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CHAPTER 19
Only one word could accurately describe the ambience of the cabin. Dank. It was almost dark, and the shadows from the few pieces of furniture present only lent to the somber mood which prevailed. Tom positioned them all in one corner of the cabin, the furthest from the door. Sarah was positioned between Brenda and Fudge.
Tom raised his finger to his lips, gesturing for them to remain silent. He then kneeled in front of them and began to whisper.
"Okay, here's the plan. There can't be ANY deviations, if we're to have a chance to see the sun rise, do you understand me?"
His eyes went down the line of the women, and he even recieved a little recognition from Sarah. It wasn't a nod, but at least there was eye contact with him, and he took this as a positive sign.
"Okay, some rules. First and foremost, be as silent as humanly possible, and NO lights. If you must speak, whisper. If we've been able to make it here without being seen, he may not suspect that we're here. Second, don't leave the position you're now in for any reason, unless I tell you to. Hopefully, you've all been able to take care of any urinary or bowel needs that you'll have. But if not, crawl over to another corner, and relieve yourself as quietly as possible. I realize that it's difficult to consider this, but it's not safe to go outside for any reason. Are you with me, so far?"
Having received assent from Brenda and Fudge, he continued, " O.k., I'm going to be outside on the ridge tonight. Fudge, I'm taking your pistol. Brenda, you hold onto the rifle. I've loaded it for you. Please try to stay awake. You may be the last line of defense. If anyone comes through that door without an invitation, I suggest that you make every effort to ensure that a corpse drops onto the cabin floor. If one shot drops him, shoot him again a couple of times to make sure. Remember, that's what he intends to do, if we give him the chance. Brenda, whatever relationship you had with your husband is now something from a past life. Can you do this?"
Brenda gave him a thumbs-up sign and a weak smirk. He patted her hand.
"Atta girl... make me proud. If all goes well, I'll be back in the morning with help. If not, well, it could be sooner. Either way, remember what I said. No one comes in but me... Put the chair against the door when I leave. Any questions?"
The Walking Man helped Brenda to her feet, and tiptoed silently over to the straight-back chair sitting by the bed. He picked it up and placed it by the front door, gesturing to Brenda, showing her how to properly place it against the door.
She walked stealthily to a spot immediately in front of him, took his hands and held them to her chest.
"Thank you for giving us a chance. No one else in the whole world could have given us this gift. I want you to know that I'll never forget you, no matter what happens."
Tom squeezed her hands a little, nodded his head shyly, and said, " I'll tell you what, if we're alive in the morning, maybe I'll give you the opportunity to tell me that again."
Before she could respond, he turned and walked out into the uncertainty of evening on the mountain.
CHAPTER 20
The darkness was a comfort, no doubt about it. It had been a long, arduous day. Of course, it hadn't been without it's highlights, and the best was still to come. Luther was perched high in an abandoned hunter's stand. It had been ideally located for spotting game, he was sure. The entire ridge was visible from here, and since night had fallen, he would remain unseen. He scanned the area in front of him with his night-vision binoculars. Where are you, he thought to himself, come to papa. This was going to be too easy. He knew that whoever Brenda's white knight was, he probably wouldn't risk any movement with three women at night. He'd have them holed up somewhere, and he would rely on his local knowledge, hoping that Luther would make a mistake. Well, come on in, asshole, I'm going to give you a lesson in minding your own business.
As he sat the binoculars down, he thought about his aching side briefly. Tomorrow, he would definitely have to go see Doc Turner, right after he called Kevin Broward, the sheriff of Essex County. Kevin and Luther had shot against each other in the Skeet Championships two years ago. Kevin would be needed to come up to Diamondback Ridge and collect the four bodies that Luther had been led to. He hadn't gotten there in time to save his wife, mother-in-law and best friend's wife, but he had been able to bring down the killer, murdering scum that he was. Doesn't have any identification on him, maybe we'll have to call the FBI.
Then Luther smiled broadly and thought, maybe I'll call him off the case there in Pikesville, where that smart-ass waitress went and got herself sliced up. Yea, this was going to work out after all. Now, all he had to do was find the dude.
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The next hour or so was uneventful and Luther was starting to get impatient. The waiting seemed to be interminable. Maybe they weren't even up here. Had he made a mistake? His legs were starting to cramp up. He decided to scan the mountain one more time, then he might have to re-think his options. Suddenly, the white blip in the binoculars was unmistakable! There was someone or something moving on the opposite ridge.
He watched closely now, and the form was definitely bipedal. Luther realized that now was his chance. He picked up the sniper rifle at his side, chambered a round, locked the bolt into place, and placed his cheek on his spot-weld on the stock. Keeping both eyes open, he once again located the moving form in the sight, and locked the laser beam onto the torso.
As Luther squeezed the trigger, the explosion of the projectile leaving the bore stunned him. He had forgotten to put the silencer on! Damn! There was now no time to waste. Quickly, he once again scanned the target with his binoculars, and saw that it was not moving. Taking his rifle by its sling, he hoisted it onto his shoulder, climbed back down out of the tree, and began to walk across the ravine and onto Diamondback Ridge.
Even the moonlight was cooperating. The path was illuminated in front of him, and in a few minutes, the largest obstacle to his freedom would be eliminated. There ought to be a law, he smirked, this is just too easy.
CHAPTER 21
The form was not moving, lying face down on the path. Luther saw no harm in shining the light, now, he had just taken care of the biggest of his problems. With the butt of his rifle, he nudged the body of the large man, noting that he was wearing a dark blue velveteen jacket. Across the back of the jacket, in bright yellow letters was F B I What the hell was-? Dropping to one knee, he put his hands on one shoulder and turned the body over. The beam of his flashlight moved to the inside pocket of the coat.
Moving the lapel aside, he removed the leather wallet, flipped it open, and read 'August M. Mayer, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation'. What the Hell was a Federal agent doing up here? Oh, this wasn't good... this wasn't good at all. His mind raced, in a feverish attempt to determine what he should do now. There was no time! Luther snapped the light off quickly and walked off the path. He had to think.
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