Chastain sighed dramatically.
“You ask a lot of questions,” he said. “Not unlike two former reporters I know. God, how I’ve wanted to kill them.”
“You lost me there,” Soren said.
“An apt description of your situation, I’m afraid,” Chastain said. “You’ve lost. It’s a pity. We could have used someone like you. You’re resourceful, cunning, a proven killer.”
“I hope you’re just referring to the gaunts.”
“Those . . . and others,” Chastain said, and smiled. “You’ve killed quite a number of things. You don’t like pretenders, either.”
“Gee, I wonder why not,” Soren said. “Other than the fact that they’re all homicidal psychopaths whose sole enjoyment is murder and destruction, they’re really nice creatures.”
Chastain cocked his head to the side.
“Not every monster is that simplistic,” he said.
“Are you a pretender, Chastain?” Soren asked.
“Oh, please,” Chastain replied. “Pretenders are—what’s the expression?—not the brightest bulb on the porch. They have a certain natural knack for chicanery, but they’re entirely too mentally unstable for me.”
“What are you, then?”
“Ah, that would be telling,” Chastain replied. “And I’m afraid our conversation is now at an end. I’ve enjoyed it, I really have. But you can’t have the book and I can’t let you leave here alive.”
Soren thought of the only trick he had as Chastain fired his gun. He looked to the left and jumped to the right. It was a desperate last-minute stab at deception. All Soren could hope was that Chastain was anticipating some kind of maneuver and was looking at him in the hopes of getting a clue what it was.
He felt the bullet whiz by, the sound of the gunshot deafening inside the small office, but Soren landed on the ground safely. He yanked his own gun out of his pocket just as Chastain aimed his weapon again. Two shots went off at the same time.
Soren heard Chastain’s shot slam into the floor next to him, and he didn’t hesitate. He fired his gun again, hopeful he had a final shot left.
He wasn’t sure which one did it, but when the smoke cleared, Chastain was staring sightlessly ahead, a bullet hole between his eyes.
Soren walked around the desk and looked carefully at Chastain, searching for some signs of movement. He remembered what Wallace had said—how he’d shot him only to see him walk away unscathed. But Soren could detect no signs of life.
Still, he stuffed his own gun back in his pocket and reached over to take Chastain’s weapon. He hoped it might have some bullets left. He nearly used the weapon as the door behind him was thrown open. He turned and held the gun out, pointing at the door, but didn’t pull the trigger when he saw Annika in the entranceway.
“Jesus,” she said. “I heard multiple gunshots. I thought you were . . .”
Soren saw a creature climb up on the railing just behind Annika and realized his mistake. In the final battle near the doorway, he remembered punching a gaunt and watching it fall off the steps. But he had never checked to see whether Kael’s crew had finished it off.
He watched in terror as the gaunt prepared to leap.
“Down!” he shouted.
Annika dove to the ground, and Soren fired the weapon just as the gaunt jumped into the air. The bullet smacked into the creature’s face, taking half of its skull with it as it came through the other side of its head.
Annika picked herself up and looked back at the monster. When she turned toward Soren, her eyes were wide.
“Get the book and let’s get the fuck out of here,” she said.
The journal was exactly where Kael had said it would be.
Annika guarded the door while Soren searched the shelf, but he found the leather-bound journal with very little effort. Most of the other books were hardback history, some pertaining to Native Americans, others to Virginia.
The journal was the only one that didn’t appear professionally printed. The spine was clearly labeled “The Life and Death of Bethlehem, Virginia, by Edolphus Coakley.” Soren wondered if it really had the answers he needed inside it. After all, the Association had the book—and they hadn’t been able to find the gem. But it was at least a clue, and it deserved to be in the hands of Kael and his brother. He picked it up and put it into his jacket.
He quickly scanned the rest of the books but didn’t see anything worthwhile.
Soren was about to turn around when he noticed a small switch to the right-hand side of the bookcase. It was totally incongruous with the look of the rest of the office. He was surprised he hadn’t noticed it when he was first here, but he supposed he’d been too occupied with other issues.
Without thinking, he reached over and flipped the switch. There was an audible click, and the back wall, which had looked flush and seamless with the rest of the office, shifted backward and to the side, revealing a doorway.
“Soren!” Annika said. “I see movement in the trees. There are more coming!”
But Soren paid no attention to her. Instead, he stepped over and looked through the door.
Before he could see anything, he smelled it. There was the overwhelming stench of decay and decomposition. Soren put his hand to his mouth to keep from gagging.
The warehouse was massive inside and only dimly lit by fluorescent lights. But Soren could see enough. The entire area was filled with stone slabs several feet off the ground, held fast by short concrete pillars. There was equipment by each slab, but he found it hard to focus on it.
Instead, he stared at what was on the slabs. Each one was covered with a human corpse.
Soren looked at the ones closest to him. As far as he could tell, the bodies were male. Many had their throats cut. Some looked barely human due to the state of their decomposition. He noticed the way their skin stretched against their skulls, and their white, bulbous eyes. These weren’t humans anymore—they were gaunts.
A few began to twitch their legs, and Soren watched as several sat up. They looked in his direction. He heard one screech, spurring others to awaken.
“Oh shit,” Soren said.
He flicked the switch by the door again and watched as it shut. He heard a shriek behind the door and then several other answering calls.
“Soren?” Annika shouted. “We’ve got to go! They’re coming.”
She was right, but even she didn’t understand the depth of their problem. There had been dozens of gaunts inside the warehouse, many of whom would presumably pursue them.
Soren turned from the hidden door and ran to the exit from the office.
“I’ve got the book,” he said, “but we have a big problem.”
“Tell me about it,” Annika replied.
Soren looked to see gaunts rushing from the forest. He could hear shrieking and banging from inside the warehouse. He wondered how long it would be before those things managed to claw their way out. He didn’t want to be around to find out. He grabbed Annika and they ran down the steps and to the right, moving up the ridge behind the warehouse. He heard shrieks behind them, echoing through the forest.
Soren practically collided with Kael at the top of the ridge. He still held his bow in his hand, but there were few arrows left in his quiver.
Soren looked and saw all four Indians there. He noticed Mingan clutching his leg.
“Fucker got me in the calf,” Mingan said to Kael. “Brian killed him before he could do any more damage.”
“There’s more creatures on their way,” Kael said. “Might be some humans, too. I had to kill a couple guards earlier.”
Kael said it in a flat tone of voice, but Soren could sense the pain behind it. Before this started, he had talked casually about killing people if he had to. But actually murdering someone—even if it was in self-defense—was something very different.
“I’m sorry,” Soren said. “We’ll talk about it later. Remember who these guys were working for.”
Kael nodded. There were more screec
hes from the forest.
“We’ve got to go,” Mingan said.
Kael led the way again, heading down the winding path as Brian put his arm around Mingan to help him walk. This time Soren took the rearguard position, anxiously turning back to watch the trees.
Unlike their journey up the path, this one was not silent. The forest seemed alive with sounds. Soren could hear the screeches and shrieks coming closer.
“How many are chasing us?” Annika yelled back.
Soren thought of the warehouse filled with gaunts.
“You don’t want to know,” he said.
They weren’t making good time, hobbled by the pace of Mingan.
“You should go past me,” Mingan said. “Take the book and get out of here.”
“No fucking chance of that,” Soren said. “If we’re going to die, we’ll do it together.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Mingan said.
“Why would he start being smart now?” Annika said. “Just keep moving. We’ll make it.”
There was a cry from the forest, this one sounding incredibly close. Soren slowed his pace and kept looking over his shoulder. He drew Chastain’s gun out of his pocket, keeping it down at his side.
Annika noticed what he was doing and dropped back as well.
A gaunt came flying out of the trees. It moved too fast for Soren to aim and fire at it. But Soren managed to smash its face with the side of the gun, sending it falling away from him. It flipped over in the air and hit the ground facing Soren and Annika, digging its claws in to stop its momentum. It hissed at Soren and he raised his weapon to fire, but Annika beat him to it. She fired her pistol at near-point-blank range, hitting the gaunt in the head. It died without another sound.
Soren heard more shrieks nearby, and he and Annika turned and fled down the path.
They caught up to Kael, Mingan, and the others after a moment.
“They’re right behind us,” Soren shouted.
“We’re almost there,” Kael said.
A moment later the woods around them opened into the beach where they’d landed. Soren had never been so happy to see a body of water before.
“Annika and I will hold the beach until you get the boats in the river,” Soren said.
Kael and Danny rushed down to the water as Brian continued to help Mingan limp along the sand.
Soren turned and stood at the edge of the clearing. He shot a gaunt who charged out of the woods, while Annika killed another, who leapt from a tree.
The forest was filled with the sounds of shrieking. Three more gaunts burst onto the beach, and Soren watched as two more followed them.
Annika shot two more. But as Soren fired, he heard a click from his weapon.
“Damn,” he said.
Annika looked behind them.
“Kael’s waving at us,” she said.
The screeching was so loud he could barely hear her. The three visible gaunts bounded forward, and Annika shot one. Soren kicked another in the jaw as it jumped at him. He squared off against the remaining creature. Annika aimed her weapon and fired at it, but nothing happened. She, too, had run out of ammo.
“Get to the boats!” Soren shouted.
Annika turned and ran down the beach.
The gaunt sprinted at Soren, swinging its claws. Soren let his instincts take over. He ducked the first intended blow, feeling the whoosh of air just above him, and sidestepped the second. Soren lashed out at the monster, hitting it with a heavy right punch that sent the creature sprawling in the sand.
He didn’t wait for it to get back up but retreated toward the water.
Mingan and Brian were already in a canoe paddling away from the shore, while Kael stood in the water next to two others. He was shouting something, but all Soren could hear were the sounds of the pursuing gaunts. Kael made furious hand gestures, and Soren finally clued in, ducking down and running in a crouch.
Kael raised his bow and launched an arrow, sending it flying just over Soren’s head. He heard the sound of something smashing into the ground just behind him and knew Kael must have caught a gaunt pursuing him in midleap.
Annika reached the canoe and began pushing it farther into the water. She jumped into it and grabbed the paddle. Kael let loose another arrow, which sailed over Soren, and then threw his bow into his canoe. He and Danny began paddling furiously.
Soren waded into the water, feeling a momentary shock as he realized how cold it was. He put his hand on the canoe and catapulted himself over the side. As soon as he was inside the boat, he picked up the paddle and threw himself into rowing.
Annika and he didn’t pause until they were near the middle of the river, where the other two canoes were waiting for them. Soren turned the canoe so he could get a look back at shore.
It was crowded with creatures standing at the edge, many of them shrieking. Still, none appeared to be wading into the water.
“Did we know they don’t like the river?” Annika asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Soren said.
“Good thing for us.”
“How’s Mingan?” Soren called to the other boat.
Mingan was wrapping himself with a bandage. Soren was once again struck by Kael’s planning. In addition to dozens of arrows that were still in the boat, there were a couple first-aid kits.
“Hanging in,” Mingan said. He looked substantially better than he had back near the warehouse.
The six of them turned to watch the gaunts, still screeching along the shore.
“Are they going to follow us?” Kael asked.
“Let’s hope not,” Soren said.
Kael pulled up his canoe alongside Soren’s.
“You have the book?” he asked.
Soren put a hand on the outside of his jacket and felt the lump there. He nodded.
Kael held out his hand. At first Soren thought he was trying to shake it, but he realized he was holding something out. It was a set of keys. Soren took them and looked at Kael in puzzlement.
“Go to the Chickahominy River Park,” Kael said. “You’ll find a beat-up old Ford by the loading area. Take it and get the hell out of here. Return the book once you find what you’re looking for.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?”
Kael shook his head.
“Not a great idea,” he said. “The Association might retaliate. Unfortunately for me, they know where to find our tribe. We’re going to paddle upriver. My cousin will meet us there. We’ll get ready in case anything happens.”
“You should come with us and lay low for a while,” Soren said.
“No, dude, you don’t get it,” Kael said. “What if those gaunts come for the rest of the tribe? We need to be prepared. But it’d be best if you were elsewhere. That way, if we fail—”
“You won’t fail,” Soren said.
Kael looked back toward shore.
“I really wish I shared your optimism,” he said. “But take the car, finish the job. If the Association is after something, make sure they don’t get it.”
“But—”
“No buts, dude,” Kael said. “This is the way it has to be.”
Soren nodded reluctantly.
“Good luck,” Soren said.
“Same to you,” Kael replied.
Kael reached his hand out again, this time clearly for a shake.
“My thanks to all of you,” Soren said.
“If this story ever gets written, just make sure we’re remembered,” Kael said.
His canoe broke away from Soren’s and he turned it upstream. Soren watched them paddle away until they vanished into the darkness.
Soren spared one more look at the beach near the forest. The gaunts had disappeared, something that made him even more nervous. He imagined them overrunning the Chickahominy church. They had won, but he worried what the cost would be.
“Where’d they go?” Annika asked.
“That’s what I’m concerned about,” Soren replied.
“There can’t be that m
any gaunts left, right?” Annika asked. “The ones on the beach had to be it.”
He turned the canoe downstream before he answered her.
“No,” Soren said. “I don’t know what the Association wants with the gem, but I know what they’re doing in the warehouse.”
“What?” Annika asked.
“They’re building an army.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Soren and Annika drove the Ford to a secluded hotel near Newport News. Soren resisted the temptation to go back to the Chickahominy church. He worried what would happen to Kael.
“They’ll be okay,” Annika said, as if reading his mind. “You killed Chastain, remember? The gaunts don’t have a leader anymore.”
“That’s assuming Chastain is really dead,” Soren said.
“Looked dead to me,” Annika said.
“Looks can be deceiving. Even if Chastain is dead, I’m sure he answered to someone else.”
“Even still, I doubt the Association will organize a counterattack that fast. With any luck we can figure out what we need to do to stop it for good. Besides, even if the gaunts do attack, you saw Kael and the others in action. They’re far from helpless.”
Soren thought of how skilled they were with the bows and wondered if the rest of the tribe was equally good. If they were even half as talented, they might prevail against a gaunt assault.
Besides, he supposed fretting about it now wouldn’t help; he needed to follow through with his part of the plan.
Soren and Annika got out of the car and walked into the reception area. The hotel looked run-down from the outside, which was perfect for his purposes. He wanted somewhere that was out of the way so they could study the journal in peace.
Annika stopped him.
“Let me do the talking, okay?” she said. “The less anyone sees you, the better.”
“The Association will be looking for you, too,” he said.
“Maybe, but Chastain didn’t seem that interested in me,” she said.
He waited while she chatted with the desk attendant. She returned a moment later and gestured to the elevator. They rode to the second floor and got off, walking down the hallway until they found Room 217.
“Great,” Soren said as she put in the key card. “Where’s my room?”
The Forest of Forever (The Soren Chase Series, Book One) Page 26