“I could do it,” Jordan suggested. “I’m not much use anyway. Although, now that I’m looking at it, I’m not sure I could get up there in a hurry.”

  “I would, but I think I’m best positioned here where I can fire the first shot,” I said.

  “Sorry, but climbing is not my forte right now,” Haley muttered. “I’d rather stay on solid ground, please.”

  “I could do it,” Wesley offered.

  “If I’m honest, I think you’ll be of more use down here,” I said. “You’re tall and armed. It will be more intimidating to them.”

  “I guess that leaves me,” Tori said. “Um, I’m not really sure how to get up there, though.”

  “Maybe we could boost you up,” Wesley said.

  “Mmm,” Tori hummed, but she was clearly not impressed with the suggestion.

  “Um, I can do it,” Noah said.

  The eldest scout had stepped out of his hiding space in the treeline where the other boys remained and had clearly overheard our conversation.

  “Noah,” I said and looked toward the hiding spot. “You’re not supposed to be out here.”

  “Sweetheart, that’s not really a good idea,” Haley sighed. “It will still be dangerous, even if you’re up above the fight.”

  “But you said we all need to help, right, Scott?” the boy replied. “I can do it.”

  “Kid’s got a point,” Jordan sighed.

  “Jordan!” Haley snapped. “You can’t be serious. He’s twelve.”

  “Almost thirteen,” Noah added.

  “Sorry, Haley,” Jordan said. “But like Scott said, we’re going to need everyone who can fight down here. If one of us goes up, we’re basically down to three people because I’m not doing much other than spraying people in the face.”

  “Scott, he’s just a kid,” Haley argued as she turned to me. “We can’t send him up there. It’s too risky.”

  I nodded as I considered our options. The branch was the only real place we could hide a lookout, and even then, an adult might still be visible. The kids were the only ones who were small enough to stay hidden, and it would mean that we’d still have four adults on this side of the trail who could attack the men as they came through. There was still the question of a signal giving away our position, but maybe it wouldn’t matter. The men would be stuck between the rocks, and if they tried to back out, I’d just shoot them before they could scurry away.

  “I understand your worry, Haley,” I nodded. “I won’t force Noah to do anything without your okay. But he’d be just as safe up there as he would be in the treeline, and we’d still have five of us down here to fight.”

  Haley looked into Noah’s determined eyes, as her maternal instincts warred with the harsh reality of the situation.

  “But he’s …my baby… I can’t…” she muttered.

  “It’s your decision, Haley,” I said. “But you have to make it quick. They’ll be here soon.”

  “Shit,” Haley hissed as she brushed tears from her eyes.

  “Mom, that was another swear,” Noah said with a small smile.

  She let out a small, teary chuckle then knelt down and grabbed her son’s shoulders.

  “Are you sure?” she asked him.

  “I want to help.” the boy nodded.

  “Then you do everything that Scott tells you, okay?” she said. “I love you.”

  She planted a kiss on the boy’s forehead and then brought him in tight to her for a hug.

  “Love you, too, mom,” Noah said as they released each other, and then he looked at me. “I’m ready, Scott.”

  “Grab your emergency whistle,” I said. “Then, I’ll help you up.”

  Noah nodded, quickly retrieved the emergency whistle from his backpack, and clipped it onto his jacket.

  “Got it,” he said. “Now what?”

  “Now we get you topside,” I replied. “I’ll boost you up, and once you’re up there, make sure you find a spot under the leaves where you can see the trail but they can’t see you. You’ll have to stay still once you’re up there, at least until you have to blow the whistle.”

  “Okay,” he said and nodded.

  I led him to a spot where the rock sloped down just enough that he could easily scramble the rest of the way to the top. I saw him glance up at the rock for a moment, and then he glanced back at his mom.

  “Scott,” the young boy mumbled. “I’m scared. I thought I was brave enough, but now I don’t know.”

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” I said as I knelt in front of him. “But I will say this. You’re one of the bravest boys I know, but being brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s about facing it head-on. You’ve already shown so much courage over the last few days, and so maybe you’re not sure you have enough left to do this. That’s okay. It’s your choice, and I won’t think any less of you if you changed your mind.”

  “I want to help,” he mumbled as he looked up at the rock again.

  “You won’t be alone up there,” I said. “The rest of us will be right here. We won’t let anything bad happen to you. They’d have to go through me first, and your mom.”

  “Pshaw, I feel sorry for them,” Noah joked, although his voice still wavered.

  “Exactly,” I said and winked. “Look, if you do this, you’ll be helping to keep everyone safe, including your mom and your brother.”

  “Like a hero?” the boy asked as his shoulders pushed back slightly.

  “Like a hero,” I agreed. “A real hero.”

  “So what do I do again?” the boy asked.

  “Once I’ve boosted you up,” I repeated. “You lie down as flat as you can under the leaves on that branch. It’s big so it should cover you easily. Then, you’re going to keep an eye on the trail for three men. They’ll be easy to spot because they won’t look like regular hikers and they’ll probably be beating the bushes, literally.”

  “Why would they do that?” he asked.

  “They’re making sure we didn’t stop and hide somewhere,” I replied.

  “Oh,” he said and rolled his eyes.

  “Once the men are in sight, you give one small blow on the whistle,” I said. “A very small one. The wind is blowing this way so even if they hear it, they’ll think it’s just a bird or something. But that will be enough for us to prepare ourselves.”

  “Okay,” he said and nodded.

  “Now, once the last one enters the passage, I want you to give a sharper blow, like we practiced for emergencies,” I said. “After that, you just close your eyes and wait for the all-clear from me to come back down, okay?”

  “I think I got it,” he said.

  “I know you got it,” I said as I squeezed his shoulders.

  The boy glanced up at the tall rock once more then back at me.

  “One more thing,” I added.

  “What?” he asked.

  I reached down into the wet, claylike mud at our feet and picked up a small amount on two of my fingers. Then I brought it up and smeared it in straight lines across his cheekbones.

  “Warpaint,” I whispered as I gave him an encouraging wink. “To prove that you’re a strong and brave soldier.”

  Noah’s eyes widened, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  “Thanks, Scott,” he whispered.

  “Do you feel brave now?” I asked.

  “Hell yeah,” he grunted. “I’m a soldier.”

  “That’s the spirit,” I said. “I couldn’t be prouder. Now, I’m going to put my hands out like this. You use them as a step, and I’ll boost you up as high as I can. You might have to crawl the rest of the way to the top, but that’s why I chose this spot, okay?”

  “Okay,” Noah nodded.

  He took a deep breath and then placed one muddy boot into my interlaced fingers. Then it was my turn to take a deep breath as I lifted him over my head. He grabbed the edge of the rock and pulled himself over the top, and a moment later, he disappeared from view.

  “Remember, stay low and quiet,” I called up to him. “You’re our eyes, Noah.”

  A thumbs up shot out from the side of the branch and then disappeared again.

  As Noah settled into his lookout position, I turned my attention back to the rest of the group. I saw Haley glance nervously between me and the top of the rock, but she didn’t say anything.

  “He’ll be fine,” I told her. “And so will the others if we handle this right.”

  “Part of me knows that,” she replied. “But that doesn’t make it any easier.”

  “I know this is not what any of us expected when we set out on this trip,” I sighed.

  “From a night under the stars to Modern Warfare,” Jordan chuckled. “I’d call that the understatement of the year.”

  “At least we’re in this together,” Tori said. “Imagine if you’d been out here alone with Cam.”

  “We’d either be stuck in the car or dead,” Jordan replied. “I’m pretty sure Scott’s the only reason we’re still alive.”

  “Amen,” Wesley murmured.

  “Look, we’ve faced challenges before, and we’ve come through,” I said. “We’ll do it again.”

  “Damn right,” Tori said.

  “So here’s how this will work,” I said. “Jordan will hit them with the bear spray before they know he’s there. Their focus should be on me, so you’ll have a few seconds to hit them with everything you’ve got. Once they’re blinded and disoriented, I’ll shoot them as they come through the rocks.”

  “Do you have enough ammo?” Haley asked.

  “I have five bullets left,” I said. “I’m hoping that’s enough. But if I miss for whatever reason, then the rest of you should be ready to attack.”

  “Fucking hell,” Tori breathed as she got herself into position. “This is insane.”

  “This whole weekend has been insane,” Haley replied.

  “At least we’re close to the town now,” Jordan said. “Once we take care of this, we can rejoin the real world.”

  “Let’s hope it’s still there,” Wesley said.

  “That’s a problem we’ll deal with later,” I said as I took my position.

  The forest around us seemed to hold its breath as we waited. I could see the golden glow of the rising sun creep up the tree trunks around us and glisten off the rain-soaked leaves. It would’ve been quite beautiful, if it wasn’t about to be the scene of a shootout with angry meth dealers.

  The wind rustled through the forest’s leaves, and every rustle and crinkle made me jump. My blood was thrumming in my ears so hard that I wasn’t sure I would hear the whistle. Or maybe Noah had already blown the warning, and I’d somehow missed it.

  But no one appeared in the narrow passage between the rocks, and I started to wonder if the meth cooks had given up after all. And why not? If things were really as dire as they’d said, then the police probably weren’t interested in a meth lab at the moment. Besides, the smartest thing they could do would be to grab their product and head for the hills.

  I’d even started to relax a little when I heard a soft, quick chirp. It could have been a bird, but I knew it had come from a whistle. It seemed to cut through my nervous system like a blade, and I held my breath for a moment as I hoped against hope that it was a false alarm. But I knew Noah wouldn’t have blown that quick note unless he’d spotted something.

  “They’re coming,” I whispered to the group. “Get ready.”

  Chapter 13

  I tightened my grip on the revolver as my focus narrowed to the passage between the rocks. Another tense moment passed, and then another as I waited for the first man to appear. For a moment, I was back in the Navy and fighting to defend a barracks I’d just put up, but then a bird called nearby, and I was back in the mountains of North Carolina.

  “Be ready,” I whispered.

  Wesley shifted the makeshift club in his hands, and Jordan raised his first can of bear spray. Tori and Haley gave each other a small nod as they each took a deep breath.

  I heard hushed voices first, followed by the sound of boots crunching small twigs and squelching through the mud. The sounds stopped for a moment, just on the other side of the passage.

  “This isn’t worth it, man,” someone said, and I was sure it was the one who’d had his face in a Playboy magazine. “Whoever it was is probably gone. Are we just going to look for these bastards forever? I mean, seriously, it’s not like they can report us to the cops anyway.”

  I prayed that the others would agree and they would heed the wisdom of the group slacker. Even if it was just laziness on his part, the man had a good point, and I really hoped the other two would realize it.

  “Shut the fuck up, Shitface,” a voice that sounded like the greasy-haired man spat. “You’re the reason we’re out here.”

  “Why is this my fault?” the slacker whined.

  “I will not turn around empty-handed,” the gruff voice of the leader snarled. “And yeah, the police may not do anything now, but once the power’s back on, they’ll drive out to the farm for a look. Especially when these campers tell them how much shit we had in the barn. I worked my ass off to get this operation going, and I’m not moving it because some granola heads can’t keep their mouths shut.”

  “Maybe they will,” the slacker said.

  “I ain’t takin’ that chance, Shitface,” the gruff voice snarled.

  “Fuck, this looks like it’s going to be tight,” the greasy man said.

  “Just get going,” the leader huffed. “Go on, Shitface, what’re you waiting for? An invitation?”

  There was a scraping sound, and then someone grunted as they stepped into the space between the rocks. Another set of footsteps soon joined in, and then I heard the sharp blast from the whistle.

  “What the fuck was that?” one of the men asked.

  But the first man was already visible, and I saw that it was the slacker. He’d stopped for a second and glanced upward as he tried to figure out what the sound was, and that would be the last thing he ever saw.

  The whistle behind them was as good a distraction as I thought it would be, so I leveled my revolver at the meth head and squeezed my forefinger over the trigger. The crack of my shot rang through the air, and I watched the Playboy fan crumple to the floor. The shotgun he’d been carrying slipped to the ground as bright red blood painted the rocks where his head had been.

  Then everything happened so quickly.

  “What the fuck!” the greasy man behind him exclaimed. “Shit! Back up, back up!”

  I pointed the revolver at the second man’s terrified face, but he slipped on something and fell backwards just as I pulled the trigger. Another crack echoed off the rocks, but I heard the bullet ping off rock instead of flesh, and the greasy man yelped as he tried to scramble away.

  There were now only three shots left, and I cursed under my breath as I tried to line up the next shot.

  “Son of a…” the leader muttered and shoved the greasy man forward again.

  Greasy man stumbled into the clearing before I could fire again, and he blindly fired a shot from his rifle as he reached the patch of wild grass. The bullet cracked a tree trunk a few feet away, scattering sodden splinters everywhere.

  For a second, the world seemed to stop as the meth dealer and I looked at each other. I noticed how his greasy hair was slicked against his head and flicked out just below his chin. The grayish-purple bags under his eyes contrasted harshly against his pale, skeletal face, and when he opened his mouth to yell, I saw a handful of teeth on blackened gums.

  “You f-–” he began to spit at me as he started to swing the rifle around.

  But he was interrupted by a sudden torrent of bear spray to the face. The greasy-haired man staggered back, and his screams pierced the morning air as he pawed at his face. His second shot was another blind one that dug into a tree branch above him and caused a pine cone to drop to the ground. The man was a freakin’ disaster with a gun, and the only safe thing to do was put him down before he accidentally killed one of us.

  I fired again, but the man tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. My shot burrowed into the man’s shoulder instead of his chest, and he let out another howl of agony as blood blossomed on his tattered shirt.

  And now I had two shots left, and the third man was already moving.

  The leader managed to squeeze past his howling companion and dart out from between the rocks with his stubby fingers clutched around a shotgun. Jordan fumbled with a second can of bear spray, but seemed to struggle to remove the clip.

  “You’re fucking dead,” the man hissed at me.

  His bald head was shiny with sweat, and there was a scar that ran from his forehead to his cheek, no doubt the remnants of a knife fight. He was taller than the others, and larger too, and he carried himself like a man who knew how to fight.

  “You’re wrong,” Wesley growled as he swung the telescope. “You are.”

  The leader’s head snapped round as he realized that I wasn’t alone. He saw the telescope heading for his head and quickly dodged out of the way. He then brought the butt of the shotgun down hard against Wesley’s back.

  The heavy sound of crunching bone echoed through the clearing as Wesley went down with a cry of pain. Haley leaped to his side to help him, but the leader didn’t even glance at her. He’d recognized me as the real threat, and he quickly turned his attention back to me.

  At the same time, the greasy man tried to stagger back to his feet, but I saw Tori launch herself at him. She drove the blade toward him, but he grabbed her wrist and tried to wrestle it away from her.

  The big guy was still laser focused on me, and his response was a flick of his wrist as he steadied his shotgun.

  Instinct kicked in, and I dove to the side just as the leader pulled the trigger. The blast echoed through the forest, but the only damage to me was the ringing in my ears. I rolled to my feet then raised my revolver and fired back.

  The gunshot reverberated through the air, and time seemed to stop before the leader staggered and glanced down in surprise, only to see blood spurting from his torso. And then a feral rage twisted his features, and he somehow found the strength to lift the shotgun again.

 

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