Infringement

by Benjamin Westbrook

  “Good,” Declan responded. “We’d better get moving. Alright, we’re going to take the trail behind the house, as quickly as we can, up to the cave entrance. You remember how to get up there?”

  “Are you kidding?” Evan replied.

  “Evan, you take the lead, and set the pace. We’ll keep Michelle and Will right behind you. Mom and Jessica shouldn’t have any trouble. I’ll bring up the rear and carry Charlotte, because she’s too young to keep up.”

  “I can carry her,” Evan said.

  “No, I’m fine. You just set a quick pace and get us up the cliffside.”

  _______________________

  Kevin stopped the car carrying himself, Costello, Bleeker and a rookie agent named Jurickson at the turnoff from the main road, and killed the headlights. The unmarked van carrying the remaining three agents did the same.

  “This is the road leading to the lake house,” Kevin said. “The road has a couple gradual turns and the house sits at the end of the road, about a mile down.”

  “How far up do you think we can drive without being detected?”

  “The second turn is about a half mile away. It’s a fairly dense forest, so visibility is low, especially with the sun setting. I’d say we can easily get to that spot. From there, with headlights out, we can probably get pretty close before they’ll hear anything.”

  “Okay, we’ll leave the van at the second turn. The four of us will continue on, headlights off. If your intel is accurate, we’re dealing with two unarmed women and two children. I want Costello and Jurickson to cover the back and Cameron and I will approach the front. Since they’re expecting Cameron, I want him to get them to open the door, and we’ll take them when they do. Once we have them, Jurickson will radio for the van, we’ll load them up, then five of us will stay behind while the other two get the van and Cameron’s car out of the area. Clear?”

  “Clear.”

  “Okay, then let’s go.”

  _______________________

  The family went out the back door of the house, Evan in the lead and Declan carrying his niece at the rear. They walked hurriedly, but quietly, as the sun neared the climax of its farewell for the day. The soft orange light fell over the lake and forest as they reached the start of the trail, and began the trek back up to the cave. After a few minutes of brisk walking, Declan stopped, again thinking he heard the sound of tires on gravel. He stood still for a second, listening. Jessica noticed him stop and held up herself.

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  “I think it’s a car. Shh.”

  Declan listened for a few seconds more and, as before, the sound grew incrementally louder and more clear. Evan had stopped and was walking back toward his brother, hearing it too.

  “It’s a car,” Declan whispered. “You’ve got to move, now. Here, take the flashlight.”

  Declan removed the flashlight from his jacket pocket and handed it to Evan. “Here, can you carry Charlotte?” he asked Jessica.

  “Of course.”

  Declan handed his niece to Jessica and said, “Now go, quickly. Get to the cave entrance and hurry as fast as you can to the airstrip. “Do you remember where it is?”

  “Yeah,” Evan answered. “But, you’re coming with us.”

  “No, I’m gonna stay to see who it is and cover your backs, if necessary. We don’t have time to argue. Now go, and don’t wait for me more than a few minutes. If I’m not on the plane, Tom’ll come back for me. Don’t worry about that. Just go. Get everyone out of here.”

  “Declan…”

  “Evan, go. I’ll be fine. Hurry.”

  Evan and the others hurried up the trail. Declan ran from the trail into the forest, trying to get wide around the house for a better vantage point. The sound of tires grew louder and noticeably picked up speed.

  Declan quickly moved higher up the hillside through the trees, trying to get far enough above the house where he could see the car when it finally came into view. He looked back and up through the trees and saw Evan and the others practically running, Will in his dad’s arms. By Declan’s estimation, they were still minutes away from the cave entrance.

  Finally, Declan saw the car coming and immediately recognized it as Kevin Cameron’s. He prayed that it was just Kevin, but was then able to make out the silhouettes of four heads in the car. From his hidden spot on the hillside, Declan had a side view of the house below, and could clearly see the front and the back. The sounds of Evan and the others making their way up to the cave could no longer be heard.

  Declan tucked down in the brush, hidden, and raised the Remington as the car came to a stop. He remained dead still and silent as the doors opened and two men, who would have been unseen from inside the house, hurried toward the back. Through the scope, Declan easily made out Costello.

  Cameron stepped from the car and approached the front door of the house, leaving one man in the front passenger seat. Declan turned the scope toward the car and saw Bleeker.

  Chapter 73

  Kevin approached the front door and, as he’d done twice before, called out, “Mrs. Parker, it’s okay, it’s Kevin Cameron.”

  Declan could hear him and cursed Kevin, beginning to think the message Kevin had sent was intended to be a trap. Kevin called out again, “Mrs. Parker… Mrs. Parker, it’s Kevin Cameron,” but nothing happened. He could hear or see no movement in the house.

  Bleeker stepped from the car and turned his head in a slow scan of the very dimly-lit forest surrounding the house. Bleeker continued scanning the hillside and forest. Despite the creeping darkness, the sun hadn’t completely fallen and a small amount of soft orange light still colored the lake and hillside. Declan began to worry that he would spot Evan and the others moving on the cliffside above. He kept an eye on Costello and the other agent, who had found Megan’s dad’s car and taken up positions at the back of the house, weapons raised.

  As Declan turned back to Bleeker, he noticed Bleeker motion for Kevin to be quiet, but couldn’t make out what was said, as Kevin walked back toward the car. Declan watched Bleeker’s gaze focus on the hillside behind the house, on a rocky, well-wooded spot about forty feet from the cave entrance. Declan turned his attention to that spot as well, trying to make out any movement up there.

  For a split second, he spotted something move through the thick evergreens, and immediately turned his eyes back to Bleeker, who then appeared to be talking to Kevin. Declan caught movement in his peripheral and turned back to see Costello and Jurickson entering the lake house from the rear door. About 10 seconds later, Costello appeared on the front porch and Declan heard him yell, “It’s empty, but it doesn’t look like they’ve been gone long!”

  _______________________

  Upon hearing the house was empty, Bleeker looked squarely at Kevin. His face betrayed no thoughts whatsoever. His eyes still locked in on Kevin, Bleeker spoke calmly into his radio, “They’re on foot, headed up the hillside directly behind the house. Crandon, bring the van up immediately. We need you three here. Costello, you and Jurickson head up after them. I spotted movement on the hillside about forty to fifty feet above the house.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Kevin asked.

  Saying nothing, but with his eyes still locked onto Kevin, Bleeker simply raised his side arm and fired two quick rounds. Each hit Kevin squarely in the center of his chest. The bullets ripped through his heart, throwing Kevin onto the gravel.

  “You’ve done enough already.”

  _______________________

  Declan jerked his eye away from the scope on the Remington as Kevin Cameron fell to the ground, dead. Without time to let the shock of Kevin’s execution wash over him, he caught sight of the van’s headlights coming down the road through the trees. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Costello and Jurickson exit the rear door of the house and head toward the hillside.

  “Damn,” he said to himself. “Bleeker must have seen them up there.”

  Still standing near Kevin’s body, Blee
ker had turned to face the oncoming van. Declan’s eyes flashed back and forth from Costello to Bleeker. He knew he couldn’t let Costello and Jurickson get up into the forest, or he’d have no shot; however, he desperately wanted to take Bleeker first, thereby finally giving Bleeker what he deserved, eliminating command and, hopefully, causing confusion amongst the others.

  Seeing Jurickson almost to the forest line, immediately followed by Costello, he quickly raised the Remington, lined up his shot through the scope, and fired one round, hitting Jurickson just above the right knee, which was precisely where he’d aimed. Jurickson fell screaming to the ground.

  On hearing the shot, Costello hit the ground and Bleeker ran for cover behind Kevin’s car. Declan quickly found Costello through the scope, lying flat on the ground, but still out in the open, aimed for the side of his exposed right leg, and fired. As with Jurickson, the bullet found its mark, and Costello screamed out that he was hit.

  _______________________

  Evan and the others had heard Bleeker’s two shots when they were still about twenty feet from the cave entrance. They’d stopped for a second and, unable to see anything, sprinted toward the cave. Evan had gathered everyone inside, when Declan’s two shots rang through the forest.

  “That was a rifle,” Evan said nervously.

  “Are you sure?” Michelle replied.

  “I’m certain. It’s a different sound than a handgun.”

  No sooner had Evan spoken, when another rifle shot filled the air. “There it is again. That’s gotta be Declan. I should help.”

  “No,” Michelle replied. “You have to get us to the plane. We don’t know our way through this cave. You’re not leaving us. I won’t lose you again.”

  “You’re right, my love, you’re right,” Evan said. “Okay, let’s go. Everyone together.” He flipped on the flashlight and hurried them along.

  _______________________

  With Bleeker still hunkered down behind Kevin’s car, Declan fired a round at the side mirror just above his head, taking it out and keeping Bleeker pinned down. Watching the van’s headlights growing larger, Declan waited for the van to come into view, then took aim at the front driver’s-side tire, squeezing off two rounds. The second round blew out the tire, causing the driver to lose control. The van hurled off the gravel road and smashed sideways into the heavy evergreen trees lining the road about twenty-five feet from Kevin’s car.

  Declan was unable to get a sight on anyone inside the van. He scanned back to the car to see if Bleeker had popped his head up, but saw nothing. A few seconds later, an agent stumbled out of the van carrying a rifle and, keeping low and zigzagging, tried to make his way to Bleeker. Declan lined up his shot and fired again, hitting the agent just above the knee. The agent fell to the gravel, writhing in pain.

  _______________________

  Bleeker took out his phone and dialed 911, “I’m FBI and we’re under fire. I’m pinned down and I have men down. I need anyone and everyone you can get out here and I need them now!”

  _______________________

  Evan and the family could see the plane on the landing strip just about ten yards away. Evan’s mom ran ahead and when Tom Langham saw her emerge from the forest, he fired up the engines. The plane was fueled and cleared for takeoff. After starting her up, Tom came out onto the tarmac and met Mrs. Parker, saying, “Is everyone okay? I could hear gunshots out there.”

  “We’re fine, but Declan isn’t with us. We need to wait for him.”

  “I’ll do what I can ma’am, but I gave him my word I’d get you all safely out of here, with or without him. Please climb aboard.”

  A few seconds later, Jessica, Michelle, Charlotte, Evan and Will arrived. Tom helped them all into the plane.

  “We have to wait for Declan,” Evan shouted.

  “I’ll wait for a few minutes, but I’ve promised to get you all to safety.”

  “Just wait, he’ll be here. We can’t leave him, I don’t care what you’ve promised.”

  “Trust me, I don’t want to take off without Declan any more than you do, but the objective of this mission was clear. We’ll wait a few more minutes. That’s the best I can do.”

  _______________________

  Declan continued firing rounds, keeping Bleeker and the agents in the van pinned down. They tried to return fire, but in the darkness, couldn’t get a solid location on Declan. Each time he’d fire, he’d zigzag a bit further up the hillside, slowly making his way back toward the cave entrance.

  Nearing the edge of his range, Declan heard sirens in the distance and assumed, correctly, that Bleeker had radioed for back up. Finally, he put the Remington on his shoulder and hurried up the hillside toward the cave entrance, at once thankful and annoyed that he hadn’t heard or seen the plane takeoff yet.

  As he finally reached the cave, red and blue flashing lights could be seen outside the house below. Declan watched for a few seconds, unable to tell whether they were police or Homeland, but he was able to make out three squad cars and an ambulance. More sirens could be heard in the distance, and spotlights had begun scanning the forest and hillsides surrounding the house.

  Taking the first step into the dark of the cave, he finally heard the jet overhead and looked up to see its lights flashing as it sped off against the stars in the newly black night sky. Watching Tom’s plane bank slightly and begin the journey south, Declan breathed in deeply, relieved beyond measure that his family was onboard and safe.

  Looking up to the stars in the sky, too numerous to count, for the first time in years Declan remembered something his dad had told him as a boy when visiting the lake house in summers gone by. Quoting Psalm 147, Verse 4, his Dad had said of God, “He determines the number of stars in the sky and calls them each by name.”

  Standing between the red and blue lights flashing below and the innumerable stars glistening above, the true number and names of which were known only to the God who had created them, Declan was at peace, for he knew with absolute certainty that he was anything but alone. The Lord was with him, and would deliver him safely back to Megan and the rest of his family. He didn’t know how, or when, but just as his dad had done before taking his final breath, Declan kissed his closed hand three times, made the sign of the cross, and headed into the darkness with his faith and trust in God alone.

  TO BE CONTINUED…

  About the Author

  BENJAMIN WESTBROOK lives in Missouri. His short story, Christmas, was published in December 2011 by Blank Slate Press in its online literary magazine, “On Tap”.

  Infringement is Benjamin's debut novel. His second novel, The Irony of Dreams, is slated for release in 2015.

  You can follow Benjamin on Twitter at @BKWestbrook and get more information at www.benjaminwestbrook.com