The lights were attached to a small shed illuminating an array of oil drums, weathered pallets, and a van parked next to building. I started to pick myself up when I felt a wave of anxiety run through me. I couldn’t place it, but something told me the lights were more dangerous than what was in the woods. One of the first things you learn as an investigator is to trust your instincts. I fumbled for my pitiful flashlight, and clicked it off just as I spotted movement. You won’t survive very long if you don’t trust yourself.
It was difficult to make out details through the glare of the lights, but it looked like there was something moving between the building and the van. The shadows moved out in front of the van to reveal two men dressed in camouflage and carrying rifles. They were dressed like military, but the way they moved made me doubt the assessment. The shorter one took out a lighter and cupped the flame to light a cigarette. He offered the lighter to the other guy who lit his and tossed the lighter back.
“Why do you think she did it?” the shorter guy asked.
“No idea.” The other flicked his cigarette.
“She probably would’ve killed all of them if Dave hadn’t grabbed her.”
“They’re reporters, they deserve it.” He flicked his cigarette again. “Stupid tools.” He dropped the stub on the gravel and ground it out. Reporters? Veronica and I had used it as a cover to talk with the old man.
“What do you think the General will do to them?”
“I don’t know.” The guy sounded annoyed. “What does it matter to you?” He turned to glare at him.
“Well…” He took a drag on his cigarette. “It just, sort of seems like a waste to me. You know? I mean they might be useful.” The taller guy made a sound of disgust.
“What is it with you and brunettes?”
“Not that. I mean, could you imagine flipping them?” He flicked the cigarette butt out past me. “It could really pay off.”
“Shut it.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what we think. It’s up to the General.”
The back doors on the van opened and someone heavily stepped out. The two guys immediately straightened up. Heavy footfalls clomped toward the men and brought a very large man in a motorcycle jacket around the van. I froze in recognition.
“What are you two idgets flapping your traps about?” The big guy looked like the one that had jumped us outside of the tattoo parlor. In the light, I could make out that he was wearing enough scrapes and bruises to confirm that he had tangled with Alison.
“Nothing, Sarge,” the shorter guy answered.
The large biker sized up the two men. He was easily a foot taller than either of them and clearly made both of them nervous.
“Then grab the supplies and get them inside.” He jerked a thumb back at the shadows between the van and building. The two hurried away from him to their task as the biker smirked. He watched the men for a moment, when he paused. He looked out at the woods in my direction, and slowly walked to the tree-line. I was only a couple of feet away from him, but he was staring out into the forest behind me. He drew the same large-bore pistol that had been aimed at me last night, and cocked the hammer.
“Sarge,” one of the men called over to him. “Jimmy’s on the horn. He wants to know when you’ll be over to fix the 4-wheeler.”
The big biker let out a heavy sigh and un-cocked the pistol. He gave one last glance out into the forest, before walking back to the van. A door opened on the building and the men disappeared inside. I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t going to be shot at the moment, but it was still the most likely result. It sounded like the girls were grabbed and still alive. At least as far as Heckle and Jeckle knew.
I began to pick myself up when I glimpsed Jess dart through the open ground to the shadows at the side of the building. Where was she guiding me to? The worst thing to do at the moment would be to get closer to the men with guns. I felt a cold chill run through me, and caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. Something cracked out in the woods behind me. The feeling of being stalked like prey decided my course for me.
I stayed low as I scrambled out into the light and across the yard. I passed so close to the van that I could feel heat from the engine. The lights were too blinding to sort out where I could hide in the shadows beyond them.
“Here,” I heard her call from somewhere to my right. Her voice guided me to a spot near one of the windows. It was sheltered from the open yard by a stack of pallets and rusted burn barrels. I had few options. I could try to steal the van and providing I was fast enough, flee this madness. I could try to grab a radio and risk being caught by them. The best option was to avoid them altogether and follow the road, hopefully back to reality. I risked a glance in the window, and saw the big biker place his pistol on the table and pick up a hand radio. I could always try to grab a weapon. I placed my back to the wall, and closed my eyes to focus on the sounds of the men talking inside.
“Jimmy?” I heard him almost shout into the radio.
“He’s out at the garage.”
“Randal?” The biker started. “You can tell Jimmy, he can do his patrol on-foot.”
“But it’ll take too long,” the radio complained.
“I don’t care how long it takes.”
“But…”
“But what?” He raised his voice.
“It just seems like a waste of time.”
“A waste of time? You want to know about a waste of time?” He raised his voice again in anger. “A waste of time is having my men arrested, because he couldn’t pick a fight with a stupid reporter. A waste of time is having to rebuild five bikes because he couldn’t secure a perimeter. A waste of time is cleaning up his mess at the old man’s place.”
“Alright, alright,” the radio complained. “He can walk it.”
“You’re…” Something large crashed in the woods, stopping the conversation mid-sentence. Whatever hit out in the darkness was large enough to shake the ground. I risked another glance in the window and saw the three men frozen in place.
“Sarge?” The radio asked.
“Hold on.” He lowered the radio and something else heavy crashed in the forest. Through a gap in the pallets, I saw the men race out the door to the far side of the van. A glimpse of something light drew my attention to the open door.
Jess was waving at me frantically. She wanted me to come over and go inside. I watched the goons, and carefully moved from my hiding spot. They were still focused on the woods. I tried to walk around the debris without making a sound, but there is no accounting for chance. The shorter man looked over his shoulder and spotted me.
“Hey!” he shouted, drawing the attention of the other two.
“Grab him!”
I sprinted for the open door. Jess ducked inside just as I reached her. Behind me, I heard the sound of the men charging after me. I grabbed the door and slammed it shut, fumbling for the lock. The door shook as someone hit it. It shook again. I braced my shoulder against the door as I felt another impact. Something hit the door and popped the locks off the frame. The door took another hit that finished off the slide-bolt. Screws bounced across the floor somewhere behind me. I pushed against the door with all of my strength, but the next hit knocked the door open wide enough for someone to place a boot in the gap.
A hand grabbed the side of the door, and began to force me backwards. Something cracked outside, and it sounded like the winds were picking up. I heard the men shout before the winds rushed against the building. The boot moved out of gap and I was finally able to shut the door.
“Who’s out there?” The big guy called out.
“Hey!” I heard them shout in surprise as the winds raced around outside. The walls creaked under the pressure. I heard debris strike the side of the building. It was like I was in the middle of a tornado.
Just as suddenly as it had begun, the rattling at the door, and racing winds stopped to leave silence. I risked a glance around the room. Stacks of boxes lined the walls, a card table and four chairs were under the one hanging light-bulb. I listened for the goons, but I could only hear my own breathing. In a breath, I lunged for the pistol on the table and trained it on the door.
Nothing happened.
It took a couple of minutes to gather my senses enough to approach the door. I took a deep breath and quickly yanked it open. The yard was empty. No goons or monsters. There weren’t any signs of violence or what could’ve happened to them.
I gawked at the empty space where the van used to be. This night was not improving at all. I swept the sights of the pistol across the trees and carefully advanced into the yard. I stooped to examine the depressions in the ground where the van had parked. There were no indications of the van driving away. An odd shape caught my eye just inside the tree-line. It looked like a boot.
I could feel something outside the lights, something watching from the darkness. The boot was clearly meant to lead me away. I was not going to follow that course again. Something cracked out in the darkness, but a sharp whistle drew my attention in the opposite direction.
Jess was standing at the tree-line, and waving again. Another snap in the woods came closer, and the winds seemed to rise with it. I carefully backed away from the sounds toward Jessica. Something darted between the trees. I started jogging across the open ground. Whatever was darting between the trees, was avoiding coming out into the lights of the yard. If it wanted to follow me, its only choice was to come out in the open or give up.
I stopped at the tree-line next to Jess and tried to catch my breath. The winds kicked up and renewed my headache. It was nothing more than a hint of movement between the trees.
“Hurry.”
“Wait,” I coughed. She looked at me with concern. A peal of thunder cracked overhead with enough force to shake the ground. The storm was finally here.
“We can’t.” She nodded back across the yard. A bright flash and another crack of thunder caused the lights to wink out. The shadow slowly crossed into the yard. I trained the sights of the pistol on it. A quick flash of lightning revealed the thing had vanished again. Jess grabbed my arm. “Run.”