“My feet are killing me,” Oliver whined as he tripped across a fallen tree. He groaned and crawled around, rubbing his shins. Lionel chuckled while Mark helped him to his feet.
The three had arrived shortly before sunset and searched for hours. Every now and then, they drove the car Whyte provided for them to another section of the forest, hid it, and scoured the surrounding area. The only sign of life they came across were small birds and rodents. Mark led the way, carrying their only flashlight and following Lionel’s directions. They wandered around aimlessly, however, with no clear idea where to find Heather in the dark. That suited Mark just fine.
“Let’s take a break,” Oliver said, stopping and steadying himself on a wide tree trunk.
“We have to find Heather before anyone else does,” Lionel said. “Quit being a baby.”
“Easy for you to say. You go through these stupid roots.” He picked up his feet, massaging his shins and ankles. Then he cupped a hand to his mouth and yelled, “Heather! Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
“Do you mind?” Lionel said hotly, smoke jetting into Oliver’s face. He coughed and waved it away. “We’re trying to find her quickly and quietly, remember?”
“Doubt she’ll hear us anyway,” Oliver said, more to himself. “A forest is a big place. We need a faster way to search.”
“Well then, Bright Eyes, what’s your suggestion? Enlighten us.”
“Oh, there’s that rare pun-ny side!” Oliver said, clapping. “I could burn down the forest and smoke her out.”
“Yeah, sure. Burn down the forest and smoke her out to Canada,” Lionel said, scoffing.
“Burn the north side then?”
“Do you even listen to yourself speak?”
“I have to. Can’t very well see myself speak, can I?”
While they carried on, Mark picked out a pair of voices ahead. He shushed the others and dropped to the ground behind a bush. He pulled Oliver down with him and Lionel caught on, taking a spot behind a tree.
Two flashlights waved through the air like a pair of searchlights. “I tell you, I heard someone shouting over here.”
Lionel threw Oliver a dirty look. Somehow, Oliver knew and shrugged an apology in his general direction.
“It’s probably just one of the others,” a second voice said. Two forest rangers climbed onto the plateau they hid on. The rangers shined their flashlights around briefly. “See? Nothing.”
The second ranger’s walkie-talkie crackled. “Find anything?”
He unclipped it. “Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Let’s search here,” the first one said.
“Why?”
“They got the river covered. Could be something here.”
The second one moaned. “Fine. But no more climbing. Last thing I want is to break my neck falling in the dark.” As they set off, he said, “No, actually, the last thing I want is to be out here this late.”
“Gripe, gripe, gripe,” the other said.
“When does the next shift get here?”
As they disappeared into the forest, Lionel rushed to Mark and Oliver. “Get up,” he whispered. “Get up! Let’s move!” They scrambled after the rangers, keeping a safe distance from them and hiding behind trees and bushes.
“What are we doing?” Oliver asked, tripping as he gripped Mark’s hand tight.
“Following them. They have more people,” Lionel explained before running to the next tree. The rangers stopped to check a series of bushes.
“And they’re likely to find Heather first,” Mark finished.
“Exactly. Shut up, I think I hear them.” The rangers checked in with another search party and moved on.
Happy as he was that they wouldn’t find Heather first, Mark had to keep Lionel from stealing her from the BEP Division. When Lionel urged them on, he fell behind, insisting that the ground was too difficult for Oliver. “Watch it,” he said, jerking Oliver this way and that. “You’re going to fall if you’re not careful.” Even in flat areas, he pretended there were plenty of holes and slippery areas. “Be careful in this part,” he said, guiding Oliver slowly through it. Lionel was too focused on the flashlights ahead to notice he was lying.
Dangerous ground or not was no excuse for Lionel though. After they nearly lost the rangers twice, Lionel rounded on him, his face inches from Mark’s own. “I don’t care what’s on the ground. Stop acting like dead weight or you will be.”
Mark’s throat became ashy and clogged, the air fighting to break through. He choked, unable to concentrate on anything but the cold feeling in his mouth. He nodded and Lionel’s smoke released him. Mark welcomed the air and Lionel jerked his head. “Keep up.”
An hour of tailing the rangers yielded nothing until they returned to the riverbed. One of the other search parties excitedly called them. “I see her!” There was nothing to conceal them between the tree line at the top of the slope and the rangers. Lionel drifted closer to the river anyway, belly on the ground and in the open, listening. “I see Heather!”
A different party answered. “Where? Where is she?”
“Upriv-ack!” A gun went off on the other end. The rangers jumped, turning to look upriver when the echo reached them. One spun too far and spotted Lionel. He nudged the other and they screamed.
“What the Sam Hill is that?!” one shouted.
Before either could react, Lionel leapt between their faces. He extended his body, his head disappearing into one ranger’s mouth and his legs slinking down the other’s. The rangers stood there, clutching their necks and gagging. When all that was left of Lionel was the small of his back, they fell to the ground, wide-eyed and limp.
Mark helped Oliver down the hill. He stood far from Lionel, who pulled out of the throats and reformed. “Mark,” he said. “Grab their walkie-talkie.”
Shuffling forward, Mark took one walkie-talkie with shaky hands, then went back to Oliver. “You got both at once, didn’t you?” Oliver asked. Lionel passed by without an answer. “Yeah, you did! The double choke!” He smacked Mark in the head. “Oops.” Oliver quickly patted his back. “My bad. Some kill, huh? You should see him do it with three.”
“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” the walkie-talkie said. The voice sounded familiar to Mark.
“Ah, Sylvia!” Oliver said. “Haven’t heard her in a long time.”
Several others reported in to Sylvia. “We’re heading to the gunshot,” she said. “Anyone nearby, get there fast! Remember: do not engage Heather on your own.”
“C’mon!” Lionel said. “Let’s hurry!” They ran along the river. Mark caught several looks from Lionel, but he kept pace this time with Oliver.
Hope they’re closer than us, he thought.
* * *