Wilderness Pursuit

by Michelle Karl

  And then a man stepped out from the shelter of the trees, speaking into a handheld radio. Sam couldn’t hear what was being said, but the crackle-beep of a two-way voice communicator was unmistakable.

  “This is my fault,” Sam murmured. “I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I gave away our position.”

  Kara raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re taking blame now? Aren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t do that? I could have been more careful on the riverbank, I guess, if that’s the way you want to play it. I might have predicted the bank would crumble.”

  “I did warn you. But I could have been quicker.”

  “I could have not hung back while we were walking, because then you might have noticed I was getting too close to the edge and warned me earlier.”

  She held his gaze, and he had to admit he’d lost this round. “Point taken. We could both be better at this—at communicating with each other. But I’m also glad that you suggested we cross the river, because clearly they were getting close to finding us. I hate to say it, but your falling in the water might have been a good thing.”

  “And I might agree with you if I didn’t think it could go to your head.” He gaped at her, and she winked. His lips parted to ask her what she meant—and then he noticed the tiny, one-sided smile. She was trying to keep them from fighting, to keep the mood light and hopeful, because clearly they were still a long way from reaching safety.

  “I guess now we hang back and follow the river from behind the trees, and hope they don’t decide to cross.” A sigh welled up from deep inside, fueled by the resurgence of pain on his hand now that the poultice and bandage had been washed away. “It’s going to be a long day.”

  Kara’s eyes flicked to the Gaida Industries goon standing on the riverbank and back to Sam. “Look, all we have to do is stay ahead of the bad guys who want to kill us, try not to injure ourselves further and avoid getting caught. What else is new?”

  Nothing, Sam hoped. Because he had no idea how they’d possibly handle anything else.

  TWELVE

  Kara shivered as they picked through the forest on the other side of the river, staying close to the tree line but far enough back that anyone on the other bank would hopefully not be able to make out their shapes or movement in the deeper shadows. The downside was that it meant they weren’t walking in sunlight, so their clothes clung to them like wet rags. The upside was that she and Sam were speaking again without anger, though it seemed more out of necessity than anything else. She tried not to be surprised—after all, hadn’t she already accepted that forgiveness was not forthcoming?

  Every so often, she thought she heard the crackle of a radio, but no one splashed across the river. If anything, the forest seemed to grow quieter as the day grew longer. By the time the sun had passed the midpoint of the sky and begun to descend, the typical sounds of wildlife seemed absurdly quiet. As if they’d been chased away.

  She turned to Sam to mention it...and noticed his half-lidded eyes. His complexion had gone gray, and he’d begun to sway with each step as he cradled his injured hand against his chest. Her stomach dropped.

  “Sam? Talk to me.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth before responding, but he didn’t break stride. “You were right. It hurts. A lot. I’m not going to give up, Kara, but I’m honestly not sure how much farther I can make it.”

  “Well, I’m not about to leave you behind.”

  “We’re coming to the point where you may not have a choice.”

  “No, there’s always a choice. There are bears and wolves and who knows what else. It’s not safe for you to stay alone out here. Maybe we’ll stumble across another hunter’s cabin or a fire watchtower, someplace you can rest for a few hours—”

  The loud double-click of a slider being locked sounded behind them.

  “It’s not safe for anyone to be alone out here,” said a voice at their backs. “Least of all a couple of wanted felons. Put your hands up slowly, both of you.”

  Kara’s heart jumped into her throat, and she glanced sideways at Sam. He rolled his eyes heavenward as if seeking strength, then raised his hands. She followed suit.

  “We’re not felons,” Sam said, and Kara was amazed at the sudden authority in his voice. “I’m an RCMP officer and this is Kara Park, an archaeologist working outside of Fort Mason. We’re headed back there, and we don’t want any trouble.”

  “Back to Fort Mason? You’re an awful long way from civilization for a claim like that. I don’t see a pack on you or any supplies. Makes a person suspicious.”

  Kara tried to catch a glimpse of the stranger over her shoulder, but all she saw in her peripheral vision was the long end of a double-barreled shotgun. “Apparently we’re not the only ones a long way from civilization, if you’re up here, too.”

  “Never mind why I’m here.”

  Sam cleared his throat. “Do you have a working radio? If so, I can call the station in Fort Mason and confirm my identity.”

  The man grunted as if considering the suggestion. “We’ll see about that. Meanwhile, I suggest you two start walking.”

  “There’s honestly no need for the shotgun,” Kara said, trying to keep her voice calm and reassuring. “We’re not dangerous, but there are other people in these woods who are. That’s why we’re out here alone without any supplies.”

  “And that’s exactly what the warning we picked up said you’d say. Start moving.”

  Kara felt the edge of the barrel nudge her in the shoulder. She glanced at Sam, incredulous, but he only shrugged, sighed and started moving. He was in no condition to help her fight their way out of the situation, and the man behind them didn’t seem aggressive—rather, convinced that they were someone else. All Sam needed was a way to radio the station to prove their identity. Better to wait this out and see if they could draw out more information.

  In the meantime, they picked their way through the woods, following the man’s directions. What was he doing all alone in the middle of nowhere? When she tried to reengage him in conversation, she received silence in return.

  “Almost there,” he finally said. At the same time, a young woman and a young man emerged from the trees. One of them carried a camera similar to the model Kara had initially used to take dig site photos, and the other carried...she let her eyes trail down the object and did a double take. He held a fiberglass surveying tripod with a prism mounted to the top. Kara gaped as they approached.

  “Hang on. There are more of you up here? Are you doing a land survey?” Her confusion gave way to hope as surprise blossomed along the newcomers’ faces. They both looked to the man holding the rifle as if asking permission to answer her question. “What company are you from?”

  “Don’t say a word,” growled their captor. “We’ll let Anders deal with them when we arrive.”

  “My friend here needs medical assistance,” she said, ignoring the man’s orders to be quiet. “Look at his hand, it’s badly burned. If you have any painkillers or gauze or a person with medical experience where you’re staying, please help us. I’m begging you. We’re not felons or criminals, and we can prove it with one simple call, honest.” Kara caught the young woman’s eye. “Please.”

  She didn’t miss how the young woman’s gaze flicked over to Sam and down to his hand. Her lips parted in surprise, and she turned a furrowed brow on the man with the shotgun. “He’s actually injured, Bodie. Whether or not they’re telling the truth, this man needs help.”

  Bodie sighed, and from the corner of her eye, Kara saw the barrel of the shotgun lower ever so slightly. “Fine. But anything happens, this is on you.”

  “If that man gets an infection and dies,” the woman said, “that’s on you. Come on, folks. This way.”

  They picked up the pace and less than a minute later, Kara spotted movement through the trees. It looked like they were headed t
oward a clearing filled with people and small tents. As they drew closer, Kara made out a table, several lawn chairs and piles of surveying equipment. At least six other people in long cargo pants or denim and heavy jackets ran back and forth with clipboards, water, toolboxes and other implements, focused on their tasks.

  They couldn’t have found a better source of help if she’d dreamed it up herself.

  “Thank you, Lord,” she said under her breath.

  “What’s that?” Sam turned to her, his pallor ashen and sweat dotting his brow despite the coolness of the air.

  “They’ll have a first aid kit here,” she said, hoping to reassure him. “And at least several people with first aid training. I know what this is—they’ve got to be either a geological or biological seasonal survey team working up north for—”

  “Professor Park? Is that you?” As they broke through the tree line into the clearing, one of the people standing near a survey tripod about ten meters away had stopped to stare at them. The young black woman abandoned her post and started to jog toward Kara and Sam. “What on earth are you doing here? I’d heard you took a government contract up north, but...not this far north!”

  “Leah Anders!” Kara rushed to meet the woman, a former student, halfway. The woman wrapped her in a bear hug before Kara stepped back to stare with just as much incredulity. “It’s...well, it’s a long story, but before I tell it to you, my friend needs help. The palm of his hand is badly burned and he needs medical assistance, or at least some pain relief and fresh wrapping. I’ll even take broadleaf plantain if you know where it grows around here.”

  Leah gripped Kara’s hands and nodded. “Hold tight. I’ll get our first aid guy and then we’ll talk. But first, tell me honestly—are you two the people we’ve been hearing about through the radio all day?”

  Kara shook her head. “I have no idea. There are men after us—have you heard reports from the RCMP about a missing officer and civilian?”

  She raised both eyebrows. “Uh, not exactly. There’s been someone jamming all radio signals to spam the channels with a warning, though. Two people, a man and a woman, armed and dangerous and fleeing from the law. We’re to disengage or detain. Who else could that be but the two of you?”

  Kara narrowed her eyes. “If you suspect they’re talking about us, it wasn’t a smart move to run over here and hug me.”

  “Oh, please.” Leah shrugged. “I know you. Plus, I don’t see a weapon on either of you, and that man looks ready to fall over. Bodie, the guy who brought you in, is our resident security system, and he’d deal with you if we thought you were a threat.”

  “Trust me, it’s not us you should worry about. Sam needs help, and then I’ll tell you about what’s happening while we wait for the search teams to find us.”

  “But that’s just it. There’s no one coming from the RCMP to rescue you, Professor Park.” Leah’s brow creased with worry. “Everyone within broadcast range thinks you and that man you’re with are dangerous criminals.”

  * * *

  Sam glared at the other people in the small medical tent as a ruddy-faced gent who’d introduced himself as “Doc Douglas” cleaned and bandaged his hand. He felt a lot better now that he’d been offered fresh water, pain relievers and clean socks. But learning why they were approached at gunpoint outside the survey team’s work site made his head start pounding again.

  “You mean to tell me that someone from that company is jamming the radio signal so that only their message can get through? And they’re broadcasting on repeat that we’re dangerous, wanted criminals?”

  Leah, a stern-faced young woman whom Kara had introduced as a former student at the University of British Columbia and current project manager for this survey site, ran her fingers through her hair and tightened them around the ends. “I wish I was making this up. We thought the broadcast was coming from the police, that they were commandeering the airwaves up here to make sure the criminals were caught. It makes sense they’d want a few extra sets of eyes keeping a lookout. People are few and far between this far north, and it’d be all too easy for an escaped convict to up and disappear.”

  “Not as easy as you’d think,” Sam growled. “So if your radios are useless right now, how are you getting out of here? Do you have transportation?”

  “We have a scheduled helicopter pickup in another six days,” she said. “Supplies are flown in about once a week, and we got our latest shipment the day before the storm, just in case. We didn’t really get hit all the way up here, just a bit of extra rain, but we wanted to be prepared. Standard procedure even when the radios are working. If there’s an emergency, though, we’ll have to either deal with it or wait it out. Something like this has never happened before with the radios, so it’s never been an issue.”

  Sam had heard of hiking and camping enthusiasts who had the same approach—designated check-in times or places, but otherwise totally disconnected from the rest of the world while they vacationed. He vaguely recalled his brother Aaron leading a search team a few years back for a couple of backpackers who’d ventured into the wilderness on a hiking trip and gotten totally lost, having chosen to leave all technology behind—and they’d been terrible navigators, a recipe for disaster in these parts. “Guess that rules out making a call to Fort Mason.”

  “It does,” said Leah, “but that’s not your only option. You could stay here this week and work, and wait out the guys jamming the signal. Or we could give you directions to get back to Fort Mason. It’s at least a two-day hike, a solid twenty-five hours’ worth of walking. You’re looking at nearly a hundred and thirty kilometers of forest. We can offer a compass, some water and some food. Maybe an extra blanket, painkillers, that kind of thing. But at this point with your injury, I’d recommend staying put.”

  Sam glanced at Kara but couldn’t read her expression. She appeared to be contemplating their options, and he had to admit that the offer to stay at the survey site was tempting. “Kara? What are your thoughts?”

  She sighed and dropped her face into her hands. “I’d be willing to stay here, I really would. But I think you’re going to require more significant help to make sure that burn doesn’t become something worse, and I also don’t think it would be fair to this crew to potentially put them in danger.”

  “Us, in danger?” Bodie held up his rifle. “We’re armed. It’s for bears and wolves, but we’re armed. Got a few of these, and several of us are trained to use them.”

  Kara frowned. “And there are at least five guys from Gaida Industries searching for us, fully armed and lacking even an ounce of compassion. I don’t doubt you can all take care of yourselves, but at what cost? I won’t risk those men coming into camp and taking out their frustrations with us on this crew. You all have nothing to do with our situation. A shootout of several rifles against a pile of handguns is bound to get messy.”

  Sam eyed Bodie and the shotgun. “Please tell me you have permits for the guns.”

  Bodie smirked. “You going to report me, Officer? It’s registered and legal, promise.”

  With a sigh, Sam turned away and gritted his teeth. He agreed with Kara. On the other hand, if they could just find a way to send a message to his brothers, or to anyone listening, there’d be a rescue team on the way in no time. He had to assume there’d already be a search under way or in progress since he hadn’t been seen or heard from for several days—it was entirely possible that a team had already been dispatched to their last known location. That would be the trail heading to the dig site, and surely it’d be only a matter of time before his brothers found the old trailer and started asking questions—and for all he knew, the men at the trailer might be idiotic enough to try harming any RCMP officer who crossed their path.

  He and Kara were a far cry from the trailer now, though—or from the cabin blaze, for that matter. If only he had a way to get in touch, but if they took too long trying to figure it out, t
here would be bloodshed—more than just his and Kara’s—if the hired guns from Gaida Industries reached this site. And not a single drop was acceptable.

  “Show us how to get back to Fort Mason, and we’ll be on our way.” Sam locked eyes with Kara, who rose from her seat in surprise. “You know we can’t stick around. And I’ll be okay. Besides...it’s only a matter of time before our pursuers arrive. They were getting awfully close to us on the south side of the riverbank, so I suspect we have very little time to gather supplies and get out before the search leads them here.”

  Leah and Bodie jumped up from their seats, declaring they’d be back in five minutes with satchels of water, food and a map. As soon as everyone else had left the tent, Sam risked a glance at Kara. She looked about as discouraged as he’d felt a few hours ago.

  She must have sensed his eyes on her, because she raised her head and offered up a lopsided, insincere smile. His heart quivered inside his chest.

  “And here I’d been so excited to find another working team up north,” she said. “I should have figured that might be a possibility, but this place is so remote, we’d have only found them by accident or if we knew their specific coordinates. I wish we could stay and rest. I’m concerned about your injury.”

  He waved his bandaged hand. “I’m feeling a lot better now, honest. And I wish we could stick around, too. Who knows, the signal jamming might not last. Surely the RCMP will figure out or receive word that it’s happening and find a way to break through—it’s far too dangerous not to have radio communication in these woods. I know people do it, but it’s incredibly unsafe. But on the other hand...”

  “Risking the lives of these people is unfair and foolish. And that’s exactly what we’d be doing by sticking around.” She stood and Sam joined her, and without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She stiffened...and then relaxed, laying her head against his shoulder. She sighed, melting against him. Sam’s throat tightened. “I’m trying to be strong, Sam. For both of us. But I’m scared.”