by David Horne
They all waited again and then the static turned to crackling. "Sher...? Where...you?"
"Shit," Branch hissed. "Does anyone know where we actually are?"
After a moment, Dale excitedly answered, "In the redwood stand!"
"At least that's something," Branch grumbled and relayed the information to Gina. "Get the FBI agents back from Sacramento," he added. "We've found Dale, Melissa, and Gary. There's some kind of...madman or something living up here."
He waited and called back a couple of times, but for a while, they never heard anything but static again. Then, on one last try, they heard Gina's broken voice, but couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Gina?" Branch called back. "We can't hear you. Can you-"
Before he could say anything else, a screeching sound rent the air of the cave, followed by a frustrated growl. Their captor came barreling down from the entrance of the cave and, for the first time, they could make out his face in the beam of their flashlights. Their imaginations had conjured some kind of grotesque form, but to their surprise, the man looked like any other. He was younger than they thought too. Branch quickly realized that he probably wasn't even old enough to have killed the women in the summer of '95.
"What's going on here?" he whispered to himself as he and Geoff tried to dodge the oncoming assailant.
"What do you want?" Geoff shouted, which caused the man to stop in his tracks. He moved closer to Branch, feeling the instinctual need to protect him, though he knew he was perfectly capable of doing so himself.
The man, who was almost as tall as Geoff, watched curiously. He glanced at the three people he had chained to the wall, and then back to the two he didn't.
"Why are you holding us prisoner?" Geoff asked, not sure the man understood a word he was saying. The distraction was working though and he wondered if anyone had ever thought to simply talk to him before. "We want to leave," he added. Though it was still dark, the sky was beginning to lighten, and out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Melissa giving him a look of disbelief.
"Come on," he whispered to Branch. Branch had pulled his gun, but Geoff took his free hand and pulled him closer to the man.
"What are you doing?" the Sheriff hissed.
"Just follow my lead."
"He's already killed one person who was trying to escape," Branch pointed out.
Geoff stopped and rolled his eyes with a sigh. When the cave grew quiet, he moved forward again, ever so slightly. He made no move toward the other three, wondering if there wasn't a reason this man had left him and Branch unshackled, like perhaps, he hadn't really wanted to deal with them anyway.
As they passed Dale, he whispered, "You're not gonna leave us here, boss, are you?"
"Of course not," Branch answered out of the corner of his mouth. In truth, he had no idea what Geoff's plan was.
The man hadn't budged either way, simply watched the two of them curiously as they came closer. When they were only a couple of feet away though, a large bird flew through the cave opening and made its way straight for Geoff's head. He ducked, but too late. The bird's talons dug into his head as it let out another loud screech. As the two men fell to the ground, Branch pulled his own gun from his belt, lifted it up and fired at the bird. He missed, but the gunshot sent the man into a fury. He yelled out and ran toward the two of them. Branch lowered his gun and fired at him too. As he did so, he heard Gary scream behind them, the first sign of life they’d had from the young man. Their captor stopped running at them and the Sheriff was sure he'd hit his target. Before he could find out though, the man turned and ran back out of his cave, the screeching bird swooping down and following him.
Branch considered following him, but he knew, in their conditions and with the hostages to think about, it would cause more problems than they could handle.
"He's getting away, boss," Dale unnecessarily pointed out.
"I know, Dale. I know I hit him, though. He's wounded and dangerous. Hopefully, he can't get far." He glanced at Geoff, though, knowing that it wasn't necessarily true. He tucked his gun into the back of his pants and went to the back of the cave. "We need to find something to get these shackles off before he decides to come back."
He and Geoff searched the back of the cave over and over, but never found a key. All they had was a few rusty blades to try and dig the bolts out of the rock. It was slow going, and for a while, they glanced behind them every few moments to see whether or not the man came back. After a while, it became apparent that he wasn't going to, and as daylight finally started to creep over the tree line, they managed to get Dale and Melissa free.
The first thing Melissa did was bolt for the cave opening, but Branch caught her arm. "Take it easy," he tried to soothe her as Geoff worked on Gary's shackle. .
"We have to get out of here!" Melissa shouted. "He could come back and kill us!"
"We have no real idea where we are, remember? We're all hurt, dehydrated, and exhausted. We could die just as easily roaming around the woods."
The morning was cold and foggy, so he went to the back of the cave to tend to the quickly dying fire. He was feeling old and tired by then, and it was taking considerable will not to second guess his choices. Part of him wanted to run out of the cave and go crashing down the mountain. The forest he'd always trusted had betrayed him. Sure, it had been a hard mistress to a lot of people, but never him. Another part of him was questioning the idea of not running after their captor when he fled. In fact, he was so deep in thought, that he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Geoff. He smiled weakly as the man knelt down beside him. Geoff had Gary in hand and the young man sat on the opposite side, a little life returning to him.
In the growing daylight, his lover's face looked even worse. His nose was probably broken, which had caused his eyes to blacken, though they were no longer swollen as much. He looked worse for wear, but his spirits still seemed to be better than Branch's.
"Why are you so chipper?" the Sheriff asked.
"Well, it seems to me we've solved our case." He warmed his hands by the fire and then noticed Melissa and Dale making their way over to do the same.
"You're just happy because you now think there's a logical explanation for everything that's happened around here," Branch grumbled. He knew better, though.
"Isn't there?" Geoff countered.
Dale snorted. "You've only been here a couple of days, Agent Holden."
"Is that all," Geoff replied with a sigh. "It feels a lot longer."
Branch frowned and looked away. Now that the case had been solved and their assailant, hopefully, sorted, he was back to feeling protective of his forest and his town. The remark made him feel like his new lover would be glad to be leaving and he had no idea where that left them.
Geoff could tell he'd offended Branch but didn't think it was the time to get into it. Instead, his brow furrowed in a frown. “There’s one thing I still don’t understand, though.”
“Just one?” Branch quipped.
“I don’t see that man coming down off his mountain and going into town. So, if he didn’t drug your canteen, who did?”
Branch thought that was a great question, but before he could speculate, he noticed Gary’s head slowly coming up from where he’d been watching the fire. His heart began to thump wildly at the look on the young man’s face.
“It was me, Sheriff,” he said quietly.
Branch shook his head, not really believing what he was hearing. “What are you talking about, Gary? Why would you do something like that?”
Gary was hesitant for a moment and then slowly answered, “Because, he’s my brother.”
“That monster?” Melissa hissed in disbelief.
Branch gritted his teeth at the unhelpful outburst and then gently said, “How can he be your brother? Your parents – “
“They aren’t my parents, not my real ones anyway. I heard them talking a few weeks back. They didn’t realize I was there. They were saying somethin
g about me being different and how good I was with plants. My dad said it was because I wasn’t theirs.” He paused, trying not to tear up, as Branch took a deep, surprised breath. Then Gary shook his head and went on. “I asked them about it. At first, they tried to deny it, but then my mom broke down and told me the story of how they’d found me in the woods.”
It was Geoff’s turn to shake his head. “A baby, alone in the woods?”
Gary nodded. “I was very little. They didn’t know if I’d been left, forgotten, or what. I was lying in a knitted sweater, in the hollow of a tree.”
Geoff and Branch glanced at one another, thinking about the scrap of sweater they’d found in the back of the cave.
“They found the cave though,” Gary said, cutting through their reverie. “I guess they walked around for a while, trying to find my family. When they found this cave, they were horrified. They couldn’t believe a baby could be raised in these conditions.”
“And what?” Branch asked. “You wanted to know who your biological family was?”
Gary nodded again. “He was the only one left. His name is Bill. I got to know him, as much as he’d let me. For some reason, he believed me when I told him who I was. When people started disappearing though…I don’t know why he did it. I think, maybe, he was scared.”
“Him, scared of us?” Melissa scoffed.
“I think so. I think he was afraid you’d find this place and take him away like I’d been taken away.” Gary hung his head, a lump in his throat. “I’m sorry, Sheriff. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know what else to do. He’s my family.”
The cave grew quiet. Branch knew he probably should have cuffed the boy and read him his rights, but he wasn’t really worried about him doing anything else or trying to escape so he let him sit there, warmed by the fire. There would be plenty of time to arrest him when their rescue came.
Geoff still had one ear open to the sounds around them, leery that the man might come back. When he did finally hear something though, it was the sound of their names being called by yet another local search party. He and Branch got to their feet and jogged over to the cave entrance.
"Gina!" the Sheriff yelled out and was quickly answered by his deputy.
She and the FBI agents came running. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Branch and Geoff, though. "Wow, what happened to you two?"
"We found Dale, Melissa, and Gary. James' body is down in the cave. We're going to need a forensics team," Branch said. He glanced at Geoff with a frown before turning back to Gina. "I take it you didn't find anyone on your way up?"
"Or another body?" Geoff added.
"Nope, should we have?"
Branch simply shook his head and then looked back at the others. “I need you to cuff Gary and read him his rights.”
“Boss?”
“He was helping the assailant.” Gina’s eyes widened to almost comical proportions, but Branch ignored her obvious questions. There’d be time to answer them later.
Branch and Geoff led the FBI agents down into the cave while Dale took care of Melissa, and Gina arrested Gary. They were all just as shocked by what they saw as the two men had been.
"What is this place?" Agent Harrelson asked.
"We were thinking this man may have lived here his whole life," Geoff answered. "There's evidence that a few generations have lived here."
"What?"
Geoff waved them over to the opening in the back and led them through. When the flashlights went on, gasps filled the room.
The FBI agents spent two days combing through every little thing in the cave's small back room. There were more hidden compartments under the dirt floor and another, even smaller cave off to the side of the larger one. It turned out to be nothing more than a food storage area though. In the meantime, Branch and Geoff were content to let the others take the lead on the investigation. Even Branch had had enough of the forest for a while. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep the ordeal off his mind, because they'd yet to find the wild man who'd kidnapped them. In his gut, he had a feeling that they never would. More than once, he wondered if this man and his family had been the origin of all the stories and warnings the people of Grand Arbré told their children. He couldn't quite make himself believe it. There had to be something more to the forest than that.
Geoff had stayed with him, their budding relationship not quite the secret they'd thought it was. Branch wasn't much of a nurse maid, but after a couple of days, his charge was pretty much back to normal. It had turned out that his nose was broken after all, but the Sheriff assured him that it gave his face character.
Chapter Nine
Geoff stood on Branch's back porch and stared off into the woods beyond. A mug of forgotten coffee sat on a small table beside him. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and a frown furrowed his brow. The door to the porch was open and a slight breeze blew through his wavy hair. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice when Branch stepped out of the house. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm and jumped in surprise.
Branch held up his hand and apologized. "Are you okay?"
Geoff took a breath and looked back outside. "I think so.”
“Well, Gina called. It turns out that our search parties were more successful this time.”
“Did they find the kidnapper?” Geoff asked, eagerly.
Branch nodded. “I was right. I had hit him. Looks like he bled out in the woods.” He frowned and looked away.
“What is it?”
“I just can’t help but think, an entire family living in a cave for who knows how many generations. In a way it feels like they had more of a right to be there. I think he just wanted to be left alone, you know? Like Gary said, he was afraid.”
Geoff nodded. “There's just still so many unanswered questions about this place. I mean, we don’t even know if this was connected to the summer of ninety-five or not.
Branch smiled knowingly, blowing on his own cup of coffee to cool it. "I know it sounds cliché, but maybe there really are mysteries that aren't meant to be solved."
Geoff turned back to him and shook his head. "You're the Sheriff, basically, the local detective. How can you be okay with not understanding what's going on around here?"
Branch shrugged. "I was born here. It's just part of life." He wasn't sure if the answer was enough for Geoff, but he didn't know what else to say. He set his coffee cup down next to his lover's and then put his hands on his shoulders. It was a bit of an awkward stretch, but he gave them a squeeze and then moved to his side. "Come on. You might as well not worry about it. I'm sure we can think of something better to do."
Geoff smiled and hung his head sheepishly. Then he let Branch lead him back inside and into the bedroom. Though they'd both been in the mood for days, they'd decided to wait and make sure they were physically up to it. Geoff's bruises were still healing and Branch's chest was still stitched up, but they were both feeling stronger and pretty much back to normal.
For a moment, they simply looked at one another, neither of them wanting to rush things even though they'd been waiting for days. After a moment, Geoff stepped over to Branch. He slowly and gently unbuttoned the shorter man's shirt. His finger hovered above the patched-up wounds, but he was reluctant to touch them. They covered part of the scar he already had.
"Does it still hurt?" he asked.
"A bit," Branch admitted. "Mostly it just...stings. They gave me some good drugs," he added with a wink.
Geoff rolled his eyes, knowing that he only had a slightly stronger version of a pain killer anyone could have bought over the counter. He let his eyes trace what his finger couldn't though, and then he nodded approvingly. "Looks like you'll have some more character, too."
"It will make a great story to tell."
"Around here, maybe. I don't think anyone would believe you anywhere else."
Branch chuckled and took Geoff's wandering hand. He brought it up to his mouth and gently kissed the palm. Then he slowly took one of the
agent's long, thick fingers in his mouth. He took it all in, sucking as he pulled it in and out.
At first, Geoff watched curiously, but then his eyes rolled back in his head and he felt his cock begin to strain against his underwear. When he heard Branch chuckle, he opened his eyes again.
"You're really good at that," he commented huskily.
"You know, there are...other places I could put this to work," Branch teased.
Geoff had his pants dropped almost before either of them knew what was going on. Branch laughed again and then got to his knees. It was a tricky position, but Branch was just tall enough to manage it. Like the rest of him, Geoff's cock was thick and long, and the Sheriff knew he'd need some help from his hands. His lover didn't seem to mind though and groaned as he took the tip in his mouth. He was just as slow and methodical as he had been with the fingers, rolling his tongue around the tip and then making his way down the shaft with his lips and hand.
Geoff sucked in a hiss of air and let his head fall back. Branch's technique was excruciatingly slow and before long, his hand was digging into the man's hair, ushering him along. His hips began to move in time, but before he could finish, Branch backed off. He was about to protest when his lover got up to get the lube. Then he watched, his heart thumping wildly as the Sheriff slowly and provocatively opened himself up.
"You don't mind switching?" Geoff asked breathlessly.
"Not at all," Branch answered and pulled him down into a hot, long kiss. Then he sashayed over to the bed and laid down on his back.
Geoff growled and rushed over to join him, picking up the man's legs and wrapping them around his waist. He pulled the shorter man up to meet him in another kiss and then reached back to find his opening. It was warm and inviting and he pushed in quickly.
Branch grunted into their kiss. It had been quite a while since he'd been anyone's bottom and the sensation was almost enough to blow his mind. Geoff was thick and hard and trying his best to be patient. Branch knew he was almost ready to cum as it was, so he pushed against his lover, driving his cock further in. He squeezed his eyes shut from the pressure, but after a moment, it eased and was replaced by a pleasurable thrusting against his sweet spot. He wrapped his legs tightly around Geoff, wrapped his arms around the man's neck and shoved himself down into his lap. He cried out and buried his head in his lover's shoulder.