Take a Hike

Danny heard the baying of the hounds in the distance. He snarled and began dragging Chloe toward the opposite bank and a thick clump of bushes. Chloe stumbled and fell, her knee struck a rock and she cried out in pain. Danny rounded on her with a curse and pointed the gun at her.


“Get up!” He snapped, “We’re taking the high road now.”Chloe struggled, her hands and legs were numb from cold, but she had enough feeling to get a jolt of pain in her knee when she tried to put weight on her right leg.

“I can’t.” She gasped, “My knee.” Danny was starting to get nervous. He clipped her on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. She staggered back and saw stars. The blow was enough to put her off balance on her good knee and she fell backward. Her backside landed in a deep hollow and she soaked the rest of her torso to her armpits. She brought a hand up to head and it came away bloody. Danny was standing over her menacingly, then he was standing no more.
Lex launched himself out of the scope of trees where he’d been hiding. He moved low and fast. When he saw Danny hit Chloe with the gun, he leaped at the man. He caught Danny’s hand and knocked it upwards, the rest of his weight hit the taller man at the waist and they both went down. The icy water hit Lex like a punch to the chest. He landed on top of the felon and heard a grunt as the man’s elbw hit a submerged rock and he dropped the pistol. Danny was far from helpless, he plowed his other fist into Lex’s gut. Gagging for breath, he struggled to his feet and kicked the older man in the shoulder. His boots and sweater were heavy with water but he paid no attention and delivered a quick jab to the man’s nose, breaking it.


Danny screamed and gathered himself up to bulldoze into Lex’s midsection. His shoulder was a little off target and the younger man avoided the charge. He sent a punch right on target behind the felon’s ear and sent him headfirst into a sharp boulder. Danny went limp and fell face first into the river. Lex turned him over and checked for a pulse. The man was alive, but unconscious. He left him face-up in the river and turned to Chloe.


The reporter was holding a hand to her head and Lex saw blood seeping out between her fingers. Keeping his eye on Danny Feldman, he crouched, a little out of breath, by Chloe’s side. He helped her to her feet and out of the river. She looked dazed and her pale complexion and slow pulse indicated she might be in some shock. He left her for a moment and waded back intot he river in order to fetch the keys to the handcuffs she was wearing. He found them in one of Feldman’s pockets. He released her from her bonds and helped her to remove the yellow pack. It hadn’t been totally submerged and was nearly water-tight. He removed the solar blanket that had been packed for emergencies, and he guessed that this was definitely an emergency.


Chloe was shivering violently. Her teeth chattered and she didn’t remove her gaze from the river and Feldman. Lex unpacked the first aid kit which was. Thankfully, completely dry on the inside. He opened a gauze pad and pressed it to her scalp and instructed her to hold it in place tightly. He knew that cuts to the face and scalp tended to bleed openly and freely. He gently removed her boots and socks. He rubbed her feet dry with a chamois cloth. He ignored the cold air on his own wet body, he wasn’t injured, so she took priority.


“Talk to me, Chloe.” He said, trying to keep the urgency from his voice. “Did he hurt you?” She nodded. “Did he do anything besides hit you with the gun?” She blinked up at him.


“He slapped me and made me fall a couple of times.” Her gaze returned to the river. They could both hear the hounds, they were closer.


“Wait here.” Lex said, creeping down to the river and placing the handcuffs back on Feldman’s wrists, locking them behind his back. Then he dropped him back into the river, hoping that the man contracted hypothermia. Then he jogged up the hill to where Merlin was tethered. He grabbed the reins and led the horse back to where Chloe sat. he called Dr. Tyle and told him that he’d found Chloe and that she was safe. He took a signal flare from his own pack and fired it into the air. Merlin was not the kind of horse who startled easily and just looked skyward with interest. Kneeling beside Chloe again, he helped her to remove most of the sodden shirts she was wearing and put one of his own dry ones on her.


“He’s alive?” Chloe asked, Lex nodded, he could hear shouts coming closer. He tossed the yellow pack near the river bank in order to draw the searchers attention. Though he knew that someone suffering from shock shouldn’t eat or drink anything, he gave her a few sips of the coffe he had in his thermos. For himself, he removed his wet sweater and shirts and donned a fleece from his pack. He put the spare socks on Chloe’s feet and wrapped her in the blanket. Then he scooped her up and slung her into the saddle. She gripped the saddle horn precariously and kept her grip on the make-shift bandage on her head. He left the packs by the river, he did take the tracker and at Chloe’s request, her camera.


Lex swung into the saddle behind her and brought one of her legs over so that she was seated sideways in his lap. He cradled her head against his shoulder and nudged Merlin forward. The big stallion stepped gingerly into the river and crossed near Feldman’s still form. He raised his hand and waved to catch the attention of the first men to come into sight. It was a man in a park ranger’s uniform who had two large hounds scrambling down the hill in front of him on leashes. The man spoke into his radio and three other officers appeared over the hill. The dogs had been leading them to the spot where Feldman and Chloe had entered the river. One of the men was the Sheriff who had stopped Lex in his truck. For once, Lex was glad he was bald, the man recognized him right away.


“This your girlfriend?” He asked, indicating the blonde bundled in his arms.


“Yeah, Feldman had her when I found her,” he said and pointed over his shoulder toward the river, “he was unconscious when I left him, and cuffed.” The Sheriff asked for Chloe’s name and scribbled them down. “Is there an ambulance still up there?” Lex asked, shifting so that the man could see the bandage she was holding on her head.


“I’ll radio ahead and they can have someone waiting to direct you.” The Sheriff said, pointing up the hill in the direction they’d come. “Just go straight back up the hill and you’ll see more officers.” Then he spoke into his radio and announced that two civilians were coming up the hill on horseback, one injured. Lex held Chloe tightly and nudged Merlin into a fast walk up the hill.


“Stay with me, Chloe.” He whispered into her hair, kissing her forehead. She mumbled something he couldn’t hear. “What?” He asked.


“Girlfriend?” She said with a pained smile. “It’s a hell of a fist date, Luthor.” Lex chuckled at her quip. They were directed to a medic standing near an ambulance. He slid down from Merlin’s back and lifted Chloe with the assistance of man hands. She was helped into the amulance and Lex promised to return. He spoke with the police and gave them a brief synopsis of what had happened. Then he took Merlin back to the trailer and loaded him up before driving back to the ambulance. He promised a full statement once they were at the hospital and followed it back into town. The State Park was in Branton and the nearest hospital was in the next town, Shelton. He called Gabe Sullivan and told him to meet Chloe at the hospital. He assured the man that his daughter was going to be okay. Then he called Tyle and asked him to bring a change of clothes and meet him.