MissTaken: Ch10

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Chapter 10

A howl rang out, startling Jessica. She looked around. She recognized her surroundings as a small slot canyon, a few miles southwest of her home.  At her feet were four tiny newborn lambs, shivering in the cold night air. The moon was less than a week from a new moon, and the milky way galaxy cut a bright strip of white across the starry sky.

Another howl echoed through the canyon.

“Those wolves sound hungry.” Grandma Dalton sat next to the glowing remains of a campfire. She glanced toward the lambs at Jess’s feet then gazed into the darkness, “persistent devils, aren’t they?”

“I can’t move all these lambs by myself—not fast enough. They’re too tiny. They shouldn’t even be away from their mama yet.”

“Well, the wolves have the scent, so you really only have two options. Chase them away or lead them away.”

Jessica’s eyes snapped open as she was jolted awake by a groan. She sat bolt upright, gazing around the cave for the source. It was Sarah; she didn’t look good. Her skin looked ashen, and her cheeks were sunken. Meredith was awake too, anxiously hovering over Sarah.

Jessica rose and moved to the mouth of the cave. She stared out into the predawn darkness, looking for any sign of people moving—any lights or fires. She listened intently for any out of the ordinary sounds. There was nothing other than the occasional slap or gurgle of water from the river.

She stood, lost in thought. Her recent dreams had been too spot-on to ignore. But what did it mean? What should she do? What could she do?

She could start getting more water. She grabbed her dirty water container, climbed down to the stream to fill it, and returned to the cave. She started a fire, being careful to make sure it was a clean, hot fire with no visible smoke. Once the fire was satisfactory, she made another trip to the river to collect more water.

She stopped to check her fish trap after filling the water container, and she was delighted to see two decent-sized fish. They weren’t a species she recognized, but they resembled some sort of catfish. They wouldn’t provide much meat, yet not much was better than none.

She extracted them from the trap, killed them, cleaned them, then took them and her second haul of water back to the cave. She placed the fish on a flat rock next to the fire and set to work sterilizing water. Leticia was awake and watching intently.

“Diez minutos,” Jessica said, pointing to the boiling water “mantenerlo hirviendo. Keep it boiling.”

Leticia nodded. After a moment, she stood up, and reached out, as if to take the wooden utensils Jessica had fashioned for moving the hot rocks back and forth.

“You want to try?” Jessica asked. Leticia nodded. Jessica handed her the tools and watched for a while. Leticia was an excellent study and mimicked Jessica’s actions and timing precisely. When it was clear Leticia had a firm handle on the process, Jessica decided she would take some of the venison from the submerged basket and cook it to supplement the fish.

“What you want me to do?” Alyona followed her out of the cave.

“I could use a dozen or so sticks. Sturdy, a little thicker than your finger, and about as long as your forearm.” She pulled the SOG from its sheath, grabbed the back of the blade and offered the hilt to Alyona. “Pointy sticks.”

Alyona’s brow furrowed as she cocked her head to one side, but she obediently took the knife and went in search of the desired sticks. Jessica continued to her baskets and collected a chunk of venison before returning to the cave. She instructed Leticia how to cook the meat, in between stuffing a couple bites of the cooked fish into her mouth.

Leaving Letecia to tend the fire and food, and Merideth to tend Sarah, Jessica grabbed the axe and started up the game trail in the narrow gulley that ran away from the river, under the cave and up into the mountains to the northwest of the river. About fifty yards up, she came over a crest. The trail flattened briefly as the gulley widened out, then it dropped slightly, following the contour and winding through a cluster of trees. Beyond the trees, the trail climbed up again and disappeared over another crest fifty or so yards away.

Jessica selected a spot on the trail in the trees and began digging, using the axe blade to speed up the work.  Jess worked late into the night enlarging and deepening the hole.  When the hole was about four feet long, two feet wide, and a foot deep, she stood up, stretched, and retraced her steps.

Jessica arrived back at the cave and was greeted by four worried faces.

“Where were you?” Meredith’s tone was anxious and accusatory. “We were afraid you were hurt, or you had been found, or …”

“I’m sorry,” Jessica said, “I got busy working, and lost track of time.”

Alyona stepped forward, holding a bundle out in front of her. “Your pointy sticks,” she said offering the bundle.

The girls stared at Jessica expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

“They’re coming,” Jessica said after a long pause. “They are going to come this way before long—probably in the next couple days. We can’t fight them off, and Sarah is still in no shape to run, so we need to lead them away.”

“Okay, so what is plan?” Alyona asked.

“You girls will hunker down, stay quiet and out of site, and I will lead them off.”

“By yourself?” Alyona asked arching one eyebrow.

“I’ll leave a false trail and stay ahead of them.”

“I don’t think you will convince them you are five girls.” Alyona, paused. “I will go with you. It will be more believable that way.”

“It’s going to be dangerous,” Jessica protested. “There’s a lot that will be improvised.”

“If I am slowing you down, then you leave me to the wolves.”

Jessica winced, recalling the sound of the howling in her dream.

Alyona continued, “One set of footprints will never convince them of the herd, but two sets of footprints might.”

Jessica chewed on her lower lip. She turned to gaze out into the darkness. “Okay, that makes sense,” she conceded.

“What do we need? What are we taking with us? What are we leaving here? Do we need to prepare anything? When are we leaving?”

“Slow down!”  Jessica raised a hand to ward of the barrage of questions. We’ll take the pack and the gear in it. If we have time, we’ll make another water bottle like these, that will give us three to share. The canteen we’ll leave here—the lid leaks, and we don’t have a holder to carry it anyway. We’ll take the knife, but leave the axe, I think. We’ll take some of the dried meat, but we’ll leave some behind too, in case the others have to hole up in here for a while.”

Jessica turned to Leticia, “You might have to stay hidden in the cave for a few days without going out at all. No fire. Nothing to call attention to you. Ration the water and the dried meat.”

Leticia nodded.

“We’ll clear tracks around the area below, so it doesn’t look like anyone camped here—nothing that will draw their eyes to this hollow. Maybe make a fake, short-term campsite near the water, then we’ll make a few trips up this game trail I walked today, to give them a nice easy-to-find track to follow. Not so much it looks like we’re trying to be found; just enough to look like we got a little sloppy.”

Alyona chuckled, “You think of so many little details, are you American commando? American spy? Or Maybe American ninja?”

Jessica smirked, “I think command-ette is the term you are looking for.”

“As you wish, Polkovnik!” Alyona saluted, grinning.

“At ease, soldier!” Jessica grinned back.

* * *

The next day was a flurry of activity. Jessica and Alyona returned to the hole she dug. They set the sharpened stakes in the hole, standing vertically, the points a few inches below the level of the rim.

Alyona watched curiously as Jess constructed a delicate cover over the hole using thin branches and leaves, and then extended the pattern of branches and leaves several yards in front of the hole and a few yards beyond.

“You’re thinking of leading them into this trap?” Alyona asked. I don’t think it is big enough for them to fall into. And not enough sticks.”

 “It’s mostly meant as a deterrent,” Jessica said. “Most likely they will see it, or one of them will stumble through it. But once they have discovered one trap, they will likely be more cautious—move more slowly. At least for a while. It will buy us some time to get farther ahead of them.”

“How come you’re so sure they will come back this way and that we need to lead them away?”

Jessica inhaled, then exhaled deeply. “I guess I don’t know for certain. Let’s call it a premonition.”

“Premonition?” Alyona asked, her voice laced with doubt.

“I rescued you because of one. Got us away from the van just in time to keep from getting caught again, too.” Jessica shrugged, “They’ve been right too many times to ignore.”

Once Jessica was satisfied with the trap, she and Alyona continued up the trail until it dropped down over the other side of the mountain and into a valley. As the trail reached the bottom of the valley, it crossed a small stream with muddy banks. The girls crossed through the mud to an open grassy area on the other side, cleaned their boots on the grass, then walked thirty paces out into the grassy meadow, until the grasses covered their passage.

Jessica removed the pack, opened the top and pulled out another pair of shoes.

“Sarah’s shoes?” Alyona asked.

“I borrowed them,” Jessica replied. “Since she’s not going anywhere today, I figured I’d put them to good use.” She took her shoes off, tied the laces together and hung them about her neck. Slipping Sarah’s shoes on, she grinned at Alyona.

“Now we walk backward.” Jessica instructed, stepping backward through the grass and into the mud.

“Aaaah!” Alyona beamed, “It looks like lots of tracks. And Sarah’s shoes are so it’s more than two shoes?”

“Yes mam.” Jessica smiled, then scowled, “Hopefully that will be enough to convince them we’re all together.”

“Very clever.” Alyona complimented Jessica.

It was late in the afternoon when they returned to the cave. Leticia had been busy collecting and boiling water; the various containers and the cistern were all topped off. She had also collected the strips of venison which had been hung on a makeshift rack to sun dry and placed them in a neat pile on a clean flat rock. The sticks which were used for the drying rack she had also brought in and stacked in a corner out of the way.

Meredith was tending to Sarah, who still looked like death warmed over. Meredith had torn a strip of fabric from her shirt waist and was using it to coax drops of water onto Sarah’s cracked lips, and into her mouth.

Jessica nodded to the girls, who returned the silent, somber greeting. She dropped the rucksack on the cave floor, removed Sarah’s shoes, and put her own boots back on. She grabbed a handful of the dried venison and stuffed it in the small bag given to her by the boy from the village. As she stored the bag of dried meat and the water containers in the rucksack, her hand brushed the cool metal of the gun. She circled the handle with her fingers and withdrew it, along with the ammo, offering them to Meredith. “You should keep these here,” she said, “Just in case.”

“But you’re making them chase you,” Meredith shook her head vigorously, “shouldn’t you have it?”

“We’ll have a lead on them,” Jessica smiled, “and we plan to stay ahead of them. I’m not planning on there being any last-stand, guns-blazing, battle-to-the-death. The gun is just in case they don’t follow us. It isn’t very likely, this spot is fairly well concealed and uninteresting, but … you know. Be prepared, and all.”

Meredith looked at Jess, then at the gun, biting her lip. She nodded and took the weapon. “You know I’m not very good with these,” She said. “You remember that time we went with those guys to the gun range?”

“You only had two shots that didn’t hit paper.  And you quickly picked up all the rules for properly handling a firearm,” Jessica said. “Plus, you didn’t flinch, and you had good control. You do just fine.”

Jessica hunched over to close the rucksack. “Seriously, I don’t think you will need to use it. If you do. It is because something has gone horribly wrong, and… well…”

Meredith nodded, staring into the distance with haunted eyes. “If it comes to it, it beats going back to … that.”

Jessica reached out, touching Meredith’s shoulder. Meredith looked at her through tear-laced eyes. Suddenly she reached out, grabbing Jess in a fierce hug. “Be careful.”

Jessica hugged her back. “It’s gonna be okay, Mer.”

“They’re coming!” Alyona burst into the cave panting, her eyes wide and her arms scratched up from an incautious ascent. “I hear a dog barking. We have little time.”

Jessica stuffed her arrows into the side pouch of the rucksack. She snugged the compression strap around the arrows, tight enough to hold them in place, but not so tight that she couldn’t slip them out—not as good as a quiver, but it would do. She slipped the pack into place on her back, clicking the sternum strap into place, then grabbed the bow.

“Stay inside and quiet,” she ordered. “And smother that fire quickly and thoroughly, so it doesn’t smoke.”

She bolted out of the cave; Alyona was already sliding down the steep face. As soon as she was clear, Jessica started running down the face. She pushed of hard at the bottom and landed heavily, but she remained upright. The two girls sprinted up the ravine, following the path.

Jessica looked back to make a quick survey of the area. At a quick glance, it looked as if the girls had camped near the river, then made a hasty effort to break up the camp and move into the ravine. Their mad scramble added to that narrative.

Hopefully their pursuers would interpret it that way as well.

Looking forward again, Alyona was several paces ahead of her, thanks to her long legs and impressive stride. Jessica could tell Alyona was holding back somewhat to keep from leaving Jessica behind.

Jessica was about thirty yards from the first rise when she heard the dog’s excited barking and snarling. It was starting up the ravine. She didn’t hear people yet. The dog must have been released to run them down. It was closing the gap fast.

Fifty yards away. Forty yards, thirty, twenty.

In one fluid motion, Jessica brought an arrow to the bow. She turned, planted her feet, drew to her cheek, exhaled and released. The dog emitted a horrible yelp of anguish as the arrow sunk deep into its chest, just inside the right shoulder. It dropped, flailing as its yelps of pain filled the air.

Dirt exploded several feet to the left and downhill from Jessica and was followed by an ominous crack. Jessica looked at the man with a pistol, firing in her direction. She turned and bolted, racing up the remaining ten yards of hill and over the crest.

Once she was certain she was out of site, she stopped and nocked another arrow.

“What are you doing?” Alyona hissed, sliding to a stop.

“Keep going.” Jessica motioned her away, then, in a crouch, she crept back to where she could see over the crest. Four men sprinted up the Ravine, their heads down, so they didn’t see her. She drew and fired toward them. The wild shot hit one of the men in the arm. She couldn’t tell if the man cried out—the dog was making so much noise—but he grabbed at his arm, and the men scattered for cover. She turned and ran out of site again, as gunfire erupted behind her.

Ahead of her, Alyona neared the grouping of trees.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Jess yelled, bringing Alyona skidding to a halt just before the strewn sticks and leaves on the trail. “Go around!” Jess hissed, gesturing with her hand as she continued to run.

Alyona looked at her, back at the trail, then she took off running again to the left side of the debris. Jessica followed her, sprinting through the trees. Once past the trap, the girls returned to the trail and continued to the second rise.

They were fifteen yards from the crest when a rock shattered near Alyona.

“Bleen!” She hissed, ducking as the crack of the gunshot reached them.

“Run!” Jessica yelled, “They’re lousy shots; they are no more likely to hit you running straight than zig-zagging, and you’ll get to cover faster!”

Alyona straightened her path, heading directly to the rise. Jessica glanced back as she cleared the rise. The first man approached the cluster of trees, and moments later the girls heard a scream.

Alyona looked at Jessica. “Your trap worked?”

“Sounds like,” Jess panted. They had been running hard, and mostly uphill. “Hopefully, it will slow them down.”

The girls slowed their own pace to catch their breath. Jessica strained her ears and frequently looked over her shoulder, checking for their pursuers. None came into view as they continued following the ravine’s upward path.

The shadows were lengthening.  Jessica looked for the sun and took a quick measurement of its height above the horizon.

“We have about fifteen minutes of daylight left,” she said as she scanned the path ahead. “We’ll break out of the ravine there, in those trees.” She pointed a finger. “We can use them for cover and go up toward the peak. We’ll have good cover there and a good view.”

Alyona nodded, panting, “Good plan.”

The forest was a mix of oak and pine trees. They weren’t quite as dense as they had first seemed, yet Jessica was confident they would provide enough cover. The ground was thick with green, springy grass and shrubbery, which covered all trace of their passage, even with their faster, less cautious pace. As the incline became steeper, there were places they were nearly crawling rather than walking. They slipped and stumbled, struggling upward, as the thick ground cover also hid the uneven places in the terrain.

As the sun began to slip from sight, the path became more difficult. The ground seemed more treacherous, and details washed to grey in the growing darkness.

“It is going to get cold at this altitude when the sun is gone.” Alyona said, “We can’t keep walking in the dark. There are too many little drop-offs. There isn’t much chance of finding good shelter.” She squinted looking around. “Chopping branches will be too noisy so close.”

“Yup.” Jessica confirmed, “Fire’s out of the question too.”

“What are we going to do?”

Jessica reached back and patted the rucksack on her back. “We have the netting, and we have each other. Hope you like to cuddle.” She smirked. Alyona regarded her curiously.

“Up there.” Jessica pointed to a small grouping of old trees beyond a thick cluster of bushes.

“Won’t those bushes hide us better?”

“Yes,” Jess agreed, ”but, they are also a better hiding place for bugs and spiders and the things that eat the bugs and spiders. And that will probably also attract whatever eats them. I’m thinking those couple of big trees will strike a happy medium. Somewhere in between getting caught and getting bit.”

Alyona considered Jessica’s plan for a moment, scowling, her gaze flicking from the trees to the bushes. “Okay.”

They selected a spot under one of the trees that, as best they could tell in the darkness was reasonably smooth, free of rocks, and bore no obvious signs of animal or insect traffic.

Jess pulled the netting out of the pack and spread it out over the chosen spot. “This’ll be a moderately crumby blanket. Won’t do much to trap heat.”

“Better than sleeping in a freezer though, yes?”

“Why yes. Kudos to you for the positive attitude.”

Alyona snorted. “You must be rubbing off on me. Your attitude is contagious, hopefully is not terminal.”

 “Not terminal, but maybe chronic.”

“Ugh, you mean I might spend the rest of my life surrounded by rainbows and unicorns? Dreadful.”

 “All right, come here,” she chuckled as she sat down on the netting. The ground was firm, but not rock hard, and the grass provided a small amount of cushion. “We’ll use this half for a mattress and fold the other half over us for a blanket.”

Alyona lay down next to her. “Just like happy couple, eh?”

“Something like that.”

“You don’t snore, do you? I’m a light sleeper.”

“Not to my knowledge, no.”

Neither of them snored. Neither of them slept well either. Both were on edge; every click, chirp, and snap had them listening for men’s voices. As the night wore on, the temperature dropped. Not to freezing, yet enough to be uncomfortable. The girls huddled together, shivering as the hours passed.

Then it began raining. The raindrops pattered lightly on the trees and the ground around them, masking many of the other night sounds. The thick foliage overhead served as an umbrella, keeping them dry. The hypnotic sound of the rain soon overcame the girls’ wariness, and they reluctantly surrendered to slumber.