Amish Wilderness Survival, page 7
“It matches the earlier one. It looks as if it was ripped from the bottom of his shirt. Perhaps Ethan used it as a makeshift bandage. At least we know he’s been here at one time.” Fletcher held the cloth close to get a better look. “The material is flannel like some of the ones I’ve seen Ethan wear before.” He peered out the window. “It’s been a while since my bruders and I came this way, but if I remember correctly, there’s a fairly large Englisch logging business that operates out of the area. It’s on private land bordering the wilderness. They have a huge storage facility on sight as well as an office. There’s a phone. I remember seeing it when I went there once. Ethan would know this. If he was able to escape, he’d go there.”
She squeezed his arm. “That’s gut to hear.” Reaching the logging company was their best chance of getting help. She prayed once they found it, Ethan and Tanner would be there, as well.
An empty window frame where glass had once been blew cold air into the space. “Do you think they will know about the logging business?”
Fletcher shook his head. “I sure hope not.”
Leora desperately wanted to believe they’d find Ethan and her bruder soon.
“Ethan is a former soldier, and he knows this area like the back of his hand. So is your brother. They can take care of themselves.”
The image of the blood they’d seen on the door and in the woods came to mind. “But one of them is hurt.”
Fletcher glanced down to the cloth in his hand. “Still, it appears Ethan is able to keep moving. He’s strong. He told me many times about the injuries he sustained while in combat. He’s tough. If Tanner is with him, they’ve both been in far worse situations. They’re far better equipped to handle whatever this is than we are.”
She let out a sigh. “You’re right.”
“Let me take a look at your wrist, and then I’ll rebandage it and my ankle before we head out.” He flexed his shoulder and winced. “Just a little tender,” he said to her worried look. Fletcher carefully unwrapped the bandage from her wrist and examined it as gently as possible. “It doesn’t appear to be any worse for wear.” He replaced the bandage.
“Let me help you with your ankle. After putting pressure on it for so long, it’s bound to be swollen.” Leora waited for him to sink to the floor.
He tried to get the boot off by himself but couldn’t.
Leora grabbed hold of it and pulled hard. Fletcher let out a low groan when the boot slipped past his injured ankle.
“Sorry about that.” She sat the boot aside and gently removed the dressing. There was no mistaking that the ankle was in far worse shape than before. “Oh, Fletcher, this isn’t gut.” She glanced up and saw him fighting back pain.
“It’ll be oke. Wrap it up as tight as you can to keep it stable. We don’t have a choice. Every second we’re sitting still, we run the risk of being captured.” He held her gaze. “We can’t let that happen.”
She couldn’t imagine how he managed walking when every step had to be excruciating.
“This may hurt,” she told him and bit her bottom lip as she secured the ankle as tightly as she could get it while Fletcher closed his eyes, his jaw clamped tight.
Once she’d finished, Leora helped him get the boot back on.
Fletcher rose and put pressure on the injury. “Denki. This feels much better. We can stay here a few more minutes,” he said, as if seeing the exhaustion she couldn’t begin to hide.
It wasn’t lost on Leora the danger they faced by remaining still for too long.
She slowly lowered herself to the dusty floor and leaned against the wall, grateful for a chance to rest. Her body ached all over. Her strength was almost nonexistent.
Outside, the wind blew through the empty window frame with renewed fury, sending rain scattering across the room. But there was something more than the cold and the rain. It grabbed her attention right away.
Someone was out there.
FIVE
Molly growled low while the hackles on her back rose. She would defend them to the death, but they couldn’t afford to get into a confrontation here in the small confines of this house.
Fletcher stumbled to his feet and pulled Leora up beside him. “We’ve got to get out of here. There’s no place to hide where they won’t see us.”
Keeping her close, Fletcher headed for the door, grateful they’d left it open. The noise it had made when they came in had been loud.
Molly slipped outside. Once he and Leora followed, Fletcher pointed to the side of the house. If they could make it there and get out of sight, they stood a chance at escaping.
Fletcher clutched Leora’s hand and pulled her along with him while glancing over his shoulder to gauge their pursuers’ location. Flashlights appeared near the opposite side of the structure. Fletcher put himself between Leora and the danger while Molly was on high alert.
“Check inside. There are footprints all around this place. They could be hiding in there,” Sam ordered. He appeared to be calling the shots now. They hadn’t seen Jade in quite some time.
Multiple footsteps descended on the house. Staying here was no longer an option.
“It won’t take them long to realize we’re not inside.” Fletcher slowly leaned forward enough to see what was happening near the entrance. Several men stood close to the door. Fletcher quickly ducked out of sight.
“Sam, are you there?” A man’s voice came through a walkie-talkie the men were using to communicate.
“Yeah, I’m here. What’s up? We believe we’re close to finding Tanner’s sister and the Amish man with her.” There was irritation in Sam’s tone, almost as if he resented being interrupted.
“Well, Jade believes she is zeroing in on Tanner’s location. She doesn’t think Connors is with him, though. Somehow he and Tanner got separated. Keep watch for him, as well. He’s hurt. It should slow him down.”
“Fine. We’ll keep after the sister and hopefully Connors. They can’t hide forever. We’ll find them,” Sam assured the man.
“You’d better. We have to get this thing contained before one of them escapes the woods and reaches law enforcement. That can’t happen.”
Sam grumbled something Fletcher couldn’t hear.
Stunned, Fletcher tried to make sense of what they’d learned. Tanner and Ethan had gotten separated. Jade’s people were closing in on Tanner. If they captured him, Fletcher had no idea how he and Leora would be able to free him.
“I heard a sound over by the side of the house,” someone said, pulling Fletcher’s attention away from his troubled thoughts.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go check it out,” Sam barked.
Fletcher and Leora were all out of time. He grabbed her hand and ran through the woods, Molly leading the way. They couldn’t fight all those men. Getting away was their only chance at survival.
Fletcher tried to ignore the pain in his ankle, but it reminded him with each step he was at a disadvantage.
“Over there. I see them.” They’d been spotted.
“Hurry, Leora.”
A gunshot cracked through the woods. The men were shooting at them.
“Get down.” The words had barely crossed his lips when another round flew through the trees.
He and Leora ducked low and kept going.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Leora exclaimed in disbelief. These guys were ruthless, and they were worried about whatever Tanner had taken falling into the wrong hands.
“Stop your shooting. We need her alive,” Sam yelled. “Don’t let them get away.”
Flashlights beamed all around them. At least by staying low, they were able to dodge the lights, but they couldn’t outrun these shooters for long.
Gott, we need Your guidance.
The group was closing in.
Help me!
Over his and Leora’s labored breathing came a welcomed sound. Running water off to his left. A stream was nearby. If they could get out of sight for the moment, the water would help to hide their footprints.
Fletcher slipped his hand into Leora’s and ran. They were almost right on top of the stream before he spotted it.
“If we can find a place to get out of sight, they might pass us by.” He looked around the darkness. As much as he hated going into the water considering the cold, it would work to their benefit.
He held on to Leora’s hand as they stepped into the water. Fletcher almost tripped over a tree that had fallen into the stream.
“Let’s crouch down low on the other side of this. If they pass by, they’ll think we headed downstream.” At least this was the hope. He prayed it would work.
Fletcher climbed over the log and then helped Leora across.
“Stay close, Molly.” The dog obeyed and jumped over the tree.
They squatted together, hidden by the log. The ice-cold water seeped through his boots and up his trouser legs.
Fletcher pulled Leora into his arms. He could feel her shivering, probably more from fear than the penetrating cold.
Several tense moments later, the flashlights appeared. His heart sank. Leora spotted them, as well, and buried her face against his chest.
“Any sign of them?” Sam’s anxious voice sounded almost right on top of where they hid. The lights scanned the area, coming so close Fletcher was sure they’d be spotted.
“Their footprints head into the stream,” a man said. “I’m guessing they’re using it to keep their direction hidden.”
“I’m not going into the water. I’ll radio the others. They can meet us upstream. Let’s go.” Sam didn’t want to get wet, which would work in their favor.
The men kept to the shore while searching the underbrush around the stream.
Fletcher stayed low, his hand on the dog. Molly wasn’t one for sitting still with danger close.
“I don’t see any footprints on the shore.” Sam again. “They’re definitely using the water to disguise their movement.”
Soon, the noise grew faint. Fletcher lifted his head and strained to see the flashlights. “It looks like they bought our diversion for the moment. Once their people arrive at the end of the stream, they’ll know we didn’t go that way and they’ll circle back around. Let’s see if we can find the logging business and call for help.”
With another careful look around, Fletcher rose. He climbed up the slippery bank and held out his hand to assist Leora.
“Which way is it from here?” Leora asked over her chattering teeth.
Fletcher took a second to find his direction. “This way, I think.” As they walked, he looked for anything to confirm he and Leora were on the right track. In recent years, he’d done plenty of searches in these very woods but never under these circumstances. Fleeing for your life made it easy to get turned around. With the rain and the darkness as added deterrents, there weren’t any natural milestones visible to confirm this was the right direction. Simply Fletcher drawing from his past memories.
The need to keep a fast pace was difficult with his ankle giving him grief. If he remembered correctly, the stream wasn’t very big. It wouldn’t take Sam’s people long to figure out they’d been fooled.
Leora kept glancing behind them. “I don’t see them back there so far.”
Fletcher hoped they could put enough space between them and their trackers to reach the logging business.
The last time he’d been there with his bruders, Fletcher had been impressed by the sheer magnitude of what they’d been able to process each day. The office had been humming with activity, the receptionist stationed in front answering phone calls.
Molly continuously sniffed the air to locate Ethan’s scent while Fletcher tried not to lose hope. If Ethan hadn’t come this way, then where was he? How had he and Tanner gotten separated?
Leora stumbled over something on the ground. Fletcher caught her before she could fall.
“Denki,” she murmured in a thready voice. The pallor of her complexion and the labored breathing spoke of something far more severe than simply physical exhaustion.
Both of his boots were filled with water. “Let’s stop long enough to dump the water out of our shoes.” He found a tree trunk and sat. Pulling his boot off over the swollen ankle wasn’t easy.
“I’ve got it.” Leora grabbed the boot and tugged until it freed. Water poured out of it. His socks were dripping wet. He removed them and rang out the water while Leora did the same.
“How are you holding up?” he asked as he carefully replaced his sock. She was young and yet she appeared to be struggling physically. Fletcher didn’t believe her condition was simply related to exhaustion from the trip from Colorado. She didn’t trust him with the truth yet.
“Wet, but thankful to be alive after what happened back there.”
He smiled at the way she tried to put a positive spin on what had happened. “I guess it could be far worse.” Thanks to Leora’s bandaging skills, his ankle hadn’t suffered any further damage. But he wasn’t foolish enough to think they could keep running forever. If they could reach the logging business and call for help, his friend Sheriff Collins would dispatch deputies to bring them in. Once they were safe, hopefully, with the sheriff’s help, they’d be able to find out where Ethan and Tanner were.
“Shall we keep going?” Leora asked. He admired her courage.
“Jah, let’s keep moving.” As they walked, Fletcher listened to faint voices coming from near the stream. The flashlights were still some distance back. He blew out a relieved sigh. At least they had some breathing room.
Leora had noticed him looking over his shoulder and did the same.
“It’s safe for now,” he assured her. “But we need to get to the logging business soon.” There were at least two different groups of men searching for them as well as Ethan. Another group was closing in on Tanner. There could be more. This was way beyond what he was capable of figuring out.
Fletcher tried to determine the time. When he’d gone to Ethan’s, it had been late afternoon. It was probably early morning, which meant they’d have hours to survive before daylight, and it was impossible to see anything. At any moment they could be walking into a trap.
* * *
She didn’t want to think about what might happen to her bruder if he were captured. Though she had her great-aunt and -uncle, they weren’t very close. She and Tanner had always looked out for each other.
“Did Tanner live close to your community when he wasn’t on the road?” Fletcher was trying to make sense of things by asking questions. She understood.
“Nay. He lives closer to the company’s headquarters in Denver. I wanted him to stay with me in our grandparents’ old house. Both have passed away, and it’s only me there. Our aunt and uncle still live in the community, though they are a little way from my house.”
Leora believed for Tanner, being back among the Amish ways served as a painful reminder of the life he’d once loved and what they’d both lost. Once more, the guilt she’d carried with her since their parents’ death returned. She’d behaved so recklessly during her Rumspringa. Attending Englischer parties all the time with people she barely knew. Taking rides with strangers to other neighboring towns without telling her parents. Staying out all hours of the night. Leora had never gotten the chance to apologize to her parents for the worry she’d caused. Because of her wild adolescence, she and Tanner had grown apart during their Rumspringa. Their relationship had never really recovered.
“Did Tanner have any problems with his job—Sorry,” he said when she frowned. “I’m looking for answers.”
Leora nodded. “It’s oke. I’ve been running everything over in my head looking for answers, as well. Tanner never mentioned having trouble. He appeared to love his job.” She stopped suddenly. “I can’t believe I almost forgot...”
“What?” Fletcher’s full attention was on her face.
“Something which happened during his last visit. Tanner disappeared for several hours the afternoon before he left. When he returned, I asked him where he’d been. He told me he’d gone to visit family, but it wasn’t true. Our aunt and uncle hadn’t seen him in weeks.”
Those men who’d broke into her house had accused Tanner of taking something that belonged to them. Was it possible Tanner had actually done as they’d claimed and hidden whatever it was somewhere near her home? What was so important they’d go to such extremes to get it back? Without more to go on, they might never figure it out. They needed to find Ethan and, hopefully, he would know where Tanner might have gotten separated.
“You said your parents died in a fire. Could this have something to do with that?”
Leora flinched at the mention of her parents’ deaths. “I don’t see how,” she said at last. Whenever she thought about the time, she remembered her behavior. She cleared her throat. “It’s been years since they died, and the person responsible for their deaths passed away in prison.”
“Did you know the accused?” he asked curiously.
They had. “Jah. He was our Englisch neighbor and a police officer. Our parents were friends with him, and Tanner and I played with his daughters all the time. It never made sense. He was always so kind, and his daughters adored him. But the police and the fire investigators found the evidence they needed to convict him on multiple counts of arson and homicide.
“A gas can that had belonged to our neighbor was found near our family’s destroyed home. Even though they couldn’t prove he’d known there were people inside the house when the fire started, he was charged with a first-degree felony and sentenced to fifty years in prison. He died there a few years later.”
“So this wasn’t an isolated incident?”
“It was not. There were other fires but no other deaths.” She was silent for a moment. “Still, I don’t see how anything back then can be connected to what’s going on now. Tanner and I went to live with our grandparents in Colorado soon after the fire. We’ve never gone back to our former home, though at some point I want to,” she said with conviction. “I guess I think if I return there, maybe I can make peace with what happened.” And maybe she could learn to forgive herself. Leora prayed that day would come, but she’d carried the guilt with her for so long. Every time she thought about the night of the fire and the argument she and Tanner had, the guilt threatened to swallow her up.
