A Wicked Beginning (44 page)

He furtively hobbled out into the main room and looked for something, anything with which to remove his restraints. On the wall next to the battered refrigerator, there was an antique bottle-cap opener in the shape of a bird with a cut-out in the tail to grip the cap. He shuffle-hopped over to it, hooked the duct-tape over the metal opener, and yanked his face. The gray tape peeled off his face with a sharp sting. He shifted his painful jaw back and forth. Next, he had to get these ropes off of his arms and legs. He’d had the foresight to not allow his arms to be close together when he’d been bound and sure enough there was a little wiggle room. He pulled and struggled until his left wrist was free. Next, he quickly untied his right wrist and picked at the bindings on his legs until they were free. He stretched his arms and legs, trying to get circulation flowing. There wasn’t a place on him that didn’t ache. But he knew he had to get out of here – fast. Quickly, he gathered whatever survival supplies he could scrounge, strung them into a makeshift pouch, and slung them over his shoulder with the rope.

Racing out the door, he surveyed his surroundings. The remote cabin was tucked into a dense stand of trees peppered with nurse logs, ferns, and moss with no access by road that he could see. But if Angela had dragged him here in the night, the camp had to be within hiking distance to the camp. He searched the ground for signs, any clue that might help him find his way out of here. Sure enough, through the deer trail ahead, the dirt had big, sweeping marks in it like a man being dragged through the woods. Cam took off in that direction. It wouldn’t be that hard to find his way back. All he had to do was follow the trail of broken branches. He limped through the terrain as fast as his pain racked body would manage. But then he froze. A female voice was calling him.

“Cam…where’s my beloved husband? Cam…where are you?”

Cam stood as still as prey in the presence of a predator. It was Angela. Shit. She must be pumped with something. He’d given her a couple of hefty body blows and was certain that, even if she awoke, she’d be in bad shape. But no, he could hear her, crashing through the woods like an elk in heat. Now what?

“I’m going to find you,” she yelled. “I’m going to find you and punish you, Cam. Someone’s been a bad boy. Mama’s going to make you pay.”

Jesus, she’s completely bat shit,
Cam thought. He remained frozen in his spot, listening, looking. She must be a hundred yards or so away, but it sounded like she was heading in his direction. Stealthily, he made his way over to a moss covered bigleaf maple, one of the big beauties of the Olympic rainforest. Leaping to grab a branch, Cam heaved his body up over the branch, and made his way up through the foliage. When he’d reached what he thought was a safe distance, he pressed his back against the tree and waited.

The sound of Angela’s footsteps was getting louder. “Cameron…”Angela called. “Where’s my baby? Come to mama.”

Cam remained tucked in the branches, barely breathing, waiting, and watching.
“
She’s fucking insane,” he muttered under his breath.

Angela was directly below the tree, looking to and fro.
The idiot woman did not even think to look up
, Cam thought with scornful relief.

“Cameron…” she called. “I can’t find you. Where are you? Come to me, my love.”

Cam shut his eyes as that weird hypnotic arousal started to tug at him.
Fuck no. You can resist this.
The pull was intense, urging him to climb down the tree, and take her in his arms.
Think of Chérie…Chérie…
His body relaxed as warm, soothing thoughts of Chérie flooded his body, releasing him from Angela’s hold on him. That sense of strength and well-being filled him as he thought of the ka. It pushed through his frame, inundated his heart, giving him an incredible sense of strength and wholeness.

He looked down at Angela who seemed to sense that she’d lost her grip on Cam. A dark scowl, filled with hatred, colored her features. She turned in a whirl, moving like a lion caught in a trap, looking this way and that. “Where are you?” she hissed. A rustle in the branches sounded, and she made haste through the scrub towards the sound.

Cam looked out and saw a deer foraging a ways away. He breathed a sigh of relief, watching Angela’s white clad body zipping towards the deer. The deer’s ears pricked in alarm, and it bounded off through the underbrush with Angela in pursuit.

With the reprieve of Angela’s disappearing form, Cam scanned the horizon for clues as to his and the camp’s whereabouts. He had a pretty good view of the area from his perch in the tree. Pushing aside a branch, he peered in all directions. Way off in the distance he saw the outline of the boulder outcropping that was just beyond the camp. Cam let out a curse. Fuck…Angela had somehow managed to drag him miles and miles through the forest. A low growl rumbled from his throat. Where the fuck did that come from? He gazed out at the outcropping. Sure as shit, that appeared to be the one he’d noted this past week, just up from the parking lot. Another growl, followed by a chuffing sound, rolled up from his belly.
What the fuck?
he thought, perplexed. Hadn’t he roared like an animal when he was in the sweat? Was this some strange new transformation happening? Was this the ka surging through his veins?

His arms seemed to bulge as if new muscles were forming. He flexed them, feeling sensuous power radiating from them, and then reached up to grab a hefty branch. It snapped like a twig in his hand. He dropped it in surprise and it crashed to the forest floor.
Shit, Tyson, why not send out flares to let Angela know you’re here?
Bewildered, he appraised his body. Legs…check. Arms…check. Nothing seemed misshapen or out of place. That was a relief. He felt his face with his fingers. Everything seemed to be the same. But there seemed to be this power radiating from his core, pumping through his body, making him feel juiced and potent…like an animal.

He looked down at the ground, several yards away. On impulse, he dropped to the forgiving earth, landing with a soft thud. His powerful thighs caught the weight of his body with ease. Holy Mother of God…
may as well run with this
, he thought. He
should
be used to major, unexplained change at this point.

Moving quickly and quietly like a feral beast, he took off in the direction of the camp. When he heard another rustling coming from the bushes ahead, he tensed and stopped. His sense of smell seemed particularly acute. Lifting his head, he took a few short breaths, focusing on the very tip of his nose. It didn’t smell like Angela. It was familiar, but not menacing, but still, he could not be certain if it were friend or foe. He crouched down low, ready to pounce if needed. Then he became aware of what he had just thought.
You did say to yourself that you’re ready to pounce, Tyson…right? Like a fucking cougar or something…what the fuck is happening to you?

The bushes parted, and without thinking, his thighs tensed, he pushed through his feet and leapt through the air, taking Lightning Rod to the ground.

Lightning Rod was just a kid, but he was strong. He grappled with Cam, and the two rolled over and over through dirt and leaves until recognition dawned in each of them.

“Lightning Rod, what are you doing out here?” Cam hissed.

“I could ask you the same, Cam,” the kid whispered ferociously. “I’ve been tracking you all night.”

“All night? Shit. How’d you know where I was?”

“No time to talk, Cam. We’ve got to get you out of here. Is Mark’s sister after you? When you didn’t show up last night, Mark told me about his sister.”

“Yeah,” Cam whispered. “She ensorcelled me and dragged me through the woods. She’s out there looking for me.”

“I know. I saw her when I was searching for you. We’ve got to get to a hidden lookout I know about, fast. I’ll tell you what’s doing when we get there.” Lightning Rod gave Cam an appraising look. “You look different…besides being all cut up and all.” He sniffed Cam. “You smell different, too. Huh…” He leaned in close to Cam and whispered in a barely inaudible voice. “We’re going to split up. I’ll tell you where to go. It’s easy if you follow the sign. You know how to make the sound of a flicker? You know…it makes a loud kekekekekekeke?” Lightning Rod cupped his hands in front of his face, puffed out his cheeks, and made the bird sound.

“Yeah, I think so,” Cam replied. He copied Lightning Rod’s movements and produced a similar sound.

“That’s how we’ll stay in touch. Add a sound like this at the end.” He made a sharp chirp at the end of the sound sequence. “Angela probably won’t know that the flicker doesn’t make that last sound.”

“Cool. Got it,” Cam affirmed.

“We can indicate direction, as well. Let’s add a too-eet if she’s to the south, a sharp twit for north, a wicka-wicka-wicka for east, and a week-week-week for west.” Lightning Rod smiled. “Sure you’re up for the bird calls, white man?”

Cam rolled his eyes. “I’m sure. I’ve managed in the wilderness a time or two.”

“Okay, ready?” Lightning Rod quickly sketched a map in the dirt, showing Cam where to go and what to look for. “If either of us sees or hears anything, let the other know with the flicker call, okay?” The kid then picked up a branch and erased all traces of the map. “Wait…pay attention to the real bird calls, too, okay?”

“What for?”

“The birds, especially the Stellar Jays, will alert other animals if we’re sneaking through the woods. They’ll also be watchful of Angela’s whereabouts. Keep your ears open. If you hear a bird alarm, stop and listen to hear if she’s crashing through the woods or sneaking through the woods or something. Just stay sharp.”

The two both took off in stealth mode through the dense trees and undergrowth. Cam was aware that his senses were still heightened. His ears discerned the subtle sounds of animals in the trees…the padding of soft paws...the snuffling of a nose. Smells assaulted his senses, some plant, and some animal. His instincts felt razor sharp. He knew without knowing why, when to back away from a trail or move to the left or right through the brush. His body moved with sinewy power and grace. When he heard the agreed on signal, he stopped, listening intently. He heard the bird call indicating that Angela was to the south. He veered north.

Lightning Rod and Cam kept up their steady pace, peppered with flicker signals, for hours. When they reached the tiny lookout, seated above a tall trestle, Lightning Rod turned to Cam and whispered. “I think we eluded her, but just to be safe, let’s pace the perimeter and put up an energetic shield.”

“How the hell do we do that?”

“Follow me. Just do what I do. We’ve got to erase our electro-magnetic trail.” Lightning Rod moved in slow precise movements, moving his hands in a circle before him like he was rubbing out a stain on the wall.

Cam mimicked his movements, feeling like an idiot.

“Okay, now just for safe measures, throw your energy down the hill about a mile.”

“Throw my what?” Cam asked, incredulous.

“Your energy…picture yourself a ways away, heading in the opposite direction. We’re trying to lead her away from us, not towards us,” Lightning Rod added with a smirk. “You white guys can be so dense.” He stifled a chuckle.

“Alright, professor, I got it.” Cam closed his eyes and imagined himself far down the mountain, heading back towards the camp. That would be the logical path to follow. When he opened his eyes, Lightning Rod nodded.

“Okay, up to the top we go, if you can manage that, old man,” Lightning Rod teased.

“Who you calling old man, kid?” Cam assessed the tall ladder that wound up into the sky. In a few quick leaps, he made it to the top, easing over the railing. He looked down at Lightning Rod, who was making quick progress, but nothing like he’d just done.

“That’s what I was talking about back when I found you. Something’s changed in you,” Lightning Rod said, when he’d reached the landing. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll fill you in on what’s doing on our end, and you can do the same.”

The two men entered the small, window lined room. At an elevation of around 5700’, the building served as a fire lookout tower. The 14’ x 14’ peaked roof structure contained a chair, a wooden table, a propane cook stove, fire extinguisher, water pump, a couple five gallon containers of water, and about a dozen gallon jugs of water. Lightning Rod hefted one of the plastic jugs and handed it to Cam. “Age before beauty,” he offered.

Cam took the jug and greedily poured the water down his parched throat. “How’d you know about this place?” he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“My uncle Evers does fire watch here sometimes. That’s what he calls it anyway. They mostly use satellite radar for fire observation these days, but he likes to just get away and hide out here. He calls it his ‘break from Aunt June.’ He’s brought me up here a couple of times. You can sure see the whole valley, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty stunning,” Cam agreed. The sweeping 360 view of the Olympic Mountain range was spectacular. Around them they could see outstanding views of Mt. Olympus, Lake Crescent, and the Sol Duc River. “So, tell me how you found me.”

“Food first. I’m hungry. My uncle usually leaves some supplies behind.” Lightning Rod rummaged around in a cupboard and found a box of crackers and a can of beans. He handed the box to Cam and searched around for a can opener.