by Gerri Hill
“Yeah, well not if you keep killing them.”
CJ turned away from the window, retracing her steps into the woods. Ice and Billy were there, standing beside Paige.
“Two men inside. Chief Aims and Richard Barr. It’s a hostage situation. There appears to be at least one casualty.”
“Who?” Paige asked.
“I couldn’t tell,” she said. “Suzette and Becca were accounted for. Their hands were tied. They were on the floor.”
“Don?”
“No sign of him.”
“What about the two others? The robes?” Ice asked.
“From what I heard, they went back to Hoganville.” She looked at Paige. “Through the woods.”
“Okay. What’s the plan?”
“We haven’t had a plan yet. Why start now?”
“Howley said to wait,” Ice said.
“Wait on what? Is he going to call in a SWAT team? Or get some fancy hostage negotiator to fly out here? We’re in the middle of goddamn nowhere,” she reminded them.
“What do you want to do?” Paige asked.
“There are just the two. We can assume they’re both armed now. Aims is in charge. Richard wants to leave. Aims is the one throwing the hostage word around. There are four of us. Highly trained,” she said with a grin. “Surely we can take them.”
“At what risk to the hostages?” Billy asked.
“One of us needs to get inside,” Paige said. “Pretend we don’t know they’re there. Go on the pretense of looking for Suzette and Becca.”
“We have to assume that Aims knows about us,” CJ said. “Besides, you’re not exactly dressed like a teacher right now.”
“No, I like the idea,” Ice said. “It beats yours.”
“You don’t even know mine,” she said.
“That’s because you don’t have one.”
CJ looked at Paige. “How will it help us if you’re inside?”
“Let’s use it as a distraction,” she said. “I’ll go in the front door. They’ll want to grab me, frisk me. Ice just kicked our own back door in so we know how well the locks work. You come in through the kitchen.”
CJ shook her head. “It’s risky. They’ll be confused. They’ll start shooting.”
“Well, like you said, it’s only two of them.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Paige reached down where her thigh holster had been, missing the security of it. They’d debated on whether she should leave it on or not. In the end, they decided it was one less gun for Aims to get his hands on. She took a deep breath, then knocked several times in quick succession.
“Val? Ella? Are you there?” she asked loudly. “Suzette and Becca aren’t at home.” She knocked again before the door was flung open.
Chief Aims looked back at her, his weapon pointed at her face. She hoped she appeared sufficiently surprised.
“Chief Aims? What are you doing?”
“Get inside,” he said, slamming the door behind her. “Where’s your partner?”
“She’s next door. Avery’s been shot,” she said, glancing around, seeing the frightened eyes of Suzette and Becca. Valerie was in the corner, sobbing quietly. Ella was lying on the floor, blood pooling around her.
“I know who you are. Shut up,” he said, pushing her forcibly into the room.
Richard grabbed her, holding her tightly. She bit her lip, wanting nothing more than to disable him with a kick to the groin and a sharp blow to his neck. Instead, she played the game, waiting for the back door to be kicked in.
“Frisk her.”
“My pleasure,” Richard said.
She stood still as Richard’s hands roamed her body, under her breasts and between her legs. She locked gazes with Suzette, seeing confusion in her eyes.
“She’s unarmed.”
“On the floor with the others,” he said, motioning with his gun.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What do you think? Now shut up.”
“Where’s Don?” she asked.
Aims laughed. “The doc? Oh hell, they took him back. Mother Hogan doesn’t take kindly to disobedience.”
“No? Well, Ester Hogan is dead,” she said, seeing the surprise in his eyes.
“Dead? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I shot her. Belden’s dead too. They’re all dead. Mass suicide.”
“I said to shut up,” he yelled.
“It’s true. You’re all alone.”
Finally, the kitchen door burst open with a loud crash. A quick, fierce leg whip knocked Richard off his feet. She rolled to the side as gunfire sounded. Chief Aims dropped like a rock to the floor. Just like that, it was over. Richard lay flat, hands locked behind his head, mumbling incoherently as Billy roughly cuffed him.
CJ knelt down beside Ella, checking for a pulse. She shook her head at Paige’s silent question.
Paige went to Suzette and Becca, fumbling with the ropes. “Are you okay?”
“Who are you?” Suzette asked.
“FBI,” she said, averting her eyes. Now was not the time for questions. “Val? Are you okay?”
Valerie shook her head, lifting her gaze to look at Ella, then dropping her head again, fresh sobs coming.
“What happened?” CJ asked.
“We heard a gunshot,” Becca said as she rubbed her wrists. “Coming from your place. Suzette ran over, found Chief Aims standing over Director Avery. They took us over here.” She looked at Ella, tears running down her face. “He just shot her. No reason. He just shot her.” She turned her tears to Paige. “What’s going on?”
“This was an FBI investigation. Avery was an agent too.”
“Investigation of what?”
“Hoganville.”
“But why?”
“We can’t go into details,” CJ said. “There’s going to be a lot of agents around. There’s a lot to tie up. Can you take Val back to your place?”
“Is it safe?” Suzette asked.
“Yes. It’s safe now.”
“Wait,” Paige said. “The other two men...in robes. Where did they go?”
“They took the guy who was at your place. They just left.”
“Was he okay?”
“No. He was...he was crying. He was begging them to let him go. Who were they? They were all creepy like in those robes.”
“Yeah. They were from Hoganville,” Paige said.
Becca picked Valerie up, holding her as they walked out of the house. Suzette turned, glancing back at her.
“Fiona? Is she okay?”
Paige shook her head. “No. No, she’s gone.”
***
“Here. You talk to him,” Ice said, handing the phone to CJ. “He’s chewed my ass enough.”
CJ rubbed her eyes. “God, this has been a long day.” She took the phone, holding it to her ear with a heavy sigh. “Howley?”
“Since when do you no longer have to follow orders?”
“I made a decision in the field. I thought we could still do that,” she said.
“Do you know how many goddamn bodies we have over here?”
“Yeah, well, we have three over here. And one missing. There’s a trail between here and Hoganville. That’s where they took Don. If they made it that far, then they’re in the tunnels.”
“We haven’t found any tunnels. We’re still searching house-to-house,” he said.
“Who have you called in?”
“Locals. The teams from Dallas and Baton Rouge are on the way too. And I’ve got three forensic teams coming. After all that, it’s just a matter of time before we have hordes of media.”
“Yeah, well, that’s why you get paid the big bucks.” She glanced at Paige across the room. “We’re taking the trail through the woods. See if we can find Don. It’s a quick, thirty-minute hike.” She disconnected before he could say more, tossing the phone back to Ice. “Which of you two girlie boys want to go with us?”
***
“Will you kill
your goddamn light, Ice?” CJ whispered.
“Hell, it’s spooky out here. You can’t see shit.”
Paige admitted it was quite a bit darker than when they’d make this trip hours earlier. But having seen all they had this night, it didn’t seem quite as spooky to her.
“You do understand we don’t want to call attention to ourselves,” she said quietly. “And it’s not the men we’re worried about.”
“Yeah, it’s the big monster in the woods,” he said with a laugh. “You guys really believe that?”
The words had barely left his mouth when a tremendous roar sounded, followed by the primal scream they were used to. She and CJ both looked around them, searching for movement. Ice froze in place.
“What...the fuck...was that?”
“Yeah, just that big monster in the woods, baldy. No big deal.”
“I’m serious,” he said.
“So am I,” CJ said. “Come on.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Again, the scream sounded, nearly shaking the trees around them. He was hunting. Had he made a kill? It was then they heard another scream, this one quieter. This one human. She and CJ took off running along the trail, hearing Ice follow close behind.
They came upon the body so quickly, CJ literally stumbled across it, landing in a heap beneath a tree. The robe had been stripped off, his stomach and torso ripped open. CJ jumped to her feet, moving them all off of the trail.
“He’s not here. This is too close,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” Ice asked.
“The scream we just heard,” Paige explained. “This wasn’t it.”
Ice flashed his light along the body, his breath hissing out at the sight of the man’s guts spilled on the ground.
“What the hell did this?”
“I told you,” CJ said, “The big monster. And he’s pissed.”
“I can’t believe this,” Paige said. “We promised Fiona. We promised Don. For what? We haven’t protected either of them.”
“We’ve done the best we can,” CJ said. “We couldn’t have known about Aims. We couldn’t have known these two robes would have come looking for him.”
“So, we’re going back, right?” Ice said, looking over his shoulder. “I vote we go back.”
“Not back,” CJ said. “Not until we find Don.”
CJ headed down the trail and Paige took Ice’s arm, squeezing it tightly. “I’m scared too,” she whispered. “But turn your light off.”
“What kind of shit did you two get mixed up in?”
“It’s just a big blur right about now,” she said.
They hadn’t walked five minutes before another scream was heard, this one solely human. It was cut off with finality, followed by a loud, piercing scream that echoed through the forest.
“We’re close,” CJ whispered.
“We’re getting close to Hoganville too,” Paige said.
“This is some crazy shit,” Ice murmured.
Paige grasped CJ’s arm as the ground literally shook beneath them, the sound of running and tree limbs snapping all around them.
CJ pulled them off the trail, taking shelter on a slope amongst the roots of a giant tree. The woods seemed alive with sounds, night animals scurrying about while those slumbering were crudely awakened, birds taking flight into the dark skies.
“Oh my God,” Ice whispered. “Look at that,” he said, pointing to the base of the tree.
Neither CJ nor Paige was surprised. Paige suspected this trail was littered with human skulls. She held her breath; the running was closer now. She made out a shape along the trail, coming toward them.
CJ jumped out from behind the tree, grabbing him. He tried to scream, but she covered his mouth tightly.
“It’s us,” CJ said.
Don’s eyes widened, then relaxed in relief. He fell against her, then went to Paige. She held him tightly, bringing him closer to the tree.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s coming. It’s chasing me,” he gasped. “We need to get out of here.”
“I second that,” Ice said.
“We can’t outrun him,” CJ said. “We’ve got to hide. Everyone, stay still.”
The sound of running and limbs breaking peaked, and Paige felt herself shiver with fear. Then the sound faded, going past them.
“Where to?” Paige asked.
“How far are we from the stables?”
Don shook his head. “Ten minutes. But he’s too close. I don’t think we’d make it.”
“Well, we won’t make it back to the school,” CJ said. “No lights. We go slow.” She looked at Ice. “Hell, we have guns. Surely we can take him, right?”
“Who are you?” Don asked, looking at Ice.
“He’s with us,” Paige said.
“The helicopters?”
“Yes.”
“Fiona?”
Paige squeezed his hand and shook her head. “I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“So she went through with it then? She found the knife?”
“You knew?”
“Yes. She wasn’t going to survive giving birth. You must have known that.”
“Can we talk about this later?” CJ asked. “Let’s go.”
Paige again took the rear. She wasn’t afraid any longer. Safety in numbers, perhaps, but she didn’t fear being snatched up from behind. That, of course, didn’t prevent her from constantly glancing over her shoulder. The moon was no longer a factor, having sunk well below the tree line. That fact also led her to wonder if they were even still on the trail.
Don stopped suddenly, his head tilted. “He’s close,” he whispered.
CJ stopped and turned around slowly. “What should we do?”
“Don’t move.”
Paige reached out, grasping Don’s hand. He squeezed hers tightly, his eyes scanning the forest. She did the same. She could literally hear each breath they each took, could feel the nervousness among them. Through the trees she saw him, running on all fours. She tightened her grip on Don’s hand, her eyes following his progress. He stopped suddenly, standing up on his hind legs, his head lifting up, as if sniffing the air. She hardly dared to take a breath, so afraid he’d hear.
They all appeared to be of the same mind, each standing as statues, barely breathing. Her eyes found CJ’s, holding them as her heart pounded nervously in her chest. The creature moved again, passing by them, dodging trees as he again ran through the forest. Don was the first to break the silence.
“We should run now,” he said, his voice still quiet. “He’ll be back.”
“Let’s go.”
CJ again took the lead, using her flashlight to find the trail. They ran fast, jumping over limbs, their feet pounding the ground, not bothering to remain quiet. Paige stumbled, only to have Don grab her and pull her upright.
“Go ahead of me,” he said, pushing her.
She ran, following Ice, then nearly stumbled again as the loud, thundering roar sounded behind them.
“Run!” Don shouted, pushing her. “Run!”
They were close enough to see the houses of Hoganville, yet they were so far away. She ran blindly, following Ice and CJ, hoping Don was behind her. She could hear the creature gaining ground, could feel the vibrations as they ran. She expected at any moment to feel him grab her from behind.
“This way,” CJ shouted, ducking off the trail and heading to the stables.
Another angry roar sounded behind them, and Paige imagined she could feel his breath on her neck. She ran faster, nearly pushing Ice along, thankful to see the dark silhouette of the stables below them. CJ dropped down, stumbling on the hill, nearly rolling the last few feet. Ice grabbed her and picked her up in one motion. Paige turned behind her, seeing Don running with eyes wide with fright. Behind him, she glimpsed the creature, running again on all fours, trying to catch them. Paige turned, grasping Don’s hand.
“Over here,” CJ yelled, rounding the corner of the stable
s.
The door opened easily and they all fell inside. But he was behind them, a giant claw-like hand reaching inside. Ice and CJ pushed the door shut, trapping the claw against the side.
“To the tunnels,” CJ yelled. “Now!”
Paige and Don ran to the back wall, pulling open the trap door. Paige turned, seeing the door being forced open, Ice and CJ unable to hold it.
“Come on. Let’s go,” she yelled.
She nearly pushed Don down the stairs, waiting as Ice and CJ let the door go, running frantically to her. She jumped blindly down the rickety steps, out of the way as CJ and Ice followed. A maddening scream was heard behind them and the door to the tunnel was ripped from its hinges and tossed aside with ease.
They stumbled in the dark down the tunnel until they realized they weren’t being followed. Paige pulled out her flashlight. CJ and Ice did the same.
“He can’t fit,” CJ said. “The tunnel is too small.”
Ice let out a nervous laugh. “Okay. What the fuck was that?”
Paige sunk down against the wall, letting out a relieved breath. She felt Don do the same beside her.
“He only has one entry into the cave,” Don said quietly. “At least, that’s what we think. No one knows where it is though.”
Paige felt CJ sit down beside her and she leaned against her, relaxing, not caring that Ice was watching.
“This has been the longest damn day of my life.”
“Mine too, tiger.”
“Okay, not trying to interrupt anything, but shouldn’t we be getting the hell out of here?” Ice asked. “I’m not crazy about small spaces.”
CJ stood, holding out a hand to Paige. She took it, letting herself be pulled to her feet. She reached out to Don, returning the favor.
“That was close,” he said.
“No shit,” CJ murmured.
She retraced the route they’d taken earlier that evening, and soon they found themselves back in the chamber. The torches were still lit and burning brightly. Paige’s gaze went to the altar, seeing the blood where Fiona had perished. She looked beyond, expecting to see Ester Hogan’s body.
“CJ,” she said. “Ester is gone.”
They all walked over to the blood stained ground where she had been. There were no tracks. It was as if she had just disappeared.