Chapter One
As the fog continued to gather in the hollow, the moon would seemingly cast shadows from the trees that outlined the small house with the faint lights. The sound of the owls and whip-poor-will would break the silence, accompanied by the frogs in the pond off the patio. Whatever was waiting in the hills surrounding the Pathway's home was showing patience, great patience.
It was a typical summer night on Buffalo Creek, that is until the phone call. The call had broken the quiet evening. Shilo was resting his eyes in the recliner listening to the baseball game on the television, as Carrie was checking her e-mail in the computer room. Still influenced by an expectant sleep, Shilo could vaguely recall the conversation.....it was a cellular phone, and a week signal. The voice was strong and firm. He knew what rooms they were in and what they had for supper, down to the watered down iced tea left sitting on the end table by Shilo's chair. The demand was simple, revenge for a brother....and judgement day was to come soon for the Pathways.
Carrie quickly helped close the blinds and locked the doors. The only light would come from the kitchen, and outdoor lights by the driveway and around the pond. The pistol was loaded and was weighing heavy in Shilo's hand. The phone had gone dead following the call. Dale, the family dog, had just gone to stay with David and Renee. Russell and Denise had just left with the kids for vacation in the Poconos. The nearest neighbor was a quarter mile away, and their house could not be seen from the Pathway's home.
The minutes seemed like hours. Shilo and Carrie became nervous and on edge. With the time came a chance to gather their thoughts. Who was the caller? What were his plans? What options did the Pathways have?
In the computer room the
German made clock chimed 11 PM. Fifteen minutes had passed since
the call.
Chapter Two
In the dampness of the night sat a lone figure, smoking yet another cigarette. The smoke circled his head and rose slowly into the fog. The backpack beside him held everything he would need. The plans had been played out over and over during the past two months. The Pathways would have to pay the ultimate price for what they had done. The shootout in Martinsburg, the death of his brother, the picture of the blood spurting from his lifeless body falling from the basket of the hot air balloon. Viewing everything from the north ridge, Lynch was unable to help. Carrie and Shilo gleefully embracing while the life of his loved one passed. His brother was the only family he had. There was nothing and no one left. The West Virginia Militia was destroyed, and with it his friends and family.
Lynch hadn't forgotten that
feeling. He was ready to die...only after watching the Pathways
suffer. It would have to be slow, they needed to feel the pain he
had felt. Another smoke was taken from the pack, the lighter
flickered twice before it would find it's mark. A smile crossed
the hardened face with the steel blue eyes, the eyes that pierced
the night finding the house below....studying each movement. No
phone, no neighbors, only one road out of the hollow. This was a
night he would enjoy.
Chapter Three
Shilo felt that they would have to leave the house, but where to? To sit in the house would prove to be too easy a target. The caller had to be taken seriously. The phone had gone dead. Wasn't Carrie on the Internet during the call? Of course, the second line running to the house was put in for the computer! Whoever it was wasn't aware of the second line. Would they have a chance to reach the other phone? Carrie felt that their best chance to use the phone line was to stay on line and contact help over the computer. Any movement using a phone would arouse suspicion. The screen cast a soft light, but it was something that was already on, and using it would cause little, if any, attention.
As Carrie brought the key
board down to the floor, Shilo would attempt to peek out the
living room window, hopefully drawing the ire of the possible
stalker. Palyn, Shilo's sister was on line, as well as Soupy, a
cyber friend from the suburbs of Pittsburg . Carrie called them
both into a chat, and from there explained the situation. The
local state police office would be called, and hopefully a
trooper would come out to the farm to check on the situation. The
chat screen was left on, but the information erased, just in case
the intruder could view the screen. Once the message was sent,
Carrie carefully placed the keyboard on the carpet, and made her
way towards her husband. Together they contemplated their next
move, if any.
Chapter Four
The boldness of the move by the window did not go unnoticed. It seemed odd to Lynch that Shilo would take such a chance! What was he hoping to see? Shilo knew better than to make a move such as that! A distraction, of course.....but what was the purpose of the distraction? Again the night vision goggles were employed and the house was scanned. All seemed in place. As Lynch worked his way around the wooded area, he spotted a faint light coming from the room on the west end of the house, soft and constant. Why would they have a light on? It was a risk, what would be worth such a risk? The computer screen, Lynch knew the Pathways were extremely active on the net, but would they be so careless to leave it on? Perhaps they were taken by surprise with no thought given the Sony? Lynch decided it was a situation worth watching.
Opening the pack he kept with him, a small remote control was carefully removed and placed upon the ground. All twigs and stones were removed from around it. Nothing could accidently touch it. The C-4 had been placed throughout the outside buildings on Whip-Poor-Will Farm. There were 5 red lights with 5 toggle type switches, one for each light. Again the military training Lynch received at Ft. Leonard Wood would come into play.
The military was to be his life, but life after the Gulf War was too boring. The thrill of the action, the threat of death, the freedom given him to set and explode equipment and men alike. This was the army he loved. To sit in the barracks day in and day out and play war was not a challenge. Upon his release from the service, he soon became an officer in the West Virginia Militia. The government that had trained him well. The militia would be the beneficiary of his skills. There were so many plans being made. All to come down so quickly, and it was the Pathways who were the center of his rath!
The slender frame of the
stalker was clad in black. The face blackened as not to reflect
light. The small cap fit snuggly upon his head hiding the raven
hair that was still cut with military precision. The boots and
equipment worn were from the storage area of the militia. There
were no plans for his escape, this would end his life. This was
to be his last mission, one he expected to accomplish.
Chapter Five
Trooper Carsons was on call for the evening. The night shift gave him time to catch up on the paper work that had mounted from the past week. The caller identified herself as the sister of the Pathways from Buffalo Creek down Mud River Road. She made little sense as the rambling carried over into hysteria!
Finally Trooper Carsons settled her down and began to understand the urgency of the call. He found it somewhat hard to believe, but it warranted investigation. After assuring Palyn that he would look into the matter, she promised to call later to find out what he discovered. Placing the paper work into the top drawer of the desk, he reached for his hat and checked for his weapon with a quick pat of the gun belt. If he hurried, he could drive through Subway to grab a quick bite. It would take about 20 minutes to reach the Pathway's farm, and there didn't seem to be any reason to miss supper.
As he guided the cruiser
through the stop light, the sight of several teens riding
four-wheelers through town caused the trooper to make a u-turn
and flip on the lights. Dinner and the Pathways would have to be
put on hold.
Chapter Six
Shilo and Carrie had decided to turn the radio on and the volume up on the chance that the stalker could some how listen to their conversations. With the front door and back door both being visible from the west end of the house, the move from the house would take place out of the window of the master bath. The window was at least 5 feet from the ground, but this choice would be their best chance of escaping unseen. The move would have to be made without the aid of a flashlight. They were careful to remove any shiny jewelry or clothing that would reflect the moon light. The electric would have to be cut off to keep the outdoor lights from giving up their position or creating shadows. Their minds were racing to cover everything to help their decision succeed.
As Carrie suggested that they contact their net friends to follow up on the State Police report..........there was a soft flash of light followed by an explosion from the direction of the electric transformer located on the pole by the road. There was no need now to turn off the electric power, it had been taken care of for them. The odor in the air was quickly identified as C-4. The look on Shilo's face said it all as Carrie began to sob. The stalker was for real...............and he meant to carry through with his threat!
The Pathways made their way
to the bathroom window..... with greater determination.
Chapter Seven
Palyn and Soupy starred blankly at their respective screens as the icon with Carrie's name on it quickly flickered and disappeared from their desktop. At the same time they began sending questions to one another, neither knowing the answer.
At State Police headquarters the phone rang........and went unanswered. As the answering
machine kicked on, Palyn hung up. The feeling in the pit of her stomach sent chills and a nauseating feeling throughout her body. She could only sit and wait.
In Pa. Soupy would say a
prayer as he finished off a pack of cigs, and began removing the
wrapper from another.
Chapter Eight
Lynch couldn't hide the smirk on his face as the flash or light lead to the explosion. Four preset charges remained. The house below went dark, as did the outside lights. When the lights go out up Buffalo Creek, darkness means pitch black. The NVG (night vision goggles) functioned better that way. The thrill of the blast lead Lynch to another. As the switch was thrown, the cellar house beyond the flower garden defied gravity as it went airborne. The sound of the hugh hand cut sand stones crashing through the roof of the home brought a broad smile to the blackened face.
Quickly repacking his
backpack, Lynch hustled down the ridge to gain better position,
to move in. The sound of the branches and brush snapping and tree
limbs breaking seemed so minor to the blast that had just taken
place. The rush was still there for Lynch, the thrill of battle,
the pursuit of death.
Chapter 9
Shilo and Carrie were approaching the window above the toilet as the blast took place. The only silence heard was the time between the explosion and the landing of the hugh rocks from the cellar. The house that sheltered them, that gave them some feeling of comfort, was being destroyed. The Pathways could taste their fear.
Without plan or purpose, they scrambled from the window and went to the nearest shelter available, the aerator. The round green lid snapped off and the two quickly slid into the septic system. The motor was still as the power source was no longer there. Placing the lid in it's original position, the Pathways stood in the tank, up Shilo's midsection, and Carrie's arm pits. Thank God for the chlorine tablets, at least the odor was bearable. The outside buckles on the lid would have to go unsnapped. They prayed the opened snaps would not catch the eye of the madman!
Shilo still clenched the pistol in one hand, and his wife in the other. Unable to see, he focused his attention on hearing, and instinct.
The sound of a third
explosion shoot the night air, coming from the direction of the
storage building. The sound of the remains of the building and
its contents hitting the ground brought the Pathways even tighter
into one another's arms. Cheek to cheek they listened, hoping to
hear something, afraid to hear anything.
Chapter 10
Reaching the location where once stood the hogpen, Lynch enjoyed a closer look at his latest impact. The house below was now closer, and the sight of the massive holes in the roof, the craters where once the buildings had stood, inspired him to leave his planned assault. He reacted on instinct. Grabbing his AK-47, he charged the lifeless home, screaming.
Leaving his military discipline behind, he started shooting anything in site. As the wind changed direction, so did the focus of his attention. The two remaining charges bouncing within the backpack.
The neighbors from the mouth of the hollow were dialing the phone as fast as their fingers would let them. Folks were leaving Mud River heading towards town with caution to the wind. The sound of fire trucks and rescue vehicles were blending in with the police cruisers as most rushed out of harms way as others were responding to the unknown. The thoughts were towards gas line explosions until the repeated burst of gun fire could be heard.
Buffalo Creek was a head end road, and the only way in or out was by the newly paved road. At he sound of gun fire, the Trooper quickly blocked the road and stopped all traffic from entering. Trooper Carsons felt that whoever was in danger needed aid, but not by placing others in the line of fire. A post was established and access was denied to all. Trooper Carsons would wait for the SWAT team to arrive. ETA would be 9 minutes.
***************************
Standing by the remains of the front porch, Lynch felt fear for the first time, fear that the Pathways had died too quickly. Feeling foolish at losing his self discipline, he began searching for survivors. When the initial search brought up nothing, it was then that he realized the Pathways had escaped the house. He began scanning the area for hiding spots, he could just picture the Pathways cowering in a corner somewhere like scared little kittens. Kittens he would like to skin alive and toss into a fire.
Around the house Lynch would go, only now back into the military mode, quickly scampering from location to location....searching for his victims.
From inside the septic system, the Pathways could hear Lynch approach, a quick burst of steps and then silence. He circled the location several times. Shilo knew whoever it was came heavily armed. Hostages were not on his mind. Carrie had gathered herself together, she was now joining Shilo in his mind quest of a plan, to escape, to surprise attack? To sit tight and hope for the best? The massive explosion shook the ground, it caught them off guard and a muffled scream left Carrie's lips.
The road had been destroyed, if help was to arrive, it would have to travel on foot, or by air. Lynch had set off the fourth of the five charges. By cutting off the only access to the farm, he had hoped to buy several minutes. They were here somewhere, and he would find them!
The only remaining buildings standing were the barn, which was on the other side of the field. To reach the barn they would have had to pass Lynch's line of vision. And the house of Russell and Denise, that is where he would focus his search!
Lynch pulled the pin on
several grenades, and gently tossed them into the house. As he
jumped for cover into the shallow creek running by the house, the
impact of the grenades tossed him into the air. Landing on his
side, he loosened his backpack and grabbed the rifle, charging
the remains of the home.
Chapter 12
The Pathways had decided to make a charge if another blast took place. Upon hearing the blast, the lid flew off the system and Shilo scrambled towards the blast with pistol held tightly. Carrie made a dash to the creek, 20 yards below where Lynch was recovering. Lynch would spot Shilo first and began screaming and cursing. Weapon leading the way, he attacked as if a bayoneted was attached to the barrel. Shilo spun around quickly, losing his balance and grip on the pistol at the same time. Carrie grabbed the backpack searching for a weapon, anything to help her husband. Grabbing the remaining toggle switch, she threw it. She had no idea where the charge had been planted, but being idle would mean losing her husband.
The blast was instant and muffled. The body of Lynch was tossed into the air on impact, and the remaining pieces of the attacker returned to earth as if in slow motion. Splattering upon striking the ground, covering Shilo with the fallout.
Carrie wanted to rush to Shilo's side, but could only sit in the trickle of water from the creek and stare.
The helicopter lights would find the Pathways sitting starring at one another, yards apart, with the shambles of what was once their home.
by John W. Shimp Jr
12-2-98
Chapter 13
The identity of the man was discovered within the backpack. The motive of revenge was clear. Hopefully the last remaining member of the West Virginia Militia went out in a blaze, but certainly not in glory.
The Pathways would rebuild, as would Russell and Denise. But time is the only thing that can heal the memories.