“I haven’t. It should be somewhere around, though,” I answered.
“It’s fine. We need to get moving before things get too bad out there.” He lifted the bottom of the dark-brown coat he’d taken from Frank’s corpse, revealing a pistol tucked in his waistband of his trousers. “I’ve got this piece, so I’ll be good.”
We made our way through the plane to the outside. I jumped to the ground. The impact pulled a grunt from my pursed lips.
The wind hit me like a thousand fists in the chest. The frigid air brushing over my bald head sent a shiver through my body. I pulled the hood up and lowered my head.
Ash whipped about in the wind, pelting me in the face. I held my hand in front of me, trying to block it.
Jackal jumped to the ground next to me. The wind caught the hood of his coat and pulled it off his head.
I held my hand just above my brow, then flitted my gaze to the dark sky. Bolts of white lightning slithered through the bulbous clouds, blotting out the sun.
Chunks and pieces of the aircraft that had broken apart upon impact lay scattered over the ground. I looked over the wing, spotting the deep trench the jet had made when it crash landed.
I slapped Jackal in the chest. “Come on.”
We moved around what broken fragment remained of the wing toward the rear of the jet. The light scanned over the endless carpet of gray, locating Grizzly’s body.
“Hey, he’s over here on the ground,” I said to Jackal.
Our flashlights focused on his body as we made our way over to him. He laid in the depths of the gathering ash. His body convulsed from the chilled wind and blood loss as he looked our way. The bottom half of his legs looked broken and smashed. A deep gash ran across the side of his face.
I kneeled next to him with my back to the wind and falling ash. His teeth chattered and lips quivered. He stared at me with his one functional eye.
“Where are the coordinates for the location where Lawson crashed?”
Jackal flanked me, hovering over my shoulder. “Man. He’s messed up bad. He’s not going to make it far in this mess and will only slow us down.”
Grizzly tried to speak, but his weakened state made it impossible to understand him.
“The coordinates. Tell me where they are.” I grabbed Grizzly by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him closer.
“Forget it. He’s too far gone,” Jackal said.
I released my hold, glanced up, and spotted a vehicle past the trench. I nudged Jackal’s leg, then pointed at the jeep. “Hey, go check that out. Could be our ticket out of here. I’ll take care of this.”
“Copy that.” Jackal walked around Grizzly’s busted legs with his piece clutched in both hands. He moved past what remained of the tail of the plane and through the furrow.
My hand slipped inside the pocket of the coat, taking hold of the dagger. A single tear broke from the corner of Grizzly’s bloody and mangled face.
I grabbed his hand, looked him in his one good eye, and plunged the tip of the dagger into the base of his skull.
“You’ve been set free from this world and will suffer no longer.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
CORY
Anna pulled the Glock from the waistband of her jeans. Her fingers repositioned over the grip as she stepped closer to the stall.
I inched forward, making a wide arch toward the other side of the barn. The blinding darkness beyond the wood that separated the stall from the main area of the barn concealed whatever lurked inside the shadows.
“It’s probably just some animal taking refuge from all of that crap outside,” I said.
“True, but I’d like to know whether it’s a racoon or something more dangerous,” Anna replied.
A rustling noise came from the murk. Anna froze, training the Glock ahead of her. She bent down, peering through the wood slats of the gate before her. A growl sounded, followed by more shuffling of grass.
“Can you see what it is?” I asked, squinting.
Anna took another step forward. A sharp bark stopped her cold. “Okay. Just calm down and stay cool.”
I inched closer behind her, peering over her shoulder at the animal moving about in the shadows. “That sounded like a dog, right?”
“Yeah. That’s what I heard too.” Anna lowered her pistol, keeping her finger inside the trigger guard. She trained it at the ground, then placed her hand on the top of the gate before her.
The animal stood up.
I touched Anna’s elbow. “Perhaps we should just leave it be. I don’t think it likes us being so close.”
“It’s probably just scared from all of the thunder and lightning outside.” Anna rapped her hand against the gate and spoke to the agitated animal in a soft, sweet tone. “Come here, sweetie. We’re not going to hurt you.”
My eyes adjusted to the depths of the darkness in the corner where it hid, allowing me to see the vague outline of its body. The growling grew more intense as Anna tapped on the wooden gate. She kept the Glock trained at the floor and continued speaking to the animal.
It rushed the gate.
I stumbled back, putting as much distance between the creature and me as possible. Anna flinched, but stayed put.
“Are you crazy?” I asked, pointing at the approaching animal. “It’s making it pretty clear that it doesn’t want to be bothered. All you’re doing is pissing it off.”
“It’ll be fine.” Anna stuffed the Glock back into her waistband, then stooped down next to the gate.
The animal crept closer, inching its way toward her one precarious step at a time. It shuffled through the grass,
