Page 100 of Fallen Creed

Jason couldn’t see it. But then he couldn’t see a single building, let alone a farm. They had driven by some. And while the snow was melting, the blanketed landscape—thick with layers—would require more than one forty-degree day before it’d reveal whole pieces of the ground underneath.

He was used to having shrubs for scent to cling to and patches of grass where it could sink between the blades. This white-duned prairie simply baffled him. But he knew one thing for sure. He could not let Scout know that. He couldn’t let Scout get a whiff of his misgivings.

Scout had impressed him before. He needed to remember how awesome his dog was. After all, Scout had found a dead body in an old chest freezer. Of course, Jason didn’t believe him at the time. He thought his dog, a notorious chow-hound, only wanted to get at the tasty frozen food inside.

Trust your dog!

It was something Ryder constantly drilled into him.

And despite Jason’s doubts right now, despite hating this cold, unfamiliar territory, he needed to show only enthusiasm. He had to be mindful that he didn’t translate any of these feelings to Scout.

Be excited. Let Scout believe this was one big, fun adventure. A game of search and find.

Why kid himself? The hardest part would be staying optimistic. This was the third day since Ryder and Grace had disappeared. During their road trip, Jason tried to imagine the pair had simply hunkered down in an old shed. As a Marine, Ryder would surely find a way to keep them warm, even if he was injured.

Now that he stood here feeling the bite of cold stinging his face and listening to the distant sound of a train, Jason realized how rare a piece of shelter might be. Hope drained from him like grains of sand slipping through an hourglass. Urgency nagged at him.

He glanced over at Maggie. She’d climbed up onto the tailgate with binoculars. At the other end of the Jeep, Brodie had snuggled down Kitten in the front seat with a fleece throw. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and pulled up the hood of her coat while talking in a low voice to Hank, as if giving him a rundown. She talked to the dogs and cat a lot. He liked that. Sometimes he found himself wanting in on their conversation. The animals always looked so content, so attentive and comforted by her voice.

She offered both dogs some water then snapped the collapsible bowl to the canteen and looped the strap around her neck and shoulder. She looked ready and prepared, but Jason knew there was nothing that prepared you for finding the body of someone you knew. Someone you loved.

He had seen things in Afghanistan. He’d lost friends there and here, too many by their own hands. But Ryder... He’d never met a stronger mind, a stronger will. The guy was a survivor. He was a rescuer at heart. Hell, he’d rescued Jason.

Whatever had happened out here, he had to believe Ryder wouldn’t give up. And he wouldn’t let a bunch of snow defeat him.

—79—

Creed heard the tap-tap of water. He wiped a hand over his sweat-drenched forehead. His palm came away damp and red.

He looked up and saw the branches dripping with blood. No sky though light filtered down. Raindrops fell, but the pitter-patter sounded far away, taking extra seconds before he felt it.

The fever had taken him back to the blood forest. His mind seemed to know this, though his body couldn’t respond. Eyelids fluttered but refused to open. His breathing was slow and labored.

He reached for Grace, comforted to find her warm body beside him. Relief swept over him. She was still with him, even if he couldn’t see her. He kept a hand on her back, not taking a risk of losing her, because in the nightmare Grace hid somewhere in the tall grass.

His other hand swept around him, fingers searching the air for the coveted cell phone he’d found. Ariel’s phone. The one she didn’t want anyone to know she had.

It didn’t matter. It didn’t work. Maybe it was out of juice or paid minutes. He’d secretly tapped quick, illicit texts to the only phone numbers his failing mind could remember. Each time, the same message flashed on the screen: UNDELIVERABLE. TRY AGAIN LATER.

He didn’t have “later.” He wanted to throw the worthless phone against the wall, but it would have taken too much energy. Still, he wasn’t sure where it had gone. Had it slipped from his fingers? If so, it was probably back in Ariel’s pocket.

A faint voice came from a distance. He strained to make out the words that mingled with a constant buzz and competed with the rhythm of the rain.

It was Ariel. She was giving instructions or excuses. He couldn’t distinguish between the two. Ariel...from Shakespeare. Prospero’s Ariel. The old man had sent the sprite to cast spells and leave his enemies in a dreamlike state. That must be what was happening. Ariel had sent him out of the way.

He squinted. Tried to blink. Neither attempt opened his eyes, but he could see her down deep beneath the branches. A black spider crawled over her shoulder as if emerging from underneath the surface of her skin.

She wasn’t who she claimed to be. He needed to wake up. He needed to tell someone. Anyone. But somehow, he knew it was already too late.

—80—

Libby couldn’t believe how clear-eyed and energetic Ariel was this morning. She didn’t think she had gotten any sleep. The drugs seemed to fuel her. Every time Libby woke up, Ariel was pacing the narrow aisle of the trailer, crouching to look out the windows as if she expected a creature to emerge from the dark. A creature in the form of David Ruben.

What did Ariel know that she wasn’t sharing? Was her so-called contact letting her know that Ruben was close? And why wasn’t she telling Libby? Was she afraid Libby would simply take off without her?

Now as they trudged through the snow, Libby measured Ariel’s breathing by the raspy sound following her closely, walking in her footsteps like the indented snow would reduce her effort. She was breathing too hard. Was it the drugs? Or fear?

This started out as Ariel coming to Libby’s rescue, providing her an escape vehicle. And that was exactly the way Libby viewed her, simply as a means to get her away from here. She figured as soon as they were far enough away, she’d ditch Ariel, then disappear.