Unfounded Fears

Part 25

"Peter!" Kwai Chang Caine exclaimed, stopping suddenly in his tracks.

"What? What's happened?" Claudia prodded, surprised by the sudden shout.

"I felt him. I felt his pain."

"Peter's? But how?" she asked.

Paul shook his head. "Don't bother. No one understands it." Turning to face Caine, he asked, "Do you know where he is?"

Caine's face fell in defeat. "No, not with any certainty. He is here, in these woods, but that is all I know."

Blaisdell shook his head. "So we keep searching the old fashioned way." Frustration laced the words. The three began walking again. Blaisdell whispered to the priest, "How bad is his pain?"

Caine shook his head. "I am not certain. I feel sensations only. I am not sure they are accurate."

Paul nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Do they have him?"

The father shrugged. "I do not know."

Paul wanted to scream. How could Caine know so much and nothing at all at the same time? It didn't make sense. He then pushed down the anger. If he was frustrated by the contradictions, he could imagine how Caine felt. It had to be sheer horror feeling the pain being suffered by your son and yet not being able to help.

Paul's eyes drifted down to the trail ahead. He suddenly stopped. "Blood." He pointed to the white trunk of an aspen. What appeared to be a bloody handprint was smeared on the bark about four feet off the ground.

Caine extended a finger to the mark, noting it was still damp. "It is Peter's. And it is fresh."

Paul examined the ground around the base. "More boot marks. He stopped here to rest." He then pointed to the trampled grass around the tree. "So did they. The poachers are hot on his trail."

Claudia shook her head. "And they aren't far ahead."

"Let's go," Paul ordered, stepping back on to the path.

Caine reached out a hand and held him fast. "We are not alone. We are being surrounded."

The words took Paul by surprise. Instinctively, he reached to his waist for his gun. "Where?" he whispered as he removed it from its holster.

Caine saw the movement in the bushes and knew what was about to happen. "No!" he yelled.

Whether the warning was for Paul or for those whose identity had not yet been revealed, Paul would never be sure. A flurry of activity surrounded him. Caine threw himself at the Captain, catching him in a full body tackle. At the same time, the booming sound of a rifle discharge filled the air.

The weight of Caine's body colliding with his threw Paul off balance and both men fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. The Captain lost his grip on his automatic and it fell into the bushes a few feet away.

Claudia was deafened by the sound of the gunshot. She reached for her own weapon, prepared to defend the group. Before she could complete the action, a rough shout froze her in place. "Don't even think about it!"

She turned her body towards the sound coming from her left side. A large man in military fatigues came from the bush, rifle held in his hands, prepared to take a shot at the slightest provocation.

Claudia raised her arms in the air, clearly indicating that she had no intention of reaching for her own gun. Sound came from the opposite direction, and another man left the camouflage of the brush, also with rifle in hand. Movement in front caused her to look ahead, and a third man now approached, similarly armed. The man on the right chuckled. "Two for two."

Upon hearing the words, Claudia's stomach knotted. The motion of bodies struggling on the ground caught her eye. At first she was confused as to why Blaisdell and Caine were struggling against each other. But with the stranger's words and upon further assessment, it dawned on her what had happened. The Captain was trying to extricate himself out from under the Shaolin's body which was draped over the top of his. Caine was not cooperating, as if he were physically holding the police officer down. Claudia suddenly gasped as she realized why Caine was being so stubborn. A red stain was growing at the right side of his jacket, near the small of his back.

The poacher's bullet had found its target.

The sound of a nearby rifle shot startled Peter awake. Then a sudden piercing pain in his right side caused his eyes to widen with fear. "Oh God."

The wound had been constantly gnawing at him, but until now, had not flared up with such intensity. He closed his eyes, trying to take control of it, but found it to be a losing battle. His fist pushed into his side, his fingers digging in, trying to put pressure against the screaming nerves.

He rolled over onto his left side to try to relieve the pain. It didn't help. The broken ribs reminded him of their presence. He inhaled deeply and released the air in short exhalations. "What's happening?" he whispered, confused by sensations.

"Yeah, you nailed him, Jake," one of the hunters muttered as he kneeled down next to the injured man, roughly turning him over. Kwai Chang Caine couldn't help the gasp which escaped from his lips. His brown eyes opened, revealing his pain.

"Stay away from him," Blaisdell growled as he started to crawl forward to check on the severity of the injury, but the sudden appearance of a rifle's muzzle pointed between his eyes held him in place.

The man kneeling next to Caine sinisterly chuckled. "I'd hardly say you were two for two, though. If you hadn't had the knife, the cop would have nailed you first."

"Shut up, Chet," Jake muttered. The man motioned to Claudia, who was standing protectively in front of Caine's prone form. "Get her gun."

Chet stood and moved next to the woman. He reached across her waist and removed her weapon from its holster. "I'll take that," he grinned. "Wouldn't want a pretty thing like you hurting yourself."

"Where's the rest of the patrol?" Jake asked, ignoring Chet's comments. Claudia said nothing. "Others have to be looking for us," Jake growled as he moved toward the woman. "Where's your backup." He raised the rifle and pointed it toward her. She stared defiantly at the man, refusing to answer.

"Kill him, Tony," Jake ordered the man who was pointing his gun at Blaisdell.

Claudia's eyes were filled with sudden fear. "Don't. I'll talk."

"Tony," Jake's words caused Tony to lower the rifle. Jake turned to the red-haired woman. "Okay, talk."

Claudia weighed her answer. She glanced at Paul, trying to get guidance. He gave her a slight nod and a wink. "We're all over this area," Claudia finally answered.

"Looking for the cop?" Tony prodded.

"Looking for you," the woman corrected.

"Well, it looks like we found you before you found us," Chet chuckled. He stood and leaned next to the woman, his hot breath hitting her ear. "We win. What's our prize?"

Jake cleared his throat. "Knock it off. We don't have time for your diversions. . .at least not now."

"What are we going to do?" Tony asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Jake looked down at Paul, who was kneeling on the ground, a few feet from the injured priest. "Stand up," Jake ordered.

Paul pushed himself to his feet. Jake motioned to his partners. "Search them."

Chet, standing next to Claudia, began to search her clothing with one large hand, making sure to touch her in the most intimate of spots. Claudia grimaced at the contact but made no verbal protest. "She's clean."

Tony searched Paul. "So's he."

"Where's the gun?" Jake asked the Captain.

Paul shrugged his shoulders. "I lost it."

Jake pointed his rifle at Caine, while continuing to focus his eyes on Blaisdell. "Pick him up."

Paul leaned over and slipped his hands carefully under Caine's shoulders. The Shaolin priest groaned at the movement, but seemed to be more alert. Once on his feet, Caine leaned heavily into the Captain's support. "Well, at least we know they don't have Peter," Paul mumbled.

End Part 25

To KFTLC Page