Page 45 of N8
K8 automatically closed her mouth and strained her ears. F8’s sudden shushing meant the woman had discerned something that alarmed her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made the sound.
She concentrated on the noise filtering from outside, but all she could hear was the wind in the trees and insects. Her alarm shot through the roof when the petite woman suddenly scrambled to her feet.
“Car coming!”
K8 hurried to scramble back into her clothes. “I’ll warn the guys,” she whispered. F8 nodded once and slipped out the door to inform N8 and Cydney.
They hid behind the tree line, crouching low and peering through the brush as a single car appeared on the road. But instead of stopping in front of the main lodge, it continued past and pulled behind it.
“It’s a sheriff’s car,” F8 whispered. No one doubted her. F8’s vision was vastly superior to theirs.
“Is that Sheriff Biggs inside?” P8 questioned her.
“Can’t tell. His back’s to me. Wait. Yes, it is.”
“What is he doing here?” Cydney wondered aloud for the rest of them.
“Whatever the reason, he’s holding a rifle,” F8 relayed.
They watched the man go over to cabin number one and beat on the door. Not getting an answer, he tried the latch, found it unlocked, and stepped inside. He came out almost instantly when he realized the cabin was unoccupied. Rushing over to the next building, he banged on that door. Without waiting for a response, he opened it to peek inside.
Immediately, Biggs rushed back to his car. Standing in the small clearing, he lifted his face to the sky. “Listen! Everyone! I know you’re out there somewhere, probably watching me! Stay where you are! Don’t come out! Several men from the place where you came from have been tipped off and are on their way here. But don’t worry! I have my men coming to help!” He looked around. “If you can hear me, stay where you are! Don’t come out of hiding! But don’t run, either! These woods aren’t a nice place to get lost in. Try to stay concealed until we get this under control!”
“And what if those guards manage to overtake him and his men?” G8 muttered.
“I’m not hanging around here if things go south,” P8 remarked.
“Where’s he going?” Cydney suddenly broke in.
They watched as the sheriff climbed back inside his vehicle. But instead of leaving, he drove the SUV behind cabin number two, pulled up close to the grove of trees, stopped, and shut off the engine. He exited the vehicle and disappeared around the side of the building.
“He hid the car,” T8 noted.
“Yeah,” N8 whispered. “Guess he doesn’t want the guards to know he’s here.”
“Think he’s going to try to ambush them?” G8 questioned.
“By himself?” P8 remarked. “They’ll outgun him!”
“But we have guns,” T8 reminded them, looking to N8. “Where are those guns we took off the guards earlier?”
“Still hidden inside the SUV,” N8 admitted, receiving a couple of groans in response.
“Shhh!” F8 warned them again. “More cars coming.”
“Cars plural?” Cydney asked.
“At least two.” She lifted her head, tilting it to one side. “It’s the van. It’s the guards!” Her voice rose slightly in fear.
P8 rose to stand. N8 grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not staying here and waiting so those monsters can get their hands on us again,” he protested hotly.
Cydney also reached up, snagging the hem of his shirt. “The sheriff said to stay put!”
“The sheriff doesn’t know who he’s dealing with,” T8 shot back, getting to his feet. “We all know those guards are vicious, and I’m betting they won’t hesitate to shoot anyone who gets in their way, including the sheriff! I vote we get out of here before all hell breaks loose.” He glared at them. “Who else is coming with us?”
Cydney stood, squaring her shoulders. “I’m staying. You go. Maybe we should have split up in the first place. I see that now. So go, while you’ve got the chance.”
