Rogue Angel - Footprints Part 52

Annja frowned. "Well, there's no way you two are going without an escort. Joey and I will come with you."

"Great," Joey said. "This better not turn out like the last horror movie I saw."

David led them off the porch and onto the gra.s.s. Tall weeds reached up, threatening to entangle their shoes, but David took them on a route that spared them from the largest plants.

Annja's senses were on high alert and she could hear vague snaps of twigs and branches as whatever lurked beyond the clearing moved smoothly through the woods at a slow pace.

This doesn't feel right, she thought. We ought to be back on the porch where we can see. In the darkness, anything can happen.

Joey stalked through the gra.s.s next to her and she marveled at how silent he was. He was half crouched over and his legs came up out of the gra.s.s and back into it like a stork moving through the water in search of fish. He glanced over and whispered to her. "Old stalking technique."

Annja nodded. She'd seen similar movements in martial arts training. She was always fascinated by the way different cultures, isolated geographically, could sometimes develop similar techniques.

David stopped moving and pointed ahead of him. Annja saw it before the others did and she froze.

On the edge of the woods, a large shape appeared, partially obscured by branches and a tall shrub. Was this the Sasquatch?

Jenny froze in her tracks and then glanced back at Annja, her eyes wide. "Oh, my G.o.d, Annja. That's it."

But Annja couldn't see any detail, just a shape and that bothered her. I need to get closer, she thought.

Next to her, Joey held her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Getting a better look. All I see is a vague shape. That's not enough for me to become a true believer."

Joey sighed. "You're on your own, then."

Annja nodded and stalked farther on, past David and Jenny. Behind her she could hear Jenny whispering at her to come back and not be a fool. But Annja hadn't gotten to where she was in life by being afraid to take a chance. Or many chances. And this time was no different. She needed to know. She needed to see.

She approached the edge of the woods. Still, the shape kept moving, and Annja could see something hanging from a tree close by. That must be one of the feeding stations, she thought.

Was it eating?

I just need to get a solid look, she thought. That's it. If I can actually see the creature, I'll go back and leave it alone.

She moved even closer, bridging the gap between the open field of David's yard and the cl.u.s.tered shrubs at the edge of the woods. Twenty yards separated her from the thing moving around in the bushes.

She advanced farther.

At ten yards, she stopped again, aware of how much she was sweating. A long time ago someone had told her how difficult it was to move quietly and slowly. She hadn't believed it back then, but she did now.

Stalking was hard work.

Five yards and Annja could hear sounds like something was eating. The telltale noises of smacking lips reached her ears clearly. Whatever was in there was definitely eating.

What if it was a bear?

It was possible, of course. And with Annja's recent luck it would probably turn out to be the only grizzly in the area. Probably with a taste for human flesh, too. She frowned. Don't think that way.

She took a deep breath to still her pounding heart. David, Jenny and Joey seemed so far away, even though they were perhaps sixty feet behind her.

I've got to do this, she thought. If I don't, then I'll never get my own questions answered about the existence of the creature.

Annja plunged into the woods.

The sounds ahead of her stopped. The creature wasn't eating anymore.

Annja heard a soft whiff of air. And then she felt something pierce her skin just below her heart. She looked down and then brushed her hand down the front of her s.h.i.+rt.

She came away holding a tranquilizer dart.

Since when does the Sasquatch use tranquilizer darts? she wondered as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter 27.

Annja groaned as she became aware of the painful throbbing in her head. She tasted something in her mouth, something faintly sweet, and wondered just what drug had been used to take her down.

"Ugh."

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a cave of some sort, but exactly where she had no idea. She could hear the steady drip-drip-drip drip-drip-drip of water falling from the cavern ceiling to the floor below. Combined with the ache in her head, the dripping water seemed to echo her pain. of water falling from the cavern ceiling to the floor below. Combined with the ache in her head, the dripping water seemed to echo her pain.

The area where the dart had struck her felt a little tender, but the wound was nothing too serious. I've probably got a nice welt there, she thought. It wasn't the first time she'd been struck with a drugged dart. It probably wouldn't be the last, either. Annja almost grinned at the thought of how ridiculous that sounded.

Her hands were bound tightly behind her and movement was difficult. But at least the ropes flexed some when she moved her hands. She'd been in handcuffs before and that was far worse.

The ambient light in the cave seemed to be coming from somewhere else. She wondered if there was a way to get to the outside and, if so, was sunlight somehow penetrating the cavern? She couldn't be sure, but it felt as if she'd been out for the better part of several hours. That would make it coming up close to dawn.

From behind her, she heard something s.h.i.+ft and Annja tensed, expecting the worst. Instead, when she turned around, she saw Joey and Jenny. They were tied up, as well. Jenny was trying to sit up, but was clearly not used to being bound.

"Are you all right?" Annja asked.

Jenny nodded as she finally succeeded in righting herself. "I think so, aside from one h.e.l.l of a bruised ego."

"David?" Annja asked.

Jenny nodded. "The b.a.s.t.a.r.d conned me, Annja. And he did such a great job on me that I was distracted and I never even noticed he was setting us up."

Annja shrugged. "I got conned, too. It happens."

"What happened to you? We saw you go into the bushes and then it sounded as if you'd fallen."

"As soon as I stepped in, someone shot me with a dart. I didn't see a d.a.m.n thing," Annja said.

Jenny smirked. "I did. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. It was just a guy dressed in some kind of special suit I've seen soldiers wearing before. It covered him from head to foot in strips of burlap and stuff like that."

"He wore a gillie suit?"

Jenny nodded. "That's what they call it. Thanks. Yeah, he was in one of those. He came walking out, raised his gun and shot Joey first. Then he nailed me. As I went down, I heard David telling him what a great shot it was. Jerk."