Trapped by Terror

by Anita Dumont

Jessie’s parents hope that a new town and a new living experience will help drag her out of the depressed state she had entered. After facing a traumatic event in the city, Jessie lost her confidence and security. They hope that she will begin to feel better about herself by living in the wooded area of BC’s Peace River Region and by learning to take care of animals. But it doesn’t take long for Jessie to realize she doesn’t know much about animals, especially wild ones. After the first month on the farm, the weather changes dramatically from excessive rain to extreme and constant heat. The grass becomes burnt and crisp, while the garden dries out and shrivels up. A short distance away, a forest fire breaks out causing a number of people to become evacuated and forced to find refuge in a nearby town. Even though their farm is far enough away from the fire that they don’t need to be evacuated, they are soon surrounded by thick and heavy smoke. With the loss of natural habitat and food sources, animals are driven to explore alternative means of nourishment. This results in an increased number of animals wandering onto the farm, eating out of what is left of their garden and using farm buildings for refuge. While home alone one hot and smoky morning, Jessie and her sister receive an unexpected and not so happy visitor. An injured and angry bear stumbles out of the woods and begins to take over the farm. Between injuries and fear, the bear corners them in the old barn. If they hope to find a way out of the crisis, Jessie has to find her courage and face her fears.

978-1-59431-921-1

suspense/drama

Chapter 1

Sounds of destruction rose up from the forest while flames ripped through the tender dry bark of the trees. Large red flames tightened their grip firmly around the trunk of the trees before climbing to the tops. The fire devoured them, tree by tree like a starving beast. The violent sounds of crackling and snapping filled the forest and surrounding area.

As Constable Jaxson drove his cruiser along the smoke filled darkened roadway, he couldn't believe what he saw around him. Smoke and spot fires could be seen far into the distance. He knew he was deep into the forest fire area and it made him rather nervous. Thankfully there were only a handful of trees on fire in this exact spot. The fire fighters had done an excellent job containing and protecting this area of forest throughout the day.

There was a loud whoosh and Jaxson felt a tingle in his ears as the air pressure changed. Poof, a mighty pine tree that stood next to the curve in the road abruptly erupted into flames. The fire seemed to be fixated on the top center of the tree. It was as if the fire thought it was a Christmas tree top that was hung a little low on the tree. How was it possible for a fire to burn in that one spot and leave the rest of the tree untouched?

As strange as it looked in the tree, the fire ball had no intention of sitting still. Through the evening's dusk, it was easy to witness the fire ball jump and plant itself squarely on the mighty pine beside it. It took only a couple of seconds for the entire wooded area to become completely engulfed in flames. The tree now wore a trench coat of fire.

Fire danced through the trees. It swirled around like a swarm of bees looking for a new hive. Everywhere Jaxson looked there were flames and smoke.

An ear-shattering bang pierced Jaxson's ears. He swung his head to the left to see a huge tree now split in half. The damn tree exploded! The intense heat of the fire must have caused the wood to contract to the point where it snapped. There was so much pressure the tree trunk wasn't strong enough to save itself. If Jaxson hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought someone had fired a shotgun.

The sweet smell of pine turned to a thick charred smoke. The forest shrieked in pain.

The fire was getting intense. Jaxson had earlier been informed by dispatch that this area was cleared and fairly safe. What a load of crap! All these flames said differently.

Smoky red lights filled Jaxson's rearview mirror. Oh God the fire was getting closer.

The roaring sound of the forest that moaned in agony now blended together with a nee naa nee naa sound.

What was that noise? It didn't sound like the fire racket he had heard earlier.

Jaxson leaned forward and looked closer in his rearview mirror. It was a fire truck. What a relief!

As the fire truck slowed down a handful of firemen jump from the truck and began fighting the violent flames. The battle against the massive wall of fire appeared hopeless. The poor trees looked so innocent and defenseless as the fire engulfed and devoured them whole, reducing them to ash and ember.

Embers fell down all around them. It was the craziest light show Jaxson had ever seen. He had been to a few light shows in his day but this was completely different. Streaks of red lines filled the night's darkness. Small burning twigs, branches and leaves overfilled the sky. They were everywhere! After leaving a small light trail in his vision, they rested firmly on the ground where little red spots began to glow all around the area's surface. Jaxson felt even less safe now.

Jaxson was a police officer, not a firefighter. He was prepared to take on bad people, criminals and the scum of the earth. He knew how to battle and handle those situations, but he was not prepared to battle nature. What the hell did he know about fighting forest fires, or even how to stay safe in one? The closest he had been to a fire was a campfire.

Even though tonight's full moon had been completely blocked out by thick clouds of smoke, it was by no means fully dark. Everything was surrounded by the red glow of flames. Dark grey smoke puffed up from the thick trees and angry red flames could be seen playing peek-a-boo among them. It's as if the fire wanted, no needed, to make sure everyone knew it was still there and that it had no intention of going away quietly. If this fire wasn't frightening enough in the day, it was absolutely petrifying at night.

Jaxson's radio squawked in his ear. "Merritt 7 Tango 01, from Dispatch."

"Go for 7 Tango 01."

"We have an urgent situation. The winds have shifted. At this point it looks like the flames have intensified and are rising thirty feet above the tree lines."

Like the wind was listening to the radio broadcast, Jaxson could see the wind pickup and feed the flames. This was followed by a series of slightly distant explosions and more terrifying wind. The smoke became thicker and the noise was almost overwhelming.

No shit there was an urgent situation!

"The fire chief reported that the fire has roared over the hill and through their fire break. They are taking the crew off the line due to extreme danger. You need to ensure there are no vehicles in that area. Direct them back as far as Logan Lake. You need to evacuate them as quickly as possible."

"10-4 Merritt 7 Tango 01."

The fire fighters must have received the same message because they all began hastily climbing back onto the truck. As one fireman ran towards the truck he turned and yelled at Jaxson, "The fire is getting worse over here. Get out now!"

Jaxson wasn't stupid; he had already flipped his car's gear shift into drive. He didn't need the fireman or dispatch to tell him he needed to leave. As quickly and as safely as he could, he drove his cruiser towards Logan Lake.

Luckily most people seemed to be smart enough to actually listen to the evacuation order that was put into place earlier this morning. Jaxson had driven for almost fifteen minutes without seeing a single vehicle or person. He was on the outskirts of the extreme danger zone and out of the direct flames now, but that didn't put him at ease much. If the wind shifted just slightly he was going to be in trouble again. He didn't like being that close to the fire.

It was extremely difficult to see through the smoke. There were only a few rest areas along this road with which a vehicle could be parked. Even though Jaxson was unable to see much from his current location, he had driven this road a thousand times so he knew where all the rest areas were and there was one about 500 meters in front of him.

As he got closer to the rest area he thought he could make out a strange object. He squinted his eyes tightly hoping to better focus his vision. About 100 meters from the rest area Jaxson realized he was right and there was a small car parked on a weird angle at the far end.

The car kind of resembled the one that was mentioned in this morning's briefing.

"Dispatch, Merritt 7 Tango 01."

"Go for Dispatch."

"I've located a vehicle bearing British Columbia marker BXR 251. I'll be at Highway 97C near the Stump Lake turn off. "

"Merritt 7 Tango 01. The plate comes back stolen out of Kamloops. The vehicle was stolen during a break-in last night. We will keep the repeater up until you have cleared the vehicle."

It was the vehicle mentioned in this morning's briefing.

"10-4, stand by."

It was so difficult to see through the smoke. Jaxson pulled his cruiser behind and to the left side of the parked car. There were people in the car. Jaxson could see two heads tipped sideways. They appeared to be sleeping, or perhaps unconscious. He hoped to hell they were not dead.

Jaxson opened his car door and drew his firearm. The heat was nothing like he imagined it would be outside the car. He knew it was going to be hot but damn this was bad. At least in the car he could use the air conditioner. It was what Jaxson imagined it would be like inside a campfire. His uniform felt like it was melting onto his skin. The respect he had for fire fighters was massive. How could they handle this heat? He could feel his throat begin to burn and his eyes start to stream. He approached the vehicle keeping tight, all the while glancing around the perimeter to ensure there were no suspects hiding in nearby bushes.

The area appeared clear. The only suspects seemed to be the ones in the vehicle.

"Merritt 7 Tango 01. I have located two people inside the vehicle. Unknown who they are at this point in time. Request second unit to attend."

"Second unit dispatched. We will keep the repeater up until you have cleared the vehicle."

"10-4 Merritt 7 Tango 01."

"Driver! Let me see your hands!"

Nothing. The entire car was motionless, including its occupants. The only movement came from the whirling and puffing smoke which hugged everything tightly.

"Driver! Let me see your hands! Do it! Do it now!"

Again nothing.

Cautiously and on an angle, Jaxson approached the side window of the driver's door. Damn did he hate these types of calls. Anything could happen and he sure hoped nothing did. He wanted to be able to go home to his family safely tonight.

Jaxson braced himself firmly in place to wait for backup to arrive. Thankfully it didn't take long. Within minutes Jaxson saw a police cruiser pull up through the thick smoke. He couldn't see who was driving and he didn't care; any officer would be better than no officer. He was not afraid to say this situation made him more than a little nervous. It was definitely comparable to the anxiety he had felt when the tree exploded beside him.

Seeing Jaxson standing with his gun drawn on the parked vehicle, Constable Anderson followed suit. As he jumped from his cruiser,

he quickly but skillfully drew his hand gun and approached Jaxson's side.

"What's the situation?"

Jaxson nodded his head to welcome his backup, "There are, what appear to be, two unconscious suspects in the vehicle."

Anderson was a good officer, even though most still considered him to be a rookie. He only had about two years of service but he would do anything to help another officer.

Jaxson was sure he was shaking a little but he couldn't let himself think about that, he had bigger concerns right now. Jaxson glanced into the back seat and he was very happy to see it was empty. He tensed, held his handgun firmly and used his other hand to bang against the window.

Neither man in the car moved. He banged again and again; neither one moved. Perhaps they really were dead. Jaxson looked at the driver's hands first and saw they appeared to be empty. He than saw the passenger's hands also looked empty. Scanning the floor, Jaxson was able to see that it was completely covered in beer cans and at least three bottles of what appeared to be vodka. This seemed to be alcohol related and Jaxson would guess they were passed out. Alcohol or not, this was no time to become compliant.

It was difficult to say which was worse, a dead man or a violent man. Neither was pleasant.

"Merritt 7 Tango 01. Two people inside the vehicle, I need to confirm. Are there any physical descriptors of the suspects in last night's invasion?"

"Merritt 7 Tango 01. Suspect one is described as Caucasian, male, 5' 11", wearing a black jacket and jeans. Suspect two is also described as Caucasian, male, 6' 1", wearing jeans and a torn jean jacket."

"10-4, copy Dispatch."

Jaxson looked closer at the motionless men in the car. He of course couldn't see how tall the two men were while they were sitting in their seats but they appeared to be wearing similar clothes to the men described by Dispatch.

"Dispatch be advised the persons in the vehicle match the two suspect's descriptions."

"10-4, we will leave the repeater up."

Anderson held his gun firmly and took a step closer. "Oh God! Jaxson I was at that invasion last night and these two definitely do match their description. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they were the suspects. And it was so violent! Be careful!"

"Damn. Alright. Since they won't wake up, we'll have to pull them out. Keep your gun on them and I will open the driver's door."

"I got your back."

Together they got closer to the car. His fingers quivered as he slid his hand down and unlatched the driver's door before throwing it open. "Driver show me your hands! Do it! Do it now!"

This time the driver stirred, but just slightly. He shifted his head about an inch and rubbed his face with his dirty right hand. Both Constables breathed a sigh of relief to see that there was no weapon in his hand.

With skill and precision, Jaxson clipped one of the hand cuffs onto the unconscious man's wrist. The click was solid and echoed throughout the cab of the car.

The man shifted in his seat. He turned his face toward Jaxson; eye's still closed, and let out a pungent belch directly in Jaxson's face. Jaxson gagged from the smell of his stale and rotting mouth. Ugh!

Why do these guys always have to be so revolting?

The driver opened his eyes and let out a loud roar. He flailed his partially secured arm around, hitting Jaxson in the left side of the face.

"Shit!!"

Anderson joined Jaxson at the door of the car. Together they fought with the man. Clearly the drunken, semi-conscious man was no match for the two strong constables. It only took a brief moment for them to pull the man out of the car and secure both his hands firmly behind his back.

"Whatza fuck you zatsholes want?" Having pulled the man from the car, Anderson and Jaxson rolled the man onto his stomach against the soon-to-be scorched forest floor.

"Anderson cover him while I secure the passenger."

"Done." He turned his gun and most of his attention back toward the man on the ground. Anderson continued to direct part of his attention toward Jaxson and the man in the car, just in case.

Unlike the driver, the passenger didn't move at all when the door was opened. Jaxson pulled off one of his safety gloves, reached in and placed his fingers against the man's neck to check for a pulse. He could feel little thumps under his fingers. He so didn't want to have to touch this man. Now his fingers would feel greasy and disgusting for the next few days. He was certain it wouldn't matter how many times he washed his hands that feeling would remain. At least no one's dead, even if it's just for the time being.

Without delay, Jaxson took out his second pair of handcuffs and clamped them securely on one of the unconscious man's wrists. He pulled the man from his seat and laid him face down on the ground near his drinking buddy. Jaxson secured the man's remaining hand with the other half of the cuff.

"Zis this about the girl? I liked the girl? She was pretty…ha-ha." The drunken man spit out a mouthful of saliva onto the earth. Since the side of his face was against the ground, that muddy saliva concoction ran directly back into his mouth. The man coughed and flung his head and upper body around trying to free his mouth from the slime.

After watching him fight with the mud for a minute or so, Anderson pulled him to the side about two inches, but only far enough to get his mouth out of the immediate pool of slime.

"Anderson would you like to pat them down or should I?"

"You can have the honors. I will continue to keep them secure."

The men were not a big threat in the state they were in, since one was unconscious and the other one was semi-conscious and both inebriated. Regardless of how they were now, unless they died, their threatening behaviors would definitely return.

Jaxson pulled up his protective gloves but mostly as a symbol of his repulsion. "I thought you would say that."

"What girl?" Jaxson asked as he began patting the driver down. He felt an uncomfortable chill run through him at the thought of what he could be touching: urine, feces, mold, viruses and who knows what. Yuk! But he had no choice. He swept his hand over the man's head, over his shoulders and then across his arms. He meticulously worked his way down the back of the man looking for anything that could be a potential weapon. There was a lump on the side of the man's waistband. Slipping his hand under the side of his shirt, Jaxson pulled a large butcher knife out from under the man's belt. He was so happy this man was excessively inebriated.

During the search, Jackson also found the man's wallet. It contained one driver's license and no money. Those were the only other items the man was carrying.

Having found one weapon already, Jaxson was extra careful when he searched the passenger.

He was even more ecstatic that the second man was unconscious. Like the driver, this man also carried his driver's license and a large kitchen knife. He however also had a small revolver stashed in his left boot.

"You know. The one in...in the house." The man closed his eyes again.

"What house?" Anderson asked. If these were the two men from last night's invasion, he already knew the answer.

"Dispatch, Merritt 7 Tango 01. I need you to check if the two males have any oustanding warrants."

"10-4, go with the first."

"Bob N. Roberts, date of birth April 6, 1980."

"Male number one, there is a 10-40 for him out of Victoria for possession of a controlled substance. Go with the second."

"Edward Jay Roberts, date of birth May 30, 1976."

"The second male is 10-10." It was hard to imagine someone looking this slimy not wanted on some criminal charge.

While Anderson kept watch over the suspects, Jaxson finished securing the vehicle. Other than the empty cans and bottles discarded throughout the inside, the vehicle was empty. In the trunk Jaxson found a bag that contained more weapons, and a large bag of marijuana. Jaxson was glad to get these slime balls off the street but he ground his teeth at the thought of how much paperwork this traffic incident had created. He would be working on this for days.

Anderson holstered his gun and moved closer to the driver. "Bob, what house?"

"Ahh, what?" Clearly he was not in a solid state of mind. He was barely awake.

"You had mentioned something about a house? What house are you talking about?"

"Oh! Ha ha. The house! The one with the young girl. What a nice girl. What does it matter to you?"

"What did you do to that poor girl Bob?"

Snorts of laughter came out in between a series of burps. "We had fun! Ha-ha."

Anderson and Jaxson lifted the man to his feet and escorted him toward the cruiser door. "Bob you are under arrest."

"What about my brother?"

"He is also under arrest."