Wilderness Challenge - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

         Candi heard noises coming from the direction of the cabin.  She finished milking the cow and put her and the calf in the pasture to graze.  It had been a week since she had seen Ranger Carmichael and didn’t exactly want another encounter from him.  He had given her enough mixed signals she didn’t know where she stood.  On the other hand, Sandra had been true to her word and been there every day since to teach her about farming.  Rascal’s bark had a menacing tone, as he ran ahead of her, which was unusual for him.  He was used to Logan’s presence, and accepted him without question, tail wagging, happy to see him.  It was the same way with Sandra.  It was not his reaction at the moment, however.

         Candi rounded the side of the shelter and saw three unkempt disorderly men heading for the cabin, a pack mule between them.

         She derided herself yet again as she realized her rifle was still in the cabin.  She hoped she could get around to the back unseen, but realized it was too late.

         They saw her and the dog coming toward them.  They looked none to friendly.  She didn’t trust their smile or their sudden appearance.  The one leading the mule took his hat off in greeting.  “Howdy ma’am.  We didn’t reckon that the cabin were occupied like.  Is yer mister to home?”

         “She ain’t got a mister.”  One of the others laughed, as he looked between her and the dog who continued to bark.  Rascal had come to a standstill and showed distinct fangs at the sight of them.

         “What can I help you with?  The ranger station is over that way.”  Candi pointed across the river hoping they would leave.

         “We knows where that there ranger station is, ma’am.  We was reckonin’ fer a bed down fer the night.”  The third member of their party who had been quiet so far answered.

         “This cabin is occupied.  You’ll have to find other accommodations.”

         “We didn’t know the cabin were occupied like.  When did you move in, ma’am,” the first one asked.

         Candi grew nervous by their lack of interest in leaving.  “Does it matter?  I have the owner’s approval to be here.”

         “How ’bout calming that dog down.  We mean you no harm.”  The man who had hold of the mule took a step toward her, but Rascal growled louder and he thought better of it.

         “He won’t do you any harm, if you just turn back the way you came.”

         “Ain’t a friendly critter is he?” the second one said.

         “He’s what he is.  Now I must ask you to leave.”

         “I don’t think we’re going to do that, ma’am,” the first man said.

         The first man ran his eyes up and down her person.  Candi saw the gleam in his eyes and knew it was anything but friendly.  She felt dirty and contaminated by the feral look in his eyes.  She saw the others had the same look.

         “There’s nothing here for you.”  She watched them approach the front porch.  This wasn’t a bear, and without her rifle she became more uncertain about what to do.  She hoped she could bluff her way through the next tense moments.  “I suggest you turn around and leave.”

         She turned away from them and headed for the cabin, when one of the men grabbed her from behind by two strong arms and pulled to his chest.  “All we want is a little fun.”

         Rascal snarled and attacked the man, who kicked him aside.  Candi kicked out at him, and slammed her booted heel into his shin.  He dropped her, and she raced up the steps and was inside the cabin.  She grabbed her rifle from above the fireplace, and had it pointed at the door when they banged it open.

         “I don’t think you have the know-how to use that rifle.”  The man who had held the reins of the mule looked into the bore end of the rifle pointed at his chest.

         “Oh I don’t know.  I killed a bear not too long ago.  You’re not nearly as big as he was.”

         “That a fact?”  He looked at her doubtfully, then eyed the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace, and recognized the bear it had been.  “Even so, we’re three, to your one.”

         “Two.  You’re forgetting my dog.  And he’s enough to make up the difference.”

         “You don’t want to pull that trigger on another human being, though.  A bear is one thing, but human’s is quite another matter.  You could go to prison for shooting an innocent man.”  He moved slowly toward her, keeping a watchful eye on the dog, and his menacing growl and bared teeth.

         “Not for self-defense.  It’s time you left!”  Candi was angry, her eyes snapped at the effrontery of those men.

         He reached out, and grabbed the rifle out of her hands.  The dog leapt at him and took a firm hold of the wrist that held the rifle.

         Backhanding the dog, Rascal flew across the room, but came back again with a fierceness Candi hadn’t seen before.  The other two pulled out a gun and was about to shoot the dog, when she screamed, and rushed them, misdirecting the bullet away from the dog.  Instead it caught her in the shoulder, and knocked her right into the firm grasp of the man who had held the reins of the mule.

         “Now lookee what you done!”  The man who held her looked to his comrades, then back at her and saw the blood soaking her shirt.

         “It were an accident, boss,” the one who had fired the gun said.  “She got between me and that there dog o’ hers.”

         Candi attempted to struggle against the hold he had on her, but the intense pain in her shoulder numbed her mind, and caused a haze to blur her vision.

         The man referred to as ‘boss’, held her against his chest, and pointed her rifle at the dog.  “Call him off, or he’s dead.”

         Candi struggled both with the pain in her shoulder, and the indecision about Rascal, she finally did as he requested.  “Rascal, go lay down!”

         Rascal looked up at her, and quietly obeyed.  He tucked his tail as he lay on the bearskin rug, and watched to see what would happen next.

********

         Over at the ranger station Stan heard the one gunshot, and waited to hear if there would be a second.  When none followed he went back to his work.

         Logan looked up from his desk.  “Did you hear a gunshot?”

         “Yes, but it wasn’t followed by a second like we told her to do if she was in trouble.”  Stan kept his focus on his paperwork.  “She’s probably hunting.  Nothing to worry about.”

         “All the same, I’m going to have a look-see at what’s happening over there.”  Logan went out to the porch with a high-powered set of binoculars.  Since the incident with the cow he hadn’t been near the cabin and had told himself not to look in her direction.  It had been hard not to direct the binoculars toward the cabin, but he told himself he wouldn’t interfere.  He trained the binoculars on the cabin.  There was a slight break in the trees surrounding her cabin.  He saw a strange mule outside the cabin.  No one in sight.  Whoever had caused the gunshot was inside the cabin.

         Logan rushed inside.  “I’m taking the chopper.  She’s in trouble.  There’s a strange mule standing outside her cabin, and I don’t see any sign of life, whoever’s there isn’t there just to have a talk.”  Logan grabbed his rifle, checked its loading and grabbed an extra box of ammunition, before he headed out the door.

         “I’ll go with you!” Stan stood to his feet and followed him out.

         “No!  You stay here.  I may need you to call for backup.”  Logan climbed into the helicopter and made sure his medical bag was there, and set it in motion.

         Sandra hurried from her cabin and made ready to climb into the helicopter.  “I’m going with you.”

         “Good idea.”  Stan went back in and waited by the radio.

********

         The boss hauled Candi up against his chest, ignoring the bullet wound to her shoulder.  His foul breath in the face of missing or rotten teeth nauseated Candi who struggled to be let go.

         Rascal was beside them, snapping at the back of his legs.  The man kicked the dog aside, as he ignored the menacing growl.  He led her over to the bed, and threw her down upon the bedcovers before pouncing on her himself.

         Candi struggled to be free of him, but only succeeded in hearing her shirt tear.  As he grabbed it the collar pulled apart.  She tried to cover herself, and moved her head from side to side, to avoid him as much as possible.  She slowly lost the battle of her senses as black spots danced in front of her eyes.

         Rascal gave a low menacing growl as she was manhandled, but at her command, he could do nothing more.

         “Keep that dog quiet!”  The boss said.

         The other two chortled with glee as they saw her faint struggles.  “Looks like she be acceptin’ you boss.”

         The boss looked up at them, and then down at Candi.  He saw her eyes were closed, and her struggles had ceased.  “You could be right boys.”  He released his belt from his pants and slid his hands into the waistband of her pants, about to pull them from her waist when suddenly the door to the cabin slammed open, and they looked into the loaded end of a rifle.

         The man holding the rifle had thunder in his eyes, as he took in the situation before him.  “Get away from her.  Now!”

         The two men backed away from him, and the man who had attacked Candi, slowly rose and sidled away from her.

         Sandra came into the cabin with his medical bag in hand and noted the three men to one side of the room.

         Logan saw the blood staining her shirt and realized she received a bullet to the shoulder.  With one eye and the bore end of his rifle pointed at the three of them, he went over to examine the torn flesh.  He’d need to see to the bullet as soon as possible.

         “Sandra get these men out of here, call Stan and have the police standing by.”

         Sandra went over to the transmitter.  “SM Tango Two to base, over.”

         “This is base.  What’s the situation?” Stan said.

         “Stan, call the police.  I’m bringing in three and then I’m back here to assist Logan.”

         “How is she?”

         “I’ll be able to tell you more after she’s seen to.  I’ll be there in five.  Over.”

         “I’ll be waiting.  Signing off.”

         Logan pointed the rifle at the three men.  “Let’s go!”  He turned to Sandra.  “I’ll take them.  You stay with her, prep her for surgery.  I’ll be right back.”

         “Will do.”

         Logan herded the three men into the back of the chopper, and put it in the air.  Moments later he touched down at headquarters.  As he handed them out of the chopper he read them their Miranda rights.  “You are hereby charged with assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct, and attempted rape.”

         Stan hurried from the office as Logan read them their rights.  “I have a cell just for the likes of you.”

         “I have to get back.  Sandra is prepping her for surgery.  I wish we had a hospital close by.  We could sure use one.”

         “Let me know,” Stan said.

         “I will.”

         Moments later he raced into the cabin where Sandra had everything ready for him.  He washed up, and together they put her on the table in the center of the room with the kerosene lamp directly above them.

         Logan worked at the bullet.  “As good as that light is I can’t see into the wound.  I need more light.  Light that lamp and bring it over here.  The bullet has lodged itself against the bone.  I need to see right into the wound in order to get it out.”

         Sandra hurried with the light and held it above the wound with one hand while giving him the tools he needed to get at the bullet.

         Rascal watched from the rug in front of the fireplace, his head between his paws, his eyes directed at his mistress and the rangers.

         A short while later Logan extracted the bullet from her shoulder and began to stitch up the wound.  When he finished, he looked up at Sandra.  “They should be very lucky they won’t be brought up on manslaughter charges.  The bullet missed all major arteries.”

         A look of relief stole across Sandra’s features.  “She’ll be all right then?”

         “She’ll be all right.”

         “Do you want to move her back to the bed?”

         “Not just yet.  I want to make sure her vitals are stable.  She should be in the hospital.”

         “I agree, but the closest one is in Lewiston and that’s a hundred miles from here.”

         Logan went over to the transmitter.  “LC Tango Two to base, come in.  Over.”

         “This is base.  Come in LC Tango Two.  How is she?”  Stan’s worried voice came back.

         “She took a bullet to the shoulder.  You can tell those three you have locked up, they’re lucky they won’t be brought up on manslaughter charges.  The bullet missed all major arteries.  I was able to get it out with Sandra’s help.  I’ll be back as soon as she’s stabilized.  In the meantime Sandra will need to stay here.  Something I really don’t like, but there’s no choice.”  Logan’s voice was cold, yet full of emotion as he turned his attention back to Candi.

         “You could bring her here until she’s well enough to resume her life again,” Stan said.

         “I was thinking the same thing.  This really isn’t the place for her to heal up from a gunshot wound.  It was hard when she was attacked by the bear,” Sandra said.

         Logan thought for a moment and nodded his head.  “As soon as she’s stable I’m bringing her to the station.”

         “She’ll stay with us,” Stan said.

         “Are you sure?”

         “We have the room.  She’ll be warm and comfortable.  I’ll get the spare room ready.  See you in a bit.  Base over.”