Chapter Four
The dirt squished beneath her shoes as Lara crept through the woods. She knew it was going to be a soggy evening, but still, she had to know what was going on with the Azilians.
The group was up to something that may or may not be connected with their secretive new neighbors. She wasn’t about to just let this go. To hell with Peter. If she could find the evidence, then he’d be forced to admit he’d been wrong anyway. He couldn’t turn his back on actual news.
She ground her teeth as she moved through the cool night. Just the thought of the prick pissed her off. She’d given her idea one last go with him. Fat lot of good it did.
It was a stupid idea to talk to him, but she’d thought that maybe he just needed a little time to think on it. Not only had he shot her down, but the bastard had put her on the upcoming fall festival.
Over her dead fucking body would she interview Lois. That woman could peel pain from the wall with her voice, and the topic wasn’t much better. She didn’t need to hear about who was contracted for music or what vendors would be there.
She huffed loudly.
It was the same damn people every year! Things hadn’t changed for the last fifteen years, and she didn’t expect it would start now. She wasn’t sure if Peter actually cared about the story, or if he was just trying to mess with and control her.
Her foot stomped a little too hard, splashing her pants with mud. She cursed and leaned over to swipe the spot. Something snapped nearby.
Lara froze, her heart picking up.
Had someone heard? She’d been so quiet, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t gone undetected. Besides, who knew what sort of animals were prowling out there? She was, after all, in the middle of the woods.
She swung her flashlight around, hoping that nothing reflected back in the chilly night.
Nothing.
She let out the breath she’d been holding. This was far more nerve-wracking than she expected. Of course, the light of the newly risen moon was blocked by the forest, so she was left with only her flashlight and its pretty feeble beam. The next time she decided to skulk around the woods at night, she’d need something a bit more powerful.
Not letting her fears stop her, Lara continued on. She was nearly there. The compound wasn’t much further. She could only hope she’d have some sort of view of the property. The closer she walked, the more she could make out. She broke through the tree line, and the reason became clear.
She narrowed her eyes as a tall wall topped with bright lights confronted her. The lights stretched out across the open land surrounding the compound, fiercely fighting back the night.
She slipped behind a tree and watched the place. This was the closest that she’d come, likely the closest anyone had come. Given the light show they had set up, the Azilians obviously were more security-minded than she’d even anticipated, which only fueled her suspicions.
The compound and the cult were strange, and most people in Eagle Ridge just liked to pretend the place didn’t exist. The Azilians lived outside the norm and believed strange things.
Not that she really cared. They weren’t mystics, really. They were just weird-ass people who believed in the lost city of Atlantis. She supposed it was better than being UFO nut jobs. Really, she just hated not knowing what was going on in the compound. Half the reason she’d gone into journalism was that she liked ferreting out little secrets, good or bad.
Lara stared out across the way at the tall, gray wall. At the top she could see the bright spot lights, but there was no movement. There was no way they’d set all this up not to have people guarding it. Still, it seemed a little strange for a place like this to even have this level of security.
She’d never heard anyone talk about the group as if they were dangerous, and they certainly weren’t known for espousing any sort of doomsday prophecies or anything that’d get the government’s attention.
She pulled out her camera and snapped a few photos. They weren’t going to win her an award, but it would corroborate her story, and that could help persuade Peter to allocate the resources she actually needed to follow-up on the situation properly.
The large metal gate at the far side of the building groaned loudly, and she jumped at the sound. Lara watched as the tall armored truck she’d seen before made its way outside the gate. She squinted a little to try and make out any faces, but it was no good. She was just too far away. Next time she’d need to bring some binoculars.
Scanning the area, she knew there was only one choice. She’d have to get closer. Any residual fear she felt got swallowed by her burning curiosity.
Dropping low to the ground, Lara crouched and waddled closer. The closer she moved, the more she could hear.
“The boss said we need to bring in another dozen or so,” one man said. He had a thick East Coast accent. It stood out like a sore thumb in her neck of the woods.
“Anassa would like to get this over with,” a more gently speaking man said.
Lara stopped behind a tree and peeked around. The man with tattoos she’d seen earlier in town stared smugly at another man in a flowing brown robe. An odd couple for sure.
The tattooed man laughed. His harsh, creased face only showed his hard life. A few teeth were missing from what she could see. Carefully, Lara pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos. She wondered what a police investigation might turn up.
“Well, you tell that Anassa that we’ll get this over with when we’re good and fucking ready. Not before.”
Lara frowned. Anassa? Were they talking about the current leader? She didn’t know much about the internal workings of the Azilians, but she’d heard that this Anassa had replaced the old leader, Paula, about a year ago. The name seemed weird, but a lot of the members took on new names when they joined.
Much of their lives was secretive, and the change in leadership hadn’t changed anything about the Azilians’ influence on or interaction with the town, so most people didn’t really care.
The man in the robe stepped back, and Lara was able to get a better view of him. His balding head was the first thing she noticed. This man was middle-aged at best. His graying hair circled his head, highlighting his age.
The tattooed man scoffed at the power he seemed to hold over the other man. Lara thought that over. The way they were talking suggested the tattooed man wasn’t actually a member of the Azilians. That raised the question of why an outsider would be able to boss around a group member on their own land.
“You just keep your fucking mouth shut, and we’ll keep helping you see your god,” he said.
See their god? She ran that through her mind. Perhaps they were bringing in some sort of hallucinogens for a ritual? Though it made sense on the surface, she couldn’t figure out why they’d need the huge armored trucks. If anything, not having such a conspicuous vehicle would make more sense.
Lara watched the other man closely. In any event, there was some sort of business between these two. Whatever it was, the other man didn’t seem all that comfortable with the situation. Still, he nodded back his understanding of his place.
She leaned in a little and snapped a few more photos. The pictures, combined with the conversation, were more than enough evidence for at least a follow-up investigation.
The tattooed man stepped up into the truck but kept his door open.
“Tomorrow,” he said sternly. “Tomorrow you better have it all ready.”
The other man nodded eagerly, obviously glad to be getting away from the situation. Whatever was going on, she’d have to be there. Couldn’t have some deal going on and not know what was happening. In the end, the whole thing might be bigger than she anticipated, especially if drug trafficking was involved.
A loud ringing cut through the air. The synthetic sounds of a phone.
Lara stared in horror at her phone as it buzzed in her hand.
She snapped her head toward the men.
“Hey,” the man in the truck shouted and slid out, his hand already dipping to his back where she was sure his gun was hiding.
Not waiting to see, Lara moved as fast as she could. Keeping low until she reached the trees, Lara stood and ran with everything she had. Her lungs burned and legs moved mindlessly on their own. The path didn’t matter at the moment. What did matter was getting away from that man and his gun.
In the back of her mind, she thought she heard a gunshot behind her, but it could have been the loud hammering in her head. Her heart thumped furiously in her chest.
She ran until her legs gave out from under her, and she collapsed to the damp earth.
She jerked around, still expecting to find something. Anything.
Silence filled the air, and she let out a sigh.
Lara stood and took in the woods around her. She was lost. Not just lost, but lost in the dark with some sort of thuggish creep with a gun chasing her. The situation was about as great as it could be.
She sighed and looked in the direction she had come and shook her head. Not worth taking the chance. She’d just have to take the long way round to get to her car. For now, the only choice was to push forward and hope she found her way out before morning.