Target on the Mountain by Elizabeth Goddard (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

“That should get you through the night. I’ll be calling the authorities to let them know where they can pick you two up as soon as possible. I would suggest you tell them the truth.”

“You can’t leave us here,” Michelle pleaded with Rachel. She could almost swear there was real fear in Michelle’s eyes. Was it just an act? She’d had her chance to talk and had refused.

“You’ll be fine until the authorities arrive,” Rachel assured her. “The fire will keep any predators away.”

Alex gathered up their phones and camping supplies. Rachel slipped on her backpack and they headed out in the opposite direction from where they believed Liam’s meet had happened, trying to throw the two off as to where they were really heading.

Once they’d gone some distance from the campsite, Alex slowed down. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

Rachel glanced up at the sky filled with stars. “Okay, I guess. But I hate trying to make our way up to the top of Midnight Mountain at night.” She thought about Michelle’s warning. “I don’t doubt for a second that Michelle was warning us there are more people up here searching for Liam and us. They probably called them to let them know they’d found us before they came into the camp.”

Alex nodded. “I can’t figure out her motives. She seemed genuinely scared, but when given the opportunity, she chose to back Peter. It could all be an act. Right now, we can’t afford to trust her.”

Rachel placed her hand on his arm and he turned to look down at her. “We can’t really call in the authorities, Alex. We don’t know who’s really behind Liam’s disappearance. You saw the note Liam left. It’s too dangerous.”

Alex looked around the area uneasily. “I know. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are others out there. I think Peter was trying to warn them of our exact location by talking loudly.”

She’d thought the same thing. “We should be far enough away by now to circle back in the right direction.”

They started off in the different path that would take them up to the top of the mountain. “It’s getting colder by the minute.” Alex turned the collar of his jacket up.

He was right. It felt as if the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees. Rachel rubbed her gloved hands together. “We need to keep walking just to stay warm.”

The rugged mountain terrain made it impossible to keep up a good pace. Not to mention that they were traveling in the dark, unable to use flashlights to illuminate their way. They’d be sitting ducks if they were to happen upon the enemy.

Rachel’s thoughts churned out questions by the dozens. The fact that Peter had Liam’s phone wasn’t a good thing. “How do you think they ended up with Liam’s phone? There’s no way they just happened upon it.”

Alex stopped and faced her. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out his expression. “No. They had him at one time. The fact that they’re still searching for him gives me hope that Liam managed to get away. My gut is telling me he’s still up here somewhere, though. The only question is, where? There’s a lot of territory to cover and we have no clue as to where he might be hiding.”

Rachel tried to hold on to some small amount of faith that Liam was still alive. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. She searched her memory, going over every conversation she and Liam had had recently for anything that would give them a clue as to where he might be. She recalled something that Liam had told her once about one of his buddies from high school buying one of the logging camps up on the mountain. Was it possible that Liam had made it down to that area and was hiding there?

Please, Lord...

Alex was a few steps in front of her. Before she could tell him about what she’d remembered, he stopped dead in his tracks, putting his arm out in front of her to keep her from going any farther.

He turned back to her and whispered, “Voices.” Then he placed a finger over his lips. She heard it, too. The voices were coming from some distance ahead of them.

Alex pointed to a group of trees close by and they eased that way as quietly as possible.

Rachel tripped over a log, her foot rolled sideways, and she froze. But it was too late. The noise it made echoed throughout the still night.

“I hear something.” A man’s voice reached them. In the moonlight Rachel caught a glimpse of four people moving through the woods just a little ways from where they’d been walking.

She held her breath, praying that they hadn’t been spotted. She and Alex were trained agents, but it was dark out and they were outnumbered.

Rachel tucked behind the closest tree, a pine that was barely large enough to conceal her from view. Alex had reached the group of trees he’d pointed to. Her gaze glued to his. Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out all sound.

A flashlight’s beam shot past the area where they were and Rachel sucked in her breath.

Please don’t let them see us.

“There’s nothing out there but a bunch of animals.” A different voice than before snapped the words out. The flashlight hovered close to where Rachel was hiding. She tried to keep as still as possible. If she moved an inch, she’d be in the light. “They’re waiting for us.”

The man with the flashlight didn’t make a move to obey. “I heard something.” He kept the beam focused on the tree close to her for a second longer.

“And I’m telling you there’s nothing there. He’s waiting on us. You know how angry he gets when someone doesn’t follow orders.”

After what felt like an eternity, the man finally gave in. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” The light searched the area one more time and then she could