by KC Luck
She knew all Sam had in mind was to deliver the letter.
Sam made a promise to do this last task for Mary March, and Laura understood having felt some connection to the woman after staying in her bungalow. It was like the old woman left the letter specifically for them to find knowing somehow Sam and Laura were the kind of people who would take care of it.
Ready to find a place to sit and wait, Laura glanced around and saw a bench not far down the path in the direction Sam chased after Honey. Walking the few steps, she was about to take a seat when she heard a man's chuckle behind her. Freezing in place, she hoped she was wrong.
“Well, hello there,” the man's voice said, and there was no friendliness in his tone.
“What have we here?” said a woman's hard voice in return. “It seems we have found ourselves a lonely hiker.”
CHAPTER 29
am caught up to Honey after less than a quarter mile.
SThankfully, the horse stopped, and although she shook and was still clearly nervous, she was smart enough to wait for them to find her. On the journey, Honey proved to be a good horse, and Sam had no regrets over trading for her.
She was a perfect choice for Laura, and Sam loved that she found Honey for her. “Easy girl,” Sam said as she approached slowly, finally able to reach out and run a hand along her quivering neck. Gently taking Honey's reins, Sam turned and led the girl in a walk beside Lester. They made their way back along the path for a few hundred yards when suddenly it was Lester who became nervous and skittish.
His sudden stop was such a surprise it nearly knocked Sam from her seat. The horse whinnied and suddenly Honey was pulling backward on the reins as well. Something is spooking the hell out of them, Sam thought. Whatever it was making them nervous over the last day was suddenly much closer.
Sam scanned the brush on both sides of the trail but saw nothing. Preparing to dismount to see if she could calm the horses enough to continue back to Laura, Sam's heart stopped when she heard a frightened yell. Laura! she thought. That is definitely Laura. Sam kicked her heels into Lester, trying to force him forward. Surprisingly, the horse would not cooperate. It was so shocking Sam almost did not know how to react, but when Laura yelled again, Sam did not have time to waste trying to figure out what was wrong with the horses.
Dismounting, Sam tied Lester off on a thick tree branch and then tied Honey to Lester’s saddle. “Lester,” she ordered. “I need you to stay calm and stay here.” The horse had a hint of wildness in his eye and for the first time ever, Sam worried he might not obey. Please let him stay, Sam thought, turning away to sprint down the path in Laura’s direction. As she neared where she left Laura, she heard voices. Ducking into the brush to stay out of view, she moved closer. There were definitely strangers with Laura. It sounded like a man and a woman, and they did not seem friendly. “We know you have to have a weapon,” the man growled. “No one is traveling without weapons these days.”
“I don't have anything,” Laura said. “Weapons make me uncomfortable. I worry they will somehow be used against me.”
At this, the woman laughed, but Sam heard only malice in it. “Well, that's one way to look at it,” she said. “But in this case, you should be worried about what we're going to do with you because you don't have one.”
Sam's caught her breath at the threat. With only her Bowie knife on her hip, she was not sure what to do. Her .22
rifle was back in the saddle holster with Lester and Sam wanted to kick herself for not grabbing it. Watching as the man reached out and seized Laura roughly by the shoulder, Sam could not take the time to go back. She had to do something.
Moving up while pulling her knife, she strategized her best attack. Go for the man first, she thought. He was bigger and she would need the element of surprise to subdue him. She did not know what she would do with the woman but decided it was something she would figure out as she went along. Stepping into the trail, she heard a sound so surprising she froze. It was the growl of a cat. A very large cat. Looking to her left, her eyes widened when she saw what was scaring the horses for the last day. It was a cougar clearly coming down from the hills looking for easy
prey. Sam guessed the magnificent creature was tracking them. She’s attracted to the horses. Sam watched as the two-hundred-pound predator slunk closer to Laura and the strangers. At the sight, the woman threatening Laura did the one thing Sam knew you should never do when confronted by a cougar, and that was run. By instinct, the great cat leaped in her direction and intercepted the woman's path to knock her to the ground. The woman screamed, and in response, the man with her pulled a knife before jumping to help her. He slashed at the cougar, which made the animal spin around on him. With her ears back flat and hissing, the beast swiped at the man and slashed him across the chest. In the fray, Sam slipped forward and grabbed a shocked and frozen Laura. She let out a yelp and tried to pull away until she saw it was Sam. “Let's go,” Sam whispered and slowly they backed away down the path.
When Sam felt they were out of the cougar's line of sight, she took Laura's hand and led her at a run back toward the horses. As they went, Sam heard nothing but terrified screams behind her.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS, Jackie thought as she paced her living room. Taylor was gone leaving to check in at the police station. She promised to be back soon so they could go talk to Greg, but first, she wanted to tell her deputies about the giant still at large. Not good at waiting, Jackie was slowly becoming more and more frustrated. She could not stop thinking about Greg's so-called “plan.” It made no sense to her. Astoria was a town which weathered the worst of the catastrophe by working together. They traded goods and services. Men and woman caught fish, hunted, or grew food to share. Anna and the other medical professionals worked tirelessly with no compensation. And now, over a few new
people, everyone is ready to forget all of that? she wondered.
“Well, I'm not going to just stand around and let all our hard work go to waste,” she said to the empty room. Not willing to wait for Taylor any longer, she went to go reason with Greg Orion. He always listened to her before, so Jackie would make him listen again. Even though Taylor explicitly asked her to stay safe in the house, the woman was not the boss of her. Jackie proved before she could take care of herself. But I think I will take my .38 Special, she thought.
Taylor spent more time helping Jackie practice, and she was able to hit targets easily. Far better aim than when she nearly shot Sam’s horse Lester a few months ago. Although I did okay with Jeff Eider.
Getting her purse and putting the weapon from the nightstand in it, Jackie left the house and marched in the direction of city hall. It was only a few blocks, and as she approached, she heard angry voices. Turning a corner, she was shocked into stopping. A group of about fifteen men and a few women stood around the front of the building.
They were all carrying baseball bats or clubs, and there was even an axe or two. Greg Orion was right in the middle of the action. Dear God, she thought. This cannot be happening.
Determined to stop the craziness, she strode across the street. “Greg,” she called out as she approached. “Greg Orion. I need to talk to you.” The crowd parted when they saw her and she was relieved to see her presence still carried weight. Not everyone would know Greg fired her and after all, she was Jackie Scott. A couple of the men who stepped aside gave her a nod, and she knew these people were good. They were parts of families and most had children. Looking around, she could greet almost all of them by name.
“Matt Rathburn,” she said stopping in front of a man with an axe. “What are you doing here?” He was a gentle
carpenter who made great rocking chairs. Jackie would have bet her last dollar the man would never hurt a fly. Yet here he is with an axe, she thought. The man had the decency to look sheepishly down at his shoes. Jackie shook her head and knew she could turn this crowd. They were just scared.
“He’s here to protect what’s his,” Greg Orion said as he stepped from the crowd
to face her. “There’s sickness, thefts, even a murder. All since these new people arrived.”
Jackie’s mouth fell open. Those events were in no way connected and she knew Greg was aware of it. What is he doing? she wondered, completely taken aback.
“That's ridiculous,” she said. “Anna already explained this is nothing but a bad case of seasonal flu, and Chief Barnes knows who is committing those crimes. Major Hamilton was even shot in pursuit of the man.”
Greg waved a hand dismissively as he turned to the crowd. “What do we think?” he said to the angry faces around him. “Coincidence?” A rumble sounded from the crowd. Greg smiled and turned back to Jackie. “I think not,”
he continued. “And so do they.” He took a step closer and Jackie forced herself not to step back. She knew Greg was only riding the wave of popularity. It was always his style to go with the side who was winning and this was no different.
“Greg,” she started again, but he shook his head.
“This is something we can take care of ourselves,” Greg said. “Those tents are coming down.”
“Not today, they are not,” Jackie heard Taylor say relief washing over her. Turning to look, she watched the woman stride closer. She had two deputies with her. “As you know, the army has dispatched a reconnaissance unit to Astoria. I have apprised Major Hamilton of the immediate problems, and I have a direct order from her to stand-down.” Jackie had to force herself not to look surprised. She was pretty sure Grace made no such statement, but Taylor knew how to talk to Greg. He ate up anything official sounding. With a glance at him, she watched as he pursed his lips.
“So, the military arrived to save us, just as I have been promising they would,” he said, and Taylor gave him a curt nod.
“Yes, sir,” she agreed. “Your foresight as a leader is an asset.” At this, Jackie really did have to bite her lip. That might be laying it on a little thick, she thought but kept quiet. Greg puffed out his chest and lifted his chin.
“Very well then,” he said, turning to address the mob behind him. “We will disperse for now and await further instruction. Thank you for rallying to my call.”
Jackie noted a look of relief crossed the face of more than a few of the people.
A MAN BIGGER THAN SHE had ever seen, even during her time in the military, came barreling out of the back of the trailer. Grace had a position at the corner of the building so she had a line of sight in two directions. She waited with her handgun drawn, but pointed toward the ground as was the procedure, while she waited for Taylor to give her any sort of signal. And then the man was racing toward me, she thought. Even when she raised her weapon, he did not seem intimidated. When she ordered him to stop, she was pretty sure she saw him grin. Then, he was on top of her with one hand grabbing for the weapon and the other grabbing for her throat.
Grace fired one shot while they struggled, and was confident it struck him somewhere in the shoulder or chest, but amazingly it did not seem to faze him. He’s so big, she thought. It's like I'm wrestling with a Mack truck. Even though Grace knew she was in good shape and had training in hand-to-hand combat, she was no match for the giant.
So, instead of trying to fight him with strength, she twisted away enough to break his hold on her throat, but could not
free her weapon. As he wrenched it from her grasp, Grace spun and unshouldered her rifle, bringing in around to take a shot. She was not fast enough as the man leveled her own service weapon at her and fired. Grace dove to the left and only her quick reflexes saved her life. The bullet aimed at her head struck her low, and unlike the giant, the recoil from the projectile sent her spinning. The pain was incredible and landing hard on the ground, it was all she could do not to scream.
Fighting the scream, she bolted awake, and the pain in her side rippled through her. With her eyes staring at the ceiling and unsure of where she was, it was only the feeling of someone holding her hand that kept her from panicking.
She heard Meg's voice penetrating the fogginess left over from the nightmare. “Easy, Grace. You are safe,” Meg said.
Grace closed her eyes to gather herself taking comfort from the words and knowing she was not alone. After a moment, she looked at Meg's worried face. The woman sat in a folding chair beside the bed and looked like she'd been there for a while. Dark circles marred her eyes, which were full of worry. Grace tried to say she was thankful Meg was there, but the words stuck in her dry throat.
“Wait,” Meg said. “Let me give you some water.” The woman started to let go of Grace's hand, but Grace could not stand the thought of losing the connection and clung to her. Meg smiled and still holding onto Grace's hand, she used her other to pick up the small glass with a straw in it.
She brought the straw to Grace's lips and gratefully she drank.
The liquid felt amazing on her throat and she wanted to drink all of it but knew even through her pain, she should go slow. Although she did not remember much of anything after the giant shot her, she was wise enough to know her wound was probably serious. Under the circumstances, most likely life-threatening. All the more reason to tell Meg what I should've told her days ago, she thought. Squeezing the
woman's hand, she brought it to her chest and held it tight against her. Meg leaned closer. “What is it, Grace?” she asked. Grace drew in a breath and ignored the pain radiating from her hip. She looked into Meg’s beautiful green eyes.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I’ve been so cold to you—”
Meg shook her head to interrupt. “No,” she said. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm here now. And I want you to rest. Don't worry about anything but getting better.”
Grace shook her head. “I'm not going to get better, am I?” Grace asked.
Meg furrowed her brow. “I don't want to hear that kind of talk,” she said. “They’ve sent for Anna, and when she gets here, we will take care of you. I won't let anything happen to you.” Grace knew Meg was lying, but took comfort from the words anyway. If only I handled things differently, she thought.
“Thank you for being here,” Grace said and in reply, Meg leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
CHAPTER 30
s Anna moved the spoon toward Lexi's mouth, the Awoman turned her face away. “I don't want anymore,”
Lexi said and Anna sighed. She had only been able to coax Lexi to have three spoonfuls of broth, and she knew it was not nearly enough.
“Sweetheart,” she said. “Just a little more, okay? You need to get your strength up.” Lexi did not respond and Anna set the spoon gently back into the bowl of soup.
“Would you like me to have Alice fix you something else?”
Lexi shook her head. “It's not that I don't like the taste,”
Lexi answered. “Everything that Alice makes is wonderful. I just don't seem to have any appetite.”
Anna ran her hand lovingly over Lexi's brow, pushing back her hair. “I know. It is a side effect of having the flu,”
she said. “But at some point, I need you to force yourself or you are going to get more dehydrated than you already are.
I know you understand that.”
Lexi puffed out a frustrated breath. “Okay,” she said turning back to face Anna again. “I will take a few more bites.” With a smile, Anna reached for the spoon again, only to be interrupted by a quiet knock on the bedroom door.
Alice stuck her head in and looked at Anna. “I'm sorry to interrupt,” Alice said. “But there is a soldier at the front door asking for you.”
Anna raised her eyebrows. A soldier? she thought. Here?
“Did he say what he wanted?” she asked.
“It has something to do with Major Hamilton,” she explained. “She has been injured.”
Anna caught her breath. She knew Taylor and Grace went to find the giant who had once tormented Anna. This news was the last thing she wanted to hear. Leaning over, she gave Lexi a kiss on the cheek before standing up. “Alice, will you take over?” she asked. “Lexi
was about to eat another dozen sips of broth.” She heard Lexi groan, but the woman had to eat something.
Leaving the room, Anna overheard Alice trying to coax Lexi. “So, do you want to do this like an adult,” she asked with a hint of playfulness. “Or do we need to play choo-choo train?” Anna could not help but smile as she walked to the front door, but when she saw the serious looking young man in uniform, she sobered. As she approached, he came to attention and did everything but salute.
“You can relax,” she said. “Please tell me what you know.”
“Ma'am,” he said. “Major Hamilton has been shot.”
Anna put a hand to her chest. Injured was one thing, but a gunshot wound was altogether more dangerous. And what about Taylor? she wondered trying not to panic. “I see,” she said. “And Chief Barnes who was with her?”
The young man nodded. “She's fine,” he answered. “But I have to say, hopefully without any disrespect, that woman is a badass. She carried Major Hamilton miles back to the hospital.”
Anna was not surprised. Taylor was an amazing woman and when something as serious as a person's life was on the line, she knew Taylor would do everything in her power to help.
Anna was conflicted. She did not want to leave Lexi when she was still so sick, but with Dr. Ambrose out of commission, she knew no one was skilled enough to help Grace if the bullet was still lodged inside her. Before she could make up her mind, she heard a board creak behind her and turned to look. She saw Lexi, with a frustrated Alice,
standing in the hallway. It was clear she overheard. “You have to go,” Lexi said.
Anna crossed to her and put a hand on her arm. “Why are you out of bed?” Anna asked. “You know you don't have the strength yet.”
Lexi shook her head. “I had to know what was happening which required a soldier to be sent from town,” she said.
“And frankly, sweetheart, I was not sure you would tell me everything right now.” Lexi put a hand over Anna’s. “You have to go.”