CHAPTER 22

            Charlie sat behind his ancient desk of polished pine, a desk that had been built with the very timbers that had resulted in the cabin in which he now sat, on the second floor study, gazing out the large picture window and the mountains and trees beyond, like a living painting that was ever changing, alive and breathing. Charlie found himself occupied often by the view beyond the window, sometimes spending hours in a single day just sitting and staring. He’d think back on his experiences, on his family, and on his Creator. And it was in those moments of quiet contemplation that Charlie truly felt his age, a bi-centenarian and then some.

            On the surface of the desk laid a large map that Charlie had been working on since his return to the cabin the night before. But it was not a map of locations. It was a map of events. Events that began with the few details Charlie had of Jack and Harold’s previous lives and traced the events connected with their resurrection and subsequent escape. But the map contained more; between the events Charlie had postulated possibilities, trying to understand their actions, thinking, and motivations.

            That Harold and Jack would leave–and together–had been shocking enough, but their conspiring with a boy who had turned out to be Jack’s older brother seemed all but impossible. The chances of coincidence, Charlie realized, were practically astronomical. Something else was at work here. Could it be Divine? Had Jehovah allowed this? As tempting as the thought was comforting, it raised a host of additional questions. Why was it allowed? What good could come of it? If both Jack and Hyde had rebelled, how could their meeting result in anything positive? Two wrongs couldn’t possibly make a right. Or could they? Charlie found the questions baffling and wearisome. He pushed his chair away from his desk and sighed.

            The piercing shrill of a high-pitched bell struck the still air of the Lewis house. Charlie hopped up from his chair and jogged down the stairs into the kitchen, where he lifted the receiver of their phone.

            “Hello?”

            “Ah, hi there, is this the Lewis residence?” Said a gruff, baritone voice on the other end that Charlie didn’t recognize.

            “It is, this is Charlie Lewis speaking.”

            “Oh, that’s good. Just the man I wanted to talk with. I’ve got some important news for you. I would’ve come by to tell you in person, but it’s rather urgent, given the circumstances,” the man said with an air of importance.

            “That’s fine. What is it?” Charlie said, suddenly anxious.

            “Well, first let me introduce myself. My name is Gerard Mendosa. I’m with the Bighton Trailblazers.” Charlie had heard of the newly established team only once before. Their job was to keep the mountain passes free of fallen trees to ensure their safety and accessibility.

            “Yes, I’m aware of the Trailblazers. What can I help you with?”

            “Well, ah, yesterday afternoon our team was doing some routine maintenance on the north trail leading from Clive. Are you familiar with it?”

            “Yes, I believe so,” Charlie said, wishing the brother would get to the point.

            “Yes, well, that’s good. It’s a swell trail. Any case, ah, we got an anonymous call recently about something strange in the woods. Some of the volunteers with my team went to check it out. They found something, ah, interesting off the beaten trail. A cave.”

            “A cave?”

            “Yes. Just a small one, formed naturally, I suppose. But, ah, inside, the volunteers found some strange things. Lots of garbage, empty food tins and whatnot. And a small fire pit. There were also some clothes in there. And a map...” Gerard paused, apparently waiting for Charlie to interrupt, but nothing was said. Already Charlie knew where this was going.

            “Yes, well, ah, the map, see, well it has your name on it. It’s from your welcome center on the hill.”

            Charlie let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

            “You still there, Brother Lewis?” The voice said after a few seconds of silence.

            “Yes, yes, I’m here. We’re dealing with some issues here at our center. Two of our guests ran off with some of our supplies, including that map. They’re somewhere in the forest and we haven’t been able to track them down.”

            “Guests?” The man said dubiously.

            “They’re of the unrighteous,” Charlie said grimly.

            “Oh, I see. I’m sorry,” he said, embarrassed.

            “What trail did you say that was, again?” Charlie asked, reaching for a pencil on the counter to make a note. Gerard repeated the directions and gave the coordinates.

            “Look, ah, I know this must be a pretty difficult time for you and your family, but, unfortunately there’s more that you need to know,” he continued. Charlie felt a little bad for him now, having to be the bearer of such bad news.

            “I’m listening,” Charlie said.

            “Well, the anonymous tip mentioned something else. And after we found the cave we went looking. We found some more stuff hidden in the trees and partially covered by leaves. It looks like your, ah, guests set up traps. I’m not sure what they were aiming to catch, but fortunately none of our brothers were hurt in the process. However, in the last trap, we found a deer. Its legs had been tangled and it had died there, in the woods.”

            Charlie drew a sharp breath and bowed his head, feeling the full weight of the words press down on him like a thousand daggers. Harming an animal for any reason was a serious sin, and in all his decades in paradise Charlie had not once come across an instance of it.

            “I see,” he managed to say softly. The two said an awkward goodbye and Charlie hung up, feeling another bout of pain and sadness swelling up in his chest.

***

            “They did what?” Naomi asked with a look of tragic disbelief.

            “You heard right. Hunting in the mountains. Some brothers found a dead deer in one of the traps,” Charlie said grimly. Naomi gasped. Her eyes were suddenly red and beginning to water.

            “So what’s next?” Sophie asked.

            “I’m not sure there’s much more we can do,” Charlie said. “If they’re on the run and keeping to the woods they could be anywhere.”

            “I don’t understand,” Daniel said softly. “Why would they want to destroy an animal? How could they be so cruel?”

            “Probably for its meat, to eat, dear,” Naomi said, wiping her eyes. Her son’s face contorted. He’d heard of Old World carnivorous diets but still found it a difficult concept to fathom.

            “Could’ve been for the hides, too. Maybe they were having trouble keeping warm. Although the animal that was found in the trap hadn’t been skinned or eaten. Apparently it had been there for awhile.”

            “Well that doesn’t make much sense,” Naomi said. “Why go through the trouble of building and setting up traps and then not bother to check them?”

            “I don’t think they had a chance. I think they had already abandoned the area when the team found it. It didn’t sound like they’d left much behind. Just a lot of garbage. And the map they took from the center.”

            “Well that’s strange, too. Why not take that? Wouldn’t they need it to navigate the woods?” Naomi asked.

            “Maybe not. That map only covers this immediate area. Maybe they were heading into an area off the map.”

            “Like where? And why?”

            “Jack’s smart and military-trained. Maybe he knew that staying in one spot for too long would eventually get them caught. Maybe they even scouted out some other areas, made their own map… Who knows?”

            “I remember reading about that stuff in Jack’s file, the one we received before he was resurrected,” Daniel said. “It said he was in the army for a few years and before that was in the Air Force. I never had a chance to do much research on the Air Force job, but I understand that he did have a lot of survival training with the army.”

            “The Air Force was for training military pilots. They’d teach the men to fly planes and helicopters,” Naomi explained.

            “I’d forgotten about that,” Charlie said. “Jack knows how to fly planes.”

            Charlie glanced at his wife and saw in her wide-eyed stare that they were thinking the same thing.

            “You don’t suppose he’s headed to an airstrip, do you?” Naomi said. Without answering, Charlie grabbed the phone from the receiver and began dialing.

***

            Mack Gervis wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve. In spite of the sudden temperature drop and the clammy air, he felt hopelessly hot and sweaty. He hadn’t even begun to understand what had just transpired at the little, unassuming Gervis airstrip of which he and his wife were caretakers. His wife, Madeline, sat at his side, patting his arm consolingly.

            “Perhaps it was just a prank, honey, a harmless practical joke,” Madeline suggested with a forced smile.

            “You don’t do that to a man, Maddie. You don’t sneak into his plane and fly it off without telling him. It’s just not something you do.” Mack frowned and rubbed his temples.

            “Well, I still say it’s just some kind of misunderstanding. How can you even think it’s been stolen? That’s not possible here. Nothing like that has happened for centuries, dear.”

            “Sure it has. It happened just now, with my plane, and I want answers!” Mack said, jabbing his pudgy finger into the soft flesh of his thigh. The shrilly ring of their phone suddenly pierced the air. Madeline gathered the long skirt of her dress in her hands and whisked off towards the noise.

            Moments later she waved to her husband. The call was for him.

            “Hello?” He said gruffly into the receiver.

            A man named Charlie Lewis was on the other end. He explained his situation. He and his family ran one of the nearby welcome centers. Two of their guests had run away and had been missing for a week. One of them was a pilot and they suspected they might be heading for an airstrip and were making calls to investigate.       “Runaways, eh?” Mack grumbled into the phone.

            “That’s right. Have you seen anything?”

            “Well I didn’t see anyone, but this morning one of our planes was stolen from right under our noses.”

            Mack could sense the agitation on the other end of the line. The man didn’t speak directly into the receiver but there were other voices, indistinguishable, in the background.

            “Ok, ok. First of all, I’m very, very sorry about your plane. I’ll do my best to get it back to you in one piece as soon as I can.”

            “I sure hope so,” Mack glowered. “She’s brand-spankin’-new. We just got her last week. The paint’s barely dry!”

            “I understand, and again I apologize, but it’s very important that we get some details from you. We really need to track down these guys.”

            “I’ll say!” Mack said. Whoever heard of runaway second-lifers? Outrageous. Simply outrageous!

            “Can you tell me which direction they were headed?”

            “They took off from the north end of the strip, then turned the plane a bit to the east as they gained altitude.”

            “I see. Any chance there’s a tracking device on the plane?” Charlie asked.

            “A tracking device? No, of course not. We don’t lose planes in the New World, Brother Lewis,” Mack said.

            “I’m sorry. I know nothing about planes. Just thought I’d ask. Just one more question, do you have any idea where they might be headed?”

            “How would I know? I never talked to the guys, never even saw their faces. I don’t even know how they got in the plane. I pulled it out to the runway and turned my back for an instant and the next thing I knew, my new bird was in the air.”

            The man apologized again and promised he’d do his best. But Mack wasn’t so sure. As he hung up he glanced outside and saw a sight that made his heart drop. A storm was approaching.