Danni’s head spun at the sound. Someone was screaming, either in pain or surprise. The high pitch of the voice, however, made it difficult to tell whether it was male or female.
It wasn’t far away, but the cries cut off quickly.
At first, she hoped one of the Lesterfields had stumbled into a trap she’d reset. There was just one problem with that; the scream had come from the opposite direction she expected.
Had they circled around her somehow? It was possible. But why bother? If they figured out how to get past her so as to cut her off, then they could have easily caught up to her by now. Also, she hadn’t moved any traps in that direction.
Was it an owl or some other animal? It was easy to misidentify some cries as a human voice, but her gut was telling her that wasn’t the case here.
Perhaps there were others out in the woods with her. But who? Was it a search party, or just some unlucky campers?
Danni was split. A part of her wanted to wait and see if the Lesterfields decided to chase after the source of the screams, then make a run for it. But she couldn’t get Sophie’s or Abigail’s faces out of her head, nor the utter horror of the place from where she’d just barely escaped.
If whoever was out there was male, they’d no doubt share the same fate as her friends, but for any women in the group ... what was waiting for them in these woods was worse than death.
That made up her mind. Much as she didn’t want to leave the hiding spot she’d taken refuge in, she couldn’t allow someone else to fall victim to these bastards.
However, before she could move, the decision was taken out of her hands as the sound of movement caught her attention. Branches cracked, followed by low voices. She couldn’t make out the words, but it was definitely someone speaking, and they were coming from the direction she’d escaped from.
A moment later, she caught sight of light coming through the trees.
There was no way to get to the newcomers and remain unseen by the Lesterfields. Whichever of their awful clan it was, they seemed to be moving at a good clip, perhaps mistaking the cry in the woods for hers and thinking their quarry was near.
Danni huddled down in the hollow of the rotted-out tree she’d found close to the bog, hoping the mud covering her was enough to make her invisible in the darkness.
She held onto Francis’s knife as she waited, the loaded shotgun also within reach. If they passed her by, she’d make her move. If not, she’d make certain her last stand was one they didn’t soon forget.
♦ ♦ ♦
“Hear that?” Ezekiel whispered. “Let’s go.”
The cry had come from somewhere up ahead. It hadn’t lasted long, but he was certain that Sarah had run afoul of one of their traps. The only question now was what condition they’d find her in. Alive was good, but dead would at least sate his family’s anger.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” he told Jonathan.
The mute signed back at Ezekiel. He indicated the snares ahead and signaled that perhaps they should slow down.
Ezekiel waved him off, though. “Watch your footing, boys, but stay sharp. She’s close, and we ain’t letting her get away this time. You all with me?”
There came nods and grunts of approval from all around.
He turned back to where Noah stood, his head up as if he were sniffing the air. “How about you?”
“Want Sssarah.”
“I think we all do,” Ezekiel replied, barely concealed glee in his voice. None of the others were questioning him. That was good. “We move fast. Anyone gets tripped up, they can catch up.”
Chuckles came from the clan members.
“Keep your weapons at the ready, but don’t shoot unless you have to. She ain’t getting out of this that easy.”
There came more assent, louder this time, but he held up a hand. He didn’t want them giving away their position prematurely if they didn’t have to.
“Save it for when we find her. We have proper mourning to do, but that don’t mean we can’t have a party right afterwards.”
Ezekiel heard Noah hiss from behind him, but turned and gave what he hoped was a reassuring glance back. Hopefully the boy had the brainpan to understand that he was just saying what was needed to motivate the rest.
They set out again, moving faster this time. Speed was more important now, in case Sarah had merely been caught in a snare. She was a clever girl. He doubted she’d be kept hanging around for long.
Even if it didn’t slow her down much, though, the odds were still heavily in their favor. These were his family’s woods. They’d grown up here, hunted here, lived here. Even he, with a house in Shilough, could find his way back home practically blindfolded if need be.
He stepped high, knowing there was a trip wire close by, then sidestepped past where a bear trap had been laid.
Off to either side he watched as his family members likewise moved quickly and with purpose, their muscle memory taking over where their eyes failed...
Then there came a hiss of anger from behind him, followed by a heavy thump. Ezekiel spun on his heels, careful not to lose his step, and shined his lantern back the way they’d come.
What in God’s name?
He wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or be angry, but somehow Noah had managed to step in a snare. He was too heavy to be pulled into the air, but it had dragged his feet out from beneath him. The others weren’t so generous. Hearty guffaws could be heard from all around him.
Ezekiel debated whether to go back and cut him down, but then remembered his words only moments earlier. Giving an order and then immediately countermanding it was likely to hurt the respect he was trying to instill for himself.
“Cut yourself loose and catch up,” Ezekiel ordered. “And be more careful. You should know this place better than any of us.” He turned without another word and followed the others. It was unlike Noah to be this sloppy. Of all the family, he’d been designated the protector of their lands. He should have been intimately familiar with every inch of these woods.
Ezekiel sighed and considered things. The boy was probably just over-excited by the prize which had been dangled in front of him.
But now he’d best get his head in the game. Perhaps this was just the motivation he needed to do that.
♦ ♦ ♦
“What the...”
Derek turned and silenced Julia with a quick glance. He held her gaze, hoping to impart that discipline was absolutely necessary in what they were doing.
After a few more seconds she nodded, then silently mouthed, “Sorry.”
The scream hadn’t lasted long. Whoever it had come from had either been smart enough to know to shut their trap ... or had been killed quickly.
Mitchell stepped up, keeping his light low. “Pretty sure that came from east of here,” he whispered.
Derek nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too. Close to where our base camp was.”
“Think it’s a coincidence?”
“Here, now? I doubt it.”
“You think those idiots were actually stupid enough to come into the woods after us?”
“Never discount the power of politics. I’m more interested in whether they stumbled over something, or whether something stumbled into them.”
They held position for a few more minutes, waiting to see if there came more cries, but all was quiet again.
“Do we go that way?” Arthur asked in a low voice before immediately shutting up again.
Derek thought hard about that. It was possible someone was in trouble, but it was also just as likely they’d walk right smack dab into the people who were probably looking for them. He didn’t think things would devolve into a gunfight, but he also wasn’t about to surrender either – not after coming this far, and not with the fate of his friends still unknown.
Their objective, the place they’d been ambushed, lay north of their current location. After that, it was up in the air. He was hoping to find tracks, anything to give them a clue as to where the Lesterfields might be holed up.
Of course, his team’s tracker was among the missing, which didn’t help matters. Fortunately, he and Mitch had done this long enough that they’d picked up a few things via osmosis.
“No,” he said after a few seconds of deliberation. “We have a mission to complete. We stick to that. If we don’t find anything, then we can go and see who else is traipsing out here with us. Now quiet down and keep your ears open. I mean it this time. No giving away our position unless we find someone we’re looking for.”
Left unsaid was the possibility of finding something that was looking for them instead.