Trackers (Book 1)

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  “I told you nothing would keep us apart.” He picked up Nathan’s rifle and then stepped into the cart. She gagged at his rancid breath and fought to get away as he leaned in to kiss her. When she opened her eyes she saw motion on the platform behind Brown Feather. A large police officer wearing a cowboy hat approached slowly with a rifle shouldered.

  It was Jake and he winked at Sandra.

  “Don’t fucking move,” he said in a deep bass voice.

  Jake pressed his gun into Brown Feather’s back.

  “Get out of the cart you piece of shit.”

  Brown Feather grinned at Sandra and then turned around. Jake tore the rifle from his hands.

  “On your knees,” Jake said.

  As soon as Brown Feather obeyed, Jake kicked him in the solar plexus so he would stay down. He let out a deep gasp and collapsed to the platform.

  “Are you okay, Sandra?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, but he pushed Nathan over the side!”

  Jake eyed Brown Feather to make sure he was down and then walked over to the rail. While the big lawman’s back was turned, Brown Feather jolted up with the pistol Jake had overlooked. Sandra screamed, and Jake turned just in time to return fire.

  She blinked reflexively with each deafening pop. A round buried itself in Jake’s vest, and a second hit him in the unprotected gut. Despite the wounds, he kept firing. His next shot grazed Brown Feather’s shoulder with such force he jerked to the side and fell against a wall.

  Brown Feather dove for cover, rolled, and took off running up the staircase that led to the main lookout. Jake kept firing wildly with one hand, his aim off from his injuries. The bullets punched into the stairs as Brown Feather escaped.

  Jake staggered and then dropped to his knees. He pulled a bloody hand away from his stomach.

  Sandra sucked in a breath, trying to find her strength. Allie had started crying again, but at least she couldn’t see Jake bleeding out on the platform.

  “Allie, are you okay?” She scanned her daughter when Allie didn’t reply. “Are you hurt, baby?”

  Allie managed to shake her head, but her sobs never let up.

  “Ma’am, are you and your daughter hurt?” Jake said. He tried to stand up, but he coughed and fell again, landing hard on one meaty palm. He smiled at her, his teeth bloody. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just a little unsteady.”

  The sound of a gunshot rang out, and his smile twisted into a grimace as a bullet knocked off his cowboy hat. As it flew into the air Sandra saw the top of Jake’s skull was missing.

  She heard a scream, but didn’t realize it was her own until she started gasping for air. Jake crumpled to the ground. Through the blur of tears, she watched Brown Feather on the platform above theirs, still holding the pistol he’d used to kill Jake. He gave Sandra a jaunty wave before vanishing down the terminal.

  -23-

  The big cop got what he deserved for interfering with Brown Feather’s hunt. Same with the black-haired son of a bitch who’d shot his ear off.

  Sandra was close to being his again. This time, they would be together forever. But first Brown Feather had to find his brother and figure out who else was tracking him before he could claim his prize. He gripped the pistol and scanned the woods below the platform.

  “Turtle, where are you?” Brown Feather said quietly. He should have never told his brother to return to their camp to kill the dumb hippy couple.

  Sandra’s screams forced Brown Feather back into action. There wasn’t time to go back and silence her. He was done hiding. It was time that the Water Cannibals came out into the light.

  Turtle was one of them now, having feasted on the stew containing human flesh. They’d laid a trap to separate the police officers, planning to hunt them like game through the woods, but the hippy couple had ruined their plans. Now he feared his brother was either dead or injured so badly he couldn’t help Brown Feather finish the most important hunt of all.

  It was the bitch’s fault. Sandra had ruined everything, distracting him when he should have been focused on bringing the legend of the Water Cannibals to life. Her lies and betrayals were going to cost her. As soon as he’d finished his hunt, he would sacrifice her half-breed daughter and eat the girl’s heart right in front of her mother.

  He spotted one of the police officers as he moved around the base of a tree. The man was walking slowly, sweeping an assault rifle over the terrain. Brown Feather was probably too far away to shoot the cop with his pistol. He would have to get closer. That was fine; he preferred to kill up close.

  Brown Feather ducked under a branch and silently made his way to the next tree for cover.

  Motion farther to the east commanded his attention. Not far from the officer was a man carrying a crossbow. A dog trotted alongside, sniffing the ground.

  Brown Feather smiled. Now that was prey worth hunting. Raven Spears was coming to rescue his sister, just like he had all those years ago. But this time he wouldn’t succeed. This time Brown Feather would gut the bastard and spread his entrails through the trees like Christmas lights.

  He was going to enjoy this.

  Raven’s heart kicked when he saw Jake’s broken body, and it nearly stopped when he saw Sandra and Allie in the swaying gondola.

  They were alive!

  Colton burst from the trees a moment later. Raven watched his features transform as Colton realized Jake was beyond helping. The raw expression of grief and fury lasted for only a second before Colton schooled his emotions.

  “I think the son of a bitch ran up there,” Colton said, pointing to the upper observation platforms. “You find this Brown Feather, and I’ll get Sandra and Allie.”

  Colton jogged toward the gondola without waiting for a response, and to his surprise, Raven found that he trusted the chief to take care of his niece and sister while he tracked down Brown Feather.

  Drenched in sweat and driven by rage, Raven followed the blood trail up the stairs. Somebody had hit Brown Feather, but he couldn’t tell how badly the bastard was hurt yet.

  It wouldn’t matter in a few more minutes, because the man who’d hurt his family and killed innocent people would be dead.

  Raven thought about discarding his crossbow and using his bare hands to kill Brown Feather, but he’d rather win the fight first and then smack around the corpse. He halted and motioned for Creek to get behind him. There was no sign of Nathan anywhere, and with Jake dead, Raven had to assume he was on his own.

  He signaled to Creek, and the dog took the path to the right, which curved around the other side of the tramway. The area was massive, but the idea was to flank Brown Feather and box him in. That way, if he did have a gun, Brown Feather wouldn’t be able to shoot both of them.

  But if the sick fuck shot his dog, Raven really would tear him to pieces.

  The blood trail continued around the corner of the observation deck. Raising his bow, he followed the trail. He listened for Brown’s breathing or anything else to determine his location, but all Raven heard were the distant voices of Colton and his family.

  Bursting around the corner, he aimed his bow toward a stand of trees that shaded the concrete walls of the tramway like soldiers guarding a castle.

  There was no sign of Brown Feather.

  Raven checked the trail of blood, but it ended in the dirt by his boots. Bending down, he examined the last drop of red. Dirt, pine needles, and pebbles had been kicked over the path.

  Son of a bitch.

  Raven’s guts dropped like he was standing on the edge of a thirty-story building. He rose to his feet and spun around, but it was already too late. Brown Feather had been hiding behind him among the tall trees. It was an ambush, and Raven had walked right into it.

  Brown Feather knocked the bow away, grabbed Raven by the face, and pushed him into the concrete wall. The back of Raven’s skull hit it with a crack. There wasn’t much pain, mostly just pressure, followed by a warm feeling and a flurry of stars that broke before his vision.

  �
�Hey, Sam,” Brown Feather said. “Been a while. I’ve been waiting a very long time for this.”

  Dazed but determined, Raven threw a clumsy punch that went wide and hit Brown Feather’s bloody shoulder instead of his face. Brown screamed in agony and grabbed Raven by the shirt as he lost his balance. They crashed to the ground in a heap.

  Raven launched another blow as Brown Feather climbed on top. This time Raven was aiming for his wounded shoulder, seeing as how bad it hurt Brown Feather the first time. His fist connected with a meaty thump.

  Brown Feather shrieked like he’d been stabbed with red-hot iron. Raven flipped to his stomach and crawled away, elbows digging into the bed of pine needles beneath a towering ponderosa. Pushing himself to his feet, he reached back and pulled his twin hatchets.

  When he turned, Brown Feather was standing, too. He pulled the buck knife from his belt and sank into a fighting stance with the blade held high in one hand. He balled his other hand into a fist. Blood flowed from his missing ear, and a rosy patch blossomed from the bullet wound on his shoulder. His jaw snapped and then opened into a wide grin.

  “You ready to die, half-blood?” Brown Feather snarled.

  Raven remembered the taunts in school. Coming from a mixed family on a Sioux Reservation, he was always teased about his Cherokee background.

  “For a Sioux, you sure liked the Cherokee stories,” Raven said.

  The statement seemed to light up Brown Feather’s dark eyes. Saliva webbed across his lips like a wild animal frothing at the mouth. “Then you understand,” he said huskily. “The Water Cannibals are real, Sam. I’ve released them into the world.”

  Raven spat on the ground. “You always were a crazy bastard. I should have killed you the first time you hurt my sister.”

  “I’m going to enjoy sticking you like a pig.” His jagged black teeth clanked together at Raven. “And after I’m done hacking and burning you, I’m going to roast that mutt dog of yours alive and then go to work on your sweet little niece. I bet she’s tender.”

  Raven howled in a voice he didn’t recognize as his own. He darted forward, swinging his hatchets in long arcs. The blades whooshed through the air in front of Brown Feather. He was fast and easily dodged the blows. Then he swiped at Raven with his blade. The edge slid along Raven’s ribs, drawing blood. That just made him more furious.

  He moved his left arm as if he were about to strike, then swung the axe in his right hand. Brown Feather parried the attack with a slap of his palm. He nicked Raven again with his knife, flicking the blade against his cheek.

  Raven backed away and touched the cut. Warm blood trickled down his fingers as he pulled them away. He used the stolen moment to get his bearings. The mountain was huge and easy for a man to get lost on, but where the hell was Creek? Surely the dog hadn’t deserted him.

  He looked back at Brown Feather, and decided he was glad they were alone. His gut had been right before. Brown Feather was Raven’s demon to face alone.

  “Come on, you ugly bastard,” Raven muttered. He strode forward and swung both hatches at Brown Feather in wide arcs. The right blade found the soft flesh deep in the back of Brown Feather’s right leg as he turned away. The wannabe Water Cannibal dropped to his left knee.

  “Raven, get out of the way!” a woman’s voice shouted.

  He glanced up to see Colton and Sandra, both aiming guns at Brown Feather from the observation deck above.

  “Don’t shoot, he’s mine!” Raven shouted.

  Brown Feather seized the opening to strike. He charged and speared Raven in the gut with his bald head. The blow knocked Raven on his back again. More stars danced before his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear his vision. He couldn’t see his sister or Colton from this angle, which meant they didn’t have a clear fire zone to hit Brown Feather as he loomed over Raven.

  Good. I’ll kill him myself!

  Raven raised his right axe, but the bigger man knocked it from his hand and bent down with his blade. Before he could stab Raven, a blur of fur slammed into Brown Feather.

  “Creek!” Raven shouted.

  He watched helplessly as Brown Feather picked the Akita up and threw him into a tree. The dog slumped to the ground, letting out a low whine.

  Brown Feather staggered over with a smile on his face and kicked Raven in the leg. As he moved in with his knife, Raven brought his knee up into Brown Feather’s belly. The bigger man fell on top of Raven.

  “I’m going to kill you!” Raven yelled. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”

  Brown Feather thrust his knife at Raven’s throat as he gasped for air. Raven caught his wrist and pushed, but Brown Feather was stronger and had gravity on his side. He slowly inched the knife down. Raven watched the tip of the blade descend, arm shaking as he tried to push it away.

  A massive vein like a fat leech protruded out from Brown Feather’s forehead. His eyes were wide, crazed and full of bloodlust. Maybe if Raven held out long enough, the bastard would have a stroke. He pushed back harder. Sweat and blood dripped off Brown Feather’s head onto Raven’s face.

  “Give up, Sam,” Brown Feather muttered between breaths.

  The blade was just centimeters from Raven’s throat now.

  He tried to squirm, but that just made things worse. His breath was driven out as Brown Feather dug his knees into Raven’s gut. He gasped, but he couldn’t get enough air. His vision began to fade in and out, in sync with the thunderous beating of his heart.

  “Die, you fucking half-blood,” Brown Feather hissed. He glared at Raven with eyes as dark as black holes.

  Raven pushed back with all his strength. He couldn’t fail. He couldn’t let his family down. He had to fight, he had to kill this demon on his own...

  No matter how hard he pushed, it wasn’t enough. Pain flared as the blade punctured the muscle above his rib cage. He closed his eyes and offered up a silent apology to his sister for failing her when it mattered most.

  And then, suddenly, he could breathe again. Brown Feather had been hauled backwards like a fish caught on a hook. There were muffled shouts and the crack of a fist on bone.

  Gripping his chest and gasping for air, Raven sat up. He blinked and tried to make sense of the scene. Brown Feather appeared to be fighting a man-sized pine tree near the edge of the bluff that overlooked Estes Park.

  Then he recognized the sweatshirt Nathan had borrowed from the police department. The pilot looked worse for wear. His tattered clothes were plastered with mud and blood and other things Raven couldn’t identify, and he was covered in so many evergreen needles that it looked like he’d covered himself in sap and then tried to climb every ponderosa in the forest. His left arm had a nasty gash, but that didn’t stop him from throwing a punch at Brown Feather.

  Sidestepping the blow, Brown Feather grabbed Nathan by his injured arm and twisted it. The scream that followed made Raven’s eardrums ache.

  A second figure bolted toward the fight. Colton paused for two seconds to check on Raven, who nodded feebly that he was okay.

  At least he hoped he was okay. Raven pulled his sticky fingers away from his chest. There was a lot of blood, but he was more concerned about Creek. He crawled over to his dog, allowing the other men to deal with Brown Feather now.

  “It’s okay, boy,” Raven whimpered, reaching out.

  Creek licked his hand and tried to stand.

  “Don’t move,” Raven said. He checked the dog for injuries. Hopefully he was just rattled and nothing was broken.

  Raven glanced back at the fight. Brown Feather and Nathan were grappling in the dirt near the edge of the drop-off. Colton reached them before they could topple over the edge. He pushed the barrel of his Colt .45 against Brown Feather’s head.

  “Get off him, you piece of shit.”

  “I’ll kill him,” Brown Feather said, brandishing his knife. “Don’t think I won’t.”

  “Shoot him,” Nathan choked.

  Colton pulled the hammer back with a click. “I said get off him.”r />
  The tense silence seemed to stretch on forever. The quiet was at last shattered by Brown Feather’s raspy voice. “Fine, officer.” He slowly pulled the knife away from Nathan’s throat, but instead of tossing it aside, he lunged for Colton in a last, desperate move.

  He never made it. Raven had crept up from the side and brought his axe down in the center of Brown Feather’s skull, ending things his way. The blade lodged in bone with a crack that echoed through the mountains.

  A gurgling sound came from Brown Feather’s mouth. It sounded like he might have been trying to laugh.

  Colton lowered his pistol, and then raised it again. He fired at Brown Feather’s chest until the revolver clicked empty. The impact of the rounds sent Brown Feather staggering backward. His body slumped over the side of the bluff with Raven’s hatchet still wedged in his skull.

  Raven and Colton leaned out to watch him splatter on the rocks below.

  “That’s the end of the Water Cannibals,” Raven said.

  Colton reached down with a hand and helped Nathan to his feet.

  “You okay, Major?” Colton asked.

  “Not really,” Nathan grunted, massaging his ribs. “How’s Sandra and her daughter?”

  “They’re fine,” Colton said, and Raven felt the tension in his body recede.

  “Estes Park is a quaint tourist town, they said,” Nathan said wryly, shaking his battered head. “Stay longer, they said… “

  Colton snorted, but he didn’t laugh. Raven wondered how long it would be before the chief even smiled again. He reached down to check Creek. The dog sat on his haunches, tail wagging at the touch of his handler.

  “I’m sorry about Captain Englewood,” Nathan said, turning serious. “I didn’t know him well, but I liked him.”

  Colton swallowed and directed his gaze to his boots. “Everybody liked Jake,” he said. He swiped at his eyes and then looked up at Raven.

  Raven half expected to hear Colton read him his rights for killing Brown Feather, but instead he put a hand on Raven’s shoulder.

  “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s go see Sandra and Allie.”