Bandits (19 page)

Gabe winked his good eye at Daniel, and they sneaked through the deck lightly littered with Zukar who worked the ship. Gabe made the first attack by hitting the nearest Zukar in the gut with his pipe and then swiped down on the man’s neck as he fell to the ground. Gabe dropped and yanked the gun from the fallen man’s belt. Daniel tightened his belt in his hand and wrapped it tightly around the Zukar’s neck closest to him. With a twist and a crack at his victim’s neck, Daniel let him drop to the floor, and landed a back kick to another charging Zukar. Daniel went for the guns of their fallen victims and shot with precision through the Zukars that stood between them and the side of the ship.

“Arrrgh!” a large Zukar yelled as he aimed at Daniel.

Daniel shot him in the forehead before the Zukar’s hand squeezed the trigger. Faulk stepped in front of him and hit a charging Zukar in the head with a club
.
Jade fought alongside Faulk and kicked up to hit her attacker in the groin.

“Faulk, get them the hell off this ship!
NOW
!” Daniel called out.

“I’m trying!” Faulk ducked a blow from an attacker and pushed Nickel behind him.

They fought steadily, and Daniel picked up a knife du
r
ing the fight from his falling victim, then jabbed the Merwin-born Zukar in the gut. Two large Zukar flanked him, and he did a roundhouse kick to one in the face and threw his knife with prec
i
sion to land in the neck of the other.

“Nooo!” Jade yelled out.

Daniel felt a piercing in his chest when he heard her cry out. He turned and saw her capture. He surged toward her and e
l
bowed a Zukar that blocked his way. Faulk fought to get to her but was stabbed in the arm and then knocked out. Jade squirmed and fought to scratch at his eyes. Nickel grabbed the man’s knife to jab it into his leg, only to get backhanded and knocked out when his head hit the floor with a bounce.

Daniel charged at the Zukar who was punching Jade in the stomach. He heard Gabe’s growl as he followed. A huge iron grip yanked them back by the hair. Struggling against their large muscled captors, they both stopped abruptly. Handcuffs were snapped on their wrist, and a large, beefy arm of the guard behind them surrounded their necks.

Daniel felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water drenched his entire body when his stunned gaze landed on the leader of the vessel.

The surrounding Zukar nodded at their leader’s calm, purposeful stride, as his gaze never left Daniel’s. “I see you attempted to escape. I knew you two were from good stock. Too bad, that stock is about to die if I don’t get what I want,” Haden sneered. He turned to Gabe and motioned for the Zukar holding the others to take them away.

Daniel and Gabe’s struggle resumed with the removal of the others. However, their captors laughed at their attempts and held them firm.

“What the hell do you want?” Gabe demanded.

Haden walked over to Gabe and punched him in the face with such force that it knocked him out. Daniel spared a glance at Gabe before he spat in Haden’s face. Haden wiped the spittle from his face and took out his knife and stabbed Daniel in the leg.

“Ugh!” Daniel held back a roar at the pain as a grunt e
s
caped his lips.

“You always did have pride, but it won’t save you or your friends. The only thing that will save your sorry ass is leading me to your father’s stolen treasure. Remember the snatch job I told you about at Bry’s club? This is the snatch of a lifetime -your lifetime, and theirs.” Haden cut a glance at a comatose Gabe
.

Daniel’s leg throbbed with pain, along with all the other beaten parts of his body, but Haden’s betrayal hurt much deeper. He had always considered Haden family. Had forsaken his own father to follow Haden’s demands. Although he wasn’t as closely connected to him as he was to Bry, he respected Haden’s leade
r
ship, and even more so after his father and Bry stepped down from leading the EBRA. He flashed back to many seasons spent at Haden’s home with his wife and daughters. Since his father stopped taking on snatch jobs, his leisurely visits to Haden’s had ended because he’d taken on his own jobs as well as his father’s.

Resentment filled him. Daniel adjusted his stance and a
n
swered, “You’re the bastard that killed my father? You were like a brother to him. He trusted you! I’m going to kill you if it’s the last thing I …”

Daniel’s last words were cut off when Haden punched him in the stomach. Haden grabbed him by the hair. “Yes, I killed him, and I’m going to kill you if I don’t get what the hell I want. Don’t test me boy, I’ll start with your brother and make my way to the girl I know you’ve been eyeing. Give me the coordinates to the treasure and you’ll live another day,” Haden warned, his face tightened in hate.

Daniel took in a deep breath and thought
, Hell…I’m not giving him nothing
.
“I won’t give you the coordinates because I can’t, I don’t know them. My father taught us to get to the location by memory. I can lead you there if you promise to let us go once you get whatever the hell it is you want,” Daniel lied. He held his breath and his gaze hoping Haden would agree to the bargain.
I’m not stupid enough to believe you’re a man of your word. When I get you there, I’ll kill you.

Haden leered, “I’ll agree to it – for now. Go with Samsel and navigate us there.”

Daniel held back his look of relief. He didn’t want Haden to know how much he desired the agreement. It would give them another opportunity at life. The longer he could drag out Haden’s need of him they’d live. He held in a smile. The key from his father’s safe was the hidden seam of his vest, giving him one helluva bargaining tool.

Daniel steered the ship with ease. He let his mind escape as he gazed into the blue sea that would lead him to the treasure that started all of this. The images of his family and friends’ recapture sat bitter deep within his gut, and he tried not to sink further into despair. He slowly began to relax in spite of his troubled thoughts while navigating the blue sea. Ponderings over his inevitable death at the hand of Haden made him swa
l
low deeply and think of a way out of this mess his father had created for them.
Old man, I wish you were here for me to yell at, to fight with. Just here to tell me why you did it
.

He refused to go too quickly to their fate, and getting to the island his dad mentioned would make it harder for him to bargain for their lives. Haden would kill them once he’d gotten what he wanted. Daniel hesitated and his hand slipped from the wheel of the ship. He acted disoriented, as though he couldn’t recall the direction of the island that held the treasure and let the boat drift
.

At that moment of hesitation, he felt Haden’s presence behind him. Haden’s large hand wrapped itself around his neck. The cold bite of a knife stuck into the opposite side of his neck, nicking him, and blood dripped. He swallowed and then stood rigid, unforgiving. Grinding his teeth, he refused to allow Haden to intimidate him.

“Stop playing with me, I’m a man who gave up childish games decades ago. My patience is fatally gone. Don’t be like your father, weak and stupid. He and Bry have hidden things from me long enough. They kept this treasure hidden from me, and their loyalty to me was a mockery from the beginning. Killing you and Bry’s brats will be the best revenge. Don’t give me a reason to do it. Enjoy this temporary gift of life I allow you. I promise, it’ll be short,” Haden spat out, and pushed Daniel by the neck before releasing him.

Daniel heard him storm away, but didn’t move. He stood stiffly, and held back his desire to charge Haden for his goa
d
ing. He narrowed his eyes in resentment. His head shook in disbelief that he’d ever idolized the sadistic traitor. He let out an agitated breath and narrowed his eyes at the island that rose up ahead of him.

The
Island
of
Ash
was the place where his father hid this deadly treasure. It was filled with craters and simmering blac
k
ened mounds of soil on the surface that expelled sporadic streams of steam. The desire to kill Haden and burn him up in one of those sprays of heated steam filled Daniel’s thoughts.

“Pick up the pace,” the Zukar guarding Daniel yelled out before he hit him with the butt of his gun on his ear.

Daniel held back a wince of pain and stood rigid as his eyes closed briefly against the pain. His swollen face and lace
r
ated body already tortured with the dull ache of his injuries. He took a deep breath to erase thoughts of the pain as the
Island
of
Ash
came into view. Its black and gray mass appeared to rise out of the sea. Daniel easily steered toward it. His guard slapped him on the back.

“Finally, we’re here. You may live yet another hour, boy,” the guard said with a menacing whisper. Then he turned and bellowed for someone to get Haden.

Daniel pulled the large ship alongside the wooden dock next to the
Island
of
Ash
. The dock had seen better days. It was tattered with splintered wood scattered throughout.

He heard Haden approach. “You did well. You’re def
i
nitely my best trainee. Now, where the hell is the treasure located?” Haden demanded.

Daniel waited for Haden’s demands, knowing that to speak up too eagerly would give Haden reason to deny him. He held back his request that they all go on the island. Daniel shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. Each of us knows a piece of the puzzle. We don’t know the specifics except that it was located here. My father wanted us to work together to find it. I guess it was his final stab at bringing our families closer, you know.” Daniel lied with ease.

“Humph. He would do that, the bastard.” Haden turned and waved. “Thomas, bring up the others. We’re going on land.” He nodded to the guard. Leaning into Daniel he sneered, “You better not be jerking my chain boy, I’ll kill you where you stand if I find out you are.”

The guard roughly pushed Daniel forward then off the ship with a gun to his back.

BANDITS

About fifty of their captors came off the ship. Daniel saw Jade stumble, and he had to hold back the look of
scorching
to
r
ture
that filled him at the bruises on her face. He noticed the others didn’t appear much better off either. Daniel scanned the barren land of black and gray ash. The fetid order of the dead island made him gag, then cough as he forced his mind to adjust to the smell. Toxins in the air expelled by the spurts of poisonous gas made it hard for anything to survive on the island. His father knew it was the perfect place to hide a trea
s
ure, because no one would’ve ever thought to step foot here except his father.

Daniel was pushed forward sharply. He cleared his throat. “Haden. Uh, we have to work together to figure out where it is, or else we’ll just be wondering around.”

Haden eyed him warily. “Alright, but make it brief. Phil, give them a moment while we check our gear. Erlis, keep a gun on them.”

Daniel was pushed to where the others stood. The guards stood back from them at a distance, surrounding them with their guns pointed. Daniel moved closer, placed a hand on Jade’s shivering shoulder then nodded at Gabe. Daniel squeezed her shoulder and whispered, “It’s going to be alright. Trust me. I know a way out of this.” 

He motioned for them to come closer. “Gabe, you lead the way first. Lead them about a half a mile to the fourth steam hole. Faulk, you take us quarter mile to the sinkhole. Nickel and Gabe lead us to the underground cavern. Jade, Nickel, and me will lead them to the hidden box within the cave.”

Gabe gazed over his shoulder at the armed guards. “Hell, listen man. We can’t give them the treasure. Don’t open it when you get to it. My father said it’s dangerous. I’m going to snag one of the communication devices from the guards. I’ll tell my father where we are.”

Daniel turned to Gabe and answered in anger, “I’ll do what I need to do for all of us to live.” He ground out. “Even if it means giving up the treasure my father thought was worth risking our lives for. To me, it’s a curse. Besides, if Haden has his way, we’ll be dead before your dad could get here anyway.”

“Quit arguing. They’re starting to look over here,” Jade warned.

Faulk stood up straighter, nodded to Daniel, and said to the guard, “We’re ready.”
The guards grabbed Faulk and then pushed him forward.

Gabe stepped up and said, “Follow me. I think I reme
m
ber it’s this way.”

Daniel looked around the barren island of dead trees, gray skies, and rising steam while he stretched. He kept wal
k
ing and was pushed onward again. They came upon the final of several round holes in the ashen ground which sporadically spewed gust of heated steam several feet up into the air. Gabe came to a stop, and Faulk took over to lead the way.

Along the way, Nickel was pushed too hard and stu
m
bled several times to keep up. Daniel rumbled in frustration and gritted his teeth while he tried to hold his anxious anger in check. He saw the Zukar guarding Nickel knocking him down on purpose. Jade went to help him up, but Faulk beat her to it. Faulk pushed at the guard only to get a return blow to the cheek. Then another guard pushed Daniel ahead of the group. Daniel met Faulk’s gaze briefly, and he returned it with a look of thanks.

As they made their way down the darkened tunneled cave, Daniel prepared himself for what was to come. Daniel readied for the onslaught Haden would give when he realized the last puzzle that would release the pakeet was not revealed. Daniel wanted to release the ship his father had hidden as a getaway. In order to release it, the key would have to be used to open the box. He hoped his last bargaining tool would save their lives.

Their captors held up putty globes that flooded the dark, damp cave with light, and they trudged deeper within. Occ
a
sionally, one of the guards would squeeze the glowing claylike putty to get it to shine brighter as they went deeper within the cave. Daniel’s forehead began to sweat, and adrenaline pumped through his veins at the impending fight ahead of him. He glanced over at Gabe and Faulk to give them the signal that they were close.

“Hey, Jade and Nickel, let’s take the lead to the treasure,” Daniel spoke up so the guard would allow Nickel and Jade to walk with him. He spied Faulk and Gabe closely behind them.

“It’s this way,” Nickel responded, piping in to their d
e
ception. Giving Daniel a nod, Nickel squeezed Jade’s hand while they walked forward.

Jade cast a quick peek at Daniel for reassurance. “Uh, I think we’re supposed to turn at the split.” She walked forward with Nickel’s hand still in hers. She led them to the left of the fork in their path.

Daniel heard stumbling behind him. He looked and saw Gabe fall to the ground. “Get off me! Stand up before I crack your ass down to the ground again,” Daniel heard the guard behind him call out.

“Sorry, I just tripped over a rock,” Gabe answered.

Daniel held back a grin. He knew Gabe had found his target and snatched the communication device. Daniel yelled to draw attention from Gabe, “Over here!”  He started to walk quickly, anxious to give Gabe time to send a call for help.

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s the right location!” Gabe called out, and Daniel knew he had sent the message.

It still didn’t change Daniel’s decision that they had to find their own way to escape. He knew it would take too long for backup to come. Knowing Haden, they would all be dead by the time Bry’s men got there. Haden made it clear his desire to kill them just as much as he wanted the treasure. Daniel always knew that Haden was like the odd man out of the threesome kinship his father had with his childhood friends. Daniel never thought it would cause Haden to hate his father and Bry so deeply. Haden’s jealousy and hate had overpowered him to the point of murdering them and their families. Daniel bit his tongue in anger.
Sick ba
s
tard, I should’ve figured you were the killer.

Their brief walk down the last tunnel ended in a cave with several sinkholes of simmering steam scattered throug
h
out. Spurts of hot steam and moisture shot up into the air, and sprayed sp
o
radically from the sinkholes littering the floors. The air was st
i
fling, and sweat built on Daniel’s forehead. The guards allowed Daniel and the others a bit of freedom to roam the area in search of the treasure.

Haden reached out to grab Gabe by the neck and held him in place tightly. “Remember, a life, for the treasure, don’t play games with me. I’ll pick them off one by one if need be to get what I want.” His knife flashed a glint of light on the wall when Haden held it firmly to Gabe’s neck.

“I didn’t forget.” Daniel made sure Haden saw pain in his eyes. He wanted Haden to think the lost of Gabe would hurt him. Daniel was relieved that Gabe was the victim Haden chose first. He knew that out of them all, Gabe would survive. This would give him the time he needed to save the others. Gabe slightly bobbed his chin as he watched Daniel, and then lo
w
ered his eyes. The signal was made, Gabe would do what had to be done, and so would Daniel.

Daniel considered what was in the second journal. His f
a
ther mentioned dropping down in a hole to get to the hidden cavern where the ship was held. He had to get them there. Stopping abruptly, he was pushed forward by one of the guards. He scanned the dark cave, which was illuminated by the lights held by Haden’s men. Acrid scents of metallic burning filled his no
s
trils, and steam from all of the sinkholes sprouted upward at a rapid pace as if the island itself knew something big was about to happen. A few of them simmered down to a low, constant smoke, but the heat was becoming unbearable. He wiped the sweat from his nose and walked over to the center of the cave. Grabbing Nickel’s and Jade’s hands, he urged them along with him.

“I think it’s around here somewhere,” Daniel said, tur
n
ing around as though searching for some unseen clue.

“Uh, right here! Here,” Jade added and pointed to the ground.

“No, it’s here!” Nickel piped in.

“Find it! Time’s wasting!” Haden roared and cut across Gabe’s chest. Gabe grunted, but stared at Daniel and gave a slight nod. It was his signal, and Daniel knew it was time to reveal the location of the treasure so they could get to the ship.“It’s here... right here,” Daniel said loudly so the others would hear. Faulk and Gabe were pushed closer by their guards. The other fifty or so guards surrounded them with guns pointed.

Daniel kneeled down, dusted the ashen debris aside, and dug about a foot into the dirty residue of the floor of the cave. After a time of digging, Daniel’s hand stopped when it met with a metal object. As he touched it, the object started to glow and the ground around it vibrated. It was three feet wide, and the blue glowing top could be seen clearly within the residue surrounding it. Racking his mem
o
ry, he knew he had to press his fingerprints in an exact pattern in order to release the box from the ground. The picture his father drew in the second journal came to mind.

Sweat beaded his forehead with the realization of what he was about to unleash. He had to get away, with or without the treasure, their lives were more important. If all else failed, he’d sacrifice it all.

“Do it now!” Haden yelled.

“If I don’t do this, its booby trapped,” Daniel lied. He didn’t think his father had time to booby trap it. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it. From what he remembered of the journal, his father only wanted to hide it quickly.

Haden held up the journal Daniel had brought with him. “While you think on it, I’ll read this journal we took from you. Maybe, just maybe, more answers are here.”    

Daniel’s heart clinched in his chest. Fury rose, and for a moment, he almost lost control.

Nickel screamed and pulled away from Daniel to charge at Haden. “No! That’s my Dad’s!”  

Daniel held him firm, and Faulk blocked his way. “No. Help me out here,” Daniel demanded in a steady whispered.

Nickel reluctantly stopped his struggle, and bent down with a frown on his face to touch the glowing metal box encased in the ground of the cave. When Nickel’s hands joined with Daniel’s, the box hopped. Daniel jumped as its bluish glow got brighter. It turned slightly side-to-side while it broke free from the ground. Slowly, it lifted up into the air, and they let it go. Daniel got up as he watched it rise. It hovered at eye level with Daniel, right where he stood.

“Open it!” Haden roared at his guards. The guard named Erlis obediently charged forward to touch the box. Electricity shot out of it and threw his large form backwards. He landed with a
crack
to his neck, his lifeless body convulsing from the electrical charge. The others backed several feet away from Daniel and the box. Faulk’s guard stepped back, but kept a gun pointed at them.

“Leave it to your father to try to keep it safe for his sons.” Haden snorted. “You better have a way to open it, or your usefu
l
ness to me is over..., and we both know what that means,” Haden added and moved his knife to Gabe’s neck.

“I, uh, think I have a way to open it. Just give me a mi
n
ute to, uh, think. Okay?” Daniel asked. He cast a glance to Jade and mouthed without sound, “Follow me.”  Faulk replied with a wink. Jade’s head went down and slyly grabbed Nickel’s hand tighter.

Daniel tore at the hidden seam in his vest, and pulled out the golden key he had retrieved from his family’s trove. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the box.

The box moved slightly like it sensed Daniel’s hesitation. He breathed deeply and reached out to steady it.
Gabe better take my cue. I don’t know if this will work. If it doesn’t, we’re all dead.

“Hurry it up!” Haden yelled.

Perspiration dripped onto Daniel’s nose then over his eyes. He gulped before pushing away a wayward lock of hair on his forehead. Slowly, he slipped the illuminated golden key into the lock of the glowing box. The top of the box split in half, and a multi-colored glowing ball lifted out of the box. The box crashed to the floor of the cave, and the sound echoed throug
h
out the cavern. The pakeet rotated on an invisible axis and emitted a cool breeze, which caused Daniel’s hair to blow away from his face.

Haden threw Gabe aside and went to grab the pakeet. Daniel frowned remembering the warning his father gave him about the treasure. It warned that only he and Nickel should touch it or it could destroy Merwin forever. It could slowly kill Merwin, cell by cell, and it couldn’t be stopped.

Daniel didn’t have time to ponder the memory. He jumped up to stop Haden’s pursuit to the object. “No! You’ll set it off!” Daniel exclaimed. He missed and hit the floor
-
hard
. “Ugh!”

Haden’s finger touched the pakeet, and a burst of power broke free of it. Haden was thrown back. The finger he’d used to touch the pakeet was on fire. He hit it several times into the ground to put it out. A drip of blood slid from his lip. Swallo
w
ing, he looked up at the rising pakeet.