Chương 183: Chapter 181– The Hills Have Eyes

Roxie's heart sank when she saw the blood seeping into the wood on the porch. She knew Ill didn't have a weapon; she refused to carry one despite the danger, leaving the chances of this being someone else's blood damn near impossible. She looked down the street she and Illianna had just walked, looking for any signs of movement. Nothing… not a leaf floating, a bird chirping, or a scavenger looking for a meal… nothing but stillness.

This place has become synonymous with death, so much so even the animals sense it, feel it, avoid it. She thought, unsheathing her dagger. They couldn't have gotten far, she stepped off the porch and slowly made her way around the building, following the blood trail. There are those damn eyes on me again! She whipped herself around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever or whatever was making her hair stand up on end. I don't have time for these games; I have to find Ill! She shook it off.

She wanted to call out, to demand that they show themselves, but knew strategically that would be a mistake. Nothing like telling anyone out there exactly where you are. Ignore them; you have better things to be paying attention to! She chastised herself. The blood trail suddenly stopped, leaving Roxie panicked. She scoured the ground for any trace. Had she simply lost the trail, or had the bleeding stopped? Her eyes darted back and forth. Which way?

she asked herself, knowing that every minute wasted put Illianna deeper into harm's way. Get it together, Roxie! Stop letting your connection to the target get the better of you. You have a job to do, now do it! Her mind screamed and her heart pounding mercilessly in her chest. She took in a deep breath, clearing her mind before reexamining the trail. She let her training at the academy take the lead… for now.

Everything leaves a trace; it doesn't matter what, animals, people, even the weather leaves a trail in its wake. The key is to see it. Your job is to find it. She remembered her instructor's words, closed her eyes, then took another cleansing breath before becoming laser focused on anything that would hint to the direction the perp had taken. How did I miss this? she asked herself, crouching down to examine the footprints closer. One set turned into two; the first set seemed deeper.

Ill was being carried, then put down, and… more blood droplets, so the bleeding had slowed down but had not stopped. She's walking with the perp now, not being carried. She stood up and began following the tracks slowly, keeping her eyes on the trail, while peripherally detecting movement in the tree line. She could still feel those eyes on her; they were closer. Are they tracking me or just watching me? she asked herself, listening carefully for movement.

She turned her head as she heard the unmistakable sound of a twig snapping to her left, her eyes scanned for anything that would tell her where the watcher was. There! Behind that tree! Her mind alerted, catching a flash of pink darting between the trees. Pink? That's an odd color to be wearing if you are trying to be stealthy, but okay. Is it possible Illianna's disappearance and our watcher are not connected?

Roxie headed toward the tree line, her senses keenly aware that someone or something was there in the shadows… watching… waiting. She needed to stay focused on the trail; her top priority was finding Ill. She knew she needed to be prepared if the watcher was waiting for her to be distracted enough to make their move. She couldn't make a mistake, not now; there was too much at stake. Roxie crouched down to examine the footprints. They had become fainter as the terrain had shifted from sandy soil to grass.

The trail was still there, just very difficult to see unless you knew what to look for. She examined the blades of grass. She could see their struggle to prop themselves back up after being stepped on. One blade began its shift, holding up a single blood droplet for her to see. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She whipped her head to the side.

The rustle of dead leaves on the ground caught her attention; the watcher was closer now but still continued to maintain their distance. Her eyes scanned the area meticulously. Ah, there you are! her mind confirmed, catching sight of the pink sticking out from the side of the tree. I know you're there, but do you know that I know you're there, is the question. She shifted her focus back to the trail, before it was lost. She stood up, mentally calculating how far away the watcher was. What is your endgame?

she wondered, casting a glance back to the tree.

"Still there," she whispered before moving forward toward the tree line. The closer she got to the forest, the harder the trail became to follow. The trail was virtually growing cold before her eyes. The blades of grass transitioned into a myriad of leaves and pine needles. She began to find it difficult to determine new motion from old. She knew from the scattered tracks a variety of animals called this forest home.

She could see the paths made by countless deer, their cloven prints causing divots in the soft soil. She could make out prints left behind by a large cat, most likely tracking the deer for its supper. Movement from behind her caught her attention, causing her to turn abruptly, dagger raised.

"Wait!" a small voice called out.

"Please! I want to help." It took a moment for Roxie to register the small, almost inaudible voice. She turned, ready to fight, but was disarmed by her stalker's appearance. She stopped mid motion and looked wide eyed at the child standing in the middle of the deer path. She looked about Thai's age. Her pink shirt was dirty and torn. She looked as though she hadn't slept or eaten in days. She looked at her dagger, still poised to strike, then at the horror in the child's eyes.

She quickly lowered her arm but would not allow the presence of the child to cloud her senses. For all she knew, this could be a trap. She quickly scanned around her, looking for anyone or anything lying in wait. Confident it was just her and the child, her posture relaxed.

"Help me how?" Roxie asked softly, not wanting to alert anyone else to their position.

"Help you find your friend," the girl replied with guarded apprehension.

"I've been watching the two of you since you arrived. I needed to figure out if you were one of them before I made contact."

"Them?" Roxie asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Who's them?"

"The scary men, the ones that did that," the girl said, motioning back to the town.

"They're the same ones that took your friend."

"Do you know where they took her?" Roxie asked, glancing around, confirming the pair were still alone.

"I have a pretty good idea where they're taking her. It's the same place they've been for the past three days," she said.

"It's a mile or so that way." She pointed behind Roxie.

"There are about six of them… well, at least that's how many I saw." Roxie took in a sharp breath, not liking the odds of getting Ill out safely. One and a half against six, sounds about right, her mind chided. You are not considering having this child… Her thoughts cut off as she heard voices in the distance.

"She has to be here someplace!" a voice called out. Roxie watched as the girl hurriedly went into the cover of the trees. She motioned for Roxie to follow without uttering a word. Roxie followed, immediately impressed by the child's ability to move through the forest with minimal sound. It was as if she somehow blended in with the breeze. Suddenly the girl dipped down into a gully, her eyes instructing Roxie to follow. Wordlessly, Roxie followed the girl into the gully, her dagger held low and ready.

The child's chosen position was brilliant. It offered an unobstructed view of both town and forest while rendering them virtually invisible. From their vantage point, they could track the source of the voices while they remained hidden beneath the typical search patterns of those scanning the woods at eye level. Anyone hunting for them would be looking through the trees, never thinking to look down.

"You're sure she went into the sheriff's office?" one voice asked the other.

"Yes, damn it, I'm sure. Now let's find her before the boss gets madder than he already is!" the other voice replied.

"Well, she couldn't have gone far," the goblin said to his companion.

"You check the houses, see if she's in one of those. I'll check over here and see if she's hiding in the woods." Both the girl and Roxie watched as the goblin pair separated, one moved farther from them, the other stood scanning the tree line, looking for any sign. The sound of a snapping branch in the distance caused the goblin heading toward the woods to rush off in that direction. They watched as both disappeared from view.