After about 15 minutes, the increased red glow from their brakes caused Carson to slow and move towards the shoulder to crawl along. He saw them make a right turn towards a couple of lights that looked completely out of place in a grove of trees, driving slowly up a path or driveway until they stopped. As soon as they did, he repeated the procedure of finding a well-hidden but easily-accessible location in the woods near the entrance. He parked and made his best possible speed to the target car, which was about 200 yards away. Speed was now of paramount importance.
Several buildings came into view. They were long and low, but he couldn’t make out much more detail than that. He could see three distinct lights and a mixed miasma from a few others, but couldn’t pick out any movement.
The car concerned him much more. It stayed stationary as he approached, leading him to wonder why. Had they seen him? Were they drawing him into a trap? Reluctantly, he slowed. Even though he needed to get to the car to see if Katie was inside and safe, being heard or seen would put them both at greater risk.
Finally, he heard voices. He was still too far away to understand the words or see human shapes, but the noise gave him a location on two of them, and for the moment that was enough. Finally, in the dim glow, he saw both human shapes outlined in the headlights of their car, standing in front of a tall, wrought-iron gate. One of them seemed to be working on it. He drew closer and was finally able to understand their conversation.
“Why,” one of them moaned, “couldn’t Chops put a new fucking lock on here?”
“Cause, asshole, if someone sees a rusty old gate and a shiny new lock, they might ask questions.” They both took their turn struggling with the recalcitrant device.
Carson looked around, trying to get a read on the tactical situation. Unless they were lying down, there was no one in the front or back seat of the car, so it was just these two yahoos. That was already an improvement over the previous situation. Katie was likely (hopefully) in the trunk, meaning she would be protected from stray bullets by most of the length of the car and the engine block, which was also a plus.
There was only one problem – the damn lights. Carson estimated he needed another 25 yards before the range was good enough for a quick, clean double-take down, and that was at least 15 yards inside the ambient glow. He’d need to move slowly enough to not be seen by them, or he’d have to take his shots from a greater distance than he was comfortable. One missed shot and, at best, he was in a gunfight. How the fuck am I going to pull this off?
It became moot a second later as a soft clink indicated the men had finally figured out the lock. One opened the gate while the other drove through the opening, but when they shut the door and tried to close the lock again, it remained as obstinate as before.
“Fuck it,” the driver said. “Just push it up like it’s locked. No one will know the difference.” Nodding, his companion wrapped the chain around the door and left it in place, looking like it had never been opened.
And I just caught a break.
As soon as they were a few yards into the compound, Carson wriggled forward on his stomach until he was at the gate. He was in the glare of the overhead lights, but was so low to the ground that only someone within a few feet would see him. Reaching up, he pulled the lock to put play in the chain and pushed the gate open just enough to crawl through.
He remained low, watching the car slowly drive away, until he moved back into the darkness inside the compound. At that point he rose and, with a quick look in all directions, sprinted to the wall of the long, low building to his right. It appeared old and unkempt, and the top was very low, enough so he wondered if he could jump, grab the edge with his hands, and pull himself up to the roof. He was about to try when he realized it wasn’t necessary because a ladder was bolted to the side. Glad he hadn’t wasted the time and the effort, he climbed up quickly and started trotting quietly over the pebbled tar covering.
Brake lights flared at the far end of the building, and the crackle of the tires driving over rough, broken asphalt ceased as the driver stopped. Carson maintained his pace, waiting for the sound of a door opening or the engine shutting down that would force him to trade speed for stealth once more. His good fortune continued as he reached a roof vent that was large enough to hide behind until his quarry turned the car off and got out. Kneeling behind the vent with only his nose and eyes visible over the top, he watched the two men walk back to the trunk.
As soon as the driver inserted the key, Carson knew he’d been right to follow the car. A loud thud and a muffled roar of anger sounded simultaneously, and her captors giggled as they lifted the hatch to show Katie struggling mightily. The hood and the gag had been reapplied, but Carson’s heart still leapt with joy knowing he had found her. A couple of minutes, honey, and I’ll have you
