Mind Games

by Moore, TJ

  But only the sound of pelting rain answered him.

  “Why don’t you come out here, huh? Sure, you’ll get wet, but at least it’ll give us a chance to catch up. What do you say?”

  Still, no one answered from within.

  “Alright, Jen. I bet you heard from Cameron how patient I am.” Vince lifted his face towards the sky and shook some of the water from his hair. “Well, he was lying. I’m not a patient man. Vince Hogan waits for no one. I just want to see what you’re doing with all the stolen money. That’s all. From what I understand, the kid you’ve got with you in there means a lot to your husband. Hell, after what you put them through, it’s no surprise they became friends. They had a common enemy.” Vince took a step back. “I’m trying to be fair here. And that’s not in my nature. But seeing as you want to play hide and seek, I’ll start counting.” He tapped the butt of his gun against the door again, hitting it in a steady rhythm. “Three...” He wrapped his fingers around the latch of the door. “Two...” Then, in a single pull, he opened the back door. “One...”

  Tink---KKA-BOOOOOM!!! pffffsssssssssshh............

  The milk truck exploded into a screaming fireball that lifted it from the ground, filleting the truck’s exterior as if it were made of aluminum foil. The force from the blast sent Vince’s body flying in several directions. Part of him, including the hand that held his gun, landed in the nearby pond.

  A second, smaller explosion followed when the fireball engulfed the truck’s gas tank. Two of the tires shot out sideways and rolled towards the helicopter. The metal frame of the milk truck bent and flipped back over itself, landing in a thud several yards away. One of the computers in the truck was kicked out by the shock wave, and the hunk of black electronics landed only feet from the chopper. A thick, mushroom cloud crowned over the tree that once sheltered the spotted milk truck.

  Cameron and Amy became trapped in a slow-motion silence.

  Unable to scream, as if the breath was punched from her lungs, Amy slammed her head against the helicopter’s dashboard, shattering her phone against the plexiglass window. Cameron had ducked down, and whacked his arm on the pilot door. In sudden reflex to the violent explosion, his jaw clamped shut, trapping the tip of tongue. Now, as he slowly looked up at the aftermath of the discharge, he felt the sting of his tongue. He tasted blood.

  Blazing only for a few seconds, the remains of the truck hissed as the rain doused any remaining sparks or fires, leaving only a lingering phantom of smoke that spread from the blast site like a pair of boney fingers. Then, as bits of ash sprayed over the area, a nauseating sulfuric odor settled and mixed with the sappy smell of the wet pines.

  Amy clutched the edge of the dashboard and blinked twice, trying to reset the horrific event as if it has never happened.

  Cameron leaned out the pilot door and spat out blood.

  Amy grabbed the back of her head and felt throbbing pins prick up and down her spine. In a downward contraction to let a breath in, Amy’s diaphragm spasmed, forcing her to cough instead.

  Once she caught her breath, Amy turned to Cameron, finally letting out the words that had escaped her before. They dribbled out uncontrollably, breaking the sting of silence. “What in God’s, I thought....he, Vince...he...can’t be...no...he can’t be...”

  Cameron raised a palm to his chest and felt his heart thrash in his chest. Looking out at the damage, he grabbed Amy’s shoulder.

  She stared forward for a second before shaking his hand away. “I can’t believe this. Cam, Vince...just...he...”

  “I know, Amy. I know.” Cameron shook his head. “He shouldn’t have gone up there alone.”

  “What, you think we should have followed him? Then we would have been...” Amy stopped and choked on the somber thought. Biting her lip, she barely moved her mouth as she whispered, “I thought you said she didn’t have the guts to kill anyone.”

  “I...”

  Amy covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Look, Amy...”

  “How did we let this happen?” Her hand quivered now. She curled her fingers around her trembling chin. “We should’ve never come here!”

  “Don’t say that,” Cameron said. “Vince...he knew this was going to be dangerous.”

  “But he didn’t know she rigged the truck!”

  “He was just...”

  “Yes, Cam, I know. He was just being careless. Stupid. Vince was just...being Vince.” The corner of her mouth peaked up.

  Cameron scanned his eyes over the wreckage. “Listen to me. She probably wanted us to come here. I bet the bomb was set to go off if someone opened the truck, a kind of hair trigger system.”

  “You mean she meant to kill him. That’s what you mean.”

  “I don’t know, Amy. I don’t know. She probably didn’t mean it for us. It was just one of her defenses. She probably set the charge for the SWAT team.”

  “It doesn’t matter who it wasfor. She just killed, Vince!”

  “Listen, Amy. We have to finish this thing. We’re here to find Max, and when we do, we’re going to stop my wife. Don’t think I’ve lost sight of her sins.”

  Amy blinked hard. Then she spoke in a lower tone. “This must be...unbearable for you, Cam. I’ve been so wrapped up in this whole case, trying to track you down, dealing with Hansen, searching for Wilson. Look, I’m exhausted. This whole thing...this beast that just keeps jumping on my back...Cam, I don’t know. I just wish I could get it off me!”

  “I know, Amy.”

  “And really, with all that’s happened, I thought this whole thing was done. Somehow. But it just feels like we’re back where we started.” She looked out towards the pond. “Another fireball and another dead body. I’m tired of being brave, Cam. We can’t always come out on top. It’s just not the way things are.”

  “Don’t do this, Amy. Don’t give up now.”

  “Cam...”

  “We’re going to find Max,” he said.

  Amy cracked a thin smile. “You must really love this kid, Cam.”

  “You’re right. I do.”

  “What is it about him?”

  “He’s the real deal.”

  “Cameron, he’s just a kid.”

  “No, Amy, he’s more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They set up a projector at the cottage so we could watch the team rob the bank. They streamed it through Max’s helmet camera. After that much practice, we were anxious to see how they did.”

  “So, at best, Max is a thief,” she said.

  “You have to look past that, Amy. We were all wrapped up in fear...of The Leader...of what might happen if we didn’t obey the orders. But Max was unafraid. He’s bold. And the night of the heist, I watched him...even in the craziness of the situation...he spoke to my daughter with kindness. When Sarah was there, in the heat of it, helping them break into the vault, Max just kept treating her with respect. Almost like an older brother.”

  “And how are we supposed to find him now? What? You think they’re hiding in the trees? Look around, Cam. We’re not going to find him. We should just wait until the SWAT team gets here. I’ve seen enough.”

  “No,” Cameron said. “We don’t know how long it’ll take for them to find us. This forest isn’t exactly made for easy driving.”

  “I still think we should wait it out. The sun’s almost down.”

  “You don’t get it, Amy. We can’t stay here.” Cameron’s voice was uneasy. “This forest...it’s different at night.”

  “Come on, Cam. Don’t tell me you started believing all those country tales.”

  “This forest has a mind of its own.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you? This place really creeps you out.”

  “Max and I were chased by a pack of wolves.”

  “So, we’re safer in here.” Amy pulled the pilot door shut. “Even the wolves can’t eat us in here.”

  Cameron pushed the door open again. “I’m not waiting here. I think Jen took Max for
a reason. And every second we wait...” He pulled himself down from the chopper and stepped into mud. “They can’t be far from here, Amy. I’m going find him. Are you coming or not?”

  The rain from the storm faded into a drizzle while the pines dripped silently. Cameron walked through the mud towards the wreckage. Still rising and falling from the smoke cloud, a thin film of ash covered his shoulders and arms. He brushed it off and looked back to Amy.

  “Come on. We’re not going to find him by waiting around.”

  Amy stepped out of the helicopter and looked to the horizon. Only a small sliver of the sun shown through the trees.

  Cameron moved closer to the scattered debris of the truck.

  “Cam, I don’t think we should go any closer,” Amy said. “Who knows, Jen may have set land mines across the area.”

  “That seems unlikely. The explosion would have set them off.”

  “Not necessarily. Hey, we need to see Jennifer as a criminal now, not Sarah’s mother, and not your wife. She’s a reckless woman.”

  Cameron turned to face Amy. “You’re right. She’s someone else now. She has been for a while. Back at the cottage, she gave a speech over a video projector about the dangerous people in the city. She seems convinced that there’s a way to eliminate crime once and for all.”

  “Wow, what an ego trip. And she needs Max to help her with this?”

  “Max was one of the only reasons the heist even worked. He’s good at thinking on the spot.”

  “Hold on,” Amy said, peering through the pines. “What’s with the smoke over there?”

  “What smoke?”

  “Look. Just over that hill.” Amy pointed north.

  A thin line wavered in the distance, rising from the ground.

  “That’s not from the blast, is it?” Cameron began walking north.

  “No,” Amy followed. “It can’t be. That smoke must be coming from something else.”

  The forest grew darker by the minute.

  When they reached the source of the smoke, their shadows were almost as long as the shadows from the trees. Cameron stopped to scrape the mud off his boots against one of the pine trunks.

  Standing just over the ground where the line of smoke rose, Amy kicked away a layer of grass to reveal a rusted metal grate. And as she stood there, breathing it in, Amy realized it wasn’t smoke at all, but a trail of steam.

  Cameron joined Amy by the rusty grate. “Is it some kind of geothermic vent?”

  “Out here? With a manmade covering? I don’t think so.” Amy crouched down and looked into the grate. She only saw darkness. “This isn’t exactly Yellowstone National Park.”

  “Yeah, but maybe there’s a cave under us or something.”

  Amy stood up again. “We need to analyze this place like a crime scene.” She stretched out her hands and looked down the hill to the remains of the milk truck. Then she formed a square with her fingers, framing what they witnessed only moments ago. “So, Jennifer drove the truck all the way out here just as bait? Seems strange.” She walked over and planted her foot on the steam vent. “This thing must serve some purpose.”

  “Is it a landmark of some kind?”

  “What, like a beacon? Maybe.” Amy rotated her body, framing the helicopter in the window of her hands. She took a few steps back. Then she turned her hips to the right and panned along the horizon until she faced north again. “Let’s not forget what we already know. Jennifer likes to keep her secrets buried.”

  “Yeah, literally underground.”

  “What if this isn’t a landmark at all? What if this is some kind of opening...from another tunnel. We know she likes tunnels.” Amy walked further north from the vent. After about twenty feet, she stopped. “Cam, come here.”

  In the ever-waning light, Cameron walked to Amy and looked at the ground.

  “You recognize these?” Amy pointed.

  Cameron gasped. “Wolf tracks.”

  “Are you sure we don’t want to go back to the helicopter? It’s practically pitch black out here.”

  “You have a flashlight strapped on your belt,” he said. “Are you afraid it will attract the wolves?”

  “Actually, yes. Yes I am. I thought you said they almost killed you a few days ago.”

  “Well...” Cameron slowly followed the wolf prints. “The wolves that chased us were living in a den below the highway underpass. But these tracks...lead north.”

  “Then we should go south.”

  “Listen,” he said. “I think we need to keep following these tracks. The wolves are attracted to high-pitched sounds.”

  “Wait, I thought high-pitched sounds scared away dogs.”

  “Dogs, yes. But these wolves are different. The night we tried to escape, Max’s tracker went out of range...and it only took a matter of seconds for the wolves living below the underpass to start howling.”

  “Then they started running towards you?”

  “Yes. I think Jen knew about the wolves before she engineered the ankle trackers.” Cameron continued following the tracks. “We need to look for some kind of opening. And for that, we need your flashlight.”

  Amy pulled it from her belt and flicked it on. Then she pointed it towards the tracks. “Uh, oh. Stop walking for a second. See those boot prints?” She widened the beam of the light and kept walking. “Look here. There’s another set of prints. This must be where she took Max after she planted the explosives in the truck.”

  “It looks that way.”

  “These footprints are relatively fresh,” she said. “The rain would have washed them away otherwise.”

  “Okay, Amy. Let’s keep going. If Jen had a way of controlling the wolves somehow, there’s no telling what she has planned for Max.”

  Cameron and Amy followed the tracks further up the hill.

  The shadows cast by the trees had since morphed into a single veil of black. Even the moon became blocked by thick clouds. Amy moved her flashlight across the footprints, hoping the wolf tracks would diverge in a different direction. But instead, the paw imprints speckled in and around the human footprints, crisscrossing in the mud.

  Amy turned around for a moment, and tried to aim her flashlight towards the parked helicopter, but she could no longer see it. As they continued to follow the tracks, a heavy mist settled under the overhanging pines. The mist showed up in the beam from Amy’s flashlight, strengthening it into an ever-changing, phosphorescent cone that swept over the trail of mud.

  After another few minutes, Cameron and Amy followed a natural valley in the hill towards a shallow opening tucked under a group of bushes. Amy aimed the flashlight into the crevasse. The muddy tracks stopped at the mouth of the opening.

  Cameron stepped back. “This is a den.”

  “That’s just great.”

  “Aim your light in there,” he said. “I’ll go first.”

  Cameron ducked his head down and crouched into the entrance. His knees dipped down into the mud. He shifted his weight forward, gradually sliding further into the opening. Then he crawled inside.

  Amy knelt down to shine the flashlight under the bushes.

  Cameron reached out his hand. “Follow me. We need the light.”

  Amy slid a section of mud out of her way and shimmied her shoulders back and forth until her torso slid into the den. Cameron helped pull her the rest of the way in.

  Now, inside the small crawl space, Amy’s breathing became rapid. Contracting wildly, her lungs only allowed her to take short, shallow breaths. Cameron took her by the hand and breathed with her until she calmed down. He tried to tell her how tough she was until she punched him in the shoulder and squeaked out a smile. Already, Cameron could tell the den had not been carved out by the wolves. The interior walls were carved into a smooth dome.

  “Okay, it’s empty. Let’s go.” Amy grabbed one of the bush roots and started backing out of the small, cave-like structure.

  “Hey now. Get back here. Shine your light in that corner.”

 
Amy slowly moved the beam across the slick walls until she illuminated a small path covered in the tracks they’d seen outside. “Down there?”

  “Look, we’re already muddy. Just sit on your butt and slide down.”

  Cameron went first. He scooted into the narrow tunnel and pushed off with his hands, crossing them over his chest as he vanished into darkness. Amy tucked the flashlight in her left armpit and closed her eyes before pushing off.

  When Amy landed ten feet below, she nearly fell feet-first on top of Cameron. Once her feet hit the ground, they slipped out from under her, sending the flashlight flying through the air. It landed in mud. She crawled over to wipe it off and shined it around the space.

  This tunnel was tall enough to stand in. Cameron helped Amy up, and they walked across the tunnel towards a crystal-blue light. They rounded a corner wall of dirt, and the glow of the light grew stronger. Amy pointed the flashlight ahead at the base of the blue light.

  “Wait a second,” Cameron said. “If I know Jen, this is one of her motion sensors. We have to be careful.”

  “There must be a way to get past it.” Amy reached over to the tunnel wall and scraped off a fistful of dry dirt. She gently threw the dirt across the light. Most of the dirt fell directly on the ground, but the smaller particles bounced back up and revealed a series of thin, blue lasers that spanned across the tunnel from wall to wall.

  Then Amy handed Cameron the flashlight. She walked up to the blue lasers and carefully passed through them one limb at a time. Once on the other side, she said, “There. It’s easy once you know where the lasers are.”

  “Easy. Right.” Cameron tossed another handful of dirt across the blue light and maneuvered his way through. Then he held the flashlight at eye-level and scanned it across the remainder of the tunnel.

  When the end of the beam reached as far as it could, they heard a set of deep growls rumble through the tunnel. The growls grew in volume again until a harsh, more somber bark hushed them. This pattern repeated until Cameron and Amy rounded the corner.

  Then, they saw the wolves.