Track of the Beast: A Brock Stone Adventure

She took aim and squeezed the trigger. Stone winced as the bullet missed him by inches. He heard a sick thud behind him as the slug found its mark. And then Moses burst out of the forest, armed with a shotgun. He opened up with both barrels into the attacking Illuminati.

“Keep going!” Constance shouted. “We’ll cover you.” Calmly, she raised her pistol and fired again.

As Stone dashed into the shelter of the tree line, he caught a glimpse of the rest of his rescuers. The shopkeepers, Vince and Deb, along with Harold and Marian Moss. All were armed with hunting rifles and had formed a skirmish line.

When he had reached the shelter of the forest, he stopped and gently laid the young Bigfoot onto the ground. Turning around, he looked for someone to fight, but the battle was coming to an end. The last of the Illuminati soldiers lay on the ground. His shoulders sagged with relief.

“I can’t believe you all are here,” he said to his rescuers.

“We always knew this canyon was a dark place,” Deb said. “It was finally time to take a stand.”

“I’m sorry I let you all come here,” Moss said. “I swear I didn’t know this place was here. I haven’t been down into the canyon since the incident.”

“You couldn’t have stopped us,” Stone said. “We are a determined bunch, especially Trinity. Speaking of, where is she?”

“She and Alex are leading the kidnapped women out of the canyon,” Moses said. “They were moving slow, so we told them to get a head start.”

“Good decision,” Stone said.

A shot rang out and he turned to see Constance standing over one of the fallen Illuminati, pistol in her hand. As they watched, she moved to examine another fallen man. She frowned, prodded him with her toe. When he let out a groan, she shot him, too.

“What are you doing?” Stone called.

“Following orders,” she said. “I’m with the Bureau of Investigation.”

“You knew what was down here and you let us walk into it unaware?”

“Of course not. The plan was for me to attach myself to Trinity, let her guide me to the facility, assess the situation, and take care of it myself. But Trinity proved to be much more secretive and impetuous than I expected. Once she disappeared, I needed help to find her. After that, things spun out of control.”

Stone shook his head. “Using me is one thing, I’m accustomed to it. But you didn’t have to make Alex think you cared for him. That was cruel.”

Constance hung her head. “I wasn’t pretending. I only hope he will forgive me.”

“You won’t get any help from me,” Stone said.

“What exactly is this place?” Vince asked.

Stone described what he had seen and what he had learned from Ward. When he finished, Harold Moss whistled.

“Of all the things my mind could conjure up, I never dreamed of the Illuminati trying to grow Bigfoot-human hybrids.”

“The women will need discreet medical attention,” Constance said. “And the Bureau will take control of the facility. I cut the solar power line. That will have to be repaired.”

“That was your doing?” Stone asked.

“You’re welcome,” she said.

“The loss of power caused their cage to fail,” Stone said, pointing at the fallen Illuminati. “You almost got us all killed.”

“My apologies. On the bright side, these were all self-defense killings. Much cleaner than if we were forced to dispose of these men later.”

“Do what you like,” Stone said, heading back toward the facility.

“Where are you going?” Constance called out.

“To get my Webley. And then there’s one more thing I need to do.”

Interlude 8

May, 1927

Five Years Ago

If the usual pattern held, there would be another beating within the hour. He needed to act fast.

He stripped off his clothing and tossed it in the corner where he usually slept. He set the full cup of coffee there, too, and covered it with the overturned bucket that served as his latrine. The coffee aroma needed to be faint. Like coffee breath. Last, he rinsed the smelliest parts of his body using the cup of water provided for his meal.

He selected a spot a few feet away from where his clothing and coffee lay. Close enough that his body odor would be masked by the rich aroma of the drink, but far enough away to temporarily avoid detection.

He waited.

Finally, he heard something. It wasn’t much, only the most minuscule intake of breath. He didn’t hesitate. He struck with all his might in the direction of the sound.

His fist struck flesh and bone with a satisfying crunch. He had been longing to get back at Gideon for the long hours of abuse. It felt good to even the score a little.

There was a smacking sound like wet meat as Gideon hit the floor. Stone knew at once he had done serious damage.

“Oh, my Lord, Gideon! Did I kill you?”

His hands found the fallen body, and he frowned. His fingers touch soft, smooth flesh. This wasn’t Gideon. This person was young and small.

“Cover your eyes, Brock Stone. The light will be blinding.”