Obsession
Disclaimer: See Prologue
A/N: You guys are so awesome! I truly appreciate each and everyone of your reviews.
Chapter 32:
At eight a.m. Alan, Amita and Larry were still sitting in the booth at the restaurant. Alan refused to go over to the hospital until he knew for sure that Charlie was there. Amita and Larry were content to stay with him as well, none of them wanted to embrace the harsh reality of the hospital until they had too.
More patrons had come in now and the little diner was beginning to become crowded, and even though the three of them hadn't ordered anything for a while, Ben and Paula had told them that they could remain in the booth as long as they wanted to.
The television was still turned on and the sound of the reporter's voice cut through the clatter of dishes and the multitude of voices. Alan glanced over at the TV just in time to see the now familiar "Breaking News Banner" play across the screen.
"This is Michael Whittemore, coming to you live from the La Jolla Cliffs at Point Mugu." The cameraman panned from the reporter to the top of the cliffs and then went to a video feed.
"As you can see only moments ago a Medivac helicopter lifted from the crash site and is at this very moment headed for the Malibu Memorial Hospital." The video ended and Whittemore once again was standing in front of the camera. "Officials have not revealed the identity or condition of the person that is being airlifted from the site. We do know that multiple bodies have been found and that the coroner will be flown in to examine them later this morning. We have been informed that the surviving kidnappers have fled the crash site and that the Point Mugu State Park will remain closed until they are found."
A video feed of the barricaded entrance to the park was aired and several patrol cars with flashing lights could be seen blocking the gates to the park's entrance. The camera panned back to the reporter.
"The fate of young Dr. Eppes is still in question. It is not known if he is one of the victims of the crash or if he managed to escape from his kidnappers and is …….."
"Look up there….it's going to fall!"
A shout from someone in the background interrupted Whittemore and a jumble of excited voices could be heard . The picture quickly changed showing the viewers the tail section of the crashed jet at the top of the escarpment. It was hanging further over the cliff than it had been before and appeared to be inching it's way down the rock face. Suddenly, it broke loose and amid startled cries of the onlookers, it fell with a deafening crash, splintering into pieces as it hit the seawall and the rocks beneath the cliffs.
The reporter's excited voice cut through the sounds of the milling crowd. "The tail section of the Bonneville Lear Jet has broken loose from the precipice and, as you can see, now lies at the bottom of the cliffs. There was no one left inside this section of the plane and fortunately none of the metal fragments made it to the overlook" The live video played over the scattered pieces of the aircraft. "Salvage crews will come in when the FBI forensics teams have cleared the area."
The reporter continued talking but Alan had focused on a distant object in the sky that was approaching the hospital. The small object had turned into the Medivac and it was heading for the rooftop of the Medical center. Paula had seen it too. She rushed over to the booth and patted Alan's shoulder as he stood up to leave.
"Ben and I are praying that your son is going to be all right." she said sympathetically.
"Thanks." was all Alan was able to choke out before he, Amita and Larry rushed out of the door. Alan abruptly stopped and looked in dismay at the news vans that were situated around the emergency room entrance. He felt a hand on his elbow and looked around in surprise.
It was the young police officer. "If you'll get in the car, we'll take you over to the hospital and get you through the crowds."
They quickly climbed in and soon were parked right in front of the emergency room doors. The officer was true to his word and they clambered out of the vehicle and were through the doors without any interference. The waiting room was beginning to fill up with patients and concerned family members, so the officer went to the nurse's station and explained who they were. Apparently Alan had been expected, because a nurse escorted them to a small private room away from the crowd. The officer's partner came in and spoke quietly to him and then they both came over to talk to Alan.
"Mr. Eppes, Lt Walker just called us. Your son is not in the Medivac helicopter, the SWAT team discovered a hiker who was injured. Professor Eppes was not identified as one of the casualties and it is believed that he escaped from the kidnappers and is on the run from the ones that survived." he paused to give them time to absorb his words. "However, Agent Eppes believes that his brother has sustained some injuries from the crash and he will be brought here as soon as they find him. He requested that this information be relayed to you so that you'll have a little understanding of what is going on." he swallowed and then continued. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you more, that's all we know at this point."
Alan nodded slowly. "I appreciate all that you've done, thank you." He turned away and sat down in the nearest chair. The thoughts in his head were whirling around at a dizzying pace. "Charlie hadn't died in the crash, he was still alive, but he was hurt….but maybe not too serious if he was able to run away."
Alan met the eyes of his friends and knew the hopeful expressions on their faces mirrored his own. He swallowed and let his lips turn upward in a small smile…there was a chance….a small chance maybe, but he would take it. They could believe now that there was a possibility that Charlie would come back to them.
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"Noooooooooo!"
Charlie screamed as Bashere pulled him over the edge of the cliff. His mind was numb with terror as he fell headlong over the side but his survival instinct kicked in and he immediately began to claw at the rocks as he fell. He had only a brief dizzying glance of the sheer drop below him before he halted his fall and was able to latch onto a rock. Fortunately for him, the protruding rock was large enough for him to grab it and hold onto it with both hands. Terrified of falling to the rocks below, he wrapped both arms around the stone and hung on for dear life.
He glanced up toward the rim to gauge the distance and realized that he had fallen about fifty feet. "What happened to Bashere, did he fall?" he thought suddenly, and just as he started to look down, he felt a hand wrap around his ankle. Charlie looked down in surprise, Bashere was standing on a ledge five feet below him. How had he gotten down there? A tug on his leg forced a groan from him and he quickly forgot his question as his dark eyes flashed from fear to anger.
He glared at the Frenchman. "You tried to kill me! Let me go!" he shouted angrily, as he kicked at the man's arm. "Why did you do that? I was trying to help you!"
The Frenchman tugged again, ignoring his question. "No, I wasn't trying to kill you, I just needed to get you down here. Let go Charlie, you won't fall, I'll catch you. I'm standing on a ledge and there is a cave down here. We'll be safe, we can hide until they leave….we can finally be together."
Stunned, Charlie locked eyes with the Frenchman. Bashere was smiling but madness lit up his brown eyes like a flame. The man was totally out of his mind, he had to be, to think that Charlie wanted to be with him. The only truth in what he had said was about the ledge that he was standing on. Not only would it keep him from falling but it also had a partial natural wall that would conceal them from view.
"No!" Charlie shouted again and tried to kick Bashere away from him, but the man refused to let go and grabbed his other foot. He struggled to get his legs free and managed to pull one of them loose because his foot had slipped out of his sneaker. The shoe dropped away and Charlie watched with stunned eyes as it plummeted to the rocks below. Terrified that he was going to be next, he struggled harder to free himself of Bashere's grasp.
"Calm down Charlie….your just upset..…now stop kicking me and let go of that rock!" The Frenchman tugged harder and Charlie's hands inched further down the stone.
"Get away from me….don't touch me!" he shouted back at Bashere. "You tricked me, I thought your were going to fall!"
The sound of the helicopter was getting louder and Charlie anxiously looked upward, toward the rim of the cliff.
"Please, Don, please hurry." he whispered urgently. His arms were beginning to tremble from the strain of holding on and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to keep Bashere from pulling him down.
"Hurry Charlie….let go!" Bashere yelled up at him. "They're getting closer!"
The Frenchman was getting more desperate , he pulled harder and the mathematician slipped halfway down the rock. He glanced toward the cave, it was perfect,…he had stumbled onto the perfect hiding place. The Fed's would never think to look for them on the side of the rock face, but he had to get Charlie down first so they could get out of sight.
Charlie's strength was failing and he could feel himself sliding further down the rock. He was gripping the rock so tightly now that the stone was cutting into his hands and the blood was beginning to make the rock slippery ; streaks of blood were already starting to run down his arms.
A moan escaped through his clenched teeth as the Frenchman gave a particularly fierce yank on his leg, pulling him closer to the ledge.
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The Black Astar AS350B2 FBI assault helicopter zoomed over the trees once again as it made it's way up the ridge line . It had been in this circling pattern for almost an hour and a half . The pilot would take them along the outer ridge all the way to the crash site, then circle back over the woods and then start all over again.
Don and his team had lost count of how many times they had flown over the ridge. Even though they had been constantly watching the ground below them, they had still found no visible signs of Charlie or Bashere; it was as if the earth had just opened up and swallowed them whole.
"Where can they be?" A frustrated Colby asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.
David added his opinion to the mix. "Charlie should have been here by now unless…." he glanced sideways at Don and his voice took on a softer tone. "Unless Bashere caught up to him before he made it to the ridge."
"Ian's still a mile out and he hasn't caught up with the Frenchman yet." Megan tiredly remarked as she pulled her hair back and wrapped a band around it. "Bashere had at least an hour's lead on him, so he had to have made it to the ridge by now."
Don had remained silent during the exchange, his eyes riveted to a spot on the edge of the cliff. The helicopter passed by the area that he was focused on and his head swiveled back around to keep it in sight.
All eyes turned back toward the precipice, following his lead. "Take us back around." Don ordered the pilot and directed him toward the site that he wanted him to hover over.
Megan moved forward. "Don, do you see something?"
The lead agent shook his head slowly, "I'm not sure…for a moment there I could have sworn that I saw Charlie….but it was just a glimpse….there on the edge." his voice trailed away as he pointed out the location on the precipice.
He turned quickly to the pilot and said brusquely. "Take us out over the cliffs."
With a nod of his head, Martinez steered the helicopter over the rim of the escarpment and hovered over the edge.
Four pair's of fearful eyes immediately drifted downward , expecting to see the young mathematician's broken body lying on the rocks below. Relief was short-lived however, for only a minute later their eyes widened in alarm at the scene that was unfolding on the rock face before them.
Megan clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my God!"
"Oh, man." Colby muttered
"I don't believe this." David shook his head in disbelief.
Don's binoculars dropped from his nerveless fingers and everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he rose from his seat and leaned over the pilot's shoulder to get a closer look. White-knuckled, he gripped the back of Martinez's seat as he stared, speechless as the scene before him.
"Oh, God." he whispered, as he covered his mouth with his hand.
Charlie was holding on to a protruding rock about fifty feet below the rim. His arms were stretched over his head as he held onto the rock, but he was being pulled downward toward a walled ledge. Bashere's arms were visible as he pulled on Charlie's legs but the rest of him was hidden behind spiraling rock formations that created a wall around the ledge.
Charlie was losing his fight, it wouldn't be long before Bashere had him down on the ledge or worse, sent him plunging to the rocks below.
Real time returned and Don turned to the pilot. "Turn us at an angle so we can get a shot at this guy….hurry!"
Martinez piloted the aircraft around at different angles but Bashere was hidden from view by the wall.
"Dammit!" Don cursed heatedly. "Take us down…hurry!"
Without hesitation, Maritinez maneuvered the helicopter back to the cliff top and sat it down near the rim.
Don jumped from the chopper before it made contact with the ground.. He took off at a run for the precipice with the other agents close behind him.
The pilot jumped out after them and grabbed David before he left the side of the chopper.
"Wait, I have a rope and a rescue harness….just hold on a minute." he opened a storage hatch and pulled out the article. "Here, I'll tie one end of the rope to the base of the chopper."
David clapped him on the back and grabbed the gear. "Thanks man." he managed to call out over his shoulder as he ran to join the other agents at the edge of the cliff..
Don was laying on the ground with his head and torso leaning over the edge while both Colby and Megan were holding onto him.
"Hang on Charlie…..I'm coming….just hang on!" the agent yelled, his own eyes reflecting the same terror that he saw in his brother's eyes.
"Don…..hurry!" Charlie shouted back.
"Go away!" Bashere angrily yelled up at the agent. "Leave us alone!"
"Don! Wait…put this on." David called out as he grabbed the SAC by the shoulders and pulled him back from the edge.
While David and Colby helped Don step into the harness and adjusted and tightened the straps for him, Megan leaned over the edge frantically encouraging Charlie to hang on but as Don dropped to his knees to edge his way over, she grabbed his arm. Her eyes were wide and fearful. "Don, listen to me, you can't get Bashere agitated….you have to keep him calm until we can get in a position to take him out."
"I get that Megan." he responded impatiently. "Just hurry. Charlie can't hold on much longer.'
Don dropped to his knees and edged his way toward the end of the cliff. David, Colby and Martinez grabbed the rope and guided him over the edge.
"Okay Don, ease over the edge slowly…we've got the other end of the rope attached to the chopper."
Don closed his eyes momentarily to offset the dizziness that hit him as soon as he was over the side. The sheer drop was frightening so he forced himself to focus on repelling down to his brother's position. He tried not to look at the rocks below him as he jumped his way down the rock face. The agent forced himself to remain calm and he took a deep breath as his body slid further down the cliffs.
David, Colby and Martinez controlled Don's descent, slowly letting the rope glide between their gloved fingers while Megan kept an eye on the SAC as he worked his way down to Charlie. Bashere worried her, his movements were becoming erratic and he was growing more and more agitated as Don got closer to Charlie.
"Ian." She anxiously called to the agent. " How close are you to the ridge?"
Edgerton's breathless voice returned. "Maybe another fifteen minutes."
"You better hurry, we may not have that long." she quickly retorted.
"Roger that. Out."
Don looked back up at Megan. "I need more slack….hurry!" he shouted and then glanced downward toward his brother.
"I'm coming Charlie. Just hold on."
Finally, his feet touched the rock face near the top of the stone that Charlie was holding onto. As he worked his way past the rock he could see the blood smeared on the stone and he narrowed his eyes worriedly as he got closer to Charlie. Slowly he inched his way down until he was hanging alongside of his brother. Charlie was being pulled at an angle toward the walled ledge. Bashere had him by one leg and was attempting to get him over to the ledge.
Bracing his feet against the rock face, Don eased himself over to his brother's side and hurriedly wrapped his arms around his brothers chest. Despite the dire situation, the solid contact with Charlie gave Don an overwhelming sense of relief. At long last, he had found his brother and Charlie was alive. He could feel him breathing and that little bubble of hope in his heart burst this time from sheer joy. Don closed his eyes and let his forehead rest momentarily against the back of his brother's head, overcome by his emotions.
Charlie had only looked up once since Don had started his way down. It had been necessary to focus all of his attention on trying to hold on, so he was startled when Don's arms wrapped around him. But when the familiar voice whispered in his ear, it touched his soul.
"I knew you would come." he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
"I've got you bro, you can let go now." Don said in his brother's ear.
"I' should have killed you!" Bashere's hissed loudly.
They both looked down just as the man was raising his gun toward Don. Charlie reacted first and kicked out with his foot sending the gun skittering along the ledge. But this gave the Frenchman the opportunity to grab his other leg and with a forceful jerk he broke Charlie's hold on the rock and pulled the young man forward.
The sudden shift in weight forced the rope to drop lower and elicited yells from both brothers. Don quickly braced his feet on the bottom of the ledge as they came to a stop. They were now on eye level with the Frenchman with Charlie hanging suspended between his brother and Bashere.
Yells from above echoed down as the agents and the pilot grappled with the additional burden of Charlie's and Bashere's added weight.
Charlie groaned and leaned his head back against his brother's chest. "Don….there's too much weight…the rope will break."
The agent looked over his brother's head at Bashere and his hatred for the man threatened to consume him, but he clenched his teeth and said. " Let him go …..and I'll come back for you, the rope won't hold all three of us."
The man returned his look, his eyes were cold and he wore a blank expression on his face, no emotion of any kind showing on his features as he tightened his grip on Charlie's legs, still struggling to pull Charlie over the ledge.
Don didn't understand how the man could be so calm, a normal person would be terrified of falling to his death but not this guy, he seemed more angry than frightened.
"Didn't you hear me?" Don tried again. "Let go of him and I'll come back for you."
Bashere still didn't answer but just continued to try and pull the young man over to him.
"You shouldn't be here Don…. you could fall." Charlie said worriedly, interrupting Don's efforts to communicate with the Frenchman. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."
"I've got a rope remember, your the one that could fall; and this isn't your fault, it's his." Don nodded his head in Bashere's direction, even though Charlie couldn't see him.
"No, you don't understand. I tried to help him up…and he pulled me over." he gasped out with a groan, as the Frenchman continued to pull his legs.
Despite the desperate situation, Don's expression changed to one of puzzlement. "What?" He looked over in disbelief at the older man. "Why….why would you do something like that?" he asked.
Bashere's voice was cold and menacing as he answered the agent.
"Tell me, do you remember an old Aesop fable called "The Scorpion and the Frog?" he asked.
"This isn't exactly the time to tell fairy tales!" Don snapped.
Megan's anxious voice sounded urgently over the radio and he turned his head to the side so Bashere couldn't hear what she was saying. "No, Don,…. keep him talking…if you cut him off, he might turn violent."
Don glanced sideways at Bashere, he was still holding onto Charlie, an unreadable expression on his face. He tightened his hold on his brother and nodded to the Frenchman. "I changed my mind, go ahead, finish your story."
"The story is about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river but the frog is afraid of being stung. The scorpion convinces him that he wouldn't sting him because that would mean that he would drown as well." Bashere paused and adjusted his hold on Charlie which prompted another groan from the younger man. "Well, halfway across the river the scorpion stings him, dooming the two of them. When asked why, the scorpion replied, "I'm a scorpion; it's my nature."
Don stared at the man in amazement and then he retorted grimly. "Your right about one thing Bashere. You are like that scorpion."
His gaze drifted to the back of his brother's head. In spite of everything that the man had done to him, Charlie had still tried to save him, but that was his brother's nature. Don tightened his hold on the younger man and glanced back at Bashere only to find him returning the gaze. For a moment he was mesmerized by the man's eyes. He knew he was looking into the eyes of pure evil and he felt a shudder course through his body. Charlie had once told him that this man had no soul and looking at him now, Don truly believed it.
Charlie saw the malevolent look that Bashere was giving his brother and he felt Don shudder. Seeking to draw the man's attention from Don he said. "No….that's not true, not really. Is it Henri?"
The Frenchman shifted his gaze from the agent and stared deeply into Charlie's expressive brown eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.
"You said you pulled me down here so that we could be together, so that we could hide in the cave. You said we would be safe there. Remember?" Charlie spoke softly, hoping to keep the Frenchman calm. "Your not like that scorpion Henri."
Bashere's head tilted slightly and he stared at the young man. His eyes actually appeared to soften and his expression had changed to one of adoration.
"I just wanted us to be together Charlie." he answered in a tone of voice that sounded almost 'child-like. ' I just want to take care of you."
"I know that now, Henri, but this isn't the way to do it." The young man paused to catch his breath. "You have to let me go." Charlie forced his voice to stay soft. "My wound has become infected and I need to see a doctor. After that we can work on our plans to be together." The quiver in his voice belied the calmness that he was trying to present to Bashere. The pain in his side was getting stronger, exacerbated by being constantly pulled back and forth between Don and the Frenchman. Charlie was starting to feel like a human rope in some macabre 'tug of war' game.
"Really?" The Frenchman asked, a look of hope crossing his features while his hold on Charlie's legs relaxed slightly. "You mean that, we'll be together?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes, I do Henri.." Charlie lied to him. " After I've seen the doctor we'll go wherever you want to go."
"Bashere's eyes gleamed with uncertainly and seeking assurances he asked. " Promise Charlie…..promise me that we'll always be together."
Charlie leaned his head back against Don's chest and closed his eyes. They fluttered open again and he met the Frenchman's eager stare. "I promise…..now can we go up?'
Bashere stood lost in thought studying Charlie, as if seeing him for the first time. One hand lifted from the young man's leg as he pointed toward his shirt. "Your bleeding again."
Charlie just nodded weakly and spoke to the madman as if he were a child. "I know Henri, that is why I need to see a doctor." he swallowed, trying to find some moisture for his dry throat. "Remember?'
Subdued, the Frenchman lowered his gaze and nodded his head slowly. He released his hold on Charlie's leg but left his hand lightly resting on top of his knee.
Don didn't waste anytime, when he felt Bashere's hold loosen he looked up at Megan and gave her the signal to pull them up.
"Take us up." He said and then spoke quietly in his brother's ear. "We're getting out of here Charlie and he won't be able to hurt you anymore."
Bashere watched as the rope began to pull Charlie away from him. But as Charlie's leg started to slide from his grasp, his demeanor changed and before Charlie was completely out of his reach, Bashere did what Megan had warned all along he would do. Suddenly, without warning, he struck quickly and viciously.
As the rope started to pull upward, the young professor suddenly jerked violently in his brother's arms and let out an agonizing scream. He thrashed around in obvious pain, panting. "Get it out….Don….get it out!" Charlie stretched his arms out trying to reach his leg but his brother's arms were preventing him from bending.
"Charlie! Charlie stop or we'll both fall!" Don cried out desperately.
It was taking all of Don's strength just to hold onto Charlie and Bashere was making it worse by continuing to pull his brother over toward the ledge. At Don's words though, Charlie stopped struggling but he moaned softly as he forced himself to remain still.
Now that Charlie had stopped moving, Don was able to look over his brother's head and his eyes widened with horror when he saw the hilt of a knife sticking out of Charlie's thigh.
In a furious rage Don confronted Bashere. "You son of a bitch! What the hell did you do that for?"
The older man looked at him with his cold eyes and said. "Let us go….we are going to die together."
"I'll let you go….but my brother is not going to die here today!
"If the rope goes up any further I will pull this knife out and he will bleed out before you can pull him up. I made sure I put it in the Femoral artery." he paused and then added. "It's our destiny to die together, now let me have him!"
"It might be your destiny to die on these cliffs today … but it's not his!"
Don knew that the man was right about the placement of the knife and he also knew that he had to do something fast or his brother wouldn't survive the day. Charlie was breathing rapidly now and moaning softly from the pain.
Panic-stricken he looked up and yelled, "Stop!" and then turned his head so Bashere couldn't see his face as he spoke quietly into his radio.
"Did you guys hear all of that?" he asked frantically.
"Roger that, Don." Megan anxious voice responded.
Don was desperate. "Does anyone have a clear shot at him.? I can't let go of Charlie to get to my gun and if Bashere removes the knife Charlie will bleed out before I can get him up there."
David's voice came low over the radio. "I can't get a clean shot at him, there's a lip of rock blocking him from view."
"Same here, Don" Colby responded grimly.
Don cursed to himself, he had to think quickly, Charlie was already losing blood. He couldn't release him so he couldn't use his hands and Basheres's hand was too close to the knife for him to try and kick it away.
Suddenly a familiar voice sounded in his ear.
"I've got a shot…it's not a kill shot, but it should be enough to distract him and give you time to get Charlie out of the way."
Surprised, Don's head came up….. they just might have a chance after all. "If his hand even moves toward that knife when I give the signal, take him." Don said quietly.
"My pleasure." the voice responded.
"Don." Megan called over the radio. "Martinez is going to bring you up with the helicopter, it'll be a lot faster. Prepare to move as soon as Ian takes his shot."
He turned his head and stared at Bashere as he gave the command.
"Take us up!" he shouted to the agents on the cliff.
Bashere's face broke into a snarl and he reached for the handle of the knife but before he could touch it, a shot rang out and he jerked his arm back convulsively, releasing his hold on the young man. He staggered backwards on the ledge and stumbled to his knees. He screamed at Don as he scrabbled around the ledge looking for his gun. He found it near the cave opening and jumped inside before the sniper could get off another shot.
Don saw the results before he heard the shot that echoed off of the cliff walls and a part of him was disappointed that Bashere was still alive, but he didn't have time to reflect on it now, he had to get Charlie to the hospital.
"Hurry, get us out of here." he shouted.
Finally, they were moving upward but it still wasn't fast enough for him. Worried about his brother, he started talking to him.
"Charlie, it's over now. We'll be up soon and I'll get you to a hospital."
"Okay…Don…it's …'kay." His brother mumbled, barely audible. The pain was disappearing now and Charlie felt almost euphoric. He was flying and he could feel the breeze on his face. "Knock….knock….knoc..ing….on…heav's … dor'." he sang to himself.
"Charlie…Buddy…..what did you say?"
But his brother had gone limp in his arms. Don knew what was happening, Charlie was going into shock, he was barely conscious now and too weak to respond.
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Bashere cried out in frustration as he stumbled through the cave. He was using the flame from his lighter to find his way through the cavern. Eppes had done it again, all of his planning and now Charlie had been taken from him once again. Next time he would be smarter, he'd do things differently.
He stumbled into another cavern and smiled smugly when he saw a distant light. Daylight, he knew he would find his way out. He was so proud of himself that he didn't hear the first growl. His grin faded as the second one resonated around the cave.
P-1 rose up on stiffened legs. His fight with the younger lion had left him injured and sore but that wasn't going to stop him when an intruder was in his cave.
Bashere's dark brown eyes widened as he stared into the yellow eyes of P-1.
TBC