Arkansas Assault

20

The supper was downright delicious. Slices of beef, baked potato, green beans. Real restaurant repast. Even the dishes the meal was served on were of café quality.

“I told you they fed us well,” Stephanie said.

Burgade had left them all unshackled. He joked that it was the least he could do since they were going to be dead in a few hours.

They ate in an empty corner of the log cabin. Sitting on the floor.

“Maybe he put something in the food,” Aaron said.

“Like what?” Fargo asked.

“You know, some kind of herb or something that’ll slow us down tonight when we’re trying to escape my dear brother Noah and his dogs. I sure wouldn’t put it past him.”

They all looked at their food.

“Thanks, Aaron,” Nancy said. “I was actually enjoying this food until you said that.”

“Yeah, thanks Aaron,” her sister said in the same sarcastic tone.

“Well, we might as well enjoy it,” Fargo said, “being that we’ve all eaten at least half of our meals.”

Aaron frowned. “You know, my friend, your optimism could get me down. We’re probably less than three hours from our death and you’re making jokes.”

“Well, there won’t be any time for jokes after we die, Aaron. We might as well tell ’em now.”

Nancy, trying to alleviate the sudden tension, “Tell him about the trees, Fargo.”

“Yes, and while you’re at it, tell me about the birds and bees, too.” He laughed. “Sorry I got so cranky there, Fargo. All the times in my miserable life I thought I wanted to die but when I come right up against it—I really want to live. I’ve got a bad case of nerves.” He nodded to Nancy. “I hope our beautiful young companion means that you’ve got some foolproof escape plan.”

“If I had a foolproof escape plan, I’d already be gone,” Fargo said.

He went over his plan. He’d added a new angle since talking about it to Nancy. “Since we don’t have any weapons, we talked about pelting them with rocks. Maybe knocking them out.”

“Or killing the bastards,” Stephanie said.

“Right,” Fargo laughed, “or killing the bastards if you happen to be as bloodthirsty as Stephanie. But now I’ve added to the idea. What if we set them up for a trap. Maybe hitting them with rocks would work then.”

“How do we set up a trap?” Aaron said. “They’ve got the dogs and the guns.”

“They give us a head start, I hear.”

“Fifteen minutes,” Stephanie said. “They’re so generous.”

“All right. So what if we try this?” Fargo said. “We know where the tree branches are thickest with leaves. What if I run on ahead of you three, pick out a tree, carry as many rocks as I can up with me, and then start firing at them as soon as they reach the tree.”

“What makes you think they’ll stop at that particular tree?” Aaron said.

“You’re going to lead them there. You’re going to make all the noise you can and they’re going to come after you. Then you start scrambling up the birches before they get to me. When they get there, they’ll be confused, wondering where you folks are. Then I hit them with the rocks.”

“They’ll kill you,” Nancy said.

“All they’ll have to do is point their rifles up there and start blasting away,” Stephanie said. “Even if they can’t see you, they’re bound to hit you eventually.”

“I appreciate your concern, ladies, but I don’t see that we have much choice.”

“You’re a braver man than I am,” Aaron said.

“That wouldn’t take a whole hell of a lot,” Nancy said.

“I’m a lot younger and spryer than Aaron here. If he was my age, I’m sure he’d do it. So let’s not go calling each other names.”

“I’m sorry, Aaron,” Nancy said. “That was a mean thing to say. I guess I’ve got a bad case of nerves, too.”

“Apology accepted. And I agree with you, Nancy. Even if I was Fargo’s age, I doubt I’d have the nerve for what he’s proposing.”

“I’m more than proposing it,” Fargo said. “I’m going to do it. And for what it’s worth, it’s not going to be all that simple for you, either. You’ve got to scramble up those trees before the dogs get a scent of you.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Stephanie said.

“I had,” Nancy said. “But I’d rather run our risk than Fargo’s.” She reached over and touched his arms. “Poor Fargo’s going to have two guns blazing away at him.”

Fargo watched the preparations from the cabin window.

Noah had arrived a half hour ago, carrying one hell of a fancy Spencer. He wore black clothes and his face was smudged with some kind of grease that made his face half as dark as his clothes. From what Fargo could see, the man had also rubbed the same stuff on his hands. Mr. Invisible, Fargo thought. He knows the island a hell of lot better than we ever will. He’s got his gunny Burgade, his dogs, and his disguise. Bastard doesn’t give us much of anything. It’s a poker game of the worst kind—Noah took all the aces out before the game started and shoved them right into his own five cards.

There was a half-moon. The light was unnaturally bright.

Burgade appeared. He had a hunting rifle and a pair of field glasses. Fargo wasn’t sure that, even with the brilliance of the moon, the field glasses were going to be a whole lot of help once they got into the forest.

They talked for maybe fifteen minutes, just the two of them, about halfway up from the dock. The dogs weren’t barking but they were growling. Tonight just might be their dream—atrocity heaven for carnivores of the worst sort. Even if they could only bag one human, that would be a truly sumptuous and memorable meal. As long as they didn’t kill each other fighting over who got the last few bites.

Burgade went over and let the dogs out.

It was sort of funny the way Noah jerked backwards a bit when the animals came out of their run. So the old man was just as afraid of the dogs as everybody else was. Someday, if Fargo could survive the night, that would make one hell of a saloon story.

The dogs got excited with no warning and for no reason Fargo could see. They leapt up at Noah, who kept backing away and did his own sort of barking at Burgade. Even from here, Fargo could see the strain on Burgade’s face. He liked to boast about the kind of control he had over the dogs but at moments like these his face told the truth. You could see the fear and the desperation as he began to command the dogs into settling down. At one point, Noah raised the Spencer. He looked as if he were about to shoot one or two of the dogs himself.

Noah broke away abruptly from Burgade and the dogs and stalked to the cabin. He threw the door back and swaggered inside.

“Been looking forward to this for a long time,” Noah said to Aaron.

“I may surprise you, brother, and live out the night.”

“The only thing that would ever surprise me,” Noah said, “is if you sobered up once and for all and got some backbone.”

Aaron’s expression wasn’t exactly inscrutable. Noah’s words had hurt and embarrassed him in front of the others. Aaron had apparently found a strange kind of freedom in the cabin. Without Noah around to taunt him, Aaron had been able to pass himself off as a decent, productive human being. But no more. Noah was here to remind him of all his past sins.

“You’re coming with me, Aaron.”

“I’d rather go with my friends.”

Noah smirked. “Friends. These people are riffraff, same as you, Aaron. They’d sell you out in a minute. Ask them. If I offered to set them free and get off this island only if it meant killing you, they’d do it in a second.”

“Don’t be too sure of that,” Fargo said.

“They speak bravely like Fargo here, Aaron,” Noah said. “But look at their faces. Do you really think they’d sacrifice themselves for you?”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not friends of mine,” Aaron said.

Fargo saw the vicious way Noah ruled over his brother. Aaron’s drinking problem had left him with no self-respect. Aaron obviously agreed with everything Noah said. And Noah said everything. He even mocked the notion that Aaron could have any friends.

“How about it?” Noah said. “What if I seriously offered you a deal like that? I get to kill Aaron here and you three get off the island safely? Would you go for that?”

Nancy’s contempt for the old man sounded clear and deep in her voice. “He’s your brother. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Your own flesh and blood?”

“Maybe you wouldn’t say that if you’d had to take care of him the way I have. Aaron always makes it sound as if he’s the wronged one. But given everything I’ve had to do for him, he should appreciate which of us is really getting the short end of the stick. And now I’m going to do both of us the favor of ending his misery.”

He moved without any warning whatsoever. Grabbed Aaron by the arm, shoved him toward the door. He said, “I’m locking you in so don’t try to help. I thought we’d get this night off to a good start.” He smiled at Aaron. “For once my brother’s going to be an asset instead of a liability.”

“Please,” Aaron said, imploring the others with his eyes and voice. “Please don’t let him do this.”

Fargo started toward Noah but the old man clipped off a shot that missed Fargo’s head by no more than an inch. “I really wanted to save you ’til later, Fargo. You’ll be the toughest of these people to hunt down. And therefore you’ll be the most fun.”

Stephanie had teared up. You could hear her tears in her voice. “He’s your damned brother, Noah. You say he was hard to put up with. Maybe so. But when he’s sober, he’s a decent man. He doesn’t deserve this.”

“Maybe I was wrong, Aaron. Maybe you really have made some friends here.” Noah shook his head in mock sorrow. “Poor Aaron. Everything always happens too late to do him any good.”

“You kill him,” Fargo said, “I’ll kill you.”

Noah said, “Now that’s the kind of spirit I like to see, Mr. Fargo. You’re going to be damned tough in those woods. And that’s just going to make everything all that much better for me.”

Noah put the tip of his rifle against his brother’s head.

Aaron was becoming paralyzed with dread at what was coming next. “You can’t do this, Noah. Not even you. I’m your brother.”

“Outside,” Noah said. “And I mean right now.”

Fargo was trying to puzzle out what Noah had in mind here. Not a run through the woods. Aaron wouldn’t be much fun as quarry. He’d probably collapse after the first few minutes on the trail.

The door slammed. Fargo heard a key turning in the lock.

Then he heard the dogs barking in a different way. As if Noah was holding food out to them—and then pulling it back. Teasing them.

Then he was at the window with the women, seeing all too clearly what Noah had in mind for his brother.