This man didn't deserve anything less, Jamie thought. He was sick, a demented and evil being. Another look over at Oliver as he groggily woke from his slumber reinforced those feelings of rage.
"Big day for you boys," the captor said. "Breakfast will be ready in one hour. I hope you got a good night's rest. Would be a shame if you didn't make this interesting for me."
This, Jamie shuddered at the thought. The casual way the man referred to hunting human beings—innocent kids—was easily the most disturbing thing he'd heard in his life. If he and the others somehow managed to find a way to escape, he doubted he'd ever hear anyone say something more vile.
The man continued his pep talk, or whatever this was. "In five hours, I'm going to let you out of your cages. You'll be chained to each other and led up the stairs where I'll take you outside. Looks like it's going to be a nice day. Warm, too." He almost sounded as if he were about to go golfing. "For now, just relax and enjoy the morning. I'll be back down with your breakfast in a bit."
A shadow passed through the dim light shining through the doorway. The sound of the man's boots on the stairs thudded again as he ascended, followed by the creaking door slamming shut.
"Not much of a pep talk," Jamie quipped, unafraid the man would do worse to him at this point.
"Shh," one of the other boys cautioned.
"What is he going to do to us?" Jamie asked. "He's already told us he's going to hunt all of us down like wild animals."
"He makes a good point," the deep-voiced kid said. "It's not like it can get much worse."
Jamie wished the boy hadn't said that. Those words always preceded something worse, the ultimate jinx in any situation.
"Just stick to the plan," Jamie said. "Pair up from first to last. I'll stay with my brother in case we get separated in the line." He doubted that would happen. It would be more convenient to simply keep the two together in the chain gang.
He shook his head. Thinking about things like that weren't productive.
"Jamie?" Oliver said, sleep still slurring his words.
"Yeah, pal?" Jamie turned to his brother and offered a feeble smile.
"Is he really going to hunt us like animals?"
A sigh escaped Jamie's lungs, pushing through his nose for a few long seconds. "We're going to be fine," Jamie said. "Just pretend this is all a weird game. Okay?"
Oliver frowned. "I don't like this kind of game," he whimpered.
Even though the boy was twelve, nearly a teenager, the events of the week had brought out the child in him—the innocent, almost helpless, kid.
"Well, if we play it right, we'll get to see mom and dad again real soon."
Oliver stared into his brother's eyes. Jamie did all he could to hide the truth, the fear that dwelled within them. He felt as if his brother could see through him, through the empty words spilling from his lips. They weren't going to get out of this alive. Jamie felt almost certain about that. But what else could he do or say?
"Do you really believe that?" Oliver probed, the question dancing off the hard walls.
Jamie took a deep breath and sighed. "I do," he lied. "We're going to be fine. This will all be over soon. Okay? Someone will come and get us out of here."
"The cops?"
"Maybe," Jamie said. "Maybe someone else." He scooted closer to his little brother. "If we can get to the edge of the property, maybe there's a neighboring farm. Those people will help us. We just have to be smart and fast. Okay?"
Oliver searched his brother again for answers, but merely nodded. "Okay, Jamie. Smart and fast."
Eleven
Brown’s Ferry
Dak needed coffee the way a mosquito needs blood. He'd only slept a few hours through the night, and those were involuntary moments at best. He had to get a little rest, though, because the next day would be demanding.
Now it was here.
The sun loomed over the horizon with only a few hours to go before Nate executed his abominable scheme.
Between brief naps in the night, Dak spent most of the time preparing. While there'd still been light the previous day, he'd used his drones to get a general idea of the lay of the land in and around Nate's property. He'd constructed a rough map with the images he'd gleaned. When night finally fell, he set out on foot to reconnoiter the area.
Dak covered dozens of acres during the night.
It was cold, but not freezing, and he'd prepared enough with a lightweight jacket and a layer of long sleeves underneath. The exertion from moving around kept him warm as he traversed the slopes and ridges.
Moving through the forest, he heard wild animals more than once. Most were deer or wild turkey, though he heard a bobcat growl once, as well as a group of coyotes baying in the night.
With his AR-15 and night vision goggles, along with a pistol on his side, he was more of a threat to the unarmed beasts than the other way around, but that didn't keep a chill shivering down his spine at the sound of the coyotes. Their eerie calls into the darkness were one of the few things that unnerved the hardened soldier. He didn't know why. He'd heard far more terrifying things in his life that didn't affect him to nearly that extent.
Each time he heard the feral dogs howl, he clutched his rifle a little tighter, like a child gripping a soft blanket.
Dak spent the bulk of the night covering the perimeter of the property, searching the trees for cameras or other security devices that Nate might have utilized to protect his land. To his astonishment, Dak found no such measures. The rusty, barbed wire fence was the only thing he discovered, and from the looks of it, the weak barricade had been there long before Nate bought the
