Chapter 28
Bullets peppered the trunk of the white oak tree where John ducked to shield himself from the gunfire.
Pieces of wood splintered off, slowly transforming the massive tree trunk into sawdust. There was only one person who could be doing this, but John didn’t know how Dillon had found the cabin.
But it was obvious to him Dillon had found the stash of automatic weapons John kept in the gun vault.
Eventually, the continuous gunfire ended, and John slowly poked his head out from around the tree in the deafening silence.
“Johnny boy!” Dillon shouted. “I was wondering when you would show up.”
John tightened his grip on the pistol and discreetly peered out from behind the tree truck. He saw the open window in the cabin where Dillon had been firing from.
After John had located Dillon, he pressed himself back up against the tree and stood up so he was ready to move at a moment’s notice.
“I have your son and daughter in here,” Dillon said. “But I’m afraid I have some bad news about your friend, Jake. It looks like he didn’t make it.”
John tensed in anger and nearly allowed his emotions to take control. But then John wondered if Dillon was telling the truth.
“What do you want, Dillon?” John asked.
“You know I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately,” Dillon answered. “And I think I finally figured out how we can solve this. You have taken something of mine, so I think it’s only fair that I take something from you.”
“If you lay one hand on any of my children, there is no deal,” John said. “The only thing that will happen between us at that point will be me hunting you down and putting you in the ground myself.”
“Do you know what is funny about that?” Dillon asked. “Your wife told me the same thing. How is she doing right now?”
Dillon was talking a big game, but he was on John’s turf now, and he had every intention of using that to his advantage.
John had tried to prepare for any and all eventualities while building his cabin.
In the event, however unlikely, that the cabin would be overtaken, John made sure to install escape tunnels.
He’d built three of them because he wanted to make sure his family had options if they needed to get out or back in.
And while John never had considered using those tunnels, he was glad he had them prepared.
But in order for his plan to work, John needed to buy himself some time. And he believed he had just the solution to the problem.
“You want your money,” John said. “Well, I have it.”
Dillon was uncharacteristically quiet, and John took that as a good sign. Dillon was motivated by greed and selfishness, and that was what John needed to exploit in Dillon, just as Dillon had exploited John’s family.
“You managed to get the barge all the way here,” Dillon said. “That’s very clever of you, John. Perhaps I did not give you enough credit. You’re not the stupid hillbilly I thought you were.”
“So, how about a trade?” John asked. “The money for my children. It’s that simple.”
“It’s never that simple, John,” Dillon answered. “Because you’re smarter than I imagined you to be, so it makes me wonder what else you have up your sleeve.”
“I’ll get the money and bring it back to you as a show of good faith,” John said. “To prove to you that I really have it.”
Dillon was silent as he considered John’s proposal, but the longer the quiet stretched, the more John feared his plan would fail.
Anxious to figure out what was happening, John slowly slipped out from behind the edge of the tree trunk. When he stared at the window where Dillon had been before, he saw he was gone.
Unsure of where Dillon had disappeared to, John stepped out from the cover of the tree, but this time, Dillon brought the gunfire from above, shooting at John from the cabin’s rooftop.
The gunfire forced John back behind the cover of the tree, and he heard Dillon’s maniacal laughter replace the gunshots.
“I just wanted to make sure I had a better view of what you were up to,” Dillon said. “I have the high ground now, John. So don’t think that you’re going to outsmart me.”
With Dillon in his new position, John was pinned down. Even if he tried to make a run for it, the likelihood he would survive had dropped significantly. If there was ever going to be a moment where John needed a miracle, it was now.
Sydney and Blake struggled against the ropes Dillon had used to restrain them. They were tied up by their wrists and ankles and attached to the cast-iron pipe that ran down the center of the house and into the basement.
Dillon had brought Sydney and Blake into the basement because he thought it would be the most secure location. But if Sydney could only get free, they would be able to escape.
One of the three tunnels leading out of the cabin was located in the basement. Sydney could see it from her position where they were tied up.
Because Sydney and Blake were both gagged, it was impossible for the pair to communicate, and Blake was starting to panic.
Sydney wished she could comfort her brother.
She wished she had paid more attention when she had arrived at the cabin.
She had immediately recognized Dillon’s truck, but he was already waiting for her.
It had been stupid of her not to be fully prepared or try to sneak in another way. But she was so worried about Blake that she burst through the front door, and that was exactly what Dillon had expected.
Sydney continued to work against her restraints. She had already managed to create a tiny amount of slack on the rope around her left wrist, but it still wasn’t big enough for her to slip her hand through.
The gunfire outside prompted her to work faster, and she used the loud noises outside as a cover to tug against the cast-iron pipe to loosen the rope.
She’d had to be careful earlier when Dillon was inside because any noise from the pipe traveled up to the first floor. But the gunshots masked her noises.
Not making much progress on her own restraints, she was nudged by Blake on her right. It wasn’t until he smacked her hard in the ribs with his elbow she finally looked over. He was obviously trying to say something to her, but she couldn’t understand him through the gag.
Eventually, Sydney watched him motion to his own restraints and saw that one of his hands was almost free.
The cast around his busted arm had given him some wiggle room.
If Sydney could reach over with one of her hands and help pull on the rope, then Blake might be able to break free.
She nodded in understanding and then strained to reach Blake’s ropes.
It took a few tries, but Sydney finally reached Blake’s restraints. As she pulled the rope toward her, Blake pulled in the opposite direction. It took a few tries, but with one final tug, Blake was free.
Blake might’ve only had one good arm, but he worked quickly on Sydney’s restraints when he was done with his own. Blake removed Sydney’s gag first, and she glanced to the basement stairs, wanting to get moving before Dillon realized what was happening.
“Hurry, Blake,” Sydney said. “We need to make sure we get this done.”
“I’m working as fast as I can,” Blake said.
The longer it took Blake, the more anxious she became. She imagined Dillon coming down the stairs with a gun in his hand, seeing what they were doing, and then shooting them on sight.
It was clear to her that Dillon was completely unhinged. He was angry and out for revenge, and Sydney could think of no better way for him to get revenge on her parents than to kill them.
“Done,” Blake said.
Sydney finally removed her hands and untied the rope around her ankles. She flung the ropes off her and quickly jumped to her feet. She pulled Blake toward the secret passage and heaved the section of the flooring that had been cut out, exposing the hole underneath.
“Get in, hurry,” Sydney said.
And just as Blake lowered himself into the hole, Dillon burst into the basement.
“Okay, kids, it’s showtime—” When Dillon reached the halfway point down the stairs, he froze when he saw Sydney lowering Blake into the hole. Knowing that both of them could escape, Sydney quickly pushed Blake farther into the hole and then slammed the door shut.
“Run, Blake, go!” Sydney shouted.
Dillon was quick down the stairs, aiming the gun at Sydney the entire time. But Sydney stood her ground and refused to move, giving Blake as much time as she possibly could to escape through the tunnels.
“Move, now!” Dillon said.
“If you kill me, then you lose your last bargaining chip,” Sydney answered. “I’m the only thing you have left.”
It was quite the gamble risking her own life, but she was betting that Dillon wanted that money more than anything else. And when he didn’t pull the trigger, he proved her point.
Dillon rushed over to Sydney and forced the girl back onto her knees. He pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of her head and opened the door in the floor where Blake had escaped through the tunnel.
Once it was clear to him that Blake was long gone, he angrily slammed the door shut and then pressed the rifle’s barrel against the back of Sydney’s skull.
“That was a very stupid mistake,” Dillon said. “I was hoping to have more than one of you, but I’m sure having John’s oldest will be enough.” He removed the gun from the back of her head, picked her up by the arm, and then shoved her toward the stairs. “Move. And don’t do anything else stupid.”
Sydney complied and ascended the steps. She found solace in the fact she had been able to save her younger brother. She had always been protective of him.
Sydney did not make any sudden moves in fear that Dillon would finally lose his patience. Because while he might have wanted his money, he was still highly unstable. And there was no telling what he might do next.
But Sydney knew her father was still outside. And she had an opportunity to let him know Blake was all right and that Dillon was distracted. It wasn’t an opportunity she was going to allow to slip past.
When she neared the top of the stairs, Dillon keeping close to her backside, she knew if she screamed loud enough, her father would be able to hear. She took a deep breath, and then, before Dillon could stop her, she yelled.
John remained still. He didn’t want to put himself in a situation where he was pinned down again, so he took his time to think about his next moves. But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard screaming inside the cabin. It was Sydney.
“Dad, Blake’s safe in the tunnels!” Sydney shouted. “Dillon’s in here with me. You need to?—”
Sydney’s voice was cut short, and John feared the worst. He immediately sprinted from the tree and toward the cabin. He no longer cared about being exposed. The only thing he focused on was that his daughter was in trouble, and he was the only person who could save her.
John reached the front of the cabin quickly, busting down the front door to find Dillon with a gun to his daughter’s head and a wicked smile on his face.
“Well, well, well,” Dillon said. “It’s funny how quickly things can take a turn for the worse.”
“It’s over, Dillon,” John said.
“Here we are again, Johnny Boy,” Dillon said. “But it looks like I have the upper hand.”
“Let her go,” John said.
“And stop all of this fun?” Dillon asked. “I don’t think so. I think you have had too simple of a life, Johnny. You need a little bit of chaos, a little bit of complexity. I think I can teach you an important lesson.”
“Just shoot him, Dad,” Sydney said. “I’m getting tired of listening to this prick.”
“Oh, such a mouth on this one,” Dillon said. “I don’t think Daddy taught you your manners very well.”
John thought back to everything that had happened since the detonation of the EMP. He thought of his wife being held hostage, then his son, and now his daughter. And when he saw Jake’s lifeless body on the couch nearby, John knew what he had to do.
“She’s not what you want,” John answered. “You want me.”
For a moment, Dillon was confused by John’s actions.
“Is this some sort of joke?” Dillon asked.
“It’s the truth,” John answered. “I still have the most important thing to you, and that is your freedom.”
Dillon laughed. “Is that so?”
“It is,” John answered. “The moment you hurt my daughter, I’ll come after you. There will be no place you can run to escape me, no place for you to hide.”
It was obvious to John he had finally struck a chord with Dillon. The first hint of fear had crept into Dillon’s head. He fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Well, then,” Dillon said. “I guess I’ll have to shoot her and then you really quickly, won’t I?”
“You’re not that fast,” John answered. “I learned a lot about you today. More than I ever wanted to know. And you’re not the guy who does the dirty work. You’re the planner. You’re the mastermind. The fact that you’re out here all by yourself means you’re out of your element.”
Dillon’s playfulness slowly waned. “You’re not as dumb as you look, John. Perhaps you’re not as simple as I thought, either.”
“It took me a little while to figure you out, but I got there eventually,” John answered.
It was quiet for a moment, both men contemplating their next moves. John was willing to give himself up in exchange for his daughter, but he needed to do so in a way that wouldn’t put Sydney’s life at risk or give Dillon the upper hand.
“I still have the key to the safe,” John said. “I think that would be more than enough for my daughter’s life.”
“I think that’s a fair assessment,” Dillon said. “Give me the key, and then I’ll let your daughter go.”
John thought back to a similar situation on the barge with Teddy’s life. He wasn’t about to fall into the same trap.
“We both go out to the river,” John said. “When we’re there, we’ll do the exchange. But I’m not giving you the key until I have my daughter.”
“And I’m not giving you the girl until I have the key,” Dillon said.
“You might feel different once you’re closer to the barge,” John said. “Think of all that money and the freedom waiting for you down south. You still have an opportunity to escape. You can still get away. I won’t chase you, not if you let my family go. This could be the end of it, here and now.”
Dillon was quiet as he contemplated John’s suggestion.
“All right, Johnny boy,” Dillon said. “Let’s take a walk. Maybe the fresh air will help both of us see reason.”
John doubted that, but all he cared about was getting Dillon out of the cabin and into the woods. The woods were John’s element, and he planned to capitalize on that to save his daughter.