“You’re bleeding,” she said.

Dan wiped the blood from his forehead. “Murphy’s place is just down the road.” Dan said, while trying to focus his eyes.

“Come with me,” Kelly begged.

“No,” Dan whispered finally. “I have to go after Alan. What I need for you to do is go get help.”

“Daddy, I’m scared.”

Dan got out of the car, he shoved Kelly into the driver’s seat, and then shut the car door. Kelly looked up at him with tears in her eyes as she finally put the car into gear and backed up. She stepped on the gas and spun away.

Dan started walking toward the tall pines. He winced in pain from where Alan kicked him in the ribs earlier. Dan turned to see Kelly driving off down the road. He took a deep breath. The pain in his side caused him to double up for a moment. After he recovered, he quickly hurried in the direction that Alan had run off in.

CHAPTER 18

Dan walked through the thick tree growth. It got denser and denser the further he walked in. Dan stopped and listened. A squirrel chattered in the branches above while birds fluttered about. The thick canopy of trees above barely let the sun shine through.

Dan’s shirt stuck to his back, the sweat and blood ran into his eyes. When Dan came to a fallen tree, he stopped. Brush and vines grew up all around the decaying trunk.

“Alan,” Dan yelled feebly.

Dan’s voice came out a hoarse whisper. He cleared his throat and got a firm grip on the billy club. Just as he rounded the trunk he heard a noise. Thirty feet away rutting in a patch of mud were six razorbacks. One of the boars had blood covering its right shoulder. Dan turned and made a quick retreat behind the trunk when something struck him hard on the back. Dan slid forward onto the ground.

“Why did you come?” Alan demanded.

Dan managed to look up. “Had to,” Dan said finally.

Dan felt around for the billy club. Alan walked toward him. Dan tried to wipe away the sweat and blood. He did not lift his head for fear the razorbacks would see him. The hogs pawed at the earth and rooted up the ground. It was then Alan saw them too.

“Jesus Christ!” was all he managed to say.

While Alan appeared momentarily distracted, Dan grabbed the billy club quickly and swung it at Alan’s shins and connected solidly. Alan yelled out in pain. He stumbled toward the razorbacks, yelling and hopping from one foot to the other. The razorbacks were puzzled at first. A few were frightened and ran off. The two old boars just looked up with a savage gleam in their tiny eyes. The sharp hooves pawed at the soft ground.

Dan tried to get up but had no luck. He got to his knees and saw Alan standing a few feet away. Dan made a turning, clumsy twist toward Alan, sticking out the billy club and managed to grab an ankle. Dan pulled and Alan tumbled down, dropping the pistol. Both men reached for it. Dan’s face was mashed into the forest floor while Alan kneeled on top of him. Dan tried to raise himself and throw Alan off, but he was hurting too bad. Alan’s weight had Dan pinned.

Alan straightened up and turned. Just then the boar with the wound charged, followed by the other boar. Dan’s eyes were filled with dirt, sweat, and blood but he still managed to see the charge coming.

The two razorbacks crashed into Alan’s back with a thunderous thump. All the air went out of Alan as the razorbacks thrashed him around like a rag doll.

Dan felt around for the gun while the hogs were grunting and slobbering, with no inclination of deserting their prey.

Dan finally had the gun in hand. He used the billy club to push himself into a sitting position. Dan quickly took aim and fired off one round. It hit the one boar in the right eye. The boar went down with a high-pitched squeal. The other boar looked up. All Dan could focus on was the tusk as the boar looked him straight in the eye and then quickly charged. Dan fired off a shot but the bullet struck the razorback in its side. The boar did not even slow down, just lowering his head and came straight on at Dan.

Dan did not have time for another shot. He twisted to the side to avoid the charge and yelled out in pain as the boar sideswiped him. Dan screamed as he was tossed two feet into the air. Quickly he managed to sit up and grip the gun with both hands. The razorback turned. It stopped for a moment before lowering its head again, and charged. When the boar came within four feet, Dan let the last two rounds go. The razorback struck Dan in the chest and then there was only darkness.

* * *

Dan finally regained consciousness and heard Alan moaning in pain. He struggled to shove the razorback off his chest and then crawled over to Alan.

Alan was covered in blood. His breathing was ragged and shallow. Dan twisted himself into a sitting position and slid himself over to Alan.

“Alan, Alan, you there?”

Alan’s eyelids flickered a moment. “I’m not going any place,” he whispered.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

Alan tried to laugh as he looked up at the condition Dan was in.

“I wouldn’t try it if I were you. I think my back is broken.” He hesitated while catching his breath. “Among other things.” He struggled a moment and then coughed up blood. “I didn’t do all those things. I may have stood by and done nothing. But it wasn’t me,” Alan stopped and breathed a deep ragged breath.

“What do you know about Kay’s accident?”

“I can’t,” Alan coughed while shaking his head.

“If you know something you have to tell me.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Why did you run?” Dan asked.

“I hate what I’ve become. And I’m not taking the fall.”

“It’s too late for that. Too late,” Dan said.

“Wasn’t me, honestly.”

Dan shook his head. “All this, and it wasn’t you? And now you’re telling me Kay was murdered too. Why?”

Alan tried to laugh. “I’m so sorry.” Alan coughed up more blood. “You were right about Jason. But it was his fault. Doing the things he did. Wasn’t right. He deserved what he got.”

“He didn’t deserve to die,” Dan snapped. “Kay didn’t deserve to die either.”

Alan started to cry. The pain was too much to endure. All these years he lived with the guilt and now it was all coming out into the open.

Dan turned to the razorback lying a few feet away and then glanced down at Alan.

“What bothers me is you did nothing all these years.”

“Like anyone would have believed me.”

“A jury will have a field day with you.”

“The way I feel, there won’t be a jury. I just wanted you to know.”

Dan glanced around for something to use as a cane. He slid over to the fallen tree and broke off a branch.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

Alan coughed again. “Too late. Time you get to town, too late.”

“Don’t tell me that, damn it.”

Alan did not answer as Dan struggled to get up and then, after getting his bearings he managed to hobble off.

CHAPTER 19

Dan limped out of the woods. In the distance, a caravan of cars raced toward the clearing. Dan collapsed to his knees. The cars came to a screeching halt near where Dan fell. Mac got out of the squad and ran up to Dan.

“You don’t look so good,” Mac said.

“Kelly, where’s Kelly?” Dan asked while trying to get up.

“She’s okay. On the way to the hospital by now, I expect.”

Dan looked up at Mac. “Alan’s in there,” Dan whispered as he turned to the tall pines and then everything went dark.

* * *

Dan was in and out of consciousness. He tried to wake a few times but then stopped trying and let the darkness consume him.

He saw Kay in happy times, laughing while playing with Kelly as an infant. He heard arguing but could not make out the words. Slowly the dreams fade and the hazy hue of the room appeared.