"Anything?" Cooper asked Hawkins as he walked through the damp early morning mist back toward the cabin.
Hawkins shook his head. "Aside from more animal-like tracks in the woods, I found nothing. There was no blood in the trap that was sprung nor was there any in the spot Mister Stone said he saw something standing."
"How many sets of prints did you find?"
"Four, possibly five. It was hard to tell."
"Thanks. Grab yourself a cup of coffee to warm up while I check on Mrs. Melancon and Thomas."
Inside the cabin, Cooper found Rose quietly tending to Thomas' wounds. Rose had a bump the size of a goose egg on the side of her head hidden underneath a bandage she had made from a torn piece of her shirt. Thomas, on the other hand, lay still on the floor. His attacker had torn into the flesh around his right eye, ripping it out. Rose had cleaned the wound and placed a clean kerchief over it as a bandage. Although she wouldn't say it, Cooper could see in her eyes that the attack had traumatized her. Only time would tell if she would ever be able to put the horror of last night behind her.
"I take it you're here to tell us we'll be heading back to Maclean's farm?" said the pastor. His voice was accusatory as if Cooper was somehow responsible for all the troubles that had befallen the group.
"Not exactly. I've asked Sergeant Hawkins and Owens to look around. If they come back and tell us we are nowhere near O'Doul's farm, then yes we will turn around and try to make it back to Maclean's cabin. But don't forget whoever these people are, they've been following ever since we stepped foot in these woods. Just turning around does not guarantee our safety."
"I'm not a superstitious man, Captain, but we aren't being stalked by a man. My wife told me she was attacked by a hairy monster, as was Thomas. They said exactly the same thing, it was a monster, not a man. This has to be the work of the devil. Perhaps the half-wit, Moses, was right. We are all being punished by God for our many sins."
Cooper ground his teeth. The last thing he needed was for someone to lose their mind while they were still days away from Mercy Plantation. "Pastor, I give you my word, we are facing a couple of renegades, not the devil."
"Only the devil could control and guide the things that are hunting us."
"You're wrong. I tell you we're being stalked by men and men can be killed." Cooper didn't want to carry on the conversation so he turned around and nipped back outside to join Hawkins, Owens, and Stone by the fire. The only consolation was the rain had let up a couple of hours ago. Steam rose from the damp clothes on the men's bodies as they stood near the heat of the fire.
"How are things?" Stone asked.
"Mrs. Melancon looks okay. Thomas has lost an eye and a lot of blood."
"Can he walk?" asked Owens.
"I think so but probably not very fast. He'll need to be helped by someone."
"Francis and Cole can see to him," said Stone. "While you were in the cabin, I spoke with Hawkins and Owens. They told me you want them to keep looking for O'Doul's farm."
"Yes, I do."
"Well, I for one think it's a waste of time. We're wasting precious daylight. We need to head back home immediately."
"Give them an hour. If they come back empty-handed, then we'll pack up and head back the way we came." Cooper could see in Stone's eyes that he wasn't comfortable sticking around a minute more than he had to. "They might stumble onto a boat we could use or find a way out of here. Think about it, we could be home by nightfall."
"Then again, we could all be dead."
Cooper was tired and in no mood to argue. "Sir, I've made up my mind. We're going nowhere until Hawkins and the sheriff return."
"If they go, we all know only Owens will return," said Melancon as he walked toward the fire. "As soon as they are out of sight, Owens or one of those creatures will come out of the swamp and kill Sergeant Hawkins."
Cooper shook his head. "That's not true and you know it, Pastor."
"Really? How do we know the sheriff isn't in league with these creatures?"
"Because that's a load of bull," protested Owens. "I ain't in league with anyone."
"I disagree. Nothing has happened to you so far, unlike my wife and Mister Stone's people. Many of whom are now dead. No, Sheriff, you are a Jonah and the devil is protecting you, isn't he?"
"Jesus, Pastor, shake yer head. I ain't no Jonah. I didn't bring the bad luck we've been having onto the party. That's God's work if any one is to blame. Besides, I got shot. I have a scar on the side of my head to prove it."
"If Maclean had wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here talking to us. You and I both know he deliberately missed."
"Now why would he do that?" asked Cooper, struggling with the desire to coldcock the pastor to shut him up.
"I don't know. Perhaps they were working together to lure us deeper into the bayou so these monsters could kill us all."
"Pastor, think about what you're saying. It's sheer nonsense," said Cooper. "The sheriff may not care too much what happens to any of us, but I for one don't believe he is working with the devil."
"Neither do I," said Hawkins, looking the pastor in the eye. "Something odd is happening out here, but Owens has nothing to do with it. I don't particularly like the man, but I'm not afraid to go with him into the woods to look for a way out of here for all of us."
"Right, that settles it," said Cooper. "We stick to my plan. End of discussion!"
"Speaking of that, sir," said Hawkins. "I don't see any reason why the sheriff and I can't head out now."
"May God watch over you and have mercy on your soul, Sergeant," said Melancon.
Hawkins smiled. "Sir, ask the Lord to make sure that I shoot straight when the time comes."
Cooper placed a hand on Melancon's shoulder. "Pastor, we're all tired and under a lot of stress. I need you to stay calm and not give in to despair. Perhaps you should check back with your wife to see how she is doing."
Melancon nodded and walked away with his head bowed.
Cooper turned and offered his hand to his comrade. "See you in one hour, Sergeant."
Hawkins shook Cooper's hand. "Hopefully, we'll be back with good news long before that."
Stone and Cooper stood by the fire and watched as Hawkins and Owens walked toward the woodline.
"Captain, I may not share Pastor Melancon's views on Sheriff Owens, but I do agree with him," said Stone. "We are up against something unnatural in this swamp and the longer we stay here, the less our chances are in getting out of here alive."
At the edge of the woods, Hawkins stopped and looked over his shoulder at Owens. "So, Sheriff, which way do you propose we go?"
Owens pointed off to their right. "I think the farm should be off in that direction."
"I'll take the lead if you don't mind."
Owens took a step to one side. "Not at all. You seem to be better at tracking and unlike myself, you have two eyes to see with."
Hawkins picked a path through the woods and began to walk. He moved slow and deliberate, trying to be as quiet as possible. After a few minutes of picking his way through the brush, he stopped and raised his hand.
"What is it?" Owens whispered.
"Up ahead, I can hear something making a noise."
Owens cocked his head and listened. "Sounds like a wild boar eating something."
Hawkins edged forward a few more yards before stopping behind a tall tree. The noise seemed to be coming from the other side. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before poking his head around to take a look. In an instant, he wished he had not. Two wild boars were tearing at and eating the flesh from Maclean's naked corpse. The fur on their faces was covered in blood.
Owens moved around so he could see. He felt a wave of revulsion at the sight of his dead cousin. He drew his pistol to shoot the animals when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Don't do that," warned Hawkins. "If you do, you'll let whoever is out there know where we are."
"This ain't right," objected Owens. "No one, no matter who they are, should be left t
o be eaten by an animal."
"Maclean was dead long before his body was dumped in the woods for the pigs to feast on."
Owens hesitated for a moment before lowering his weapon.
Hawkins scoured the ground around the tree and soon found a couple sets of tracks. They were identical to the ones he had found next to the cabin. "Come on, let's see where they lead to."
Owens was steadily losing his nerve and blanched at the thought. He could taste bile in the back of his mouth and fought off being sick. With great reluctance he nodded his concurrence.
Hawkins took a couple of steps away from the tree to better see the tracks. For close to thirty minutes, they trudged through the mud until they came to a small clearing. Wisps from a fire nearing its end wafted up into the air. Hawkins' instincts, honed in battle, warned him to be wary. He motioned for Owens to stay where he was while he crept out into the open. With one eye on the surrounding woods, Hawkins walked to the fire. He poked at the charred timber with the barrel of his carbine and spotted a piece of bone. Hawkins bent down and picked it up. He examined it for a moment before dropping it to the ground. He stood up and looked all around before jogging back to Owens.
"What did you find?" asked the sheriff.
"I found a man's jawbone in the fire," replied Hawkins. "Whoever we're dealing with are eating their victims."
Owens shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. What are you trying to say?"
"I don't think the devil or some swap monster would need a fire to eat his victims. Do you?"
"No."
"Sheriff, I don't want to believe this any more than you do. Let's get back to the captain and others before anyone else goes missing."
"God, no!" said Stone when he heard the news. He stepped back, visibly shaken and had to take a seat on the ground.
"I wish it weren't so, but I know what I saw," said Hawkins.
"Is there any hope Joe or Moses could be found alive?' asked Stone.
Hawkins shook his head. "No, sir. We found Maclean's body and the jaw bone of another man. I think it's a safe bet to assume they're all dead."
"I've heard enough," said Cooper. "If we stay out here, they'll surely come back for us. We're heading back to Maclean's farm right away. Owens and Hawkins will take the lead. Mister Stone can bring up the rear with everyone else in the middle. We stop for nothing. If we set a good pace, we can be there in a day and a half from now."
The speed with which they made their way through the forest was slower than Cooper had hoped for. It, however, couldn't be helped. Thomas put on a brave face but was suffering in agony with every step he took. Cooper looked over his shoulder, trying to find the sun, but found he was unable to see it through the tall forest canopy. He checked his watch and saw they had been walking for only two hours when Thomas dropped to his knees and asked for a short rest.
"Okay, everyone close it up," said Cooper. "We'll take a five-minute halt. Sergeant Hawkins and Mister Stone, please keep watch."
"How are you doing, Thomas?" asked Cooper as he bent down to check on the injured man.
"Sorry, but I think done broken a couple of ribs when I was knocked to the ground," explained Thomas, between pained gasps for air.
"No need to be sorry. It's not your fault."
"I'll bind his chest up as best I can," said Rose. "But he isn't going to be able to move much faster than he already is."
Cooper nodded. "Please do what you can for him."
Owens took a deep swig from his canteen. The warm, brackish water didn't really quench his thirst. He wanted a glass-no, he wanted a bottle of Scotch when he got back to his room in the back of the jailhouse. He wondered if his deputy had even noticed his absence and formed a search party to look for him. Knowing how lazy the man was, Owens doubted it. He sat down on a log and watched a gator sunning itself only a few yards away from him. The alligator didn't seem to be bothered by the presence of so many people. It lay still with its eyes closed, soaking in the heat from the sun shining down through a break in the trees. He stretched his weary arm over his head and yawned. He felt as if he could sleep for a week. Owens slowly stood and looked at Hawkins who was resting against a tree while he kept guard. Even though he was a Yankee and a former slave, Owens was beginning to warm up to him. He was about to walk over and strike up a conversation with the sergeant when he saw something shiny, partly covered by some grass, lying on the side of the trail. Owens bent down to check it out. A smile crept across his dirt-covered face when he saw it was a gold pocket watch. Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed hold of the watch.
"No, don't!" yelled Hawkins when he saw the watch.
Owens turned his head to see why Hawkins was yelling. Less than a second later, the trap sprang. A branch with sharpened sticks tied to it shot out from behind a nearby tree and struck Owens in the stomach, impaling him.
Cooper saw the tree limb hit Owens and heard the wet thud as the spikes penetrated all the way through his body. He scrambled to his feet, pulled back the hammer on his carbine, and ran toward the doomed man. Before he could reach the sheriff, Hawkins reached out and stopped him in his tracks.
"Look down," warned Hawkins.
Cooper glanced at his feet and saw a bear trap covered with grass and leaves less than a foot from where he stood. He knew in an instant, they had walked into an ambush. Cooper pivoted around to warn the others when a dark shape rose out of the swamp, took hold of Rose, and yanked her back with it. He heard her scream in fear and brought his weapon up to fire. Just before he pulled the trigger, he was pushed to the ground by Hawkins.
"Don't move," ordered Hawkins as a thick log suspended by a rope swung down from a tree.
Had he been standing, Cooper would have been struck and killed by the force of the log crushing in his ribcage. He rolled over and crawled out of the way as the heavy piece of wood came flying back. Cooper looked back and saw the pastor jump into the water in an attempt to save his wife.
Further back, Stone cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his right wrist.
Cooper glanced over his weapon's sights and swore as Rose and her attacker disappeared from view. Melancon trudged through the thigh deep water hollering Rose's name. A second later, he vanished behind a grove of trees. There was a muffled cry and then silence.
"Sir . . . sir, where's Francis?' asked Hawkins.
Cooper looked over to where the young man had been standing a few seconds ago, only he wasn't there. Cole was on all fours struggling to breathe while Thomas lay on the ground pointing toward the muddy water.
"What happened?" Cooper asked Thomas.
"Something big and hairy done appeared out of nowhere," explained Thomas. "It done struck Cole in the chest with a pole before pulling Francis into the water with it."
Cooper bent down and placed a hand on Cole's back. "How are you doing? Can you breathe?"
Cole nodded. "I just got the wind knocked out me, Captain. I'll be okay in a minute."
Cooper ran to Stone's side. A bloody arrow protruded through his wrist. "Sir, can you walk?"
"Yes," replied Stone, gritting his teeth.
Cooper helped Stone to his feet. They walked over and joined what was left of the party.
"This is going to hurt," Cooper said to Stone as he grabbed hold of the wooden shaft, snapped off the arrow head, and yanked hard.
Stone grunted through clenched teeth as the arrow was pulled free. He reached up with his good hand and wrapped a kerchief around the bloody wound.
Hawkins took cover behind a tree and looked in vain for the missing people. He glanced over at Cooper and reported, "Sir, I checked, Owens is dead."
Cooper closed his eyes for a moment. He had never liked the sheriff, but he didn't deserve to die impaled on a branch in the middle of nowhere.
"What the hell just happened?" Stone asked.
"I screwed up and led us into a bloody ambush. That's what happened," responded Cooper, angry with himself.
"It wasn't jus
t you, Captain," said Hawkins. "I was up front, I should have seen it coming as well."
"I'm the officer. This mess is my fault."
"My God, we've lost half of our party," said Stone. "How will we ever get back home?"
"Well, that's up to you now. I want you, Thomas, and Cole to carry on without Sergeant Hawkins or me."
"We'll be sitting ducks for those things."
"Maybe . . . maybe not, but you've got to take that chance. We've got three people missing and I'm not going to abandon them to their fate. None of you are in any shape to help Sergeant Hawkins and me. You've got to stick together and try to make it to safety. We'll be right behind you once we free Rose, the pastor, and Francis."
"I can help," said Cole, picking up Thomas' dropped weapon.
Cooper shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but you're not a soldier. Besides, I need you to look after these two men. They're both hurt and won't make it back to the plantation without you."
"Yes, sir," replied the disappointed youth.
"Also, don't light any fires until you reach home. It'll only draw them to you. You've got some dried meat with you, you can eat that."
Cole helped Thomas to his feet. "Come on, we done got to get moving."
"Watch the trail for traps," said Hawkins. "Any recently disturbed dirt or grass should be treated with suspicion."
Stone looked Cooper in the eye. "Please bring my people back alive, Captain. We've already lost too many good folks. To lose anymore would be soul crushing."
Cooper nodded. "Sergeant Hawkins and I will do our best. Now, please get moving. The further away you get before the sun goes down, the safer things will be for you."
The three men hobbled down the narrow trail until they turned a slight bend and disappeared from view.
"Do you think they'll make it?" asked Hawkins.
"I'd say the odds are against them," replied Cooper. "But there was no other alternative. Not if we want to try and save the others from a horrible death."
"Sir, you do realize they could already be dead."
"Until we find their remains, I'm going to believe that they're still alive and need our help."
"Okay, then, which way do you want to go?"
"They took them that way," said Cooper, pointing toward a grove of trees in the swamp.
Hawkins took a quick look around for traps before stepping off the trail and into the water. Right away, the water rose up to his waist.
With their weapons held high, the two men waded through the water trying not to make a sound. When they got to the spot where the pastor had vanished, they found his shotgun lying in the muck but nothing else.
Cooper pursed his lips and looked around trying to decide which way their attackers may have gone. Everything looked alike. Water and trees stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Hawkins tapped Cooper on the arm and pointed at a log sticking out of the water about twenty yards from them. It took Cooper a few seconds to notice there was a piece of ripped clothing hanging from it. They rushed over and saw the cloth came from Rose's shirt.
"I guess they took them this way," said Hawkins.
"Looks that way. Let's get a move on. They can't have gotten too far with three prisoners."
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