Faithful Shadow (25 page)

“Well, I want to thank you all for helping me.” Joe clapped his hands together, looking down from the top step at the men standing before him. Five men that had decided to put their lives on the line and here he was giving a little spiel like some camp counselor. He lowered his shoulders and let the gravity of what they were facing sink in. “Look, I don’t know what we’re up against here. I’m not even sure if we have the tools to kill it, or if it’s still inside. But I am so very honored you’re all here.” Joe smiled his first real genuine smile in weeks. “I think we should start by unloading all the equipment and setting up while we still have the sun on our side. Once we’ve got everything in place, let’s meet up at the fireplace.” Joe looked up at the road as he saw the midday sun glinting off the hood of an approaching vehicle. “Okay, let’s get moving.”

Joe took the steps slowly, wondering why the hell Rita was turning into the parking lot when she was supposed to be on her way to Gardiner. Joe stood on the sidewalk, distancing himself from the rest of the group so she wouldn’t overhear anything pertinent.

Rita skidded to a stop and killed the engine, slamming the car door behind her. She was only five-foot-five, but she stood with a presence about her—one that said she wouldn’t hesitate to drop your ass like a ton of bricks if she were so inclined. She stood before Joe, her arms folded, nodding her head to words she hadn’t yet said.

“I ran into Gerol.” Rita smiled, containing the speech she’d been practicing the seventeen miles from Mammoth. “He was rather pissed about the evacuation, especially when you told him yesterday that you weren’t there to kick him out of his house. But he did wish you luck with your monster hunt.” Rita looked to her left at the line of men walking into the Inn, their arms loaded with shotguns and flashlights. “Just your basic evacuation supplies?”

“Look, I didn’t want to have to bring you in on this.”

“Bullshit!” Rita stuck a finger in his face and raised her voice. “You should have filled me in from the start. Monster or not, it is my job to protect this park and maintain animal conservation. How dare you and Andy push me aside like your little sister. Male chauvinist pigs!”

“Please, I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I’m sorry.”

“You’re damn right you’re sorry.” Rita withdrew her hand and went back to her truck, leaning in the door to grab her shotgun off the passenger seat. “If you think I’m going to run and hide while you boys play monster hunters, then you’re out of your fucking mind.” Rita rested the barrel of the shotgun against her shoulder. “So, what do you need me to do? Or should I inform the authorities exactly why you and these firemen have decided to evacuate this National Park?”

“If you would do a walk around the Inn and check for any open windows that would be great,” Joe said, suppressing a smile.

“Glad to.” Rita headed off toward the back of the Inn, handing her shotgun to Andy as she passed him.

Joe watched her go and smiled, impressed with her display of authority. To say he wasn’t intimidated would have been a complete lie. He’d been sure she was going to kick him in the balls or rip his ears off. Thankfully she hadn’t and he was happy to have her help, but now he had one more person to worry about. But Rita made seven, lucky seven.

“I think I’m in love,” Bob told Joe as he passed him on the stairs with three floodlights laid across his arms, looking to his right to see Rita turn out of view.

These memories resurfaced every time she got close to Joe, smelling the same type of fumes rolling out of his mouth, the unmistakable sign of an alcoholic. Joe was a man she’d grown to respect, someone she modeled herself after. The way he stood tall and strong kept everyone calm in a dangerous situation. Modeling him had put the dam between her anger and her professionalism. But that dam was beginning to crack. She’d allowed herself to look up to so few men in her life and to have Joe turn into her father was a frightening thought. But at least she could understand where the depression came from. The loss of his son had been so traumatic and unexpected. Worse, it had been preventable. That was what caused him to drink, to drown out that one simple fact. Her father had been a drunk because that’s just who he was. And it had taken her over thirty years to realize it was from no act of hers. But the anger was still there, passed along through her bloodline. But she’d redirected her life, strayed from her drunken father and became a respectable person. And she’d be damned if she let the one person that had shown her she was worth something face this creature alone. Whatever it happened to be.

This park was her home. The only thing she had. The trees were her family; same with the geysers and the rivers. She knew she sounded like a great big hippie, but it was true. If this thing was ripping people to shreds in her backyard then she needed to do something. She was surprised they hadn’t brought her in on this. Stupid-ass men thinking they were all big and strong. Andy was a pussy when it came to anything threatening and Joe was a terrible shot. Rita could shoot the stinger off a bee from fifty yards back.

She smiled, coming around the back of the Inn, looking from the bottom floor to the top, moving window to window; nothing too exciting, but still very important. If the windows were closed then they had a better chance at securing this puppy. Whatever it was—as long as it wasn’t some kind of giant spider. That’s where she drew the line. As a ranger, she’d become very passionate about helping all of God’s creatures, but no way in hell did she help a fucking spider. Those hairy, eight-legged bastards could rot for all she cared.

Something moved past the window to her right, the small rectangular window that led to the stairwell. Rita leaned to her left and ran her eyes over the rest of the Inn. Satisfied that the remaining windows to the rooms were secured, Rita pulled her pistol from its holster and approached the door, her heart racing with adrenalin and anticipation. She gripped the knob and opened it slowly, sliding her thin frame through the door to shut it quickly behind her. Behind the stairs was a dim light, a faint shadow darting about on the wall. Rita kept her pistol to her hip as she inched past the stairs to the door around the corner. It stood ajar.

“Aha!” Rita threw open the door and aimed the gun, her finger tense on the trigger.

“Jesus! You almost made me shit my britches.” Bob held out his hands, breathing hard to calm himself. “Lower that thing, would you?”

“Sorry. Thought you were whatever it is.” Rita gave a nervous laugh and holstered her weapon. “What are you doing sneaking around back here?” Rita looked past the fireman to the closet. It was the Inn’s utility boxes for all its power.

“Hardly sneaking.” Bob leaned back and put his hand on a red valve. “Last year they installed the roof’s emergency sprinkler system. This red valve controls the water flow. I’m just turning it off.”

“I guess I won’t be taking a shower then?” Rita gave him a wink and came out from behind the stairs, headed through the short hallway where Cameron and Natasha had lost their lives, and popped out into the lobby. “Wow, you boys brought everything but the kitchen sink.”

“It’s coming.” Fred smiled, glad to have an attractive face in the crowd.

Laid out neatly to the right of the fireplace were eight shotguns, four dart guns, three spare propane tanks for the generator outside the main entrance, and a mound of flashlights; twelve by Rita’s count. Three floodlights had been set up to shine down both hallways and up above them. She took a seat opposite the fireplace, leaning forward with her hands extended toward the flames. It was seldom that you saw a fire actually burning in this insanely tall fireplace. The chimney was like no other she’d ever seen before, rising above her high into the shadows of the ceiling.

“The windows?” Joe asked as he hurried in from outside, adding three road flares to the supplies.

“All of them sealed.”

“Okay then. I’m going to chain up the doors if someone will meet me by the exit in the stairwell. When I’m done with that, I guess we just sit tight and wait for it to get dark.”

They’d both seized the moment, locking the door to make love. She had wanted to stay in his warm embrace, their bare bodies entwined, but it was a quickie. In the back of their minds they’d both known it might be their last roll in the hay, but neither would admit to it. Kelly and Richard had quickly dressed, taking little peeks to admire the other’s form, keeping the mood light. At ten fifteen they’d left the cabin, straying from the line of grumbling employees to walk up the slightly raised incline towards the stairwell door. They’d walked down the main hall and took a seat across from the fireplace, waiting patiently for Sonia and Stew to finally come walking in through the main entrance, their hair messy and his shirt unevenly tucked into his jeans.

“What?” Stew asked, tucking the rest of his shirt into his pants. “Let’s move before she gets back to her post.”

They’d all reassured themselves that they were well out of danger, perched on high like an eagle, overlooking the damage and not being a part of it. Earlier, Stew had led the way up the first flight of stairs, walking casually but with a good pace. They then climbed the second floor and froze, taking a seat on a nearby couch as someone below them began yelling. They’d all leaned forward and peeked over the wooden railing at the old man at the counter, barely tall enough to look over it.

“Hey! Hello,” he snapped, slapping the counter top.

“Yes sir, may I help you?” Gretchen hurried in from outside, straightening her skirt. She’d abandoned her post for yet another smoke break. She’d been taking one every fifteen minutes since she’d heard the news of the evacuation.

“You can tell me why my wife and I have been asked to leave.”

“The entire park is being evacuated due to the fire, sir.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about the fire. It’s not on the brochure. No mention of it when I made the goddamn reservation seven months ago.”

“I’m truly sorry.”

“Hold up there,” the old man interrupted her, his voice rising in volume. “Don’t interrupt a man when he’s speaking to you. Especially when this man is a guest here at this hotel. Now I don’t see why I should have to pack up and leave when the fire is miles away.”

“Oh this is so awesome,” Stew whispered, rocking back and forth with pure delight. Even from up on the second floor he could see the anger spreading over Gretchen’s face, but then it was suppressed by her title. Stew couldn’t have asked for a better torture for her, but it was short-lived. Stew’s wide smile fell into a snarl as Joe came up the steps. “Come on, let’s go.”

Stew had seen enough. Watching Joe being an asshole was something he’d seen before. Besides, they needed to get moving before they began searching the Inn. They moved quickly along the second floor, walking as far from the railing as possible to limit visibility. After they climbed up the third flight of stairs they began to relax, knowing it would be very difficult for anyone to look up and see them. Stew undid the latch on the chain and stood aside as Richard and the girls climbed up the fourth and final set of stairs.

“My God, we’re high up.” Sonia leaned over the railing, feeling dizzy from the height.

Kelly got on her knees and looked about the walkway, seeing the door to her left and the stairs to her right. At least there weren’t a lot of places for this thing to hide up here. With the ceiling roughly ten feet above them, and nowhere to come but up the stairs, Kelly actually felt safe. Even still, she kept her head pulled back far enough so she couldn’t see over the edge.