Chapter Thirty-Two
Hope continued staring at Abigail. She didn’t want to look weak. But in the end, she realized she also didn’t want to pretend
to not be frightened anymore. She wanted her mom. She wanted to go home. She wanted her biggest problem to be her mom searching
her room for her vape and being teased by Rachel Smith, who thought she was the coolest girl in the class.
Her uncle’s words kept going through her mind. “Don’t panic. If you panic, then you stop thinking. You need to think. Thinking
can get you out of almost any situation.”
She had to believe that. But Abigail had a gun pointed at her grandfather. How did someone not panic? Giving in, Hope opened
her mouth to scream a warning, but Abigail must have sensed she was going to do that. Abigail whirled around and hit Hope
in the face with her fist. It almost came in slow motion, but then the pain exploded. Who was that shrieking? Hope realized
it was her as Abigail turned back to the office window, slid back the windowpane and without hesitation, fired three consecutive
shots.
Then Abigail turned around and pointed the gun at Hope. She pushed the barrel into Hope’s head, the end of the gun hot and burning her skin. Hope tried to pull her head back, but she couldn’t. More pain. More tears. She couldn’t stop them now.
She didn’t care anymore about what her uncle had told her. No one was going to find her. Her grandfather was dead. Sobs wracked
her body as Abigail pulled the gun away.
“I knew you were scared. My advice? Stop trying to be so tough. Then things will be easier for you,” Abigail said. “Now get
up. We need to get out of here.”
Hope stood, her entire body shaking. Her hands trembled so hard, she could feel the vibration against her back. She trudged
in the direction Abigail pointed and went back down the stairs. Hope took a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the body
of her grandfather lying there, blood pooling underneath him. Now she didn’t want her uncle searching for her. If he found
her, this crazy lady would kill him too.
Hope had to behave. If she did, then her family might live. She was headed down the hall to the break room, but when they
got closer, Abigail said, “Keep going. We’re leaving.”
There was an exit sign ahead lit up in green.
One of the only things that seemed to have power right now.
They came to the back door and Abigail pushed it open.
The light outside was filtered by smoke, but it was still brighter than the dark rooms they’d been in.
Hope squinted, trying to let her eyes adjust. The heat was like hitting a wall.
The smoke was thick and ash was raining down.
Hope stopped for a moment and saw some flames across the road.
Where was this crazy lady going now? Into the fire?
“Keep walking,” Abigail said.
Hope felt the gun poke into her back. She followed orders.
“Go to that trail there. We have a bit of a hike.”
Hope nodded and plodded along. Her feet each seemed like they weighed one hundred pounds. She put one foot in front of the
other, trying to make her body behave itself. Was she in shock? She’d heard about that in health class.
She couldn’t believe her grandfather might be dead. While she didn’t know him well, her mom had had him over for dinner a
couple times. He’d always been nice. He’d seemed genuinely interested in her. She didn’t know why her mom and uncle were standoffish
with him. Hope had asked, but her mom always said not to worry. It was adult stuff. That had made Hope mad at the time, but
now, she was done with adult stuff like watching someone get shot.
Tears started streaming again. She stared at the ground. It was like walking through a giant fireplace as embers flew by,
touching down. The smoke was thick and made her cough. Some grass ignited just off the trail. Earlier, she might have thought
she could use the fire to her advantage to help her escape.
Now, she just wished it would burn whatever building she’d be held in next. Then she wouldn’t have to see a loved one die.
And then she wouldn’t have to have a gun held to her head.
But the image of her mom in her mind stopped those thoughts. No, she was a fighter. A survivor. That’s why her mom had named her Hope.
There was silence. And Maya didn’t like it. Even Juniper had become quiet. Josh stood by her side, also not saying anything.
The tension was as thick as the smoke. Everyone was standing around, yet ready to go at a moment’s notice. Then there was
a sound like Fourth of July fireworks off in the distance. Only Maya knew it wasn’t fireworks. Juniper yipped and turned a
circle.
“Those were gunshots,” Maya said.
“I know,” Josh answered, his hand already sitting on his service weapon. The reaction was drilled into them. They needed to
go in. There was no way the team was going to find Hope. Maya was certain of that.
She glanced over at Kessler. He was saying something into a radio. Then a phone. He was probably trying to get ahold of Bernardo.
That was it. Maya pulled out Juniper’s harness.
“What are you doing?” Josh asked her.
“I’m going to have Juniper ready to go in. I don’t like this.”
“Yeah, neither do I, but Kessler is calling the shots,” Josh said.
“I know,” Maya said. “But I’m still going to get Juniper out and we’re going to be ready.”
“Then I’ll be ready to back you up.”
“Thanks,” Maya said. She appreciated Josh for not telling her to stop. Something was off. Maya knew it. Juniper, happy to be out of the vehicle, began jumping around in excitement. “Settle, girly. Save some energy. It’s warm out here and you’ll get tired faster.”
Maya snapped on Juniper’s tracking lead. As she stood back up, she saw some flames on the hillside. They were still far enough
away, but close enough to keep an eye on them.
“Let’s go over to Kessler and see what’s going on,” Josh said. “He may be the agent in charge, but I’m the undersheriff of
this county.”
“I agree,” Maya said.
The trio went over to where they could see that Kessler was trying to complete a call on a cell phone. His face was flushed
and there were circles under his eyes.
“Come on, come on, pick up,” he was muttering.
Maya knew then that they’d lost contact with Agent Bernardo.
“Damn it,” she muttered.
Josh didn’t say a word. Agent Ross was running his fingers through his hair while he paced back and forth muttering under
his breath. Nick and Aaron looked cool as could be. They stood still, hands resting on their hips. Aaron pulled out his phone
and read a message. Who was he talking to right now? Abigail?
“We need to go in,” Maya said to Kessler. “Now.”
“I’m waiting for the HRT guys to let me know if they found Hope.”
“Okay,” Maya said.
Kessler pushed a finger to his earpiece that connected to his radio. Then he stared down, muttered some choice words and kicked a rock. Maya wanted to know what was happening. He took a deep breath and turned to the group of officers watching him.
“The team says there’s no sign of Hope,” he said.
“What about Bernardo?” Ross asked.
“They found him . . . he’s been shot in the head. They’re trying first aid, but he’s not responding.”
Maya tensed and released different muscle groups. She’d learned the technique from Dr. Meyers to help with anxiety. She peered
out into the mountains where she’d always found peace. But lately, that peace kept getting shattered. Another person wouldn’t
go home to their family tonight because of Abigail.
Maya’s chest tightened and her respiration increased from both frustration and sadness. She didn’t want Bernardo’s sacrifice
to be for nothing. She and Juniper had to find Abigail before anyone else was hurt or killed. “Tell the team to not go anywhere
else. Juniper, Josh and I are going in. We’re going to run a track.”