Hunted Read online

  Judd settled back again and gripped the knife. “You didn’t make a dent in these handcuffs.”

  “I didn’t think I would, but I figured we ought to at least try.”

  Judd looked around the back of the truck bed. A little light was coming through the tiny windows on the sides of the camper. He spotted some rope and small chains at the front. A cardboard box lay on its side with a few rolls of duct tape inside.

  “Maybe if you hold the knife on the plastic and I try to twist my arms we can break it,” Lionel said.

  The road was smoother now, and Judd no longer heard gravel striking the under-side of the truck. He rolled over again, held out the knife, and let Lionel guide it into position.

  Lionel grimaced in pain as he jerked the cuffs, trying to snap the plastic. They worked for several minutes without results before Judd felt the truck speed up. The tires whirred and Judd knew they were on asphalt. Albert’s muffled curses came from the front, and Judd wondered whom the man was talking to. Something clattered in the front seat, and the truck swerved wildly to the right. Judd rolled onto Lionel and dropped the knife, hoping he hadn’t injured Lionel.

  Another sound beside them. More tires on pavement. Was there another vehicle?

  A high-pitched sound came from the front, and Judd recognized the high-tech weapon. The burst sent a wave of pain through him as he recalled the intense sting of the weapon. Tires screeched beside them, and gravel flew against the side of the truck. Albert sped up, swerving to his left, then to his right, sending Judd and Lionel rolling. Judd tried to hook his foot on something, but Albert swerved again, throwing the two to the other side of the truck bed.

  The second vehicle was closing in on them, bumping them from behind and trying to get around. When Judd heard the shotgun blast, he screamed.

  Vicki lay on her bed, her face buried in a pillow. She cried so hard she didn’t hear Shelly walk in. The girl put a hand on Vicki’s back and sat on the edge of the bunk.

  “Why did I do it?” Vicki moaned.

  “Do what?”

  “I was the one who suggested Judd take that flight to South Carolina, remember? If he winds up getting … if he gets hurt, it’s my fault.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “I told Chloe Williams that Judd was in France and she—”

  “I know how it happened, but you can’t blame yourself. We have to trust God that—”

  “Trust God?!” Vicki screamed. “We trusted God for Bruce, and look what happened to him. We trusted God for Ryan, and he still got trapped during the earthquake. We trusted God for Natalie and Zeke’s dad and Chaya. There’s a long list we’ve trusted to God, and they’re all dead.”

  Shelly looked at the floor, and Vicki shoved her face back into the pillow. “He and Lionel are going to die and it’s because of me.”

  Vicki sobbed and Shelly seemed content to sit, not saying anything.

  After a few minutes, Vicki sat up and Shelly pulled her close. “You’re upset and not thinking straight. You’re the one who’s said all along that God’s in control. He’s working his plan, and though we might not understand it—”

  “It’s too hard! I don’t want to be part of his plan anymore. I don’t want to hide or worry about how we’re going to eat or if the GC is going to come rushing in on us any moment. Why does God expect so much?”

  “Shh,” Shelly said, patting Vicki on the back. “God’s all we have right now. I’ve seen you stand up under a lot of pressure, and we’re not going to let this stop us from believing that he wants what’s best for us.”

  “Oh, Shelly, I’m so scared.” Vicki put her head on Shelly’s shoulder and cried. “I can’t imagine what’s happening to Judd and Lionel right now. I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid I’ll have an awful dream about the two of them getting their heads chopped off.”

  “Listen to me. You know God protected us from the GC with that angel. It’s obvious he has more for us to do. Do you think he still has more for Judd and Lionel to do?”

  Vicki nodded. “I hope so. It’s just that I keep hearing that creepy guy’s voice who answered Judd’s phone.”

  “I understand. Right now the best thing we can do is pray. And when you’re all prayed out, we’ll find something to do. I’ll stay with you until we hear from them.”

  “You will?”

  “You bet.”

  Judd flinched when shotgun pellets slammed against the truck bed and left dents in the metal. The truck immediately dipped to the left, and a horrible scraping made Judd want to plug his ears, but he couldn’t. The truck slowed as the smell of hot rubber filled the camper. The tire flopped, ka-thumped, and smoked while Albert tried to keep the truck on the road. He finally veered off, came to a bumpy stop, and called Max on the radio.

  The other vehicle screeched to a halt somewhere near the truck. Judd and Lionel tried to see out the small window, but a voice called out to them. “Judd, Lionel, stay down!”

  “That wasn’t Tom,” Lionel said as he and Judd quickly dropped to the floor and lay flat.

  A click and a hum sounded from the truck cab. The right front door opened, and Albert plopped to the ground.

  “He’s coming around the right side!” Judd said.

  “Shut up, Judah-ite!” Albert screamed. “I should have taken care of you when I had the chance.”

  The person at the other vehicle yelled at Albert. “Come around with your hands up and nobody gets hurt.”

  “It’s not me who’s about to get hurt.” Albert laughed. A shadow passed the side window of the truck. Footsteps on the other side, Tom’s. Judd wondered how he had gotten out of his handcuffs.

  “Put down your weapon, Albert,” Tom said.

  As soon as Judd heard the weapon fire, he ducked and pulled his knees to his chest. The piercing hum jarred him again. There was no return fire from the shotgun, and Judd wondered what was happening. “Tom, he’s got the gun set to kill. Don’t take any chances.”

  Albert screamed again and banged on the truck’s plywood covering. Judd turned and whispered, “I was hoping he’d give away his location.”

  Albert fired his weapon again and someone yelped.

  “Ha-ha! I gotcha, you little no-account Judah—”

  Albert’s voice cut off mid-sentence, and Judd heard a terrific thump. Had Tom been killed? Why had Albert gone suddenly silent? Judd was sure the man would turn the gun on him and Lionel before taking them to the GC.

  The back door opened, and a young man with sandy hair and rippling muscles looked inside. “I’m Luke Gowin. You must be Judd and Lionel.”

  Judd sat up and sighed. “Is Tom—?”

  Tom appeared beside his brother. “Right here. I drew old Albert into the open, and Luke did his linebacker routine.”

  Albert lay on the ground, holding his stomach and panting. Judd felt a strange mix of anger and pity toward the man. A few months ago Judd would have prayed for him and tried to convince him of the truth about God. Now that Albert had the mark of Carpathia, Judd knew his fate was sealed. He felt sorry the man had no chance for heaven, but he was mad at him for trying to harm believers.

  “Please don’t hurt me anymore,” Albert gasped.

  Tom limped to retrieve the weapon and threw it in their car, along with another energy clip from the front. After he handed Luke one of the plastic handcuffs, Luke looped the cuffs through Albert’s belt, secured Albert’s arm behind him, and lifted him into the back of the truck.

  Luke’s arms were massive and bronzed by the sun. Judd wondered what the boy had done other than play football to be in such good shape. One snip of Luke’s pliers and Judd’s hands were free. He rubbed his wrists and raised his hands in the air, trying to get the blood flowing again. Both hands were swollen and had turned a pale blue, but soon they were back to their normal size and color.

  “Better get you guys out of here before Max comes,” Luke said. He turned to Albert. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. And tell your buddy we could have easi
ly killed you today, but that’s not our way. We ask you to stop hunting us and leave us alone. If you don’t … well, God help you.”

  “I should have set the gun to kill a long time ago,” Albert threatened. “Max and I will find you. You’re not gettin’ away next time.”

  Luke plastered a piece of duct tape across Albert’s mouth and closed the tailgate as Judd and Lionel rushed to the car and jumped in the back.

  Luke crawled behind the wheel and told Lionel and Judd what had happened. “Those two guys went after Tom when he and I split up in the woods. I got away, circled back, and hid our car a little farther into the woods. When I saw they had Tom, I knew I had to follow them, but I didn’t have a weapon. I raced to one of our supply houses and found the shotgun. When I came back, the truck was gone. I had no idea you guys had been captured too. I went back to the fort and found it empty, so I decided to go looking for those two guys.”

  “They could have taken me straight to the GC,” Tom said.

  Luke smiled. “Little brother, it was just a test of your faith in me.”

  “How did you find their house?” Judd said.

  “It took a while. Fortunately I heard the truck when that Max guy took the two dead people to the GC. I backtracked and had just located the house when he got back.”

  “How did you get Tom out without anyone hearing?” Judd said.

  Luke shrugged. “I managed to get through the window and move some of that furniture without making much noise. Tom looked stone cold on the floor, but I had my snippers with me and we got out of there. We were all set to spring on them, but they put you guys in the truck. We decided to take our chances on the road.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for helping us,” Judd said. “Did you know they were bounty hunters?”

  “We’d heard some rumors from a few people that something was up, but nothing concrete. The GC was always looking for us, but this changes everything. We’re going to have to be even more careful.”

  Luke made his way through a series of back roads, stopping to listen for vehicles passing. They didn’t radio ahead to the safe house for fear someone might be listening. When a car passed in the distance, Luke pulled behind a deserted shack, and they got out to wait for nightfall.

  “You think Max and Albert will still try to find us?” Lionel said.

  “Bet on it,” Luke said. “They’re in this for the money. And there will probably be more like them roaming the low country for as many people without the mark as they can find.”

  Judd sat with his back to the shack, his head in his hands. He had been prepared to die, to give his life, and God had used Luke to spare it again. He patted his pockets, forgetting Max had taken his cell phone.

  “We can set you up with the latest once we’re back at the hideout,” Tom said when he found out what Judd was looking for. “You should see all the technical stuff we’ve gotten from the Co-op.”

  Lionel smiled at Judd. “Who did you want to call?”

  3

  VICKI and Shelly stayed together the rest of the day talking and praying. They made frequent trips to the main cabin to see if anyone had heard from South Carolina. Sad faces at the computer left Vicki feeling sorry she had come.

  “You mentioned we should do something,” Vicki said as she and Shelly walked to their cabin. “I think I have an idea.”

  Vicki led Shelly to a vacant shack and walked inside. The door creaked on its hinges, and dust was piled on the rickety furniture. After Vicki explained her idea, Shelly agreed to help. “We should get Marshall’s okay first.”

  Marshall smiled when Vicki told him their plan. “I have some paint and material you could use for curtains.”

  The two girls got busy fixing up the cottage. They asked Charlie to help them carry the furniture outside to clean it. By nightfall, the inside was spotless and ready for paint, but Vicki and Shelly were exhausted.

  Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about Judd, but plunging into a project forced her to keep going, and it felt good to be doing something constructive. She skipped dinner, saying she wasn’t hungry, washed up, and retreated to her bunk in the cabin. There she continued writing in her journal.

  I can’t think about Judd dying. The thought is too horrible. I keep hearing that man’s voice who answered the phone and it makes me sick. From the time Bruce Barnes started teaching the Bible, I’ve known that things would get worse. But it always seemed like something far off, an evil in New Babylon. Now the evil has spread so much that we’ll have to worry about normal citizens, not just the GC. But a life without Judd …

  Vicki put down her pen as someone approached her cabin. Out of breath, Darrion raced inside and fell panting next to Vicki with a cell phone. “It’s for you.”

  Vicki studied Darrion’s face for any hint if this was good news or bad, but Darrion quickly rose and ran out the door.

  “Hello?”

  “Vick, it’s Judd.”

  Vicki covered her mouth with a hand. “Judd … you’re alive. This isn’t your last request or anything, is it?”

  Judd laughed and his voice sounded tired. “We just made it to Tom and Luke’s place in South Carolina. You wouldn’t believe what happened.”

  “Tell me. Are you all right?”

  “I was until I got shot,” Judd said.

  Vicki gasped as Judd told her about the weapon the two men had used. “Carl Meninger’s looking at it now, but it shoots some kind of laser or heat ray that can kill you. Fortunately it was on stun when he shot me.”

  Judd went through their flight from Petra, telling Vicki everything about their pilot, Mr. Whalum, how they had made it to the fort in South Carolina only to be chased by two bounty hunters. When Judd described their escape, Vicki felt like she was living it herself.

  “Luke was your angel,” Vicki said. She told Judd about God’s warning and their trip to western Wisconsin. “How’s Lionel?”

  “Pretty good. We’re both scratched up from running through the woods, but I’m looking forward to a shower or a bath and a long sleep. Tom got the worst of it. They think his leg might be infected, so they gave him medicine.”

  “Any idea when you’ll head this way? You’re still planning on coming, right?”

  “We have to talk about that,” Judd said seriously.

  Vicki’s heart fell. Could Judd have changed his mind? Maybe he didn’t feel the same about her. “Go ahead,” she said.

  Judd took a breath. “We’re meeting tomorrow morning to talk about our strategy. It’s going to be a tough call whether to stay put or—”

  “Judd, get to the part about coming here, okay?”

  Judd sighed. “When you’re in a situation like we were in, you do some heavy thinking. I thought we were going to die. And every minute I was running I was trying to get back to you. I know God’s in control and we’re living for him, but a part of me is living to see you again.”

  Vicki choked back the tears. “Really?”

  “I would have paid Mr. Whalum a million dollars to fly us to Wisconsin. And I’m trying not to let those feelings affect our next move, but it’s really hard.”

  “I’m waiting for you,” Vicki said. “Just knowing you’re all right will keep me going.” She told Judd about Zeke, Marshall Jameson, and the setup in Avery.

  “What about the problems you had with Mark?”

  “We sort of patched things up before the angel’s visit. We haven’t really talked since we’ve been here, but I think he’ll be okay as long as I don’t do anything stupid.”

  “You?” Judd chuckled.

  Vicki’s laughter turned to tears. “Judd, I was so worried about you. I was just writing that I didn’t know what I’d do if the GC …”

  “I know. I feel the same about you. We’ve come a long way since those first days after the disappearances.”

  “Do you think it’s selfish of us to be so concerned about each other?”

  “I don’t think it’s selfish to really love someone.”

&n
bsp; Vicki heard someone in the background open a door, and Judd put his hand over the phone. Finally he said, “I need to go. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can talk more.”

  “I can’t wait,” Vicki said.

  There were no showers at the plantation, so Judd settled for a lukewarm tub in one of the upstairs bathrooms. The plantation house was near a slow-moving river miles from any town. Barbed wire and signs with skulls and crossbones warned people to keep out of the contaminated area, and it had worked. A barrier that seemed to be built by the Global Community blocked the only road to the house. And with the help of Chang Wong in New Babylon, planting false information about the area, Judd hoped to guarantee the GC would stay away.

  The house had fallen into disrepair over the past fifty years. Banisters that had once been polished to shine like mirrors were rotting and in some places lay broken in pieces. Judd hadn’t seen the whole house, but the kitchen seemed like the most usable room. Carl had helped Tom and Luke tap into an electrical wire some distance away, so no one knew there was anyone living on the property.

  The bathroom floor was so rickety that Judd wondered if the water-filled tub might fall through. He gingerly stepped in and lay back. When the water settled, he thought about God’s mark on his forehead. That every believer had this mark made it easy to spot friend or foe, and over the past few months he had become accustomed to it. Now, he again saw it as a miracle. Though Nicolae forced people to take his mark, God had placed his identifier on people who willingly chose to be forgiven.

  He splashed water on his face and watched it drip into the tub. He wondered how he would have acted at the guillotine. Would he have begged for his life? Would he have taken the mark? No, God wouldn’t let that happen. Still, Judd wondered where the courage others had shown came from. Was it something God gave the person at the time he or she faced the blade?

  While thunder sounded in the distance, Judd dressed and went to the bedroom he and Lionel shared. Together they watched a storm roll in from the coast. Lightning bolts flashed as God put on a light show. Tom had described the wall of water from the meteor that crashed down into the ocean. For some reason, God had wanted this house to stand.