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Miller held the gun on the fake Bigfoot. “Take off the mask.”
“But it’s my lucky Bigfoot mask ...”
“Leave him alone,” Mitch snapped.
“Shut up,” Katie snarled. She glanced up at Jean-René, catching the end of his smile. His attention returned to the scene in front of him. She shrugged. “What?”
“The Federal Agent told you to take off the mask. I suggest you do it,” Jean-René said. His thick accent added to the command.
“Aw, man.” Billy reached up and pulled it off.
“What is your name?”
“Don’t tell him!” Mitch snapped.
“Billy.” He swallowed hard, wringing the mask between his hands, looking down at his toes.
“Billy what?”
“Billy Birdsong,” he whined. “Billy Alex Birdsong, I live at 19 Mountain View Road, Seattle, Washington. My phone number is ...”
“That’s enough.” Jean-René glanced back at the rest of his party. All weapons were trained on Mitch. “How do you know this piece of garbage?” He looked at Mitch.
“He’s my cousin, Mitch.”
“Mitch what?”
“Sheesh, Billy!”
“Mitch-ell.” Billy was sobbing as he shuffled his feet. He twisted the mask between his hands.
“Keep going,” Jean-René encouraged him
“Mitchell Wayne Anderson. Please don’t shoot him. He’s my best friend,” Billy cried.
“Anyone got any handcuffs?” Pauline asked.
“I’ve got some zip ties,” Katie said, holstering her weapon. She went to find her knapsack.
Jean-René turned his attention back to Billy. “I won’t let them shoot him, Billy, as long as you both do what you’re told. Can you do that?”
“Yes, sir.” Jean-René realized he was the sort to be respectful of orders and probably did whatever he was told. Mitch probably told him what to do often. He probably wouldn’t even be here if Mitch hadn’t brought him.
“Okay,” Jean-René said. “Stick out your hands and let the agents do their job.”
“You’re not gonna take me to jail, are you?” He cried. “My momma will whoop me with her belt if I go to jail.”
“We just have to ask you some questions.” Katie came over and took the mask, watching him as he held out his hands and let her bind them. He cried pitifully.
“You didn’t tell me we were going to get in trouble, Mitch. I’m gonna tell your Daddy on you!”
Miller didn’t get the same docile response from Mitch. As the agent bent down to secure him, Mitch kicked him in the knee. He punched him in the stomach. It was pandemonium. Mitch bolted, tackling Derry. He knocked the gun out of his hand. Someone shouted, “Get him!” Mitch scrambled to his feet intent on escaping into the darkness. Jean-René ducked, feeling the wind rush past him as a much larger rock came from over his shoulder and clobbered Mitch in the back of the head. The man’s momentum carried him a few feet. He fell flat on his face.
“Jean-René, did you throw that?” Katie asked.
“I felt it come over my shoulder,” he raised his camera and saw the thermal figure of Lauren still standing in front of him. He turned the camera the direction the rock had come from. There was nothing there. It must have been Rowan, but why was he hiding? Only the thermal would have been able to see him in the dark.
Miller, angry and hurt, pounced on the unconscious Mitch. He got ahold of his hands. He had them zip-tied behind his back. “You got him this time?” Jean-René demanded to know.
“That jerk isn’t going anywhere!”
“You killed him.” Billy came over and dropped to his knees, sobbing over the unmoving form on the ground. “Mitch?”
“He’s not dead yet,” Miller said. “He’ll stay that way as long as he stays on the ground. Same goes for you. Don’t move. Don’t try anything.”
Convinced the situation was under control, Jean-René started towards Lauren. She stepped out from the shadows. Even in the dim light, he could see her face was black and blue. Her hair was a wreck. “Are you okay? Where have you been? Where’s Rowan? What happened to you?” He hugged her.
“I’m okay,” she said, catching her breath. “Those two numb-skulls left us in a dark cavern. Rowan’s hurt.”
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Rowan needs a doctor.”
“Where is he?” Jean-René looked around. The first rays of sun broke over Mt. St. Helens.
“He’s ...” she scanned the trees. Rowan staggered out of the tree line holding his injured side. “Rowan!” Lauren dashed toward him. She caught him, as he lurched forward. Jean-René caught his other arm, taking some of his weight from Lauren. A cry escaped the back of his throat all the same.
“Nice shot, man!”
“Shot of what?” Rowan’s eyes weren’t quite focused.
“You threw that rock, right?”
“What rock?”
“Never mind,” Jean-René said. “Come sit down before you fall down.”
“What happened to your tent?” Rowan paused at the sight of the fallen tree.
“I’m just glad I wasn’t in it.” They got Rowan settled. He groaned as he was lowered to sitting. Jean-René steadied him.
“Who’s that?” Rowan asked. He pointed at the guy in the Bigfoot costume.
“That’s who kidnapped us,” Lauren sneered. “That goon in the monkey suit is the one that broke my arm.”
“I’m sorry,” Billy sniffed, sitting down next to Mitch, still teary eyed. “It was a ... a ... a ... accident. I didn’t mean to.”
Jean-René looked up the hill as something caught his eye. He thought he saw something move, but after a moment, he decided it was nothing.
“Who triaged your injuries?” Katie asked, kneeling at Rowan’s knee.
“I did,” Lauren lied. “I think Rowan has some broken ribs. But I can’t tell if his lung is punctured. He’s breathing better than he was when we were in the cavern.”
“Your head is bleeding, Lauren!” Katie got up to grab the first aid kit.
“A rock must have hit me during the earthquake,” she said. She put her hand to her forehead. The knot on her head sure did hurt.
“What are these? Rabbit skins?” Derry examined the wrappings around Rowan’s chest as Katie returned with the first aid kit.
“I found them in the cave.” Lauren came up with a quick lie. “It was so dark, I couldn’t tell what they were. They seemed clean enough. I didn’t have anything else.”
“Where’s my shirt?” Rowan asked.
“Lost it in the dark,” Lauren lied. Katie knelt in front of her to tend to her injuries. “We need to get Rowan to a hospital.”
“When’s Bahati coming back with that damned helicopter?” Katie swore under her breath, but loud enough everyone heard it.
“I’m better,” Rowan grunted. “I just wanna lay down. I’m so sleepy.”
“Don’t do that,” Lauren said. “You need to stay awake.”
“I’ll see if I can radio out for help,” Derry said, glaring at the rousing Mitch. The injured man moaned on the ground. Suddenly, the ground shook again. Rowan yelped as he nearly fell off the tree trunk. Leaves and pine needles rained down around them.
“Look at the mountain,” Lauren tried to steady Rowan as she nodded over Jean-René’s shoulder.
Everyone turned. A plume of ash boiled from the top of the barren volcano. It billowed up into the atmosphere.
“What the ...” Lauren turned at a startled grunt from Miller, who’d been pushed to the ground by the fake Bigfoot. Billy scooped up his cousin and threw him over his shoulder. He made a dash for freedom in the middle of the chaos.
“Stop!” Derry yelled. He fired a shot over their heads, but the frightened man didn’t stop. He disappeared into a dense bank of trees. Miller took off after him.
“We have to get out of here,” Lauren said. The team hesitated, debating what to do. “Rowan can’t wait for him to come back.”
“Miller!”
“Let’s get to the clearing where the chopper can land. They know we’re here. They’ll come to evacuate us,” Katie said. “Miller will find us, if he can. If not, we’ll come back for him.”
Lauren took Rowan’s arm. “Lean on me, we have to move.”
“What about our stuff?”
“Emergency supplies. Only what you can carry,” Lauren ordered. The continued trembling waned and peaked intermittently. “If nothing happens, we’ll come back for it. If something does happen, well, it didn’t matter.”
Jean-René hesitated. When no one was looking, he picked up the backpack full of diamonds. He tucked it into his camera bag. “Hurry!” He rushed to catch up with Lauren, and gingerly took Rowan’s other arm.