In the Shadow of the Tiger (The Fighter Series Book 2) Read online

  “I’m Riley. What’s your name?” Riley didn’t try to touch her but rather lowered herself down just a little more so she was looking up at her.

  “Charlie.”

  “Charlie,” Riley repeated. “Charlie, I need you to come with me and do everything I tell you to do no matter what. Can you do that?” She asked her.

  The girl shook her head yes pulling her doll into her chest tightly. “Are you going to get the rest of the kids?”

  “Yes, Charlie. Do you know where they are?”

  Charlie nodded again. Riley glanced at Blake. He relayed information to the other part of the team. Riley looked back at Charlie whose eyes were darting back and forth between Blake and her. Her small fists tightened their hold on the doll.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  When Eric started to wake, thick fog pressed the edges of his brain together in a vise like a grip. His swollen tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth, and his eyelids seemed as if someone was holding them down. Tiny bolts of lightning shot through his head, and the pain encouraged stillness. It took Eric only a few seconds to remember the sting of the dart. Forcing his eyelids open, he found only darkness surrounding him. No doubt, he was in trouble. However, he needed a few more facts to decide how much. His stupidity landed him in this position. He tested his joints and limbs moving slowly at first. He was bruised and drugged, but intact. Nothing constrained him. Eric was free to move.

  He thought Ringo might be responsible, but Ringo was dead. “You are dead, aren’t you?” He whispered. “I saw the tiger. I heard your dying cries.”

  Instead, he'd fallen for a transparent image that had landed him to fall into enemy hands. His opponent had no clue who they'd captured or what Eric's abilities were. He slid his hands under him and began to lift himself up. A knifelike pressure pulsed through his head and bile rose in his throat. He fought off the urge to vomit.

  "Shit." He said aloud. He was barefoot. Stripped down to his pants and t-shirt, he’d lost his shoes, even socks, and his weapons.

  Through the darkness, Eric felt with his fingertips for an indent of a door. He found it, but there was no handle. The door, made of thick steel, was a barrier intended to be solid. It was possible Shift made it off the ship. She would go back to the boat. She'd lead the team back to him a lot quicker, but when he heard a shuffling from within the darkness, he knew Shift was inside with him.

  He went to his knees and crawled along the floor searching for the dog. “Shift.” He whispered.

  The dog whimpered. Eric moved in her direction reaching out with his hands and fingers searching for his dog. When he found fur, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her to him. Unable to see, he used his fingers to look for life-threatening wounds but found none.

  “Find a way out.” He said. The dog responded touching her nose to his hand.

  He stood; his feet ached. He weaved unsteadily then nearly stumbled toward the door. There was nothing he could disassemble or break, the walls, door was flush. A cold chill wracked his core causing a surge of shivers shaking his body. He slid to the floor. Shift staggered to his side laying down next to him for warmth. The dog's heat eased the quaking in his body as he rubbed his temples trying to reduce the aftereffects of the tranquilizer.

  “First things first,” he said.

  Eric's captors wanted him alive. Otherwise, He and Shift would both be dead. Several things swirled in his thoughts one of them being the vision of the woman in the red dress, and then his stupidity for chasing a make-believe tiger. Even now, he wasn’t positive if either had been his subconscious playing tricks on him. Maybe both were real? Either way, the tiger and the ghost landed him here.

  He pressed his ear against the wall letting the sounds of the ship vibrate against his face. The cool metal took some of the hurt from his head. He questioned what time it was though it didn’t matter. Shift crawled closer to Eric lying her head on his lap. With darkness, the time had no meaning and minutes turned to hours. Dosing in and out of a drugged sleep, he began to dream. Eric leaned against a table at Roadrunner’s, a floating bar frequented by river rats and tourists in Parker, Arizona. A place he and Shay visited when they were in Havasu. The drink in his hand sweated from the summer heat. All around him, bright colors and scantily clad vacationers laughed and talked. Water from the wake of the river splashed up cooling warm bodies. Then he saw her.

  Shay leaned in toward the female bartender, and the two of them laughed. Her long tanned legs and torso were rocking the fluorescent pink bikini she wore. Men watched her, but she watched Eric. He listened to the sound of the river, which included laughter, voices, and boats. All lifestyles gathered here showing both what money bought and show of horsepower. Various makes and sizes of boats were tied to the floating bar while some drivers displayed speed for the crowd. Shay looked back at him and smiled. He motioned for her to hurry. Down the river, the hum of a flat bottom made its approach pulling the attention away from bikinis. A second boat moved in stealing the show. Clear skies, warm weather and fast boats brought thunder on the river.

  The two drivers met at the docks conversing in a hand language seldom understood by women. Eric grinned turning back to check on Shay. When he did everyone, including Shay was gone. Stools lie in piles, tables were overturned and broken, and the dock wore a blanket of the wreckage. The bar and grill were long abandoned. A layer of dirt and debris left by palm trees covered the base, and the beating sun minus man was nothing more than another relic left behind from the Shift.

  A cold reality washed over him as he wearily turned back to where the boats were, but only the knotted ropes remain. Shades of color tinted the desert daylight. The rays of the sun couldn’t bring humanity back shedding little light on the past.

  He moved to where Shay had been standing to let his fingers brush the dust on the counter. On the overhang, photos of people, held by staples, flapped in the breeze. Eric searched until he recognized theirs.

  "Shay and Eric, Summer 2013." Eric pulled down the picture staring at it. Both his and Shay’s faces almost gone. His heart felt so heavy the sadness made him tremble.

  Eric woke. The drug was wearing off, the ache in his head dull. He climbed to his feet, slid behind the door and waited.

  When the door slid open and a stream of dim light showered inward, Eric was ready. Two men stepped into the darkness and as they did Eric moved forward. He hit, throwing a fist into one of the man's jaw while ducking the punch the other man was attempting. Knuckles landed solidly on his face knocking him back a few steps. He scrambled to keep his balance. Teetering on his feet, Eric felt another dart sting him in the shoulder.

  “Son of a bitch.” The words slipped out of Eric’s mouth as another fist connected with the other side of his face. He went down and went down hard, his head slapping the floor of the ship with a thud.

  “That wasn’t so hard,” he heard one of them say.

  “Don’t underestimate this one.” The man said leaning in and stared into Eric's face.

  Already his eyes were growing heavy, and weightlessness overtook his body.

  “There’s enough juice in there to put out a horse.” The other said laughing.

  "Pussy's….." Eric slurred.

  “You’ll have your time with him soon enough.” A female voice said from behind the fading light.

  Eric strained to see each one of them because he had full intentions of killing them all. The women’s face appeared through the thick fog. A long blonde ponytail fell forward as she leaned in towards him, her face fading into distortion. Eric felt a wash of panic before succumbing to unconsciousness where he had no control.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jack looked at Riley for help and then knelt down in front of Charlie. “Do you know where the other children are Charlie?” He asked her.

  Charlie pressed into Riley's leg wrapping one hand around her thigh and the other around Holly. It was easy for Riley to separate this tender moment from those spent on missions requiring her to be tough
. She'd learned to do this a long time ago, and it hadn't come easy. Jack was looking to her for support, but she only knew one thing about Charlie, she loved animals. Therefore, Riley set to work building a foundation to help Jack communicate with her.

  “Hey, Charlie.” She said. The little girl looked away from Jack and looked up at her. Her big blue eyes sparkled in the dim light. “Ask Jack a question. Go ahead, ask him something.”

  “Do you have a cat too?” Her small hands twisted on Holly’s dress wringing the fabric into a tightwad of material.

  Jack took in a small breath as the little girl waited for him to answer. “I have several cats,” Jack said. “Two dogs and I lost count of the horses and cows.”

  Charlie’s jaw dropped just a little, her small lips forming an O. “You have horses?”

  "Yes, many of them." Jack paused for a second remaining at Charlie's level. It instantly washed the fear off her face. "I need your help, Charlie. We’ve come here to help. Can you show us where the others are?”

  Charlie stepped in closer to Jack twisting her body as she tugged on her dress. She shoved Molly out in front of her. Her voice was no more than a whisper. In her face, Riley saw the secret’s she held and they were coming from a child who feared most anything larger than her.

  “I can’t tell you where they are because they will hurt me.” Jack sighed softly. He searched for the right words when Charlie added, “But Holly can show you. They can’t hurt her.”

  "All right Charlie. It'd be nice if Holly could help us." Jack stood up, and Charlie took her position back near Riley's leg. Riley smiled and winked at Jack. Jack moved in a few steps towards her, but Charlie withdrew further behind Riley’s legs.

  “A little help” Jack said quietly.

  Riley nodded turning slow as the little girl's fingers fell away from her. Riley bent down, and Charlie pulled Holly up close to her cheeks.

  “Okay Charlie, let’s go help the others,” Riley said.

  She nodded taking Riley’s hand into hers. She hesitated at the blanket of darkness. “I’m right with you,” Riley whispered.

  They left the broiler room in single file except for Charlie and Riley who walked side by side. Her small fingers clutched into Riley’s hand with such despair it made Riley’s heartache. She let the girl guide her. She weaved in and out of corridors and openings they would've never found. At one time, Riley felt Charlie's stride quicken, and the two of them moved as fast as the little girl's feet could go. Suddenly a slap of metal connecting to metal stopped them in their tracks. The sound shook the sides of the ship, and the belly trembled.

  Charlie took a step forward. Riley was about to follow when she felt a presence watching through the folds of blackness. Pale fingers reached out of the darkness and grabbed a handful of Charlie's hair. The girl bellowed out a high-pitched scream as she dropped Holly and reached out to Riley. Riley threw herself forward pushing through the opening looking for hands. Lunging forward, she sliced into total darkness. Riley connected with another person, but the pressure released from Charlie's hair and the little girl spiraled forward.

  Riley was on the ground. Under her, hands and fingernails flailed in the air catching the flesh on the side of her neck. She felt Jack and Blake pull on her from opposite sides, but the demon under her was holding on. Long strands of animal-like cries and then short bouts of gurgling thick with fluid released her. Riley wanted out. Jolted by the frantic movements made by the monster, it was impossible to get her hands underneath her for balance. When the light from Jack’s LED came on, Riley felt a surge of horror. She’d been right about the demon part.

  Her attacker's features trapped in the light were creepy. The woman’s skin looked like wax. The gurgling sound she made came from deep within her throat and chest. As the round of screams began, the woman’s dark, jagged razor-edged teeth were exposed, and her eyes bore down on Riley. She rocked upward and with her lips snarled moved in for a bite. Not meaning too, Riley screamed. Just as Riley felt warm air on her neck, Blake jumped in taking the she-demon face forward to the ground. Riley clambered to her feet.

  “What the hell is that?” Riley screeched backing up. Blake shoved his knee into the she-devil’s back holding her firm.

  “That’s one of the monsters,” Charlie said. She was standing behind Jack now with Holly in her hand. “They eat children.” She whispered pulling the doll close to her mouth.

  Blake had his knee pressed firmly into the woman’s rib cage pressing down on both arms. He turned toward the little girl and then to the woman fighting them.

  “I can’t hold her much longer,” Blake said between clenched teeth.

  “What do you mean they eat children?” Jack asked.

  The little girl pointed her dirty finger at the figure on the ground, "Some of the kids go to sleep, and others go away."

  “Jesus,” Blake said. They glanced down at the sick woman under Blake’s knee. Jack knelt placing one knee on the woman’s back.

  Riley underestimated Charlie's fear. If she had been Charlie, Jack would've scared her, but Charlie had seen scarier people. From her perspective, all people were sick. The abandoned ship alone raised hairs on her neck. Riley couldn’t imagine living in the darkness with the infected roaming the ship. The thought terrified her.

  “Will Holly take Riley to the kids Charlie?” Jack turned to Charlie again. The girl was withdrawing into Riley, but she nodded. There was fear in her eyes as well as tears.

  "I don't think that's a …” Riley started to say, but Jack was quick to stop her.

  “It’s time to go.” He said.

  “But….”

  “Go.” He yelled out to Riley. She jumped and then started forward as Charlie pulled on her hand.

  “On three Blake.” Riley heard Jack say as she and Charlie pulled further away from the guttural sounds coming from the woman beneath them.

  Riley let Charlie lead her through the dense compartments. The girl pulled wanting to get away. Animal-like cries echoed down the walls bouncing from side to side. Then it faded. The sound stopped. Riley knew the monster on the floor was dead or dying. Suddenly light-headed, Riley thought about what Charlie had said. Riley and Charlie weaved in openings and out doorways. A strange sensation tugged at Riley with every step she took in the darkness. Those monsters hid in the darkness and sucked you into their clutches.

  “Behind you,” Jack said. “How much farther?”

  Charlie's pace quickened just as an explosion of gunfire broke out. Pulling Charlie in tight behind her, Riley twisted and shot. The man towards them, and then dropped when her bullet met his flesh and bone. Jack took out a second attacker charging in from the left. More men would be only seconds behind them. Riley tucked Charlie between the wall and some heavy equipment. Blake took up position just as several men moved up on them moving quickly. Multiple shots sounded. The crack of Blake's automatic weapon echoed within the steel ship, and the smell of spent casings stung her nose.

  “Go, we’ll cover you,” Jack said into the mic.

  “Copy” Riley whispered knowing better than to argue.

  Riley grabbed Charlie’s hand, and they darted forward Charlie leading her to where only she knew the children to be, and suddenly the girl seemed unafraid. A stray bullet whizzed by her head just as Charlie ducked to avoid a beam. Riley put on the brakes, crawling under the giant metal arm. Rounds touched down bouncing sporadically. A pinging sound ricocheted off walls. Pushing forward, dodging debris, and weaving in and out of dark corridors, Riley and Charlie moved like mice. How long had Charlie been there? The kid was moving on memorization, right down to the last detail? Suddenly the opening in front of them expelled a soft bluish glow outward, and Riley feared immediately for what it was. Charlie slowed to a walk guiding her toward the white light. Unafraid, the little girl led Riley around the corner.

  “The lady in red” whispered Charlie pointing.

  A ghost of a woman with features so defined that Riley could make out dimples in her che
eks and eyes that sparkled. Real or man-made, she was a vision of gentle beauty. It was the clear light surrounding her that held electric static. May be it was Riley's belief, since her encounter with Utah and Megan, which allowed her to see. The newness of her own ability to foresee the future was new and untested, but she believed this entity in front of them was no hologram.

  "You're in danger?" She said. Her voice slightly more than a whisper of wind. A platinum ringlet fell to her forehead, and she reached up to press it back into place.

  “That’s nothing new,” Riley whispered.

  “You’re his sister.” She said as the light around her flickered.