by S. R. Rashad
“I’m ok.” I say as I try to down play my fighting ability. Martial arts is a life I thought I left behind.
He sees something in the distance.
“Laura, what’s that?”
“What?” she looks around but doesn’t see anything strange.
“No… look there” He points to a huge tree about a hundred yards ahead, far off to the left of the path.
“It looks like someone’s leaning against a tree.”
“Ok, stop here!” He says firmly as he looks through his scope. “Well, it’s definitely a woman, slumped over, either asleep or dead. I'm going with dead.”
Jen! I know it “Come on let’s go quick. She may still be alive.”
Something doesn't feel right about it for him. This could be a set up. “I think we should be cautious. What if it’s a trap?”
“Listen, I’m going over there now. Do what you like.”
If it’s Jen and I just wait, I’ll never forgive myself. Besides, I think the doc is more of a crazy than a badass. I can't see him devising some kind intricate plot just for us.
There's no way he's going if he's not sure the area is clear. He lies on the ground, positions his rifle, watches as Laura heads over and he pans the surroundings for any kind of a surprise, ready to kill anyone who steps out of the shadows.
It is Jen, passed out, barely alive. Laura manages to wake her, amazed, still not believing they arrived in time to save her.
Jen opens her eyes to see Laura there, standing over her, and an unimaginable joy fills her exhausted being, giving her new hope and renewed strength.
"Hey, is that really you, Laura." She says trying to smile, but clearly in a great deal of pain.
"Yup, sure is."
"I knew you would come. I don't know how I knew. I just knew."
"Let me look at you, Jen hon."
"Oh, don't, Laura, I'm a mess."
Laura looks her over, sees the clear and apparent abuse Jen's suffered, the mutilated hand, the gunshot wound, the numerous cuts and bruises, and is overwhelmed with immense grief and sadness. She doesn't want to cry but when she sees the evidence of such obvious pain and torture Jen went through, not to mention the psychological torment of being left alone with the doc and his depravity for hours, not knowing when or if something like that would end, her whole being begins to weep; the woman, the lawyer, the mentor, the friend, the warrior, everything, every part, the entirety of who she is just gives in. She grabs Jen, caressing her, holding her head tightly to her chest, trying to take her all in.
As Jen rests her head in Laura’s embrace, she tries to console her friend. "Oh, Laura. I know. I know. But it's fine now. No one's hurting me anymore. Let's get out of this, time to go home, huh."
Laura wants to stop crying. She knows it's not helping, but nothing in her is ready to stop yet. Jen tries more distraction. Because she knows if Laura doesn't stop, she's gonna start too and they still need to get the hell out of the woods.
Jen pulls her head out of Laura’s chest, wrestling herself from Laura's weepy embrace and looks in the eyes of her lovely mournful friend.
"Ok. Laura. Enough, lady! Let's go. Come on, let's go home. Let's go now!”
Laura felt something strange and comforting in Jen's commanding voice. She knows there is something absolutely different about her friend. She's no Bambi for sure. Laura feels the presence of her father there among them. How everything and everybody here has changed some how. From this tragedy, things are much different and will never be the same. Laura's ready to soldier up and get the heck out of there.
John’s on the main road by his mother's truck, but doesn't see his sister anywhere. He has a growing concern. He investigates the area. He sees evidence of someone or something being dragged into the woods. He follows the trail and finds his sister shot, her body partially hidden and left for dead. He sees another trail, two sets of muddy footprints leading into the woods of their property. He follows behind ready to hand down swift and immediate justice to whomever he comes across.
The coast seems clear. He approaches the two friends in their unfortunate circumstance, but happy reunion.
“You see. It’s Jen. She’s alive.” Laura says still feeling disbelief, but relieved nonetheless.
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you don’t stop that bleeding, she’ll be dead before you two can leave this place.”
Laura and Jen look to the wound and the blood, and both know he’s right.
“Ok, what do we need to do?”
“Here, lift ya shirt.” He says to Jen.
As she does, he pulls out a shotgun shell and his hunting blade, ripping open the shell, to retrieve the powder.
“Ok, ladies. this is the fastest and most effective way I know to handle this situation. Unfortunately, this kind of field triage is also intensely, and I mean intensely painful.” He says looking into Jen’s eyes for the ok as he can see she’s been through a lot of pain, and knowing she’s about to go through a lot more…
“It’s ok. Let’s do it.” Jen says looking like she’s up for it, but she has no idea.
He pours the powder from the shell on the wound and lights it. Jen feels the intense burning of her flesh. The raw pain brings tears to her eyes. She immediately wants it to stop. She can’t stop herself, she lets out the most horrific cry. Laura knows begging her to be quiet isn’t going to help. So she covers Jen’s mouth and holds her hand as the powder sparks and sizzles, burning her flesh, fusing, closing and clotify the wound, while the air around them, smokes, filling with the smell of cooked flesh and burnt metal.
“Ok, I think we’re good.” He says.
“Shit, shit, that hurts”
“I know, lady. I had to do it to myself once. I’ll show you the scar sometime if we get out of here.
Hey, ...and how did you manage to get away form the doc anyhow? Did you kill him?”
He say inquisitively with a hint of excitement.
Jen looks to him then turns to Laura, as she speaks
"I don't think he's dead. Laura. Remember our friend chuck. Well, he freed me. Then that bitch Nancy found me and tried to kill me, but I got away."
“Wait, Jen, Nancy? Our Nancy? I say still in shock from this whole ordeal. Then he interrupts excitedly.
“Well, Jen, his sister? is she dead?" he says smiling.
"I don't knew. I hit her pretty hard and left her by the lake."
"Shit, I gotta go see. You two'll be fine." He says ask he heads off in a hurry to the lake, looking for Nancy and the monster."
Laura looks at Jen, then watches as he takes off toward the lake as she's still trying to piece the whole thing together. “What's happening!” she says dumbfounded. Then, pieces start to come together. It all comes crashing down in an instant. Wait, Nancy’s peter’s sister, ok. But how the hell did he know that? She doesn't know why she didn't see it till just now. She was played. This whole thing had to have been orchestrated. He said his sister. He knew Nancy was his sister this whole time. She thinks back to all the CI notes in the police files. There was also a note in Jimi's office and the maps and plans in his home, all the same handwriting, all the same. And the doc said the firm was suggested to his sister, possibly by him, but most interesting was the note on Jim's desk the one Jim tried to hide that said a woman should head this case. That was the same handwriting for sure. All of it was him, every mysterious note, every finger pointing, him.
Chapter 33
Who’s stalking who?
Sometimes what we are searching for is searching for us
He followed Jen's trail back to the spot by the lake where she had the altercation with the monster’s sister. Nancy’s body should be here, but there’s nothing, and no one. She could have sunk to the bottom of the lake, nah, or floated away, doubtful. This is not good. He needs to find that body to know for sure. He drops his heavy gear so he can have a less encumbered and easy look around. He searches the area around the lake. He sees all the evidence of Jen
and Nancy’s struggle. It must’ve been quite a fight he imagines. He would have loved to have seen that, but then again, he got to see Laura at work and that was quite thrilling. There's something about a woman who can take care of herself and get physical that excites him. He stops by what looks like the faint outline of a different set of footprints and he sees heavy drag marks in the mud, next to them, a fresh looking trail, leading away from the lake. Someone belabored over her dead body. Someone took the time, and had the wherewithal to drag her body away, someone who loved her. Someone who may still be here, nearby. He is on alert. Shit! He looks around nervously, pulls out his sidearm, frantically pointing it in all directions, looking to see if he is still here. It has to be Peter. He's here somewhere. He could be watching. He grabs his gear and rushes back to the girls, to regroup, to come up with a plan.
The pair left the kill of the open road. But they have not been alone. They have not been alone the entire time. He has been with them. Since they killed his niece, they have been under his cold watchful eye, the focused attentiveness of the predator. Peter has been stalking, moving along like a lion circling its prey, cautiously at a distance. He has been enjoying himself, watching, waiting, but when they came across a hurting Jen, his blood levels reached new peaks, the boiling heat of obsession nearly caused him to lose all composure. He felt what could only be described as agonizing bliss. He could barely contain himself as he wanted to take her. He found it incredibly difficult to stay back, to remain in the shadows. He watched intently as they mended her life threatening gunshot wound. He found complete joy in the scent of her, as her wound, sprinkled with gunpowder, was set to fire, igniting her burning flesh, cooking her blood. The blood, the metallic oder, the burning, her screams of agony, he hadn’t felt or smelt anything that has ever come close. He wants to celebrate the joy of this moment by bathing in her blood.
“Laura, there was a time back in his basement when I was beyond scared and I thought for sure…”
I stop her abruptly. “Hon, let’s not, ok. Lets stay focused like you suggested.”
“You know, Laura, you’re right.”
“Of course, I‘m right. Aren't I always.” I smile, then Jen smiles. And we both have a good laugh. I like hearing her laughter again. I like it a lot. I want her to stay alive. I want us both to stay alive.
The two stop laughing, hearing a faint clicking sound not too far in the distance. They are both pretty sure it's a gun being cocked.
Jen looks to Laura. And whispers, “You heard that right?”
“Damn sure did. Let's get…”
Before Laura can finish, she's shot in the arm.
“Hell! I said I didn't want to get shot anymore! Damn it! …Down Jen, down!”
They both go to the ground and roll into the bushes for cover.
Laura motions for Jen to stay as she sees the shooter attempting to hide behind a tree a little farther in the distance. She moves toward him, crawling along the muddy ground, positioning herself for a better shot.
The doc sees a chance to get closer to Jen. As Laura stalks the shooter, the doc stalks Jen.
Back at the old house, a light goes on in the attic.
The little flicker in the far distance catches his eye. John turns briefly as he thinks he can just make out the attic light, barely visible at this distance, but he's sure it's the attic. He knows it must be his mother. Only she goes up there. He’s anxious now. He wants to deal with these two then see if all is alright with her. Especially, since losing his sister, he's feeling remorseful and sentimental, but at this moment, he's also feeling focused hatred, a hatred that he needs to unleash. So for the moment, he turns his attentions back to the trouble makers hiding nearby. Unable to see them now, as they have disappeared from his sight, he waits eagerly for movement, to finish the task.
On his way back to the girls, he heard the shot, moving quickly, and cautiously, he found a good little hill to position himself on to do what he was trained in the army to do. He puts on his night vision’s, his camo pancho and unlike Laura, he's fond of the suppressor, securing one to his rifle, then mounting the rifle on top of a tripod for better stability. He is beyond ready. Nothing and no one will escape him, this night.
Jen is worried, from where she is, she can't see Laura or the shooter. Hiding behind this bush, laying low, she's feeling lost and alone. She tries hard to look to see if Laura is still close and ok. But she dare not raise her head and give away her location. Then she's starting to sense something behind her. This is the same feeling she got back at Laura’s just before the doc came. She looks around and starts to see all sorts of things as the trees and the swinging and swaying branches, and the blowing wind and the flooding moonlight are all playing tricks on her. But for a second, she focuses on one particular tree behind her, as she believes she sees the shadow of a man. She's not sure. She squints, looking keenly as she continues to give it her focused attention, waiting, and watching. And then she sees something, from the shadows. Yes, there's an arm moving there. She’s sure. Someone is there. And in a instant, she's Laura’s Bambi again, if just for this moment. She screams for Laura and her pistol. She needs her to come now, to shoot him, to kill him. She wants Laura to rid the world once and for all of the man who hurt her, kidnapped her, tortured her and still wants to kill her.
“Laura! Laura! It’s him! Here!
Laura no longer focuses on the task before her. She loses all sense of concern for herself. She forgets there's a gunman trying to kill her as she hears Jen screaming. She moves quickly back to Jen, who is her only concern at the moment.
“What, hon?”
Laura says half out of breath, having running quickly to get to Jen. She grabs the arm of her friend to reassure her that she's fine. That everything’s fine. That she’ll let nothing or no one hurt her again.
“There, look there!” Jen says nervously, pointing at one of the more branch filled trees, less than a hundred feet away. Laura points her laser scope at it, and sees nothing. They both wait for more movement, for him to step out of the shadows. And as the moonlight shifts, they get a clearer view of the tree. They see what was the moving arm is really just a gnarly swaying branch, shaped like an arm. The two breathe a little easier, but still needing to focus on the real threat, on the shooter they know for certain is lurking near, ready to kill them, obviously, having shot Laura already, though not seriously injuring her.
He has a great vantage point. He sees Laura and Jen as clearly as day, with the help of his trusty night vision goggles. (One of his pride and joys. He does so love his toys.) He looks past them, panning further off into the distance and he sees a figure attempting to move stealthily, in the deeper part of the wooded area. He watches as the figure positions himself in wait, behind a larger tree. He is hoping to all heaven that it's him, the damn doctor. He adjusts the sight on his scope for the new distance, to get a clearer resolution of the stalker. Now, with his goggles set for the new distance, once the guy moves from behind the tree again, he’ll know better who he is. Laura runs past his field of sight for a second. And as she passes, there’s the stalker, having moved from hiding, now almost fully in his crosshairs, in focus. He sees the guy positioning his rifle to shoot at Laura. He's sure it's not the doc. Guns aren’t his style. Nonetheless, he readies himself to shoot the rifleman. It must be his nephew, not the little one. So it must be John. His conceit and arrogance are driving him at the moment. He’s concerned that Laura already has one kill under her belt, as well as the wimp, Jen, and it is seeming like he's the only one that hasn't shown himself to be a lethal force. This concerns him greatly. He can't let this be the case. He has him near perfectly in the crosshairs, save for a few branches causing minor obstructions. He decides to take the shot anyhow. He fires. His bullet explodes from the barrel, but leaves the gun silently, as the suppressor does its job, and it travels even more silently, until it makes contact with one of the thicker branches that’s obscuring John slightly, crashing into the branch, and passing thr
ough with relative ease. At at times like this, he’s sure glad he brought his more high powered baby. For the bullet continues through the branch as though it were mere paper, splitting the branch, causing it to come crashing to the ground, while still finding its mark, stopping in john’s upper chest, above his heart, just under his left shoulder, with its sheer power and force, it knocks him to the ground.
If it weren't for him shooting through the tree and the breaking and falling branch, Laura and Jen never would have known what was happening. His silencer is simply that superb at muffling otherwise explosive kill shots. And for certain John is dead, near dead, or about to be dead.
While he was intensely focused on executing a flawless shot, he too, had now become prey. He hadn't the chance to notice, to feel, to sense even slightly the presence of the perfect predator, dr Peter VonNetzer, stalking him, laying in wait, just off in the trees, so near and now is moving in quietly and rapidly toward him. As he is there on his stomach, having a moment, enjoying his first real significant snipe in years, this wasn't the reporter or the monster’s attorney who he'd had intended to kill, but later had a change of heart, this was a relative of the monster. There is satisfaction in this kill. It is all coming full circle for him. The monster, if he can feel, he will feel this lost and the lost of his entire family really with the help of Jen and Laura who took out other beloved members of the Russo/VonNetzer clan. The monster Peter VonNetzer will know what loss is, the same way he does. He is pleased.