Decker felt the earth drop away beneath him.
Robyn screamed, her eyes wide with fright.
Special Agent Barnes lunged forward and grabbed one of Decker’s legs. Fowler followed his partner’s example and wrapped his arms around Decker’s other leg. Together they pulled against the Baykok’s might as it fought to carry him away.
Decker grunted in pain as sharp claws sliced into his back. Worse, the FBI agents were losing their battle. He was being dragged higher and there was nothing he could do about it. Then he realized that even though the bag was gone, he still clutched the three leg bones. The grave was directly below him, where the rest of the Paiute warrior’s remains now lay exposed. There was only one thing Decker could do now. Mouthing a silent prayer Decker gauged the distance and dropped the bones toward the opened grave.
They clattered to the ground, all three hitting near the same spot close to Shilah’s unearthed rib cage. One bounced away and was lost in the bushes. Another slipped off onto the rock pile. The third one lay balanced atop the warrior’s skeletal remains.
If Decker was expecting an instant reaction, he was wrong. Nothing happened. The bone that remained in the grave was not Shilah’s.
With a victorious screech, the Baykok flapped its leathery wings and pulled him higher despite the two FBI agent’s best efforts. Decker could feel the creature’s taloned feet digging into his flesh as it tried to tear him from their grasp.
But Robyn wasn’t ready to give up. She grabbed one of the discarded bones and lunged into the bushes to retrieve the other. She emerged a moment later with bloody scratches on her arms and face but clutching both bones. With a defiant scream, she pushed them into the grave.
This time the reaction was instant.
A light flickered within Shilah’s rib cage. A curl of wispy gray smoke twisted upward, expanding to take on a vaguely human shape. A chest formed, and a face, and atop the smoky figure’s head, the translucent outline of a feathered headdress. And there were arms too. They twisted outward and reached toward the Baykok, even as a pair of amorphous hands spun themselves into existence.
At this, realizing its own peril, the creature relaxed its grip upon Decker. He fell back to the ground and stumbled to remain on his feet.
When he looked up, tendrils of curling gray smoke were extending from the misty figure’s hands and weaving around the Baykok’s clawed feet, ensnaring it. They snaked up its body and dragged the struggling creature relentlessly toward the grave. The Baykok hissed and wailed, beating its wings in a frenzied attempt to escape, even as it grew ever closer to the Paiute warrior’s remains. It clawed at the rocks surrounding the grave. But it was no use. The fiery red mesmeric glow that burned within the Baykok’s hollow eye sockets was already fading, its struggles becoming feeble as it sank back into the earth. Then, as Decker watched, Shilah’s smoky, amorphous spirit reached a vaguely defined hand over the Baykok’s head and pushed the creature down, before they both faded from view and were gone.
Chapter Sixty-Four
“is it over?” Robyn asked, staring wide-eyed at the spot where the Baykok and smoke spirit had disappeared moments before. “Did we defeat it?”
“I believe we did,” Decker replied. He reached around and explored his back where the creature had clawed him. His shirt was shredded. Touching the wounds elicited stabs of fresh pain. He withdrew his hand, now bloody.
“I don’t understand what just happened,” Fowler said. “If that creature was created from Shilah’s remains, then what rose out the grave?”
“The warrior’s true spirit?” Decker speculated. “In the Native American legends, the Baykok is the restless soul of a disgraced man. An undead creature, it wanders the earth unable to enter the afterlife. But no person is completely bad. The Baykok was evil, for sure, but there must’ve been goodness in Shilah too. I think that’s what rose out of the grave.”
“Shilah’s soul was fractured. Split between light and darkness,” Barnes said. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“It’s the best explanation I’ve got. Either way, Shilah is whole again. He’s at rest.”
“It all sounds crazy to me,” Fowler grumbled. “All I want to do is get out of here.”
“We should put the rocks back in place first,” Decker said, approaching the grave and kneeling. One by one he piled boulders back over Shilah’s remains.
The others joined in, and the task was soon completed. Decker stood up and said a silent prayer to whatever Gods the old warrior had believed in. That done, he turned back toward the trail in time to see a figure limping along toward them.
“Carlton,” Robyn screamed, elated. “You’re alive.”
“Of course I’m alive, you foolish girl. You think I don’t know how to drive a Jeep?” Carlton said, closing the gap between them.
“That’s exactly what we think,” Barnes replied, grinning. “You did go headlong into a ravine, after all.”
Carlton came to a halt. Decker noticed a gash on his forehead. He was favoring his left leg too. “We should get you checked out,” he said.
“I’m fine.” Carlton waved a dismissive hand.
“You saved my life,” Decker said. “If you hadn’t come along, I would’ve been a goner.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“The trail is so narrow,” Barnes said. “How did you even get a Jeep up it?”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to, boy?” Being a hero had not dampened Carlton’s grouchy demeanor. “Damn thing’s built for off roading. Not in good shape now though.” He glared at Decker. “You owe me a Jeep.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Decker couldn’t help but grin.
“Why were you even there?” Fowler asked.
“I saw you bunch of fools heading out of town and figured you’d get yourselves in trouble. And I was right.” Carlton folded his arms. “If I hadn’t done something, that creature would’ve killed the lot of you. I’m not Robyn’s number one fan, but I like her a whole lot better than a bloodthirsty monster.”
“Thanks,” Robyn said, bemused. “I think.”
“That’s probably as close to a compliment as you’ll ever get from him,” Decker said. “I’d take it if I were you.”
“And with the creature gone, you’ll be able to extract the gold from that mine,” Barnes said. “You probably aren’t going to run tours down there anymore, given what’s happened, but if Harlan Biggs’ hunch was correct, there should be more than enough precious metals in there to open ten wedding venues if you want.”
“One will be enough,” Robyn replied. “But we can worry about that later. Right now, I’d really like to get out of here. Angry skeleton creature or not, this place gives me the creeps.”
“You won’t get any argument from me,” Decker said as they started back down the trail, with Barnes assisting Carlton even though the old man was doing his best to shrug the FBI agent off. He was bruised and battered, but alive, and that was a good day in Decker’s book. Tomorrow he would check the mine and make sure the creature was really gone for good. But right now, all he wanted was a fresh shirt, his wounds patched, and a hot shower.
Epilogue
Three Days Later
Decker was in his room, packing up to depart the Last Chance Hotel and Saloon and head to the airport. He’d spent the last few days making sure the Baykok really was vanquished, tidying up loose ends, and writing a lengthy report to his superiors back in Maine regarding the activities at the ghost town. The two Special Agents, Barnes and Fowler, had left the hotel forty-eight hours before and resumed their regular duties at the Las Vegas field office. But not before all three, along with Robyn, had entered the mine and navigated their way to the tunnel discovered by the geologists, where three mummified corpses sat in silent darkness. They also found the deep vein of gold that Harlan Biggs and his general manager, Wagner Mitchell, had lost their lives over. This was confirmed by one of their employees, a Mexican laborer found wandering, hungry and dehydrated, in
the desert. He told a tragic tale of the pair’s greed and how it had resulted in the death of his friend, whose corpse had subsequently been located and removed from the second mine entrance to be returned to his family. Now all that remained for Decker was to say his goodbyes and leave.
He was almost finished packing when there was a light knock at the hotel room door. When he answered, Robyn was on the other side with Tieg. She was smiling.
“How are you getting along?” She asked.
“Almost done,” Decker replied. “Another half hour and I’ll be out of your hair for good.”
“You don’t have to run off so soon.”
“Actually, I do,” he said, touched by her sadness at his departure. “My employer is sending a jet. It will be here within the hour.”
“That’s a shame. Tieg will miss you.”
Decker looked down at the dog, who returned his gaze with trusting brown eyes. “Well, I’ll miss him too. He saved my life, after all.”
“Maybe you could come visit him once in a while.”
“I’d like that.”
“Or you could stay a few days longer and hang out with him,” Robyn countered.
“Nice as that sounds, I really can’t.”
“What would it take to change your mind?”
“I’m not sure you can change my mind,” Decker said with a smile. “Unless you want to call my boss, Adam Hunt, and demand he give me a few days off.”
“Maybe I don’t need to,” Robyn said, enigmatically.
“And why is that?” Decker asked.
“Because your fiancé already has,” a new voice said.
“Nancy?” Decker asked, confused, and delighted.
“Do you have another fiancée I don’t know about?” Nancy said, appearing from the corridor.
“What are you doing here?” Decker's smile widened into a grin.
“Adam said you cleared things up here quicker than he expected, so he didn’t need you back for a few more days.” Nancy stepped into the room. “He thought you would have more fun in Las Vegas than sitting at home, so he flew me out here.”
Robyn coughed gently. “I’m going to leave the two of you alone. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” With that, she turned and left.
“I must say, the ride out here was plush.”
“Ride?”
“The private jet. Is that what you’re doing when you’re not with me, riding around in swanky jets sipping champagne?”
“No one’s ever offered me any champagne.” Decker rubbed his chin.
“Huh.” Nancy furrowed her brow. “Hunt must like me more than you.”
“I hardly think so,” Decker joked. “Seriously, how did you pull that off?”
“Because it’s a special occasion.” Nancy crossed the room and sat on the bed. “Speaking of which, I booked us a suite for a couple of nights at the Bellagio. I thought you might like to enjoy Vegas instead of chasing monsters all over it.”
“Sounds like fun,” Decker said. “What did you mean when you said it was a special occasion?”
“Well, I was going to wait until we got to the hotel room to mention this, but what the hell.” Nancy shrugged. “I’ve been thinking. Our lease is almost up on the house in Mississippi, and I’d love to be closer to Taylor while she’s at college.”
“You want to move to Boston?”
“Not exactly. I know how hard it is on you, going back and forth between Mississippi and Maine, so I figured we should just move there. That way I can be close to Taylor, and you can be close to work.”
“What are you going to do in Maine while I’m working?”
“What do I do now while you’re working?”
“Good point.”
“Maine might actually be good for me,” Nancy said. “A new start. I could open another restaurant. Get back to doing what I love.”
“You want to open a diner?” Decker joined her on the bed.
“Not a diner. I was thinking a bakery and coffee shop. Might be fun.” Nancy took a deep breath. “So, what do you think?”
“I think if it’s what you want to do, then let’s move to Maine.” Decker put his arm around her. “I don’t see how that counts as a special occasion though.”
“It doesn’t.” Nancy met Decker’s gaze. “That’s the other thing I want to talk to you about. You’re always off running around the world putting yourself in danger, and I worry that one day you won’t come back. I can’t stop you doing the job you love, but I can make sure I’m your wife.”
“I thought we already agreed you were going to be my wife. We’re engaged after all.”
“I know. But I don’t want to be engaged. I think we should get married. As soon as possible.”
Decker remained silent for a moment, letting this sink in, then he said, “I think that’s a great idea.”
“You do?” Nancy replied, excited.
“sure.” Decker nodded. “And we’re in the right place. We could find a preacher and get married under the Las Vegas sign.”
“I didn’t mean that quickly.” Nancy shook her head. “You’re impossible.”
“What? You said you wanted to get married as soon as possible.”
“But I still want a real wedding. A dress. Our family and friends there. Sometimes I wonder about you.”
“Understood. No shotgun wedding under the Las Vegas sign. Got it. You will have to give me a few weeks to come up with an alternate venue, though.”
“How about we work on it together.”
“I’d like that,” Decker said.
“Me too.” Nancy laid back on the bed and kicked her shoes off. “Lay down and join me.”
“What about the Bellagio?”
“We don’t check in until tomorrow.” Nancy grabbed Decker’s arm and pulled him down, kissing him. “We’re staying here tonight. Robyn insisted.”
“She’s in on this too?”
“Yup.” Nancy kissed him again. “Will you just shut up and relax? I want to cuddle with my future husband.”
“It doesn’t look like I have much choice,” Decker said, slipping his arms around her.
“No, you don’t.” Nancy said resting her head on his shoulder. “And for once, Adam Hunt isn’t going to call and ruin everything.”
“You sure about that?”
“Pretty sure,” Nancy replied. “Because I told him what would happen if he did.”
Ready for another John Decker Adventure?
The next John Decker Thriller
Cryptid Quest
Deep in the Amazon Jungle,
A World Beyond Imagination
In the dense and dangerous Amazon, the crew of the supernatural reality series, Cryptid Quest, make a stunning discovery. A Bronze Age fortress of Mayan design, hidden by impenetrable jungle and far from where it should be. But that’s not all. They also find tantalizing evidence of Egyptian and Greek influence—An impossible collision of ancient cultures that leaves them baffled. Then, without warning, they disappear without a trace.
Determined to find out what happened, John Decker travels to South America. Arriving in the humid Amazonian jungle, he joins a team of specialists pulled together from all corners of the globe, including a ghost from his past—An old flame he thought was out of his life forever.
But this is the least of Decker’s worries, because when the group treks deep into the overgrown and unexplored jungle, they find themselves trapped in a forgotten land where death lurks around every corner, and the nightmares of the ancient world live on. Cut off from civilization, and under siege, they must solve the riddle of the ancient ruins and find a way out, or die trying...
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Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank his wife, Sonya, for her tireless efforts
to make his books better. Also, many thanks to Barbara Gorman, James Facey, and the entire advanced reader team for their time and dedication, and willingness to be the first eyes on my work. I would also like to wish Darwin Andoe a happy birthday, and a big thank you for allowing me to put him face-to-face with the Baykok.
Also by Anthony M. Strong
John Decker Thriller Series
What Vengeance Comes
Cold Sanctuary
Crimson Deep
Grendel’s Labyrinth
Whitechapel Rising
Black Tide
Ghost Canyon
Cryptid Quest
John Decker Series Prequel
Soul Catcher
Colum O’Shea Thriller Series
Coming Soon - Deadly Truth
The Remnants Series
The Remnants of Yesterday
Standalone Books and Novellas
The Haunting of Willow House
Crow Song
Ghost Canyon (The John Decker Supernatural Thriller Series Book 7) Page 24