The Wildman (29 page)

Soundlessly, Jeff turned and ran off into the woods just as Ben rounded the turn in the trail. A single shot rang out, but the bullet whizzed by harmlessly and ripped into the woods.

Moving fast and silently, Jeff went deeper into the woods, feeling himself blend into the darkness as if he had become the darkness. He was confident Ben hadn’t seen him. He was taking pot shots, shooting at any sound or motion.

By the time Ben got to where Tyler was lying unconscious on the muddy trail, Jeff was already circling around to where he had left Evan, hiding in the brush.

They didn’t have much time, and he planned to use what they had to his advantage.

* * *

“
You sure you can walk?”

Jeff didn’t like the way Evan was so unsteady on his feet, but he was determined not to leave him behind. If Tyler really was on Ben’s side, their chances of getting back to the mainland were decreasing.

“
I’m good … Seriously,” Evan said, but when he took his first step, his legs collapsed buckled under him. Jeff grabbed him to keep him from falling.

“
I’m still kind of stiff from not moving for so long.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll be all right once we get moving.”

Without another word, they started off through the woods side by side, keeping parallel to the trail but never so close to it that they would be seen if anyone came along. They hadn’t gone far before Evan had to stop and catch his breath.

“
I can’t believe this is all because he blames us for what happened to his brother,” Jeff said.

Evan nodded. “As far as I know.”

“
I can’t figure why he didn’t kill you when he had the chance. It doesn’t make sense to leave you out there like that.”

Evan shrugged.

“
Maybe he planned to use me as a hostage or negotiating chip or whatever.”

Jeff shrugged, not convinced. If Ben planned on confronting all of them at the same time, he would have done it the first night. It made more sense for Ben to pick them off one by one, rather than confront them as a group where they might be able to resist and overwhelm him.

St
ill,
he
had the gun.

Until they changed
that,
he had the advantage.

Before he was consciously awar
e of it, Jeff sensed something moving toward them in the dark. He shushed Evan and looked around, letting the night fill his senses. Reaching out as much with his mind as with his eyes and ears, he implored the night to speak to him.

“
I think he might have found our trail,” he whispered.

“
What are—”

“
Shsssh.”

Branches clattered as the trees swayed in the wind, but beneath that, there was another sound. Again, Jeff experienced a curious disembodied sensation as he stretched out his sense and nerves to feel what was going on around him.

This is magical,
he thought, feeling almost giddy, and, at the same time, telling himself,
No … You’re losing your goddamned mind … you’ve snapped because of what’s going on.

Jeff knew, without doubt, that Ben moving toward them, walking slowly … cautiously … his gun poised and ready.

“We have to get down to the lake before he does,” Jeff whispered. “Are you
sure
you can make it?”

“
I don’t want to hold you back.”

Evan sounded wrung out with exhaustion. He was shivering as he slumped forward, looking like he was going to drop any second now.

“
Are you sure you don’t want to do this on your own? I’ll hide somewhere they can’t find me. After you contact the authorities, you can come back and get me?”

Biting his lower lip, Jeff considered for a moment but then shook his head.

“
I’m not leaving you behind. We either get out of this together, alive, or we don’t get out of it at all.” He listened for the sound of Ben’s footfall as he closed the distance between them.

“
Let’s go,” Evan said simply.

Walking side by side, they continued through the woods, dodging tress and stopping every now and then so Evan could catch his breath. Jeff kept reaching out into the night, wanting to hear and feel every step Ben took, but the night was silent now. The presence of imminent danger had lessened.

Is Ben moving away from us?

Jeff wondered if his senses were failing him. What if Ben was coming closer, and he couldn’t sense it?

It seemed to take longer than it should have, but eventually up ahead he saw a clearing and knew they were near the dining hall. The strong smell of wood smoke filled the night air, but he told himself not to think about the creature comforts inside the dining hall. If they tried to get in there, Ben would have them trapped before they could get away. He had to stay outside, where his newfound awareness would tell him everything he needed to know.

But there were things in the dining hall he needed.

For one, he wanted to get his cell phone and car keys. He also could use some dry clothes for himself and Evan. And if he could, a bottle of rum would help warm them up and fend off the hypothermia they both were close to suffering.

The problem was, he didn’t see how he could accomplish any of that without getting caught.

What he needed, he realized, was a distraction.

* * *

They moved through the woods until they could see the glow of the fire in the dining hall windows. The mist blowing in off the lake made it all but impossible to see if Ben was lurking somewhere outside, waiting in ambush. There was no sign of danger, but Ben and Tyler could be anywhere.

Jeff’s chief concern was the boat.

What would Ben do to prevent them from using it?

Was the motor really useless, or had he choked it out on purpose so they would think it was broken? After all, once he had gotten his revenge, he needed a way back to the mainland.

If the motor really was burned out, was he going to row back to the mainland once everyone else was dead?

If that was his plan, he would have hidden the oars so no one else would find them.

And if the boat was out of the equation, the only option left would be to swim back to the mainland.

In water as cold as the lake must be, that was all but guaranteed suicide. Evan was already in such bad shape he would surely die if he didn’t get food and warmth soon. Exposure to the near freezing night was also wearing Jeff down. In spite of the transformation he had experienced in the woods, he knew he was still mortal. He hadn’t reall
y
become
Hobomock. He was no Native American spirit or demon who was impervi
ous to the elements.

But then again, neither was Ben, and unless he planned on committing suicide once he’d killed them, he had to have a way of getting off the island.

“
I’ve got it,” Jeff said, snapping his fingers.

“
Got what?”

“
How we’re gonna get out of here. But you’re gonna have to do something to help. I hope you’re up for it.”

Jeff stared silently at Evan, trying to evaluate just how much he thought he could tolerate. Evan looked shaky on his feet. His shoulders were slumped forward as he leaned against a tree, gasping for breath.

“
I’ll do whatever you say,” Evan said. “You’re the boos.”

Jeff couldn’t help but smile.

“
There. You finally admitted it after all these years.”

“
Admitted what?”

“
That I’m the boss.”

Evan sniffed and shook his head. “You’ll have plenty of time to gloat about that once we get the hell out of here. So tell me. What do I have to do?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kaleidoscope

The night was cold and the wind gusted so strongly all sides Jeff had a hard time keeping his feet. The sensation of falling was dizzying, and he braced himself, struggling to maintain his composure as he stared at Evan and tried to think what to do.

“
It all depends on a couple of things,” he said.

“
Like what?”

“
First off, we have to hope Ben hasn’t hidden the oars on us.”

“
What are the chances of that?”

Jeff shrugged as he stared past the dining hall toward the lake as if he could somehow peel back the mist and darkness to see the boat and whether or not the oars were in it.

“
He sure as hell seems to have covered all his bases,” Evan said, sounding both nervous and exhausted.

“
Not really. If he had, we wouldn’t be alive now, would we?”

Evan hesitated before he replied, “I dunno. It all depends on what he had in mind for us.”

“
That sure inspires confidence.”

Evan shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

Jeff couldn’t help but feel as though they were kids again, taunting each other with their foolish games of one-upmanship. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the problems at hand. They could pretend this was just a joke or a game, but—somehow—Ben had gotten Tyler to take his side, and he didn’t want to contemplate what would happen if they caught him and Evan.

“
I say we head out to the baseball field,” Jeff said. “We can circle around through the woods, skirting where the meeting hall used to be. We might be able to get down to the boat without being seen.”

Evan considered the suggestion for a few seconds, then grunted and shook his head.

“
I’m not so sure about that,” he said.

“
Why?” Jeff choked down a rush of anger, telling himself this wasn’t just another case of Evan trying to take charge.

“
We can’t let the boat out of our sight,” Evan said. “If he hasn’t taken the oars yet, he will now because he’s gotta know that’s our next move.”

Jeff shrugged and said, “The oars are either there or they’re not. What difference does it make if he gets them now? He’s got the gun. We have to stay out of sight. If he walked up right now and took them, all we could do is watch.”

“
But we might see where he stashes them,” Evan offered. “If he needs them later …”

“
What if he takes them into the dining hall? He can put ‘em up in the rafters, and there wouldn’t be a damned thing we could do about it.”

“
I know … I know,” Evan said.

Jeff realized how good it was to hear Evan agitated like this. It meant he was getting his strength and spirit back.

“
Okay. Good point,” Jeff said. “So what do we do? Stand around here arguing all night?”

“
No. I’ll go down to the boat,” Evan said simply.

“
Whether the oars are there or not?”

“
Uh-huh. And I’ll take it out onto the water and head away from the island. Ben’s sure to come after me. That will give you time to go into the dining hall and get the stuff we need.”

Jeff narrowed his eyes as he scanned the open area around the dining hall. It was frustrating not to have that sensation of heightened perception. The night and the surrounding woods seemed perfectly normal. He knew he must have been experiencing an adrenalin rush from the excitement of escape and pursuit, but at the time, it had seemed much more than that. So much more. Now that they had more practical and immediate problems to solve, it was as though his senses had shut down or—at least—returned to normal.

But it didn’t matter whether or not he could see Ben or sense where he was. Jeff knew he was somewhere nearby. Even if he couldn’t hear or see or smell him, he could feel the murderous rage inside Ben that seethed like boiling lava, seeking an outlet.

“
You want a distraction, don’t you?” Evan said.

When Jeff didn’t answer, Evan jabbed him on the shoulder.

“
Well …? Don’t you?”

“
Yeah, but …” He took a breath. “It’s too risky.” But even as he said it, he knew there was no way around it. Evan’s idea seemed like their best plan.

Hell, it
was their
only
plan.

He had to believe it would work out. But as he prepared to spring into action, he asked
himself—
Yeah … ask Mike and Fred how it’s working out for them …

* * *

“
Ready … Set …
Go!
”

With that whispered command, Evan broke cover and started running toward the beach. Staying in the shadows, Jeff watched, his heart racing and his stomach churning with anticipation.

Evan was just a small, black shape moving against the night and then he was lost in the mist blowing in off the water. Jeff was left feeling as though Evan—like Fred and Mike—had been swallowed by the darkness never to return.

For what seemed like much too long a time, there was no sign of activity from within the dining hall. No shadows cast by the firelight shifted across the windows. No one exited the doorway.

Nothing.

“
Damn,” Jeff muttered, clenching his fists in frustration.

If Ben was watching from the dining hall … if he knew they were out there … he would have responded by now.