You Only Die Twice - By Christopher Smith Page 0,42
They killed a hunter today and sent him to hell. What if this wasn’t Dunning’s shelter? What if she wasn’t in it?
What if someone else was?
“Ted,” he whispered.
Ted turned.
Kenneth put a finger to his lips and motioned for him to pull back. But Ted looked bewildered at the suggestion and shrugged at him. Kenneth shook his head hard and pointed a finger at his feet, indicating that Ted should recede and come to his side.
Reluctantly, he did.
“What?”
“Back up. Over here, behind these trees. Go easy.”
They walked as quietly as they could away from the shelter. When they thought they were at a distance where their whispering couldn’t be heard, Ted said, “What’s the problem?”
“Dunning had nothing to do with building that shelter. It’s too sophisticated. She didn’t have time to build something like that.”
“Obviously. She’s just using it.”
“How do we know she’s using it?”
Ted stared at him.
“We don’t,” Kenneth said. “Anyone could be in there. We’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’re not thinking. When we first saw the shelter, we couldn’t see what it looked like up close. Now we can. Now we know she didn’t build it. Now we need to consider the fact that she might not be in it. It could be someone else.”
“Like who?”
“You killed four hunters today, Ted. It’s hunting season. There could be a hunter in there. Listening. Thinking that what he’s got outside are a couple of deer. Or that moose you ran from today. Look over there. Whoever is in there was sitting up a moment ago. Now, they’re lying down. On their stomach? With a rifle? The problem is that we don’t know who is in there or what they are doing. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
A look of concern crossed Ted’s face. “We have to find her,” he said. “We can’t let her get out alive. You know that. If that’s not her in there, our chances of finding her dwindle.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Wrong. I do, especially since they’ve got a composite of your face, they’re blasting it on television, it will be in tomorrow’s newspapers. Right now, we know the police are searching for you.”
“God will protect us.”
“God might be sending us a message.”
“About what?”
“To get out while we can.”
“Are you serious? God led us to her. He doesn’t make mistakes. He will help us find her. Have you lost your faith?”
It was like an affront. “Of course, I haven’t.”
“You called me on mine earlier, so stop acting as if you have. It might be her in that shelter or it could be someone else. Maybe a hunter with a rifle. My point in bringing you back here is that we need to be ready for either situation. We can’t just assume it’s her.”
“Fine.”
“Whoever is in there is moving again.”
Ted turned around. The orange blob was at a right angle again, as if it was sitting upright. Listening. “I can take out whoever it is from here,” he said. He lifted his Glock and pressed gently on the trigger. The laser beam that shot out of it connected with the heart of the heat source they could see through their goggles. “What do you want me to do, Kenneth?”
“You sure you got a clean shot?”
“I am.”
“If that’s not her, she won’t hear it unless she’s close by―your gun has a silencer. But you need to make sure you can do this. If that is a hunter in there, they will shoot back.”
“Then step behind a tree if you’re worried.”
“I didn’t say I was worried. I’m giving you advice.”
Ted started to walk forward, low and steady, his gun poised in front of him with both hands, the laser a clean line of red carving the distance between him and the structure. The obvious risk? Anyone could see the beam without infrared goggles. “I got this,” he said.
When he was twenty feet away, the orange blob appeared to stand.
Kenneth felt a start. Now, the shape was more clearly defined. Its broad shoulders and thick waist suggested that it wasn’t a woman, but a man. A hunter. Probably spending the night so he could get a quiet, early start to the morning.
Ted froze.
A whistle came softly from the shelter. Was it the man’s way of communicating with them? Were they supposed to whistle back? Is this what hunters did? Kenneth knew they had to buy time and this might be a way to do so. He listened to the voice of his inner calling and felt the best way