Fear the Night

Chapter 15: The Cave

“Watch your step,” Joshua warned as Maverick and Yukio still carried Isabella over the threshold of Joshua’s house and into a dark room. Natalie trailed behind Yukio and Joshua shuffled around the room lighting candles and oil lamps hanging from the ceiling and walls.

“Put her over on the couch,” he instructed and the two young men shuffled to the couch under the window and placed her gently onto it then took a moment to stretch. “We’ll have to get her off of the stretcher.”

“Is it safe to move her?” Natalie wondered as Joshua stepped over to her.

“You brought her here in a wagon and you’re worried about moving her?” Joshua smirked which earned him a glare from the heiress. “It’ll be fine. Maverick…Kid, I’ll need you to lift her and I’ll yank the stretcher out from under her.”

“My name is Yukio,” the young man grumbled and leaned forward to lift Isabella up by the arms, carefully but before he even touched her, a pair of hands shoved him away.

“Take her feet,” Maverick ordered as Yukio stumbled toward her feet. He chuckled and took her feet as Maverick tucked his hands under her shoulders. They lifted her carefully and Joshua pulled the stretcher out from under her to place it against the far wall.

Maverick carefully held her head still and sat on the couch, cradling her in his arms as Yukio set her feet on the couch. Natalie stepped toward Yukio as Joshua turned back to the couch and knelt down to take a look at Isabella’s head.

“If you pull anything---!

“Don’t you trust me, Yukio?” Maverick cut in, looking up at the other man with a burning gaze. Yukio shrunk back but nodded and Maverick continued, “Well I trust him. Kinda like you trust her.”

He nodded at Natalie and Yukio glanced at her with a defeated gaze. He knew that was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

“Well,” Joshua chimed in, “she might have a concussion, but I’ll need a better examination than just using my senses. I’ll need my med bag.” He looked up at Maverick to add, “and you’ll have to let me work unrestrained.”

Joshua shifted his eyes in Yukio’s direction and Maverick understood his subtle signal. He carefully set Isabella’s head on the couch as he stood and Joshua turned to head toward a door farther inside the house.

“Come on, you two,” Maverick urged, placing a hand on Yukio’s shoulder and leading him to the door, Natalie clutching onto Yukio’s arm. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

“And leave Izzy alone with him?!” Yukio hissed as Maverick shoved them to the door.

“Just come outside you blockhead!” he hissed back, finally getting them outside and shutting the door. Yukio charged him to get the door, Natalie standing back to watch as Maverick shoved him back.

“You’d leave her alone with him?!” Yukio demanded again. “Who knows what he’ll do to her?!”

“I’ll tell you what he’ll do,” Maverick replied through clenched teeth. “He’ll examine her, figure out what’s wrong with her, help heal her up then send us home. He can’t do any of that properly with you breathing down his neck about every little thing he does to her!”

“I don’t know him!” Yukio shot back. “To me, he’s a creepy guy, living in the woods with shutters all over his windows and a freaky scar on his face! He looks like a murderer!”

“I didn’t hear any complaints from you when we were on our way here!” Maverick retorted. “You actually see the guy and you flip out! May I remind you that this was your idea?!”

“You may not! And I---!”

Yukio was cut off when he heard a scream and both men froze then whirled around to where Natalie had been standing. Another scream pierced through the silence of the woods and both men took off in the direction of the source.

“Damn girl’s gonna get herself killed!” Maverick gritted through his teeth as Yukio called her name. They heard her scream out for Yukio and them men turned abruptly toward the sound.

“Hang on, Natalie!” Yukio shouted as he ran, dodging tress on the way then he growled, “If anything’s happened to her, I’m gonna kick your ass, Maverick!”

“How the hell am I responsible for your goddamn girlfriend?!” he shot back. They both came to a stop in a small clearing where a cave gaped open at them, trees growing above it, dark and ominous farther in. Silence loomed over them until they heard a blood-curdling scream echo loudly from inside it.

“Aw, hell,” Maverick groaned but neither one looked away from the cave. “This is outta your league, kid.”

“What the hell is in there?” Yukio breathed with wide eyes as Maverick walked past him and toward the cave.

“What do you think?” Maverick retorted. “That’s where the Drones live. Stay here.”

“‘Stay here’?!” Yukio cried. “And what am I supposed to do while I ‘stay here’?!”

Maverick stopped in front of him and looked him straight in the eye as he replied, “Pray that I get her outta there, if not myself…and pray it’s not as bad with Isabella as we think.”

With that he turned and headed into the cave, Yukio staring at his back with wide eyes as darkness enveloped him.

“You better come back,” Yukio muttered. “Otherwise, I’ll never hear the end of it from Izzy when she wakes up.”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“

Maverick stalked into the darkness, his eyes scanning it. He relied on his senses to guide him, a skill he’d honed while living in the woods with Joshua. It had come in handy many times, and now was no exception as he stopped, feeling himself being watched.

“Natalie?” he called. “Wherever you are, keep still.”

He heard a whimper and took a defensive stance. Those things were close. He heard something next to him, behind him and in front of him. A growl and hiss sounded in front of him and he knew that’s where he would be attacked first. He caught a glimpse of yellow eyes before he fell back from being tackled. He immediately began punching the Drone with his left arm, ignoring his still broken fingers on his right hand.

“Natalie!” he struggled. “Get the hell outta here!”

“but I can’t see!” she sobbed, frightened out of her mind, and he didn’t blame her.

“Follow my voice, Natalie!”

She gasped at the voice and Maverick punched the Drone on top of him, sending it flying though the air with the force of it then shot to his feet, facing the entrance of the cave which was almost a far away dot of light.

“Yukio! Get your ass back out there!” he growled but was stopped from saying anything else when a Drone tackled his back, shoving him to the ground, face down.

“Natalie! Follow my voice!” Yukio shouted again. “Hurry up so I can save Maverick’s ass!”

“I’m just fine, you stupid Greenhorn!” Maverick growled as he struggled to stand, the Drone still on his back. “Natalie, kick him in the nads when you get to him!”

“She likes me too much to do that, right Nat?” Yukio replied, still guiding Natalie toward him through his voice.

“Get out, both of you!” Maverick snarled, standing and throwing the Drone forward onto the ground to kick it repeatedly. A gunshot rang out but Maverick stayed in his place. He saw the flash from the muzzle of Yukio’s gun and stared in that direction with wide eyes.

“What the hell are you shooting at?!” he shouted, but shouted in pain when he felt something bite his leg, hard. He kicked the Drone in the face but another tackled him from the front. This time he stayed on his feet and another shot rang out. The flash from the muzzle was followed by a spark that lit some dry grass and it burned a pile of it, brightly.

Wails and squeals were heard and the Drone on Maverick leapt off of him to get away from the light. The other Drones fled and Maverick glared at Yukio who held his gun in one hand, the other arm wrapped around Natalie.

“Get outta here before I take you gun and shoot you in the foot!” Maverick growled, marching toward them.

“Well, you’re welcome,” Yukio muttered as Maverick marched past them, toward the exit. Natalie pulled at Yukio’s arm as they all hurried out of the cave and into the sunlight.

“Keep an eye on her,” Maverick ordered Yukio as they headed back to Joshua’s house. “Your little heiress is too curious for her own good!”

“Don’t start fighting again, please,” she requested, holding onto Yukio’s arm then attempted to stop them by asking him, “Why did you start shooting in the cave? You could have hit Maverick!”

“I can see really well in the dark,” he replied, then looked at Maverick to say, “I couldn’t let you die. Izzy would have killed me.”

“Next time, just listen to me, Greenhorn,” Maverick grumbled.

“I think it’s pretty clear, I’m not so much of a ‘Greenhorn’ anymore,” Yukio smirked and maverick smirked back.

“No,” he agreed. “I guess not.”