by Nye, Laine
Suddenly, the bark on a tree in front of them exploded and the debris struck them in the faces and they heard a gunshot ring out behind them. They were glad to know they were so far away that the gunshot was heard only after the bullet came near. That meant they were gaining ground on those that chased them. Allen yelled out when the tree bark hit them in the face.
“I've got something in my eyes,” he told them.
They stopped running and crouched down to stay out of the way of a better aim in order to help him get clear his vision. Brent grabbed a canteen off his belt and poured water into Allen's eyes. “Okay, that's better. Let's go.” Allen told them as he wiped his eyes and face. “We need to call the police or our parents,”
They all tried their cell phones but there was no signal in the canyon. They were cut off from any help.
“Stay low so they can't see us,” Brent said as they began moving again. They stayed crouched down and began their synchronized walk so that Brad could help them take their mighty leaps in every step.
Soon they were hidden from view to those below them again, and they stood up straight and picked up their pace. Now, Brent was watching behind them more often to see if the three men came into view again where they could get another shot at them
“I think we had better hide our back packs in the brush. They are slowing us down,” Brent said.
They all agreed and ran off the side of the trail up the steep hillside a few yards. They took off their back packs and hid them in the bushes.
“Are you sure these guys aren't just trying to warn us to come back, so we can be arrested?” Allen asked through heavy breathing due to their trek.
“Think about it Allen,” Brent said. “Why did that cop bring a shotgun instead of a rifle like the other two?”
“Because that is what the city issued him?”
“Yeah. I'm sure the city did. But you can bet a man like him has a rifle or two at his house,” Brent assured him. “He brought that shotgun for up close work! Also, a cop wouldn't even consider allowing civilians to carry weapons when the cop is trying to make an arrest!”
“Oh,” Allen said in a small voice. It was all he could think of to say.
The sky above had started to darken significantly. They were expecting heavy clouds today but the weather on Brad's cell phone said nothing about a rainstorm coming. From their narrow view of the sky in the canyon they could not see any rain clouds but the darkness that was rapidly approaching told them that a rainstorm was imminent.
They went silent again as talking took too much effort. A grim understanding of their circumstances settled even deeper over them after Brent's observation. Each entertained their own dark thoughts as they continued their desperate journey to safety.
Then Brad spoke up. “I really think these guys are only after me. Maybe you two should just hide out in the trees to the side of the trail and let them go on by. I can keep leading them further up the mountain.”
“No chance,” Brent said forcefully. “We are going to stay with you. Everyone else has abandoned you, but we're not going to do that.” He was referring to Jeff, Sherry, Paul and even Rudy.
“Wouldn’t our tracks show us leaving the trail?” Allen asked.
“Yes. You are right. Which means they can find our back-packs also.” Brent observed.
“They are not after out backpacks. They want us.” Allen said.
Brad didn't know how much longer he could have the tingling down his spine; How much longer he could exert the energy to keep them bounding up the incline. He wondered if they all wouldn't be safer if he went on alone. He could make time faster, last longer, and stay out of reach of Mack and Sherman. His two buddies could go back down the canyon after the trio passed them, and they could then take Brad's car back so that his parents would know what was happening. Brad would feel a lot safer if his dad was coming to help him.
“Brad's breathing became heavily labored as he continued to shoulder the weight of his two friends. Finally, he felt that he could go no further. The distance they had traveled in this manner was immense. “Guys,” he said through heavy breaths. “I've got to stop for a while, or I will not be able to go on.”
They came to a halt, and all three collapsed on the ground leaning against a boulder or a tree. They sucked in air until their breathing began to calm, and then they all took long drinks from one of their canteens which they had kept. After a few minutes Brent and Allen looked over at Brad who was now unconscious.
“What do we do now?” Brent asked Allen.
“We wait and let him rest for a while. We've got some time now.” Allen responded.
“I've never seen anybody cover this much ground as quickly as we have today.” Brent observed.
“Not even on flat ground!”
“Or running downhill!”
They went silent again as they waited for Brad to recover. After fifteen minutes, they could hear distant voices again coming from the trail below. They knew it was time to go. Brent got up and went to Brad. “Wake up Brad. We've got to go again. They are starting to get close.”
Brad woke up and looked at his two friends. Well, what are we waiting for,” he said.
That was when the rain started. It was not heavy for the first three minutes, then it became a heavy downpour growing worse by the minute. It had been a long time since it had rained. The snows had melted early this season so the ground was drier and harder than normal. The rain water was not settling into the ground but rushing over the top of it.
They got up and started up the trail again. They walked on their own volition for a time until Brad felt strong enough, then he got them bounding up the hill again. They came to a large clearing and stopped. Allen pulled out the binoculars that had been on his hip in a pouch and looked down the trail to see if by chance the trio had given up. Then he saw sign of movement far below them and still coming forward. His view quickly blurred as raindrops coated the lenses of the binoculars.
“This isn't working guys,” he said. “What are we going to do? We can't run forever, and Brad certainly won't be able to keep this up all day.”
We are about a half an hour ahead of them right now I'd say.” Brent said as he looked through the binoculars after Allen. “We should think of another plan to avoid them.”
The rain water was beginning to collect in the bottom of the canyon which was where their trail was at. Their feet were now covered in rushing water.
Brad looked up at the mountain to their left that formed that side of the canyon It wasn't terribly steep from this location. “Maybe we should go up this mountain and drop over into the canyon where the Divide is. This trail is getting too hard to follow against this stream We could rush back down to the car and drive out of here before those guys figure out what we have done. There is a jeep trail at the bottom of the canyon that's just over this mountain. We can run that trail easily.
“Hey,” Brent said. “That's a good idea. We can double back on them, and when we come out at the bottom of that canyon, we won't be all that far from Brad's car.”
“Okay. Let's do it Brad said.
They started up the steeper incline out of the canyon and up the mountain side. It was a good plan except that while this area was the least steep for them to go up the mountain, it also had no tree cover. They did not realize how easily they were going to skyline themselves until it was too late. They were spotted almost immediately. They were already well committed to their climb when they looked back down the trail as it snaked through the canyon. They could see the trio standing there in the distance with one of them pointing his arm up at them. They were far enough away, so they couldn't tell who it was. But they knew they had been spotted!
“Keep going!” Brad yelled out. “They've seen us. When we get to the top of this mountain we'll have easy sailing going down the other side.”
He looked up at the portion of the mountain still above them, and Brad saw an outcropping of rock. “Hang on guys!” He said.
He pulled the gravity out from under them and projected extra gravity into the rocks above. They virtually flew up the mountainside until they were at the boulders embedded deep into the mountain. It was only another couple hundred feet or so to the top!
Frequently, there are people in the mountains shooting guns. Whether it was deer hunting season or just hunters wanting to target practice, the guns could be heard outside of city limits from time to time without causing anyone alarm. It was only when they heard the gunshots in the city that an alarm was raised. Thus, no one was reacting to the rifles that had been fired that morning. The residents near the canyon were in earshot of the guns but felt no alarm since the shooters were outside city limits. No one was coming to investigate because no one had called the police.
Sherman Greene, and Mack Rowley brought along the third man because of his expertise in tracking and hunting. He knew how to chew up the terrain in pursuit of prey. The only country in Utah that he was unfamiliar with was the salt flats because there was nothing to hunt on the other side of the Great Salt Lake. It was all alkali and could not support life. He was an expert at any other type of terrain and knew how to take advantage of the same while tracking or pursuing prey. His name was Simon Holmes. He was known as a great hunter, and he was friends with Mack Rowley.
With his tracking ability and knowledge of the canyons and forests in the area, he was the best man for them to use to pursue their prey. Mack was glad they had brought him along now that the ambush they had planned to set up in the canyon had been undermined by the early arrival of Brad Shaw and his two gullible friends. The trio turned and started up the side of the canyon trying to parallel Brad's small group.
With this kind of man for their guide, they were making good time getting up to the top of the mountain. The kids they were chasing were well ahead of them going up the mountain, but Mack and his men were also a mile closer to town then was their prey. They believed they still had a better than even chance of being able to cut off their prey by going over the mountain. It was obvious to Simon what these kids were attempting. If they had just wanted to get over the mountain to try to lose their pursuers, they would have continued straight up the mountain that had been in front of them. He knew they were trying to double back to escape.
The rain had quickly soaked both the predators and the prey. Utah rain is cold and unforgiving when it falls. Each drop that hits a person can feel like a mini icicle. The six people were beginning to feel the misery of having no shelter available and no time to find any.
The mountaineer could not have anticipated how much of an advantage Brad's abilities could even up the odds during this chase. So, when Brad and his friends started down the mountain once they had crested the top, Brad started looking for a place where that mountain was steeper than the general pitch. When he found it, he called his friends over to the area and then said, “We're gonna jump!”
It was going to be a drop of over two hundred feet. They looked down with some anxiety. “Brad, you have never had us in the air this high before.” Allen warned.
“I had Sherry this high. I can do it guys. And I won't make the same mistake twice.”
“That's because you're not planning to smooch us!” Brent remarked. They all smiled and then Brad spoke again.
“Ready?”
They nodded.
“Jump.”
They sailed out over the steeper part of the mountain and started their descent. The longer they were falling, the more Brad increased their speed. Soon they were about to land. The pitch of the land was less steep now, but the manner of their landing could cause them to fall and roll uncontrollably. Brad sensed this, and so he slowed their descent until there was no downward momentum. They touched down gently on the slope. Soon they were bounding down the mountain the way a deer would.
By the time they got near bottom, the jeep trail was only a few hundred feet away. They walked towards it swiftly. It was now after noon. Their plans for the camp-out were ruined. Only their safe escape from the pursuers mattered now.
Mack and his group were making good time coming down the mountain after their ascent. They were dodging between large fields of rock that were in their way but Simon knew how to take advantage of every inch of the terrain. The hunt was still on.
Brad, Allen and Brent were finally on the jeep trail. Because of Brad's fatigued state they were going on their own power. They kept the fast pace up, not letting their fatigue slow them down.
They did not see the men coming down the mountain and They did not know that those men had now stepped onto the jeep trail just two hundred yards behind them. A rifle was cocked. The crisp sound carried down the wide canyon to their prey. Brent spun and looked.
“They are right behind us!” He yelled. “Brad, help us!”
“Start running as fast as you can and when I say now jump into the air as high as you can!”
Brad built up his reserves of energy even while they ran as fast as they could. It was time! “Now,” he yelled. They jumped into the air; Brad lifted them upwards and forward. The diagonal movement was extending their distance from the riflemen. They were climbing rapidly. Brad intended to get far enough up and forward that they would be out of range of Mack and Greene.
What Brad did not know was that every shot they had heard had come from just one gun which belonged to Mack. He wasn't a very good shot. But now Simon stopped dead in his tracks after cocking his rifle. He took careful aim into the sky at the retreating figures.
He suspended his surprise and disbelief at what he was seeing and concentrated on his aim. He planned to shoot three times in rapid succession to take down the three targets. He fired the first time. He did not know which one was Brad Shaw. He had never seen him before so in his blood lust, after the thrill of the chase, they were all going to be put down.
Brent yelled out in pain and grabbed his right arm as they heard the gunshot. He tumbled in a somersault from the impact of the bullet. Brad stopped Brent's rolling and had to use all of his ability to concentrate in order for him not to lose control of his null gravity field like he had done with Sherry.
A second shot rang out, and the bullet whizzed past Brad's head. A third shot found its mark. Allen grunted once, and then his head fell forward on his chest. Then he started to slowly tumble end over end from the impact. He was unconscious. A bullet had grazed his skull, cutting a deep rivulet in flesh and bone.
Brad gasped in disbelief. They were really trying to kill them!
He turned himself around backwards in the air facing his adversaries. Two rifles were pointed up at him now. He growled loudly, his teeth bared as he threw every bit of gravity concentration under the trio that he could possibly muster no longer worrying about the effects that this very same tactic had had on Milo Weathers. He kept his friends and himself aloft at the same time. He watched the three evil men collapse to the ground. The guns went off. The shots were wild and ineffective. He held the men to the ground with intense force so that they couldn't raise their rifles to shoot.
A boulder lodged into the side of the mountain had been loosened up by many years of erosion and by the rainstorm that was creating flash flooding in certain areas of the mountain. The increased gravity below the boulder was enough to dislodge it from its resting place. It started to tumble down the mountain very quickly with water flying off of it as it spun. Simon heard it coming, and even with the terrible strain of gravity holding him down, he managed to start rolling out of the path of the boulder. Greene had been a few feet behind the others so that they could have prominent position for firing their longer-range weapons. He was out of harm's way but not by much.
Mack Rowley turned his head and looked up at the crashing sounds that were above him and saw the boulder coming down the mountain at the speed of a car on the freeway. He yelled out in panic. “Get me out of here!”
The boulder bounced off another boulder and was airborne. It made no sound until it landed squarely on Mack. He let out one sharp ye
lp as the air in his lungs was violently expelled. He had made the last audible sound he would ever make. Brad saw all this happen with a horrified expression, but still he would not release the other two from the ground. The boulder rolled off the crushed body with smaller rocks cascading around and on the inert form. His arms and legs were quivering as Mack's brain fired off the last of its electrical impulses. Then he was still.
Brad began to lower his friends and himself back to the jeep trail. He watched Allen carefully for any signs of consciousness. He looked at Brent who was moaning from time to time. As they were reaching the ground, he carefully laid Allen down and then eased Brent down as well. They sat on the ground breathing hard with Allen laying prone. Brad was struggling with his last ounces of energy.
“Brent, what should I do? I can't keep this up anymore!”
Brent looked up at his friend as he continued to nurse his bleeding arm. “Run for it, Brad. Don't let them catch you. You can't keep them pinned down forever.”
“I can't leave you two like this!”
Tim Brady was a man who enjoyed nature. He almost always had his camera in the car with him so that he could take pictures of sunsets, moose, elk and deer. Whatever impressed him in the Wasatch Mountains, he was there with his camera and a telephoto lens. Sometimes he used a wide-angle lens, and other times he resorted to his zoom lens. Today had not been as successful as other days when he went into Ogden Valley. He was now driving over the Divide to go back to his home in Pleasant View.
Some movement to his left caught his ever-searching eyes, and he looked over at the mountainside across the wide canyon from where he was at. He slowed down to a crawl so he wouldn't accidentally drive off the road while watching out the window. It was several hundred feet to the bottom and it was steep. He looked intently at the place he had seen movement. He thought that what he was seeing could not be real. Three people seemed to be floating down the mountainside. They weren't using their legs to move. Their bodies were fairly still, yet he could see them drifting down the mountain at a speed that could not be accomplished unless they were free falling. But they weren't. The mountain was not vertical like a cliff.
