by Hunt, Jack
“Look, I don’t see the problem. So we get a little wet. The dam isn’t in operation so the current should be fine.”
He pointed to the river where the water was rushing. “Does that look fine?”
Beth scooped up her backpack and shrugged into it. “Okay. We do it your way. We’ll hike south to the dam. It’s going to take another five hours but hey, at least you don’t have to get wet.” She strolled past him and he stood there gritting his teeth. Dakota raised an eyebrow at him and looked at Beth who had already reached the tree line.
“Okay. I will do it,” Landon said.
Beth stopped walking and looked back.
“Oh no, don’t worry. I don’t mind walking another fifteen miles, though it will be dark by the time we reach there and…”
“Beth, just come back before I change my mind,” he said.
She got this smirk on her face as she strolled back. “For what it’s worth I thought the canoe would be on this side, or…”
“Just forget it.”
“Look, I’ll ford across the river, bring the canoe over and then you don’t have to get wet.”
“And what if the current takes you downstream?”
“Then I’ll cling to a tree and make my way back up.”
“If you can reach it.”
“Landon, please, would you stop thinking negatively. We are where we are. Let me handle this. Stay here with Dakota and I’ll go across.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dakota said.
“No, there’s no point. I’ll come back once I get over. Besides, you can hold Landon’s hand so he doesn’t worry,” she said with a smile on her face.
Landon flipped her the bird and she burst out laughing.
“Okay,” Dakota said, shrugging off her backpack and sitting down on top of it. A bright morning sun shone down on them as Beth removed her pants to avoid resistance and left them with her bag. She then selected a spot along the bank to wade into the rushing water and used a large branch to offer some support as she made her way out.
“Brave girl,” Dakota said.
“You haven’t seen the half of it,” he said cupping a hand over his eyes and laying back to watch Beth angle herself upstream so the current would pull her down a little bit. That way she could avoid fighting the current versus going directly across and feeling it tugging her farther downstream.
Dakota squinted. “So you said you have a wife and son?”
He glanced at her, taking his eyes off Beth for just a moment. “That’s right. Max. He’ll be eighteen by the time I get home.” He smiled. “I miss him.”
“And Ellie.”
“The daughter I lost.”
“I’m sorry.”
He felt a heaviness press down on his chest at the mention of her name.
“You been married long?”
“A long time. Yeah.” He looked back and saw Beth making progress. It was slow but she was steadily wading across the watery expanse.
“Mike and I were married six years.”
Landon wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. He didn’t want to upset her as it was all still fresh and yet on the other hand maybe talking about them was therapeutic. Everyone dealt with death in different ways. Some would close up, retreat and say nothing, others would go on and act like nothing had happened. The rest would have good and bad days. He knew she had at least a month to chew over her husband’s death as well as her son’s but seeing his remains must have felt like a scab being torn off an old wound.
“How have you coped since losing Ellie?”
That was the first time someone had asked. Beth avoided the topic as she knew it meant discussing her father and that was just as painful.
He kept his eyes on Beth as he replied. “I try not to think about it.”
Dakota nodded. “I’m wondering when this heavy feeling will lift.”
“Well, for me it’s been almost seven months since it happened and the pain is still there.”
Finally Beth reached the other side and she waved to them before making her way down to a red canoe that was tied to a small wooden dock. How it had survived all this time without being taken was anyone’s guess but he was just pleased that one thing was going right. Beth untied it and stepped into the boat and stood up to paddle it over.
“It must feel good to know you aren’t that far away from home.”
Landon offered back a strained smile. He was elated and yet overwhelmed by the thought of informing his family of Ellie’s death. His lack of response ended the conversation. Beth hollered to them from about thirty feet away. “See. It was a piece of cake.”
“All right, smartass,” he said rising to his feet and making his way down to grab the nose end of the boat. Beth jammed the one paddle into the stones in the shallow water and hopped out as Landon held the canoe while Dakota and Grizzly got in and took a seat at the far end. Dakota slipped into a faded orange life jacket and handed one to him. Meanwhile Beth tossed the paddle down on the rocks near her bag and went about drying herself off and getting back into her pants. “Hurry up, I can’t hold this all day,” Landon said as he juggled to hold it with one arm and slip into the life jacket with his other.
“Impatient. Just get in, I’ll be there in a second.”
“You know you have a hole in your underpants,” he remarked.
Beth put her hands on her ass and Landon roared with laughter.
“He’s joking,” Dakota said, giving him a slap on the shoulder as he got into the canoe and put his arm through the other portion of the life jacket. The whole thing felt very bulky. The water was moving fast at that time of day. Even with the canoe’s nose slightly up on the shore, the back end was being shoved hard by the strong current.
Landon turned to calm Dakota.
Beth had one leg in her jeans when Dakota screamed, “Beth. Watch out!”
Landon cast a glance over his shoulder just in time to see a fresh-looking Billy rear back the paddle and strike Beth in the face. She buckled and was knocked unconscious. Grizzly barked loudly and tried to get out of the canoe, making it even more unstable. Billy pulled a handgun just as Landon went for the rifle lying in the canoe. “Ah! I wouldn’t do that,” he said pointing the gun at him. “And you better get a grip on that dog or else.” Landon’s gaze bounced between him and a very unconscious Beth who was lying face down on the pebbly shore. Dakota gripped Grizzly’s collar tightly. Billy made his way down to the edge of the water and put his foot up on the nose of the canoe. “Throw the rifle into the water. Do it! Now!” he bellowed. He looked a lot better than when they last saw him. Landon reached down. “Slowly. Slowly!” he said. Could he have managed to grab up the rifle and shoot him before he got a shot off? Doubtful. One glance at Billy’s finger on the trigger of his handgun and that idea went out the window. Landon tossed the rifle into the water.
“And the handgun.”
He gritted his teeth as he did the same again. The water splashed and he watched it sink.
“You don’t have to do this,” Landon said. “Take whatever you want.”
“I intend to,” he said, a smile forming. He gave a nod to Dakota. “And who might you be?”
“Leave her alone.”
He chuckled. “Oh… the great hero. You were lucky last time. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? I could have shot you but that would have been too easy. Then I saw you pick up this beauty. The longer I waited, the more exciting it got. Every day it was fun to watch you look over your shoulder. There were a couple of times I was sure you saw me. But, you didn’t. Then this presented itself and I heard how scared you are of water. A grown ass man can’t swim.” He tutted.
“If you’re gonna kill me, just pull the fucking trigger.”
“Oh, I’m not gonna kill you, Landon. The river will do that.”
Billy forcefully shoved the canoe away from the shore and the strong current sucked it out into deep waters. He then held his gun low and fired three shots at the canoe. Water
began pouring in and panic crept up in Landon’s chest. His eyes widened and darted between the canoe filling with water, and Billy smiling and giving him a military salute before hurrying over to Beth and dragging her towards the forest. “No. No!” he yelled. Trying to scoop out water, seeing Billy drag Beth away and realizing that the canoe was heading downstream fast — it was all too much for his mind to handle.
“We’ve got to get out,” Dakota said.
“I can’t swim,” he replied as he frantically scooped water out.
“You have no choice.”
Within seconds the canoe had taken in so much water that the front end was beginning to sink. “Give me your hand,” Dakota said.
“What?”
“Your hand!”
She clamped on to it and rolled out into the water. Landon’s eyes widened as he took a deep breath and went under. He came up gasping only to find himself going back under again. All the while as they were dragged downstream, he could still feel Dakota gripping his hand. Out the corner of his eye he saw Grizzly then he vanished. The frigid waters made it hard to breathe and every few seconds he would find himself gulping water. If she hadn’t grabbed him under the arms and begun to scissor kick back towards the shore, he was certain he would have drowned. “Kick your legs. Kick!” she bellowed as they fought against the current and tried to make it to the shore. Using every ounce of strength he had, he kicked until suddenly he felt rocks beneath him. He placed his feet down. Coughing and spluttering they crawled out of the water and collapsed on the bank, exhausted. Landon coughed up water and inhaled fast.
“Slow your breathing,” Dakota said turning over onto her back. He drew up his knees and whipped his head around to see where they were.
One look and it was clear they had traveled a fair distance downstream.
“Grizzly!”
Farther down he saw the dog crawl out of the water, and shake off. The relief was short-lived. Not only were they several miles downstream, soaking wet, without backpacks or weapons but they were now on the other side of the river.
“Beth!” he bellowed but his voice was lost in the harsh wind.
23
Blood rushed to her head as it bounced lightly against something firm. Building pressure, droplets of blood, she felt sick. The world was upside down when her eyelids fluttered open. The foul stench of body odor, her nose pressing into a shirt, her head throbbing and stomach aching from being bent over — a shoulder? She was being carried and her wrists were tied. An influx of memories: wading across the river, rowing a boat, Dakota screaming and then… Billy. Fear shot through her. He coughed hard and stopped and lowered her to the ground. Think fast. She closed her eyes and pretended she was still unconscious. Her body slumped to one side and she heard him humming a tune as he walked a short distance away.
Through slitted eyes she watched as he gathered together some branches, snapped them and tossed them into a pile. She spotted the revolver at his hip. Her hand slid down to her waist hoping to find her own but it was gone, as was the knife. Damn it. She knew her best chance of survival wasn’t to fight but to run. But that relied on timing. One wrong move and she could find herself with a bullet in the back.
Beth waited.
Billy looked over and she kept her eyes shut.
She heard him come over and crouch. He pushed her hair back behind her ear and muttered, “I know it’s going to take some time but you’ll eventually enjoy being with me.” He lowered his face and kissed her cheek. “So soft.” Inwardly she grimaced, wanting to lash out, but she remained still. He got up and walked away. She watched through slitted eyes as he trudged out of the clearing and disappeared into the brush.
This was it.
Beth’s eyes snapped open.
She jumped up only to collapse immediately and let out a groan.
Looking down at her boots she saw that he’d tied the laces together.
Bastard.
A sudden burst of laughter and Billy reappeared with an armful of branches.
“Oh that was priceless. Run, little mouse. Run.” He laughed harder.
She didn’t even bother to attempt to untie them as there had to be at least ten tight knots. Billy dumped the branches and Beth scrambled back against a tree as he strode over with a glint in his eye. “Now why would you want to run?”
“Where’s my dog, and Landon?”
“Probably at the bottom of the river or miles downstream. Either way they’re not coming to save you this time. And besides, do you really want to be saved?”
He crouched in front of her but kept a good distance. She wanted to spit in his face but that would have only got a reaction. She had to play this smart. Billy continued, “I nearly died out in that forest that night. I spent a long time following. At first I wanted to kill you both but then I thought about it. It was him not you that had a problem with me.” Billy put a finger up to her head and tapped her temple. “You see, he got in there and messed with your mind but don’t worry, I’ll put it right.” He curled his fingers and stroked her cheek. “You and I. We’ve got something special. And now we’re together again we’ll have a lot of fun. You’ll see.” He stared intently at her then quickly turned away and just like that he was back to acting normal. “I was about to cook some breakfast. You want some? Squirrel. I hope you don’t mind. I ran out of supplies but we should be able to replenish them at the next town.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m a little hungry.” Beth had decided to play along. If her time with Dakota had taught her anything, it was that the only way she’d stayed alive all that time on the trail was by giving those lunatics the impression that they were in control. Then it was just a matter of time. Billy would let his guard down, trust her and when he wasn’t looking she’d turn the tables.
As he started a fire, she thought of Landon and felt an ache in her chest.
Was he dead? Dakota too?
Probably. He wouldn’t have made the mistake a second time.
She tried to slip her feet out of the boots but he’d made sure they were secure.
“You want to hear a song? I just came up with it,” he said. “Oh, and check out this new banjo of mine. You guys destroyed the other one so I got one while you were in Pawling.” He scooped up his instrument and began strumming while singing some horrendous tune with a voice that sounded so bad she would have preferred to listen to nails being raked down a chalkboard. “What do you think?” he asked. “It’s still a little rough but I think it has potential. Hell, maybe if the power comes back on I could send it in as a demo. You know, I’ve always wanted to get a record deal and play big venues but…” His brow furrowed as he stared at her. “You didn’t like it, did you?”
“No. I loved it. The dynamics. The subtle nuances. You really do have a gift.”
“You’re just saying that, aren’t you?”
“No. You really do.”
She wanted to smash that banjo over his head and ram the fretboard down his throat. Now that would have been a sweet sound.
“Ah thanks. I’m working on another. I’ll let you hear it after breakfast.”
She pursed her lips and gave a nod. “You know these boots are kind of tight.”
“Sorry about that but it’s only for a while. Just until I can trust you. Can’t have you running off. Besides, it’s dangerous out there. You never know who you might bump into.” He got this sly grin on his face then turned back to the fire. He placed a thin grill over the rocks and charred wood, and then began skinning a squirrel. “The squirrel might be a little tough as I’ve had it a few days. But I hope you like it.” Beth wanted to scream but instead she tipped her head back and said a silent prayer.
“Are you crazy?!” Dakota said thrusting a hand against Landon’s chest to prevent him from going into the water. “I just pulled you out. You’re not going back in.”
“I’m not leaving her behind.”
“No one is expecting you to. I can go.”
“Out of the question.”
“What, because you think I’m not strong enough?”
“Oh please, Dakota, get out of the way. I don’t have time for this.”
Again she forced herself in front of him. “Even if you make it across, which I highly doubt you will, what then? What can you do? You have no weapon and he has a gun. Besides, they could be anywhere by now.”
“I’ll take Grizzly. He’ll find her.”
“And risk his life too?”
“You don’t know him like I do.”
She shook her head. “Then I’m going with you.”
“No. Stay here.”
“You don’t get to decide,” she said walking upstream. “If we’re going across we need to find a shallower place.” Dakota cursed loudly as Landon beckoned Grizzly to follow. Soaking wet, water sloshing around in their boots, they trudged over the stony shore heading north for several miles until they came across the dock that the canoe had originally been tied to.
Landon squinted and saw the red paddle on the other side. “Okay. I can do this,” he said. He waded knee deep into the water and the same fear that had gripped him when he was going under crept over him. Focus, focus, he told himself.
“You got Grizzly?” Dakota asked. He could see she was pissed off and he understood but Beth had gone to hell and back for him and he couldn’t look himself in the mirror if he left her behind. This wasn’t about being a hero, it was about doing the right thing, and doing what he couldn’t do for his own daughter. He kept a firm grip on the dog’s collar as they waded out into the depths. So far so good. The water came up to his waist and he was managing to stay upright. Grizzly was in a full doggy paddle beside him and Dakota tried to stay to the side of him in order to take the bulk of the current.
There were only a couple of times he slipped on the rocks and thought he’d be swept away but Dakota grabbed him in both instances. “Don’t you go drifting off,” she said as water sprayed in their faces.
Soon it was up to his chest and that’s when he really started to feel the resistance. He was just waiting for the ground to drop but it never did. “Keep going!” Dakota yelled as his legs grew tired and he slowed.
