Ann Aguirre: Hell Fire

Thanks to Dale’s good records, I’d recognize the twelve when they arrived. I just hoped a lot of innocent townsfolk wouldn’t volunteer for the search party, as it would shortly turn into a wicked game of cat and mouse. In that case, things could get . . . complicated.

Well, we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.

To my delight, they arrived in just two vehicles, which meant they hadn’t brought any bodies along for the ride. I signaled, and Jesse pulled in behind them. We’d agreed it wouldn’t be smart to let them block us in.

I hopped out of the SUV, settling into my role as cheerful, helpful former resident. It probably wouldn’t fool anyone, but it might annoy them. As I’d already known, mostly men climbed out of their vehicles. Only Sandra Cheney and Regis’s receptionist added estrogen to the mix.

Agnes Pettigrew? Really?

That revelation startled me. I hadn’t sensed any killing animosity from her—just the typical bureaucrat’s annoyance at having her system circumvented. Even now, she didn’t look frightening—just a plump, middle-aged woman geared up for a ramble in the woods—but I did notice she wore a horseshoe pin on the lapel of her jacket. She must have been in the top tier, part of the council leadership.

August England, Harlan Cooper. I located them with a casual glance and covertly watched them as they discussed their options in a low voice. I wished I could read lips. They had no visible weapons, but I would have been surprised if they didn’t have guns beneath their jackets. They even wore orange vests so they wouldn’t be mistaken for game if someone happened to be hunting. I glanced down at my black hoodie. So that was how they meant to play things. It was strange how they saw me only as an old mistake to be erased.

The rest of the men looked like they must have been retired; I recognized none of them from prior encounters in town, but they matched the dossiers Dale had compiled. I twitched, knowing I was standing before the men and women who had casually decided to feed my family to the demon. I wanted to scream, to spit at them, but that would have tipped our hand. They thought they’d been so clever, running me around town looking for answers.

By the goddess, I had them now.

I pinned a smile on my face. “Are y’all ready to take a look around out there? There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

Sandra Cheney looked as if she’d had a bad face-lift. “That’s why we’re wearing our walking boots.”

We set off in two groups: us and them. I think they expected me to lead the way, but they were crazy if they thought I intended to let them get behind me. Once we stepped into the woods, all bets were off.

The path narrowed as we stepped into the trees. A chill wafted all around us, telling me we weren’t alone. I recognized the heavy, watchful feeling from the other times I’d ventured in here. By the way the twelve reacted, they hadn’t expected the demon to find us so quickly. A few of them shifted, looking restive.

Don’t run , I told them silently. Yet.

I patted my pocket where I’d stashed my Tri-P. The others caught my movement and did the same. We were protected from bad magick, but not from bullets, stab wounds, or being rent limb from limb. I wouldn’t think about any of those possibilities. Sometimes you just had to gamble.

“Remember the plan,” Jesse breathed. “Chance, you stay with Corine. She’ll need the most protection because they’re gunning for her, and I have a bad arm.”

I acknowledged him with a nod. Chance stepped closer to me, tugging lightly on one of my braids. Smiling at him hurt because I knew what was going to happen after we left the forest.

“Who brought the maps?” I asked brightly. “We’ll divide the territory and split up into teams of two so we can cover more ground.”

After some mumbling, the Kilmer crew worked that out among themselves. Taking care not to touch him, I discussed the division of forest with England. “We’ll take this section over here.” I pointed to his map. “Jesse, Shannon? Would you take this part?”

Yeah, I wanted them close by, preferably within screaming range. But I wasn’t prey like they thought. No, indeed. Instead, I was bait.

“Sounds good,” Saldana said.

“We’ll meet back at the vehicles in three hours,” England said. “If you find something, mark it with one of these stakes.” He handed two DayGlo orange wooden markers to each of us. “Then make sure you map a route to the body, so we can locate it and give that person a proper burial.”

Oh, well played, sir. Makes it seem like you mean business. Makes it seem not your fault.

I tucked them into my backpack. “You ready, Chance?”

“Absolutely.”

We set off, ostensibly to search our quadrant of woods for missing persons. In fact, I wanted to get some distance between us and everyone else. Instead of searching, they’d be stalking us. There was no telling what would happen now.

The wind kicked up, whistling through the skeletal branches. I recognized the feeling from the attic; it meant Shannon had done her part. The restless dead had arrived, searching for those responsible for their wretchedness. She’d called them to her and whispered how they could confront their tormentors at last. I didn’t know if they could inflict physical harm, but mental damage and hallucinations might be enough.

A shiver rolled through me. In the distance, I heard the staccato report of gunfire; then screaming. Yeah, it had begun.

It seemed much later than midafternoon. Within the shadow of the trees, the wan sunlight struggled to penetrate the tangle of wintry limbs. As we walked, I lost all sense of direction. I couldn’t tell how far away the noises were.

And then I heard the unmistakable sound of a weapon being cocked. I froze, surprised I didn’t feel a bullet tearing into me right away. Beside me, Chance spun in a slow circle, looking frantic.

Of all the hunters in the woods, I felt mildly astonished to see Agnes Pettigrew step from the trees. Her hands trembled visibly on the grip. Unsteady as she was, she had as good a chance of hitting the man beside me or a squirrel in a distant tree. Her moon face was tinged green, pallor so profound I thought she might be in shock.

Chance measured the distance between us with his gaze. I could see him weighing the risk she might get a shot off before he took her down. Then I saw him decide not to risk it. He couldn’t be sure how effective Shannon’s charm was; if it was even slightly off-kilter, in this scenario, if anyone got shot, it would be me. He knew that—his luck would see to it. So he stood still and quiet. I sensed how difficult that was for him and spared him a smile. I knew he hated being powerless.

Would it do any good to bluff?

“What’s wrong, Ms. Pettigrew?” I ventured. “Is everything all right?”

When she spoke, her voice sounded shrill. “Nothing will ever be all right. Not until you’re dead.”

“Do you really think that will fix it?” I asked, trying to keep my tone steady and gentle. “You’ve always known there was something wrong here. You couldn’t have approved of going to people’s houses in the middle of the night, doing what you did there.”

Pure anguish flashed in her wild, glittering eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I’m a legacy.”

“What does that mean?” Chance asked softly.

“My father participated in the initial summoning. Our family has been part of this since the beginning—and I don’t have a choice.” Agnes shook even as she raised the gun. “Once I . . . take care of you, things will return to normal. We’ll have our sweet, quiet little town back again.”

“You’ll have to live with killing me,” I whispered, watching her finger tighten on the trigger. “Not just standing by while someone else does the dirty work.”