A group of strangers was standing on the path beyond the cows. He could tell instantly that these were Daniel’s people. Many of them wore expensive winter coats and hats, but the men had long beards, and all of them had grim expressions. To Greg’s eyes, they seemed like a team of high-level executives that had gotten lost in the mountains. However, they were all armed, and most of them were pointing those guns in a specific direction. As Greg shifted position slightly, he finally saw his family. Darryl, Marion, Emma, Justine, and Horace—at least they were all accounted for. At the moment, they were sitting with their backs to the sheer rock wall, guns trained on them.
He felt a rush of relief. They were alive. Only Tabitha had been lost. And then he caught a glimpse of a tiny pink hand and heard the soft gurgle of a very young baby, and he realized Justine was holding the little one in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. Poor Justine had been forced to give birth on the trail somewhere!
The man and woman who were arguing were standing on the far side of the group beside the horses. The man had a long, braided beard, and he was gesturing down into the valley. Though the words were heated, they weren’t speaking loudly, so Greg couldn’t make out what they were saying. Finally, the woman approached the edge of the drop, aimed a pistol down into the ravine, and pulled the trigger. The sound echoed loudly down in the ravine.
What the heck is she firing at? Greg wondered. Maybe she’s just trigger-happy.
The sound of the gunshot spooked the animals. The cows scattered, though they didn’t really have anywhere to go. Some of them ambled closer to the trees, toward Greg, while others moved toward the group. A large piece of shale, shaken loose by the sound, tumbled down from the rocks above and crashed among the cows, further scattering them. In the confusion, the group guarding his family moved closer to the horses, clearly trying to avoid getting bumped over the edge by a stray cow.
“Don’t do that, Sasha,” one of the other women said. “I thought we were under attack.”
“That was for Daniel,” the leader replied. Despite her expensive coat and hiking boots, she had a fierce, stony expression on her face, shark’s eyes, and a small, angry mouth. “He may need some kind of signal if he’s lost out there. Don’t second-guess my decisions, Jen. I know what I’m doing!”
“Of course,” the other woman replied.
Greg would have shot the leader then and there, but the risk to his family was too great. Somehow, he had to get them away from those guns.
He heard a soft gasp from somewhere nearby, and he turned to see that his daughter had spotted him. Emma was at the end of the row, sitting cross-legged with her arms wrapped around her. She was bleary-eyed, her hair tangled and messed up, but as she’d turned to watch the startled cows, she’d spotted Greg in his shadowy space beyond the trees. The look on her face was pure shock. He held a finger to his lips.
A plan had begun to come together in his mind, though it seemed dangerous. Somehow, he had to draw attention away from his family, so they could sneak away. Now that he had Emma’s attention, Greg pointed at the cows, then drew a line in the air toward the trees.
Use the cows for cover. He hoped the message got across. Emma nodded and leaned over to whisper something to Marion. Then it was Marion’s turn to look shocked. She clamped both hands over her mouth. Clearly, they had not thought he survived his tumble into the river. Greg rose, using the trees for cover, while keeping his gun at the ready. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly.
“What do you want with my family?” His voice carried out over the ravine. The bandits were startled at first and began scrambling about, aiming their guns this way and that. The leader made a loud clicking sound with her tongue and patted a hand in the air to calm them.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt a conversation?” she said, turning toward the trees where Greg was hiding. “Is Daniel with you?”
“I don’t know anyone named Daniel,” Greg lied. “What do you want with my family?”
She made another signal to her people, and they backed toward her, forming a line, as if taking up position to defend her. The cows continued to shuffle about, still spooked. When one of them stepped in front of Sasha, she smacked its flank, and it moved closer to the rock wall. This, in turn, put it between her people and Greg’s family.
“What do you want from my family?” Greg asked again.
“If you must know, I want your cattle and your supplies,” Sasha replied. When some of her people pointed guns in his direction, she motioned for them to lower their weapons.
Emma slowly rose to a crouch. Marion followed suit. Then Darryl and Justine, though the baby made another soft sound. To cover for them, Greg stepped out into the open. “Well, you have the cattle and supplies,” he said, gesturing at the animals. “There they are. Take them and let my people go.”
The man with the braided beard started to raise his gun at Greg, but Sasha put a restraining hand on his arm. “That’s awfully accommodating of you, sir,” she said. “It should be that simple, shouldn’t it?”
As she talked, Emma began very slowly creeping away, trying to position herself so the cows were blocking her from the bandits. The others started to follow, thought it was clearly going to be difficult for Horace. Darryl reached back and grabbed him around the shoulders to help him.
“Here’s the complication,” Sasha continued, as Greg took another step out into the open. He had his gun aimed at the ground in front of him, but his finger was on the trigger. They might decide to shoot him, but he was going to take out at least one or two before he went down. “Your family here is clearly headed somewhere specific. If I let them go, I may never find out where.”
“Maybe we’re just trying to survive up here in the wilderness like you,” Greg said. “Cities are dangerous these days. A lot of people have fled.”
“Right, except no idiot would herd a bunch of cattle up a mountain trail without some destination in mind,” Sasha replied. “This is a dangerous endeavor, as I’m sure you’ve learned the hard way, so the place you’re going must be worth tremendous risk. Now, I’ve asked questions. I’ve asked many questions, and all I get from your family are vague replies. They pretend to be stupid, and it’s wearing on me. I want to know where you’re headed.”
“And if I tell you, will you let them go?” Greg said. He took another step toward the group. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his family slipping quietly along the rock wall toward the trees.
“I would certainly be more amenable to it,” Sasha replied.
“Very well. They’re headed to a remote cabin in the valley, but it’s been abandoned for years. It’s in bad shape, dilapidated and dirty. Not much to see there.”
Sasha gave him a withering smile, but her eyes remained lifeless, plastic beads set in a stone face. “You wouldn’t have come all this way, and risked losing so much, to reach a dilapidated cabin. I don’t believe it. Now, look, if I didn’t think the real answer was worth getting, you’d all be down in that ravine by now, so let’s have it.”
“I told you the truth,” Greg replied. “There’s a cabin. It’s not far from here, in fact.”
Sasha sighed. Somehow, she made a sigh sound aggressive.
“They won’t tell you,” the man with the braided beard said. “Let’s kill them and be done with it.”
“Shut up, Harry,” Sasha replied. “I didn’t ask for your advice.” And then, to Greg, she continued, “Maybe my friend here is right. Maybe I should give up the dream and kill you all. Though, I have to say, I don’t know that I want to kill a baby. That’s a bridge too far for me, you know? So, we’re in a bit of a pickle. Do I kill all of you, including the baby? Do I kill you but spare the baby? Do I spare you so you can lead us to your destination? So many choices.” She clicked her tongue again, as if the decisions were almost more than she could bear.
“I’ll lead you to the cabin, if you’ll spare my family,” Greg said. Emma and the others had crept past him now, moving out of his line of sigh
t. Greg shifted to one side to further draw Sasha’s gaze away.
“That seems dangerous,” Sasha replied. “You might turn on me, or you might keep trying to escape. I don’t make rash decisions, friend. How can I guarantee that you—”
She was cut off as another piece of shale broke off the rock wall and tumbled down onto the trail. This further spooked the cows, and they moved to get away from it. In the process, however, they parted like curtains from the spot where the family had been sitting. The man name Harry noticed it first and pointed, stuttering as he attempted to say something. Then Sasha turned and saw.
“So that’s what you were up to,” Sasha shouted, raising her gun.
As the others pointed their weapons, Greg lunged to one side, ducking behind one of the cows. One of the bandits took a shot, but it passed overhead.
“Don’t shoot the animals,” Sasha said. “I want them alive. Shoot the people.”
Greg heard the bandits fanning out, moving toward him. He raised his rifle over the back of the cow, but he hesitated to fire, afraid it might scare the cow and cause his only cover to depart. Suddenly, he realized someone else was standing beside him.
“Dad,” Darryl said, voice quaking. “We thought you were dead. Mom is back there freaking out.”
“Not quite dead,” Greg replied. “I had a few close calls. Get the family out of here. Back up the trail. find another way across the ravine. The cabin is in sight. Meet me there. I’m going to buy us some time.”
When Darryl didn’t move right away, Greg gave him a push. It was enough. Darryl went racing back into the trees. One of the bandits took a shot at him, and Greg heard the bullet hit a tree behind him. The cow started to move, trying in vain to get away from the sound. This forced Greg to move as well, following cover, even as the footsteps of the bandits got louder.
They were so close to the cabin. He just needed to give his family time to get away. At the cabin, at least they would have a defensive position. He decided to risk a blind shot, knowing it might cause the cow to flee. As the footsteps moved around to his left and right, he raised his rifle over the big animal’s back, aimed toward the sound, and fired a shot.
One of Sasha’s men unleashed an ear-piercing shriek.
30
Mom was a mess. She was crying, which blurred her vision. Darryl kept having to correct her course so she wouldn’t stumble off the cliff. This was hard enough when he was already practically carrying one-legged Horace. As they fled back up the slope through the trees, he heard a gunshot, and one of the bandits shrieked in pain. Darryl turned and looked back down the slope.
“We have to go back,” Emma said. “Dad needs our help!”
“No, we have to put some distance between us and the bandits,” Darryl replied. “Dad’s coming. Move!”
Marion was in the lead, an arm around Justine. She ran about twenty meters back up the slope before diverting suddenly and diving behind a large boulder at the side of the road. She caught herself against the rock and slid down to the ground on the other side, pulling Justine down with her. Darryl followed, lugging Horace alongside him.
“Was that really him?” Mom said, pressing her hands to her cheeks. “I can’t believe it. Where did he come from?”
“I don’t know,” Emma replied, dropping to her knees behind the boulder. “Suddenly, he was just there. I looked over and saw his face between the trees, and I almost screamed.”
Darryl didn’t want to stop, but he couldn’t just stand there and hold almost the full weight of Horace. With a huff, he lowered the old man to the ground behind the boulder.
“Dad wants us to keep going,” he said. “The cabin is close. Just beyond the ravine, if we can get down somehow.”
The shouting was getting more intense behind them. Darryl reached for the Remington, but of course, it was no longer slung over his shoulder. The bandits had taken it from him after capturing them. When he realized this, he dropped down with the others and looked back in the direction they’d come.
“I can’t believe he’s alive,” Marion said, brushing away fresh tears. “We’re not going to lose him again. We have to go back.”
But Darryl saw a figure moving between the trees, and he heard another gunshot. It was answered by two others, and he saw a bullet hit a branch nearby. Soon, his father appeared, backing toward them, using a cow for cover. He’d grabbed the animal by its collar and was pulling it along. Beyond him, the bandits were shouting and cursing.
“Go around! Go around!” That was Sasha. “Don’t be such cowards. He just got a lucky shot, that’s all.”
“Let me shoot the damn cow,” came the reply. He thought it was the one named Harry. “If I try to go around, I’m going to get hit.”
As if to prove to point to the man, Greg leaned around the neck of the cow and took a shot down the slope.
“Don’t let him pick us off one by one,” Sasha shouted. “Charge up there and take him out.”
Darryl felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he realized it was Horace.
“There’s a way down into the ravine,” Horace said. “I saw it a little way back. Heck, I actually entertained the notion of trying to sneak past our captor and make my way down.”
“Can you lead us there?” Darryl asked.
“I can point the way, if you’ll help me,” Horace replied.
Greg was getting close, slowed only by the reluctant, terrified cow. Only its ingrained obedience kept it going. Greg glanced over his shoulder and met Darryl’s gaze. With his free hand, he gestured for him to get moving.
“Okay, sir, lead us there,” Darryl said, and stooped down to put his arms around Horace. Fortunately, he was a shriveled old man, which made it easier to carry him.
As soon as he stepped out from behind the boulder, he saw one of the bandits suddenly lunge around a tree, trying to move past the cow to get a clear shot. It was Harry, the guy in the handmade leather clothes with the braided beard.
“Dad, on your left,” Darryl shouted.
At the sound of his voice, his dad turned and saw the man coming at him. He raised his gun and fired just as the bandit stepped past the tree, and the man cried out. He stumbled backward, grabbing his chest. Another bandit, a woman, unleashed a shrill cry at this, even as the wounded man fell backward. Darryl saw dark blood oozing between the fingers of his gloved hand before he hit the ground and rolled onto his side.
Greg ran toward Darryl. Even now, it was like seeing a ghost. Darryl had long accepted the death of his father, and his brain couldn’t fully comprehend that this was really him. Up close, he realized how badly injured his father was. His lips were busted, his face covered in bruises. He had a black eye and a large welt on his forehead.
“Horace saw a way down into the ravine,” Darryl said, waving his father past him. They didn’t have time for an emotional reunion. It would have to wait. “It’s back up the slope there.”
Marion flung herself at Greg, clinging to him. He put his arm around her waist and practically carried her as he fled back up the slope.
“I need to reload the rifle,” he noted. “Horace, point the way. Quick. They’re coming.”
Darryl dared another glance over his shoulder. A couple of cows were milling about among the trees, providing convenient cover for their retreat. However, he saw movement beyond them. A woman dressed in similar handmade leather garb was dragging the wounded man away, while the others eased to one side, intending to step around the cows through a gap along the rock wall.
Fortunately, Greg was moving fast, so Darryl hurried to keep pace with him. Justine was right on his heels, though the baby had begun to whimper and fuss. Emma came last, moving in a crouch and constantly looking behind her.
“This way,” Horace said, pointing off to the right. “There’s a narrow trail just over there.”
Indeed, they went another ten meters or so, and Darryl saw the beginning of a crude trail that cut down at an angle into the ravine. It was clearly manmade, but it had not been we
ll-maintained. Not unlike their river shortcut, the edges were crumbling, but they had no other options.
As soon as Darryl, Horace, and Emma got to the trail, Greg waved them past.
“Go on ahead,” he said. “Hurry. Get down there as fast possible. Make for the cabin. It’s in sight now.”
“No, we’re not leaving you behind again,” Marion cried, grabbing his shirt with both hands. He winced at this.
“I’m not staying behind,” Greg said. “I just need to fend off the enemy.”
Emma stepped past him, whimpering as she came close to the edge. Darryl and Horace went next. Already, the trail made Darryl’s skin crawl. It cut a switchback course down into the ravine, but it was steep and rocky.
“I’m sorry you have to lug me around,” Horace said. He was trying to help, stepping with his one leg. “I hate to be a burden to anyone.”
“You’re not a burden, sir,” Darryl replied. “You’re the one who pointed out the trail. You might have saved us.”
Greg and Emma came last, but Darryl heard the voices of the bandits getting louder. Suddenly, his father took a shot back behind them. Sasha cursed loudly and began barking orders to her people.
“That way. Right over there. Just use the trees for cover. Go!”
The shooting had caused the cows to panic again. Indeed, it seemed they’d reached a breaking point. The two who were in the trees took off running. Darryl heard them, but he couldn’t see them from his position. He moved back up the trail to his father’s side just in time to see a cow barrel into one of the bandits and knock him down. The big animal kept going, trampling him in the process.
Greg turned then and grabbed Marion by the arm. She had lingered at his side. “Get going down the trail. Keep the others moving. I need you to listen to me, Marion. Please! If they reach the trailhead, they’ll pick us off.”
Marion hesitated, then hugged him suddenly. He returned the hug, and she finally headed down the trail. Once she was moving, Greg dropped down onto his knees and dug a box of ammo out of his coat pocket. As Darryl came up beside him, he quickly reloaded the rifle.
EMP: Return of the Wild West Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 68