A/N: Here is the third installment, I hope you enjoy despite any cliffhangers. All errors are my own.
Reviews are greatly appreciated and make my day. Also, would anybody be interested in a story that details Scott and John's experience with the surprise arrival of Alan or do you think it's fine the way it is? Feel free to send me a private message or comment in a review what you think. I'm still working at intervals on My Best Friend is a Ghoul but am beginning to think the story came too little too late. I don't believe I'll meet the deadline of Halloween. I've got several other stories I've written over this last year that at the moment are just brief ideas.
Thank you.
Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Alan didn't stop to pay attention to his surroundings. He couldn't, he just knew he needed to get as far from the area as was humanly possible. He couldn't understand why he'd been taken and not seen his captor, but then his sense of self-preservation had been paving the way for his bid to safety. It was after all what he craved more than the air he breathed in that moment.
Bracing his hands on a couple trees, Alan used them to climb up and over a fallen but hung-up tree. Just as he jumped down, he was taken, quite unpleasantly by surprise when out of nowhere something, small, thin, and sharp flew out of the darkness. Whatever it was, was boring straight into the back of Alan's right leg and piercing the flesh. Alan quickly covered his mouth to silence the scream that started to escape. He hit the ground in front of him and lay there panting as he tried to understand what just happened. Gritting his teeth, Alan reached backwards to the back of his thigh to feel what got him and froze. 'No way, this can't be happening to me!'
The unfortunate thing was, it was dark out so Alan couldn't understand how or for that matter why he'd been hit. But he was also trying to wrap his head around the fact that he'd just been shot, with an arrow no less. And it hurt. That fact couldn't be mistaken. Stifling his urge to scream in pain, Alan lay there for a moment to figure out what he needed to do. He couldn't bring himself to like the idea of trying to push the arrow out, a tentative run of his hand told the boy the arrow hadn't completely gone through. It was stuck halfway through his thigh and Alan didn't think he could pull it out. Clamping his eyes closed, Alan had to grit his teeth and took to whimpering lowly in his throat.
'Come on Tracy. You need to keep running, no matter how much it hurts.' Alan tried to tell himself internally. He was afraid of speaking and making more than enough noise to draw attention to his location. Swallowing down his childlike urges of sitting down and crying over his situation, Alan climbed to his feet and resumed his escape. It was slow progress, but any kind was better than nothing.
Alan limped through the trees, clutching at his leg at intervals when the pain became too much to bear. Stopping only momentarily, Alan looked over his shoulder. He had since acclimated to the darkness that surrounded him, but for the life of him he was still very much blind. Pausing, Alan tried to listen for any sounds that indicated he was being followed. He knew after brief moments of reasoning that the arrow that was shot at him was a means of reproach due to his escape. It had to be. He figured that whoever it was that took him, was undoubtedly angry. There was no other possible explanation that Alan could see.
~.~.~.~.~
A group of school aged teenagers, a mix of boys and girls were walking down the busy Main Street in the center of town. Joking and laughing the afternoon that Alan had gone missing. They were throwing playful insults back and forth at one another and a boy named Wyatt stopped, his gaze across the street. He was watching as at least a dozen officers hurried at a clip out of the station. Two officers to each vehicle.
"Julie, isn't that your dad?" Wyatt asked as he observed one officer move faster than the other officers to jump into his cruiser. Immediately a police siren sounded from one of many and one after another, police cruisers started and sped from the curbs they were parked by. Julie, Wyatt, and a bunch of their friends watched on as the last cruiser, containing Julie's dad hung a U-turn and joined the fleet. Over six cruisers flew through town, lights, and sirens on full blast.
"I wonder what's going on?" Julie mused as she looked both ways and crossed the street with Wyatt at her heels. Wyatt was her stepbrother, his mom Carlie also worked at the station. The two teens entered the station and found Wyatt's mom manning the front desk. "Carlie, what's going on? Where did dad go?"
Wyatt's mom, Carlie Strom looked up from where she sat and immediately frowned. Standing, she rounded her desk and hugged both Wyatt and Julie.
"Kids, you shouldn't be here. You need to go home." Carlie said as she pulled away to look in the teen's eyes. These two were the same age of the tender age abduction call she took barely a half hour ago. She fretted for the two teens that stood before her. She turned to one of her colleagues that was standing to clock out for the day. "Duncan, please take these two back home and make sure they get inside the house."
"But mom!" Wyatt said, arguing slightly about being made to do something he didn't want to do.
"As soon as you get inside, lock the doors, and do not open them for anyone. Your dad and I will be home late tonight. We got a call, for the hill. Another one." Carlie said as she kissed Wyatt and Julie on the cheek each. "Look after each other and if you hear or see anything unusual, you call my cell immediately. Do not go outside for anything."
Wyatt and Julie both gazed at each other in concern. Duncan stood up, donning his vest, and ushering the two teens from the room. His orders were simple, and he was going to do as his superior directed.
~.~.~.~.~
A man dressed in a mossy themed outfit knelt to the ground, checking, and following the blood trail, his features displayed the twisted glee that sent a thrill through his very core. It may not have been a kill shot, but it was something. And now the hunt was going to be just that much more exciting. So much more than his last in which the poor sap had lay on the ground, wailing until he was forced to put him out of his misery. Seems he'd found a good and strong target this time. Oh, such a pity if he were in that kid's shoes.
~.~.~.~.~
Police had converged on the area within the hour it seemed of Jeff's call. He was grateful for it, but still he was worried sick. His son had now been missing for more than an hour too long and when officers had reached his location, they immediately started questioning Jeff. The father of five had told the primary questioning officer all he knew. He and his son had hiked in the day previous, had spent the night and after a relaxing afternoon spent at camp, Jeff had gone and left Alan in an unfamiliar location by himself. The way the officer had asked, Jeff knew the suspicion was placed on him. Just as Scott said would happen.
Jeff may not have been openly accused by the officers, but he could read between the lines. What kind of father would bring a young man, a child really, into a remote location in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Has an argument with said child, and then go off on his own, thereby leaving the child by his lonesome in an unfamiliar location? A guilty one, clearly.
"I keep trying to tell you officer, my son and I had a brief dispute about his schooling, and nothing more happened. He took a walk down trail for about five minutes and came right back. I'd never do anything to harm my child. I could see him from here, he was fine." Jeff said as he sat where he'd last seen Alan sitting when he went to go get kindling.
"So why didn't you insist your child go with you? You said yourself that neither you nor he were familiar with the area."
"My son said his legs were sore. I didn't insist he go with me because I trust my son to not wander off. He's fourteen, he's not four. He said he was going to stay right here in camp, change from his jeans to shorts and he'd see me when I got back. I had no reason to disbelieve that Alan wouldn't do exactly that. He was no longer irritable and for that matter, nor was I. We'd gotten our problems hashed out and were back to normal."
"So, tell me again, back from the beginning. When you and he first got here. Retrace all the events from start until we're back to this point." The officer asked, crouching down to face Jeff. He didn't want to believe that the billionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy himself could ever commit harm to any one of his children. The tabloids never once hinted that he was capable of such things. Mr. Tracy, the big man himself may be overly cautious regarding the paparazzi and other media sources, but when it came to his family? That man would die before he ever harmed anyone in his family.
"Okay, Alan and I arrived on land from our residence offshore a distance from New Zealand. We went to my business office; I had a very brief business meeting. Alan sat in my office with my personal assistant. He's known her since he was in diapers. I was in the board room for right about an hour and a half to two hours. When I was finished, he and I went up to the penthouse that is at the top of my business office." Jeff paused, thinking about two nights previous spent in the penthouse. He and Alan rarely got to spend time together, just the two of them and had of all things played video games together. Jeff didn't ordinarily play video games, having never been one for those when he was growing up, but he couldn't pass up the offer when Alan handed him the second controller that often went to Gordon or one of Alan's other brothers. He couldn't always say 'no' to his youngest. What kind of parent would he be if he did?
The lead detective for the case was closely observing Jeff for any tells that the man was telling him lies. He thought briefly of the boy that was missing, longing more than anything to simply go home and hug his daughter and stepson. Those kids were the same exact age as Mr. Tracy's youngest child, and he wondered briefly how anyone could ever harm a child. But being in the line of duty, he was unfortunate to see many instances and he hated every single time because he always thought of his own children. Always imagined them facing the very scenarios he wished never happened.
"We spent the night. Alan sulked a bit because I wouldn't budge on my decision not to allow him to go stay two weeks with a friend, who's family I am unfamiliar with. The next morning, we loaded up for our long weekend camping trip and left about six in the morning. Alan grumbled over being awake that early, but he slept in the car after we got loaded and ready to go. We stopped to stay overnight in a hotel about four hours away and the next morning we drove out here. I believe we got here at or around three thirty. Alan was difficult to wake up that morning. He likes to sleep in when he's not at boarding school, even on weekends they try to keep students on a scheduled wake routine, so the boys don't get complacent."
Jeff paused in his explanation when a uniformed officer and canine unit called in the distance.
"We got something!"
Jeff looked up, hoping the person that was hustling their direction had a clue.
The moment Jeff saw it, he knew they were dealing with something so much bigger than ever imagined. Jeff held out a hand and his face crumpled. It was his youngest child's watch. Not just carefully taken off and discarded, it was cut. With a knife. That much Jeff could tell, and it caused a thrill of terror to flash through him.
"Alan." Jeff whispered brokenly. He hoped they could find his child soon. Looking to the officer, Jeff continued despite his desire to go tearing off through the very wilderness that swallowed his son whole. "When my son and I got here yesterday afternoon, I practically had to coax him to go camping with me again. He's never been before, and I found myself wanting to spend time with my son. Is that so wrong? We rarely get to see or do much together since my career took off. I've never taken the time to take him camping, until yesterday afternoon. He wasn't excited by the thought. He is a city boy through and through…but I thought I could change him to appreciate the outdoors. It is ultimately my fault that he's never been camping before, I've stayed busy my entire career, his whole life…and my youngest has paid that price."
"Mr. Tracy, is it possible that your son that you've expressed didn't want to be out here at first just ran away?" The officer interrupted; eyes narrowed as suspicion loomed in the back of his mind.
"He's never run away before and I doubt he'd do so simply because he loves his brothers too much. He's never threatened to in recent disagreements. He claimed he'd run away back when he was ten when I grounded him, and he made it as far as the mailbox before he came running back and begging me to forgive him. I don't think he is capable enough of doing that even now."
Jeff recalled that distant memory well. He remembered chastising Alan, for something he and Gordon had done that made one of their older brothers mad. Alan had been caught, Gordon ditching him at the last moment to avoid Jeff's eye and had been successful. Alan had predictably been a sitting duck in their ploy to outsmart their family and as a result got grounded. Gordon hadn't been caught, but he came forward when he heard that Jeff had forbid the youngster from buying the special video game download he'd been raving about since he'd heard about it. Prior to Gordon coming forward, Alan had thrown a spectacular tantrum, storming off to grab his backpack in a fit of righteous anger and he took off out the door. Jeff doubted Alan would follow through, he'd heard the same from several of his other sons over the years and he waited in the foyer. As expected, Alan made it to the mailbox and paused. After a moment's hesitation, the ten-year-old had turned, sprinting as fast as his little legs could go and straight into Jeff's arms when he opened the door to accept Alan back.
Yes, Jeff remembered that event very well. He'd comforted Alan who cried in his arms, begging for forgiveness. A while later Gordon came to him and admitted that while Alan was caught in the act, that it was entirely Gordon. He'd roped his little brother into the ploy, threatening to divulge the secret of Alan wetting the bed when he was eight until he was ten and hiding it from Jeff every night to avoid getting in trouble. Alan as it was soon revealed had been faultless. As Jeff recalled though, he still hadn't permitted Alan to purchase the download meanwhile Virgil who had been the unfortunate recipient of the prank had felt bad, so he bought the game for Alan as a peace offering. He knew that Alan had had a terrible problem overcoming his propensity of bed wetting and was deeply embarrassed by it. So of course, Alan would do anything Gordon made him do to keep the habit a secret.
"So, keep going Mr. Tracy."
"Right. When we made it to the parking lot below the trailhead, Alan and I grabbed our gear and we set off. Alan was still trying to convince me to allow him to go visit his friend at the lake house I mentioned earlier. After maybe an hour and a half of hiking, we stopped for a break. We had some water, Alan continued grumbling about not liking hiking, but I wasn't swayed. We resumed hiking for a bit, Alan who doesn't like the idea of relieving himself in places that a fully plumbed restroom isn't available asked to stop for a moment as he severely had a need to go. Once he was done, we carried on for a bit. Soon we stopped to have lunch, picked back up once more until we got here. Alan and I agreed to set up camp here, we set up the tent and then we went to grab…kindling."
The look on Jeff's face told the officer that he'd just remembered something, and the father stood suddenly. The officer watched Jeff with a look of distrust.
"While we were gathering kindling last night, we hiked around up trail for a bit and came to an area a lot like this spot, the only difference was a keep out sign. Alan and I left as soon as we saw it. I'll admit that it unsettled me, but I never thought my son could be abducted."
~.~.~.~.~
Scott sat in his father's office, the large mahogany desk the center of operations. Scott had gotten his brothers involved in searching for Alan. Gordon was standing in front of a large screen, superimposing a topographical layer on a satellite image. He was closely inspecting the map and checking previous versions of the same image for any changes in recent years.
Something just didn't seem right. While the aquanaut was by no means a cartographer, something just seemed off with the map.
"Hey John, just following a hunch here…but can you go through the archives for this area to look back if there've been any residents? Something just feels wrong." Gordon asked as he continually inspected the map.
John stopped what he was doing at present in the search for his brother to help Gordon with his hunch.
~.~.~.~.~
Alan grunted as he got his leg hung up on a tree limb, causing him to stumble and fall. He scrambled for purchase, trying to get his injured leg underneath himself and keep pushing onwards. It had been quiet, eerily so and Alan was afraid to move for a second. He'd lost track of how long he'd been running, but he knew it'd been a while. The sun was just setting when he'd initially escaped and had gradually grown darker. Focusing on his surroundings, Alan felt his breath catch when he heard a whistle just before an arrow, a second one - hit the tree mere inches from his nose. The thunk of the arrow meeting the rough bark made Alan jump back. He looked around in a state of panic and before he knew what he was doing, Alan grabbed the arrow and yanked it from the tree and then proceeded to run again. He had to get out of here, his life depended on it.
A throb in the back of his leg took Alan by surprise and he inadvertently gave a yelp. He couldn't believe how much his leg hurt. His father was going to flip his lid when he found out what happened to Alan. A sobering thought struck Alan in that moment, making him stumble in his bid for freedom. His father may never get him back, especially with this insane, deranged person shooting arrows at Alan like he was a moving target.
'Just keep moving Tracy.' Alan told himself determinedly as he sped up his pace, visibly favoring his leg as he climbed over fallen trees and hurried through the danger of the forest.
~.~.~.~.~
The man that had fired the arrow snickered to himself in twisted glee. He was having a ball of a time hunting, who knew that he'd hit the jackpot this time and capture someone worth his time for a change?
"Come out, come out wherever you are." He whispered frenziedly. His tone of voice was almost singsong.
~.~.~.~.~
Okay, this was not going to be easy…not at all. So far John had been able to pull up previous versions of the same satellite image and he discovered one anomaly. About sixteen miles away, was what appeared to be an old federal building that had been sold during an auction to a private party. The newer versions of the map conveniently didn't reveal the presence of the building. It had been censored.
"Gordon, you're right. The map has been redacted." John said succinctly.
Gordon's head snapped up at what John said and he demanded to see the versions of the map. John pulled up the original, followed by the redacted version and comparing the current one with the other two. Gordon analyzed the maps with such a pinpoint focus, any one of their family would be hard pressed to challenge.
"John, can you look for all news articles that mention this property? Something must be going on for the property to be censored like this." Gordon felt this god-awful churning in his stomach.
"I'm way ahead of you bro." Virgil intoned as he leaned forward in his seat, silently reading as he did so. Gordon glanced across at Virgil and he watched his brother's face to attempt to get an idea of what Virgil was reading and for the matter, why his face was getting more and more pale.
"Well? Out with it!" Scott couldn't hold back, he needed to know.
"Oh…damn." Virgil gasped, lifting his gaze slowly to meet the eyes of his brothers. "Do you guys remember that string of murders that have turned up over the last nine years? The bodies were all found in this area, either stabbed, throats cut, or shootings. The media dubbed the serial killer The Hunter because the way the bodies were found showed them to have been hunted like prized quarry."
"Please tell me you didn't just say that." Scott said, worry ramping up at the knowledge that he barely remembered. He didn't pay attention much to the news, he was too busy most of the time.
"I wish I was making this up Scott, but I just typed in the coordinates last given on Alan's watch and the web browser gave me several articles." Virgil was slow to explain, but once he had his brothers' attention he continued. "After reading them, I'm certain that Alan wasn't kidnapped for financial gain. He's become The Hunter's prey."
All eyes looked back at Virgil who for his part was staying surprisingly calm, especially with what he was explaining to the others. He began reading a letter to the editor out loud.
"The Hunter, an unknown assailant that began terrorizing the community in 2002 is known by denizens to select a party at random. No woman, man or child is safe from him. It doesn't matter who you are or who you know. Anyone who is discovered by The Hunter will not live to see the next day. A gut churning game of hide and seek is played and by sunrise, that who is sought has been terminated." Virgil's voice trailed off in horror at what he just read out loud and he covered his mouth for a moment. "The author of that is marked as anonymous…but somehow I feel like The Hunter wrote that to pique the curiosity of anyone that wanted to catch him."
Scott stared on in alarm before Virgil began reading another article.
"Officials have requested that all members of the community stay away from the hill until The Hunter has been apprehended and brought in for justice. Maps and hiking guides have been revised to remove hiking trails to protect the community."
"So, the state has redacted the maps in attempt to protect people in the area." John said, voice sharp as steel.
"It would appear so John." Virgil said, not knowing what else to say.
~.~.~.~.~
The sun was beginning to rise. As much fun as he'd had tracking his prize, it was time to draw this game of cat and mouse to a close. As soon as the sun came up, the prey would be able to see and as a result he'd see the next attack coming. Reaching around behind himself and grabbing his secondary hunting knife from his belt sheath, he decided it was time to end this. He was going to take such pride in this kill. It was one of his first that was pleasing. And he was determined to keep a trophy from this successful hunt.
~.~.~.~.~
Jeff sat down, his eyes watering as he struggled to keep control of himself. Fifteen hours. Jeff barely slept, his son had been abducted fifteen hours ago and after the initial questioning of the police, it was soon determined that Jeff was not guilty of his son's disappearance. Jeff didn't know what redirected police, but they wouldn't discuss anything with Jeff. No list of possible suspects, no motives, nothing. Jeff wanted to throw up and the more he fretted over the safety of his son, the more he believed it'd become a likelihood.
"Mr. Tracy, I know you wish to stay here. But it's doing you no good. This is now an active crime scene and we're going to bring in all the help we can get. I swear we're doing everything we can to find your son. But it's going to take time. Why don't you go back to the precinct, have some coffee, and let us do our jobs?"
Jeff could feel his heart breaking. He couldn't leave his child, he wanted to stay. If only for his peace of mind. He had to find his son; he couldn't abandon him. If anything happened to Alan because of this, Jeff would never forgive himself. As hard as it was for Jeff, he allowed another officer to escort him down the trail to a waiting cruiser. He had to have faith in the officers, even if leaving went against every fatherly instinct he possessed.
~.~.~.~.~
Alan stopped, looking over his shoulder as his eyes swam with tears. Whoever it was that was after him, was still following from a distance. Every time Alan would stop, whether to decide which direction to go, catch his breath or just to experience a mini panic attack, he kept thinking he could hear someone coming closer. He'd managed to knock a third and fourth arrow shot at him away, using the second arrow as a baton. He didn't know what this person wanted from him, but he didn't appreciate this little game. A twig snapped right behind him, and Alan whirled around in fright. It was the same thing he saw that frightened him so when he was back at camp. It was a man, his blue grey eyes watching him with a kind of wild ferocity that wasn't often associated with humans. The bloodlust was palpable, and Alan immediately knew that this man was who took him. His face was colored, a mixture of greens, browns, and blacks. His outfit making him look like a monster from the murky depths of a swamp and then the sharp knife that glinted in the waning moonlight.
~.~.~.~.~
Jeff was directed into a squad room, he sat, feeling so hollow inside that he didn't know if he'd ever know happiness again. His son, his baby was lost out there in the wilderness and with whom, Jeff didn't know. He hoped he'd get a phone call from Scott or any of his other sons to report that they'd gotten a call for a ransom, but after fifteen hours…Jeff knew the likelihood of a ransom demand was growing smaller by the second.
A rolling corkboard against the far wall in the squad room caught Jeff's attention and despite knowing that it probably contained classified information, Jeff stood and walked over to it. The moment he began to read the writing, he felt his blood run cold. It was an information board, listing pictures of victims, the positions they were found and the cause of their deaths. The board also contained a timeline of murders committed by a serial killer that went by the assumed pseudonym The Hunter. At least that was what the police and media nicknamed him, her…Jeff didn't know. But what made his jaw drop was seeing the picture of Alan's watch added to the timeline followed by a picture of Alan, one of the last solo photos Jeff had on his phone of his child. He'd forwarded the picture to Detective Strom, not expecting that this was the purpose of the picture. He hadn't paid any attention to the picture he'd taken at the start of the camping trip, instead he found his gaze locked onto Alan's endearing grin.
"I'm sorry Mr. Tracy, but this is not meant for your eyes." The officer that had gone to retrieve Jeff a cup of coffee said as she returned and tried to flip the board so Jeff couldn't look further. But Jeff wasn't happy. He turned a steely gaze on the officer and set his jaw.
"You all believe that my son has fallen victim to a…a serial killer?" Jeff was furious, the twist of his stomach nearly made Jeff sick. When the feeling passed, the angered father looked across at the officer and demanded an explanation. "Explain. Right. Now."
~.~.~.~.~
Darting forward the man raised his blade, intention to strike Alan, one solid blow to end the hunt. Alan raised an arm, deflecting the blow and getting a large slice down the length of his arm in the process. Stumbling backwards, Alan lost his footing, falling flat on his back and immediately screaming in agony as he felt the arrow force through his thigh and piercing the flesh around front. He couldn't look at his leg, couldn't scream again either despite the terror he felt.
"It's such a shame, you have by far been the best hunt I've had in all my years of hunting." The man said as he dropped on top of Alan, uncaring that he was applying tension to the arrow in Alan's leg. He took to straddling Alan's hips and using his knees to forcibly keep Alan pinned. "I'll take great pleasure in this kill. You will become my trophy. Maybe your ear, a plug of your hair, a finger. The possibilities are endless."
Alan felt bile creeping up his throat as he listened to this guy. He didn't want to die, and he wasn't going to give this guy such satisfaction. The man reached forward and clamped a heavy hand around Alan's throat, compressing Alan's Adam's apple and airway in the process. Alan gasped as he struggled to breathe. The man tried again with the knife, swinging downwards with the intention of plunging the blade into Alan.
The boy bucked his hips in a desperate attempt to unseat his assailant and as a result, the direction of the blade was thrown off course. The guy stabbed towards Alan's face and Alan barely flinched as he heard the blade sink into the ground beside his head. He felt the sharp sting by his ear as the blade made contact, but Alan filed the concern in the back of his mind. Remembering that he'd grabbed something he could use as a weapon, Alan reached blindly around his side, fingers catching the smooth shaft of that second arrow. Feeling his head begin to swim, as well as see the guy leaning closer to use his hunting knife, Alan took his chance. His vision blurred as tears flooded his eyes from the terror.
Swinging his hand with as much strength he could muster; Alan successfully stabbed the point into the guy's neck. He stilled, his mouth going slack for a moment. Alan who remained below the guy stared in horror at what he'd just done. The man reached up, jerking the arrow from his neck, and immediately slumping with a wet gurgle. The injury caused by Alan bled a lot and within moments Alan swore he heard the guy take his final breath. Alan clambered backwards, horrified to realize he'd just killed someone. Turning, Alan doubled over and brought up meager stomach contents in the grass. What blood got on his hands; Alan wiped it into the grass in hopes of clearing it off. Alan didn't care to notice that his once white shirt was covered in a layer of blood.
He didn't dare look back, he wanted his dad in that moment and without glancing back Alan started off. He didn't start off running this time, fear of causing his leg wound to bleed out making him keep the arrow in place. He wanted his dad. More than anything.
