Paradox Valley

by Gerri Hill

  She was about to bolt out of the tent when she heard running outside. She held the rifle at the ready, planning to shoot anything that moved, man or snake. Two people, running fast, sped past the tent entrance. Running very fast. Running much too fast. She stepped out, firing several rounds in their direction. She heard, rather than saw them fall. She hurried over, seeing their dark shapes on the road. One was getting back up and she shot again. As before, she aimed for their midsections, getting off ten or twelve rounds before she made herself stop.

  She didn’t take the time to assess the damage. She went to a Hummer and leaned against it, trying to calm her breathing so she could hear. She could feel the perspiration on her face and she impatiently wiped it away, her eyes scanning the terrain around her. There was no movement, no sound.

  She crept around the Hummer to the driver’s side and opened the door. The interior light came on and she glanced beside the steering wheel, shocked that there were actually keys dangling from the ignition switch. Her eyes widened ever further when she saw a phone plugged into a charger.

  She got inside and quietly closed the door, then turned the key. It started immediately and she put it into gear, pulling out onto the road, running into the side of a Jeep in the process. She turned on the lights, then gasped as the shape of a man appeared in her line of sight, heading toward her. He was running fast, only ten or twenty yards away. She stomped on the gas pedal, holding tight to the wheel as she plowed into the man, sending him flying out in front of her. She held her breath as she ran over him, hearing—feeling—the back wheels as they crushed him.

  She looked in the mirror, seeing nothing but emptiness behind her. She finally took a breath, then sped on. She wanted to catch Dana before she crossed over into Utah. But knowing Dana…she would be waiting for her.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Dana’s heart jumped to life when she saw headlights down the road. She pointed.

  “There. That’s got to be her,” she said.

  “What if it’s not?” her mother asked.

  “It is.” She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she did. It was almost as if she could feel Corey. She started the car again and pulled to the side, leaving the lights on. But, just in case, she pulled her gun onto her lap as she waited. Just in case, she told herself.

  The dark Hummer slowed, then pulled to a stop beside her car. She waited for what seemed to be an eternity as the window on the passenger’s side lowered.

  “Got car trouble, ma’am?”

  She smiled with relief. “Well, I seem to be missing a passenger,” she said.

  When Corey got out of the Hummer, Dana opened her door and got out too. In the glow of the headlights, they stood watching each other. Dana wasn’t sure who moved first but she found herself in Corey’s arms, and she held on to her tightly.

  “You’re okay?” she whispered.

  “No worse for wear,” Corey said.

  They pulled apart, but Dana kept a hand on Corey’s arm. “Is it…is it over?”

  “I called General Brinkley. He already knew the checkpoint had been compromised. To quote him, they’re bringing in troops from all goddamn directions.”

  “What does that mean for us? For you?”

  Corey sighed wearily. “We’re going to my house. I’m running on fumes right now. I’ve got to report to Colonel Sutter first thing in the morning for a debriefing. Harry will be there too.”

  “But you won’t have to come back out here, right?”

  “No. I won’t have to come back.”

  Dana finally let her relief show, and she nearly cried from it. It was over. For them, this nightmare was over. She found herself in Corey’s arms again and she clung to her, the relief she felt so profound, so overwhelming, that it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Corey said. “We’ll take the Hummer. Leave your car. It’s shot to hell anyway.”

  Dana smiled when Corey and Lucky greeted each other. Lucky got a two-handed rub on his ears and Corey got a wet, sloppy kiss. But Lucky’s limp seemed more pronounced and she noticed the worried frown on Corey’s face as they took their packs from the trunk.

  “How’s your mother?” Corey asked.

  “She seems to be coming around. She no longer looks shell-shocked. She doesn’t understand what happened, though. I tried to explain. They both looked at me like I was crazy,” she said.

  “When they talk to Miss Jean and Butch, they’ll know it’s the truth,” Corey said. “They’ll need time to process it, just like we did.”

  Dana paused. “Did we? I don’t remember processing it. It just…well, it just happened and we went with it,” she said.

  “We didn’t have time to do anything else,” Corey reminded her. She reached down and rubbed Lucky’s head as the dog leaned against her. “He needs a vet.”

  “I can take him tomorrow,” Dana offered. “I imagine your debriefing will take several hours.”

  “If not most of the day,” Corey said.

  The drive into Utah was made mostly in silence, and Dana leaned back in the seat, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. It felt like it had been days since she’d slept. She didn’t know how Corey was still functioning. She sat up straighter, blinking several times, trying to stay awake. She turned in the seat, glancing into the back. Both her mother and Holly were looking out of their respective windows, saying nothing…and most likely seeing nothing. Lucky lay on the seat between them, his head resting in her mother’s lap. That made her smile. Her mother wasn’t fond of dogs, never had been. The last dog they’d had, James had brought home as a puppy when Dana was still young. But as soon as James had graduated high school and moved off, the dog had mysteriously disappeared.

  She looked over at Corey, who was staring straight ahead. As if sensing her watching, Corey turned, meeting her gaze in the soft glow of the dash lights.

  “Do you want me to drive?” she offered.

  Corey smiled. “You’re about to fall asleep.”

  Dana smiled too. “How can you tell?”

  “Your bobbing head gave you away.”

  “Yeah, well three something this morning was a long time ago,” she said around a yawn. “And speaking of sleeping, will there be room for everyone?”

  “There are two beds and a sofa,” Corey said. “We can draw straws for the floor.”

  “I vote Butch,” she said quickly. But that thought only reminded her that Butch would have to be told about his parents. She wasn’t looking forward to that. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed.

  As if reading her mind, Corey reached over and squeezed her hand, then let her fingers entwine with Dana’s. Dana’s own squeezed around them, and she covered their joined hands with her other one, holding Corey against her.

  What was going to happen now? How could she possibly go back to Seattle and leave her mother here alone to pick up the pieces? Would her mother even want to go back to the farm? If not, then what in the world would they do with it? And what about Butch? Would he go back to his parents’ house and work the farm on his own? She closed her eyes and sighed. And poor Holly…what would she do? Did she have siblings? And Miss Jean? She seemed so strong, but would she be able to come back? Or would her sons force her out, force her to live with one of them?

  A light squeeze on her fingers brought her eyes open again. She rolled her head, finding Corey watching her. She smiled slightly, nodding at Corey’s unasked question.

  Yes, she was okay. She had to be.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Unable to even think about sleeping, Jean sat in the rocking chair and pushed it into motion. She’d been pleasantly surprised to find one on the porch. Young people didn’t seem to appreciate rockers anymore. For her, there was nothing more relaxing. Why, after supper, she and Hal took to their rockers almost daily during the summer months. And they’d talk and tell stories, stories they’d each heard dozens and dozens of times already. But they still laughed at the tales as if it was the first
time they’d heard them.

  The sadness that had been hovering over her for days now seemed to be settling down as if it planned to stay a while. She had wondered when it would hit. Every time it reared its head, she would push it down. There hadn’t been time to wallow in sorrow, which was exactly what she’d wanted to do. She’d been too busy for that. She had the girls to take care of. And Butch.

  Now? Butch was lying down again, as he’d been doing for most of the day. But she’d kept herself occupied. As the captain had warned, the cupboards were practically bare. In the freezer, she’d found nothing but a steak and a lone chicken breast. She’d browned the chicken and served it over rice for breakfast, which Butch hadn’t seemed to mind. So while he rested, she’d taken the captain’s vehicle—and a credit card she’d found on her dresser—to the nearest grocery store. She’d bought enough food for a week, at least, but she didn’t think the captain would mind, even though she’d been shocked at the cost. Living on the farm, she was used to growing her own vegetables, used to the chickens providing them eggs, used to Hal providing them meat. It pained her to pay for a carton of eggs when she knew, back home on the farm, her chickens’ eggs were going to waste.

  But she wanted to have a meal prepared in case the girls made it back today. Butch had told her that it would be tomorrow, at the earliest. He told her it would take them most of today just to reach the farm. Regardless, Jean had made a beef stew that she’d simmered all afternoon. Come suppertime though, it was only she and Butch who enjoyed the meal.

  She clutched her hands together, her fingers worrying as they rubbed back and forth. Oh, she hoped Dana’s parents were okay. How awful would it be if the girls got there, only to find the house empty? Or worse. Lord, she hoped that wasn’t the case. Dana had been through enough already.

  With her toe, she pushed the rocker a little faster. The light had long left the sky, but it was a pleasant evening. And it was getting late, she assumed. Best she be thinking about bed instead of sitting out here worrying.

  Worrying never did anyone no good. That’s what her granny always said. What will be, will be, whether you liked it or not. She’d learned that plenty of times over the years.

  “Child, there’s no sense worrying over something you can’t control.”

  She smiled, amazed that she could still hear her granny’s voice in her mind after all this time. Her smile faded though. Those words of wisdom were never truer than they were now.

  So as she rocked the minutes away, she tried to push her worry aside, much as she tried to push her sorrow aside. It would do no good for Butch to come out and find her with tears in her eyes. No good at all.

  Instead of tears, she closed her eyes, picturing Hal’s face as she’d seen it hundreds of times, his blue eyes twinkling, his laugh lines pronounced as he smiled. She could almost hear his gentle compliment as she served him supper.

  “Looks real good, Jean.”

  Her rocker slowed as a tear escaped her eye, followed by another and then another. She couldn’t stop the flow, and she gave in to them, her heart breaking as silent sobs shook her. She wrapped her thin arms around herself, seeking comfort. It was a pitiful reminder that she was now all alone. There was no one to console her. Not ever again.

  * * *

  Corey slowed as she turned onto the road that would take her to the cabin she rented. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was quiet and it had been her solace in those dark days when she was recovering from her injuries…and the death of her team. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

  The front porch light was on, which startled her. She rarely used it. She assumed Jean and Butch, not being familiar with the area, would feel safer with it on.

  She nudged Dana, who was still holding her hand. She jerked her head up quickly.

  “We’re here,” she said quietly.

  Dana yawned. “Sorry. I fell asleep.”

  Corey glanced in the mirror, finding Holly asleep as well. Mrs. Ingram was awake, however, and she met her gaze in the mirror.

  Corey drove to the side of the cabin and stopped the Hummer. She opened the back door, holding her hand out to assist Dana’s mother, then she lifted Lucky off the seat. His tail wagged when she put him on the ground, and he limped off to the side, sniffing around a tree before lifting his leg.

  She slung her pack over her shoulder and handed Dana hers, then headed up to the steps. She was surprised to find Jean sitting in the old rocker.

  “Captain? Dana? Is that you?”

  “Miss Jean? What are you doing out here this late?” Dana asked as she walked over to Jean. The rocker creaked when Jean tried to get out of it, and Dana held her hand out, helping Jean up.

  “I couldn’t begin to think about sleep, worrying about you like I was,” Jean said. “Butch said not to expect you until tomorrow.” She looked behind them to where Mrs. Ingram and Holly stood, then she looked back at Dana.

  Without another word, Jean folded Dana in her arms and held her. Corey was shocked to see Dana’s shoulders shake as she cried. She looked away from them, glancing to Dana’s mother, who had tears in her own eyes.

  “I’ll…I’ll get Butch,” she said, not knowing what else to do.

  She found Butch on the sofa, asleep. She nudged his shoulder gently, seeing his eyes flutter open. He grinned when he recognized her.

  “You made it back,” he said sleepily, sitting up.

  “How’s the head?”

  “Lingering headache, that’s about it,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head. “Dana?”

  “Outside. They’re on the back porch.”

  He met her eyes. “My mom and dad?”

  She swallowed, then shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, Jesus,” he whispered, burying his face in his hands.

  “Dana’s dad…well, he didn’t make it,” she said quietly. “We went to your place, but it was empty.”

  He looked up. “Then maybe—”

  “There was blood. Signs of a struggle,” she said. “I’m so sorry.” She stepped back. “Dana’s mom and Holly are with us.”

  “Anna Gail?”

  “No. She was injured. She died. Richard was…well, he’s dead too.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  He stood up, then walked past her to the back door. She watched through the window as Holly flew into his arms. She then slid her glance to Dana, who was now holding her mother. Jean stood off to the side, one hand still resting on Dana’s shoulder.

  Corey sighed heavily, then closed her eyes for a second, wishing she had some words that would take away their pain.

  “Captain?”

  She opened her eyes, finding Jean standing in the doorway.

  “You…you want a bite to eat?”

  Corey smiled wearily at her. “You actually found something to cook here?”

  “Not exactly, no. But it wasn’t too hard to find a grocery store.”

  “Well, I’m past the point of hunger, I think. Besides, I’d probably fall asleep at the table.”

  Jean nodded as she came closer. It was only then that Corey noticed the puffiness of her eyes. She searched them, her expression gentling.

  “Are you okay, Miss Jean?” she asked quietly.

  “Oh, feeling sorry for myself is all,” she said dismissively. “I was missing my Hal.” She took Corey’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad you’re back safe and sound. I don’t imagine it was without incident. Lucky seems to be favoring his front leg.”

  Corey nodded, then looked outside to where Lucky was standing by the door. She patted her thigh, beckoning him inside. His tail wagged, and he limped over to her, sitting down beside her and leaning against her leg.

  “I’m not sure that we would have made it through all of this without him,” she said as she rubbed his head.

  “Dana’s daddy…I guess—”

  “He was like Hal,” Corey said. “We got there just in time. He was inside their house along with a soldier, Richard Filmore and Carl Mils
tead.”

  “Oh, my Lord. Carl Milstead? He made it all the way down to that part of Paradox Valley?”

  “We couldn’t find Butch’s parents or the aunt and uncle who were staying with them,” she said. “Their house was empty, signs of a struggle.”

  “Oh, poor Butch. I think the not knowing will be the hardest,” Jean said.

  Corey looked out through the window again to where the others were still standing outside. There were tears from all four, she could see that.

  “It’ll take them some time to get over this, I guess.” She turned to Jean. “You too, I imagine.”

  “Time heals, Captain. There’ll be good days and bad, I reckon. But it don’t matter much which one you’re having…the sun will still rise the next day. For us, life goes on.” She paused. “For now, at least.”

  Corey nodded, knowing all too well what she was trying to say. No matter what happens, whether you lose your family or you lose your team in a brutal attack, the world keeps on spinning, day after day after day.

  “Now, why don’t you go get cleaned up, Captain? Get yourself off to bed. I’ll tend to the others.”

  “Going to be kinda cramped sleeping,” she warned.

  “We’ll manage. Get some sleep. I’ll plan a big breakfast for in the morning.”

  Corey nodded. She took one last look out the window, then shuffled off toward her room. She wasn’t really surprised to hear Lucky hobbling after her.

  * * *

  Dana pushed open Corey’s bedroom door quietly, pausing before going inside. Lucky was on the rug beside the bed and he lifted his head to look at her, then relaxed again. She ran her fingers through her damp hair, then used the towel she carried to dry it a little more. Her clothes were filthy and she had no clean ones, but she simply couldn’t sleep without a shower. She’d been surprised to find a pair of cotton shorts, a T-shirt and undies folded neatly on the counter in the bathroom. Although it was only a thoughtful act on Corey’s part to leave the clothes, she still felt a little naughty as she slipped on Corey’s underwear.