Chapter Twenty-Three
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.
A/N: To answer your question, cariad2003, as to why the rest of team isn't involved with Lindsay's situation, it's because they're dealing with their own crisis back in New York. Besides, from the point Lindsay went up that mountain, there really nothing they could do. They could go to Montana and try to drag her back down, but as Lindsay proved a few chapters back, she's not really stable at the moment. She ditched her own brother and took off on her own when the teams were re-called. She feels this is her fault, so she alone has to fix it. It could also be that I, sadistically, want Lindsay to suffer alone. Hope that answers your question. And thanks for the review!
Thanks to the others that reviewed too! They mean a lot.
Tiny warning: Katum can be mean with his words.
The two remained silent for a moment and Lindsay was beginning to wonder about Scott.
Katum spoke up again. "Or for all you know, I could have already killed them. They were annoying, you know. All blubbering and begging. Dakin wanted to kill them straight away, but then they made good bargaining chips and then when we were force up this stupid mountain, we forced them to tell us the best way out of here. But, alas, they outlived their usefulness. And well, we had to kill them." Katum laughed wickedly. "Did you hear me? I shot your dad as he was trying to protect his wife. Went straight up to him, pointed the gun in his face and pulled the trigger. It was relatively easy for me to do. I did the same thing to your friends. Your mother was crying and I shot her in the head too. They both dropped to the ground like lumps. I imagine all that blood is going to start attracting bears and other animals. What a horrible way to die, don't you think?"
Words. They're just words, Linds. He's lying. Find a way to get closer. He's lying. Breathe. Diving from her spot to the place previously occupied by a still-missing Scott, Lindsay said, "If that's true Katum, then you're a dead man. Jail's too good for you; for starters, you'd still be alive. I think I'll kill you here. I'm sure any misconduct on my part will be overlooked. No one would miss a sorry excuse of human being like you; they'd probably thank me and give me an award. I bet God was wondering what he was thinking when he created trash like you." Sticking close to the rock, Lindsay eyed the nearest rock, judging its distance and appropriate cover. "Either way, this thing ends here and there are only two options open to you: bad or worse. Take your pick."
It was only a minute later when Lindsay realized that Katum had stopped his smart-ass remarks.
Immediately, panic rose. Was he trying to pull something?
Oh no. No.
Exercising caution, she scooted around the rocks just as Scott had done, hoping that the path she was tracing had been the same as his, holding her gun up and tightly in front of her.
Katum was no longer talking. He was either up to something, had left while she was talking, or was in a position where he couldn't talk. She wasn't sure which option she would prefer.
The rocks crunched under her boots and despite the adrenaline rushing through her, Lindsay found herself on the verge of shaking. The grip on her gun was so slick with sweat from her hands that she feared she would drop it. The fear and apprehension roiling within was completely on a different level than when she was facing off against Mosi Ghedi. Then, there were tons of SWAT just waiting to storm the building along with EMS units on stand by. Here, she had no one, but Scott. And Lindsay didn't know where he was. Her parents also made this more personal than anything and emotions battled with logic for dominance, and it had been winning so far; abandoning her job, disobeying direct orders, ditching her own brother...Her brown curls flew as she ran from rock to rock. Emotion was going to get her killed. Katum's hiding spot was close and she moved even faster. A few more steps.
She could hear it. Heavy breathing. Rocks shifting under shoes.
A welcome voice.
"Give it up Katum. You're alone." Scott.
"You're not going to call your girlfriend?"
"She doesn't need any more stress. I can handle you myself." Pain lanced through Lindsay at Scott's cool voice.
She heard Katum chuckle lightly. "Ooh, listen to the tough guy, would ya? Do you really think you can kill me, boy?"
Lindsay made it around the final rock to see Scott, feet firmly planted, and gun carefully aimed at a dirty, disheveled and tired Katum, who held a shot gun returning aim. It was a stand-off. "He might not, but I will," she announced. Her voice startled Katum that he swung the gun in her direction. He was so close to her that she could smell the unwashed body stench as well as see down the barrel of the gun. His hair was disheveled and lank with grease; his body thin from lack of food. But Lindsay had no doubt that he was just as dangerous as ever.
Eyes raked over her, leering. "Well, well, little Lindsay Monroe, all grown up...and showing a lot of anger! Look at that, she's about ready to blow!" Katum's demeanor was that of a friendly tease instead of deliberate goading. He wanted her to suffer and enjoy watching it happen.
"Where are my parents?"
Katum gave a cruel smile, clearly enjoying her plight and seemingly unconcerned that two guns were trained on him. "Dead."
Lindsay's cheek ticked and she cocked her gun. "Try again. Where are my parents?"
"Lindsay," Scott said warningly, adjusting his stance. Green eyes flashed.
"Listen to your boyfriend, little Lindsay." Katum's smile deepened and his eyes were daring her. "You kill me now and well, you'll never know where I left your parents' bodies." Malice entered his eyes. "That is, if bears haven't dragged them away and the maggots haven't started nesting. It won't be long before they start rotting. You could wait to find them then; the smell is bound to start attracting people. Can't you just imagine animals feasting on their corpses?" He laughed darkly. "If I kill you and your friend here, I'll have you join them. It'll be a Monroe feast."
"Don't pay attention to him, Lindsay. I spotted a couple of good ground hollows and potholes." Scott shuffled closer. "This area also looks like it could provide good rock shelter. Your parents are most likely around the area."
"Check out that investigative skill!" Katum exclaimed mirthfully, completely unconcerned before his voice turned darker. "I wouldn't put much stock behind it though, it took you people how many years to find me? Pathetic." He hefted the shot gun higher. "Personally, I'd much rather talk about the lovely look of distress on little Lindsay's face here." He leaned toward her in a whispered conspiratorial tone. "Reminds me so much of our cherished time in the courtroom. Watching you break down like that," he chuckled maliciously, "made me smile like nothing else. The feeling of being able to cause someone so much distress and pain. Better than sex, I'd say."
Scott took another step and pressed the muzzle of his gun against Katum's head. "Shut up, just shut up."
"Is the mountain cowboy losing his cool? Don't enjoy the look on his girlfriend's face? I bet you'll love it even more when I tell her how her mother cried during our little journey together. Both of them, begging that 'things could be worked out if we released them' - " Lindsay suddenly surged up in Katum's face, pained fury in her brown eyes with her knuckles pure white against the black of her gun.
Scott watched fearfully as the three stood still, all three with a finger poised on the trigger of a gun with hearts beating rapidly. Thoughts flew around in their heads. Emotion battling logic.
It was Lindsay who broke the tableau, taking a few steps back and, to Scott's relief, a tiny bitter smile on her face while shaking her head lightly. "You're not worth it. It was a good little game you were playing, these spiteful taunts, but, that's all you have. That's all you can do. You've lost Katum. It doesn't matter what you do or say now; you've already lost. And me? You became a distant memory to me once and I got on with my life. You've managed to invade it again and when this is over, all I need is time to make you nothing than a bad memory once more." She scoffed, expression elated of someone experiencing an epiphany. "You're nothing, Katum, absolutely nothing." Scott smiled.
Katum's face twisted into an ugly dark glare and he bared his teeth. His eyes darkened and he started shaking angrily. "Nothing?" he spat lividly. "I'll show you nothing, you little bitch!" He pulled the trigger.
The gun shot echoed loudly in the forest.
Dust rose from the ground as bodies hit the rocks. Deep red blood pooled around, soaking into the earth and empty eyes stared up into the evening sky.
Scott lowered his gun after shooting Katum point-blank in the back of the head, adrenaline still rushing through his veins. "Lindsay?" he cried out, alarmed. His bottle-green eyes fixated on her body, lying prone on the ground a few feet away, a few tiny pebbles on the ground painted with blood. "Lindsay!" Running toward her, he sunk to his knees beside her and gently turned her over. "Lindsay? Oh god, Lindsay, please answer me."
She groaned and Scott nearly wept with relief. Rolling over completely on her back, Lindsay let out another groan and gazed up at Scott, disoriented. Her hand reached up to clasp around her left arm, over her bloody wound. "Katum?" she gasped out.
"Dead." He moved closer and touched her hand. "Let me see how bad the damage is, Linds." With another pain-filled groan, Scott pried away her already bloody hand and with an apologetic look, started to tear the fabric of her jacket and shirt away from the wound. As quickly as he could, he examined the bloody area and let out a breath. "Looks like the bullet just grazed you. I can't be certain but it looks like it took a chunk of skin and maybe some muscle, but didn't penetrate deeper." Ripping up the bottom of his hiking shirt, Scott fixed up a temporary bandage, securing it tightly. "We'll have to get it cleaned and stitched up soon." He sighed. "Man, I wish Cody were here."
Lindsay gave a shaking laugh. "Me too. Along with being the doctor, he's the one with the radio!" Scott joined in laughing, though neither found it particularly funny. The recent events were just catching up to them and emotions were running high. Sobering up, Lindsay, with Scott's help and a lot pain racing through her, sat up. She quietly looked at Katum's dead body, as if trying to find peace in the death of a man who had haunted her for so long. A touch on her thigh brought her back and her brown eyes bored into his. "This isn't over yet. We have to find my parents. And Dakin."
"Lindsay, maybe you should..." he sighed as she shot him a look. "All right, fine. But we have to do something about him too." He gestured to the dead body. "The scent of blood is going to attract animals. Our first priority is to find shelter and preferably any ammunition boxes Katum stole to protect ourselves. Come on," he helped groaning Lindsay to her feet. "It's going to be evening soon. I say we look up there first." Scott pointed upwards to the top of the small rocky incline.
"We need to let everyone know what happened." Lindsay winced as she moved her left arm. "And since we don't have a radio, we can only hope that our cell phones work." With her good arm, she pulled hers out of her jacket pocket and looked at the bars. "No range."
Scott sighed. "With you injured, I think it's best if I try heading in the direction of the Bridger ski slopes. There's a ski patrol station situated near the edge of each side. All I need is to get within range of a tower and call the chief. But first, let's find your parents and get situated. Keep your fingers crossed that we get out of here before night falls. We should build a fire too," Scott suggested. "Hopefully, the smoke rising will attract some attention. In the best case scenario, if I do manage to get a signal with this," he patted one of his jacket pockets where his own cell phone resided, "the fire will signal our position." He looked at her lightly. "I don't suppose you know anything about smoke signals?"
She laughed shortly. "My country education isn't that good." The two continued moving in the direction Scott indicated, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary in the forested area. Scott picking up small branches as they went.
Finally, the two came upon what appeared to be an abandoned bear shelter near the top of the rocky incline which incidentally gave them a good view of anything approaching them. It went a bit deep and Lindsay, stubbornly insisting that suffering from a flesh wound did not mean she was a complete invalid, checked to see if the shelter was indeed empty.
Beaming a small flashlight around, she huffed, "Honestly Scott, you seem to forget that my training is just as good as - " Her eyes caught sight of something and she cried out. "Mom! Dad!" Forgetting everything, Lindsay rushed to their side, crying, "I was so worried! Oh mom, dad," she touched her father who was sitting against a wall and froze as she watched him, like watching a horror movie in slow motion, topple to the side, hand thudding to the dirt, lifelessly.
Lindsay's hands flew to her mouth in fear.
Tears rushed to her face, blurring her vision as her eyes flicked to the still body of her mother. Tears could not block out the sight of a wide bloody stain on her mother's shirt. Could not block out the gaping hole in her mother's stomach, dried blood already caking the edges of the fabric. Her mother's eyes were open. An exact replica of her own eyes. Dull brown pupils stared blankly at the opposite wall from a dirty, scratched face and brown and white curls in disarray.
Lindsay stumbled back with her hand still clamped over her mouth. Small clouds of dirt floated up from her sudden movement. Her eyes as big as saucers full of disbelief, fear, and pain; so much pain. A keening cry erupted from her throat as she looked back at her father. She could see it now. A nasty bloody gash on the back of his head. They were motionless. So still.
No. No, no, no, NO!
"Lindsay!" Scott ran toward her. "Lindsay, what is it?" He stopped the moment he saw Anne and Dale Monroe, dead. "Jesus...God, no. Oh god, no." He covered his mouth, adding his horror to Lindsay's as she wailed in despair. He stared at the bodies before shakily reaching out a hand to feel for pulses, a fervent hope against hope that one of them, oh please, was still alive.
His eyes welled up when he felt nothing.
Collapsing onto the ground beside a hysterical Lindsay, Scott felt the world slip out from under him.
They were gone.
They had failed.
Shaking his head in disbelief, a mental chant took up in his head. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to end this way. Not this way. They were supposed to be alive. We were supposed to rescue them. Keep them safe. This wasn't supposed to happen. An anguished cry interrupted his denial and Scott watched somewhat disconnected from it all as Lindsay threw herself onto her parents' bodies, clutching them tightly to her, and began rocking, sobbing out incoherent words. He knew he should be doing something; they were still on the mountain, away from civilization and they had to let everyone know. Know that, despite everyone's best efforts, Dale and Anne Monroe were...gone. Scott closed his eyes. Oh god, Noah...Evan...Lindsay.
Opening his eyes again, Lindsay was still in a state of agony and shock...and Scott decided to let her be. A call still had to be made, as did a fire. Their packs were still hidden. Dakin was still out there somewhere and Katum's body...Scott wanted to leave it where it was. The murderer didn't deserve anything else. There was still so much to do, but seeing the tragedy before him...Scott felt too weary to move.
He'd give himself a few moments to grieve.
He needed that much.
A/N: Yes, I did it. I had to.