Chapter 8
The man Charlie now knew was Ben Addison continued to advance on them, and now Charlie saw a gun in his hand. As he spoke, he raised it almost casually and pointed it at Charlie.
"I knew as soon as that idiot Michaels missed his scheduled call that you had gotten to Dr. Eppes first. Luckily, I also knew where you would bring him." He saw Colby move and fired a round past Charlie's head. The sound in the early morning mountain wilderness was deafening, and Charlie wasn't sure if the unexpected shock of it had knocked him to the ground, or if he had been hit. He just knew that he was blinking up at Colby, and he could still hear Addison talking. So even if he was hit, he wasn't dead.
"Don't even think about going for a weapon again, Granger. I won't give the good doctor another chance."
Addison suddenly loomed over him. This close, Charlie could see his face more clearly. Saw the sneer. He tried to jerk back when the man kneeled and placed the gun directly against his head, but at the same time a hand brought him roughly to his feet. He stumbled a little as Addison pulled him backwards a few steps, then felt the gun lower to his back.
He tried to read Colby's eyes, so that he knew what to do, but Granger was looking at Addison.
"How did you know about this place?"
"You really have turned into as much of an idiot as Michaels since you got back from Afghanistan. You told your buddy Jamison all about it every time you got drunk over there. He and I holed up here for almost four months last year. Appreciate the hospitality, by the way."
Colby squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them looked at Charlie. "I'm sorry, Whiz Kid …"
Addison shoved the gun hard into Charlie's back, and he grunted in surprise more than pain.
"Shut-up, Granger. You ask permission of your commanding officer before you address the prisoner again." Addison aimed his next words over his shoulder. "Bennie!" Soon the four were joined by the other man who had stood on the porch. Addison smiled at Colby. "Remember my boy, Ben Junior? I'm sure I showed you pictures."
Colby appraised the younger man carefully. Almost as big as he was, a few years younger. He looked fit; powerful.
"He's all grown up now, and I'm training him. When my work here is done, the two of us will find a war somewhere, fight together. Bennie's been working on his hand-to-hand, Granger. Wasn't that always your specialty?"
The younger Addison's sneer matched his father's.
Addison Senior poked the gun into Charlie's back again. "You and I will watch from the porch, Doc. This oughta be good." He started backing Charlie toward the cabin. "Drop your pack, Granger. You and Bennie. Hand-to-hand. No holds barred."
Addison backed up the steps with Charlie and holstered his weapon. "Don't think I can't kill you in seconds without this," he warned. He removed Charlie's pack from his shoulders and dropped it at their feet. "Might as well get comfortable. Bennie likes to play with his kill a little first. Like a cat." Terrified, Charlie marveled at the pride he heard in Addison's voice.
Charlie's eyes were glued to the clearing. Colby and Bennie had started circling each other. Then Colby lunged, taking Bennie to the ground. The two rolled.
"Watch him, Bennie! Granger used to be pretty good at this!" Addison was watching the fight like it was a basketball game. Charlie saw the younger Addison spring to his feet, saw one of those feet fly out and catch Colby under the chin while he was trying to get up. Colby fell backwards and Charlie's heart fell with him, but from his position on the ground Colby writhed and pulled Bennie back down with him, and the wrestling match was on again. Fists were flying and Charlie couldn't even tell who was being hit, or where — but he could hear the solid connections of flesh-on-flesh, the grunts that signified a hit. His heart leapt in his chest when he saw the younger Addison catapulted through the air several feet, landing awkwardly on his back, and he almost cheered when he saw Colby on his feet, hand coming out from behind his back with the gun from his waistband.
Then, simultaneously it seemed, an explosion was set off near his ear and he saw the gun fly out of Colby's hand. He and Colby fell at the same time, Charlie clutching his ear and Colby curling into himself.
Bennie Addison pushed himself off the ground and glared at his father. "You said I could have him!", he cried.
"Well, take him, then," answered Addison Senior. "Finish him off. He was cheating. I just wanted to make sure things stayed even."
Junior kept glaring and drew a hunting knife from his own belt. "Ain't no fun, anymore. Can I gut him?"
Addison smiled indulgently. "You do whatever you want, son. Your hand-to-hand still needs more practice, but so do your knife techniques. Besides, I think I'll let you take care of Dr. Eppes later, too. You can get more experience then."
Bennie's scowl turned to a smile and he approached the man on the ground again. Colby was trying to stagger to his feet, blood dripping from his hand. Bennie landed another kick under the chin, hard, and Colby almost lost consciousness this time and landed on his back hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. Bennie sat on his fallen opponent. "It's more than you deserve," he growled, "but I'll kill you quick, gut you later, for practice." He raised the knife over his head with both hands, and aimed for Granger's heart.
Charlie heard another deafening explosion, and saw Bennie Addison's head explode. Pieces of him rained on Colby, and the senior Addison was screaming his son's name, jumping over Charlie, still hunched on the porch, running for what was left of Ben Junior.
Charlie didn't understand what had happened.
He could see Colby's gun on the ground, several feet away from both men.
His ears were ringing, and he brought a hand up to cup the right one.
It was only then that he saw that he was holding his gun, and it was smoking.
He had no memory of reaching into his pack and finding it, no memory of aiming the gun, no memory of squeezing the trigger the way Don had taught him on the range.
He looked back out to the clearing, frightened and confused. He saw that Colby had gotten free of Bennie's body, and had his own gun, again. He saw Colby try to fire it at Addison Senior, and when nothing happened, he saw Colby rush the older man, who was cradling his son's body and screaming, and slam the butt of the gun into his head. Addison slumped sideways, and then Charlie saw Colby take the knife from Bennie's hand and plunge it into Addison's gut, twisting it as he buried it to the hilt.
Unable to watch anymore, Charlie looked again at the gun in his own shaking hand. Then Colby was on him, grabbing him roughly by the back of the collar, yelling something, pulling him to his feet and pushing him back toward the edge of the clearing and the stream they had crossed before this nightmare had begun.
Charlie couldn't think, he couldn't speak. As Colby pushed him past the Addisons he felt his foot slip and looked down to see that parts of Bennie Junior's brains were on his shoes.
Charlie would have vomited, then, but Colby was still pushing, still yelling.
So Charlie tasted the bile in his mouth, and kept moving.
