A kind of electromagnetic energy seemed to flow through this place; maybe that’s why the children were drawn here. Perhaps a ley line bisected the area. The concept had been disparaged by mainstream science over the last fifty years, but Fergus knew they did, in fact, exist. Hundreds, perhaps thousands circumnavigated the earth, and the places where they crossed resulted in regions with elevated levels of dynamism, boosting the creative and mental performance of any sensitive types within their influence.
The snapping of a tree branch below propelled him from his thoughts. Alert now, his ears strained for the source of the noise. It emanated from a dense section of forest on the opposite side of his perch. His eyes had adjusted to the gloom, and he held his breath, listening to the crunching of leaves.
With a sinking sensation, he understood it wasn’t Lizzy who approached. She would never be so noisy.
When Ray trudged into the clearing, Fergus wasn’t terribly surprised. He admired his new friend for braving the wilderness in search of Lizzy, but Ray was as stealthy as a hippo in heat. An idea dawned on him. If she were nearby, she would hear Ray as easily as Fergus heard him now. Ray may be the choicest bait with which to lure Lizzy into the clearing.
Fergus watched as Ray shrugged out of his backpack and sat on one of the logs encircling the cold remains of a campfire.
Surely he wouldn’t be obtuse enough to start a fire.
A minute later, Ray proved him wrong, muttering to himself as he gathered kindling and placed it inside a rough stone circle. Once enough dry wood was in place to roast a barrel-full of marshmallows, he withdrew a puck-shaped object from his backpack, lit it, and tossed it into the circle.
Oh for fuck’s sake! If that doesn’t lure Lizzy in, nothing will.
Between the noise of Ray’s meal preparation, the light of the blaze, and the smell of wood smoke, Fergus expected Lizzy to appear at any moment.
He wasn’t disappointed. Moments later, a shadow detached itself from the tree-line ten feet away. It was on Ray before Fergus had a chance to react.
Illuminated by the campfire’s flames, Fergus saw that Lizzy held a syringe to Ray’s throat. A smile stretched widely across her narrow face, exposing all those Cheshire-cat teeth. “Come down out of that tree. Do it now or I’ll inject him.”
Damn it. She’d discovered his presence in the tree. From his perch, Fergus saw ruthless determination etched in the contours of Lizzy’s face. He placed the revolver in the bag, unhooked it from the tree limb, and dropped it to the ground. He followed, while his mind worked furiously. If Lizzy wanted Ray dead, she would have used one of the firearms from the warehouse.
He climbed down, remaining in the shadows. “Go ahead, inject him. Midazolam will knock him out, but it won’t kill him,” The Browning automatic still pressed against his lower back. He’d have it out and two shots fired before Lizzy could do anything other than inject Ray.
“You don’t know how much is in this syringe. And before you do whatever it is you’re thinking about doing, you should know that I have one of the children.”
That stopped his hand from inching further.
“That’s right. I strolled right into the village and snatched up the little darling, practically under everyone’s nose. Prior to my incarceration, I’d been covertly watching their activities. Quite the industrious beehive, they have there. I’d set my sights on the girl, though I’d be hard-pressed to explain why. She struck me as...interesting, I think. The two I strung up in the trees were just for fun. Ray had denied me my pleasures for such a long time, I needed a fix.” She giggled. “I didn’t want to kill the child right away, so I merely absconded with her. I haven’t quite decided what to do with her yet.”
“You’re bluffing. You couldn’t have snuck in there,” Fergus replied.
“Even now she’s safely stored in the forest, bound and gagged, in a location you will never be able to find. And here’s the delicious part: if you manage to apprehend me, you’ll kill her. I will never tell you where she is and she will experience a rather painful death of dehydration with a side of hyperthermia.”
Ray said, “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
“Yes, you should have. But you’re too kind for your own good.”
“What do you want?” Fergus asked.
“I want you both to put these on.” Still holding the needle to Ray’s neck, she reached into a cross-body bag and withdrew two pairs of handcuffs. “Behind your back, of course.”
Fergus hesitated.
“You really don’t have a choice,” she added.
“I think I do.” He needed to buy a few extra seconds. “If we put these on, then what? You string us up in the trees Jesus-style and slit our throats like you did the others? That was impressive, by the way. I’d love to know how you managed to get them up so high, especially the man. He probably weighed two-twenty.”
“Closer to two-thirty. Now, quit stalling, or Ray will get it in the neck.”
“So what? He’s nothing to me. One thing I’ve learned the last few years is it’s every man for himself.”
Before he finished saying the last words, the Browning was in his hand. He fired three shots, aiming for Lizzy’s right shoulder — the one that belonged to the hand that held the syringe. Lizzy moved just in time, ducking down behind Ray. The shots went wide. Firing a fourth time wasn’t an option with Ray being used as a human shield.
We have ourselves a Mexican standoff, Ferus thought. The next moment, Lizzy’s free hand darted into her
