THIRTY-FIVE

Julia’s coronary heart was thudding in her chest. She was the primary one out of the home, adopted by the others. Sean, Ethan, Owen, and Joe had been on the entrance porch and had charged across the facet of the home, so all of them met up within the yard closest to the woods.

“Cease,” Sean’s voice rolled throughout the open area as everybody clustered collectively.

It took a second for Julia to comprehend that his command was meant for Emmy. She’d been forward of the others, dashing towards the woods that have been already darkish with shadows.

“The children,” Emmy stated, pointing towards the timber. “I noticed them run into the woods.” She was respiratory laborious and had a dying grip on Alice’s hand. “There was a person between me and the youngsters after I got here again outdoors.”

“What did he seem like?” Sean demanded, his voice calm. “I do know the sunshine is dim however suppose. You’ve seen an image of Wilson. Was it him or another person?”

Julia observed that Joe and Ethan break up off and went into the home.

“It was him. Proper hair colour, proper peak, and proper construct,” Emmy answered.

“Why are we standing right here?” Tara’s phrases have been sharp, and Julia understood why. Two of her women have been within the woods operating from Wilson with Julia’s niece and nephew.

“As a result of we’d like a plan. Operating off with out route will simply trigger extra issues,” Sean stated as Joe and Ethan got here from the home, every carrying a black duffel bag. “Mother, return in the home with Helen, Charlotte, and Alice. Lock it down—each window and door. Then, name my FBI contact. Sending you the quantity now.” Sean tapped buttons on his cellphone and saved speaking. “Inform him Wilson’s right here and we’re going after him. Have him ship brokers and the sheriff. Go.”

“Bought the weapons,” Ethan stated as he unzipped a bag. “Everybody know how you can shoot?”

“Not me,” Julia stated.

“Take this.” Ethan handed her a heavy flashlight and a can of pepper spray. He distributed weapons to Tara, Emmy, and Sophie together with smaller magazine lights.

Julia’s arms have been shaking as she held the weapons. All the things in her wished to run after the youngsters, however Sean was proper, and the SEALs have been all reacting appropriately.

“Emmy, you go along with dad. Julia, Tara, and Sophie—the three of you stick collectively. Your goal is to get the youngsters.” They have been strolling quickly to the sting of the woods as he talked. He indicated the place they have been supposed to go looking. Julia observed that the SEALs have been going into the woods solo however in between the opposite searchers, in order that they’d be inside vary of their voices. “We gained’t be capable of see one another, so pay attention and yell like hell for those who come throughout Wilson. Don’t confront him for those who may help it. Let’s roll.”

After that, Julia went into the timber with Tara and Sophie on both facet of her. She was terrified, scared out of her wits, however not for herself. Her concern was all for the youngsters and all these different those who have been threatened by Wilson’s actions. She compelled herself to settle down, look and pay attention. To her untrained ear, although the one sound she observed was the crunch of their footwear on the forest ground.

The visible, although, was her world, so she centered on that as she swept her flashlight round. Fifty yards into the woods she observed a damaged twig after which one other. Tara and Sophie have been farther away from her now, however she saved monitoring what appeared like a path to her. Sean had taught the youngsters to concentrate to these small indicators when he gave them a kid-friendly crash course in wilderness survival after the encounter with the coyote.

She picked up her tempo as the trail grew to become clearer to her. She was so centered on watching the path that she didn’t discover when a pointy drop off occurred till she went slipping and sliding down a steep embankment, struggling to seek out buy on the muddy floor. She landed on her butt on the backside of a hill, startled and a bit of sore however not injured, fortunately. A part of her wished to name out to Tara and Sophie, however they’d established that they have been all speculated to yell once they discovered Wilson. She didn’t wish to draw everybody away from their searches simply to allow them to know she’d fallen on her butt.

She obtained to her toes and skilled the flashlight on her environment. A creek ran by means of the gully she was in simply toes away, and the underbrush was thick. Her coronary heart lightened when she noticed a kid-sized footprint within the mud. That was why following the path had led her to fall—she’d taken the identical path as the youngsters. The very same path. They have been down right here, too. She listened, stilling her respiratory, to listen to higher. The tiniest whimper stuffed her with pleasure. That was Amos making an attempt very laborious to not be scared. She was certain of it.

“Amos? Lucy?” she referred to as softly.

“Aunt Julia. Over right here.” That was Lucy. Julia jumped over the creek and adopted the sounds. The children have been hunkered down, making an attempt to hide themselves behind fallen timber. As quickly as she reached them, she hugged all of them shut.

“Everybody okay?”

“Simply scared.” Eden answered for everybody. “That man tried to seize Lucy and take her.”

“Operating and screaming was the appropriate factor to do, and I’m glad you discovered a hiding place. Now, we have to get again out of this gully. Able to hike?” She might keep right here with them, however she’d really feel a lot safer with one other grownup, and she or he despatched a textual content to the searchers letting them know the youngsters have been secure. Yelling would possibly accomplish that, however she feared alerting Wilson to their location. “Let’s go.”

She herded the youngsters throughout the stream again to the purpose the place she’d tumbled down the hill. Simply as they have been beginning to scramble again up, a darkish shadow stepped out from behind a tree.

“Bought ya,” Wilson growled, and he lunged towards them. Flight was Julia’s first intuition, however when Wilson reached for Amos, she knew she needed to stand her floor and battle. Julia slammed the heavy flashlight into his arm, forcing him to fall again a step.

The children retreated behind her, and Eden let loose a yell that might have been heard for miles. The lady might scream. Good lady. Julia adopted her lead and began yelling, too. Seconds later, a male voice shouted again. “The place are you?”

“Down the hill by the stream,” Julia screamed on the prime of her lungs. “Wilson’s right here.”

He was coming at her once more, and she or he thought concerning the recommendation that Sean had given the youngsters about defending themselves from coyotes. Possibly it might work on evil snakes like Wilson, too. She began throwing the whole lot she had. The strolling stick she’d picked up went first, hitting Wilson with a satisfying thump. She turned the intense beam of the flashlight on him, blinding him, and shot him with the pepper spray subsequent.

“Goddamn it,” he screeched when pepper spray obtained in his eyes. Not a direct hit to the face, however shut.

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