Page 89 of Shadow of Death
They had already covered the ground here, and Hunter knew where they were going to reach water, low and high, and where a hammock would rise out of the muck. He also knew he’d run into a huge field of sawgrass if he didn’t swing into the side of one of the hammocks.
But he did know where he was going. At one point, to avoid the saw grass, he would be close to the group ahead of him. A buzzing sounded in his ear but he didn’t dare slap at the mosquito threatening to feast on his blood. He waved at the persistent creature; as he did, he saw one of the captors was swearing and swatting at an insect as well.
“I am roasting! I am being baked in this thing!” the man cried out.
He ripped off his mask and wiped at his face.
Hunter had never met Don Blake, but he had seen his picture. The man had never been missing. He hadn’t been taken by the murderous group at the mud pits in the caverns in Colorado.
He was, indeed, part of the group.
But...as a leader?
That question was quickly answered. One of the other men turned, furious. “What the hell? We were told we couldn’t show our faces!” he said.
“Why not? Who the hell cares? These two will be sacrifices tomorrow—who the hell are they going to tell and what would they tell if they could? They don’t know me,” Blake said.
Carey Allen had wasted time worrying about the man, that was certain. He had probably seen to it in some subtle manner that she had ended up in the pit.
The tallest of the men stepped back. “You’re missing the point. We were given orders. We follow what the archangel tells us. I will not miss my chance for being among the chosen because you’re an idiot who can’t take a little heat!”
“Oh, go to hell!” Blake said.
The other man pulled out a gun—and shot Blake point-blank in the chest.
Hunter tensed, afraid that they might turn and do the same to Amy and Aidan.
Amy would never let it go so far. She was prepared, if need be, to produce her own weapon.
He had to believe that; he knew he couldn’t move now. They would be no closer to the truth than they had been.
Amy didn’t reach for a gun. She cried out, throwing herself in Aidan’s arms. He held her as the armed gunman turned to the two of them.
“That’s what happens. Step out of line once, and you die. And when you die, you will go to Hell. We’re trying to save people too stupid to know our time on earth is nothing and the war is coming. Ah, what am I trying to do? You’ll never understand. You’re not the kind of people with the balls to understand anything. Start moving!”
“Wait!” the third man said. He indicated Don Blake’s corpse. “Can’t leave this here.”
“Drag it to the water over there.”
“There were cops out here yesterday, I swear! They found half of Ned’s body, and they’ll be wondering—”
“Weight him down with some rocks. Do it now.”
The masks the men wore were muffling their voices. Hunter strained to determine if he could recognize the sound of either voice.
He could not.
He held still, willing himself not to walk out, shoot both of the so-calledchosenmen and take Amy and Aidan out of the depths of this place.
He knew Ryan and Sean were not far away.
Watching. Following. And they needed to continue to do so.
The one man dragged the corpse of Don Blake to the water’s edge. He searched for rocks, but there were none. Instead, he gathered broken branches and vines and tried his best to make sure the corpse would sink in the muck.
Then, they started moving again.
Hunter glanced to the water.
