The Forge of Darkness (Darkness After Series Book 3) Page 3

  April stepped off the porch walked around to the backyard to the shed attached to the barn, where she knew Samantha was busy scraping deer hides.

  “Did those shots sound to you like they came from out by the road?”

  “I think so,” Samantha said. “I figured it was Tommy shooting at something. I didn’t hear anything else.”

  “You haven’t seen Benny and the girls?”

  “No. They must not have found a tree yet. I figured they would come back when it started raining.”

  “I’m sure Benny would have, but knowing Lisa and Stacy, they probably won’t let him turn around until they get the tree they want.”

  “Probably not. I sure hope Corey and the guys got lucky and can come back tonight. I’d hate for them to have to camp in weather like this.”

  “Knowing Mitch, he’s probably gotten them far enough from home that they’ll have to. It’s all part of the fun for him, and his way of testing Jason and Corey.”

  “I know, right? Guys are so weird. We already know they’re badass. They don’t have anything to prove at this point, but they’ll keep doing it anyway.”

  “No doubt about that! Well, hopefully Tommy and David will be back soon. I’m curious to know what that shooting was about. I’m going back in to make sure Kimberly is still asleep. If you hear anything else usual, come get me.”

  Five

  TOMMY EVANS HAD STARTED his day cutting and splitting firewood, like he did every day. If there was one downside to living on the Henley Farm, it was the routine chores that were never done, always the same, over and over, day after day. When Tommy and his daddy were living out of the canoe, ranging up and down Black Creek as needed to find enough game, he’d had to gather firewood too, but not on a scale anything like this. Camping on the creek bank and moving often, enough driftwood and fat lighter knot could be found on the sandbars and in the nearby woods to meet the needs of the two of them with minimal effort. Tommy and his daddy had shared the modest workload, each of them paddling and poling the canoe, setting up and striking camp, hunting and butchering game, and building the cooking fires. But here on the farm, things were different. With so many people living in one house in a fixed location, chores like wood gathering and splitting needed to be delegated and shared among them. Tommy still went hunting once in a while, but he and his daddy both had a hard time keeping up with Mitch and the other young guys, who were now ranging farther and farther afield in the pursuit of whitetail deer. So with the choice between endless miles of walking and packing home meat, or staying home and doing chores, Tommy usually picked the chores.

  He still got his share of walking most days, even if it wasn’t as far. After Mitch Henley had returned, shortly after Tommy and Benny first got there with April, there had been many discussions about security. It was impossible to watch over the entire 600-acres of woods and pasture twenty-four seven, but after the encounter with the men who’d taken April and Kimberly captive, Mitch said they had to do more. And since there were now more of them among which to divide the duties, it was decided that someone should make the rounds at least once a day, roughly following the perimeter of the property. Doing this would increase their chances of spotting any unusual activity or signs of trespassers, while also keeping a check on the gates and the barbed-wire fences that bounded the property. They couldn’t watch every part of the perimeter at all times, of course, but it was better than doing nothing. Tommy liked this duty much better than cutting wood, and he looked forward to making the rounds each afternoon, usually at a leisurely pace.

  Today, like most days, he had David Green tagging along. When Tommy had first met David he looked like he’d been wallowing around in the mud for days. His hair and bare feet were caked with it and his clothes were filthy and torn. He had a wild look about him and didn’t seem to know what to do or how to act when Mitch first brought him to the house. Tommy had been shocked to learn soon after that David Green had actually been April’s fiancé before the lights went out and that he was the father of her little girl. David didn’t know any of this though; because he’d been hit so hard in the head he didn’t remember anything about his past.

  Tommy figured that was probably a good thing too because it quickly became pretty obvious that April was more interested in Mitch Henley than David Green, even if she did have a kid with him. It was also pretty obvious that Mitch was just as infatuated with her, and Tommy sure couldn’t blame him. It was all he could do to keep his eyes off her ever since that first day he’d met her down on the creek. April was one of the prettiest girls Tommy had ever seen, and not only was she pretty; she was tough too. He saw that real quick with the way she carried herself in the woods and also around the farm after they got there. Tommy knew all he could do was dream about having a girl like April though. She’d never take an interest in a shy 40-year-old country boy that had always been nervous around pretty girls and women. Tommy had never even had a real girlfriend and he had certainly never been married. He hoped he would one day, but with the way things were, it seemed less likely than before. But sometimes when he was making the rounds, especially out by the road, he daydreamed about finding another girl like April—but one that was lost, alone and afraid, and looking for a place to stay and someone to protect her. Tommy was sure that if he found a girl like that she would agree to marry him, because things were different now and the things he knew how to do like hunting and chopping wood were useful.

  This had been on his mind again today, interrupted briefly when he and David ran into Benny and the two kids out looking for a Christmas tree. After talking with them for a few minutes, he was on his way again, slipping back into his daydreams as David followed close behind, carrying the long sharpened stick he’d fashioned into a spear. David acted like a little kid in some ways, always wanting to play games or pretend, and Tommy knew it was because he didn’t know where he was or even who he was. With no concept of the past, he didn’t know things were different now than they had always been, and having nothing to compare it to, he had no grasp of or worry of the future either. David Green was living in the moment, just as happy as he could be most of the time, no matter what they were doing. Tommy figured if carrying a spear made him feel good, then that was all right too. He probably didn’t have any business toting a gun and besides, Tommy felt like he could handle any situation they might encounter right by himself with his trusty .308.

  They were headed down the path that led to the back of the property, near the creek, when Tommy heard the first rifle shot. There was no doubt in his mind where it came from—somewhere back from the way they’d just come—out in the direction of the road. Tommy knew his daddy didn’t have a rifle with him. He’d just seen him and like always, he had that 12-gauge pump slung across his back. Mitch’s little sister had her .22, but what Tommy just heard was no .22. When two more shots followed a few seconds later, Tommy knew what he had to do.

  “Come on, David. We’ve got to get back up to the road and see what that’s all about!”

  * * *

  Benny Evans took great care as he slipped his way through the pines in the direction from which Doug Henley’s cattle had stampeded. He was almost certain that whoever it was who’d done the shooting was an outsider not from around these parts. Benny doubted anyone who knew who the legendary game warden was would have the nerve to shoot his cattle. Benny had never met Doug Henley himself, but everyone in this part of Mississippi knew of him—especially anyone that did any hunting or fishing. No one wanted to run afoul of the game laws around here because there wasn’t any getting away with it with Doug Henley around.

  And while he might not be around now and might never come back, his boy Mitch was no doubt made from the same mold and Benny was mighty impressed with him. It didn’t matter that he was still just a teenager; Mitch Henley was the best hunter Benny Evans had ever run across, and he’d known plenty of fine woodsmen in his day. The boy was simply a natural and his skill with that wooden longbow was a sight to behold
. Whoever it was who’d made the mistake of shooting into that precious herd was going to regret it, Benny was sure of that. Benny might get there first, but Mitch would be along eventually, even if it were tomorrow. Benny just hoped whoever it was; he didn’t try to get belligerent about it. He’d hate to have to kill another man so soon, but he was prepared to if it came down to it.

  When he knew he was almost within sight of the gravel road, Benny stopped and stood motionless, watching and listening. He knew Lisa and Stacy were doing the same; he didn’t even have to glance back to make sure. The rain had picked up a bit, still not much more than a light shower, but enough that it not only would have muffled any sound of their approach, but also the movements of whoever it was he expected to find here. Benny knew he had to be cautious, because anyone brazen enough to shoot another man’s livestock inside a property fence probably wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him too. When nothing stirred in the small area he could see through the trees, he took a few steps forward and stopped again to look and listen. After repeating this twice more, Benny finally saw what he’d expected to find.

  Two of Doug Henley’s cattle were lying on in the grass near the fence, just twenty or so yards from the gravel road. A tall figure wearing brown work coveralls emerged from the trees on the other side of the road and crossed it quickly. Benny saw that he was carrying a hunting rifle of some kind, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Benny watched as he bent and stepped through the barbed wire strands and onto the property, then leaned his weapon against a tree near the dead animals and drew a large skinning knife from his belt. He appeared to be alone, but Benny watched to be sure. After waiting several minutes, he glanced back at the girls so they could read his lips, as he silently impressed upon them that they were to absolutely stay put no matter what happened. When he was assured that they understood by the solemn nods he got from both of them, Benny turned his attention back to the intruder. Keeping his shotgun leveled and his finger on the trigger, Benny crept closer, knowing the rain would cover any sounds he might make and that his movement would go unnoticed as the cattle rustler focused on his bloody task.

  Six

  TOMMY EVANS KNEW WITHOUT a doubt that whoever fired those rifle shots was an outsider. It couldn’t have been his daddy or Lisa or Stacy, and it sure wasn’t Mitch or the other guys, because they were hunting way off down in the bottomlands and they would use their bows and arrows anyway. He figured he’d better hurry, because his daddy and the girls were up that way, probably pretty close to whoever it was. He knew a shortcut to get to the road without retracing the route they had taken on their patrol, and he walked as fast as he could without running, David following right behind him.

  When he came within sight of the road, he slowed his pace, as he was quite sure it was the road that must have brought the intruder to the area in the first place. He turned to follow it, keeping in the woods inside the fence on the hidden path that was their normal route used when patrolling the property. He figured if he followed it far enough, it would lead him to whoever fired those shots, but he sure didn’t want to be seen until he and David saw them first. Why anyone passing through would be shooting, Tommy didn’t know. He just hoped it didn’t involve his daddy or those girls. With it raining like it was now, he hoped they’d gone back to the house and given up on finding a Christmas tree today anyway.

  He glanced back at David and whispered to him how important it was that they keep quiet. He thought he could trust him to stay back and keep his mouth shut, but it made him nervous. David seemed to get it, though. He was creeping along, watching ever step Tommy took and trying to copy his movements. And he had that silly sharpened stick in his hands, poised like a spear ready to thrust at any danger that might appear. Tommy certainly didn’t intend for them to encounter anything that close range though. With the .308 in his hands he didn’t figure they’d have to.

  He had just about reached the corner of the Henley property where the fence turned away from the road again when he saw someone step out of the woods. Tommy stopped in his tracks and squinted through the rain. Whoever it was, he was crossing the road and walking onto Henley land, and he was carrying a gun. Tommy figured he had to be the mystery shooter. He watched to see what the stranger was up to, and that’s when he saw something brown and white, lying in the low grass and undergrowth just inside the fence up ahead. It took him a few seconds to register what it was, and then he knew—it was one of the cattle—and it was dead! He bent down so he could see better under the low hanging pine branches and then saw that there was another one nearby too. The stranger leaned his rifle against a tree and pulled out a knife. Then he knelt down in front of one of the dead animals, clearly getting ready to cut its throat and bleed it. So that was it! That’s what the shooting was all about, killing Mitch’s cattle for their meat!

  Tommy turned to David and told him to stay right where he was and keep his mouth shut. Then he started down the path at a brisk pace, his anger building as he closed in on the stranger, who had his back turned to him. When he was within twenty paces, he stopped:

  “HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

  The stranger turned to face him, clearly startled by his sudden appearance, and Tommy saw that he couldn’t have been much older than about fifteen or sixteen. He had gotten to his feet and still had the knife in his hand, unfazed by the rifle Tommy was pointing at him. Tommy was about to tell him to drop the knife but before he could utter the words the sharpest pain he’d ever felt slammed into his side, burning through him like a hot needle and taking his breath away. He was aware of the rifle slipping out of his hands as his knees buckled beneath him and then his next sensation was that of his face pressed against the wet pine needles that covered the ground. Tommy didn’t understand what had just happened. He knew he needed to get back up, but his body wouldn’t do what his mind willed it to.

  * * *

  The shooter cursed under his breath as he watched his kneel beside the first steer, so intent on what he was doing that he was oblivious to his surroundings. It was a good thing he’d decided to stay put and keep watch. He knew someone had to be looking after any cattle that still looked that good, but he hadn’t really expected them to show up so fast. When he noticed movement in the trees just inside the fence line, he wished there was some way he could warn Kenny that he was not alone, but it would be impossible without giving away his position and losing the advantage he had by remaining unseen. He tried to get his crosshairs on the man as he approached, but there were too many branches in the way, so he waited, tracking his movement as best he could until he finally stopped. Unbelievably, that stupid teen-aged boy of his still didn’t know he had been seen until the man said something to him. From his position across the road, the shooter couldn’t hear what it was, but he saw that the man was carrying a rifle and that he was holding it at hip level, the muzzle pointed in his son’s direction. It didn’t look like he was going to shoot him immediately, but when Kenny turned to face him, standing up with the knife still in his hand; he decided it wasn’t worth waiting to find out. The man was in the open now and he had a clear shot, so he put his crosshairs on him and squeezed the trigger, dropping him instantly. His son glanced over his way for a second at the sound of the rifle, but then turned to face something else—another man running at him from the same general area the first one had come from. He ran with one hand raised overhead, poised as if to throw something.

  The shooter saw what looked like a long stick fly past Kenny’s head as he tried to get lined up on this new target. It missed him clean and stuck in the ground several yards farther back, and he realized it was a spear. At least his kid wasn’t backing down, and he smiled when he saw him close in on the screaming stranger with his knife. Since the other man appeared to be unarmed but for the stick he’d already thrown, the shooter decided he would let Kenny take him with the knife. It wouldn’t be his first, and it was what he would surely want to do to save face after being dumb enough to let a couple of farmers ge
t the drop on him like that. The shooter thought it would be fun to watch and he was sure of the outcome; but then from out of nowhere, there was another gunshot that came as a total surprise. He saw his son collapse into a heap, his knife landing on the ground beside him. Kenny wasn’t moving and was probably dead before he realized he had been shot!

  * * *

  Benny had closed half the distance to the unsuspecting trespasser when all of a sudden he heard a shout. The voice came from somewhere among the trees off to his left, closer to the road, and he could have sworn it sounded like his boy, Tommy. But Benny couldn’t see anyone. The stranger got up and turned to face whoever it was, and for the first time, Benny got a good look at his face. He was young, just a boy really, but when he stood up he was brandishing that bloody knife like he wasn’t afraid of anything. Benny knew the boy wasn’t aware of his presence; his focus was completely on what had startled him.

  Benny eased closer, to try and get to where he could see for himself who it was, when all of a sudden another rifle shot boomed out from somewhere across the road. So there was more than one of them! Benny had been right to be suspicious that there would be, but whoever he or she was, the shooter had not been aiming at him. A chill swept over him as he thought about Tommy again. Could that have really been his voice? Benny had to get close enough to find out, but he couldn’t risk being seen, either by the boy he was stalking or the unseen shooter across the road.

  The sound of the rifle caused the trespasser with the knife to turn and glance at the wooded hillside where Benny was sure the shot had come from. But then he turned his attention in the direction from which he’d been surprised when he first stood. Ignoring the rifle leaning against the tree, he held the knife like he was getting ready to use it and began advancing. Benny glanced back to where the girls were hiding, signaling with a subtle motion of his hand that they were to stay put. Then, just as he turned his attention back to the scene unfolding before him, he was startled by a wild scream of rage.