Lie Down in Green Pastures (30 page)

After a brief debate she finally put on her Bluetooth, yanked out her cell phone, and tried calling Mark one more time.

"Cindy, this isn't a good time. What is it?" he asked, his voice tense.

"I've been thinking about it, and I'm not sure Paul is going to be able to find them. I have the map of the entire property with me and I'm going in to try and find them."

"It's too dangerous," he said.

"Please, don't try to lecture me and don't try to stop me. I have to do this. I feel it."

"How do you think you'll make it in even on the fire road?" Mark asked.

She bit her lip. Moment of truth. "I, um, sort of borrowed the Hummer."

"What!" Mark roared.

"It can get me in. I've also got Diamond's satellite phone so once I get in I can actually call out and tell you where to send the cavalry."

"Cindy, this is ridiculous. You turn around and take that Hummer back right now. This is a job for professionals. Don't make me call the car in and have road blocks set up to catch you."

"I was afraid you'd say that. That was why I almost didn't call you. Look, you do what you feel you have to, but I'm not stopping. Jeremiah, Paul, and those kids are out there and they need help. I've got equipment and the map and I'm already on my way. Lives hang in the balance and minutes could make all the difference. I swear to you, in this thing I will drive over any road block I see. The only way you're going to be able to stop me is if you have an officer shoot me."

She bit her lip, her head swimming with disbelief at what she'd just heard herself say.

"What has gotten into you?" he asked quietly.

"We can talk about that once everyone is safe," she said.

"Call me at the first sign of trouble," he said after a long pause.

"I will."

20

S
SUDDENLY THE FOREST BEHIND THEM WAS BATHED IN BRIGHT LIGHT AS THE helicopter closed in on them. Again, Jeremiah gave three tugs on Brenda's belt. As before, the pace quickened. The helicopter was two miles behind and closing. They were searching the road and the forest to either side.

They crested the hill. Two quick belt tugs, a pause, then two more tugs. The entire line dropped down to the mud in the middle of the road. Each person grabbed scoops of mud and covered their face and hands. They lay motionless, face up. As the helicopter and its light approached everyone closed their eyes. The light washed over the entire line. Not once did it hesitate; it just kept moving. In seconds the light had moved offthem and down the hill.

Wait, wait.

Jeremiah got up, wiping his face, and started moving to the front of the line.

"Up, we have to move," he said to the kids as he passed by.

Reaching Sarah, Jeremiah said, pointing north, "Move off the road that way. We are close to the campgrounds and the bad guys will be waiting for us. Let's go. Same pace. Stop in fifteen minutes. Okay?"

A simple nod and Sarah was up and moving. Fifteen minutes later the group was halted under some trees half a mile north of the road. Brenda was lowering Bobby gently to the ground with Noah's help. Jeremiah moved up the line collecting the three jackets that had been given to the youngest kids.Returning to Noah, they made a stretcher using the spears and the jackets. They rolled Bobby onto the stretcher, then lifted it up to test it out.

Jeremiah gave Bobby two more pills, which he took gratefully.Jeremiah moved over to Sarah.

"I think the river is about half a mile in this direction. When you get close, move along it to your right." After a short pause, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine. I have never walked this far in my life. I actually feel good although the pace was starting to make me short of breath."

"Good. You can slow the pace down. Don't become winded."

She nodded.

"Let's move out," Jeremiah said to a smiling Sarah.

The Rangers' progress had actually improved. The ground was not nearly as muddy or slippery. Jeremiah lagged behind for several minutes. He was looking for the flashlight. Nothing.After a few minutes he caught up with the kids. He was slightly, and only slightly, relieved that he had seen no sign of the flashlight.Unexpectedly, the line stopped and Jeremiah moved up beside Sarah.

"What's wrong? Did you see or hear something?"

"No, Rabbi. There ahead," she said, pointing at the river, "is a footbridge across the river."

"No bridge was shown on the map."

"It is only three months old. The scouting council built it as our community service project."

"Scouting council?" asked Jeremiah.

"Yeah, the Girl and Boy Scout troops in town. Noah's dad was the engineer and Tray's and Bobby's dads provided the materials. Almost all of us in this group donated a minimum of twelve hours labor. Pretty neat, huh?"

Minutes later the Rangers were squatting near the bridgehead.Jeremiah, Brenda, and Noah went out onto the bridge with several feet between them. Each person wound an arm around the right side wire.

"Three," said Noah, who was in the middle of the bridge.

The three jumped up and down twice.

Good, seems solid enough.

"Three," said Noah again. The three tried to get the bridge to sway back and forth, but it was still solid. Returning to the riverbank, Jeremiah approached the group.

"The bridge seems to be safe. Sarah will go first." Turning to Sarah, Jeremiah continued, "When you get across go straight onward into the trees. Stop about twenty feet in."

"Rabbi, the trail turns left and goes down the other side of the river," Sarah said. "Shouldn't we follow that?"

"No. As you know, we are close to the camp. We have no idea what awaits us there. It will be better for us to hide and rest, at least until the sun comes up."

Jeremiah turned and addressed the entire group. "We are going to cross the river here. Do not look around. Just look straight ahead. Sarah will lead out. Next person will follow fifteen feet later."

"Why?"

Because I don't want them to be able to kill two of us with the same shot.
Out loud he said, "So we don't overload the bridge and start it swinging back and forth."

Jeremiah stood by the bridge and as each kid started over, he reminded them to go straight into the woods. Brenda and Noah, carrying Bobby on the stretcher, were last. Jeremiah checked the area quickly, then crossed over. Once they had assembled around him, Jeremiah passed out some first aid towelettes.

"Clean around your eyes, nose, and mouth."

Jeremiah then passed around the box of granola bars and bottled water.

"We are going to hole up here till sunrise, so everyone get some rest. Oh, and no snoring," said Jeremiah, as the group giggled.

Jeremiah moved over to Bobby.

"How you doing, champ?" he asked.

Jeremiah looked down at the broken leg. He could tell it was beginning to swell. Opening the first aid kit, Jeremiah removed the two instant ice packs. Squeezing them to break the inner pouch, he shook them to mix the chemicals. He placed the ice packs gently on the wound area. Next he opened the emergency thermal blanket, spreading it out. He placed the blanket on Bobby and tucked it in on both sides.

"Rabbi, is it smart to use that? It is like, shiny," asked Brenda.

He whispered to her so Bobby couldn't hear. "I wish it wasn't so shiny too but we need to make sure that he stays warm. The last thing we need is for him to go into shock. He has been doing good so far, but staying in one place without movement will cause his temperature to begin to fall, and then he will be in big trouble."

Brenda nodded understanding.

"Rabbi?" asked Sarah, who had crept up behind Jeremiah.

"Yes?"

"We need to post guards. I will go first. Noah, can you go second if needed?"

"Good idea, but I will take this shift. You have been on point for over five hours and Brenda and Noah were the last to carry Bobby. You three have been utterly fantastic, awesome . . ." Jeremiah trailed off. He just did not have words for what these kids had done and for the first time in many years, he was getting emotional.

Jeremiah left the group in the capable hands of Sarah, Brenda, and Noah. He positioned himself just upstream of the bridge and inside the tree line.

What a night, and unfortunately it is not over. At the least, we are on the correct side of the river.
He slowed his breathing and heart rate. He sat listening. All he heard was the river and the sounds of the forest. He couldn't even hear the kids breathing.

There was something he needed to do and now that it was no longer the Sabbath and the kids were safe for a while he could do it. He debated. It would mean leaving them alone for at least two hours, maybe more.

He returned to the camp and told Noah what he needed to do. With the boy's assurances that they could handle whatever arose, Jeremiah turned and melted into the wilderness.

It took him over an hour to make it back to the logging camp. When he did he wrapped Paul's body in the blanket he had laid over it earlier and carried it into the forest.

He had no idea how long it would be before they could send someone to retrieve the body, but he didn't want to leave it out to be violated by the animals and the elements. He went back into the camp and got a shovel.

Jeremiah began to dig. The earth was soft and the grave didn't have to be deep. Three feet deep would be enough to protect the body from animals. It was shallow enough, though, that after a few days the smell of decomposing flesh would help him find it again.

After half an hour he had it deep enough. He carefully shifted Paul's body into it. He sat back and recited from the Psalms as was customary. He chose the one he found to be most poignant to the moment.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staffthey comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Finished, he picked up two fistfuls of dirt and let them fall down on top of the body before he stood and shoveled the dirt over Paul.

"Dayan Ha'emet," he said, ripping his shirt on the right side of his chest. He was not family and yet there was no one else to mourn Paul who, if nothing else, he had been a brother-inarms with.

"Praised be the name of G-d. He created the world according to his will. Life has a plan and a purpose. We hope for the coming of G-d's kingdom on earth, when things as they are, will be changed to things as they ought to be."

He had done what he could for the dead. It was time to attend to the living. It was time to stop being the hunted.

Cindy hit the fire road and felt her heart jump into her throat. From this point forward she was entering the danger zone and she could be attacked at any moment. She tried to keep back the fear that threatened to cloud her thinking as she drove cautiously up the road, keeping an eye out for kids, killers, and obstacles on the road.

Trees pressed in around the car, obscuring her vision of what lay to the sides of the trail. Branches scratched at the windows, making her cringe at the sound. The road curved a lot forcing her to grudgingly reduce her speed even further so that she could stop in time if a person or obstacle did present itself.

With every minute that ticked by on the dashboard clock her anxiety increased.
What if I'm too late? What if this minute Jeremiah's breathing his last? What if I could save the kids if only I hadn't slowed down?

She prayed, desperately trying to drown out the fear and the questions that seemed to be trying to drive her mad.

Suddenly, she found a Jeep, upside-down on the road.

Paul!

Paul had said he was going up in a Jeep.
He must have been attacked,
she realized. Fresh waves of fear washed over her, but she forced herself to slow down and look to see if there was anyone inside the Jeep. There wasn't and she breathed a sigh of relief. She debated briefly whether to stop and look for him, but decided her best bet was to keep moving and make it to the camp.

Farther on several large trees blocked the path ahead, crossing the road. She turned the Hummer and headed into the forest, easing between the trees until she could get around the fallen ones.

A faint fork in the road appeared and she took the left branch, knowing it led to the camp site. The road continued to wind for another five miles, but finally brought her to the edge of the campground. She drove through slowly, looking for signs of occupation. At last she saw something that made her blood turn cold.

One of the cabins had been destroyed and there was a huge crater in the ground where it had once stood. Nearby trees showed scorch marks and she saw bits of wood scattered a long way in every direction. The roof of the closest cabin was half caved-in as well.