by Gavin Zanker
‘Uh, sorry,’ Alan said. ‘I have to get back.’
‘Wait,’ Leigh called after him, but he was already jogging through the opening gate, ‘you said I could come inside.’ She considered darting past him but it was a miracle she had manipulated him this much, she didn’t want to get too far out of her depth.
‘Another time, kid,’ he said, smiling apologetically as the gate rattled shut behind him.
Leigh kicked at a nearby pebble, her confidence turning to embarrassed anger as she stood there, feeling like a stupid, useless child again. She was right back where she started, no closer to getting inside than yesterday.
‘Damn it, Aiden,’ she muttered. ‘Where are you?’
CHAPTER 9
TRAVIS STUMBLED ON a loose rock in the stream, falling onto his hands. He was so shaken that he didn’t even notice the blood seeping from the cuts on his palms. ‘We need to stop,’ Travis said as he gasped for air. ‘I can’t breathe!’
‘If we stop, we die,’ Aiden said, his own chest burning as he scanned the trail behind them.
‘Isn’t water supposed to hide your scent from dogs?’ Travis asked, doubled over with his hands on his knees. ‘I remember hearing that. Should buy us time, right?’
‘Probably not,’ Aiden said, wondering why the Dawnist leader was looking to him for answers. ‘It’s not something I’m willing to bet my life on anyway.’ Using an exposed tree root he hauled himself up the slippery bank and out of the brook. Despite having sprinted so far already, there were still just fields and trees in all directions. He considered climbing a tree to get a better look at the surroundings, but he wasn’t sure there would be time to make it back down before the dogs caught up to them.
‘We have to fight,’ he said, making the decision as he pulled a long stick down from a nearby Birch tree, testing its strength in his hand.
‘Do you have a screw loose?’ Travis asked, throwing his arms up. ‘They have guns, and… and dogs. With huge teeth! We have to keep running.’
‘Fighting is our only shot,’ Aiden said, tossing the stick away and searching for another with more weight. ‘If we circle back around the brook, we’ll be able to lay an ambush and, hopefully, take them by surprise.’
‘But what if they see us?’
‘I imagine we’ll be shot, killed, and probably fed to the dogs.’
‘Oh good. Great plan!’ Travis said. His eyes darted around, desperately searching for an alternative. ‘How about we split up instead? Confuse them that way?’
‘There are more of them than there are of us. They could split up and still outnumber us. But if you want to go off on your own, feel free.’ Aiden pulled down a sturdier branch from the Birch, wondering how Travis managed anything by himself. ‘What happened to your guards anyway?’
‘Mother saw them as an insult and we were separated as soon as we arrived.’ Travis frowned. ‘How did you know I had guards with me?’
Aiden ignored the question as he hefted the branch that was almost as long as he was tall. A series of barks erupted somewhere in the distance, making them both glance in that direction.
‘Maybe you’re right, we should stick together,’ Travis said, fear edging his voice. He reached out a hand towards Aiden. ‘Help me out of this water.’
‘Help yourself,’ Aiden said, turning away in contempt. He collected an angled rock from the ground and began hammering it against the end of the stick to shape it into a crude point. ‘You’ve never done me any favours in the past.’
‘You’re probably right there,’ Travis said as he scrambled up the muddy bank. He slipped onto his knee before clawing his way up. ‘It wasn’t personal though, so I don’t think you need to be so bitter.’
‘It was more personal than you know,’ Aiden said, the image of Kate’s face flashing into his mind.
‘What do you mean?’
‘We don’t have time for this now,’ Aiden said. If they made it out of this, he would have some questions for the Dawnist.
‘So which way then?’
‘I told you. We loop around and wait until they pass. Then we rush them from behind.’
‘Attack men armed with guns,’ Travis said, shaking his head. ‘Maybe I should take my chances on my own.’
‘No one is stopping you,’ Aiden said with a shrug. He set off along the bank keeping the clustered trees and bushes between himself and the water. ‘But if you want to live through this, I suggest you follow me.’ While he needed Travis to survive to finish the job, he wasn’t going to risk his own life for the Dawnist.
Travis looked in both directions along the brook, cursed, and collected one Aiden’s discarded sticks before rushing after him.
CHAPTER 10
AIDEN WIPED HIS slick palms on his jacket and gripped the sharpened spear with both hands. He took a few deep breaths to try and compose himself before turning to Travis who crouched beside him in the undergrowth beside the brook. ‘Now might be a good time to pray to that sun god of yours,’ he whispered.
‘We don’t actually believe—’ Travis said, but was interrupted by Aiden shushing him.
The hunters had arrived.
There were three of them, all armed with shotguns as they sloshed through the brook. First came the largest, Terrence, then the one called Bill, holding the two Wolfhounds back on long leads, and finally Dillon, with his permanent sneer.
One of the dogs strayed near to the bush where Aiden and Travis hid. It started growling and straining at its leash.
‘He find something?’ Dillon asked.
‘I can’t see anything,’ Bill said, squinting into the undergrowth.
Aiden held his breath, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the spear.
‘Ah, it’s probably just a squirrel,’ the hunter said, tutting. He tugged at the leash. ‘Come on, away with ya.’ The dog whined as it was pulled back, and the hunters moved on.
Turning to Travis, who looked sick with fright, Aiden tapped him on the arm. It was now or never.
Aiden’s boots sent up sprays of water as he charged out of the undergrowth. He headed for Dillon, barrelling straight into the stocky man and knocking him down before anyone knew what was happening. Aiden managed to stay on his feet and used his momentum to thrust his spear into the back of the leash holder who screamed and pitched forward into the shallow water.
The Wolfhounds, muzzles slung with saliva, surged forward. Aiden was forced to scramble backwards, almost slipping on a pebble. Their handler lay in the water, his limp body jerked by the dogs as the leash secured around his wrist snapped taught.
Stunned but still conscious, Dillon tried to rise, spluttering water. Aiden levelled a vicious kick at his head, knocking him back down. Spotting his Glock still tucked into the back of the Venkarth’s trousers, Aiden reached for it. The Wolfhounds were too close though, straining at their leashes and snapping at his fingers until he was forced to pull back empty handed. Instead, he scooped up one of the fallen shotguns before turning to see Travis being knocked to the ground by Terrence.
‘Back up!’ Aiden shouted, aiming the gun at the large man who was on top of Travis, raining blows down at him with huge knuckles. ‘Get off him. Drop the gun.’
Terrence paused, eyeing the shotgun pointed at him. He backed away a few steps, pulling the shotgun strap over his head and dropping the weapon with a splash. Travis took a moment to climb to his feet, dazed from the fight. The dogs barked relentlessly at the mayhem.
‘Bill!’ Terrence yelled, his face darkening as he noticed the spear protruding from the body. His glare settled on Aiden. ‘You killed my brother, Mr Fielding.’
‘If you hadn’t hunted us, he’d still be alive. Also, you’re about to lose another one.’ Aiden nodded towards Dillon who lay face down in the water, unconscious. Terrence’s eyes widened and he made towards his brother.
‘Don’t!’ Aiden warned, stepping forward aggressively. Terrence paused, eyeing the shotgun with wild eyes. ‘Now, start back the way you came,’ Aiden
ordered. ‘Count your steps out loud. After twenty paces you can turn around and save your brother. That’ll give us enough time to get clear.’
Terrence shifted his weight and clenched his fists. Aiden could tell he was thinking about charging, despite the threat of being filled with buckshot. ‘Or maybe we should all wait here for about three minutes while he drowns,’ Aiden said, trying to derail the thought. ‘That’ll make it interesting, don’t you think?’ he said, repeating the words the hunters had used earlier. ‘No one else needs to die, Terrence. Be smart.’
The Venkarth glanced again at his brothers. He let out a frustrated growl, then turned and started to count aloud as he walked back downstream.
Aiden eyed his pistol again but there was no way he could get past the frenzied dogs without losing a finger. He clenched his teeth in frustration before scrambling out of the brook. Travis didn’t need any encouragement to follow.
Then Aiden was sprinting up a sloped field, shotgun clutched in hand. As he reached a wooden gate at the top, the two Irish Wolfhounds stopped barking. He vaulted the gate, landing on a gravel-strewn footpath. His speed picked up as his boots found purchase on the harder ground.
The barking started again. Closer this time.
‘Don’t stop,’ Aiden gasped, as much to himself as Travis, his legs burning and fire lancing through his chest. He snatched a look back; Travis was struggling to keep up. In the distance there was a flash of movement: the hounds.
As Aiden passed a hedge, the perimeter fence came into view a few hundred metres ahead. Hope sent a burst of energy surging through him, and he sprinted until lights danced on his vision. Reaching the fence, he jumped, clawing his way up the chain-link. As he sat astride the top, barbed wire digging into his thigh, he saw Travis still coming, slower now and almost doubled over.
The Wolfhounds rounded the hedge, no longer on leashes as they tore along the trail. Aiden aimed the shotgun and pulled the trigger. There was a fizzle, a puff of smoke, and then nothing. He tossed the sodden gun aside and hopped down onto the relative safety of the outside of the fence.
He could only watch as Travis reached the perimeter, falling against the chain-link in his exhaustion. He started climbing but slipped, his boot juddering down the metal wire. He tried again, this time finding purchase, and clambered up in a panicked, wide-eyed flurry. The Wolfhounds reached him, and one of them leapt up, latching on to the leg of his trousers. Travis screamed and thrashed his leg to try and shake the animal loose.
Something flew past Aiden. He jumped back as it slammed into the fence. It took a second for him to realise that it was Hitch, snarling and barking furiously at the two dogs on the other side. Distracted, the Wolfhound let go of Travis’ leg, leaving him free to scale the fence and tumble off the other side, collapsing into a wet, steaming heap.
‘We can’t stop,’ Aiden said as the hunting dogs paced in frustration, growling and snarling at their lost targets. ‘They’re not going to let us go quietly after we killed one of theirs.’
Travis tried to speak but only managed to wheeze and flash Aiden a thumbs up.
A familiar voice carried on the wind. Aiden spotted Leigh further along the path that ran alongside the chain-link. She was jumping up and down and waving her arms to get his attention. ‘Get up, we need to move,’ he said, nudging Travis with the toe of his boot. ‘I want to put as much distance between us and this insane family as possible.’
CHAPTER 11
‘WAIT FOR ME!’ Travis called out.
‘Are you okay?’ Leigh asked, turning to Aiden as they waited for Travis to catch up. ‘I heard gunshots back there. I was worried.’
‘I’m fine, I’ll explain later,’ Aiden promised as he pulled out a spare knife he kept in his pack. ‘Thanks for looking after the gear.’ He noticed Travis looking at the fence with a pained expression as he reached them. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘There were three men with me back at the house’, Travis said.
‘Your guards?’
Travis nodded. ‘I don’t like leaving good people behind. They were reliable. Loyal.’
Aiden had no intention of risking his life for strangers who would have killed him at the first opportunity. Besides, he needed to get Travis to the drop point. ‘I wouldn’t worry about them now,’ he said.
‘Why not?’ Travis asked.
‘Because they’re probably not worrying about you.’ Aiden brushed a hand through his sweat-streaked hair. ‘You’re welcome to hop back over the fence and go looking for them though.’ He stared at Travis expectantly, who lowered his gaze.
‘I suppose there’s nothing I can do.’
‘Your men are likely already dead; you can hate yourself for it later. Meanwhile, we’re not and we have places to be.’
Travis met Aiden’s stare, searching for compassion. ‘You really are cold-hearted, aren’t you?’
‘Just pragmatic. And I don’t think you’re in a position to judge.’
‘I’m not the one turning my back on—’
Aiden cut him off. ‘You run a cult that kidnaps and brainwashes people — that’s not exactly good-natured, is it?’
Travis shook his head, a faraway look in his eye. ‘No, I suppose not.’ He pulled something out of his pocket. ‘You dropped this when you climbed the fence. You want to explain why you’re carrying a photo of me? What you’re even doing here in the first place?’
‘Someone wants to have a chat with you, and I’m here to make sure that happens. First though, I have a very important question for you.’ Adrenaline and anxiety wrestled in Aiden’s stomach as the words formed in his mouth. Travis must have caught the tone in his voice because his expression turned grave. ‘You kidnap a lot of people and keep them in that compound of yours, don’t you?’
‘We don’t kidnap people,’ Travis argued. ‘Besides, it’s not my area, I deal more with—’
‘Shut up and listen,’ Aiden snapped. ‘I know you had a deal with Trent and his Kiln Boys, back before Blanc took over and rebranded. You bought people from him, people he rounded up and sold like cattle. Slaves. What did you do with them?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Travis said, his eyes flicking left to right. ‘I didn’t—’
Aiden turned to Leigh. ‘Give me your gun,’ he said, hand outstretched. She reached into the holster at her belt, hidden under her loose shirt, and handed over the Smith and Wesson revolver over without a word. He strode towards Travis, the gun hanging loosely at his side. ‘I have no time for your lies,’ he warned, his voice low. ‘I’m only going to ask you this question once, so listen, and understand that your ability to breathe in the immediate future depends on how honestly you answer.’ He paused a moment, making sure Travis understood before continuing. ‘Do you remember Trent handing over a woman named Kate Fielding?’
Travis looked pained, his eyes lingering on the pistol. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t remember.’ Aiden’s fingers flexed around the gun. ‘I swear,’ Travis protested, putting up his palms. ‘I don’t remember. I never dealt with that side of the church. I only ever saw a few people in readjustment and they never used names.’
‘What happens to them?’
‘Well, if they finish the program, they join the church.’
‘And what about those who don’t finish?’
Travis swallowed hard. ‘I swear, I don’t know that woman.’
Studying the Dawnist leader’s face and realising he was telling the truth, Aiden cursed and kicked a nearby rock which dinged off the fence, skittering into the undergrowth. ‘You don’t know what goes on in your own organisation?’ he said, his voice growing into a shout. ‘How can you not know?’
‘I’m just the face,’ Travis said, his voice wavering in the wake of Aiden’s sudden rage. ‘You’d be surprised how much of the day-to-day stuff is done by other people.’
Hitch whined, trying to put his paw on Aiden’s leg. ‘So who runs things then?’ Aiden railed, ignoring the dog. ‘Who’s in charge of the readjustment program?
’
Travis rubbed a hand across the nape of this neck. ‘I’m not sure I should—’
Aiden lashed out, the handle of the pistol connecting with Travis’ chin and sending him sprawling to the ground. He rolled around groaning, holding his face with his hands. Aiden knelt down beside him and grabbed a handful of long hair, tossing the headband aside.
‘Samuel!’ Travis cried, bringing up his hands to protect his face. ‘It’s Samuel Benson. He’s the one that would know.’
‘And how do I find Samuel?’
‘You can’t. He never leaves the compound.’
Staring down at him, Aiden couldn’t help but feel disgust for the pitiful Dawnist. He sighed and released his grip. He had a name now at least, but he still needed to get into that compound. As he stood up, he noticed Leigh staring at him with a worried expression. ‘It’s okay,’ he reassured her with a slight nod. ‘I’m all right.’ He took a deep breath and felt his anger begin to fold back in on itself. ‘Time to move. Get up, Travis.’
‘What makes you think I’m going with you?’ Travis said, collecting his fallen headband.
‘If we need to go through the whole threat thing, we can,’ Aiden warned, ‘but it’ll be easier for both of us if you just do as you’re told. I was sent here to collect you, and I intend to get the job done.’
‘Look, there’s no way—’
‘You know what you deserve for the way you’ve treated me in the past,’ Aiden said, ‘but lucky for you, I’m not looking for revenge; not against you anyway. But if I need to, I will hurt you in ways that will make you change your mind, do you understand?’
Travis spat some blood to the floor and wiped his lip. ‘Fine,’ he said, climbing to his feet. ‘It can’t be much worse than being back home anyway. Just keep your hands to yourself and I’ll come quietly. I suppose you did owe me that one for putting you in readjustment. You hurt me again though and I swear, once we get back to the city, I’ll have you—’
