“We’d better go see,” I said. I looked to the hill south of us, where the water tower and sentry were. “It came from over there.”
Leaving our blankets, we ran up the north bank of the hill toward the water tower. It wasn’t easy in the dark, as our path was lit only by a rising moon.
We had run nearly two hundred yards from the pond when we reached the top of the hill. We were both out of breath, and my face was ticking like crazy. We stopped next to the water tower to rest.
The water tower was nearly thirty feet high, with a three-thousand-gallon water tank and an observation deck on top that was usually manned by a lookout, but wasn’t now.
“Isn’t there supposed to be someone—”
“Shh,” I said, raising my hand. I could hear voices below us. “They’re down there,” I whispered, looking toward the base of the southern slope.
The hill was cast in dark shadows and covered with cedar and juniper, which gave us good cover as we hurried down. We pulled our sleeves over our hands so the only visible glow was on our faces.
At the base of the hill, on the dirt road that paralleled the corral leading to the main house, was a group of five or six men.
“Are they Elgen?” Taylor asked.
“I can’t tell. Let’s get closer.”
As we neared the road, I could see that the two men with their backs to the ranch were Chairman Simon and Taylor’s father. In front of them were four men with rifles.
“That’s my dad,” Taylor said, starting to stand. I grabbed her.
“Stay down. They aren’t Elgen, but they’ve got guns.”
“They’re hunters,” Taylor said. “What are they doing out so late?”
“Let’s get closer.”
About twenty feet from the road there was a fallen juniper with its roots extending high enough that we could hide behind it. We crept the final few feet, carefully picking our steps to not make any sound. As we reached the tree, we could clearly see the chairman and Mr. Ridley and the four men dressed in hunting gear. The hunters looked angry, and there was obvious tension. Mr. Ridley also looked angry. The chairman was speaking.
“I don’t care where the elk ran. This is private property. You need to turn around and go back to where you came from.”
One of the hunters laughed, then mumbled something. It sounded to me like he had been drinking.
“Listen, joker,” one of the hunters said. “I got a shot on that elk, and I’m claiming it.”
The chairman crossed his arms. “You can claim all you want, but this is private property. You can’t trespass.”
Another one of the men spoke, his words slightly slurred. “We chased it here. If we’re in chase, we can continue. It’s the law.”
“That’s only a law for police in pursuit,” Mr. Ridley said. “I’m a cop. And I’m giving you ten seconds to turn around and get your hairy hides out of here.”
The men looked at each other; then two of them leveled their guns at Ridley. “What kinda stupid are you? We’re in the middle of nowhere, you got four men with guns, and you’re telling them to leave? Maybe I’ll just bag—” The man suddenly stopped, and his rifle drooped until it was pointing at the ground.
I looked over. Taylor was reaching toward him, rebooting him. Then he reached up and grabbed his forehead. Actually, it looked more like he was clawing it, as if there was something inside it that he was trying to get out.
Seeing the man’s helplessness, Mr. Ridley rushed him, grabbing the barrel of the rifle. One of the other hunters pulled a large bowie knife from a sheath on his belt, and the other two lifted their guns.
“Stop it!” I shouted.
There was a rifle blast, and Mr. Ridley fell to the ground.
“They shot my father!” Taylor shouted, jumping up and running toward the men. One of the hunters, startled, wheeled around toward us with his gun.
“Taylor!” I shouted again. Before the hunter could pull the trigger, I pulsed, and a massive blue-gold wave of electricity exploded, knocking Taylor, the chairman, and all four of the hunters to the ground.
I ran to Taylor while the chairman crawled over next to Mr. Ridley. In the dark I could see something black around Mr. Ridley’s stomach. I froze. It was like Wade all over again. Even in the dark I could see that Taylor’s eyes were wild.
“Get help!” the chairman shouted to me, pulling up Mr. Ridley’s shirt and pressing down on his torso. “Get Dr. Benton. Tell Gervaso we need the helicopter. Fast.”
Taylor was still dazed but got up onto her knees. “Get my mom.”
“All right,” I said. “You’re going to have to keep rebooting these hunters until I get back. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right back.” As I ran down the hill toward the house, Jack, Ian, and Zeus came running out the back. Jack and Zeus carried flashlights.
“Over here!” I shouted, though Ian had already seen me.
“We need Dr. Benton and the helicopter,” I shouted again. “Where’s Gervaso?”
“I’ll get both of them,” Zeus said, heading back into the house.
“Get Abigail too,” I shouted after him.
Jack and Ian ran past me up the road.
Just then Mrs. Ridley rushed out of the house with my mother.
“What happened?” my mother asked.
“Mr. Ridley’s been shot!” I shouted.
Mrs. Ridley looked at me with panic.
“Where is he?” Mom asked.
“Up the road a hundred yards. Follow me.”
I turned and ran back, suddenly worried about Taylor being alone with the hunters. Somewhere in the distance I could hear the sound of a helicopter powering up.
When I got back, Jack and Ian were kneeling on the ground next to Mr. Ridley and the chairman. Behind them the hunters were all on the ground rolling around, moaning in pain. I don’t know what Taylor was doing to their brains—I’m not sure that she did either—but I’d never seen her more focused or intense. Then two of them started screaming, “Stop, please!”
“Taylor,” I said.
She didn’t respond.
“Taylor! Back off!”
She turned and looked at me. Her eyes were crazy and angry.
“Back off,” I said, panting. “You’re hurting them.”
“I know.”
I took her arm. “Come on.” We both turned toward her father. He was now shaking. “Jack, can you watch the hunters?”
Jack nodded. He handed Taylor his flashlight and picked up one of the men’s guns, checked its chamber, and then held the gun on them. “Which one of you scumbags shot Chuck?”
“That one,” Taylor said, pointing the flashlight at one of the men on the ground.
Jack leveled the gun at the man’s chest. “No one messes with family. Any of you try anything, pig-face goes first. Then I shoot the rest of you.”
I doubt the men even knew what Jack was saying, as they were still too disoriented to even speak. Taylor had really messed with their brains.
Mrs. Ridley reached us, followed by my mom, Zeus, and Abigail. Mrs. Ridley was crying. “What happened? Is he okay?”
“He’s lost a lot of blood,” the chairman said. “I think he’s going into shock. Taylor, can you shine your light over here?”
Mrs. Ridley knelt down next to her husband. “Chuck. Stay with us. Don’t leave us.”
Abigail knelt down and put her hand on Mr. Ridley’s shoulder. His shaking body suddenly calmed.
“That’s good,” the chairman said. “It will slow his heart rate. Ian, what do you see?”
“Not good. There’s a lot of blood. It’s filling his stomach.”
About a hundred feet from us the helicopter began to lower into the corral.
My mother, the chairman, and Ian moved between the corral and Mr. Ridley to block the dust being kicked up by the helicopter’s rotors. Dr. Benton ran up and knelt down next to Mr. Ridley. “What happened?”
“He was shot in th
e stomach.”
“It’s filling with blood,” Ian said.
Dr. Benton took Mr. Ridley’s wrist to check his pulse. “We need to stop the bleeding and get him to the hospital.”
“Maybe McKenna could cauterize it,” Mrs. Ridley said.
“McKenna’s at the other house,” Ian said. “She’s too far away.”
“Michael could do it,” my mother said.
“What do I do?” I asked.
“I can guide you,” Ian said. “Stick your finger into the bullet hole and burn it shut.”
“My fingers are dirty.”
“The heat of your electricity will kill the germs,” the doctor said. “Infection is the least of our worries right now.”
Mr. Ridley groaned.
“We’ve just got to buy him enough time to get him to the hospital in Kanab.”
“The helicopter is ready,” Gervaso said, running up to us.
The chairman moved aside, and I knelt down next to Ridley. “Abi?”
“I got him.” She closed her eyes. I could see her begin to tremble from the pain. I looked down at the mass of blood. The bullet wound was about the diameter of a dime and slightly ragged. I grimaced as I shoved my finger into the hole.
“How far?” I asked Ian.
“More. Push harder.”
I pushed in, my knuckles pressing into his abdomen. I could feel the blood, thick and sticky around my finger.
“Now,” Ian said.
I pulsed. Mr. Ridley’s body tensed, and in spite of Abigail’s help he still groaned out. I could feel his blood boil against my finger. The pungent stink of burning blood filled the air.
“I think it’s working,” Ian said. “I think it stopped.”
I pulled my finger out and leaned back.
“Yeah, it stopped,” Ian said.
“Let’s get him to the helicopter,” Gervaso said.
Gervaso, Dr. Benton, and Ian lifted Mr. Ridley and carried him to the helicopter.
“Can I go with him?” Mrs. Ridley asked.
The chairman said, “The chopper can carry two passengers. You and . . .” He looked at Abigail. “Abigail should go.”
The two women ran toward the helicopter.
“What about me?” Taylor asked.
“Gervaso will drive,” the chairman said. “It will only take twenty minutes.”
“I’ll go with you,” I said.
“What about these clowns?” Jack asked, waving the gun at the hunters.
The chairman looked at them with disdain. “Blindfold them; then take them down to the lower barn and handcuff them to the wall. We’ll deal with them after we get back from the hospital.” His eyes narrowed. “If they try to escape, shoot them.”
“I’ll fry them first,” Zeus said. “Extra crispy.” He walked over to them. “Stand up, losers.”
I took Taylor’s hand. “C’mon, let’s get to the hospital.”
The city of Kanab is a little more than twenty-five miles from Christmas Ranch, though with Gervaso’s driving, it seemed closer. Because of the hour there was little traffic, and Gervaso instructed Ian to keep a sharp lookout for deer so he could drive insanely fast. At one point I looked at the speedometer, and he was going a hundred and twenty-seven, faster than I thought the truck could even go.
We passed a highway patrolman a few miles from the junction, but even before Gervaso could say anything, Taylor took care of it. The cars lights turned off and the car rolled to a stop. She was at least a hundred yards away from the vehicle when she did it. My first thought was that she was getting better at rebooting. More likely her power was enhanced by the intensity of her emotions.
Taylor didn’t say a word the whole way, and as we got closer to the hospital, the mood in the car just got more and more tense. We all knew that there was a chance that Mr. Ridley hadn’t made it to the hospital alive. I couldn’t stop gulping.
* * *
Gervaso screeched to a stop in front of the hospital’s emergency entrance, and Taylor jumped out and ran inside. I ran out after her. The large admitting room was mostly vacant. Abigail was reclined in a chair next to the door. Her armpits were wet, and blood was spattered all over her blouse. She looked so exhausted, I doubted she could stand.
“What’s going on?” Taylor asked.
“They’re still in there,” Abigail said.
“Then he made it alive,” Taylor said.
Gervaso and Ian walked in, looking around anxiously.
“He’s alive,” I said. Gervaso breathed out in relief.
For the next twenty minutes the five of us sat in silence. I began looking through a magazine about farm and ranch implements, but I couldn’t focus on the pages. Then an actual rancher walked into the room. He was holding his arm as if it had been broken, but he didn’t look overly concerned. He even took off his hat and nodded to the ladies.
A few minutes later, my mother, McKenna, Ostin, and both of his parents hurried in. “How is he?” my mother asked.
“We’re still waiting,” I said. “But he made it here.”
Ostin shook his head. “I can’t believe this happened. It wasn’t even the Elgen.”
“What’s going on with the hunters?” I asked.
“Jack called the Kane County police. If the hunters try anything, Jack and Zeus will take them out like Elgen guards.”
* * *
It was another half hour before Mrs. Ridley emerged from the swinging emergency room doors. Her expression was grave, but she wasn’t crying, which I took to be a good sign. Taylor ran to her.
“He’s going to be okay,” Mrs. Ridley said. They embraced. “It was close. He lost a lot of blood.”
Taylor broke down crying.
I walked over. “He’s okay?”
Mrs. Ridley looked into my eyes. “Yes. Thank you. The doctor said that whoever cauterized the artery saved his life.” She put her arms around me. “You saved his life.”
Taylor also hugged me. “Thank you, Michael.”
“I’m just glad,” I said.
“I need to sit down,” Mrs. Ridley said.
Mrs. Liss walked over to help Mrs. Ridley to a chair. “Come here, dear.”
Taylor asked, “How long will Dad be here?”
“They want to keep him a few days. He’s still low on blood, and they’re worried about infection. They say I can stay in the room.” She said to the rest of us, “The doctor said no visitors. You might as well go back. Thank you for coming.”
My mother joined us. “You sure you don’t need us?”
“I’m sure,” she replied.
My mother hugged her. “You’ll be in our prayers.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Taylor said to her mom.
“I can stay too,” I said.
Taylor took my hand. “I’ll stay with my mother.” She looked me in the eyes. “I’d like to be alone with my family.”
“I understand,” I said, feeling a little hurt. She must have seen it, because she kissed me on the cheek.
“I love you. I’ll see you back at the ranch.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon. Call if you need anything.”
“I will. Bye.”
As I turned to go, she said, “Michael.”
“Yes?”
“It’s just like my dream, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Exactly like your dream.”
I rode back to the ranch with my mother and the Lisses, leaving Taylor and her parents behind with Gervaso to watch over them. It was well past midnight when we got back. As we were entering the ranch’s dirt road entryway, we passed two Kane County police trucks carrying the four hunters.
As we passed each other on the narrow road, one of the hunters glanced over at me. Electricity snapped between my fingers. I wanted to shock him.
The lights at the main house were still on as we pulled up the gravel driveway, and even though we had already phoned back the news, most everyone was still awake and waiting for us. I suppose they wanted to hear what wa
s going on in person.
The chairman walked out to our car as we drove up. “How is he?”
“He’s stable,” I said, getting out of the car. “We didn’t get to see him, but Mrs. Ridley filled us in.”
“Is Gervaso staying with him?”
I nodded. “And Mrs. Ridley and Taylor are spending the night.”
Jack, Zeus, and Tanner walked up. Jack and I man hugged. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. What’s going on back here?”
“We took care of the hunters,” Zeus said.
Tanner grinned. “Every time they tried to move, Zeus shocked them.”
I looked at Zeus. “You’re not afraid they’ll tell someone?”
“No one would believe them if they did,” Tanner said. “They were so drunk, they couldn’t even speak. It’s like they were crazy.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were morons,” Jack said. “They just babbled. It was like they were speaking a foreign language. I didn’t hear one real word out of them.”
“They weren’t babbling when I saw them,” I said. I wondered if Taylor had broken their minds.
“Well, they were seriously messed-up dudes,” Tanner said. “The police couldn’t make sense of them.”
“What will happen to the hunters?” I asked the chairman.
“For now the police will probably put them in the drunk tank, then keep them in jail until someone posts bail.” The chairman’s voice was slow, and he had dark rings under his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was worried or weary, or, most likely, both. “We’d better get some sleep. We just got new intelligence from the voice that I’ll share with you tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to prepare for.”
* * *
I said good night to my mother and the Lisses. Then Jack, Ostin, Zeus, Tanner, and I walked back to the bunkhouse. We didn’t joke around like we usually did. Not even Tanner, who pretty much joked about everything.
I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember the nightmare I had. Taylor, Jack, and I were being hunted in the dark by the four hunters. They cornered me, and I tried to use my electricity against them, but it didn’t work. Then one of them came closer. His face was blurred but somehow familiar.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m the voice,” he said.