Page 2 of Beacon

I turn away from the man I killed without even a sliver of guilt or regret.

I used to be a twenty-three-year-old high school English teacher in a small mountain town in western Virginia. But somehow in the past ten years I’ve turned into this.

There’s more crunching on the pavement outside now. Fast and hard. Someone running.

We both whirl around, aiming at the entrance again, but it’s Cal who bursts through this time. His dark hair and beard are messy, and he’s breathing in loud pants. His expression is tense, and he’s got his assault rifle at the ready.

“We’re fine,” Rachel tells him matter-of-factly. “We took care of it.”

I see the relief wash over his face as his eyes urgently search her from head to toe. Then he scowls down at the dead bodies, striding over to nudge them with one of his boots, making sure they’re dead.

Cal is in his forties. He used to run with criminals and was in prison for a while before Impact. He’s gruff and taciturn and sometimes rude, and he’s not in the habit of smiling. But I consider him a friend, and he loves Rachel with a ferocity that still sometimes startles me.

“Nice work,” he mutters after verifying they’re dead. “Looks like we got a clear shot to an old tourist center on the edge of The Wild. It’s out of the way, and half of it is still standing, so if we can get there, I’m thinkin’ we can hold it.”

“Chloe mentioned that place,” I tell him. “It’s right where I can pick up the trail to her grandpa’s cabin.”

“That’s what I thought.” Cal glances down at Rachel. “Didn’t see no one, so we should be okay, but we better stay on guard. You ready, baby?”

She smiles up at him, her vivid green eyes glinting with laughter. “Of course I’m ready.” She gives his old gray T-shirt a little tug.

Cal shifts his gaze to me, and I nod in response to his silent question.

I’m ready too.

We’ve got to get through this last half mile of the border so I can get into The Wild at last and find Mack.

I don’t care if it’s dangerous.

I’ve waited for him long enough.

The trek to the tourist center is tense but mostly uneventful with the exception of a minute where we have to run and hide behind an abandoned SUV at the roar of approaching motorcycles.

It’s just a couple of guys driving by. They neither see usnor threaten us. When they’re out of range, we start moving again and eventually reach the old building Cal identified.

It’s single story and not large. A main room with a couple of offices in the back. The office side has caved in, but the main room is intact. It’s been looted, of course. Nearly everything in this region has. But the walls provide shelter and safety, which we currently need.

Cal drops the big pack he’s been carrying in a corner behind a wide built-in desk that must have originally been used to welcome and provide information for visitors who wanted to hike in this part of the Ozarks.

It’s a good position. The desk provides a barrier against anyone coming through the door. Rachel is already pulling out a blanket and their water bottles from Cal’s pack.

“This’ll work good,” Cal says, yanking his eyes away from Rachel so he can focus on me. “Me and Rachel can hold this place for twenty-four hours.”

He appears confident, with no qualms, but it makes me nervous just the same. This area is not safe—certainly not for decent people to stay for any length of time.

“Y’all can really just head back to the farms if you want,” I say, glancing between Cal and Rachel. “I appreciate you getting me this far. I really do. But I don’t want you to risk yourselves any more than necessary.”

Cal scowls, and Rachel shakes her head. “We’re fine,” she says. “It’ll be a lot safer for you if we wait here andtravel back with you. You might not find Mack, you know. He might already be dead.”

Rachel is fond of Mack—like almost everyone who knows him—so I don’t take her blunt words defensively. “I know he could be dead, but I don’t think he is. I think he’s still hiding out.”

“I hope so.” She’s on her knees next to the pack, and she leans over toward Cal, who is standing beside her. She tilts her head against his denim-clad leg as if she’s seeking comfort. “But I’m not as confident as you are. Why would he stay away so long?”

I don’t have any answer for her.

Cal reaches down to stroke Rachel’s dark hair, which is pulled into one long braid. “If you’re so sure, why don’t you let us come with you all the way?”

“If he’s hiding out on purpose, he’s not going to want all of us to appear on his doorstep. And by all accounts, once I get past the border, I should be okay on my own. We had a plan, and I want to stick to it. So if y’all don’t mind holding our position here for twenty-four hours, I’ll be back if I can’t find him or if I can get him to come back with me. Then we can get out of here together.”

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