Henry Olsen - The Northland Chronicles - A Stranger North

“If you say so,” Jeremiah said with a shrug. “Where’d Dwayne go?”

“Hell if I know,” said the portly man.

Yes, where did Dwayne go? Emiko wondered. She had three armed men closing in on her position. And … her rifle! Swiftly, she reached one arm above the log and pulled it back toward her. It thudded softly against the log.

“Barry, you hear that?” Jeremiah asked.

His partner — Barry — smirked.

“I sure did,” he said. Then his mischievous eyes fell on Emiko.

Moose pie! Emiko dove behind the cover of the log.

“Hey little girlie, we won’t hurt you,” Barry called out to her.

They think I’m a dumb little girl? I’ll show them! she thought. What were her options? She wasn’t going to just give herself up — the men looked about as trustworthy as a pair of hungry wolves. That left her with two choices: run or fight. No reason to hide, she thought — they knew where she was. She stood up from behind the log.

“Hey there darling, what’s your name?” Barry asked, as he stepped through the brush, inching closer.

“Who’s asking?”

“A friend.”

“A friend?”

“That’s right, honey,” Barry said. “Your dad sent us to out to look for you. He’s really worried.”

Emiko just glared at him.

“Aw, what’s that look for?” he said, trying to sound hurt. He and Jeremiah continued to approach, now about twenty feet away.

“Sorry, my dad’s dead,” Emiko said. “And I don’t think he was friends with any losers like you.”

Barry growled.

“Hear that, Jeremiah?” he said. “This one’s a real live wire.”

“I heard it alright,” Jeremiah said.

The men were close and inching closer. If Emiko didn’t act soon, she’d be at their mercy.

“One more step and you’re dead,” she said, shouldering her rifle and aiming at Barry. Would they buy her bluff? She choked down her unease. She’d seen thousands of dead and dying in her lifetime, but she’d never had reason to point her gun at a human before.

“Hey now, we don’t want any trouble,” Barry said, raising his hands in the air.

“Then you’ll turn around and walk away,” she said.

“Okay, darling, easy now,” Barry said. He and Jeremiah slowly turned around, then gingerly began to creep off in the opposite direction.

Emiko grinned — she was in control now.

“And don’t forget to say ‘Hi’ to the other dwarves for me,” she said.

“Why you little,” Barry growled, as he spun around and started toward her. “A twerp like you ain’t gonna shoot me.”

Bear scat! Emiko’s heart throbbed. She gripped her Ruger tightly as Barry continued toward her. He was still holding his gun up in the air. She didn’t know what he’d do to her and she wasn’t eager to find out.

She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out like a firecracker.

“Cocksucker!” Barry wailed.

Emiko opened her eyes. Barry was writhing on the ground in pain, holding his leg. Jeremiah had turned around and was aiming his gun at her. Panicking, she ducked behind the cover of the log. She had to figure out how to disable Jeremiah, quickly! She’d shot one man. Surely she could shoot another …

Then she heard a twig snap behind her. As she turned to look, something heavy slammed into her skull and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

“This is the General.”

“Private Brushnell reporting, sir.”

“Calling in early today, I see.”

“I have a situation here, sir.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Our other three men, stationed here at Sawbill Lake — today they brought in a young girl. There’s talk of holding her hostage for a small ransom.”

“You didn’t feel the need to report to me immediately when Osborne collapsed — why now, soldier?”

He has a point , the private admitted to himself. He was anxious because he knew the victim, but he shouldn’t have let that affect his judgment.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“No need to apologize, son. I’m glad you called in — we can use this situation to our advantage.”

“We can, sir?”

“Yes. You see, as much as Osborne appears to enjoy aimless drifting, I know what he loves even more.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“The impossible.”

The private paused for a moment.

“What are you suggesting, sir?”

“Keep the girl hostage, but don’t ask for an easily payable ransom — request an exorbitant, impossible sum. It will get Osborne’s attention and he’ll come up your way — I guarantee it.”

“And then?”

“I have some information for you to communicate to him. I need you to pass it on, while keeping my name out of it. I’ll get it to you as soon as I can confirm a few details.”

“Understood, sir. What action should we take until then?”

“Just sit tight. Osborne is as tough as they come — he’ll be on his feet again soon. Prepare an anonymous ransom note and deliver it in a day or two. I trust you to take care of the details, Private. My records say you’re from that area. Use that knowledge to your advantage.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The General, over and out.”

With a sigh, the private relaxed his grip on the handheld radio, letting it hit the table. When he’d discovered that Barry, Jeremiah, and Dwayne had been plundering minor things from Frontier View, he didn’t raise a fuss, but this was different. Not that he had ever been particularly close to Emiko … something just felt wrong. Weren’t they supposed to be dispensing law and order across the land?

I should trust the General, he thought. If this is what it took to bring civilization back to the world, then he’d accept it as a necessary evil. In the meantime, a part of him hoped Barry would succumb to a bacterial infection. The General’s army had no need for redneck scum.

I’m all alone now, Nathan thought.

Emiko had been gone for nearly three full days. She’d disappeared before he woke up, three mornings ago. When she didn’t return that night, he’d felt angry. When she didn’t come home the next night, he’d grown worried. Then, this morning, he’d set out alone, heading into the woods to look for her. Afternoon and evening passed without him finding a trace of his sister, and now he was still foolishly searching deep into the night.

The moon was almost full, but the dense foliage above captured most of its light, leaving hardly any for Nathan. His eyelids felt like bags of sand, hanging over his eyes as he struggled to remain vigilant.

“Emiko!” he cried out. His voice echoed through the forest, fading as it reverberated around him. An owl, perched somewhere in the darkness above, hooted in reply before silently flying into the night. Nathan stopped and listened carefully to the forest. The only sound he heard was his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears. It felt like he was passing through a jungle on the dark side of the moon — a silent wonderland.

“Emiko!” he yelled again, his voice growing more desperate. This time, not even the owl answered. Dead silence.

A cool wind began whistling between the branches of the trees. This far north, even the late summer nights could be brisk. Nathan crossed his arms, pulling them in toward his chest for warmth as he continued his search.

Shortly he came to a clearing in the tree cover. He took advantage of the opportunity to examine the cloudless night sky, picking out the constellations among the twinkling stars. Each one had a story to go with it, and Nathan recollected the stories his father had shared as they gazed at the stars together. From the labors of Hercules to the travails of Perseus and Andromeda, the myths and legends flowed through his mind. Individually, each star was just a tiny point in the sky, but working together, they composed the original storybook — a record of history, dating back to the dawn of time.