The Wildman

Chapter ELEVEN

Wide Game





Jeff knew now for certain that Ben had figured out he had found Evan in the infirmary.

He would have to come for him first.

He also knew that, with the ground as wet as it was, he would leave tracks any idiot with a flashlight could follow. And Ben, while he might be crazy, certainly was no idiot.

His best chance of survival, he decided, was to strike off into the woods, avoiding the muddy paths as much as possible. He had turned his back on the dining hall and was entering the woods when three shots rang out the night. They were muffled in the darkness, but he turned around in time to see the last of the muzzle flashes as it lit up the inside of the dining hall.

“Sweet Mother of God,” he whispered, realizing Ben must have gone back into the dining hall and finished off both Mike and Tyler before coming after him.

It made sense.

They were isolated on the island with no way off unless someone found a boat or was desperate enough to swim the mile or so back to the mainland. It would be difficult if not impossible to swim that far in water that had to be close to freezing this time of year.

As for the boat, Jeff held little hope he could get to it and use it. Ben must have done something to kill the engine so they’d think they were stranded here. Jeff held out a slim hope Ben hadn’t permanently destroyed the engine. How else would he get off the island once he had done what he set out to do?

Ben had to keep his options open.

If the boat really was useless, then he had to have another boat or some way of getting off the island. Jeff had to find out what that was and use it to his advantage.

But right now, Ben was hunting for him. He had to survive.

Not being armed, Jeff would have to elude Ben and try to get off the island. Now that Ben had killed both Mike and Tyler, he could take his sweet time and stalk him at his leisure.

Crouching in the darkness, Jeff surveyed the dining hall for any signs of activity. He tried not to visualize what must have happened there. Mike and Tyler, no doubt have been confused by the sounds of gunfire outside, probably didn’t have time to react before Ben came in and shot them both. There was a slim chance on or both of them had escaped, but that didn’t seem likely. Ben probably walked in there as cool and calm as could be, took aim, and shot them both in cold blood.

Bleak despair filled Jeff.

He shivered as cold night air misted his face and ran in trickling streams down the inside of his raincoat. He still had his flashlight, but he had dropped the birch stick on the beach when he had helped pick up Fred.

“Come on. Pull it together. Slow down and think.”

He tried hard to focus, but the situation seemed hopeless.

Jeff believed now that Evan had been telling the truth. Ben had tied him up and left him out in the infirmary, but Evan wasn’t of any use to Ben any more. Ben would be gunning for him, too. Jeff would have to get back to the infirmary as quickly as possible before Ben got there, found Evan, and killed him.

But Jeff realized he could be walking right into a trap if he went out there now. He wished he could think of some way to save Evan, but he couldn’t come up with any options.

Without a weapon beyond sticks and stones, what chance did he have against someone with a gun?

He had to think … Think …

This was like the “wide games” they used to play as campers. Sometimes certain tents would challenge other tents; other times, it would be all of the campers against the counselors and staff; but basically, it was a camp-wide game of hide-‘n-seek … Only this time, the stakes were a damned sight higher than a free ticket to the snack bar.

All was silent in the dining hall.

The only sound was the steady patter of water, dripping from the trees and plopping on the ground. The orange glow of the firelight inside the building seemed to mock Jeff as he shivered in the cold, but he couldn’t risk going back there. Not now. Even if one or both of his friends were wounded or being held captive, perhaps as ransom, there was nothing Jeff could do to help them now.

No, Mike and Tyler were on their own.

As far as he knew, no one had left the building.

So what was going on in there?

Was Ben gloating over the corpses of his supposed friends?

Was he rifling through their belongings, looking for something of value?

Or was he reloading so when he came after Jeff his pistol was fully loaded?

Come on, man! … Think … Think!

There had to be something he could do … some way he could outsmart this guy and get the upper hand.

“Hey! Jeff!”

The voice, coming so suddenly out of the surrounding darkness, startled Jeff and made him jump. The echo made Ben sound much closer than he was. Jeff peered into the darkness, straining to see if—somehow—Ben had sneaked up behind him.

“I know you’re out there!” Ben’s voice echoed in the night. “You might as well give yourself up now! You’re not going to get away from me!”

Jeff could tell by the direction of his voice that Ben was on the side porch, hidden in darkness.

“It won’t do you any good to run, you know! Come on out. Let’s talk.”

There’s nothing to talk about, Jeff was tempted to shout back, but he wasn’t going to be tricked into giving himself away.

He wished he knew what had happened inside the dining hall. He shivered at the thought that both Mike and Tyler were already be dead—like Fred. But even if they weren’t, he wasn’t about to give Ben the upper hand.

But they must be dead.

Why else would Ben be calling for him and no one else?

Then again, if they had heard his warning, it was possible one or both of them had gotten out before Ben came in with pistol blazing.

He decided to hope they were alive until he knew differently.

But hope was all Jeff had left as he drew back into the forest and started moving slowly and quietly away so Ben wouldn’t hear him.

He wanted to go straight out to the infirmary, but he knew—especially if Mike and Tyler were dead—that’s where Ben would go, too. Maybe he should stay close to the dining hall. If Ben left, Jeff could go inside and find something to use to defend himself. At least a shot of rum would warm him up. He could grab one of the cooking utensils Ben had used for meals, or maybe a carving knife or something.

Anything.

“Don’t worry,” Ben called out, his voice filling the night. “Mike and Tyler are fine. I swear to God they are.”

“Like hell,” Jeff whispered.

“Let’s sit down together and talk this thing out.”

Ben sounded so calm now, totally reasonable and rational, but Jeff caught an edge of desperation in his voice, too.

“I mean—where are you gonna go, right?”

No answer.

“Come on. Let’s talk.”

While Ben kept yelling, Jeff used the diversion to move deeper into the woods. He made his way around to the back of the building so he could see the side porch. Behind the dining hall, the lake was lost in a dense fog bank. Jeff was sure the clouds were breaking up overhead. Stray moonbeams shined through the breaks, casting harsh shadows across the ground.

Jeff clung to the deepest shadows under the trees, but he had the unnerving sensation that—somehow—Ben was like a cat or an owl, and could see in the dark.

With the luminous backdrop of the lake and fog behind him, Ben’s silhouette stood out sharply against the night. He was crouching slightly as he swept his pistol back and forth, and peered into the darkness.

If I only had a gun.

Jeff knew there was no way Ben could let him or any of them survive. Even if he hadn’t had anything to do with Fred’s drowning, he had taken three shots at Jeff as soon as he even hinted that he had found Evan.

“Hey! You!” Ben shouted.

Jeff saw Ben turn toward the dining hall door and wave his pistol.

“Get the f*ck out here. See if you can talk some sense into him.”

The rusted spring on the screen door twanged as it opened and then slammed shut. Another figure came out onto the porch. Jeff knew by the bulk that it was Mike. He was leaning to one side as though hurt.

“Go on,” Ben said, his voice mild but firm. “Tell him to come back so we can figure this out.”

For several seconds, the only sound was the heavy thud of Jeff’s pulse as he waited for Mike to say something. The only sound he made was a low, watery sigh that might have been real or might have been the night playing tricks on Jeff’s hearing.

“Go on! … Tell him!”

Ben waved the pistol at Mike. Even so, he didn’t say anything. All he could manage was a soft whimper before he doubled over as if in pain.

Jeff was worried Mike was hurt so bad he was bleeding to death right there in front of him. Ben sure didn’t seem to give a damn.

“So, you won’t cooperate?”

Jeff heard a high, wavering crackle in Ben’s voice as he leveled the pistol at Mike’s head.

“Do you want to die? Is that it? You think you’re being a hero or something?”

Mike bowed his head and shook it from side to side. Jeff squeezed his fists in frustration, wishing there was something he could do to help, but if he revealed himself now, it would just mean he would end up dead, too.

“Jeff …” Mike’s voice was tight with pain. “You … you gotta do what he says.”

“You hear that, Jeff? I swear to Christ, I’ll kill him if you don’t come out right now! I know you can hear me. I’ll give you a count of three.”

Fighting back the urge to come out of hiding, Jeff cringed even more in the shadows.

He felt like a coward. No amount of telling himself Ben had every intention of killing them all no matter what he said or did would convince him that he wasn’t letting down his friends.

“One!”

Ben took a step closer to Mike, who cowered away from him. The gun was raised and aimed at his head. Sweat ran down Jeff’s face and into his eyes, blurring his vision.

“Two!”

Mike cowered, collapsing onto his knees as though in prayer. Even at this distance, he could hear Mike snort as he broke down and cried.

“Come on, man,” Mike said in a low, shattered voice. “He means it. He’s gonna do it.”

Jeff drew in a raw breath and opened his mouth to call out, but before he could make a sound, Ben shouted, “Three!” An instant later, a single shot rang out.

A bright white flash illuminated the underside of the porch for an instant, leaving a blue afterimage that streaked across Jeff’s vision. He watched, stunned, as the impact of the bullet slammed Mike’s body back against the wall. It made a loud thump when he dropped to the porch floor and lay still.

“See what you made me do?” Ben called out. “I didn’t want to kill him, but you made me do it. I’m as serious as a f*cking heart attack, Jeff, so …” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “All right, then. Have it your way. Stay where you are. Or you can run and hide if you want. Sooner or later, I’m gonna find you. I mean—where you gonna go, right? I’ll run your sorry ass down, and when I do … Oh, I promise it won’t be quick and easy like it was for old Mike here.” His cold, humorless laugh filled the night. “No-sir-ee … You’re gonna take a long time to die, Jeff. A long time. Just ask Evan.”

Stunned by what he had witnessed and wishing he could believe it hadn’t really happened, Jeff was trembling as he huddled in the damp darkness. Water falling from the trees pelted the ground around him. The throbbing rush of blood in his ears and his own frantic breathing were the only other sounds.

This isn’t real … This can’t be happening, he kept telling himself, but it was all too real.

Mike was definitely dead, as was Fred and probably Tyler.

That left him and Evan, who would no doubt die as soon as Ben got out to the infirmary to finish him off. Then it would be just him … unless he could come up with a plan to stop Ben.

With the afterimages of the muzzle flash still wavering across his vision, Jeff struggled to collect himself. He was already so cold and wet he was past miserable. What he had just witnessed had stripped away the last vestiges of civilization from him. He had been reduced to a savage—a wild man—and he would fight with as much or more savagery than Ben had just shown.

Gritting his teeth and telling himself to ignore the cold and damp and pain, he moved into the woods, melting into the wavering shadows cast by the moon.

All of his senses were opened up now, wider than they had ever been before. He inhaled the smell of wet, rotting mulch … the cold, antiseptic sting of the ozone-tinged air … the resinous pines and brush around him … and he felt the hot charge of blood surging through his veins. The raw, primal force of nature filled him with savage energy.

I am the wild man, he thought, chuckling softly to himself as he moved away from the dining hall. I am the lord of the forest … I am Hobomock, the demonic spirit of the wild … and nothing … nothing and no one can stop me!

* * *

All of Jeff’s senses were heightened as he made his way deeper into the woods. He barely felt the cold dampness of the night now. The clouds were tearing apart, driven by a cold north wind. All around him, the pine trees swayed back and forth with a loud clacking of branches that sounded like rattling bones.

Moving as silently as a shadow, he cautiously made his way toward the infirmary. Now more than ever he felt compelled to save Evan from this nightmare. If that meant he was going to have to kill Ben, then so be it … all the better, in fact.

The layout of the campgrounds was imprinted in Jeff’s memory from childhood, but he wasn’t sure he could trust it. So much had changed over thirty-five years. Trees had grown up and died; buildings had rotted and collapsed; familiar landmarks he had used while wandering around camp at night no longer applied. He was going to have to trust his primitive instincts.

But what about Ben?

Was he so confident in his superiority, especially because he had a weapon, that he would assume he had the upper hand and not think things through as carefully?

Would he rely on old habits, or would he realize the rules of the game had suddenly changed?

Jeff stayed away from the old, well-worn trails. Instead, he wended his way through the woods, moving as much by instinct as knowledge. The pine needles and fallen leaves were wet, so they didn’t make much noise underfoot. Crouching low, Jeff weaved between the trees, moving swiftly and silently. He was halfway to the infirmary when he caught a faint glow of light off to his left.

A flashlight?

He stopped short and stared into the swelling darkness. Every muscle in his body vibrated with tension. He was ready to respond either with fight or flight.

The beam of light grew steadily brighter, sweeping from side to side, lighting both sides of the trail.

It had to be Ben, following him and looking for any evidence Jeff had come this way.

Low mist clung to the ground, twisting in gauzy tendrils between the trees and shrubs. Jeff was confident Ben couldn’t see him where he was, but he had to get closer … close enough to get behind Ben and attack him.

As the light came closer, Jeff dropped into a crouch, counting on the brush and mist to hide him. After a few tense seconds, he saw Ben’s silhouette. He was wearing a dark raincoat and had his head lowered with the hood pulled over his face. He was breathing loudly, taking short, raw gasps.

Good, Jeff thought, clenching his fists. He’s winded … He’s already getting tired.

Jeff felt so charged with energy he knew he could easily outlast Ben through the night. It was down to just the two of them … plus Evan. But Evan was in no shape to fight. If he wasn’t much better than when he had left him, it was going to be an effort just getting him off the island.

Jeff told himself he’d worry about that later.

Right now, he intended to follow Ben and see what he was up to.

Jeff watched as Ben moved up the trail, heading for the infirmary. He was filled with rage and frustration because—other than brute force—he didn’t have any idea what he could do to stop him.

Once Ben was past him, Jeff followed along beside him, keeping to the woods and stepping carefully so he wouldn’t make any noise. He wished it was raining so the sound would mask whatever noise he made, but Ben didn’t seem to know how close he was and that he was watching him … tracking him.

The night air was bracing. With every breath, Jeff felt another amazing surge of energy fill him. All of his nerves and senses were much sharper than usual. Honed to a fine edge. He could hear and see and smell things he had never perceived before. The air was filled with the raw smell of rotting things as the year came to a close. The drops of water falling from the branches all around him glistened as though each of them had an internal light source. Gold and silver splattered around him in a dazzling display that was nearly psychedelic. The trees swayed in the wind, tossed by the wind that whistled through the branches and whispered to him. He believed he was so attuned to nature he couldn’t be harmed.

One small, rational corner of Jeff’s mind told him he was imagining all of this. His mind, stressed by anxiety and danger and exhaustion, only seemed to be sharper than normal. He was more receptive to the night because he was past the point of rationality.

That’s a good thing, Jeff thought as he moved through the forest, never letting Ben’s wavering flashlight beam out of sight.

The muscles in his arms and legs thrummed with energy and power. He started to imagine what he would do if—not if … when he got his hands on Ben. He would choke him … crush his throat with his bare hands in a surge of savagery and tear him apart with his bare teeth.

He found the primitive imagery that filled his mind unsettling, but Jeff had to be this savage if he was going survive the night.

Because one thing was sure …

Only one of them was going to live to leave the island in the morning, and Jeff was going to make damned sure it was him.

* * *

Jeff suddenly froze and dropped into a crouch when, up ahead, the dark hulk of the infirmary appeared through a gap in the trees. The oval of Ben’s flashlight beam played across the front of the building. Even at this distance, Jeff heard Ben mutter a growling curse when he saw that the door was wide open.

But where’s Evan?

Tension twisted inside Jeff.

How am I going to save him?

Ben leaped up onto the small porch in front of the door and, leaning against the wall beside the open door, raised his hand. Jeff saw the pistol, held high like the cops did it on TV.

Moving as close as he dared without revealing himself, Jeff held his breath, watching and waiting for Ben to burst into the infirmary, his gun blazing. He narrowed his eyes, surprised by the deep, rumbling growl that escaped his lips as he watched Ben … hoping … praying that—somehow—Evan would get the drop on Ben.

Had Evan heard him coming?

Was he ready?

Even now, was he crouching just inside the door … clutching one of the rocks I gave him … ready to fight?

Ben stood there for a long, tense moment beside the open doorway. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then, with a piercing yell, charged around the corner. Jeff checked the impulse to use the noise Ben was making as a cover so he could rush forward and attack Ben from behind. Instead, he stood there, holding his breath and waiting.

“F*ck!”

That single word filled the night.

Jeff recognized Ben’s voice, and he knew Even wasn’t inside. An instant later, Ben burst back out onto the porch. Crouching low, he shined the flashlight all around. The beam skimmed across the water-soaked front yard, tracked by the pistol in his other hand.

“F*ck!” he shouted again, his voice echoing from the woods.

Jeff smiled as he watched Ben jump down to the ground and start moving around the side of the building. His head was bowed. The flashlight was focused on the ground. He was clearly looking for any tracks Evan had left, but Jeff was confident the heavy rain had washed them away.

Ben circled around the infirmary and came back to the front door. He paused by the landing, bending over and studying the ground.

It was obvious he had no idea where Evan had gone or what he should do next. Evan could be hiding anywhere … in the woods, down on the beach, maybe back at the dining hall.

Jeff was afraid Evan wouldn’t last long, not if he was somewhere in the woods.

I’ll have to find him first, he thought, but he was just as perplexed as Ben about where Evan might have gone.

After a short, fruitless search, Ben started back down the trail, heading toward the dining hall. Jeff dropped to the damp ground behind some bushes to avoid the flashlight beam as it swept back and forth. He wished he could move silently enough to get behind Ben and jump him, but he had to let him go …

For now.

His first concern was finding Evan and making sure he was still alive. Revenge for what Ben had done to his other three friends could wait a little while.

As soon as Ben was gone, Jeff moved closer to the trail, still keeping close to the woods in case Ben doused his light and tried to sneak back, hoping to lure either him or Evan out into the open.

It struck Jeff as odd that he no longer felt the cold and damp. He wondered if he might already be dying of hypothermia and simply didn’t recognize it yet, but the truth was, if anything, he felt more alive than ever before. His senses were filled with the raw input of the night and the forest, and he was more in turn with life than he had ever been before.

Keeping to the woods, he got as close as he could to the infirmary. Then, crouching low and sitting on his haunches, he waited as he stared at the dark slash of the open door. Taking slow, even breaths, he listened to everything around him. He told himself he could wait here all night if he had to. His eyes were wide as he tried to pierce the darkness, and his ears were pricked as he listened for any indication of danger.

He wasn’t about to risk getting taken by surprise. As tuned as his senses were to everything around him, he wasn’t about to overestimate his abilities … or underestimate Ben’s.

He lost any sense of time, but after a while, something—a shadow darker than the night—shifted against the foundation of the building.

Is that an animal?

Maybe the raccoon or skunk who burrowed under the old foundation had been frightened away by Ben’s shouting and now was coming back to investigate what might be happening to its lair.

Or maybe it was Ben.

Maybe he had circled around through the woods and was coming around from behind the building to see if either Evan or Jeff had come out of hiding.

Jeff held his breath and stared, wide-eyed. Every fiber of his being tingled with anticipation.

Before long, he heard a low, scrambling sound like someone or something clawing at the ground.

Jeff was convinced it was an animal, but the shadow suddenly grew larger, rising up, dark black etched against the darkness of the infirmary. Jeff held his breath and waited. Then he smiled to himself when he saw that it was a person.

Still, Jeff didn’t move.

He had to know if it was Ben or Evan.

Then a hushed voice whispered in the night, barely audible above the wind overhead.

“Psst … Hey, Jeff …? You there …?”

A surge of relief flooded Jeff. Evan must have been hiding in the narrow crawlspace underneath the building. Fortunately, Ben hadn’t thought to check under there.

Still, Jeff didn’t move.

It was possible Evan had just walked blindly into Ben’s trap. As much as he wanted to save Evan, he wasn’t about to do anything foolish … not if he could help it.

He watched as Evan crept over to the porch in front of the building. He was holding something, and Jeff realized he had a large rock in each hand.

Evan stepped cautiously up onto the landing and then, leaning into the doorway, checked inside the infirmary. Satisfied that it was empty, he turned around and leaned against the doorframe. He raised his arms as if hugging himself against the cold. Even at this distance, Jeff heard Evan’s teeth chatter.

Finally, once he was positive Ben was nowhere around, Jeff broke cover and came forward. Evan didn’t notice him until he was less than twenty feet from the infirmary. He jumped and let out a frightened grunt as he raised his right hand, ready to attack.

“Easy there,” Jeff said. “It’s me.”

Jeff took a step back and raised both hands as though surrendering.

“Christ! Don’t do that! You scared the shit out of me!” Evan paused and swallowed hard. “Where the hell were you?”

Jeff nodded back down the trail and said, “In the woods,” as if that were answer enough.

“He was here,” Evan said. “Ben came out looking for me.”

“I know. I saw him. And it’s a damned good thing he didn’t find you. He’s got a gun, and he’ll use it. He already has. He killed Fred and Mike and, I think, Tyler.”

“Oh, Jesus. Are you sure?”

“Positive. I saw it.”

Evan lowered his gaze to the muddy ground.

“What about Tyler? Where’s he?” Evan asked, his teeth still chattering.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t hold out much hope for him, either.”

Jeff clenched his fists as a sudden rush of indescribable rage filled him. It pounded through his veins and nerves, giving him a surge of energy.

“This guy’s totally lost his mind,” Jeff said, “and he plans to kill you and me before we can get off this goddamned island.”

Evan groaned softly and seemed to fold in on himself. With his new found perception, Jeff imagined he see his friend’s life force draining away from him. Reaching out and grabbing Evan by the shoulders, he gave him a bracing shake.

“You can’t punk out on me now. We’re not dead yet, and we’re not gonna let him get us.”

Evan groaned even louder and turned his head away as if he was too embarrassed to face Jeff.

“What good am I gonna be,” he said in a frail voice. “I can hardly walk, much less fight if we have to.” He took a whistling breath through his nose. “How ‘bout you leave me here and go back to the mainland and bring the police back? I can hide out ‘till morning. I’ll crawl back under the infirmary foundation. He’ll never find me.”

“If he does, you’d be trapped,” Jeff said. “You were lucky he didn’t find you there already. He’ll think of it sooner or later.”

“But if I can find—”

Before he finished, Jeff gave him another, harder shake.

“No! … There’s no way,” he said in a low growl. “I’m not gonna let this a*shole get me or you the way he got the other, and I’m definitely not leaving you here. You’re coming with me whether you want to or not.”

“But I’ll just hold you back.”

There was a crazed, frightened gleam in Evan’s eyes that made Jeff wonder if he might have already snapped from the time he’d been locked in a closet without food or water.

How much can the human mind and body take? he wondered, but he had a sickening feeling, before the night was over, they were both going to find out.