Chapter 10 - Blood in the Creek
Two miles down the mountain, the sound of the distant gunshot made Tommy Cole stumble in the rushing, icy waters of Miller’s Creek.
Liam was strapped to Tommy’s back with a length of braided utility rope they had scavenged from the cabin, his small arms wrapped tightly around the officer’s neck. The freezing water surged up to Tommy's waist, numbing his legs and threatening to sweep them both down the rocky falls.
""Hold on, Liam,"" Tommy wheezed, his teeth knocking together violently. ""Keep your head down.""
Above them, the drone circled once more, its high-frequency whine like an angry hornet in the dark sky. Tommy dragged himself beneath an overhanging shelf of slate rock, pulling Liam into the freezing shadow. They submerged themselves up to their chins, the biting cold driving all the breath from their lungs.
The thermal camera beam swept across the water three feet away, illuminating the rippling foam before moving up the opposite bank. The drone buzzed away toward the south, tricked by the freezing surface temperature of the mountain run.
Liam didn't cry out. He held Miller’s silver badge clamped between his teeth to keep them from clattering. His fingers were blue, his miniature camouflage uniform soaked through and heavy as lead.
""We have to walk,"" Tommy whispered, hauling them both out onto the gravel bank on the far side of the county line. ""Eight miles to the state highway depot. We can't stop, Liam. If we stop, we freeze.""
""My daddy..."" Liam managed to murmur, his small voice trembling so hard the words barely formed. ""Did they... did they take him away?""
Tommy looked at the boy. He wanted to lie, wanted to offer the same comfort Miller had tried to manufacture. But looking at Liam’s eyes—eyes that had already seen too much betrayal—he couldn't do it.
""Your daddy is fighting for his life right now, Liam,"" Tommy said, hoisting the child onto his hip despite the tearing agony in his burned shoulder. ""And the only way we help him fight is by making sure the truth gets heard. Can you walk with me for a little while?""
May you like
Liam looked down at his muddy, torn boots. He nodded once, wiped the freezing water from his face with the sleeve of his uniform, and planted his feet into the mud.
""I can walk,"" Liam said softly. ""Soldiers don't quit.""
