“I should have pushed you the rest of the way,” Blanchard complained, panting from all but packing her the remaining twenty feet to his shelter. “That generator better not be damaged.”
Brie didn’t respond as he deposited her on a camp chair near a blackened firepit. She propped her aching foot on one of the rocks and studied her surroundings, stunned at what she saw.
Piles of items were stacked all around the cave walls. Stuffed bags and backpacks were everywhere, along with lanterns, and weapons. He even had a hammock hanging by pitons. Food items had their own area and in a far corner, a mound of what looked like opened cans and rubble.
“How did you find this place?” She still couldn’t believe everything she saw. “How did you manage to haul all this stuff in here?”
“I’m capable of a lot of things, Ms. Drummond. So, do not underestimate me,ormy patience.” He pulled a man’s jacket from a neatly stacked pile of clothes and tossed it at her while he laid the wood for a small fire.
“However, I will indulge your question. I spent my first summer up here, perfecting my survival skills. I had several theories I needed to validate before adding them to my curriculum. However, there were—and are—several I have perfected that I will not make public.”
He liked to brag. She needed to indulge in more ego buffing. A small price to pay if it kept her alive long enough for Mac to find her.
“Your first summer? How many have you spent here?”
“This is my second. The first was all about setting-up my shelter. I needed a secure,un-trackable location. It took months to find the perfect spot. But I’m not a quitter, Ms. Drummond. That’s what’s wrong with society today. No one is willing to do what it takes to survive. So…” he glanced up at her as he struck a match to light the fire, “few of us will.”
Once the flames took hold, he stood, removed the tiny pewter wizard from his pocket and set it on a long, narrow cleft in the cave wall, alongside dozens of small objects
“That’s my wizard!”
“Well, itwasyours,” Calvin sneered.
Anger surged through her. She didn’t care about the generator, or anything else he might have taken from her, but the little wizard figurine was her mother’s reminder that Brie carried her own magic.
The thought brought her up short. Her mother’s reminder…
Brie’s resolve deepened. Her mother was right. She wouldn’t sit back and let this deranged fanatic beat her. She ground her teeth and silently called him every ugly word she could imagine.
“And your second year?” She prompted, to get him talking while she scrutinized the loot he had stacked around, for anything she could turn into a weapon.
“This second year, has been about putting my skills to use.” He proudly indicated his large store of items. “As you can see, I can walk in anywhere and take anything I like. Skills like mine are what separate expert survivalists from the wanna-bes; what I endeavor to drive home in my lectures. Evaluate, adjust, and try again. I’m very good at thinking outside the box.Really good,in fact. After two years, the authorities still have no clue who I am, or where to find me.”
“Yes. Your expertise is quite evident.”Ego stroke, number two, you pathetic little man! Two can play at this game.
“Next year will be even better.” He almost purred with self-adoration before his gaze fell on her and turned hard. “Which, unfortunately, is why there’s only one way you’ll ever leave this cave. I have plans, Ms. Drummond and I will not be diverted from them.”
Brie’s blood turned to ice, completely convinced he meant every word. She had to buy time, no matter what. She cursed her swollen leg and the limitations it imposed. Running from him certainly wasn’t an option.
“I’ll admit there are times I miss intelligent, stimulating conversation, which I hoped you would provide,” Calvin continued, “but like everything else, when something is used up or worn out, I get rid of it, and find something else that pleases me.” He shrugged. “Nothing personal, you understand.”
“Of course not,” she smirked.
“Unfortunately, now that school is back in session, and mylecture tourscheduled to end soon, I’ll be limited to weekends up here, so I’m afraid, out of necessity, my hospitality will be quite short lived.”
He indicated her ankle, where the swelling bulged over her boot-top. “I trust you’ll stay put while I retrieve the generator and panels. You might wish to pray your clumsiness has not wasted my days efforts and cost me the prize.”
Blanchard stepped to the mouth of the cave and zipped his jacket. Not far away, a dog barked.
~ ~ ~
Alistair peered down the rock flow, his heart beating a reckless cadence in his chest as he searched for Gus. A piece of fur, the tip of a tail, anything that would indicate the dog wasna lying at the bottom of the chasm.
What prompted him to leap over the edge like that? Surely Brie couldna be downthere.
Alistair shifted back and forth, watching for Gus. When he moved to his left, something flashed. He moved his head a few inches the other way, and it disappeared.
Something shiny lay below, among the rocks, which meant Brie could be there, after all. Alistair appraised the rock formations, picked an initial route and descended. Far below, he heard Gus’s bark and felt a surge of relief and exhilaration. Gus was all right. Had he found Brie?
