Page 35 of Deadfall

Sacha had been gone for three days already. Winter was coming earlier this year and he’d wanted to check his trap lines and secure supplies before the first snow of the season. It was already icing over pretty badly at night. Like every time he went to get a supply drop, I wasn’t allowed to come with him. However, unlike every time before, this time I’d thrown a fit.

I’d threatened to follow him and he’d looked so angry I was afraid he’d hit me. He’d never raised a hand toward me, not once in the five years I’d lived with him, but that was the closest I’d ever seen him come. Instead, he threatened chores and pushups and said he’d lock me in my room if I disobeyed him. I didn’t quite believe him, but it made me pause long enough for him to storm off through the trees with Fang.

It was midday and I’d already finished my workout, chores and studies. I wished he’d left the keys so I could go drive the truck he kept in a garage a mile from the house. Ever since my sixteenth birthday, when he’d shown me how to drive it, he’d let me take it out occasionally over the past year. Unfortunately I’d watched him pocket the keys before he left.

Instead of moping around, I decided to go fish the lake for the rest of the afternoon. If I was lucky I could bring home some fresh fish for dinner instead of the stale bread and leftover stew. I gathered up my pack, rifle and fishing lines and headed off through the trees.

It was a beautiful fall day and I found my favorite spot where I usually fished with Sacha and set my lines in the water. Fishing was a vastly boring activity. The best part was the scenery, snacks and the rush of actually catching a fish, but otherwise, the whole thing was terribly dull. I chewed on a piece of moose jerky and tried to occupy my brain with some of the things Sacha had been teaching me lately. Lessons these days focused heavily on sniper training and tactical strategy so I had a lot to think about.

An hour passed and I caught three fish. I kept two alive on a string in the shallows, and roasted the other one over a small fire, eating it for a late lunch. I wanted two more before I headed home so I set the line again. I sat back to wait and my eyes lifted to see a wisp of smoke drift up from the far bank of the lake.

I froze. We never saw hunters out this far. Sacha had told me once this area was remote—excessively so, which meant it wasn’t a popular spot for people to hike or hunt. He said if I ever saw signs of humans anywhere to immediately let him know.

I chewed on my lip. I knew the smart thing would be to head straight back to the cabin and wait for Sacha. But, I also didn’t see the harm in just taking a small peek first. I wouldn’t make contact. I’d figure out who, or what it was, and then go home. There was still plenty of daylight left to make it over there and get home before darkness fell. Decision made, I left the fishing gear on the shore, and with only my rifle and hunting knife, set off for the other side of the lake.

It took me over an hour to reach the other shore. I smelled the smoke first, then heard the murmur of voices. The sharp bark of a man’s laugh caused me to freeze. I hadn’t seen or heard another human being that wasn’t Sacha in five years. Alarm bells rang in my ears, but I crept forward anyway.

To me they sounded loud and obnoxious, but once I got close enough to hear what they were saying, they were only talking about processing the fish they’d caught. I got down on my stomach and slowly made my way through the brush until I had a view of their camp. There were three hunters sitting around a camp fire. I could smell the fish and beer. They were ragged and unkempt, and looked like they’d been out in the wilderness for a while. I was fascinated and watched them way longer than I should have.

One of them went off to piss and I knew I needed to leave, or I risked walking part of the return trip home in the dark. I edged away and as I turned to leave, I slammed right into the chest of the one who’d left to take a piss. It was such a violent collision, I dropped the rifle. My entire body locked up and the shock on his face mirrored my own. He recovered first and tilted his head as his gaze drifted down my body and back up. First, with a curious look, then again with a hungrier one.

“Well, what is this? Where’d you come from, girl?” He asked.

I told myself I needed to move, but the fear was paralyzing.

“Harry!” The man called.

I jumped at his shout which shocked my system into movement. I made to run past him, but his hand snaked out and grabbed my arm. I snarled and ripped away, only for my momentum to carry me into Harry who’d come to see what his buddy had found.

“Why are you hollerin’, Pete—oh, hello there, gorgeous,” Harry leered.

His hands gripped my forearms, while the other two crowded closer.

“What’s your name, baby doll?” Pete asked.

I glared at them and attempted to jerk out of Harry’s grasp.

“What are you doing way out here, girl?” The third one asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I growled.

“Ha! She does have a voice, Jas,” Pete exclaimed.

Harry’s breath fanned against my neck and I cringed. “You out here alone?”

“None of your business,” I snapped.

“I think that’s a yes,” Pete chuckled. “Why don’t you come sit and have a drink with us?”

“No, thank you,” I managed through clenched teeth.

“Come on,” Pete edged closer. “Just one.”

“Let me go, asshole.”

“Well, no need to be rude,” Harry ran his nose down my neck and his hands tightened painfully.

Pete crowded in from the front. “I think she needs to be taught some manners, boys,” he said.