by Connor Mccoy
A middle-aged woman was huddled on the ground, shivering and crying. Gavin was impaled on a nearby tree, his mouth dropped open, blood trickling down the side of his mouth and from his eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
Several men with guns had gathered at the spot. They were looking around for signs of Gavin’s killer, but it seemed the murderer had made good his escape.
Domino winced. “Jay, just look at him…”
Jacob slowly approached Gavin, taking in the gruesome details. Blood slicked the back of the tree where he hung. He likely was stabbed from behind, perhaps multiple times. He might never have seen his attacker coming. Then the killer planted him onto the tree with multiple metal stakes through his arms, legs and chest.
In addition, a paper was stapled onto his shirt near his collar. Jacob reached up and ripped it off. Several of the nearby men closed in on Jacob as he read the paper’s handwriting.
“You’re too late,” he read. “We are all around you.”
Some of the men and the women within earshot trembled and mumbled words of fear. A few didn’t understand and asked among themselves “What does that mean?”
Mrs. Kennan finally reached Jacob as he said, “Cramer. He knows where these people are. He’s not going to let them go.”
Alex cocked his head. “There’s nobody here but me. No need for that.” He nodded his head in the direction of Josephine’s gun.
“You first,” Josephine said. Alex looked down as if only noticing that he was carrying a firearm himself, though it was not aimed directly at her. He quickly set it back onto his belt. Josephine then lowered her gun.
“You’re looking well,” Alex said.
“I’m glad you think so. Up until a couple of days ago, I was in a coma, thanks to your new friends.” Josephine did not hide the sarcasm in her voice.
Alex sighed. “You know I never would have wanted you to be mixed up in this.”
“I was mixed up in this when Cramer assaulted Fall Crossing,” Josephine replied.
“He retreated. I can make sure he leaves you and Fall Crossing alone for good.”
Josephine rolled her eyes. “Oh, how thoughtful. You get to rape and pillage other towns, just not mine.”
“As I recall, Cramer sent an emissary ahead to Skylar and to Charlottesville to secure a proper trade. Things fell apart on their end…”
“Oh please! He wasn’t trying to secure trade deals, he wanted them to knuckle under before he brought in the guns. He was going to take what he wanted and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Alex, you can’t be this…” Josephine stumbled around for the right word. “…gullible! Or maybe you just don’t want to see what’s going on in front of you.”
“Perhaps we should talk about something else. This subject is most distressing, obviously.”
“I’d like nothing better. How about going back home? I might not have shown it when you first showed up at my doorstep, but I was glad to see you again after so long.”
Alex paused before answering. “I was happy, too. In fact, I wish we had spoken more in those years before Sykes dropped me off. I would have known about your husband’s accident. I would have stopped by.”
Josephine chuckled. “Ted hated your guts. I think he might have lurched out of the bed if he had seen you. Maybe the adrenalin would have healed him on the spot.” Her smile faded. “Even when all the lights were on, when we had the medicine and the hospital and the doctors, it wasn’t enough for him.”
“Perhaps that’s why you want to protect that family,” Alex said with surprising gentleness. “You feel you couldn’t save your own.”
Josephine bristled. Alex’s sympathy struck the wrong chord in her. She wanted to change the subject. “And what’s your story for helping out Greg?”
“Perhaps I think of him like a little brother.”
“Is that what you’ve always wanted?” Josephine laughed. “Get serious, Alex. Krysta doesn’t want him. Greg might have some good intentions, but he’s impatient. He’s got a bit of a temper. He’s insecure. The man isn’t ready to be a father or a husband.”
“And where will Krysta find a safe haven? With you?”
“It’s damn better than what Cramer wants. You’ve got to see that. You can’t believe Krysta’s boys should be raised around Cramer’s gang. They’ll turn into psychopaths just like he is.”
“We’ll survive. We’ll be strong. Right now that’s the only thing that matters,” Alex said.
Josephine clenched her jaw. Was Alex so far gone that he wouldn’t realize what Cramer really was all about? “Is it because you’re afraid that you can’t survive unless you become, well, what you are now?” she asked, slowly, with pity. “I know it was challenging those first few weeks, but you were making it in spite of what you keep saying. You’re a smart man, Alex. You should have had more faith in yourself.”
Alex looked at the skies above. “It might have been possible. I just know I don’t truly fit in. Not in Fall Crossing. Perhaps not anywhere.”
“So you’re going to stick with Cramer? Even if it means you get yourself killed? Someone is going to stop Cramer someday. It might even be me. Are you going to turn your gun on me if the time comes?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alex said.
“No, this is being real. What’s the line you’re not going to cross? What’s your line going to be?”
Alex sighed. “Jo, leave. I can ensure you safe passage, but that window will shut if things…” His voice dropped off.
“Things what? Cramer is going to attack soon, isn’t he?” Josephine looked at the forest, wondering if any assailants lurked within.
“As you said, you know Cramer.” Alex stood up on the branch. “You know why fighting him is futile.”
“Alex…” Josephine began.
But her brother turned and leaped off the branch, disappearing into the long shadow of the tree behind him. With the fence in front of her, Josephine could not pursue him quickly into the forest. By the time she scaled the fence, there would be no trace of him.
“Oh Alex,” she said quietly. She turned around and started walking back to the house.
However, her return to the homestead hit an unexpected roadblock—Sheryl, with a gun in her hand.
“Taking a nighttime walk?” she asked.
Jacob looked at his hands. Blood. He couldn’t avoid getting his hands coated with Gavin’s blood as he helped the men take the adolescent’s body down from the tree. The men were so thin and weak that even three of them struggled to hold up Gavin’s body. Jacob helped them get Gavin down so the teen would not flop ungainly onto the leafy ground.
Domino produced a rag from her pocket. She sensed Jacob’s need. “Thanks.” He wiped his hands. He cursed softly as he looked at Gavin’s still form.
Mrs. Kennan’s footsteps turned his head. “Well, most of the camp knows about Gavin by now.” She kept a grim look on Gavin as she talked. “I hate to say this, but from the chatter, it doesn’t sound as though the folks here are eager to take up your offer to be your hired hands. They know Cramer’s marked your farm.”
Jacob bit his lip. “You think they knew what we were up to? You think this was all to send a message?”
“I don’t know if they were thinking that deeply about it. My guess is that Cramer is beating his chest before he wreaks havoc and lets slip the dogs of war, if you get my drift,” Mrs. Kennan said. “But even so, some of these men are getting peeved about Cramer and want to throw a punch his way. You might still have a chance to enlist some help.”
“I hate to say this, Jay. I know how you feel about Trang, but he might be able to sway some of these people to help us,” Domino said.
Jacob rubbed his hands some more. “Talk about ironic. I get one guy who ran a town like a dictatorship to help us fight a warlord. It’s like getting Fidel Castro to fight Attila the Hun.”
“He’s probably hung up the tyrant business, Sweetie,” Mrs. Kennan said. “I think he wants to turn over
a new leaf. We should give him a chance. Hell, it’s not like we have much of a choice!”
Jacob glanced at the survivors. They were chatting among each other in groups of pairs, trios or quartets, with worried voices and quivering body language. Whatever message Cramer wanted to send, it likely worked. Jacob could not overlook Trang’s contribution to these people. He would have to seek out Trang.
“See if you can round up any volunteers to help us.” Jacob turned to the woods to the east. “I’m going to have a chat with Trang.”
However, finding Trang was easier said than done. Jacob had talked to six people in the past ten minutes. The most he could get out of them was that Trang had hobbled toward a small stream that ran through the forest. Trang only had said he wished to relieve himself and wanted some privacy. The survivors were happy to give it to him. Jacob sensed that these folks might give Trang almost anything he wanted.
Jacob perked up his ears. The sound of rushing water brushed his eardrums. The stream must be close by. He picked up some speed.
In a minute, Jacob had found Trang Nguyen.
The man was on his knees, clutching a knife, and from this angle, the tip of the blade appeared ready to gouge his throat.
Josephine stood at bay while Sheryl held the weapon on her. “So, when were you going to tell us that you went off to have a chat with your brother?” Sheryl asked.
“I had to check it out quickly,” Josephine said. “I didn’t have time to let you all know.”
“Check out what? He gave you a sign or something, or you spotted him?” Sheryl asked.
“Sheryl, put down the gun. I just wanted to talk to him, get him to see what he’s doing is wrong,” Josephine replied. “We needed to be alone. You can understand that, can’t you? You’re telling me you never needed a chat with your brother away from everyone else?”
Sheryl sighed. “It looked a little suspicious from the kitchen window,” she said as she lowered her gun. “Let me guess, he’s not budging.”
Josephine shook her head. “No. He’s still under Cramer’s spell. I might as well have been talking in a whole different language.”
Sheryl glanced at the sky. The sun was nearing the horizon. It would be dark soon. “If your bro paid us a visit, it probably won’t be long before Cramer makes his move, huh?”
“No,” Josephine said. “I hope your brother gets back here on the double, and I hope he ended up with the cavalry.”
Jacob poured on the speed. “Trang! Stop!”
Trang turned around. His arms froze in place.
Jacob caught up with Trang. He grabbed Trang by his shoulders. The man was so startled he dropped the knife without a fight. Jacob then flung Trang against the trunk of a nearby tree.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Jacob asked.
Trang trembled. “Let me go,” he said.
“You came out here to kill yourself? Why?” Jacob shook Trang when he didn’t answer immediately.
“I…I have nothing. Please, let me go. Let me die and go to my brother. He’s…he’s not here.” Trang shut his eyes. “He’s not here.”
The temptation to release Trang pulled at Jacob, but he did not heed it. “No, he’s not. But there’s nothing you can do about that. You have to go on by yourself.”
“I can’t.”
Jacob shook him again. “You have to! Killing yourself is the coward’s way out. You helped defend these people. They need you again. You can’t leave them!”
Trang bowed his head. “Without Hien I am nothing.”
“You’re wrong. Hien wasn’t here and you helped these people escape Cramer. You’re more than what you think.”
Now Jacob released Trang. The man slipped down until he landed on the ground, bumping off the tree roots. Panting, he looked at his right hand. It was still open. The knife laid a few steps away. He made no moves toward it.
Slowly, Jacob allowed pity toward this man to creep into his soul. In spite of the bad things Trang had done, Jacob had to admit that Hien also had been mistaken in instructing Trang in the brutal ways of the Sons of Chen militia. Trang was too impressionable, though with time, the power likely intoxicated Trang as well. Running his own army must have been a thrill for this man who probably was not used to such authority in his life.
“These people respect you,” Jacob said. “Right now they could use some courage.”
Trang draped his arms over his knees. “I’m not sure I know what to say.”
“I can help you with that,” Jacob said. “Some people would say my mouth actually gets me in trouble. But I think a little inspiration will help you out.”
Trang nodded. “If you help me, I think I can try.” He reached out his right arm. Jacob took it and helped him up.
But before they could turn and head back to the other survivors, Trang snapped his head to the right. He held up a finger. The man detected someone’s presence close by, but all Jacob had spotted was a fast-moving shadow.
“You saw someone?” Jacob whispered.
“A man. Tall. Short black hair. Well-built.”
A chill ran down Jacob’s spine. “That sounds almost like Greg. He’s in league with Cramer.” He started rushing off in Greg’s direction.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Trang hurried to catch up with him.
“Hell, Greg might have been the guy who killed Gavin. I’ll bury his ass if he did. I might do that anyway.”
“Gavin’s dead?” Trang fought to keep up amid his limping. “That boy.”
“Yeah, I found his body nailed to a tree, and if Greg’s behind it, I’ll make sure my face is the last thing he ever sees.”
Greg’s heart raced. He was lost. He couldn’t believe it. He was sure he knew the direction of that farmhouse. So why was he flailing about out here? Didn’t he watch Alex Cowell when he set off by himself?
At least he didn’t have to worry about finding Alex. Alex, in fact, found him. A dirty hand seized him by the shirt and thrust him against a tree.
“What the hell are you doing out here by yourself?” Alex asked.
“I…I just thought I’d…I mean, I thought I could talk to Krysta, get her to come with me. You were going there by yourself, too, right?”
“Yeah, I had my own business there, and now I’m done. You wouldn’t have accomplished anything.” Alex released him. “Come on. We need to get back to camp before nightfall.”
Alex started off into the woods. Grateful that he had a guide back to camp, Greg followed.
Before long the pair entered the perimeter of Cramer’s camp. Greg, keeping his chest puffed up, pasted a big grin on his face as he walked by the collection of dirty, well-armed men. “Hey,” Greg said as he caught the eyes of a few men, seated in a circle drinking booze and playing cards.
Greg wanted to sound tough and gruff, but the men barely acknowledged him. Perhaps they saw right through him.
Soon Alex’s pace slowed. Greg knew what that meant. Seated on the ground near a large oak tree was the man himself, Ray Cramer.
Chapter Fourteen
Jacob kept the large leaf over his head. This plant, with its low hanging leaves, was the best cover he had found yet in this forest, and it was his good fortune to find it. As soon as he spotted Greg and Alex enter that camp of armed men, Jacob knew he needed some covering, and fast. Trang had tugged at his shirt sleeve. When Jacob turned to Trang, the man was pointing to a small opening between two overhanging leaves.
Jacob fished out his telescope and aimed it between two overhanging leaves. With some tight focusing, he could view the camp and its activities. This must be Cramer’s camp, he thought. Jacob recognized the faces from the line that advanced out of the woods. And that man seated near an oak tree must be Cramer. Alex and Greg just had stopped right in front of him. Alex sank down to his knees. Greg followed, though clumsily; he nearly collapsed on the dirt.
Cramer looked like the savage version of a survivalist. His dark hair poured out of his head like a fountain, dangling across
his shoulders. Although Cramer was far away, Jacob imagined a horrid smell arising from the man, prompted by the flies that zipped around his head. A scar ran down the right side of his face, starting above his right eye and ending down his cheek. Whatever had cut him had, perhaps miraculously, not slashed through his eye.
To Jacob’s surprise, the man had no beard. Cramer had thought enough of his appearance to trim his chin and face down to a slight stubble. That self-awareness did not extend to his clothes, as he was wrapped in tattered rags. Though he had raided Skylar, it had not occurred to him to find new clothing for himself from any of its stores.
Trang tugged his shoulder. Jacob turned his head. Trang, holding his own telescope, whispered into his ear. “That’s him. I won’t forget that face.”
So I’ve met the enemy, Jacob thought.
Trang resumed watching Cramer, Alex and Greg to see what would happen next.
Greg quickly steadied himself and mentally cursed himself for acting like an ass in front of Cramer. The man’s deep blue eyes radiated a look of contempt. Evidently, Greg could not annoy Cramer more than he usually did.
At the moment, Cramer was more focused on Alex anyway. “So,” Cramer asked, his voice rising as a deep rumble from his throat, “did everything go as you wished with your sister?”
Alex stiffened up. “Whether she would have accepted or not means nothing to me.”
“Are you sure? Family has a funny way of diverting people from the path. I trust this won’t be a problem with you,” Cramer said.
“Josephine and I are hardly as close as many families are,” Alex said. “She does what she will. She’s never listened to me.”
“Then you won’t mind if I slit her throat if I run into her,” Cramer asked as directly and as cuttingly as he could.
Greg winced. Alex did not, although Greg thought he could detect a lot of effort on Alex’s part to hold back.
