Daniel shrugged. “We saw the smoke from your fire. You burned wet wood, man. Don’t you realize how much smoke that puts out?”
“I didn’t know I needed to worry about it,” Greg replied. “So, if you’re with a group of people, why were you the only one sneaking up on me?”
“When we saw the smoke, I volunteered to check it out,” he said. He was quick to answer, and he didn’t seem particularly concerned about giving information. Greg found that strange.
“And the others?” Greg asked.
“Most of them went the other way,” Daniel replied. “We’ll meet up down in the valley, once we’ve gotten everything we want.”
“So the rest of your group is following my family?”
Daniel smiled briefly, and Greg realized in that moment that the man wasn’t nearly as anxious as he’d seemed. “Now you’re getting the idea.”
“So you’re…what? A group of bandits or something?”
“Something like that,” Daniel said. “We’re just working together to survive, and that means taking what we need. You’d do the same, I’m sure. Heck, you probably got all of your stuff from some other poor group of travelers.”
“Actually, no,” Greg said. “We’re not thieves. Who is the leader of your group? It’s safe to say it’s not you.”
“Her name is Sasha Burke,” he said. “What do you want to know? Her life story? Fine. She’d love me to tell it. Sasha was a corporate go-getter in her former life, president and founder of a multinational organization based out of Vancouver, and in her free time, one of those extreme outdoors types. Now, she’s our fearless captain, and she’s kept us going for quite a while now.”
“By stealing from innocent people,” Greg said.
“Only when it’s necessary,” Daniel replied. “We barter, we build, and sometimes we steal. Whatever it takes. That’s the law of the jungle now, man. You must have realized that by now if you’ve come this far.”
“We’ve met people like you before, if that’s what you mean,” Greg said. “You should know my family is armed, and they will defend themselves without hesitation.”
“I’m sure they will,” Daniel replied, leaning his head back to stare upward. “Sasha knows what she’s doing. She’s dealt with all kinds of people, dangerous people.”
Greg used a long stick to stoke the fire. “Well, you’re certainly free with information. I’ll give you that. I expected it to be a bit harder to interrogate you.”
“Eh, what does it matter,” Daniel said. He seemed to have an itch on his chin and used his shoulder to scratch it, but this just mussed up his beard all the more, making him look even wilder and more unkempt. “My people outnumber yours. It doesn’t matter if you know my name is Daniel, if you know our leader is named Sasha. We’re still going to take all of your cattle, supplies, and anything else we want.”
It was a ridiculous boast for a man who was unarmed and tied to a tree. Greg couldn’t help but smile at him, but it was a smile hiding a growing rage. “You wouldn’t be the first people to try taking our stuff. All of the others who have tried have wound up dead. We buried them with our own hands.” It was a lie, of course. James and his gang were still presumably alive and living it up at the Healy ranch, but Daniel didn’t know this.
“You don’t look like a man who’s killed anyone,” Daniel said. “You look like a man out of his element.”
“Good. That means you’ve underestimated me, which gives me the advantage.”
Greg grabbed the Winchester and bounced it in his hands a few times. The anger had become white hot within. The thought that some large group of bandits led by a former corporate shark was out there hunting his family made him shake with rage. He rose, staring into the fire for a few seconds before slowly turning to Daniel.
“Well, Daniel, I’m a decent chap. I’m going to give you a moment to say a prayer, if that’s something that’s important to you,” he said. “Pray for the state of your soul. Do penance. Whatever you need to do to meet your maker.”
“You’re going to kill me, then?” Daniel replied, in a soft voice, his eyes narrowing.
“Yes, that’s right. You’ve threatened my family, so I’m going to do to you what I’ve done to all the others who’ve threatened my family.”
Daniel pressed his lips together tightly for a moment, giving Greg a sharp look, eyes narrowed to slits. “If you kill me,” he said, “Sasha will never stop hunting you.”
“And why is that?” Greg said. “Is there some special connection between the two of you?”
Daniel averted his gaze, and it was all the answer Greg needed.
“Ah, I see,” he said. “You two are an item. I’m glad to hear that. So, then, if I kill you, she’s be hell-bent on revenge, is that it?”
“Something like that,” Daniel replied. “Any chance of negotiation will be out the window, I guarantee it.”
Greg struggled against the anger, trying to think rationally. Was killing this man the best course of action? It would certainly remove an immediate threat. But perhaps Daniel had another use, a better use.
“You make a good point, Daniel,” he said. “I’ll tell you what. I won’t kill you, not right away. Instead, I’ll take you with me, and we’ll go meet your boss lady. I’ll ask her if she thinks your life is worth anything. Maybe we can make a trade.”
“Yeah, I dare you,” Daniel said, still not looking at him. “Sasha doesn’t have to bargain for me. She’ll just kill you and set me free. Your best bet is to untie me and let me go. I’m the only one who can change her mind. If you let me go, I’ll head back to my group, convince her to change course, and that’ll be the last time you see us.”
“That’s a tempting offer,” Greg said, with a contemptuous laugh, “but I like my plan better. I don’t know what you want from my family anyway. I suspect that none of you have any cattle ranching experience. You know, it’s not easy keeping a herd of cattle alive and healthy. You’d be better off doing your banditry somewhere else to some other group. I’m going to suggest it to Sasha personally.”
Of course, what Greg didn’t tell him was that he had no expectation that Sasha would accept his offer. However, if Daniel was her lover, he thought he could at least use him to delay Sasha and her group long enough for his family to get farther ahead. If they could reach the cabin first, they would be in a better position to defend themselves from these people.
“What do you think, Daniel?” Greg said, squatting in front of the man and pointing the rifle at him. “You think Sasha will be willing to bargain for your life? Do you mean anything to her at all? Or does she put more value on a few cows?”
Daniel swallowed then, clearly a nervous gesture, but said nothing. Greg locked the rifle against his shoulder and took aim, closing one eye. Daniel looked at the gun, looked at Greg, and quickly looked away again.
“She’s not going to let her boyfriend die just to get her hands on a bunch of cattle that she doesn’t even know how to care for, is she?” Greg said. “Surely not.”
But Daniel seemed to have run out of words. Greg kept the gun trained on him for a minute, fighting an urge to pull the trigger.
He fully intended to kill you, he reminded himself. If he gets another chance to do so, he will. Shouldn’t you go ahead and put him down, the way you would a rabid dog?
But, no, for his family’s sake, he would keep Daniel alive for now. Greg slowly lowered the rifle, rose, and backed away from the prisoner.
“Well, we’ll just see what she has to say, then.” Greg went back to the fire and sat down. “Sasha can decide if you live or die. Why don’t we hit the road, so we can go and see her?”
22
They were still creeping along the trail, now heading back up a steep slope toward the ridgeline, though the animals were moving slower than ever. The rain had finally relented, but the sky was still blanketed in dark clouds. Darryl felt the weight of the decision on him. Marion and Tabitha had made their preference clear. They wanted to tak
e the shortcut. Emma was undecided, as was Darryl. But he knew a decision had to be made one way or the other. He couldn’t keep putting it off. At the moment, he was walking beside Emma, trudging up the slope at a pace that was so slow it put his teeth on edge. He really needed to be at the back of the caravan, keeping an eye on the cows.
“If we’re going to take the shortcut, this would be the place to do it,” Tabitha said, gesturing off to the left. “If we keep going this way, we’ll get to a place where the river becomes unpassable again. Are we all on the same page now, or what? The day is slipping away from us.”
“I think I’m with you,” Marion said. “Whatever the risks of heading down the slope, if we can save time, it will be worth it.”
The more he thought about it, the more Darryl realized he wasn’t really undecided. He knew what he wanted to do. He was just putting it off because of the potential consequences. Indeed, while he was walking along, he heard the gentle cooing of his newborn son, and he looked back to see Justine approaching. She’d made a simple papoose using the wooden lid of one of their boxes and some strips of cloth from a blanket. The little one was safely strapped inside, swaddled up tight and making soft little sounds.
“Justine, are you okay to walk?” he asked.
“It’s not exactly comfortable,” she replied. Indeed, she was stepping awkwardly. He could tell she was still in pain. When she moved up beside him, he put his arm around her, and she leaned against him. It was a bit awkward because of the papoose. “I’ve had enough of being dragged with the laundry, though, I’ll tell you that. What’s going on up here?”
“We’re trying to decide whether to stick to the trail or take a shortcut down the slope,” he said, pointing into the trees.
“Another shortcut?” she said. “Didn’t we try that already? And wasn’t it a hellish nightmare that we never want to repeat?”
“This is different,” Tabitha said. She was fanning herself with one of her hands now, as if she’d become overheated. “We’d be cutting through the woods, yes, but there’s no risk of flooding. The river passes underground for a few kilometers, and we can cross over with no trouble.”
But Justine’s comment stuck with Darryl. Indeed, he could tell just by the tone of her voice that she felt much the same as he did. That finally made up his mind, and he came to a stop. Tabitha and Marion reined in their horses on either side of him.
“Okay, I’ve thought about it,” he said. “Here’s my opinion.” He braced himself for Tabitha’s irritation, then plunged ahead. “I think faster isn’t always safer. Justine’s right. The last time we took a shortcut, it was a disaster. It’s how we lost Dad, not to mention half our stuff. We took the faster, more dangerous river path and paid a terrible price for it. I don’t want to do that again.” He looked down the slope to the left of the trail and saw a descending slope, bare rocks, gnarled roots, and patches of lingering snow.
“As I said, this is different,” Tabitha said. “We’re not talking about a river path.”
“Not different enough,” Darryl replied. “If we head down the slope, someone might get hurt, an animal might get hurt. The travois will have trouble on the terrain. No, there are too many dangers that way. Shaving off some time isn’t worth the risk. I don’t think we should do it.”
He nodded, satisfied with his decision, though he saw the sharp looks of Tabitha and Marion on either side of him. Clearly, they didn’t agree. Tabitha seemed to gather herself for a few seconds, shifting in her seat, before finally responding.
“We have to take the shortcut,” she said. “We’re being followed. You saw our pursuers with your own eyes. And even if we weren’t being followed, we need to get to the cabin as fast as we can. At this pace, we’ll be creeping along the scenic route for days, and that’s not good for anyone.”
“No, we shouldn’t take the shortcut,” Darryl replied, as he resumed moving. “The shortcut is the bigger risk. That’s what I think. Emma, would you head back and make sure none of the cattle are lagging behind? Just focus on the ones that are young and healthy enough to keep up.” He knew his sleep-deprived brain wasn’t working quite right. His judgment was impaired, but the terror of the flooded river path was too fresh. He never wanted to experience anything like that again.
Emma bit her lip, glanced at Tabitha, and finally nodded. “Yeah, sure, I guess so.” Darryl handed her the Remington as she stepped past him and headed to the back of the caravan. She seemed reluctant to take it.
As soon as she was gone, Tabitha’s face twisted up in what was either pain or fury. She pressed stray locks of gray hair out of her face, then flung her hands to the side. When she spoke, she had a fire in her voice that Darryl had never heard before.
“With all due respect, you are making a big mistake,” she said, so sharply that he came to an immediate stop. “Do you hear me? Do you ever hear me? You’re making a big mistake. I know you don’t like to listen to me, Tuck, but I’m telling you this is wrong. If we keep going…if we…” She trailed off then, made a loud harrumph, and bowed her head.
Does she realize she just called me Tuck? He couldn’t tell, but everyone got tense and quiet. Darryl gave his grandmother a moment, and finally she raised her head again and took a deep breath. She looked so tired, so out of it, so cold and wet and miserable. Maybe she was delirious.
“I didn’t mean to step into the middle of a family dispute,” Justine said, reaching back behind her to stroke the baby’s fat cheek. “I shared my opinion, but honestly, I don’t care one way or the other where we go. If you people want to slide down the mountain there, so be it. I’ll get by. I’m not going to be the cause of a fight. That’s just silly.”
Darryl turned to his mother, but she seemed disturbed by Tabitha’s outburst.
If it’s what Grandma really wants, maybe it’s what we should do, Darryl thought. There’s bound to be risk either way, so why not give her what she wants just to keep the peace.
He looked around, seeking some kind of confirmation. Justine reached out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He knew what she was trying to communicate: It’s fine. Just give your Grandma what she wants.
“Okay, then, so be it. Grandma, if you think…” He had just started to speak when he felt and heard a sudden loud boom. It startled both horses. Marion’s horse, tied to the travois, was somewhat restrained and only high-stepped with her front legs. Tabitha’s horse, on the other hand, unfettered, danced to one side, coming dangerously close to the edge of the trail and the slope beyond.
“What was that?” Darryl asked. He turned back toward the cattle and saw smoke rising from the trail behind them. “Was that an explosion?”
“Emma,” Marion said with a gasp. “She’s back there! You sent her to check on the cattle.”
23
Darryl ran back toward the cattle. He reached for the Remington, then remembered he’d given it to Emma. The cows had been startled, and they were moving about, restless. If they hadn’t been so exhausted, Darryl thought they might have just taken off running. As he ran toward the back of the caravan, one of the old heifers got spooked by his approach and lunged at him. He just barely managed to sidestep out of the way, but this time his left foot slid on mud.
Darryl went down on his knee, catching himself against a nearby tree. A long trail of smoke was rising up from somewhere behind their caravan, and he thought he heard the crackle and pop of a fire. Had their pursers somehow set a trap for them? Did they have explosives? It was an alarming thought, but he couldn’t rule it out. Picking himself up, he brushed off his knee and resumed moving.
The cows had been spread out pretty far, but he finally spotted Emma another ten meters back. She was gazing down the trail at the smoke, aiming the Remington.
“Emma, what is it? Are you okay?” he asked, running toward her.
He soon got his answer. As he drew near, he saw a large pine tree on fire, massive flames licking up the trunk and quickly catching in the branches. Red-hot needles rained down
onto the trail behind them. Darryl stumbled to a stop beside his sister.
“What did they do?” Darryl asked. “Who did it?”
She lowered the rifle and gave him a funny look. “Nobody did anything. It was a lightning strike. Didn’t you see it? I was looking back that way, and it practically blinded me.”
“Lightning,” he said. At that moment, the rain started to fall again, harder than before. “Why were you pointing the gun?”
“It startled me, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “Just an instinct. My reptile brain wanted to fight.”
“You didn’t see any people back there?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but after that lightning flash, I didn’t see anything but a big purple blob burned into my vision for a few seconds.”
The tree was burning like crazy now. Indeed, he could tell that the force of the lightning had gutted the trunk, and it was filled with flames and glowing embers. The branches above were blazing like an enormous torch.
“That tree is right beside the trail,” Emma noted. “If we’d been just a little further back, it might have…” She left the possibilities hanging in the air between them.
As they watched, the big pine gave a loud crack and a shower of sparks gushed out of a spot about halfway up the trunk. The bark snapped open, and the tree tipped over. With another gush of sparks and burning wood, it fell onto the trail behind them. It slammed onto the ground, burning branches and needles cast in all directions.
This was the last straw for the poor cattle. The thud of the tree sent many of them scurrying. Darryl saw a big heifer racing into the woods, running down the slope. He started to go after her, but then one of the horses gave a terrified whinny. Darryl turned just in time to see Tabitha’s horse rear up on its back legs, flinging its head from side to side. Marion reached out, but she was having trouble controlling her own horse. Tabitha leaned forward and grabbed the reins, but Horace was roused from his persistent sleep. As he fumbled about, trying to make sense of the situation, he fell from the saddle and landed hard on the road.
EMP: Return of the Wild West Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 63