by BJ Bourg
The other girls watched wide-eyed.
“How was it?” Mable asked.
After smacking the taste away and wiping tears from her eyes, Jillian nodded. “Good. It tastes like chicken.”
Joy went next and ate them without pinching her nose. I nodded my approval and held my hands out to Jennifer. She picked up one of the grubs. As she was bringing it to her mouth, it wriggled in her hand, and she shrieked and threw it across the ground. She shook her head. “I can’t do this. I’d rather die of starvation.”
“You need to eat something,” I said. “Or your body will shut down.”
She shook her head. “I won’t do it.”
“Suit yourself.” I split the rest among Joy, Jillian, Mable, Charlie, and me. After we’d eaten them all, we spread out and began breaking up more logs, searching for more grubs to eat. Jennifer watched in disgust as we devoured everything we could find in the immediate area. I could only imagine how ridiculous we looked from her vantage point, scrambling around on our hands and knees, chasing these little wood-eating worms, but we didn’t know when our next meal would be or from where it would come. Besides, they were small and it would take a lot of them even to begin to knock the sting off our hunger pangs.
“You really need to eat something,” I told Jennifer, as I located another grub.
“I’d rather starve than eat that stuff.” Jennifer turned. “I don’t know how—”
The scream that ripped from Jennifer was so sudden and piercing that I nearly dove headlong into the large tree in front of me. I spun around and sucked in my breath. There on the trail, big as life, were two park rangers—a male and a female. The female park ranger’s jaw seemed to sag down to her chest. “I…this…this can’t be real. Dan”—she reached out and touched her partner’s arm—“it’s…it’s them. We’ve looked everywhere for them.” She pointed her finger at Jillian first and then counted the girls off one at a time, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re all here, except for Katherine, Woody, Dave and Brett. I don’t understand it. How’d y’all all get to be together?”
Charlie stepped forward. “I found them underneath a cabin in the mountains. They were being held in an underground cave and were going to be used as breeding stock.”
The female park ranger—whose nametag read Isabel Conner—turned to Charlie. “Rangers found Brett’s body several days ago, but we’ve been looking for you and your friend for over a week now. How did you end up with them? Where’re the other two boys?”
What followed was a blur of excited conversation, with everyone trying to talk at once. Isabel and Dan asked a million questions, and we all stepped on each other’s words trying to answer them. When we mentioned Mr. Bush, it appeared to make Isabel uneasy, and I saw her hand drift to her sidearm and she began keeping a wary eye around the forest.
After about ten minutes of nonstop verbal fencing, things finally quieted down a bit, and Jennifer pointed to the rucksack on Dan’s back and asked, “Do you have any food in there? They’ve all just finished eating supper, but I didn’t get any.”
“Absolutely,” said Dan. He dropped his pack and dug in an outside pocket, then pulled out a handful of energy bars. He handed them out to us. “Eat these. It’ll hold you over until we get to the shelter.”
We ripped the paper from the energy bars and wolfed them down, no one saying a word. The only sounds were of dried oats and nuts being crunched between our teeth. There was a bit of chocolate flavor in my energy bar, and I nearly purred—it had been way too long since I’d eaten chocolate.
Isabel pulled out a canteen and passed it around. When my turn came, I tossed it back and drank deep of the water. It wasn’t as cold as the stream, but it sure went down smooth. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and handed it over to Isabel.
“Thanks,” I said.
Isabel’s green eyes lit up when she smiled. “You’re quite welcome.”
Dan stood patiently until everyone was finished eating the snack bars. He then shrugged his rucksack back onto his shoulders and nodded up the trail. “There’s a shelter about two miles up ahead and we need to reach it before dark falls. We can’t protect you all out here in the open.”
Isabel nodded. “My flashlight batteries are dead, and you don’t want to be walking around these mountains after dark with no light.”
“We’ll camp at the shelter tonight,” Dan explained, “and then head for Ranger Station Tango at first light.”
“What’s that?” Jillian asked.
“What’s what?” Dan asked.
“That Tango thing you mentioned,” Jillian said.
Isabel waved her hand around. “We have dozens of ranger stations scattered around the Blue Summit Mountains and they’re all named after the phonetic alphabet. As you might imagine, the higher up in the alphabet we go, the deeper in the mountains we go, so Tango’s pretty far out in the sticks.” Isabel turned to Dan. “How do we get the word out to the other searchers tonight?”
Dan shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to wait until we get to Tango.”
“It’s a shame they have to endure another night worrying,” Isabel said. “They’ve all been through enough.”
“What’re y’all talking about?” I asked.
“I lost my satellite phone before I met up with Dan, and the battery died on his, so we don’t have radio contact with the rest of the search party.” She frowned. “I just wish we could contact your parents and let them know you’re all okay.”
“My mom’s here?” Charlie asked. “In Tennessee?”
“I haven’t met her, but I heard she’s been here all week.” Isabel pointed toward me. “Your parents have also been here all week.”
“How big is the search party?” I asked.
“About a hundred,” Isabel said.
“Shouldn’t we run into some of them?” I asked. “They might have a satellite phone.”
Isabel shook her head. “Dan and I are long-shot searchers, walking backcountry trails where you all weren’t likely to be. The search is being concentrated in the area surrounding where your truck was located, and we’re about thirty miles from there.” Isabel looked up at Dan. “Had you run into anyone else along the trail?”
“Only you.” Dan glanced at my arm. “What happened to you?”
“Just a scratch. I fell in a river.” I didn’t want to say anything about the bear because I knew they would have to track it down and kill it, and that wasn’t an option in my playbook. It was my fault for getting between the bear and food, and he was only doing what came natural.
Dan nodded at Isabel. “Want to take the lead? I’ll bring up the rear.”
Isabel nodded and stepped forward, heading up the narrow trail. “When we get to the shelter we’ll cook up some beef stew for you guys,” she called over her shoulder.
There was a low murmur of approval from the rest of us, and we stepped in line behind Isabel. I walked between Joy and Mable.
“What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get home?” I asked Mable.
“Catch up on 24,” Mable said. “That’s the best television show ever. I can’t wait to get the DVDs of the past few years, so I can catch up before the next season starts. Does it still start in November?”
I frowned. “I have some terrible news for you.”
Mable’s head jerked around, and she slowed so I could move beside her. “Don’t tell me they killed off Jack Bauer.”
“Worse. They cancelled the show in 2010.”
“What? No way.” Mable’s face fell, and she walked in silence for a while.
Joy touched my shoulder. “What’s the first thing you’ll do?”
I glanced back at her. “Take you on a date—if you’ll go with me.”
Joy’s smile drilled dimples into her rosy cheeks. “I would like that a lot. I want to eat at—”
“I wonder what else has changed since I’ve been gone.” Mable shook her head. “I’m scared to go back, you guys. I don’t know what’s waiting for me back home. I mean, I did
n’t even finish middle school yet. What’ll I do? Will I have to go back? If so, I’ll be twenty-two or twenty-three before I can graduate. What if my parents are divorced? What if my grandpa’s dead? He was really sick when I left, and I didn’t get to spend much time with him. I’m terrified of what I’ll find when I get back.”
Joy rushed by me and wrapped her arm around Mable’s shoulders. “It’ll be okay. If you need anything at all you can always call me.”
Mable looked at Joy, her eyes glistening. “I’d like that. I’ll need to get your phone number and email address.”
“Sure thing.” Joy continued walking beside Mable. We must’ve walked several more miles when we started to slow down a bit.
“We’re there,” Ranger Isabel called from the front of the line.
When Joy, Mabel, and I caught up to Isabel, we came upon a large clearing with a log cabin situated in the center. The openings for the three windows and two doors were bare, but there was a roof and four solid walls. A dozen giant logs were situated around a fire pit and served as short stools.
“This is nice.” Jillian had walked into the cabin and was leaning out one of the window openings.
Dan and Isabel tossed their rucksacks on the ground against the cabin and went to work on the fire pit. Isabel had a fire going in a jiffy, and Dan broke open four large cans of stew and poured them into a dented pot that appeared to have seen a lot of use.
While the girls explored the inside of the cabin, Charlie and I sat on two of the logs and watched the park rangers in action. They were as much at home in the forest as my mom was in her kitchen. Dan placed the pot on a metal grill suspended over the fire by several rocks, which made up the perimeter of the fire ring.
Before long, smoke was drifting from the pot and filling the air with the appetite-whetting aroma of beef, potato chunks, and carrots warming in brown gravy.
“It smells so good,” Charlie said.
I nodded and studied the bandage on my forearm. It had been a while since I’d changed it. I pushed back the cloth and winced as it ripped free from my flesh.
“Are you okay?” Joy asked.
“I’ll live.” I looked over at the park rangers, who were at work on the food. “Hey, do y’all have a first aid kit I could borrow?”
Without looking up from where she was stirring the pot of stew, Isabel shot a thumb toward the rucksacks. “I’ve got a kit in my bag. Help yourself.”
I stood, stretched, and ambled toward the cabin. It was right then that I realized how tired I was. I couldn’t wait to eat and get some sleep. It would be our last night in the mountains, and I wasn’t complaining. Just as I leaned for the rucksack, a twig snapped somewhere in the forest. I jerked upright and studied the forest surrounding the shelter. Was that Mr. Bush? I looked over at Dan and Isabel. They didn’t seem bothered by the noise.
“Did y’all hear that?” I asked.
Isabel looked up, surveying the area. “It’s probably a bear. I saw some scat as we walked up to the shelter. They won’t bother us.”
I nodded, reached for one of the rucksacks, and pushed the zipper open.
“Hey, that’s my bag,” Dan said.
I pulled open the flap and froze in place. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight and my heart stopped. Stuffed inside of Ranger Dan’s rucksack were camouflage gloves, a piece of camouflage burlap with three slits in it, and a leafy suit.
CHAPTER 20
There was a gasp behind me, and I whirled around. Isabel had jumped to her feet and dumped the pot of stew onto the ground. Dan was standing across the fire from her with his revolver in his hand, pointed directly at her.
“What in God’s name are you doing?” Isabel asked.
“It’s him,” I said. “He’s the kidnapper…he’s Mr. Bush!”
Isabel’s brow furrowed. She stared from Dan to me, a quizzical look on her face. “What are you talking about?” She looked back at Dan. “Why are you pointing that gun at me? Stop playing around. Put it down…now!” Isabel pointed with her finger for emphasis.
Dan didn’t say a word. He simply pulled the trigger. The revolver bucked in his hand, and Isabel grunted and leaned over. Screams sounded from inside the cabin, and the girls ran to the door just in time to see Isabel clutching at her stomach. She sank to the ground. Blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the ground in front of her.
I started to step forward, but Dan trained the handgun on me. “I need you, but I won’t hesitate to kill you if I have to.”
Joy gripped my arm, her nails digging into my flesh. The other girls were gasping behind me near the cabin, and one of them started to cry. With Dan’s back turned to her, Isabel strained through the pain and moved a bloody hand from her stomach, quietly reaching for her gun.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, trying to keep Dan focused on me, so Isabel could get her gun out and shoot him. “Just let us go, and we won’t say a word. We’ll just say we got lost and that we found our way out. No one needs to go to jail. Your secret’s safe with us. I promise.”
Charlie moved beside me, his fists clenched. “Abe, he can’t get all of us. I think we should make a run for it. Whoever gets away can bring back the cops, the FBI, the army…everybody.”
An evil grin played across Dan’s mouth. “I like the courage. It’ll be useful in the new world.” He cocked the hammer on the revolver. “I can drop five of you faster than you can blink twice. Whoever I leave alive will be easy enough to corral.”
“But I thought you said you needed us?” I asked.
“Everyone’s replaceable.” Dan pointed the gun at the girls and waved toward us with it. “Come stand by your boyfriends.”
Jillian stood her ground at the corner of the cabin. “I’m not going back to that cave. I’d rather die.”
Dan’s eyes seemed to flash. He pointed the revolver toward Jennifer’s head. “You just killed your friend—”
“No!” Jillian quickly moved next to Charlie and me. “Please don’t kill her. I’m listening to you.”
In my peripheral vision, I saw Isabel place her hand over her pistol. I cringed when she broke the snap on her holster. It sounded loud in the tense silence of the standoff. Dan appeared bored when he turned and put a bullet into Isabel’s chest as she struggled to drag her pistol out of the holster. She collapsed backward and started gurgling. Dan fired a third shot that hit her in the face. Isabel tensed up and then her muscles relaxed. She lay still. Blood bubbled from her mouth.
Mable yelped and bolted for the forest. Charlie, Jillian, and Jennifer scattered in opposite directions. Joy hesitated, staring at me. Dan spun around. He snapped off gunshots in Charlie’s direction. I pushed Joy to the ground and sprinted forward, making a beeline for Dan. When the third shot exploded, I heard Charlie scream. Dan then shoved the gun in my direction and pulled the trigger. I flinched, but the revolver clicked on a spent casing, and Dan growled. I was now within several feet of him, and he swung the revolver toward my head. I ducked under his arm and drove my right shoulder into his stomach. My momentum propelled him backward off his feet. I landed on top of him. The sprint had winded me, so I knew I had to finish him fast. But before I could pin him to the ground, Dan scrambled out from under me and bounced to his feet. The movement was nimble, and I stood cautiously. We circled each other. Charlie wailed in pain somewhere in the forest and I knew I had to drop Dan fast so I could tend to him.
Dan flashed that evil grin again. “I’m going to enjoy killing you two. Ever since you guys interrupted me taking your friend, things have been going south for me.”
“Where’s Brett?”
“You’ll never know.”
Although he had just got through killing another park ranger and shot Charlie, I felt uncomfortable squaring up against the law. What if I took him out? Would I go to jail? Would anyone believe our story that he was a rogue ranger? No matter. I now had to do what was necessary to survive. Never one to waste much time during a fight, I shot two quick jab
s that connected with his face. Before the blood could drip from his nose, I pushed off with my right foot and smashed my right fist against his chin. His knees buckled and he stumbled back, but remained on his feet. Fear enveloped me. No one had ever remained standing after I’d landed that power shot. This guy had a granite chin.
Dan wiped the blood from his face and stared down at his hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words were cut short when a large tree branch crashed down on top of his head. Dried bark and splinters cascaded over him, and he dropped to his knees. It was then that I saw Joy standing behind him, her eyes wide and her face pale.
I sprung forward and kicked him square in the face with the sole of my right water shoe. He collapsed to his back on the ground, but rolled to his face and pushed off with his hands. Before he could regain his feet, I jumped on his back and wrapped my legs around his stomach and my left arm around his throat. Hooking my left hand in the crook of my right elbow, I grasped the left side of his head with my right hand and squeezed both arms as hard as I could. My left arm crushed his throat. He gasped for air and clutched at my arm. I felt the burn as his fingernails dug deep into my flesh. Somehow, he struggled to his feet and stumbled about, with me clinging to his back. He strained to force air into his lungs, and I strained to cave his windpipe in from the sides. In a surprising display of strength and will, Dan jumped up into the air and threw himself backward, landing hard on top of me. I grunted. Joy screamed. My grip loosened on his neck.
Dan jerked my arms free and rolled to his hands and knees. I tried to stand, but he grabbed my ankle with his vice grip and dragged my leg out from under me. I rolled to my back and kicked at his face with my other foot. It didn’t seem to bother him as he lurched forward and punched down at my face. Blood sprayed down into my throat and I knew that my nose was broken—yet again. I lifted both arms to my face and deflected the blows that rained down on me.
Peeking through the slit between my arms, I waited until he lifted one of his arms to strike down at me again. When he did, I struck out, punching him as hard as I could in the throat. He gasped and clutched at the front of his neck. I reached up and shoved my left thumb in his eye, trying to touch the back of his head with it. He screamed in agony and began beating my left arm with his fists. I heard the crack of another tree limb and felt his body go limp.