by Hunt, Jack
“Well, let’s see the goods then.”
6
It was complete hell. It felt like someone had doused his body in gasoline and set it on fire. Landon’s arm had swollen considerably. His vision kept blurring. As hard as he tried to remain calm, he was on the verge of panicking. He writhed in agony as Billy sat across from him strumming his banjo like he didn’t have a care in the world. He almost looked as if he was enjoying watching Landon suffer.
Landon looked at his wristwatch again.
Seconds seemed like hours as he waited for Beth to return. He’d tried to meditate to shift his mind away from the pain but it was unbearable. The portion of his hand that had been bitten was already beginning to look darker than the rest of the surrounding skin. Billy said it was tissue damage.
Landon looked his way. He had questions, lots of them. Billy had been good at dodging questions since joining them but there was something that had been niggling Landon since Pennsylvania. They’d stopped in the town of Boiling Springs to replenish some of their supplies and Billy had been less than enthusiastic to stay there. He’d told him he’d meet them on the trail farther up, but when they said they were planning to stay an extra night, it was like a switch flipped in his head. He began acting erratic, saying they were selfish and that if it wasn’t for him they would probably be dead. Landon wanted answers but he refused to say why he wouldn’t go into town. It wasn’t the first red flag, there were others, like finding IDs in his backpack that didn’t belong to him. He said they were from his hiking group that had been murdered and he wanted to return to them to the families but Landon didn’t buy that. There was something very off about him. Any time they tried to discuss what happened at his camp and how that one man had managed to kill his friends, he would just close up, walk away or retire for the evening.
Boiling Springs was another strange one.
Landon had been approached by a guy who told him not to trust Maestro but before he could explain, Billy stabbed him then justified it by saying that he was trying to lure them into a trap. Beth had bought it as they barely got out of that town with their lives but something didn’t ring true.
“That guy in Boiling Springs. The one you stabbed.”
“What about him?” Billy said between strums.
“I got a sense he knew you. Had you ever seen him before?”
“Nope.”
“Strange. As he knew your trail name.”
Billy’s eyes lifted and then he chuckled. “You know how many times I’ve been on this trail?” He waited for Landon to shake his head. “Six times. Back and forth I have hiked this trail. How many times have you?”
“This is the first.”
“Exactly. That’s why you wouldn’t know. You see, even though the hiking community is spread out across the country, there is only a core group of people who hike for the love of it. They’re not out here trying to look the part, or fill up their Instagram with shots of the outdoors. They’re here because they truly love hiking. In that small community, people know my name because I have hiked every major trail across the United States.” He took a deep breath. “John Muir, Continental Divide, Appalachian, Long Trail, Hayduke, Grand Enchantment, Ozark Highlands, Ice Age and Superior. You name it, I have done it more than twice. So my name is out there in the forums. People see me on a regular basis. Of course that guy knows me.”
Landon hesitated before he said, “Then why did he warn me about you?”
That made him stop strumming. He set his banjo down beside him. Landon gripped his handgun tighter. “Because people are jealous.”
“Jealous?”
He nodded. “That’s right. You might think hikers don’t get jealous but they are some of the most jealous people in the world. They live for the feedback from others. Oh, you hiked that trail? Oh, you did it without assistance, oh, you hiked with an ultralight backpack… the list goes on.”
“Jealousy is one thing. Saying someone is dangerous is another,” Landon said.
Billy didn’t look fazed by his response. “Look, bad shit happens out here. I’ve seen it all. People love to point the finger. Blame. Accuse. But that’s all it is. If I was you I wouldn’t think too much about it. You don’t want to go down that rabbit hole.”
He got up and took out a pack of cigarettes. There were none left. “Fuck!” he said before crumpling the packet and tossing it. He looked at Landon and sneered before he stepped out of the shelter.
“Where you going?”
“To get some air.”
He disappeared around the corner and Landon glanced at his watch again. “C’mon, Beth. Where are you?”
Beth handed over the gun and Horace pulled out the magazine and looked at her. “And the rest?” She took out the spare magazines from her backpack and slapped them down on the grimy counter. He took them and disappeared into the back where they could see him opening a safe and putting them inside. He came out and went over to a cooler and took out a beer, cracked the top off and chugged some of it down.
“The antivenom?” Beth asked.
“All in good time. Take a seat.”
“Look, I need to get back and fast.”
“Take a seat!” he bellowed. Beth looked at Bo and he nodded. Beth glanced at the clock on the wall. There was still time.
“And you,” Horace said to Bo. “Dixon came snooping around here yesterday. Said you’re screwing him over.”
Bo chuckled. “He thinks everyone screws him over. I gave him a good deal.”
Horace went to the counter and opened a tin full of tobacco and began to roll himself a cigarette. He licked the ends of the cigarette paper in a disgusting manner while eyeing Beth. “You’re pretty. A lot prettier than the ones he usually brings.”
Beth frowned and her gaze bounced to Bo. Bo wouldn’t look at her.
Horace laughed. “You didn’t tell her?”
Beth’s hand slowly dropped to her left leg. She unclipped the sheath that held her knife and wrapped her fingers around it.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Young enough to be your granddaughter,” she said.
He used the tip of his tongue to pry loose a piece of meat stuck between his teeth. “Stand up and turn around.”
“Why?”
“Because you want antivenom and that costs more than a handgun is worth.”
“What the hell are you talking about? We had a deal.”
“A deal?” Horace said, his hand resting on the sawed-off shotgun. “I didn’t say anything about a deal. Did I, Bo?”
Bo shook his head, still refusing to make eye contact with Beth. That bastard. He’d screwed her over. Her hand gripped tightly on the knife. “Dixon has a lot of men that need to be taken care of. You look like you fit the bill but I need to take some measurements. You understand?”
When she didn’t respond fast enough, Horace brought the shotgun up. “And I’ll take that bow of yours, and that knife you have your hand on. Slowly,” he said. Beth felt like such a fool. She shouldn’t have trusted him. But she wasn’t ready to hand over everything, not without a fight.
“I’ll hand it over when I see the antivenom.”
“Girl, don’t be cute with me. Throw the bow and knife over here.”
She gritted her teeth and removed the bow and tossed it near his feet along with the quiver of arrows. Then she removed the knife. “Careful. Nice and slow,” he said. She dropped it, though nearer to her than him.
“Really?” he asked. “Kick it over.”
She gave it a nudge but not hard.
“More!”
She gave it a harder kick, this time it slipped across the vinyl flooring and under the stove. Horace moved forward but kept the shotgun on her. “Bo. Get it.” He then smiled flashing his smoke-stained teeth. “Little girl, you must think I’m stupid,” he said. “Come on, Bo. Get the knife or I’ll inform Dixon and you know he won’t be happy.”
Bo got down on his knees and felt around until he had the knife. Hor
ace’s eyes were fixed on Beth as Bo suddenly lashed out, jamming the knife into the old man’s rib cage and plowing into him. The shotgun went off, blowing a hole through the side of the trailer, and Beth watched as Bo stabbed the guy multiple times until he was no longer moving. When he extracted the blade, he got up and handed it back to her without saying a word. He then strode down the center aisle toward the safe. Beth scooped up her bow and quiver and put it back on. She wiped blood from the knife and put it back in its sheath. All the while Bo was on one knee turning the dial on the front of the safe.
A few seconds later it cracked open and he removed the handgun and magazines along with a small black bag. He unzipped it and looked inside, then closed it and came out. “This is what you need. And here’s your gun.”
“Why are you helping me?” Beth asked.
“Like I said. Not everyone is bad. We should go.”
Beth took her gun and headed out into the bright daylight. When Bo stepped out, he went over to a BBQ and unscrewed the propane tank and lobbed it into the trailer. He then went over to a black truck that was parked nearby and opened up the back and took out multiple cans of gasoline. He went back into the trailer and she could hear liquid splashing and then he came out creating a trail.
“Go. Get in the truck,” he said. He dropped the gasoline can, took out of his pocket a lighter and lit it, then tossed it on the ground. A blue flame burst to life and began spreading along the trail of gasoline. Bo turned and bolted for the truck. He hopped in and Beth reversed out at a high rate of speed just as an explosion erupted. Thick black smoke curled up into the air as she spun the wheel and drove away.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Ned said. “Dixon will go nuts.”
“He won’t know.”
“After this morning’s fiasco, of course he will.”
“The old man got what was coming to him. Sick fuck.”
Ned shook his head. “Bo.”
“He would have handed her over to him.”
“And? How’s that any different than the others?”
“Others? What others?” Beth asked. She glared in her rearview mirror at Bo who looked embarrassed to say.
“You don’t want to know.”
She scoffed. “I think I already do.” She shook her head.
“You know he’ll kill her now. You just killed Iris.”
“No he won’t. She means too much to him. Besides, this could have been anyone.”
Ned shook his head. “C’mon, Bo. How many have managed to get into Horace’s yard since this shit storm? He’s gonna know it was us.”
“Yeah, well by then we’ll have Iris out.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
Bo shook his head. “I don’t know. I just know that this was the right thing to do.”
“For who, her? Because you have just signed our death warrant.”
Beth didn’t have to think too hard to grasp what they might be referring to and who Dixon could be. After running into Lilith and Bosley, and encountering another crazy group in Boiling Springs, it was becoming the norm to find small groups running towns. Trading, working with neighbors and helping others only got people so far. Eventually people would realize that to monopolize the game, they had to be the one in control before someone else took the reins. “Ned, just shut up. I’m not leaving without her.”
“You don’t get it, do you? She wants to be with him. Iris chose to be with him. You saw the way she was. You had your chance.”
Bo lowered his chin.
“Iris. Is that your daughter?” Beth asked.
He gave a nod.
“Who is Dixon?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Not everyone could be helped.
But it was clear that people would go to great lengths for family.
Up until that point Beth hadn’t cared whether they lived or died but anyone who was willing to get between her and a gun earned her respect, regardless of what they had done. In her side mirror she saw smoke rising high above the trees.
It didn’t take them long to get back to Bo’s home. When they arrived, Ned charged into the house slamming the door behind him without saying goodbye. Bo sighed and looked at her. “You take care of yourself.”
“Will you be all right?” Beth asked.
“We’ve survived this long. Ned will get over it.”
She smiled back. “Listen, I really appreciate what you did back there. In fact, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done and I kind of feel bad that…”
“Beth. Don’t sweat it. Get moving. And be sure to avoid Port Jervis. Things are going to get heated over there real soon.”
She wanted to tell him where they were going but it was safer not to. She extended her hand and he managed to crack a smile as he shook it. She tossed him the keys. “Again, thanks.” Bo gave a nod and she motioned for Grizzly to follow as she took off across the field heading for the woods. She only hoped she wasn’t too late. When she reached the tree line she looked back. Bo was no longer outside. He was right. Not everyone was bad. There were still good people out there. Fighting. Struggling to survive. Caught up in seemingly impossible situations. She had no idea what they had got themselves involved in, but she had a sense that whatever it was, it ended today.
7
Thirty minutes. The response to antivenom was dramatic and fast. It felt like he’d been rescued by an angel. Beth told him that it could take up to a few hours to feel anything but he already felt improvement within the first fifteen minutes. “We need to get some fluids into you,” she said. “Usually, hospitals will hook a patient up to an IV and closely monitor them, and in most cases release them from hospital within six hours, however it could be longer depending on the venom’s toxicity, and the person.”
“You made it back fast,” Billy said, leaning up against the shelter wall with his arms crossed. Beth glanced his way. Unlike Landon he didn’t look too enthusiastic about her return, if Landon wasn’t mistaken, he looked surprised. “So you didn’t encounter any problems?”
“A few but nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“Interesting.” Billy studied Landon.
“We’ll stay here the night and by morning you should be good to go,” Beth said. “I’ll see if I can find us some food.”
“I’ll come with you,” Billy said.
She lifted a hand. “No. I should be fine.”
“Ah, I insist. You’ve done a lot already. Let me carry some of the weight. Besides, I’d be interested in seeing you use that bow of yours.”
Landon didn’t like it one bit. Billy still hadn’t given him a straight answer regarding Boiling Springs. He was beginning to think he was holding back, but why?
“Will you watch over Grizzly?” Beth asked.
“Sure,” Landon said. As they walked off towards the tree line, Billy cast a glance his way and Landon felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Out of view, he slapped away the negative thoughts. It wouldn’t do him any good. Instead, he closed his eyes to rest and stroked Grizzly who had curled up beside him.
At some point he drifted off as when he awoke, it was pitch dark. Grizzly was whining. He groaned and rolled over wiping drool from his lips. The pain in his hand and arm had subsided considerably. Compared to that morning, he almost felt like it had never occurred. He sat up and rolled his head around. That’s when he noticed he was alone. There was no fire and Beth’s sleeping bag was still there. “Beth?”
Landon climbed out of his sleeping bag and stumbled out into the campsite. “Billy? Beth?” No answer. He glanced down at his wristwatch and pressed the button on the side to illuminate it. It was after eight at night. He’d been asleep for over nine hours. Where the hell was she? She should have been back by now. He went into the shelter and felt around for his flashlight. He shone it at her spot and then over to where Billy had been. His gear was gone. He tried to recall if he’d left with it but couldn’t remember. A sense of dread washed over him. “Beth!” he
yelled loudly. Grizzly followed him out into the clearing as he called out to her again but got no reply. No, no, no. This wasn’t good. His mind immediately went to the worst scenario. Had they been jumped? Been attacked by an animal? Or was Billy behind it?
Being stranded in the wilderness was hard enough with Beth but on his own? There was no way he would survive out here. He relied on her. She was his lifeline, his anchor in foreign territory. Up in the sky it would have been a different case but down here… in the middle of a forest…panic rose in his chest.
“Beth!”
Convinced she would have been back by now, he hurried over to the shelter and reached into his bag. He pulled out a piece of black charcoal and scribbled on the wood a message for her just in case she returned. There was still a slim possibility that she was still hunting as she had often disappeared for hours when he was at the cabin, but this didn’t feel right. He rolled up his sleeping bag and tucked it back into the loops below his backpack, then he guzzled down some water and shrugged on the pack. He checked how much ammo he had left in his magazine before gesturing for Grizzly to follow.
He took Beth’s sleeping bag and brought it up to Grizzly’s snout.
“Okay, boy, I’m gonna need your help to find her. Can you do that? Find Beth.”
Landon wasn’t sure it would work but when Grizzly turned and headed for the same area he’d last seen Beth, hope rose inside him.
He tapped on the flashlight and shone it ahead, trudging forward in fear and trepidation. He didn’t want to get bitten again, and he didn’t want to get attacked by a cougar. The way he saw it, he was smack bang in the middle of the wilderness and anything could happen, especially at night.
Beth returned to awareness through a hazy fog with a pounding headache. Her eyes blinked a few times. Darkness. The strong smell of the forest and a fire. “Landon?”
