[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]I'll drive in," Frank said. "You got the bullhorns?"
"Yeah."
The trio vanished into the woods and headed in the direction of the
warehouse that Husk said should be at the end of the road. Frank and
Yanni stayed in the SUV. At the appointed time, Frank started the
vehicle and headed for the driveway, lights blazing away.
Husk led the way into the woods and Carson and Chantress had a
hard time keeping up with him because of the heavy foliage and narrow
spaces between the trees. It was as if Husk was at home; he was
comfortable here and he knew how to move through it quickly and
silently like a deer.
"Hey! Wait up," Chantress said in a low voice.
Anthony Samuel Policastro 289
"Come on. We have to move fast," Husk said.
The trio came to a small clearing, stopped, and crouched down.
"There's the lights," Carson said looking down at his watch, barely
making out the numbers in the dim moonlight. "Ready?"
They watched the straight beams of light bounce and flicker through
the deep woods until they stopped.
"That's it. Let's go!" Husk said. The trio moved in the direction of the
long beam of light. The woods were not as dense, and the group moved
quickly. Husk led the way, Chantress was behind him and Carson was
last. The wooded area led to a narrow clearing that resembled a right-of-
the-way, as if someone had cleared it for another road.
"We ll meet here," Husk said.
The group jogged along the cleared section. The night air was damp
and cool and it smelled rotten. Within minutes, Carson was winded and
Husk and Chantress moved ahead of him. When they were about 100
yards from the large shed, Husk stopped.
"This is close enough," Husk said. "You know what to do?"
Chantress and Carson nodded.
"Chantress, you go that way and count to thirty and then stop.
Carson, do the same in that direction. I ll start then Carson then
Chantress."
"Okay, let s do it," Carson said.
Chantress and Carson vanished into the woods in different directions
and Husk moved closer to the warehouse. He counted to fifty, and then
turned on the bullhorn.
"This is the police. You are surrounded. Come out and no one will get
hurt."
He immediately ran back to the clearing where they had agreed to
meet. A few seconds later, Carson s voice echoed through the woods
from a different direction with the same message; seconds after that,
Chantress voice filled the silence from her position. Several minutes
later, all three were back at the original clearing.
"Okay. They should be rushing out soon," Husk said. "We ll approach
from the rear and hopefully get in."
"Craaaaack!" an explosion pierced the silence and Husk twisted to the
left and fell to the ground.
290 Absence of Faith
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed.
Chantress instantly darted away into the dense woods and vanished
like a spooked deer. Carson crouched down near Husk.
"What happened?"
"Ugh! My shoulder!" Husk cried.
Carson looked and saw a tiny hole in Husk's shirt near his shoulder.
The material around the hole darkened. Carson touched it. The shirt
was warm and wet.
"You've been shot!"
"Get out of here! Now!" Husk said. "Go before they come. The
bastards must have night vision goggles."
Husk tried to get up, but Carson easily guided him back down.
"Got to slow the bleeding first," Carson said.
He gingerly removed Husk's shirt and Husk protested painfully.
Then Carson tied the shirt in a tight knot under Husk's arm and around
his shoulder.
"Can you stand?"
Husk nodded.
Carson helped Husk to his feet nearly collapsing from his weight.
"Oh, man does it hurt!" Husk gasped.
Carson and Husk walked slowly stumbling through the darkness
with only the light of the full moon illuminating their way.
"Where's Chantress?" Husk asked.
"She took off into the woods over there," Carson said.
"I hope she knows what she s up against," he said.
A shadow suddenly appeared about thirty feet ahead, and then
another seemed to materialize next to it out of the darkness. Carson and
Husk stopped. The shadows moved closer. They moved back, but the
dark figures continued to approach them. When the shadows were close
enough, they turned into two men dressed in black with rifles aimed at
them. Their faces were covered in ski masks.
"Oh, shit!" Husk said.
"Move it," one of the men said and he moved his rifle forward.
Anthony Samuel Policastro 291
Carson and Husk turned around and began walking; the men in
black followed. The clearing turned into a narrow path and Carson
continued to help Husk walk. A few minutes later, Carson noticed a
strange object attached to one of the trees ahead. When he was closer, he
saw it was a black cross, nailed to the tree about five feet from the
ground.
"It's to keep the bad in and the good out," Husk said in a low voice.
Carson nodded.
The group reached the old warehouse a few minutes later. One of the
men moved in front of them and opened the large door. They walked
into a wall of hot, stuffy air that smelled of burning candles and incense.
Many red candles placed on several small shelves illuminated the large
room. A small portable fire pit burned in the center of the room inside
the large circle. The live embers and smoke curled its way upward and
escaped through a large jagged hole in the roof. Everyone was dressed in
red robes. The air was acrid and the candles and the fire cast an eerie
light on everything.
"We have guests," Kyle said turning to see the group as they entered.
"You?" Kyle directed at Husk. "You're a traitor! A traitor!"
Kyle spit on the ground.
"Fuck you, asshole," Husk said. "I was never one of your kind. Your
kind is everything bad and evil in the world, scum, the lowest of the
earth. Your kind took my brother, and I'm going to take you to hell with
me!"
"Ha, ha, ha. You talk bravely for a man who won't see the sun again,"
Kyle replied. "You have caused enough trouble for our coven."
"Wrong! I've just begun," Husk said.
Kyle ignored him and walked closer Carson.
"We also have a healer among us," he said. "A doctor, the very doctor
that has been doing harm to us, the one who has been trying to
undermine our efforts. This will surely be a glorious night for Satan and
his followers."
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkajaszek.htw.pl
