Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Hannah stood and stared down at Hunter’s body, covered lightly with branches, leaves, and dirt.
Just enough to hide the silver color of the survival blanket she pulled from her backpack to cover him with.
It had worked great to drag him to this spot, and it should keep him warm in the event she didn’t get back to him until after dark.
Not that it got that cool during the past couple of nights, but if his injuries sent him into shock, the blanket would help.
Only his face was exposed from the blanket and soil, but a leafy branch she’d found camouflaged it.
She hated leaving him, but his only chance of survival was for her to get help. Her only chance of survival was to get as far away from the shooter as possible.
“I’m coming for you!” a voice echoed in the distance.
Her heart beat wildly. It sounded like Sebastián. She felt sick. She caused all of this. When the man yelled again, she decided it wasn’t him. The tone wasn’t right. Her mind had played a trick on her.
She spun and ran in the direction Hunter had told her to, leaping over downed trees, uneven soil, and low rocky ledges.
The brightening light beyond the tree line let her know she was almost to the river.
She kept her eyes focused ahead, glancing down regularly so as not to trip.
She knew the person who’d killed Alyssa was on her tail.
Alyssa. Poor Alyssa. Was Bianca okay? They had heard no shots other than the ones directed at them.
That had to be a good sign, for Bianca’s sake.
Alyssa, her friend, was dead. Tears blurred her vision.
She swiped them away with her hand, but they kept coming.
She needed to stop crying to mitigate the risk of tripping, but she couldn’t.
Her foot caught under a small downed tree and she tumbled forward.
Hands flailing uselessly. She hit the ground hard.
Pain shot through her right forearm when she pushed herself up and glanced at her arm.
A few scrapes and a good-sized gash bled.
She swiped the blood with her left hand, but it just kept coming.
She pulled off her headband and quickly wrapped it around her arm over the gash. That was all she had time for now.
With her first step, she realized she’d banged her knee pretty good, too. Walk it off.
At a brisk, painful walk, she reached the river, but kept herself tucked just inside the tree line to avoid being seen. Only a mile or so to Iron City—to help.
A shot rang out. She flinched. It sounded close. Could he see her?
Her heart sank, and she swallowed hard. Had the shooter found Hunter? She’d done her best to hide him in the hole created by the root ball of the fallen tree.
She moved quicker. Even if the shooter hadn’t found Hunter, he was in tough shape and still needed help.
Her feet scrambled for good footing. Her knee and arm hurt like hell, and her breaths came harder. How far had she gone? Iron City had to be close. Help had to be close.
She blinked rapidly to relieve the pain from the sweat in her eyes and to clear her vision. It worked for a moment when she glimpsed a stone bridge ahead. Her heart raced. A bridge. If there’s a bridge, there’s a road. Adrenaline rushed into her, and her strides lengthened.
When she got to the bridge, she climbed the low, rocky bank and hoisted herself onto the road.
Relief washed through her when the city came into view.
She ran like her life depended on it, as it did.
Hunter’s life depended on her. Bianca’s life depended on her.
Choking back a sob, it was too late for Alyssa.
Hannah ran past businesses and people on the sidewalk. The folks eyed her strangely. Why wouldn’t they? She probably looked like a hot mess, but she didn’t care.
A young man, mid-twenties or so, appeared beside her, keeping pace.
“Are you okay? What are you looking for?”
“Police station,” she blew out.
“Follow me,” he said as he pulled ahead of her by a couple of strides.
Up ahead to the right, she spotted the fire station. Easy to notice with a large, bright red truck getting washed on the apron.
The man in front of her stopped at the end of that block and pointed. “Here’s the cop shop.”
He stepped forward and opened the glass door of the old stone building for her.
The receptionist’s eyes widened when she noticed her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I need to see the chief right away. I was shot at. My friend was killed. Our guide is in the woods. Hurt bad,” she blurted, and then gasped as if all her oxygen had been used up with those quick statements.
“Chief!” the thin, pretty woman with long blonde hair yelled with a bit of franticness in her tone.
A tall man with dark hair stepped through the door behind the receptionist’s desk. He wore a blue police officer’s uniform. His intense gaze latched onto hers. Within two steps, he stood before her at the counter.
His gaze fell to her arm. The blood had soaked through the headband wrapped around her wound.
He looked at the receptionist. “Mandi, call for medical.”
“No, no. I’m okay. It’s my friend and guide who needs help.”
The man calmly nodded and then directed Mandi to make the call.
“I’m Chief Ricco. Can you tell me what happened?”
“My friends and I were on one of those guided hiking and camping trips through Yooper Adventures and my friend was shot...”
A sob choked off her words.
The chief’s facial muscles tightened and his gaze turned black as coal.
“Mandi, get Dewey in here,” the chief directed.
The woman immediately snatched a handheld radio from her desk and talked into it.
“On it,” she replied.
“Is your friend...”
Quickly, Hannah shook her head, not wanting the chief to say the word.
Tears flowed from her, and Mandi handed her a box of tissues.
“Tell me what happened.”
“We have to get to my friend Bianca and our guide, Hunter, right away. Hunter’s been shot and Bianca. I don’t know if she’s okay.”
“I thought you said your friend had been shot?”
“I was with two friends, and Hunter is our guide.”
“Hunter Samuelson?” the chief asked.
“Yes, I guess. I don’t know his last name.”
The bells on the glass door clinked, and an officer stepped through. His salt and pepper hair and lines around his eyes indicated he was older than the chief, who looked to be in his early thirties. He stepped up to the counter, joining their conversation.
“Where did this happen?” Chief asked.
“Lover’s Leap Falls. We were on top of the falls. They shot Alyssa, then Hunter. He grabbed me and we jumped over the falls. He shielded me from the shooter, and he got banged up as we went over the falls and landed in the water. Bianca stayed at the campsite. She didn’t want to hike today.”
“Where’s Hunter?”
Her mind spun. “I don’t know exactly. Near the pool of the falls. He’s unconscious now. I hid him in a hole of an uprooted tree and ran here for help.”
The chief looked at the other officer. “Get Hunter’s Uncle Lee in here. We’re going to need his help to find Hunter and the other woman.”
So, they knew Hunter and his uncle.
The bells on the glass door clinked again, and a firefighter carrying a red medical bag walked through. He was a small man who looked to be about the police chief’s age. Short dark hair with a few gray strands that matched those in his mustache.
“Matt,” the chief said.
“Jack. What do we have here?”
“I’m guessing she’s got a pretty nasty gash under that bandage,” the chief replied.
Matt pulled up a waiting area chair and motioned for her to sit. His brown irises emitted warmth and concern.
“Go ahead and sit. We’ll keep talking and get your friends some help,” the chief said calmly.
She slipped out of her backpack and sat, and the firefighter undid her blood-soaked bandage with gentle hands.
“Yeah, that’s going to need some stitches for sure. I’ll put a new bandage on, but she’ll need to get to the hospital pretty quickly.”
She didn’t have time for the hospital. They needed to find Bianca and Hunter.
“Dammit,” Dewey said, drawing all gazes to him.
“What?” Chief asked.
“Lee’s out of town. In Illinois for his friend’s son’s wedding. Seven hours away. He’s leaving now.”
“What about Hunter’s sister and brother? Other than Lee and Hunter, they know these woods the best.”
“I asked Lee that. They’re both home in Door County, Wisconsin. That’s only three hours away. But they may already be on their way up here. They’re filling in while Lee and Heidi are gone.”
“Call them. Let them know what’s going on. We need them. Also, have Lee reach out to the other guides in the field to see if they’re okay. Without alarming them.”
“Okay.”
Chief turned his attention back to her. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Hannah blew her nose and swiped her moist cheeks with a tissue.
“Me, Alyssa, and Bianca are on the last night of our three-night trip. Hunter is our guide. Bianca stayed at the campsite today because she didn’t want to hike.
Me, Alyssa, and Hunter hiked to the top of Lover’s Leap Falls.
Alyssa was taking pictures. A shot sounded and Alyssa fell forward.
..” She paused to choke down the golf ball-sized lump in her throat that cut off her words.
“It’s okay. Just take a breath,” the chief advised.