son is out there right now in the cold trying to catch a murderer. You said it yourself, he’s in danger.”
Craig wrinkled his brow. “Come with me.”
He walked off down the hall and made his way to one of the common areas. There were several guys inside sitting around and jumped to attention as he walked in.
“At ease gentlemen,” he said then looked around the room. “Thomas…Frank, I need a minute.”
Craig turned around and walked back into the hallway. Thomas and Frank glanced at one another then followed him.
“You guys still helping Max out?” Craig asked once they cleared the room.
“Not anymore. It’s all software issues now,” Thomas replied. “Nothing we can help with.”
“Good. I need you to track down some misplaced teenagers.”
“Track down…what do you mean by that?”
Craig sighed and stretched his arms. “Alistair, Melinda’s kid and three of the other boys. They went after Koran.”
“What?” Frank snapped.
“I know…I know. We need to find them, hopefully before Koran does.”
“How are we supposed to find some kids in the middle of the woods?”
“In the middle of the night?” Thomas added.
“I don’t know. Just…just get your shit ready and get moving.”
“I’m a helicopter pilot Craig.”
“I don’t give a shit!” Craig yelled.
“I’ll go get them my fucking self!” Melinda barked then hurried off down the hall.
“Melinda wait!” Thomas yelled then ran after her. He grabbed her arm and she paused. “We’ll go…I’ll go. Just give me a sec, let me get some gear ready. Okay?”
Melinda bit her bottom lip and beamed at him. She morphed her face into something between a smile and a snarl then turned and headed for the atrium.
“The clock is ticking,” Craig said as he stepped behind Thomas.
Thomas nodded then turned and left. Reluctantly, Frank followed and they both disappeared down the hall.
Back in the atrium Melinda had taken a seat and was staring outside. The floodlights illuminated the nearby trees as they thrashed back and forth in the wind. Thunder rattled the walls and Melinda tried to fight off the panic was wrapping its tentacles around her.
The loss of her husband hadn’t fully set in, it didn’t seem real yet. And now as she gazed into the darkness the fear or losing her son shook her to the core and made Randall’s absence even more painful. She always looked to him, not for answers, but for comfort. Now she was alone, and her heart mourned more than she ever could.
“Thomas and Frank are gonna be heading out soon,” Craig announced himself and took a seat beside Melinda.
She glanced at him then turned back and stared outside. There was a wall of silence, an uncomfortable calm between them that Craig could almost reach out and touch. He knew she blamed him for Randall’s death and if he didn’t get Alistair back he didn’t think she’d be able to continue living under the same roof.
“I…I um, I’m sorry about, about Randall,” he stammered. “I know this doesn’t mean much, but…”
“Then don’t say it,” Melinda cut him off.
Craig frowned and lowered his head. “He saved us,” he mumbled. “So, I have to say it. I owe him my life.”
Melinda sucked in a lungful of air and wiped the tears from her face. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Randall and the future that was stolen from them.
“Cynthia still with the kids?” Craig asked.
Melinda nodded as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the air. She jumped then stood up as Frank and Thomas stepped into the atrium.
“Wow!” Frank exclaimed. “That’s some pretty wicked weather.”
“It’s only gonna get worse. You should get moving,” Craig replied.
Thomas smirked then turned to face Melinda. “We’ll find him. I promise you we’ll find him.”
“Thank, you,” Melinda smiled.
He looked outside and tightened the straps on his bag. “Wish us luck,” he said then headed into the storm.
CHAPTER 24
END OF THE BARREL
Alistair moved through the dark in silence. The wind blew an icy hatred that scratched and clawed at every inch of unprotected skin. The nimble trees did nothing to protect them, they’d been broken and withered down by age or some other force of nature. There was nothing they could do but push forward into the storm.
His face felt like a block of ice and he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. Scattered drops of rain were just starting to fall as the temperature plunged toward the floor.
“Right here?” Chase asked as he paused in a clearing.
Alistair stopped and looked around. “You’re the expert,” he replied through chattering teeth.
“Let’s hurry. It’s only gonna get colder.”
Chase dropped his bag onto the ground and unzipped it. He pulled out a small tent and started piecing it together.
“You need me to do anything?” Alistair asked.
“Yeah, get out of my way.”
Alistair stumbled backward as Chase twisted and contorted the tent like it was a Rubik’s cube. In a matter of minutes, he had it up and was stowing his things inside just as the sky fell apart.
“I hope they made it back,” Alistair said as he crawled in and closed the opening.
“I’m sure they did,” Chase replied. “Those guys are tough. If they say they’ll do it, they’ll get it done.”
“You think it’s smart to stop?”
“It’d be stupid if we didn’t. The storm is pretty bad.”
Chase unrolled a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. The tent snapped and buffeted in the wind as waves of freezing rain lashed against it. Shivering, he clenched his jaw to stop the chattering then stared up at the roof with an uneasy look.
“This is gonna hold, right?” Alistair asked.
“It’s made for this.”
The durable fabric popped and flexed but held its place. Chase had anchored the tie-downs to a tree and he could hear the cord stressing as the wind yanked against it.
Flashes of lightning pierced the darkness and the accompanying boom split the night’s silence. Alistair looked at Chase under the dim glow from his headlamp and fought back tears. They were going to die, he knew it. Leaving the Mayflower, chasing after Koran, every decision he’d made sense then was a mistake. He didn’t expect to survive the night.
“We’ll be fine,” Chase said as he read Alistair’s face. “It’s just weather.”
“Yeah…yeah just weather,” Alistair echoed. “Can you even find him after all of this?”
“I’ll find him,” Chase replied confidently. “Rest up, as soon as this ends we’re leaving.”
Alistair rolled to his side and pulled a blanket over his face. He closed his eyes, but he knew sleep wouldn’t come. His mind was racing, clustered full of worry and fear.
The storm outside was tryi
ng its best to destroy their little tent. It wailed like a dying monster, raging into the night with a furious tantrum. Alistair shivered with every deafening roll, but the longer it went on the less it affected him.
The rumbling thunder and the yowl from the wind became a lullaby. The darkness slowly swept over him and the cold faded as he fell into a deep, soundless sleep.
He tumbled through an empty void, a bottomless well with no up and no down. For the first time in a long time he felt at peace. He wasn’t afraid or worried, he was nothing.
He found himself walking alone in an empty field. The sun glowed brightly in the distance and a cool breeze blew the smell of hope across his face. He smiled as the wind whistled in his ear causing him to laugh like a child again.
Beaming with joy, he moved forward, headed toward a never-ending stretch of green. The longer he walked the better he felt. The cold faded and he was showered in the sun’s warm embrace. He closed his eyes and let it pour over him like a blanket. He wanted to stay there forever, at peace and far from the pain that plagued his life.
“Wake up,” Chase suddenly called to him like a distant whisper.
He glanced back for a moment then kept walking.
“Wake up!” Chase called again with more intensity.
Alistair paused. Behind him there was nothing, just cold and darkness. In front of him there was hope, there was safety and a feeling of familiarity that he couldn’t explain. Something deep down told him to run toward the sun, so he turned his back to Chase’s voice and took off in a sprint.
“Alistair! Wake up Goddamn it!” Chase roared. He brought his heavy mitt down across Alistair’s face and shook him.
Alistair winced as the sun faded then burned stronger. He could feel the cold nipping at his heels and he ran harder, fearing the darkness would pull him back and he’d be lost forever.
“Don’t you do this Alistair,” Chase said in a desperate tone. “Don’t you die.”
Alistair skid to a stop at his words. This didn’t feel like death. Everything in front of him felt like life, it was the cold world he was leaving behind that felt like death. Yet, something told him he needed to go back.
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