by Laura Scott
“A buck, see?” Duncan lifted his hand, pointing in the direction off to their right.
At first she didn’t see anything, then heard the sharp snap of a twig. She realized it was the same sound that had brought her awake.
A dark shadow moved and the light of the moon fell across the deer’s golden coat. He was an impressive animal with a large rack of antlers stretching up to the sky over his head. The animal sniffed the air for a moment, and she wondered if he’d smelled them because he abruptly turned and headed down the mountain.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
She felt him give a soft kiss to the top of her head. “Yes,” Duncan agreed.
A blush crept up her cheeks and she was glad it was still dark. She shifted slightly, hoping she wasn’t squashing him too badly. “What time is it?”
“About four thirty in the morning,” Duncan said softly. She really needed to figure out how he spoke so quietly. “In another hour, we’ll need to move.”
An hour. She closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep. It was no use.
Fifteen minutes later, Duncan led her back to the stream so they could drink again. It may have been her imagination, but she thought the area looked a little brighter. Dawn rose early, because the mountains didn’t block the sunrise from the east.
“Let me check your feet,” Duncan said when she finished drinking from the stream.
She pulled up the edge of her wedding dress, revealing her tattered ballet slippers barely held together by the strips they’d wrapped around them.
Duncan frowned with concern. “We need more strips from your gown.”
“Hiking boots would work, too,” she quipped trying to lighten things up.
He didn’t smile. “Maybe I should try to have you hide somewhere until I can get help.”
She reached out and grabbed his hand, her chest squeezing with fear. “Please don’t leave me, Duncan. I’ll be fine.”
Duncan didn’t look convinced. He pulled out the larger knife he’d taken from the assailant and went to work cutting away more of her gown. When he was finished, he wrapped the strips around her feet and up her calves, then back down again in a way that reminded her of the old gladiators. It seemed to work—the fabric added good support.
“Thank you.”
Duncan rocked back on his heels for a moment, regarding her thoughtfully. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then slowly stood and offered his hand. She took it, allowing him to help her to her feet.
Once again, he led the way through the forest, taking some sort of route that only a mouse would call a trail. She pushed the bobby pins back in her hair to keep the curls from falling into her eyes and concentrated on keeping pace with him, stepping where he did to avoid rocks and sticks.
Moving quietly seemed an impossible task and she had no idea how Duncan was managing it. Even when she followed in his exact footsteps, she made more noise than he did.
Was he right about other assailants being out there? Were they combing the side of the mountain, looking for them?
Lord, please keep us safe in Your care, amen.
The sun rose as they walked, brightening the area around them. Time had no meaning—without a watch or a phone she didn’t have a good way to know how long they’d been on the move.
But it felt like forever.
Duncan slowed and lifted a hand in warning. She froze, straining to listen. After a moment he turned toward her. “Need a break?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and gestured to the left. “There’s an outcropping of rock that way. Follow me.”
She nodded. After all, she’d been following him since this mess started, which seemed like a long time ago, but was really just over fourteen hours.
A lifetime.
They reached the rock slab five minutes later. She leaned against it for a moment, trailing her gaze over the area. It almost looked like a spot where someone would hike to in order to get a nice view. Even though they were tucked beneath the overhang, she could tell the rock was high enough that one might be able to see the entire valley below.
“We’ve come farther than I thought,” she said in amazement.
Duncan nodded. He pulled out his cell phone and lifted it up. “I’ve got one bar, but my battery is less than fifteen percent.”
She tried not to show her disappointment. “Probably because I used the flashlight app.”
“You saved our lives, no need to apologize for that.” Duncan punched in a number on the phone and listened. After a long moment, he grimaced. “Nothing. Even with one bar, I can’t get through.”
She shivered, realizing they were really on their own. She looked out over the landscape again, her gaze stumbling over what appeared to be a square corner.
A structure? She stared hard, trying to make it out. As dawn brightened, the corner became clearer and more evident. “Duncan, is that a cabin?”
His gaze sharpened. “Where?”
She lifted her hand, pointing toward the bit of brown that could be seen through the trees. “See the two pine trees that are taller than the others?”
“Yes.” He narrowed his gaze. “I see it now. You’re right, I think it’s a cabin. The square angle isn’t natural, but appears man-made.”
“I say we head in that direction.” Chelsey couldn’t hide her excitement. “Maybe there will be something in there we can use, or food to eat.”
“Maybe.” Duncan’s voice held a note of caution. “It’s a good idea to check it out.”
“Lead the way,” she said, feeling giddy with relief. A cabin meant a roof over their heads if nothing else.
Unless it was occupied.
No, she refused to go there. The cabin would be empty and provide them something to eat.
She refused to consider any other options.
* * *
Duncan had to give Chelsey credit for finding the cabin. Her eagle eye had caught something he’d missed. At the same time, he hoped she didn’t have high expectations of what they might find inside.
The place could be something that had been abandoned years ago, falling apart without anything useful left behind. Food and clothing would be great, but he was prepared for the worst. He was hungry, his stomach rumbling loud enough to be heard by the bad guys following them, and he knew Chelsey was hungry, too.
The cabin or whatever structure they found would be better than nothing, at least providing enough protection that they could start a small fire without being noticed. Food would come next. With the gun and knife he’d taken from the assailant, he had a decent chance of successfully hunting something for them to eat.
He headed out through the dense foliage, keeping his pace slow enough for Chelsey to follow him. The best thing about the cabin was that she might be able to remain safe there for a while. He was very concerned about her feet—any cut she sustained might become infected and that would hamper their ability to keep moving out of harm’s way.
He’d carry her if needed; it wouldn’t be the first time as he’d carried fellow soldiers far heavier than Chelsey out of Afghanistan. Yet moving quietly through the brush with her over his shoulders would be extremely difficult.
Duncan told himself not to borrow trouble, they were doing okay so far. The cabin looked to be roughly a hundred yards away drawing a straight line, which wasn’t at all how they’d be traveling.
Chelsey sucked in a harsh breath. He turned to look at her. “You okay?”
She grimaced and nodded. “Found another rock, that’s all.”
He hesitated, wondering if he should carry her now before she seriously injured herself. He judged the condition of the path between them and the cabin and decided they could keep walking.
Ducking beneath a low hanging branch, he heard another muffled groan at the exact same time a shot rang out. He twiste
d and threw himself over Chelsey.
“Are you hurt?” he asked anxiously. In his mind the gunfire had come after her groan, but he couldn’t be certain.
“Other than you being on top of me?” she whispered. “I’m fine.”
He eased his weight to the side so he wasn’t squashing her. Relief that she hadn’t been hit by a bullet made him a little light-headed, but he shook it off. “Come on, we need more cover.”
“Okay.”
He moved backward along the ground with agonizing slowness, hoping and praying Chelsey would be able to follow without giving away their location.
The bullet had come from a distance, likely the shooter using a rifle with a scope. Any rustling of leaves could potentially draw another shot.
They weren’t far from the base of a tree. With infinite sloth-like movements, he made his way to the tree, using the trunk as meager cover.
Chelsey joined him a minute later, and he was impressed by how well she’d been able to follow his example, slithering along the ground.
When he had her tucked behind his body, he found a rock, lifted it up and tossed it off in the direction from where they had been, watching as it ruffled the leaves on the trees before hitting the ground with a thud.
Instantly the crack of a rifle echoed around them.
Duncan blew out a breath. Okay, then. There was obviously a sniper out there, watching the area for any sign of them.
“What are we going to do?” Chelsey asked in a hoarse whisper.
It was a very good question, and he desperately needed to formulate a plan. The gun he’d taken off the assailant was of little use against a sniper sitting off in the distance using a high-powered rifle.
He stretched out his arm, snagged another rock and tossed it off in the opposite direction from where he’d thrown the first one. Again, another gunshot rang out.
Leaning over, he pressed his mouth near Chelsey’s ear. “I’m going to continue drawing their fire while you make your way to the cabin.”
“Me?” Her voice was laced with panic. “Alone?”
“Yes.” He glanced around their hiding area, wondering how many more rocks and pinecones he’d need to use so that she could get safely to the cabin.
To what he hoped and prayed was a cabin. And not a figment of their imagination.
“I can’t leave you here alone. I think we need to stick together.”
Normally he’d agree with her, but not under these circumstances. “Chelsey, you can’t stay here. Eventually they’ll figure out where we’re located.” He paused long enough to toss a pinecone. The resulting crack of the rifle came like clockwork, as if the sniper had every intention of sitting there and firing no matter how much ammunition he used.
Which meant the shooter had a significant amount on his person.
No rationing needed.
Chelsey picked up a rock and threw it, but it didn’t go very far. Another gunshot rang out, and Duncan put a hand on her head, keeping her down.
“The best way you can help me is to get to the cabin.” He couldn’t hide the pleading in his tone. “For me, Chelsey. You have to do this for me.”
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I know, but I’ll keep diverting their attention until you’re safe.”
“And then you’ll meet me there?”
“Yes.” He met her gaze with his. “I need you to trust me on this. Once you’re at the cabin, I can move quicker without worrying about your ability to follow me.”
A long minute passed before she reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.” He couldn’t hide his relief. “Here’s how we’re going to do this. The second I throw the rock, you’re going to move, but stay on your belly, crawling like we did in order to get here, okay?”
She drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”
“Each time I throw something, they’re going to shoot. That’s your cue to keep moving.”
“Got it.”
He hesitated, then added, “I want you to take my phone.”
Her gaze clouded with worry. “Why?”
“Just in case.” He didn’t want to worry her, but there was the slim possibility that they might eventually start shooting within the diameter of the moving trees.
It was what he’d do, if he was the one sitting in a tree with a rifle and a scope.
“In case what?” Her blue eyes were wide with apprehension.
He smiled reassuringly. “In case there’s better reception up there. You might be able to call the police to help get us out of this mess.”
“Oh, okay.” She relaxed. “That’s a good idea.”
He didn’t really think the police would be able to help them, but he would do anything to get Chelsey out of harm’s way. “Ready?”
She nodded and pushed up off the ground to her hands and knees.
When he lifted his arm to throw a rock, she began to crawl away in the general direction of the cabin. The rock landed and the gunshot immediately followed.
He glanced back in time to see Chelsey disappear beneath the brush.
Good. He let out a long breath and began reaching for more rocks and pinecones.
It wouldn’t be easy for Chelsey to cover a hundred yards crawling on her hands and knees. But he was determined to give her every opportunity to get to safety.
Even if that meant sacrificing himself.
FIVE
Chelsey flinched at every gunshot but didn’t let fear stop her. She continued to make progress. If she thought walking in makeshift shoes was difficult, crawling along the ground with her dress hiked up over her knees was far worse.
She ignored the pain in her hands, elbows and knees fully aware that Duncan was doing this for her. He’d given her his phone and was doing everything possible to protect her. It was only right that she did her fair share.
Crawl, pause, crawl, pause, crawl. In her mind, she found herself praying with each stretch of crawling.
Keep us safe, Lord, she chanted over and over again, seeking solace.
Glancing behind her, she tried to gauge how far she’d gone. There was no sign of Duncan, but that didn’t mean much. He was no doubt hiding in the brush.
She continued making her way in the general direction of the cabin, hoping and praying the place would offer better shelter.
Her dress snagged on just about everything around her. Bugs flew into her mouth, making her grimace, but she kept on moving. The dress and the bugs didn’t matter, survival did. And she told herself it could be worse. Rain or snow would make it impossible to crawl to safety.
The minutes stretched into ten, then twenty. She found herself wondering if she’d gotten off course. When she came upon a large tree, she slowly stood leaning on the tree and hiding herself as much as possible to check her progress.
She had veered a little off course, but not bad. The corner of the cabin was easier to see now. It was a brown wooden building with a black shingled roof. The structure looked to be in decent shape and a surge of excitement hit hard.
It was so close!
Staying upright, she made her way toward the cabin using trees and shrubs as cover. It was amazing how much faster she could go now that she was walking. Duncan’s phone was tucked into the bodice of her gown and she couldn’t wait to reach the cabin to see if she could pick up a signal.
As she reached the cabin, she slowed and strained to listen. She didn’t want to barge in on someone. Easing closer, she edged up to a window. A thick layer of dust made it difficult to see through, but the lower portion of the window was broken, so she peered inside.
The place appeared deserted. There were a few bare bones items of furniture, a rough table in the kitchen and a moldy-looking sofa. There may have been something in the bedroom, but she couldn’t tell from this angle.
It didn’t budge.
No! She tried again, using all of her strength against the warped door.
It opened, not a lot, but about a foot. Enough of an opening for her to slip through.
The interior was darker than she’d have liked thanks to the thick layer of dust covering the windows. The place smelled musty, and up close she could see that the sofa had been ravaged by mice and other small animals.
She moved gingerly through the small space. There was a kitchen and living area, with a single bedroom and what was once a bathroom. Her initial excitement at having an actual bathroom evaporated when she saw there was no water in the black toilet.
Yuck. She returned to the kitchen area, opening cupboards to see if there was anything to eat.
Her heart thumped wildly when she found a couple of cans of soup and beef stew. Gingerly picking up the cans, she looked for an expiration date.
They were good for another month. Next she searched for pots and pans, but found only a rusty frying pan.
Her hope deflated. Cans without something to cook the contents weren’t very helpful.
Moving toward the broken window, she looked outside. Still no gunfire. Was that good or bad? They hadn’t found Duncan and hurt him, had they?
She pulled his phone out and held it up, squinting in the dim light to see how many bars he had. Only one. She dialed 911 and listened.
Nothing. No ringing, no one answering on the other end.
Drawing a deep breath, she lowered the phone. Turning away from the window, she swept her gaze over the cabin. How long had it been abandoned? No way was anyone living here under these conditions.
The doorway to the bedroom hung ajar. The interior was darker than the rest of the cabin and she wondered why. As she moved toward it, she heard the sound of a twig snapping.